Friday 11:20 a.m. - Storytime Shake Up

Transcription

Babies Play Learning Materials
Classic Walk n' Roll
Rocky Boat
See-Me Tunnel
Rhythm Band
Oversized Sensory Balls-Set of 3
Find It! Book Set
Taggies Cloth Books-set of 3
Peek-a-Books Cloth Books
Stack & Nest Sensory Toys
Soft & Safe Building Blocks
See-Inside Sorting Bucket
Color Discovery Boxes
Giant Sight & Sound Tubes
Machine Washable Sensory Blocks
Soft & Safe Sensory Balls-set of 6
Toddler Rhythm Band Set
Toddler Tambourines
True Tone Xylophone
Stepping Stones
I Beam
Imaginarium Alphabet & Numbers Foam
Puzzle Mat
$17.50
$174.99
$29.99
$34.95
$14.99
$49.95
$38.95
$66.95
$19.95
$49.95
$14.95
$49.99
$69.99
$49.99
$9.99
$39.99
$39.99
$19.99
$295.00
$265.00
Constructive Playthings
Constructive Playthings
Discount School Supply
Kaplan
Kaplan
Kaplan
Lakeshore
Lakeshore
Lakeshore
Lakeshore
Lakeshore
Lakeshore
Lakeshore
Lakeshore
Lakeshore
Lakeshore
Safespace Concepts
Safespace Concepts
KRP-370
CP-3111
TUN6FT
NOXBOX
SENBAL3
92745
88267
85149
RE148
RR794
BD553
AA388
AA931
JJ937
JJ152
RA478
TB317
TF273
SC 04-420
SC 04-430
$19.99 Toys-R-Us
Wendy Lehman ~ Rochester Hills Public Library ~ 2016
Great Music for Little Feet
Arlo & Woody Guthrie:
Little Seed
Nursery Days
Songs to Grow on for Mother and Child
This Land is Your Land
Woody’s 20 Grow Big Songs
Caspar Babypants:
Baby Beatles!
Beatles Baby!
Here I Am!
More Please!
Night Night!
Rise and Shine!
Sing Along!
This is Fun!
Dan Zanes:
76 Trombones
Catch that Train!
Family Dance
House Party
Little Nut Tree
Neuva York
Rocket Ship Beach
The Welcome Table
Turn Turn Turn
Elizabeth Mitchell:
Blue Clouds
Little Seed
Sunny Day
You Are My Little Bird
You are my Sunshine
Ella Jenkins
I Know the Colors of the Rainbow
More Multicultural Children’s Songs
Multicultural Children’s Songs
Play Your Instruments
This-a-Way, That-a-Way
You’ll Sing a Song and I’ll Sing a Song
Georgiana Liccione Stewart
A World of Parachute Play
Action Songs for Preschoolers
Activity Songs & Games
Aerobics for Kids
Baby Face
Bean Bag Activities & Coordination Skills
Children of the World
Children’s Folk Dances
Cool Aerobics for Kids
Fitness Fun for Kids
Folk Dance Fun
Multicultural Rhythm Stick Fun
Playtime Parachute Fun
Rock n’ Roll Fitness Fun
Greg & Steve:
Big Fun
Bounce & Boogie
Fun and Games
Jumpin’ & Jammin’
Kidding Around
Kids in Action
Kids in Motion
On the Move with Greg & Steve
Playing Favorites
Quiet Moments with Greg & Steve
Ready Set Move!
Rockin’ Down the Road
Shake, Rattle & Rock
Sing & Read with Greg & Steve
We All Live Together Vol. 1-5
Hap Palmer
Can a Cherry Pie Wave Goodbye?
Can a Jumbo Jet Sing the Alphabet?
Early Childhood Classics
Easy Does It
Ehythms on Parade
Modern Tunes for Rhythms and Instruments
So Big
Walter the Waltzing Worm
Jim Gill:
Do Re Mi on His Toe Leg Knee
Irrational Anthem
Make it Noisy in Boise, Idaho
Moving Rhymes for Modern Times
Music Play for Folks of All Stripes
The Sneezing Song and Other Contagious Tunes
Laurie Berkner:
Buzz Buzz
Laurie Berkner Lullabies
Rocketship Run
The Ultimate Laurie Berkner Band Collection
Under a Shady Tree
Victor Vito
Whaddaya Think of That?
The Learning Groove
Bouncy Blue
Groovy Green
Outrageous Orange
Perfectly Purple
Rockin’ Red
Yummy Yellow
Raffi:
Animal Songs
Baby Beluga
Bananaphone
Evergreen, Everblue
Everything Grows
Fun Food Songs
Let’s Play
Love Bug
More Singable Songs for the Very Young
One Light, One Sun
Owl Singalong
Quiet Time
Raffi on Broadway
Raffi Radio
Rise and Shine
Singable Songs for the Very Young
Various Artists:
A Child’s Celebration of Folk Music
For the Kids Three!
For the Kids Too!
For the Kids!
Giggling & laughing: silly songs for kids
Pickin' & grinnin': great folk songs for kids
Putumayo World Music *All Albums
Science Fair
Parachute Games and Activities

