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I would like to create an activity where the children would be able to learn about their ancestry and different cultures. I would have the children pick a parent or grandparent and ask questions such as things they enjoyed when growing up such as where they grew up, food they ate, music, activities and apparel. I would have all the children dress up like the parent or grandparent and tell everyone the story as if they were the person so that the student will learn about their ancestry and the other children will learn about the culture.

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I LOVE ALL ABOUT ME activities as there is such a range in which you can play with materials and supplies to allow the children creativity and imagination! Not only that but All ABout me expands beyond the child it also allows children the opportunity to show us adults how they view their peers and the world around them! I supply the children with various materials to build from. Colors of the world markers and crayons and yarns and buttons, glitters and sands and various textures and supplies. Kids LOVE the textures!!!

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For this activity I would ask the children talk with their family at home ad write down to goals or wishes. The first goal or wish would come from thee child . The second wish or goal would come from the parents or family. While the parents or family write their down I want them to think about the child and a goal or wish they want for them. Or they would like them to achieve.
When all of our clouds are back in the classroom we will hang them up after the children color them. The will be able to see them hanged up in the classromm.

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Every culture and heritage has stories that have been passed down for generations. I would assign children to go home and learn a story that their parents have told them.
This assignment will be good because parents will retell these stories to their children, and hopefully these children will pass the stories down even further.
Children should come back to class, and share a family story with the rest of the class. It will be very cute to see children telling their peers stories. It will also build their public speaking skills and confidence.

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I love the Kissing Hand book and also its counterpart: Chester and the Big Bad Bully. In the Kissing Hand, Chester is missing his mommy and has a hard time going to school. His mommy places a kiss on his hand and reassures him that her love is always there. In the Big Bad Bully, Chester has a hard time with a mean badger at school. He learns that some people are more rough around the edges, but if we are kind and persistent, we can help smooth out those rough places.
There are many activities you can use to incorporate families. At open house, you can have the parents trace their hands and put a cut out heart on it. The kids can keep it with them at school, on their cubby, or maybe in a family book. I also thought of how to extend the family book idea. Along with the hand cut out (which you can have the parents use their skin color construction paper), you can include family pictures, and maybe a short information page on each families likes, and family tree!

http://csefel.vanderbilt.edu/booknook/bn_kissing.pdf

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The music and dance activity discussed in the Diversity in the Classroom article would be great for a diverse classroom.  Listening to music brought by the families and teaching children music and dance from different cultures is a great idea and is so infrequently done.  This should be done as part of the regular classroom activities and not just done for holiday celebrations. It would be great to extend this by talking about the instruments used to make music in different cultures and showing them being played.

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Myeesha Thomas

One way I would include families in our curriculum is to request a family photo. When children see their family photos in the classroom they feel so proud. This is a way to be inclusive of all families! I request that the parents send a family photo (4x6), have the child decorate a rectangle, attach the photo to the rectangle, attach all the rectangles together with ribbon or yarn and display in the classroom. Children will spend countless moments observing and discussing their families. Any picture of the child and one other person will work. I’ve received a photo of a student and a pet. It worked! What’s important is that the child is comfortable and happy with the picture. DRDP Measures: Self and Society 1-3, Sense of Time 3.0, LLD 1-4, ELD 1-3

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Among all the given links and articles give in module 4, I like the most "Exploring Me and My World" because the shared activities in this article are absolutely age appropriate, engaging, and fun. Children are given the opportunity to do activities about themselves, their families, and their communities. It is serving the Preschool Learning Foundations Vol-3-History & Social Science-Self and society-Culture and Diversity.

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You might think of social studies as a subject taught in high school, not preschool. But although preschool curriculum does not include typical "social studies" subjects such as history and sociology, social studies permeate the preschool classroom, from learning about holidays and jobs around town to exploring identity in terms of family and community. That means that even preschoolers can begin their social studies explorations as they examine themselves, their families and the community they live in.

Preschoolers are naturally curious and studying the world around them is second nature to them. "Very young children are focused on their own wants and needs, but as they grow older they become developmentally ready to begin forming relationships outside of their families and exploring the world around them," says Tracy Edmunds, M.A., primary classroom teacher and author of Me and My World. "Social studies for young ones begins with the child and gradually expands their awareness of the world around them and their place in it to include the immediate family, extended family, neighborhood, and community. It helps them move beyond their natural egocentricity and begin to take on the perspective of others, becoming active participants in the larger world beyond the home."

