Culling my way down memory lane

One of the beautiful things about summer is having time to sift through things and get rid of the unnecessary, the outgrown, the irrelevant.

Well, my most recent foray has been our piles of papers in the back room.  How did we accumulate so many?  This is borderline hoarding.  Time for action.

Lo and behold, I come across this "growth chart" for my then preschooler Keith (now 23 years old!):

Not entirely sure why I kept this, because, from the looks of it, I didn't use it very long!  He has stickers only through the third column.  Did each column represent days? Weeks?

I read through the goals of the chart and I am transported down memory lane....

Handles his anger successfully, Respects/loves Wade (his infant brother at this time) -

Keith is 2 1/2 years older than his brother, Wade...I remember how surprised I was at the effect of Wade on Keith...much happiness, much joy, yes; but, unexpected meanness, too, a jealousy, coming from out of nowhere, seemingly. It was no longer little Keith alone with Mommy. There was a daily sharing of Mommy.  

I saw real frustration in the little guy when he was three and four years of age.

I remember had so many questions, so many concerns! He was my first, my entryway into how to raise a child.  I wanted to parent him differently than I had been. My own childhood was in a home of "eggshell walking" - with a mother who had severe mental health issues, we treaded carefully and quietly around the house, not disturbing, not upsetting, not rattling her.  I didn't want a child who swallowed his emotions, like me.  I knew how essential it was to raise my child differently, more healthfully. But how to teach him?

We both had so much to learn about how to express anger and frustration.

I am aware of the enormous role my sons' preschool and Pre-K teachers had in the life of my young family.  I am so thankful for these wonderful women, who helped me understand my three boys as individuals.  They modeled ways to talk to, play with, and discipline my children, provided books, articles, and websites as resources, helped me find answers to my questions.  Their guidance helped me to be a better parent.  

Dresses without argument

Keith's preschool years were my first introduction to "sensory issues" - again, thank you preschool teachers!

How we struggled over what he would wear.   He would get so angry! Oh my.
"That feels swishy, Mommy."
The seams in his socks, if not "just so" on his feet, would drive him wild.

I remember his wonderful Pre-K teacher, Mary Landsman, explained how sometimes the tightness or texture of clothing is like a fingernail on a chalkboard to a young child - like so much loud noise in their ears - rendering them incapable of thinking about anything else, stuck and angry.  She helped me to see how important it was to not hold my child to some aberrant, adult-driven rule,
"Wear these or else" or
"You can't wear those because you wore them yesterday,"
but to have him help to choose the clothing, to let go of fashion, to allow him to wear the same thing day in or day out.  That year, he wore the same pair of green sweatpants to school everyday.  (Thank goodness for laundry machines and the freedom to use them overnight.)

Gives Mom and Dad privacy, Stays quiet in bed, Eats without argument,

I am aware of how important it is for parents of young children to see and understand how they are creating the rituals and traditions,
the expectations,
the norms,
for how children should interact with one another and with adults.  Parents of young children are shaping a family.  It doesn't happen in an instant, but many, many opportunities over time.

In these early years, we took awkward first steps at setting family expectations for staying in one's bed, eating as a family (and appreciating the chef!), and giving one another space.  It wasn't automatic. I remember tearful dinners and exhausting good night routines.  But we were making steady progress.  Over time, we created family traditions, our family "way."

These imperfect days led to a home where
we don't yell at one another,
we get frustrated and take a deep breath and figure out how to talk about it,
we are allowed to question things and to do things differently from one another,
we enjoy our family meals and evenings together, and
our time apart.

It helps to have a supportive, loving partner in this parenting, as I have had (thank you, Tony!).  And fantastic preschool teachers along the way - thank you Irene, Mary, Cindy, Janise, and Mindy!

Yes,
I'm not entirely sure why I kept this chart.

With hindsight, the list of "goals" seems like a lot at once for a young child; if I had a do-over, I'd isolate one of the goals and work on that only.  (Often success in one area has positive effects elsewhere.)

Truly, I'm not sure where I stand on behavior charts like these for preschoolers.  I definitely don't like them in a classroom as a public display, where children might be pitted against one another, leading to a sense of isolation and defeat for those who do not achieve.

However, perhaps they are useful for a parent or teacher to have with a child, one on one?  I wonder if some young children might benefit from having a visual aid that isolates specific small issues/goals to work on?  Charts allow you to voice the issue in a non-emotional way - helping the child to work towards specific goals.  

Certainly, charts like this are great for reflection, twenty years later....
It has served its purpose.  Time to throw it out! ;-)

Why have dramatic play?

Today's post is really a "guest blog" - my dear friend Janise Allyn Smith happened to send me a newsletter that she sent out to her class families recently, and I asked her permission to copy it here for all to read. Janise teaches three year olds at Silver Spring Nursery School.