Popcorn: Place a number of beanbags, small balls, or cotton balls onto the parachute. Shake
to make them pop up like "popcorn".

Ball Roll: Have the children try to roll the balls into the hole in the middle of the parachute.
(Or have children try to keep the balls from going into the hole in the center.)

Making Waves: Children can make small, medium, or large movements to make various
types of "waves." You can incorporate a story about a ship on the sea, weather, etc. &/or use
your voice as a tool to emphasize directives.

Merry-Go-Round: Children turn their bodies sideways and hold the chute with one hand.
They then walk around in a circle, making a "Merry-Go-Round." For variety, children can hop,
skip, jump, etc. You can stop music as a cue to reverse and go the other direction.

Poison Snakes: Place three or four jump ropes onto the chute. Shake the parachute to keep
the snakes from "biting" (touching) you.

Parachute Tag: Lift the parachute high into the air. Call out two children’s names. They must
trade empty spots by running under the chute, before it comes down on them.

Mushroom: Standing, lift the parachute waist height. Count to three - with "one" and "two"
being small practice lifts. On three, all lift the chute overhead, and crouch down pulling the
parachute edges down as well. This creates what looks like a "mushroom."

The Wave: Children put their hands up, one after another, in order – creating a synchronized
"wave" like in the stands at a baseball game.

Rollerball: Try to keep a ball rolling only along the outer edge of the parachute around the
circle. As it comes toward you, cooperatively lower your edge. Just past you, raise it.

All Change: The Teacher calls out birthday months, pre-assigned numbers, colors, etc, and
those children swap places under the chute before it falls, and run to an empty space.

Shark Attack: Everyone sits with legs stretched out underneath the chute, which is held
chest-high. One or two children are the "sharks" and crawl around under the parachute and
try to grab people’s legs to pull them under the chute. The "captured" is now the "shark".

See-Saw Pull: From a sitting position, have children pull the parachute back and forth in a
cooperative see-saw motion.

Shoe Shuffle: Count off. All of a selected number take off one shoe and throw it in the
middle. On the count of three, raise the chute, and the designated children have to run under
and find their shoe before the chute comes down.

Bouncing Balls: Have one or two children under the chute trying to hit the balls as they touch
the surface, knocking them off the parachute (from underneath.)

Flying Saucer: All take one step forward upon lifting the chute in the air. Upon command, all
let go, and watch as it slowly floats.

Ball in the Bucket: Break into two or more "teams." Each team will have a different colored
ball (or balls.) They will try to keep their color ball from going into the middle circle, while
trying to get the other teams’ color of ball(s) into the hole.

Turtle: The parachute becomes a giant turtle shell with everyone underneath it on hands and
knees. Everyone must cooperate and work together to get the turtle to move about.

Beach Ball Fun: Use a beach ball, moving it with waves, around on the parachute.

Parachute Volleyball: Split into two sides of the parachute. One side tries to knock the ball
off of the other side (half of chute), right past the other "team."

The Canopy: Squat down with parachute flat on the ground. On the count of three, stand up
and stretch arms above head, creating a canopy.

Parachute Tag: Lift the parachute high overhead. Call one child's name and have her run
(skip, hop, twirl or crawl) to the other side before the parachute comes down and tags her.