You can help your child gain important insights about himself and the world he lives in by trying a few of these fun social studies activities for preschoolers.
All About Me

Have your child draw a self portrait and discuss what color hair and eyes he has. What color eyes and hair do other family members have? Have a discussion about how people are the same and different. Who is a boy and who is a girl?

Help your child create a collage of his favorite things by cutting and gluing pictures out of old magazines or newspapers and drawing pictures. What is his favorite color? What does he like to eat, play with or do?

Make a book about feelings. Staple several pieces of blank paper together, and on the bottom of each, write the phrase I feel happy when___________. Replace happy with different emotions such as sad, angry, scared and excited. Have your child tell you about something that makes him feel each feeling and fill in the sentence with his words. He can draw a picture to complete his own feelings book!

Find these books at the library, or ask your librarian for some other recommendations: My Book About Me by Dr. Seuss (Random House, 1969) by Mercer Mayer (Random House, 2000)

My Family

Have a discussion about your family while drawing a family portrait or creating a book about your family. How many people are in your family? How many brothers and sisters? Do you know anyone else who has the same sized family?

Look at photos of your extended family. Help your child identify his grandparents, cousins, aunts and uncles.

Discuss how families are the same and different. Some families are big, some are small. Some live with grandparents, step-parents, same-sex parents, and some are adopted. All families love each other!

Read some books about families together. Try these suggestions and see if you can find some of your own: The Relatives Came by Cynthia Rylant (Live Oak Media, 2005)The Berenstain Bears' Family Reunion by Stan & Jan Berenstain (Harper Collins, 2009)

My Neighborhood and Community

Talk about the community you live in. What is the name of the city you live in? Does your neighborhood have a name? Tell your child his address (although he may be too young to memorize it now, that will come soon).

Who are the community helpers your child has a relationship with? Who are his doctors, dentists or teachers? Next time you go for a visit, have your child ask some questions about their jobs.

What are some of the community helpers you see on a regular basis? See if you can arrange a tour of a local post office, fire station, library, grocery store, vet or dry cleaners. Ask questions about the job each person performs.

Libraries have a wonderful collection of non-fiction books about community helpers. Non-fiction books include a variety of important features that fiction books do not contain: a table of contents and index, charts and graphs and photographs rather than illustrations. Pick up a few on your next trip to the library and point out some of these features while learning about community helpers, or check these fiction titles out at your local library: Franklin's Neighborhood by Paulette Bourgeois (Kids Can Press, Ltd. 1999)My Teacher Sleeps in School by Leatie Weiss (Puffin, 1985)

Let your child lead you on an exploration of his world through his natural curiosity. Focus your attention in these early years around the things your child has experiences with: himself, his family and his community. Have discussions, draw pictures, read books and learn about the community you live in through family field trips, and you will provide your child with wonderful social studies explorations to build upon!

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Preschool Social Studies: Exploring Me and My World

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You might think of social studies as a subject taught in high school, not preschool. But although preschool curriculum does not include typical "social studies" subjects such as history and sociology, social studies permeate the preschool classroom, from learning about holidays and jobs around town to exploring identity in terms of family and community.

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We always do nature walks at least once every week but on the week we celebrate "Earth Day" I make them aware of the important role they have to "Save our Earth" and so each day we discuss something about it like recycling and not wasting. One of the activities we do is we take a walk at the park where our center is located at and we bring gloves and a big trash bag and we take turn picking up trash. Children can not wait for their turn. Afterwards, we also classify them together as a class and throw them at their respective bins.

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Let's see some more AMAZING activities in

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Let's see some more AMAZING activities in

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The class room would be turned in to five different areas ending in a cave. The children would create the adventure maps they use to do our dragon hunt. While decorating the class they would create out swamp stones, treasure boxes with gold, their maps and the painting of our cave i would make the mountain and the dragon head. I would ask the families to send their children in adventure clothes and would encourage parents to go on our adventure. This would allow for the for the children to go on our fun experience with their family. while on our hunt I would sing this in the style of "bear hunt".

Boogie through vines

Hop across swamp

Walk around the mountain

Swim through the gold

Tip toe through cave

Two big horns

One wet snout

I feel rough skin

I know what that is its a dragon

this would all happen while the children hold their maps they made and go though our class room to the dragon in the cave.

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Something that I have been doing in my classroom is having children create their own books. It's a great way to introduce children to writing, reading, and the components of a story. For really young children, I have the kids draw what is happening in the book and a teacher will write down the story, in the child's own words.
For children who are beginning to write, I would have the child write the first letters and sounds of the word (writing phonetically) and have an adult translate on the back of the page.
My students have been super into writing their own books. Even kids who would refuse to hold a pencil or marker are all about it!
When the kids are done, I'll read them aloud to the class and they are so into it. We clap for the child whose story it was and they are so proud!