Janise is not a blogger - but, you tell me, after reading this, don't you think she ought to be? Enjoy!

I attended a workshop at the P.A.C.T. conference by Geetha Ramani, Assistant Professor of Human Development, University of Maryland, entitled "Superman and Cinderella; Benefits of Dramatic Play." Superheroes and princesses seem to play a large part in many preschoolers’ lives, and the question is not whether there are benefits from dramatic play but what this type of fantasy play has to offer.

Dramatic play offers abundant opportunities for children’s development. Children develop interpersonal skills, particularly cooperation and conflict resolution, and improve their language and problem solving abilities in pretend play. Their social skills are promoted as they communicate and negotiate their roles and actions. Children use language more frequently and more elaborately in make-believe play than they do in virtually any other activities.

Play is pleasurable; it is freely chosen, actively engaging, and most importantly, in the moment. Superhero or princess play focuses on children’s fantasies of bravery, danger, good/evil, and above all, power. We’ve got Batman, Superman, and Superwoman being brave, facing danger, fighting the bad guys and winning. There are fairies, witches, and unicorns who can cast spells, make things go their way, and put them in charge of others. Monsters have sharp teeth and claws; princesses dress up and dance at the ball. All of these fantasies allow children to feel as powerful as adults. It makes them feel powerful and invincible in a world where they often feel very little control over their own lives. Think about it – we are telling our children what they have to do or what they can’t do all day long. Fantasy play gives them a sense of empowerment.

There are emotional benefits to superhero play. It provides a way to understand and act out feelings. Through play, feelings can be explored through symbols: monsters = fear; wands = take control of the situation; guns/swords = stopping what feels out of control or harmful. If children are fearful or confused over things they have seen or experienced, it can be played out in a fantasy.

Okay, so we know why children enjoy fantasy play, but how do we keep them safe and how can we help them understand the difference between reality and pretend? First, we’ll talk about safe play. Limits need to be clearly established.

When playing a game with superheroes/guns/swords, where and when are the activities allowed?
What are the rules of the game?
What happens if a rule is broken?
What can children do if someone is treating them unfairly in the game?
Do they know how/when to stop the game?

All of these need to be talked about BEFORE the play begins – or at least when you see that this is the game they have started to play. Set the children up to be successful.

Example:
“Okay, it looks like you want to play Spiderman. Where did we agree that the game could be played?” Outside.
“Good, and what are the rules for the game? You do not use your body or objects to hurt your friend’s body. This is a game, and you don’t want to hurt one another. If someone does get hurt, the game will come to an end. Is everybody clear on the rules?”

Second, how can we help the children with understanding the difference between reality and fantasy? Look for those teachable moments. With princesses – do the children know about real princesses or only the ones in movies? What does a princess do? With heroes – discuss the qualities of the superheroes. Who are the real heroes in our world? Get non-fiction books that tell what a princess does or about the jobs that people such as police or fire fighters do. What kinds of things do they do to help others? After watching the movies of princesses or superheroes, initiate a conversation about what is pretend and what is real. A “reality check”, if you will. Talk about what they could have done in a real life situation – even if it was fun to watch what they did in the movie.

Pretending to be someone else clearly has many benefits. I am not advocating squelching the fun and fantasy of this kind of play. Parents can actively encourage dramatic play at home by capitalizing on their children’s interest at the moment, developing themes from stories their children have heard or movies they have seen, and providing props for pretend play. But it’s important to check-in with where the play is taking them. If it’s just become all about fighting, then maybe they need an outlet for that energy; karate classes, gymnastics, bicycling, baseball or soccer. If it’s all about the dress and looking in the mirror, then we want to move them outside the box. Encourage them to do things that a princess would do while dressed-up; painting, sewing, building things, dancing, reading, helping others, playing music, or taking care of animals.

With careful adult guidance and lots of discussion, children can understand the difference between fantasy play and how we ordinary human beings deal with good and evil that we encounter in the world. Now excuse me while I go get my cape and tiara on – I’m late for soccer practice.

More from Bev

My three days at the "Good Stuff for Kids" conference (co-led by Bev Bos, Michael Leeman, and Dan Hodgins) in late July were filled with insight and reflection - and yet I never shared any of this with you, except for photos!

Well, it's the night before the first day of school. I am filled with excitement and anticipation, wondering what the day and the week will bring. I've decided to "decompress" a little by sharing a little more from the conference.


Roseville Community School in Roseville, California is a delightful place for children, filled with lots of incredible exploratory opportunities and a real sense of joy.