Parachute Run: Have the children take turns running on the parachute as it lies on the
ground, while the other children make waves. See how long the children can maneuver on
the waves before falling down. The length of turns can be determined by songs that the
children choose to sing (i.e. everyone's turn lasts the length of one song).
http://www.playparachutes.com
Preschool Science Booklist
Title
Science-not just for scientists! : easy explorations for young children
Science is simple : over 250 activities for preschoolers
Tinkerlab : a hands-on guide for little inventors
Science Play! Beginning discoveries for 2 to 6 year olds
More than magnets : exploring the wonders of science in preschool and kindergarten
A head start on science : encouraging a sense of wonder
The budding scientist
Science adventures : nature activities for young children
Super Science. Preschool-First Grade
The preschool scientist : using learning centers to discover and explore science
Author
Ardizzone, Leonisa
Ashbrook, Peggy
Doorley, Rachelle
Hauser, Jill Frankel
Moomaw, Sally
Ritz, William C.
Roselli, Stephanie
Sherwood, Elizabeth A.
Warkulwiz, Beverly A.
Williams, Robert A.
ISBN
9780876594841
9780876592724
9781611800654
9781885593207
9781884834332
9781933531021
9780876593851
9780876590157
9781573324663
9780876591307
TEACHING AND LEARNING ABOUT SCIENCE
Science in the Preschool Classroom
A
Capitalizing on Children’s Fascination with
the Everyday World to Foster Language
and Literacy Development
young child starting preschool brings a sense
of wonder and curiosity about the world. Whether
watching snails in an aquarium, blowing
bubbles, using a flashlight to make shadows, or
experimenting with objects to see what sinks
or floats, the child is engaged in finding out
how the world works.
It is not exaggerating to say that children are
biologically prepared to learn about the world
around them, just as they are biologically
prepared to learn to walk and talk and interact
with other people. Because they are ready to
learn about the everyday world, young children
are highly engaged when they have the opportunity to explore. They create strong and enduring
mental representations of what they have experienced in investigating the everyday world. They
readily acquire vocabulary to describe and
share these mental representations and the
concepts that evolve from them. Children then
Kathleen Conezio, M.S., is director of curriculum and
professional development for two education grants
through the University of Rochester. Kathleen has more
than 20 years of experience as a teacher and education
coordinator in private and public preschools and in Head
Start. She is co-author of the ScienceStart! Curriculum.
Lucia French, Ph.D., is a developmental psychologist on the faculty of the Warner Graduate School of
Education and Human Development at the University of Rochester. Lucia’s basic areas of research
include young children’s language and cognitive
development. She is responsible for the creation
and field testing of the ScienceStart! Curriculum.
Funding for the ScienceStart! Curriculum comes
from the National Science Foundation (Award ESI9911630), U.S. Department of Education (Award
S349A010171), the A.L. Mailman Family Foundation, and Rochester’s Child.
Kathleen Conezio and Lucia French
rely on the mental representations as the basis for
further learning and for higher order intellectual skills
such as problem solving, hypothesis testing, and
generalizing across situations.
While a child’s focus is on finding out how things in
her environment work, her family and teachers may
have a somewhat different goal. Research journals,
education magazines, and the popular press are filled
with reports about the importance of young children’s
development of language and literacy skills. Children’s
natural interests in science can be the foundation for
developing these skills.
Back in February, Mrs. O’Shea’s preschool children
had explored the concept of light and shadows. They
collected many types of materials to see which ones
would create a shadow in the bright light and which
ones the light would just pass through. After several
days of experimentation, they realized that while
opaque materials create shadows and transparent
materials allow light to pass through easily, there are
some things that don’t fit either category. These
materials allow some light to pass through (although
not as much as window glass) and they cause very
light shadows. Later in the school year, a visitor to the
classroom was present during snack time when the
children were trying new clear strawberry flavored
Jello with stars and moon shapes in it. The visitor
overheard the following conversation among the fouryear-olds:
“It’s transparent!” remarked one little girl with surprise.
“No, it’s translucent,” countered another girl.
“Why do you say it’s translucent?” asked Mrs. O’Shea.
“Because you can only see through it a little,” the
girl responded.
Photos courtesy of the authors.
© Sylvie Wickstrom
12
Young Children • September 2002
Whereas many adults think of science as a discrete
body of knowledge, for young children science is
finding out about the everyday world that surrounds
them. This is exactly what they are interested in doing,
all day, every day.
In the preschool classroom or in the university research laboratory, science is an active and open-ended
search for new knowledge. It involves people working
together in building theories, testing those theories,
and then evaluating what worked, what didn’t, and why.
On a bright fall morning, a group of three-year-olds
takes a walk and observes fall leaves dropping from the
trees and blowing around the school yard. They come
inside to read a book. The book contains a picture of a
rake. Few of these urban, apartment-dwelling children