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-Caring for the natural world (SUBSTRAND)

Grow flowers or vegetables in a wooden planter or flower box. This grants children the opportunity to observe a plant or vegetable’s life cycle. Children are able to see, feel, touch, smell and even taste what the produce and care for! Also, you can adapt other areas into this lesson. Math, science etc.

https://youtu.be/6sEKubBz9fA

Think differently about weather! Remember when we were children and on rainy days we stayed indoors? Well, THINK DIFFERENT! That is an opportunity to take the classroom outdoors and explore. Of course safety first but perhaps you have a weather alert and they weather says rain for the rest of the week. Send out permission slips and get clearance from the office and go out and explore. Allow children to bring their best rain boots (Yellow boots like PEPPA PIG?) and most fanciest and cool umbrellas! Raincoat fashion, need I say more??? 😁

Create a fun and witty checklist with emoji’s like this:

Rainboots🥾 ✔️
Umbrella ☔️ ✔️
Raincoat🧥 ✔️
Collection Jar🏺 ✔️
Magnifying Glass🔍 ✔️
Happy face😃 ✔️

Create a worm bin.

Create an Earth worm habitat. This project is FUN! https://youtu.be/AF-jzWKMdwE

Rediscover your own sense of wonder. As educators, our job is to keep children burning with hunger for knowledge & learning and it’s our job to feed them and nurture them! That means, we too, must keep learning and rediscovering with the children! ⚡️⚡️⚡️

References:

https://shelburnefarms.org/sites/default/files/btjnaturerosenow1.pdf

https://youtu.be/6sEKubBz9fA

https://youtu.be/AF-jzWKMdwE

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Without having to use words, dance can communicate a lot of feelings and directions. Children may not be able to understand a lot of what we say, but we can show them through motions and gestures, body language, and facial expression.

We had a mom of two Hispanic children come and teach a traditional dance, wearing a bright colored dress, hair piece and using scarves. She chose to wear these clothing to show us the dance. It was not us being exotic or trying to do a tourist overview, but rather a skill and culture she wanted to share with us. There was no singing involved, only music and movement. You could add singing too and try to understand what is being communicated that way or ask about the name of the song and learn the background for it. You can explain what the dance moves mean or give Spanish names for them. Juan Pequeno Bailar is a great example of language mixed with movement.

History and Social Sciences Domains

Strand: Sense of Time

Sub-strand- Personal History 3.1 Proudly display developing skills to attract adult attention and share simple accounts and recent experiences. (The children can show us what they know and how they move their body)

Strand: Self and Society

Sub-strand: Culture and Diversity, 1.1 Exhibit developing cultural, ethnic, and racial identity and understand relevant language and cultural practices. Display curiosity about diversity in human characteristics and practices, but prefer those of their own group.

DRDP: LLD 1, 2, 3, and 4

HSS 1

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One of the things I've learned from my mentor teacher was making a book of pictures of my children in the class. On there you will see their picture, name  and their greeting in their home language.  Since then,  I make this for all of my kids. Children enjoys greeting their friends in another language and they retain  and remember it as they use it as well even if we are not doing circle time. Also, they become interested that we expand of learning other words in another language as well.

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This activity relates to the caring for the natural world substrand. The framework mentions an activity of observing the leaves turning colors in autumn and then coming inside to talk about what they observed and reading a book about the leaves. This activity could be extended to talk about how different trees have different types of leaves, parts of leaves and colors of leaves in autumn.  The teacher could collect leaves in different shapes and colors to use as models for the children to draw and paint.

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Supporting Early Literacy: Dual Language Learners

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Supporting Early Literacy: Dual Language Learners

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According to the module of week 3 of ECD-38 which focuses on language and literacy development including Dual language Learning, I found this article that serves the course material and very helpful for ECD educators.

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Dual language learners have a lot in common with their peers. Just like non-dual language learners, they love to play and laugh, and they want to feel safe and supported. But as you've probably noticed, there are also some very important factors that set them apart. Even though all children have things in common, it is helpful to consider the feelings a child may experience that are different from other children.

Imagine that you are a three or four-year-old that has just arrived to the United States from a place where English is not the dominant language, and that today is the first day you are attending a preschool or pre-K program. What are some of the emotions you might experience?