Bev noted several times how discipline problems are rare at the school - the children have so much to do, so much freedom of choice. For me, this point really resonated:

the more "powerful" experiences that you give to children, the more self-regulation they acquire, and the less discipline issues that arise.

What does it mean to support or provide power for a preschooler? Here are some thoughts from Bev, Michael, and Dan:

Jumping
Hammering and sawing (using real tools - with adult guidance)
Provide lots of physical space
Ziplines
A variety of movable objects
Ladders
Climbing walls
Allow children to raise their voices, to be louder than you want
Have a loud space (not just a calm down space)
Visual guidance (rather than adult voice)
Allow children to take things back and forth between centers/areas of the room
Give children choices; be flexible with them
Sword fighting with rolled-up newspapers
Ignore healthy "bullying" between children- such as - "Hey, go get that block for me" (retire the teacher's voice re: bossiness - especially if it's not an issue for the receiver)
Put out pretend fires
Construction - in as big space as possible (most workbenches are too small)
Crates for pulling and filling
Rough-housing and tumble play
Clay pounding
Singing
Dressups - especially capes
Tug of war
Arm wrestling
"London Bridge"
"Motorboat"
"Red Rover, Red Rover"
Boxes for kicking
Running
Handshaking!


In your classroom, put yourself in the child's place and consider:

"Can I keep it as long as I want?" [Yes!]
"Do I get one?" [Yes! There multiples of the same thing!]
"If I don't share, am I still good?" [Yes!]
"Do I have something to do while I am waiting?" [Yes!]

Bev Bos is a passionate advocate of classroom learning that begins with children's voices, children's interests, children's engagement. We shouldn't be spoon-feeding curriculum, but instead watching and expanding on their play. In real play, children decide:

- what to play,
- where to play,
- how to play, and
- with whom to play.

Are we providing early childhood settings that allow these choices?

Preschool environments must be child-centered, not adult-driven. Regarding books for read alouds, Bev notes - "If a kid doesn't say something on the first page, than I don't read it, I slip it away and choose another book."

Clue in! Be aware of activities that are not relevant to young children. They will tell you with their bodies, with their voices, with their movements.

The Rosewood Community School is clearly a place that has clued in to children.


----
Well, now I'll get back to my excitement and anticipation about tomorrow...
Here's to a new school year!

Bev Bos conference

I had the good fortune to attend Bev Bos' "Good Stuff for Kids" conference at Roseville Community School in Roseville, California this past week...I have no doubt that there are several blog posts that I need to write/share with you. Until I can sit with these thoughts a bit, let me share some photographs of art and science fun. Bev believes the best experiences for young children have no instructions - just set out the materials and let the children play!

Enjoy these!

Happening upon a love ritual

Giggles from one corner of the twos classroom...
A little voice, "Do it to me again!"
Another, "No, me, now!"

I see Ms. Karen, with one child at a time, saying softly,

Bar bumper (she touches the child's forehead, lightly)
Eye winker (she touches above the child's eye, lightly)
Nose smeller (she touches the tip of the child's nose, lightly)
Mouth eater (she touches the child's smiling lips, lightly)
Chin chopper (she touches the child's chin, lightly)
Giddy, giddy, giddy! (she moves her tickling fingers under child's chin and up to the ear)

Lots of giggles - from both child and friends.
Adorable!

These lucky children receive lots of love!
Lucky me, to work with Ms. Karen.

Did the day fly by?

Let's contrast my earlier blog entry - about the pressured environment of public school preschool classrooms - with one about my cooperative preschool. I am wrestling with how different these programs are. Why must they be so different?

Let me tell you about yesterday - we had such fun!

On Mondays this month, I am teaching a "2s theme class," focusing on art and nature...meaning, I spend the morning with a delightful group of 2 (and newly 3) year olds, exploring and playing together.

I only see these children once a week, but I know many things about them individually and developmentally:

- they like to move and act, especially like animals,
- they don't always come right to the art table but prefer other toys in the classroom,
- they think scissors are a very interesting tool and want to practice cutting everything and always,
- they don't land long at any one thing but will return again and again to favorite areas,
- they love music and dancing,
- they laugh and sing as they work, and
- they love it when I am silly with them.



Today, I set up materials to create bird nests, based on a fun learning experience I had seen at a workshop at the National Zoo, wherein you provide a variety of materials for children to create bird nests in their own way. My materials were red clay, ribbons, wire, pipecleaner, yarn, and tape, plus a couple natural items that I thought would last (sticks from by-gone day lilies, and narrow, slender branches from a cedar tree).

Knowing how much young children enjoy scavenger hunts - and knowing that birds are scavengers, too - I decided to "hide" each of the materials throughout my classroom in a variety of oh-so-obvious places for them to find. I took care to set each supply on identical cloth napkins, to help the children focus on the "new, found" item.




