Brain Power

 

An old fashioned image of a preschool teacher helping children get ready for kindergarten might look like this:

The teacher sits in front of the group of children “teaching” them important facts.  The days of the week, the parts of an insect, names of dinosaurs, numbers and the alphabet.  It’s done in a fun, interactive way most of the time, but still focuses on the teacher “teaching” the children.  Free play follows, as a time for them to play.

That was me in the 1980’s, too!  Nothing wrong with these facts, however, today’s knowledge about children’s brain development and effective teaching practices creates a new image of a preschool teacher:

The teachers are actively engaged with the children—being a “challenging customer” in the children’s pretend restaurant, encouraging children in the paint area to experiment with mixing colors, and helping a child brainstorm what to do while waiting for his turn on the computer. The children respond with deep engagement and eagerness to contribute their own ideas, and these everyday activities challenge them to engage in social problem solving, create and test hypotheses about the physical world, and learn to regulate their behavior.

Any time we tell a child something, we rob them of the chance to think for themselves.
Any time we do something for a child, we rob them of the chance to learn for themselves.

When a child asks “Why”, as they so often do – let your reply be “Why do you think?”

At our reflective practice group last week, we watched videos and discussed what the following things might look like for children, and what activities and materials might be the best to elicit these skills:

Critical Thinking
Reasoning Skills
Creative Thinking
The Scientific Method
Technology Skills
Engineering
Math Concepts
Independent Thinking

Developing these skills with young children is a great way to prepare them for success in school and it life.  The days of the weeks, parts of an insect, dinosaur names, alphabet and numbers will come, too, but being able to think for themselves will be an even greater gift you can give to the children.

Challenge yourself:  Each day, notice at least one of these skills in the children.  Write up a little story about it and post it for all to see. 

Just like the psychology behind a gratitude journal (if you know you need to write down 5 things you are grateful at the end of the day, you start looking for them and feeling more grateful),  if you know you need to post a brain moment at the end of the day – you will begin to watch for them, and create activities and experiences the will be more likely to elicit them.

Building Success in Early Achievers

Many of you have gone over the block tower of Early Achievers Level 2 with me.  Now that we have the experience of many programs being rated, I can share some common traits of those that have been successful.

1.        They don’t just count on their already quality program passing.  Even a very good program may need some adjustments to meet the specific items addressed in the ERS and CLASS assessments.

2.       They pay deep attention to the details in the ERS and CLASS assessments.  Counting the numbers of items, labeling containers, including diversity in all areas, etc. are important parts of meeting the thresholds.  Using the scavenger hunts, the ERS books, practice assessments makes a big difference.  This is the all important block tower level of ERS and CLASS.

3.       All levels of staff are involved.  Directors/FCC providers, teachers, aides, and all staff are familiar with the assessments and practice elevating their skills with the teachers on a regular basis.

4.       They take advantage of the help available.  They schedule many practice assessments with their TA specialist (me), they attend Reflective Practice, they read the blog and share with each other, they use staff meetings to talk about Early Achievers.  This is the block level of site visits, email and blog, and reflective practice.

Even great programs need to be very clear about what is in the assessments.   Sometimes just a few adjustments can make a big difference in your score.

Meeting ERS Quantities

Meeting ERS Quantities

The quantities of materials needed to score highly in the Environmental Rating Scale seem astronomical sometimes.  Here are some inexpensive and simple ways to meet the quantities without breaking the bank.   This can get you started, and you’ll think of lots more as you go.

ERS Area And specific requirements	Homemade  or around the house ideas	Thrift Shop Ideas	Dollar Store Ideas
Books Fantasy Nature/Science Factual Race/Culture People Abilities Animals	Make homemade books with the children.  Cut out pictures from magazines and catalogs, print from the internet, use photos, etc.  Make a book about grandmas and grandpas;  a book about animals; a book about jobs using gender diversity…  They don’t have to be a story – using just pictures will make them great ways to have conversations and ask open ended questions
Fine Motor 3-5 of each: Small building materials Art items Manipulatives Puzzles	Make lacing cards.  Cut shapes from thick paper or plastic.  Punch holes around the edges and attach a shoestring. Save large pieces of  Styrofoam form packaging to stick golf tees of craft sticks  into		Beads for stringing.  Shoelaces Small kitchen tongs or tweezers for transferring objects Small pitchers for pouring
Art 3-5 of each Drawing Paints 3D Collage Tools	Always have lots of paper available so children can make their own individualized creations Look online for homemade dough recipes Save paper tubes, egg cartons, pieces of wood  and boxes to glue sculptures Save a “scrap box” with old wrapping paper, ribbons, greeting cards, and any other items		Craft area may have craft sticks, pipe cleaners, and other 3D items. Inexpensive crayons, markers, glue sticks, watercolor paints , etc. Collage materials
Music/Movement Instruments Music to listen to Dance props	Make homemade instruments.  See if families can make copies of music from their culture on a CD for you Do you use Pandora or Spotify?  Find multicultural music there to play	Scarves for dancing	Crepe paper cut into streamers for dancing Plastic eggs or other shapes that can be made into shakers
Blocks 2-3 kinds of blocks(2 inches or larger, Leggos and other linking items do not count) Transportation toys People Animals	Homemade stuffed milk carton blocks		Cars and plastic animals
Sand/Water	Use dish tub or low storage bin as container for water or sand/dirt Bath towels under table/bins		Funnels, measuring cups, basters, cups Plastic table cloth or shower curtain for under water table
Dramatic Play Male and female dress ups Multicultural items 2 or more themes	Grab some male clothing/accessories from the back of the closet for dress ups Empty Food containers, especially from ethnic foods you eat Table cloth, vase, flowers Take out menus, especially from ethnic restaurants Cookbooks, ethnic cookbooks Reusable shopping bags	Men’s shoes, ties, clothing for dress up Female dress up items Pots/pans, kitchen items, dishes, pitchers, etc.	Kitchen items – pot holders, wooden spoons, spatulas, plates, cups, etc. Glasses (take out lenses) Play phones Play money Small broom/dustpan
Make a second dramatic ply theme:  Post Office	Junk mail Pick up free priority mail boxes at the post office	Blue shirts	Calculators, stamps and pads, packing items, pens, stickers, index cards to make post cards
Nature/Science 3-5 of each: Natural objects Living things Books/toys/pictures Activities	Leaves, sticks, pinecones, rocks, other natural items from the yard Plants Pictures from calendars, internet Talk and learn  about plants in your yard/garden		Craft area may have rocks and shells
Math/Number 3-5 of each: Counting Written numbers Measuring Comparing quantities Shapes	Bring out your bathroom scale to measure weights of things Make charts or graphs with the children, such as sunny vs. cloudy days, children’s heights, etc.	Sorting trays (muffin tins, other divided items)	Calculators, play money, rulers, tape measures In floral area – gemstones or rocks to sort or count Craft area – pompoms or other items to count/sort
Diversity In books, pictures and materials: Race Culture Ages Abilities Gender	See books, dramatic play, music  items above Look for photos on the internet If families are visiting their home country, see if they might bring something back for you.