Perhaps you would find yourself speaking the language your family speaks at home. Or maybe you've already learned some words in English, and you can use a combination of both languages to communicate your needs. How would your teachers and classmates react?

Many adults have the misconception that growing up with more than one language confuses children. But as you've probably guessed by now, it is quite common for children to mix languages when they are learning two languages simultaneously. That mixing is not confusion. In fact, it's a pretty common part of the learning process. Because children don't have a full vocabulary, dual language learners tend to use whichever words they know to express themselves.

Let's look at the stages of second language acquisition in early childhood:

Use of first language stage.

The child:

Uses their first language to try to communicate

Discovers that others do not understand

Realizes the environment is new

Quiet or nonverbal stage.

The child:

May stay in this stage for a brief or a long time

Listens and observes, but is still learning

May use other communication skills such as crying, tugging on an adult

Telegraphic and formulaic speech stage.

The child:

May stay in this stage for a brief or a long time

Listens and observes, but is still learning

May use other communication skills such as crying, tugging on an adult

Productive speech stage.

The child:

Develops many more vocabulary words

Uses more whole phrases and short sentences

Produces original phrases

Will make errors which are very common as the command of the new language continues to develop

While children do not necessarily go through the stages at the same time or in exactly the same way, all dual language learners are likely to share some of these practices as their language skills grow.

Other misconceptions about dual language learners.

There is a common myth that a child has to be of a certain intelligence to learn a second language. While some adults may find it easier than others, children are born to learn languages. Just like learning to crawl and walk, learning a language becomes just another milestone. The younger the child learns a language, the easier it is for them to learn, because the "window of opportunity" for easiest language acquisition happens between birth and five years.

Additionally, many families raising bilingual children worry that learning two languages at once will put too much pressure on their children. They think that by waiting until they are fluent in one language, it will be much easier for them to learn another. However as children get older, they become aware of the languages. This means that they need to "learn" a language, rather than acquire it naturally.

Strategies

As a child care professional, there are many things you can use to support dual language learners in your classroom. These tools can make a world of difference for a child who is not just learning about communication, but also about their place in the world and where they belong.

Try these strategies in your classroom:

Speak their language.

Use tools like Google Translate to make dual language learners feel welcome by occasionally using their home language. The use of greetings (such as translations for "hello" and "good morning") and familiar words and phrases (like food, kitchen, animal names and other common words) can provide some comfort to these children.

Use environmental print in the children's home languages when appropriate.

Add labels in multiple languages when appropriate. Use different colors for different languages to help children distinguish them.

Support signs and labels that are in English with pictures and images.

Adding visuals on classroom schedules and routines, or visuals alongside key words like "crayon" provides visual cognitive support for understanding the print.

Bring materials in from children's home cultures into the classroom.

Ask families to help gather familiar magazines, photos, menus, props, etc., and integrate those cultural materials into your centers. Having these items in your classroom demonstrates respect for the culture and traditions of children and families. It also helps children feel more included.

Children who are new English learners may need some additional support with classroom transitions, since they may not yet be able to understand enough English to follow your directions.

Follow a consistent and predictable classroom schedule and routine.

Post a schedule that uses pictures, photos or graphics, as well as words, to describe each activity.

Review the schedule with the children at the beginning of the day so they know what to expect.

Use simple, repetitive songs or chants that children can easily learn and sing as they are learning English.

Before or during transitions, use simple motions or actions that all children can do together.

Understand that your expectations will be new and unfamiliar to many children. For example, some of them may never have needed to stand in line, take turns, sit in a circle or be quiet.

Spend time modeling your expectations during transitions and supporting children in practicing how to do transitions.

Explain the schedule and transitions using the home language, if you speak that language.

Repeat children's statements, adding more advanced vocabulary.

You can also use self talk and parallel talk, or pair or group dual language learners with more linguistically advanced peers when working on hands-on activities.

Add bilingual books to your classroom library.

You do not have to be bilingual to use bilingual books!

Share this article with families.

Brighter Futures Indiana has a great family-facing article featuring Indiana families that are also learning more than one language.

Looking for additional supports and information? Watch this video! You can also reach out to your local child care resource & referral agency and find a training to support your classroom goals.