When the children arrived, they found a ball of soft red clay at their place at the art table and a pair of scissors. I invited them to be like birds and fly around the room to find treasures with which to create a bird nest, just as birds do. I had special classical music playing, to help us move like birds.

The children were delighted, instantly throwing their arms out to the side as wings, and saying "tweet, tweet," as they raced to find a treasure and bring it back to their clay base. I flew around the room with them. They cut the materials that they found and placed them as they thought best. They molded and mashed other materials into the clay base. We got out a little more clay, to roll and mash and mold like eggs. The children wandered off to play with their favorite toys and then returned to the table to add some more details to their nests. (When they wandered over to the easels, they found feathers had replaced the usual paintbrushes.) We overheard:




"I have a tree in my nest."

"My bird likes pink."

"I need eggs for my nest."

"They have blue eggs."

"Where did you get that?"
"I will show you!,"
and off two children flew together.

As we worked on our nests, we discussed what birds like to eat, where they live, what real nests look like (we saw two in Ms. Jennifer's PreK classroom!), what cats do to birds, what would a mother bird feed her baby bird, what do birds use to build their nests, and many other bird topics. Later, we read many special bird books, including Feathers for Lunch by Lois Ehlert and Are You My Mother? by P.D. Eastman.

Pardon me - but the morning just flew by. :-)

Where is the dollhouse?

I have always loved dolls. I had a dollhouse as a young girl, but I had to give it away when I turned 13 to a White Elephant Sale - my mother explained I was too big to play with dolls.

My mother was wrong.

I am still very partial to dolls.

I missed that dollhouse for many years.

One year when the boys were young, my husband bought me a dollhouse for my birthday, much to my delight. I painted it the same colors as our real house. I made furniture for it.

I kept the dollhouse in our family room and the boys played and played at it. I provided toy furniture and toy people, near at hand, freely tossed into accessible bins...but the children brought many other treasures to the dollhouse.
Sometimes Thomas the Tank Engine was in the dollhouse.
Sometimes it was simply zoo animals, particularly elephant families.
Sometimes we built enormous cities, with roads that led right to the dollhouse.
Sometimes it was just one doll figure, over and over again, using the toy toilet.
(Sometimes that one doll figure was Han Solo.)


When the boys entered elementary school and I had my own preschool class, I brought my dollhouse to my classroom...and watched lots of the same play again.

Yes, I find dollhouse play to be an extraordinary window into what is on a child's mind.

I don't think I am alone in this thinking. All of the classes at my private, cooperative preschool had dollhouses. My colleagues and I would frequently write down the conversations we overheard in the dollhouse and share them with the child's family. Sometimes we would continue discussions at circle time that had begun in the dollhouse - discussions about sharing or missing Mommy or other social-emotional concerns.

It dawned on me recently that I have yet to see a dollhouse in any of the public (city) preschool classes that I have visited this year.

Why?

What does this mean?

Is this important?

Where is the dollhouse?

What are we interested in today?

"Sculptures - Part II" was a bit of a bust. I brought a variety of wire, ribbon, pipecleaners, and party streamers for the two year olds to explore. I thought they might enjoy revisiting their sculptures, wrapping and tying these pretty extras onto last week's sculptures.

There was a very brief exploration of the wire by a few children - Toby bent a long piece over his head and declared, "I have a hat!," but this was the extent of his interest in the wire this morning. He paid no attention to his sculpture from the week before.



Eva was thrilled when I showed her a curlicue I made by wrapping the wire around the end of the scissors. She and Greyson both had fun trying to do this, too. Eva loved the ribbon and added many pieces to her sculpture - "I love pink!," she declared, as she wrapped her sculpture in pink ribbon.

Greyson enjoyed the wire the most - mashing it with his hands, adding it onto and into his rocket. He wrapped the wire around his wrist and we scooched it off and he studied the large, loopy ringlets it made. I loved watching his hands bend, smush, fold, and stuff the wire - Greyson exploring its properties, what it could do.



Rather than work on their sculptures, Henry and Toby worked together building a long Duplo train.
We had a special math moment:
"Wow, look at all the train cars! How many do you have?," I asked.
We counted together, "1...2...3...4...5...6...7...8...9."
"10!" I added, counting the engine.
"No! That's not a car," Henry corrected me, "That is an engine. There are 9!"
"Henry, you are right - the engine is pulling 9 cars," I agreed.
Henry gave me a big smile for this correction.

It was a gorgeous spring day, already in the 80s, and bright sunshine. These sculptures and wire had to wait - we needed to be outside!

