October 7th, 2009 by El Ed Mom

Falling for Leaves
When one thinks of autumn, the first thing that often comes to mind is leaves. “We like to go on a fall walk and find really big, colorful leaves,” says Melissa Durante, a mother of three from Bartlett, Ill. “My daughter likes to keep one of each color she finds.”

Rachel Del Rio, an early-childhood educator in Elgin, Ill., says that toddlers and preschoolers may like to take the treasures from their nature walk and glue them to construction paper, perhaps making a person by using an acorn for a head and leaves for the body. Here’s another fun idea: Collect some freshly fallen leaves. Place them on a board. Place a thin cloth (like a piece of sheet) over the leaves and have the child hammer the leaves. The leaf color and shape will imprint on the cloth.

Of course all those beautiful leaves need to end up somewhere – and many will undoubtedly be in your yard. While you toil to pick them up, let your child “work” alongside with a plastic rake or scamper around the yard with a dump truck (the bigger the better) to collect leaves to be deposited onto a main pile. Don’t be surprised, though, if a pile or two ends up a mess. Jumping and rolling in leaves is tempting fun for many toddlers (and some parents, too)!

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October 1st, 2009 by El Ed Mom

Children need to play. This observation might seem obvious, but lately, it is my rallying cry. It has to be. There is so much discussion among parents and educators about the relative benefits of academic versus developmentally appropriate preschools, and as testing rules the day, proponents of the academic model seem to be gaining ground.

But I am a parent, and I have been a preschool teacher for more than twenty years, and my experience and training tell me one thing loud and clear.

Children need to play.

They need to build with blocks, role-play with dolls and cooking tools, assemble tracks for trains, dabble in paint, jump up and down, ride tricycles, smush playdough, dig in sand, splash in water. They need to negotiate with ladders, slides, and each other. Take turns. Dress up. Cook.

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September 24th, 2009 by El Ed Mom

The physical education games that are described in this article can be played at the beginning of gym class as part of a warm exercise, during the period wholly or partially devoted to games or physical education activities or at the end of class as part of cool down exercises.

In addition to the obvious benefits of providing good exercise, combating obesity and developing motor skills, the other skills that I wanted my students to demonstrate when they play these games are co-operation, sportsmanship and enjoyment.

Here are 6 examples of physical education games that my students and I enjoyed.

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September 21st, 2009 by El Ed Mom

When you need to have a substitute teacher take over your classroom duties, it’s important to do your best to make the guest teacher feel comfortable and confident with your students and the curriculum. By following this checklist, you can maximize the chances of your substitute teacher being able to handle your duties with ease and fluidity.

Checklist for Preparing to Host a Substitute Teacher

Create a designated section on your desk so that the substitute can easily find your notes, lessons, and materials.
Print out your daily schedule with any special notes applicable to the days in question.

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September 15th, 2009 by El Ed Mom

The quality of early childhood programs can be assessed in many ways. Most of the literature on the subject examines quality by identifying selected characteristics of the setting, equipment, and program as seen by adults. Such an approach can be called ASSESSMENT OF QUALITY FROM A TOP-DOWN PERSPECTIVE. Another way to assess the quality of a program is to take what we might call A BOTTOM-UP PERSPECTIVE by attempting to determine how the program is experienced by the children. A third strategy, which we could call AN OUTSIDE-INSIDE PERSPECTIVE, is to assess how the program is experienced by the families it serves. A fourth perspective is one from the inside, which considers how the program is experienced by the staff responsible for it.

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September 11th, 2009 by El Ed Mom

What is School Readiness?

You should allow your child to have the kinds of experiences that will help them do well in school at an early age. “School readiness” means making sure your child has the academic, social, independence, and communication skills require to successful start school. Reading, talking, and playing with others will help your child prepare for their school career.

Academic Readiness

Before starting kindergarten, children need to know about themselves, their families, and the world. Children can come to school with many skills that teachers can build upon, if they have already had good learning experiences at home and with their Parents.

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September 10th, 2009 by El Ed Mom

September 8th, 2009 by El Ed Mom

The next several blogs are dedicated to answering the question, “How do I attain goals in an early childhood classroom?”   To begin, let’s all agree what goals we are referring to.  I will include socio-emotional, cognitive, physical and language as the highlighted objectives for the children.  As for the parent’s goals, I will include maintaining open communication and making certain that parents are cognizant of what is age appropriate for their particular children.

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September 7th, 2009 by El Ed Mom

At the end of the day, many of the three-year-olds in my class face a daily challenge: putting on their shoes. Throughout the day, the children take off their shoes for naptime, to play dress-up, or to simply enjoy their bare feet. As I watch them put on their shoes, I learn a great deal about each child and his parents. Although the children are approximately the same age, there is a big difference in the way individual children handle difficult tasks. Some children are focused and determined to finish the job, and some are easily distracted and spend a long time dawdling. Still others are easily frustrated and break down in tears.        

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