References:

National Center on Cultural and Linguistic Responsiveness. (n.d.). U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Office of Head Start. Retrieved September 2018, from https://eclkc.ohs.acf.hhs.gov/sites/default/files/pdf/dll-creating-environments.pdf

Child Trends Data Bank. (2014, November). Dual Language Learners: Indicators of Child Youth and Well-Being. Retrieved October 2018, from https://www.childtrends.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/11/127_Dual_Language_Learners.pdf

Espinosa, L. M. (2016, October 22). The Young Dual Language Learner: A Commentary on Brand New Words. Teaching at the Beginning Videos. Retrieved October 2018, from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lXGU0QfSynE

Espinoza, J., & Zepeda, M. (2017, July 24). Soyul & Teacher Yvette: The Stages of Preschool Second Language Acquisition. Los Angeles, California, United States: Teaching at the Beginning Videos, California State University. Retrieved October 2018, from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WRexjWUYyjE

Goldenberg, C., Hicks, J., & Lit, I. (2013, Summer). American Educator. Retrieved October 2018, from https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/EJ1013928.pdf

Knapp-Philo, J. E., & Rosenkoetter, S. E. (2006). Learning to Read the World: Language and Literacy in the First Three Years. Zero to Three.

NCCLR Quick Guide For Teachers: How to Use Bilingual Books. (n.d.). National Center on Cultural and Linguistic Responsiveness. Retrieved September 2018, from https://eclkc.ohs.acf.hhs.gov/sites/default/files/pdf/how-to-use-bilingual-books.pdf

Nemeth, K. M. (2012). Basics of Supporting Dual Language Learners: An Introduction for Educators of Children From Birth Through Age 8. National Association for the Education of Young Children.

Nemeth, K. N. (2012). Many Languages, Building Connections: Supporting Infants and Toddlers Who Are Dual Language Learners. Gryphon House

U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, U.S. Department of Education. (2006). POLICY STATEMENT ON SUPPORTING THE DEVELOPMENT OF CHILDREN. Retrieved December 2018, from https://www.acf.hhs.gov/sites/default/files/ecd/dll_policy_statement_final.pdf

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Supporting Early Literacy: Dual Language Learners

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Dual language learners have a lot in common with their peers. Just like non-dual language learners, they love to play and laugh, and they want to feel safe and supported. But as you've probably noticed, there are also some very important factors that set them apart.

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Myeesha Thomas

During our “Morning Meeting,” my students and I sit together  and sing songs that support the languages spoken in our classroom environment. Singing gives my English speaking students a chance to learn a second language and exposes my Dual Language Learners to English. All of my students get the opportunity to learn language skills, such as sentence patterns, vocabulary, pronunciation, rhythm, and parts of speech. Music is a way for children to experience rich language in a exciting way! The featured video presents one of my favorite Bilingual artist “Jose Luis Oorzco singing Buenos Dias (Good Morning)!”

DRDP MEASURES: ELD 1-3 SED 1,3 LLD 1-3,5 HSS 5

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"Buenos días" (Good Morning) -Jose Luis Orozco

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We celebrated the various holidays of our families in our classroom.  I try to integrate it to our curriculum.Those were one of the activities that the children and the families enjoy.  For example, During Lunar New Year we set our dramatic play area into an Asian Cafe. We have menus of Asian restaurants,  utensils they use and decorate it with the Asian inspired crafts that the children makes. We also  have mini tasting activity of Asian cuisine. It was always a hit! At one time, for letter Pp, I invited a dad who was an Italian chef and made Pizza with the children even told us a story about the history of a "Margarita Pizza" The son was so proud to have shared this with his friends and the children were able to remember the Letter Pp with no problem.
DRDP Measures :ATL-REG 3,ELD4,ELD2

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Let's collect some more during

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I thought of this idea because I saw some discussion posts this week that mentioned the strand marketplace with the sub strand exchange.
This activity could be a fun way for children to learn about the concept of money and the exchange that goes along with it, along with all the other great developmental domains that this activity encompasses. This could also be done with small toy cars if the center does not have bikes or if it is raining outside. There are many different way this activity could go! Real soap and water could be used, or not. If there is not access to a hose spray bottles could be used instead. There doesn't even need to be a physical structure, like the picture shows. There could just be a car wash area. As for the money aspect, children could make their own money, or use leaves, or whatever, and they can also negotiate price.

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In order to teach the value of money, we used to set up a McDonalds drive thru for our class. The kids were all given the same amount of money. There was a menu with different food items and prices next to it. The preschoolers learned that they couldn't buy everything on the menu, so they needed to make choices for themselves.
We had parent volunteers grilling burgers, hot dogs, making fries, juice, and other items for sale. The kids drove up to a window on their tricycles and ordered. They got their meals in a paper bag.
It was a really fun activity! While it required a lot of prep, it was a memorable day for me!