We rolled the sensory table outside, into the courtyard, and the children played in its birdseed.
We discovered ants in the cracks of the concrete landing, running every which way, and they made us think about our families - "Is that a mommy? A daddy? Look, another!"
Ms. Karen brought Ron Weasley, the guinea pig, outside to play. Henry, Eva, and Toby enjoyed petting him, laughing as he scrunched up his face in response to the breeze.
We drew on the courtyard in chalk.

Greyson found a slug. He fed him a leaf. Then he wrapped the slug in the leaf. "He's not moving!" he exclaimed, concerned. I explained that slugs move very, very slowly. Greyson, Eva, Toby, and I practiced moving like slugs. Then we put the slug back into the ivy embankment - and it was soon beyond our eyesight. "Where is it?" Greyson asked over and over, unsuccessfully looking for it. "The slug is happy in its home," I assured him.

And, of course, there were books and songs and dancing. Don't forget the delicious snack. Plus, the big playground and being in the sandbox with our bare feet.

Yes, "Sculptures - Part II" was a bit of a bust, but we had a lovely morning together, all the same. That is how it is with two year olds - you set up the fun, but let them lead the way.

Have you considered another approach?

I love early childhood training workshops. No matter what the topic, I always walk away with some morsel of new insight, something new to try in my classroom. I find myself considering a new approach. But it is a very rare pleasure when I have had a hand in organizing a training that features an inspired educator who is also a dear friend. This past Tuesday, March 15th, was that rare and wonderful day.


I am President of the Potomac Association of Cooperative Teachers, a nonprofit organization that provides training opportunities to preschool teachers in the Washington, DC area. Most of these schools are cooperative preschools, where parents work alongside the teacher in the classroom. This past Tuesday was our Annual Spring Conference and our presenter was Marla McLean, "Dreaming Utopia into Reality- Creativity and Young Children: The Power of Reggio Emilia Inspired, Project- based, Material-rich Curriculum." There were some 200 early childhood teachers in attendance.

I want to tell you about the workshop and the questions that it raised for me, in hopes that it stimulates some thought and reflection by all of us working in early childhood. Here goes!

Marla McLean is a Reggio Inspired artist/educator, working 14 years as the Atelierista at School-Within-School (SWS) in Washington, DC. Visual artist that she is, she provided us with many beautiful images of children at work in her studio at her Reggio-Emilia inspired school, as she told us about her educational approach. She noted that an underlying premise to Reggio Emilia is that "theory and practice are two pedals on a bike," the teacher is researcher - provoking, observing and reflecting.

After telling us a little about her work at School-Within School, she asked us teachers to brainstorm a list of things that mean happiness, that provide us a sense of well-being.

I wonder how much brainstorming - spontaneous sharing of ideas, where all ideas are valid - we are doing with young children? I wonder how we can remind ourselves that children need to share their own unique perspectives, to know that their own ideas have merit? Is there enough flexibility in our day to encourage this?


Then Marla had each of us teachers work in small groups to select three of these ideas and create a machine that illustrates them, using a variety of recyclables and other extras.

I wonder how much "teamwork" we are doing with small children? Do we welcome this lively, animated, active interaction? What are the benefits of having children work together, consistently, for an in-depth period of time each week, with the same small group and no one else? Is there power and possibility in this?

During our snack break at the conference, many teachers slipped up to the materials table and took their favorite pieces ahead of time, before we were supposed to do so.

I wonder if we would tolerate this same behavior in our classrooms, by our preschoolers? What is our response to children when they challenge our rules and routines?


All of the attendees supported this project work by donating odds and ends - we had a 'buffet' in the front of the room filled with these inexpensive, frequently discarded materials. I was amused to see the wire that I found curbside on trash day turned into an inspirational mobile.

I wonder if these teachers will look at "extras" and "discards" in a new light and begin storing, sorting, and collecting? I wonder if children and families would enjoy this, too? I wonder if this encourages higher-level thinking in children, nudging them to consider new uses for things, to think more abstractly?

We worked in teams. I must admit I wandered away from my team, abandoning them to devise our happiness machine on their own, while I took lots of photos.

If I were a four year old, I wonder if my teachers would have permitted me this off-task behavior? Would I have been allowed to wander, do my own thing? Would it have been welcomed and supported? I wonder, as Marla said, how do children feel about themselves when their language isn't heard?


I was so pleased to see such beautiful and intricate sculptures appear after some 45 minutes of allotted time for the experience.

I wonder how many young children get to immerse themselves in project work at school for such a long period of time? How might we let children linger on their work, to bask in their creativity, to "move the clock" so that this can happen in early childhood rooms?

Marla shared with us her detailed documentation of children at work on similar projects. One video of two boys working with modeling clay in her studio was profound with its absence of a teacher's voice - children being allowed to delve into their work without an adult interrupting their thoughts, insisting on an adult agenda. For me, this illustrates a kind of 'slowing down' and being with children, celebrating their growth, seeing their development - it is tremendously respectful. Marla noted that she tries to "make sacred the ordinary."