have ever actually seen a rake. The teacher asks what it
is and what it might be used for. A real rake is brought in
as the discussion proceeds and the children speculate:
“You could scratch the grass.”
“Use it for a back scratcher.”
“Throw it in the garbage.”
“I clean the leaves!”
All of the children’s ideas are considered and a bag
of fall leaves is dumped on the classroom floor. The
children are given opportunities to feel the leaves, kick
the leaves, and use the rake. Coming back together as
a group, they reevaluate their earlier theories and
decide that a rake can be very helpful in making a
pile of leaves to jump into. Science, language, and
literacy have all combined in a meaningful learning
experience for the children.
the types of typical intellectual development that
characterize the preschool years. These include
receptive and expressive language skills, skills in selfregulation—particularly attention regulation—and skills
in problem identification, analysis, and solution. Several
theoretical assumptions that are widely shared by early
childhood professionals underlie these goals:
• Young children are active, self-motivated learners who
learn best from personal experience rather than from
decontextualized linguistic input. (e.g., French 1996;
Nelson 1996).
• Young children construct knowledge through participation with others in activities that foster experimentation, problem solving, and social interaction (Gallas
1995; Chaille & Britain 1997).
• Young children should be allowed to exercise choice in
the learning environment (Bredekamp & Copple 1997).
• Children’s social skills develop best when they have
opportunities to learn and practice them in the context
of meaningful activities (e.g., Katz & McClellan 1997).
Science in our preschool classrooms is not a complicated process, nor is it an activity that occurs separately from the normal classroom routine. Almost all
young children in almost all environments “do science”
most of the time; they experience the world around
them and develop theories about how that world works.
A science-based curriculum
For the past seven years, the authors have
been involved in creating, implementing, and
refining a science-based preschool curriculum
encompassing both content and process goals.
Known as ScienceStart! this full-day, full-year
curriculum is currently being field-tested at a
number of sites in Rochester, New York. (Throughout, when we refer to one of “our” classrooms, we
mean a classroom that is using ScienceStart! The
major content goal of this curriculum is for
children to develop a rich, interconnected
knowledge base about the world around them.
The primary process goal is to foster and support
Almost all young children in almost all environments “do science” most of the time; they experience the world around them and develop theories about how that world works.
13
magnifying glass, and dance like leaves in the wind.
Science, for all the children, was a creative and exploratory process, one in which they could use many forms
of knowledge to build theories about their world. While
talking with them about what they were doing, the
teacher not only involved the children in a conversation, but also offered them relevant vocabulary and
modeled ways of thinking about and talking about their
experiences.
Childhood curiosity leads to real science
Many early childhood teachers are hesitant about
introducing science in their classrooms, often because
of their own unpleasant science education experiences.
When asked if they teach science, these educators
might point to the plants on the shelf or the collection
of stones and shells and indicate that science is taking
place “over there.” Other teachers see science as some
kind of magic trick to perform on a Friday afternoon
when everyone is tired and bored. They bring out the
baking soda and vinegar to “make a volcano.” While the
children may be amazed and amused by this activity, it
At the easel, a boy may be using blue and yellow paint.
does not build accurate knowledge and does not
Suddenly, he notices that as he paints, the color green
represent real science.
appears. The child has the opportunity to theorize
Real science begins with childhood curiosity, which
about color mixing: “Does this always happen with blue
leads to discovery and exploration with teachers’ help
and yellow paint?” “Can I make any other colors with
and encouragement. It involves three major compoblue and yellow paint?”
nents: content, processes, and attitude. Young children
In any preschool classroom, the process of formulatprize information about the world around them, yet an
ing theories based on experience happens in the art,
emphasis on content is not enough. Although many
block, and dramatic play areas, and during outdoor
people view science as a body of knowledge (facts and
play. The difference for the children in our classrooms
formulas) that scientists learn and use, in reality this
is that adults work to create
body of knowledge is conan environment that is
stantly changing as new
Real science begins with childhood curiosity,
integrated and coherent
discoveries are made.
rather than disjointed.
which leads to discovery and exploration with Young children, like scienThus, children explore the
tists, need to practice the
teachers’ help and encouragement.
same phenomenon—in this
process skills of predicting,
case, color mixing—in
observing, classifying,
different parts of the
hypothesizing, experimentclassroom, particularly in activities that involve laning, and communicating. Like adult scientists, they need
guage and literacy.
opportunities to reflect on their findings, how they
In the leaf raking example described earlier, the chilreached them, and how the findings compare to their
dren took a walk outside to see leaves blowing, then