ATL-REG, COG-3, COG-10

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Utilizing puppets in play is most effective as it allows the adults to meet the child at their level of development. The usage of puppets in play fosters imagination and grants confidence to the child and allows room for the development of social skills and behaviors. The utilization of puppets can be applied to ANY Strand or sub strand. I would choose to use Self and Society in trying to foster, explain and implement diversity to my preschoolers. The Self and Society foundations focus on young children’s growing ability to see themselves within the context of society. Culture and society concerns preschoolers’ growing interest in differences in culture, language, racial identity, abilities, and family traditions that are different from the child’s own. (Ong & McLean, 2010, pg.49) While there are many options and ways to purchase various puppets, I encourage individuals to create their own as well. Allow children to create their own puppets and engage them by probing and asking questions while building their character/puppet. One can learn so much during the creation of a puppet with a child.

Reference:

Ong, F., & McLean, J. (2010). California preschool curriculum framework. Sacramento: California Dept. of Education.

The Incredible Years. (2003, November 15). Using Puppets to Model Social & Emotional Skills

[Video]. Youtube. https://youtu.be/uhDF-mKcQyY

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while on our nature walk the children picked up twigs and branches and other things they wanted for their nest and carried them in a bag . Back in the classroom the children would wash their hands. Then  we would use the supplies they gathered to create a birds nest with glue and let them dry once they were dry the kids could take them home to hang up.  ATL-REG 4  Cognition, Including Math and Science 7,8,9,11  PD-HLTH 4,6,9   VPA 1

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I fondly remember creating a flower shop with my students many years ago. I brought in a bunch of fake flowers. The children helped paint a flower shop sign that we hung on the wall. They learned Democratic Participation by working together and sharing the materials. One child painted the sky, one made the sun, and several made flowers. We set up several store shelves with watering cans, tissue made and fake flowers, seeds, aprons, and rakes. One child played cashier and the other played customer. They learn Marketplace and exchanged goods. This also led to us planting real plants in the garden. We planted bean seeds and the children learned to care for the natural world, and about historical changes that take place. The children love to imitate adults in their play and I could see them taking responsibility for their seeds and making sure they were watered and that the teachers didn't forget either!

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I choose to share some thing about observation as it is part of this week's module and it provides the base for all lesson plannings that can serve child's individual interests, needs, and developing skills. Following video is adding up some more knowledge and information beside the ECD-38 Course article "Wandering with Children: The Importance of Education in early education".

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The role of observation in an early childhood service

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Activity relates to sense of time and issues with understanding events as following a sequence. Notes indicated that teachers can help by emphasizing order of daily school schedule.  This is another circle time activity.  Teacher will introduce topic of events in their lives occurring in order in time. Give example of daily schedule, i.e. morning circle happens first in the morning, then we do centers etc.  This could be written on a chart as 1., 2., 3. or you could use a picture to represent the activity and the children could help put the activities in order after teacher models.  You could also create an empty timeline on a large piece of paper and put these activities on it. You could extend this by asking children to tell the class three things that happen after they get home from school.  First we have a snack, then I get to play, etc. 

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Myeesha Thomas        Baking Cake                   During a comfortable outdoor activity the children and teacher engaged in making 3-D birthday cakes. The children manipulate the playdough with their fingers in addition to adding rainbow sprinkles and cake molds. The teacher observed the children, asked open-ended questions and provided a  meaningful opportunity for the children to explore and create. The teacher questions a child, “What type of cake did you have on your birthday?” The student reminisces to her past birthday and adds a surprise relationship to the dialogue. Through this observation the teacher is able to connect the experience to the child’s personal history. A curious student walks up and expresses the need for playdough. The teacher models the language for the request and a student shares her playdough with the child.DRDP Measures:  HSS 1,2 VPA 1 PD-HLTH 4 COG 1 ELD 1,2 SED 2,5 ATL-REG 1,7

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Myeesha Thomas        Baking Cake                   During a comfortable outdoor activity the children and teacher engaged in making 3-D birthday cakes. The children manipulate the playdough with their fingers in addition to adding rainbow sprinkles and cake molds. The teacher observed the children, asked open-ended questions and provided a  meaningful opportunity for the children to explore and create. The teacher questions a child, “What type of cake did you have on your birthday?” The student reminisces to her past birthday and adds a surprise relationship to the dialogue. Through this observation the teacher is able to connect the experience to the child’s personal history. A curious student walks up and expresses the need for playdough. The teacher models the language for the request and a student shares her playdough with the child.DRDP Measures:  HSS 1,2 VPA 1 PD-HLTH 4 COG 1 ELD 1,2 SED 2,5 ATL-REG 1,7

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Observing Practice series NQS PLP - Outside—time for quiet play

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Beautiful activities for Module 1 everyone! Now let's post some for.....