I wonder how many teachers document the work of children? Has the pace of our teaching become so frenetic that teachers cannot create these thoughtful mirrors? Are we allowing ourselves to slow down enough to see the powerful thought and growth by children, rather than minimizing or discounting it by quickly getting to the next part of our day? How do we fully see and understand our children if we are not observing and documenting?



It was marvelous to spend the day hearing Marla speak on creativity and children. It was a journey to another way, a "visit" with another approach...an approach that is different enough for many of us that we may fear it, aware of how much we'd have to change the way we do things now. But, we have been enlightened. I have no doubt.

"There are big stories in small spaces." - Marla McLean

Blog: www.atelier.schoolwithinschool.org
Website: www.marlamclean.com
School website: www.schoolwithinschool.org

What do you love?

Another wonderful day with two year olds - and Valentine's Day, to boot! So, I did all my "requireds" - created special "love" cards for their parents, made from their handprints and a sweet poem; let them explore creating their own pictures, using fingerpaints, cut out hearts, and any other materials of their choosing. They enjoyed this work very much.

But then, I got a little cocky. I attempted to have them share at circle time. In the interest of full disclosure, may I remind everyone that I have taught 3s and 4s for years? Two year olds are completely different beings....



I introduced a small heart container - letting them hold it, one at a time, and then, while holding it, I encouraged them to announce "what they love." Instead, these sweet twos were fascinated that the heart container opened up - what might be inside it? So, thinking it might help them focus - here's where I took leave of my senses! - I put some Cheerios in it and said

"Watch this - Ms. Maureen will announce what she loves, and then she will open the container and take a Cheerio."

Then I role-played it, saying, "Ms. Maureen loves playing with you at school" and I ate a Cheerio. Well, these little friends were so very, very excited by this! I had them close their eyes and I stuck the container in one child's hand and said, "Surprise! You have the heart, tell us what you love!" and one by one, over and over, they announced -

"I love Cheerios!"

This was hysterical. The other teacher and I could not stop laughing.

Here's evidence that I have forgotten lots that I know about two year olds developmentally: they are literal; they cannot think in abstract terms. They could not think past what was in the container.

Great chuckle of the day! Cheerios! Cheerios! Cheerios!

And I have learned again! Still loving my twos....

Happy Valentine's Day!! Here's the sweet little handprint poem:


Ten tiny fingers,
that always want to play,

That never stop exploring
the wonder of today,

Ten tiny fingers,
that from the very start,

Reach out for tomorrow
yet always hold your heart.

- Author unknown

How do we get across the river?

Let me tell you about yesterday's engineering with my theme class of a dozen children, ages 3, 4, and 5.... (I hope my words will paint the picture because, unfortunately, I was without a camera.)

Yesterday I chose the story "Where the River Begins," by Thomas Locker as the basis for our engineering fun. This beautiful picture book tells the sweet story of a grandfather and his two grandsons journeying together to discover the beginning of a river and is accentuated by Thomas Locker's gorgeous landscape pictures throughout. I figured it was just the right opening for the problem I posed - what if the grandfather and his two grandsons wanted to get to the other side of the river, without getting wet? What could we build to get them to the other side?

I was only a page or two into the book when one enthusiastic student called out - obviously not stunned into quiet reverie by the beautiful landscape photos of the book - "What are we building today? What is the problem?!" I recognized that I had perhaps given enough "lead in" for the project, and seeing his words as enthusiasm for engineering, I introduced the problem:

How can they get to the other side of the river?

We had a whole group discussion about how to solve the problem:

What could we build that would get people from one side of the river to the other?

Several children immediately thought of building a bridge, and we shared ideas about all the different types of bridges that we knew about - some just for walking, others for cars, and what about the ones for trains? One child suggested building "something that could jump you across," and was followed by, "something that you could fly!," "no, we could make them a boat," and "what about swimming?" We even had a brief discussion about catapults.

The children were eager to hear about our test: I had removed the long tray from the base of an easel, filled it with water, and thus created a narrow, long river. For the test, we would put three small toy people [dollhouse figures] in/on each device, to see if the device carried them across the water without the device breaking or the people falling in the water.

There was immediately a flurry of activity, some 20 to 30 minutes of impassioned construction - all the eager children gathering materials with which to create, working at the tables with scissors and tape, calling out to us three adults - "I need some help here!," as they tried to cut plastic or tape, or to adhere two odd pieces together. (3, 4, and 5 year olds have a vast range of abilities; some may not have great fine motor skills but have fabulous imaginations - I love to help them make those imaginations become visible.)