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Beautiful activities for Module 1 everyone! Now let's post some for.....

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Play

I was really inspired by the video we watched about "Defenders of Play" I've always believed that "Play is a child's work" They learn so much when they do this. The video had reminded me of something I have observed the children did one autumn day when they were playing at our courtyard. We had the giant waffle blocks that day. A group of children maybe 4 or 5 had started to build cubes with the waffle blocks When they were done, they sat on it  and arranged it i a circle afterwards  they took of their jackets off and placed it on their laps. I said " What are you guys doing?" One of them replied " We have a bonfire, Ms. Fides!"  The jackets were there blankets I figured and I loved it! I left them alone and just observed their play. One of them would pretend to be making smores. The other was warming her hands. It was awesome. One of the things I would continue to do and bring into my classroom are open ended materials which they can use to explore and have fun with.
DRDP: ATL-REG3, ATL-REG 7,SED 5, LLD3 AND LLD4

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I found this video at the beginning of the pandemic. The video displayed children from all over the world washing their hands using a variety of techniques. During a Zoom meeting my students and I discussed that there were germs that were making people sick. Then we went on to discuss ways we could prevent germs from spreading from person to person. Which brought us back to the video. The children and I watched the video and discussed being responsible for ourselves and others. Next, we. practiced washing and drying our hands appropriately.  The children questioned, “When can we return to school? We made a plan that once the germs were eliminated or when it was safe we would return to school. I feel that this activity  was  important because the children were experiencing a current day pandemic. It was something hard for everyone to understand at the time. The children needed to be made aware that this was a serious situation and that they had a responsibility in staying healthy. Also, the CDC suggested frequently washing hands in a group setting. If we were to open up we wanted the children to be prepared to wash their hands multiple times throughout the day. We used the video as a tool to display that there are children outside of their immediate circle who cared and followed appropriate hand washing techniques. *The video is also offered in a variety of languages for our Emerging Bilinguals students.

This activity serves the following DRDP measures: HSS 1, 5, ELD 1, SED 5, Cog 8, PD-HLTH6

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Something that I would want to incorporate into my classroom would be an activity that allows the children to put from a selection of containers, ranging from mason jars to rubber bowls. I would then allow them to pick things that they find interesting because of their smell or touch or just because they simply like them. I would have different piles of objects that reflect the 5 senses. The children would be allowed to pick one thing from each pile. I would then ask them why they picked each specific item. I think that this would be very beneficial to teach the children about their senses and it would make a fun and exciting activity for the children.

DRDP: ARL-REG 4,6,7. LLD 3,4. ELD 1,2. PD-HLTH 3,4,9. VPA, 1.

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The goal of this activity is to have the students come up with a list of rules for the preschool to satisfy the becoming a preschool community member strand. I would start by introducing the topic at circle time and talk about how families have rules for how they should treat each other.  I would ask the children to share some of these rules and document them on a white board or large paper.  I would extend this activity by having them draw and "write" one rule for their family during small group work.  They would share their drawings with their classmates.  The next day I would talk about how societies create rules to live by and read a book like Democracy for Dinosaurs.  I would have them share favorite ideas from the book and document.  The next day I would invite them to the carpet and continue the topic by saying that they were going to create the rules for the classroom and they would vote to come up with five rules that the majority of them agreed with.  I would document the ideas and then we would take a vote.  They would then draw and write about their favorite rule and we would put those drawings on the wall.  

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The goal of this activity is to have the students come up with a list of rules for the preschool to satisfy the becoming a preschool community member strand. I would start by introducing the topic at circle time and talk about how families have rules for how they should treat each other.  I would ask the children to share some of these rules and document them on a white board or large paper.  I would extend this activity by having them draw and "write" one rule for their family during small group work.  They would share their drawings with their classmates.  The next day I would talk about how societies create rules to live by and read a book like Democracy for Dinosaurs.  I would have them share favorite ideas from the book and document.  The next day I would invite them to the carpet and continue the topic by saying that they were going to create the rules for the classroom and they would vote to come up with five rules that the majority of them agreed with.  I would document the ideas and then we would take a vote.  They would then draw and write about their favorite rule and we would put those drawings on the wall.  

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Using unit blocks are a great way to engage multiple developmental skills.

Something that I would often observe, and found wildly fascinating, was the children in the classroom building cities or communities with unit blocks. The space was set up to include maps and pictures of Oakland, which often helped inspire the build. For the most part the teachers were pretty hands off in this space. Occasionally a teacher would help extend the play by asking an open ended question or help children with negotiating when a mix-up would arise.
I think block play is highly valuable. When engaged in block play children are exposed to all aspects of STEAM, as well as, develop planning and problem solving skills, and exposure to physics, and spacial thinking. When more than one child is involved language, negotiation skills, turn taking abilities, and other social-emotional skills are being engaged.

DRDP Measures: ALT-REG 1-2,4-7, SED 1, 4-5, LLD 1-4, ELD 1-4, COG 1-9, PD-HLTH 1-5, HSS 2, 4-5.

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Play is a huge part of early childhood development. With play comes conflict and learning how to overcome conflict.

Something I found that I am interested in incorporating in my own classroom is teaching social skills through puppets. This teacher models with the puppets the skill they are working on. I would then have my students grabs puppets of their own and practice with other students that skill through puppet play. After they have practiced with puppets, I would have them practice the skill in play (without puppets).

This video addresses the following DRDP measures: SED-1, ELD-1, COG-1, PD-HLTH-4.

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Puppet Script Demo: Asking for What You Need or Want

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Where we come from shapes our style of play...

It’s interesting to see cultural influences and differences come out whenever my kids have playdates with different families.
At home, my two daughters (ages 2 and 5) typically play with dolls or stuffed animals and do dress up, relationship building, baking, coloring, and dance. They learn cooperation with each other and through make believe with their dolls. There is some conflict resolution and negotiation over toys and roles, but for the most part, their play is fairly quiet.
At other friends’ homes, they turn into different kids. One family allows their kids to run and scream in the house, climb on chairs and tables and jump off of them! It’s hard to believe these are my kids in this environment!
In other scenarios, we are at the playground and playing tag or hide and seek with total strangers, learning to take turns with the slide, and accepting that some friends don’t want to play right now.
Through this they learn that where you come from shapes how you play, and your individual experiences and history are the lenses you use to interpret your world.
DRDP Measures Looked at: HSS 2, HSS4, HSS5, SED1 &4, ATL-REG 3, 4, & 7, LLD 1&2, COG 8.

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The video I found which is showing the importance of play and how children's play is helping them to grow and learn in all domains. As they are imitating and pretending as bakers, trying to sell their cookies, paying money for cookies, asking some dollars for cookies, interacting with peers and adults, learn how to negotiate in conflicts, having sense about food and sense about market place. This video is serving the following DRDP measures: HSS-4 &5, SED-4 &5, LLD- 1,2, and 4, PD-HLTH-10, COG-4, ALT-REG-3 &7.

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CECE Early Childhood Videos at Eastern CT State U.

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The Bakery - Supporting Children to Succeed in the Dramatic Play Center

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As the teacher I would take a cardboard box and let the kids paint it. After it dried I would attach carboard wheels to it with toy screws. I would then fill the bottom of it with connector toys and cut a small hole in it for their hands to fit inside. then I would place across two tables and allow the kids to fix from above or underneath the car and change the wheels. i feel as this activity would provide imaginative paly as well as learning about our community and learning from different perspectives as well as fine motor skills. the DRDP measures that would be address are  ATL-REG 7  SED 4  HSS 4  PD-HLTH 4,5,9 CMS 5,9,11

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Exploring with All Senses

What a powerful activity! Teacher P brought some fresh herbs to circle time.  As she passed them around, she asked “Would you like to tell me what you’re feeling?” One child said “It smells like the food truck (he was smelling fresh rosemary). Another child said “It feels soft like chicle” (she was holding fresh mint). Lots of conversation about smells, tastes, and feelings that they actually felt, and were “evoked” from a memory of the smell.  She then placed the herbs beautifully in glass jars on tables with mortars & pestles, small bowls, scissors (all kinds including adaptive scissors), and white playdough.  The children were engaged for over 30 minutes talking, tasting, feeling, smelling and listening to the quiet classical music playing in the background. DRDP Measures I saw addressed: ATL-REG 1,4,6,7  SED 4,5  LLD 1,2,3  ELD 1,2 COG 1,2,8,9,10,11  PD-HLTH 1,4  and HHS 1,2,3,5  Here are the DRDP Measures at a Glance for Reference

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