Then there was the "enticing" of those children who were not so interested. Two 4 year old boys went immediately to run in the classroom, with only eyes for playing with each other. I became a sideshow carnie, calling out, exciting, motivating, "selling" the effort enthusiastically to the two of them, probing them for their ideas, getting their insight as to how they might cross the river - I felt successful when both sat at the table to create.

We tested all the projects over our makeshift river. A small group of children hung out for each and every test, loving the different projects, cheering for their friends. One young engineer was too busy perfecting her bridge to join us for the early tests - she worked for almost an hour, cutting cardboard and netting (her chosen materials) and adding tape "just so." Another persevering engineer modified his boat three times to pass the test - his first boat wouldn't fit in the river, his second design sunk, and his third one was just right, carrying all three doll figures down the river. I was so excited by his determination, his positive response to failure - try, try, again! This is my engineering class at its best.

But, of course, it wasn't all about the engineering for every child! Simultaneous to the tests, a couple others began a frisky game of wrestling and play fighting...aieeee. Yes, this makes sense, too - it is January, it was only about 20 degrees outside; we've had lots of icy days and I have no doubt that these children have been cooped up inside too much. This rambunctious behavior is the result of that! (Time to get some whole body movement activity going....)

Then there was the momentary sideline by the little 3 year old who finished his project surprisingly fast, and made his way to an intriguing corner of this new classroom, promptly dumping several bins of ridiculously small things into one "sink" - I teach in someone else's classroom; I had no idea these small items were even there. Well, a mathematical sorting game has unexpectedly landed in my lap. Ugh! (My new friend and I worked together to put everything back in its place.)

I switched gears a bit, for these outliers, staying on "theme" - we had snack a little earlier than planned, while I dramatically read The Three Billy Goats Gruff by Paul Galdone. After snack, we built a large block bridge that children walked across (and pretended to fall into the river), all the while acting as billy goats and trolls. The trolls were well played by my frisky wrestlers. At the end of the day, we headed up to a large, open space to play all sorts of cooperative games, including many enthusiastic rounds of "London Bridge Came Falling Down."

If you were a parent who came in at the end of the class to pick up your child, you would see that the children created a variety devices to get three small toy figures across the river, including:

- one footbridge, tightly woven with pipecleaners and straws and tape, only wide enough for one person at a time;
- a catapult device that was inspired by Star Wars and sent people flying through the air, over the river, to the other side:
- a large bridge complete with observation deck, to watch the fish in the river;
- a canoe-like boat, to sail across the river;
- a bridge with a climbing wall for the people to climb up onto the bridge and then across the river, back down another wall to the other side; and
- a bridge with a fort to hide in so that you could play awhile and rest before continuing across the river.

It was a great morning of exploration. I hope my words have adequately captured our engineering fun.


*Check out just these great books for children about bridges and other structures:

Bridges! : Amazing Structures to Design, Build & Test by Carol A. Johmann
and Elizabeth J. Rieth ; illustrations by Michael Kline.

Bridges : From My Side to Yours, written & illustrated by Jan Adkins.

Built to Last : Building America's Amazing Bridges, Dams, Tunnels, and Skyscrapers, by George Sullivan

Fantastic Feats and Failures, by the editors of Yes mag.

Why have parents in the classroom?

This blog entry is a rather lengthy piece I wrote sometime ago, regarding the merits of a cooperative preschool. I hope you enjoy it!

In a cooperative preschool, teacher, parent, and child work together to create an educational community. The teacher receives incredible insight from observing the parent with the child. The parent’s skills are enhanced by the role modeling of the teacher and seeing the child at play with peers. And the child benefits from the rich interplay of the parent and teacher.

I believe teachers gain from working directly with parents on a daily basis. But let me begin with a word of caution here – teaching in a cooperative classroom is not for the faint of heart. You are operating in a fishbowl, your every action is seen, considered, reviewed, and, sometimes, “played back” to those who were not present.

Why have parents in the classroom? Parents help teachers to “get” their child...how to approach, how to comfort, how to reach. Their worries and concerns, their praise and devotion, their pleasure and bragging – all help the teacher in understanding their little one and channeling his exploration, his development, his education. Parents hold a unique key to unlocking the magic of their child’s education.

I am passionate about the value of parents in the preschool classroom. I have years of anecdotal data to support this. I chose a cooperative nursery school for my oldest child some 18 years ago and the education I received from the marvelous, gifted women who taught him and his brothers cannot be exaggerated. They taught me to be “present” with my boys. They demonstrated the value of observing how my boys played, how they learned. Watching my boys at play in a room with their peers, I saw the reality of multiple intelligences – how uniquely everyone learns. As I participated in their early education, I learned tremendous things about how to support their educational experience and how to advocate for them.

Now, I am an early childhood educator in a cooperative preschool; I teach three year olds. Working directly with parents on a daily basis, my teaching becomes dynamic skill – I am stretched to see things from more than just my own perspective. I must know why I do what I do, I must be able to explain why and how I do what I do, I must create believers of my parents. Parents keep me humble, as do the children, because it is obvious when something doesn’t work and I must keep a sense of humor about that. (And, I wonder, isn’t that a terrific message to send to both the parent and the child – sometimes things go wrong. That’s life.) Teaching in a cooperative classroom challenges me to “start and restart” – I am thinking of those inspirational words by Maya Angelou: I did the best I knew how to do. And when I knew better, I did better.

Teachers in this environment should share the conviction that parents belong, that parents have a voice, that parents have much more to offer than simply sweeping the floor or changing a diaper. Certainly, parents keep me current on books, music, tv, and games for the preschooler. More importantly, we teachers are laying the groundwork for parents to participate in their child’s education – how should they speak to teachers? How might they help out? What should they look for in their child’s education? Teachers should be respectful of the innocence of these parents – many preschool parents have only been parents for a couple of years –teachers are in a position of great influence.

There’s that old adage “the squeaky wheel gets the grease”...in a cooperative classroom, there are so many wheels. The best teachers do upfront preventative maintenance to ensure that their many wheels are well-lubricated – in other words: tell parents exactly what you hope for their role in the classroom, explain their value to you and the children, document and show appreciation for these efforts in your room; otherwise, the one, loud, squeaky voice of opposition will come seemingly out of nowhere and require lots and lots of extra tender loving care to “fix.”

Teachers should ask themselves – what happens in your classroom that reflects your belief in the value of parent participation? Consider – having parents run projects and games; having parents share their passions, hobbies, skills; be sure to greet and include parents (and to have all the children greet parents), at circle and other discussions – sending the clear signal “we are one community.”

Parents have so much to learn from being in an early childhood classroom with their child. There is no better way to get perspective on their little one – watching your child at play in a room full of peers, you will see how he engages, explores, learns. This young style of learning – it is his very soul, something that will drive him always. The child who taps on everything and sings his way through the morning may well have a guitar in his hand, unwinding at the end of his high school day. The little one whose attention gets easily diverted by his stimulating friends may need to study for his AP test all by himself, after he gets home from presiding over Student Government. Being with your child at preschool doesn’t tell you how it will “all turn out in the end,” but it provides a window to the future, if not a door and a clear path to consider.

Parents in a cooperative preschool are partaking of an educational laboratory. To some extent, they need to take off their “parenting hat” and challenge themselves to see the child from another person’s eyes. Try to simply observe their child’s interactions with peers and adults at school– and prepare to be amazed. Watch your child fluorish under new rules, expectations, and tone of voice. A teacher that you might find “cold” may not make your child flinch – in fact, you may very well watch your child stand strong, work hard, speak up, soar. A word of caution for parents – please understand the weight and power of your critiques. In such an open classroom environment, these are not simply “influential,” but can actually derail.

A parent learns many “tricks” from teachers – how to redirect a child’s attention, how to encourage personal responsibility, how to unwind. And the fun stuff – how to make gak, the wonders (and unexpected sensory importance) of shaving cream and glue, painting benches with water, running with plastic bag kites.

I believe children benefit from seeing their parents in the classroom. I marvel at children watching their parents at play in the classroom with the larger group. We often begin the year with the three year old child clinging, shadowing, holding onto his parent. As the year unfolds, that same little one dares to let go, to play with others, to play with his parent with others – what a share that is!

When you observe a child in a cooperative classroom setting, with a family member assisting in the class, you see how the family bond or dynamic affects the child. Often you will note similarities (or cause and effect) of personalities – how an excited parent might have a jubilant, frisky child or a worried parent has a clingy child (or conversely – how a clingy child creates a worried parent). These things often defy genetics – the adoptive parent who is calm and intellectual has a “bookworm” child. I like to consider the power of nurture over nature or – as an educational tool - how environment itself plays a definitive role in a child’s success.

Teachers should ask themselves – what reflects the value of family in the classroom, from a child’s perspective? In my classroom, we have a family book – a great source of comfort when a child is having a bad day, because it contains their greatest strengths – their families. We have photos displayed throughout the room, all year – their families engaged in the classroom. We make a big deal of who is co-oping each day. The last words I say to the child of a co-oper at day’s end – “thanks for sharing Dad (or Mom, or Grammy) with us.” The child receives a powerful message when he sees his loved one co-oping: I am valued, education is fun, I am loved.

All three parts add up to one terrific educational community – parents and teachers working together with children.