previous ideas and the ideas of others. In this way, chilread a story about leaves, then raked leaves in the
dren are encouraged to develop the attitude of a scienclassroom. They also had other opportunities that day
tist—that is, curiosity and the desire to challenge theoto explore leaves. They could decorate leaf-shaped
ries and share new ideas. Scientific exploration
cookies with a variety of fall-colored frosting, paint tree
presents authentic opportunities to develop and use
and leaf pictures at the easel, sort real leaves by shape
both receptive and expressive language skills.
or color, examine leaves with a
© Sylvie Wickstrom
14
In Miss Chrissie’s classroom, one morning in April, an
observer asked two four-year-old girls what was inside
the cups on a windowsill. The girls explained that they
had planted seeds and were waiting for them to grow.
The observer asked how long it would take and was
told, “Maybe a few days.” The observer asked why it
would take so long and was told, “Growing takes time.
You need to be patient.” The girls then explained about
the plant’s need for water and light. The observer
looked outside and pointed out to the girls that there
were grass, trees, and flowers outside that also needed
water. The girls reassured her that the rain would water
those plants. While this may appear to be a simple and
everyday conversation (as indeed it should be), these
girls were using their
classroom science work
to make observations
and hypotheses and
communicate these
clearly to a classroom
visitor.
The importance of a
coherent approach
In Talking Their Way
into Science, Karen Gallas
(1995) explains that
young children must be
allowed to co-construct
their knowledge about
science by imagining
possible worlds and then
inventing, criticizing, and
modifying those worlds
as they participate in
hands-on exploration.
They must be encouraged to develop possible
theories about their own
questions and then
proceed to investigate
these theories within the
classroom learning community. For this to happen, the
opportunity for in-depth and long-term investigation
through a variety of activities—what we term coherence—is essential. The girls whose seeds were growing
on the windowsill had opportunities to over- and
underwater plants; paint bouquets of flowers at the
easel; take plants apart to investigate the roots, stems,
and leaves; and make and eat a salad containing leaves,
roots, stems, and flowers. They read many books about
plants and participated in discussions with peers and
adults about what they were learning.
Many, and perhaps most, preschool classrooms have
little coherence from day to day. For example, teachers
following a “letter of the week” approach may have
children investigate dinosaurs one day, dig in dirt the
next day, and make a dessert the third day. Each activity is developmentally appropriate and enjoyable, but
other than the letter D they have nothing in common.
In contrast, in a coherent approach to early childhood education, each day’s activities build on those of
the day before and provide a basis for those of the
following day. Teachers who follow a science-based
curriculum find that they can maintain a focus for 8, 10,
or even 12 weeks. For example, the ScienceStart! unit on
color and light takes
place over a 10-week
period. Children explore
mixing colors to make
new colors, investigate
light sources and how
shadows are made,
observe how light
travels, and finally study
the cycle of day and
night. While each day
brings new activities
and new theories, the
days fit together into a
coherent pattern that
offers children the
opportunity to revisit
ideas and activities, to
build a knowledge base,
and to use knowledge
gained on one day as
the foundation for the
next day’s exploration.
It might seem that
learning about air could
be difficult for four-yearolds. After all, they can’t
see it or even really get
ahold of it. But we have
found that after spending the previous eight weeks
discovering the properties of solids and liquids, preschool
children have a lot to say about air.
“I know it’s there ’cause I can feel it in my hair.”
“The bubble has my air in it!”
“Air isn’t like a solid ’cause it has no shape. It’s the
shape of the balloon.”
“You can’t pour it and it doesn’t make a mess on the floor.”
15
Science at the Center of the
Integrated Curriculum:
Ten Benefits Noted by
Head Start Teachers
1. Science responds to children’s need to learn
about the world around them.
2. Children’s everyday experience is the foundation for science.
3. Open-ended science activities involve children
at a wide range of developmental levels.
4. Hands-on science activities let teachers observe and respond to children’s individual
strengths and needs.
5. The scientific approach of trial and error
welcomes error and interprets it as valuable
information, not as failure.
6. Science strongly supports language and literacy.
• Nonfiction books become a powerful foundation for conversations with adults and peers.
• Vocabulary growth is supported by children’s
prior knowledge and experience of the everyday world, coupled with observation and
hands-on activities.
• Receptive language (listening comprehension)
is fostered as children listen to the teacher read
aloud and talk about the science activity.
• Expressive language is fostered as the teacher
leads children through a cycle of scientific
reasoning and especially as the teacher supports the children in developing a report of
their findings.
7. Science helps children with limited language to
participate in the classroom and learn English.
8. The problem-solving skills of science easily
generalize to social situations.
9. Science demonstrations help children become
comfortable in large group conversations.
10. Science connects easily to other areas, including center-based play, math, artistic expression,
and social studies.
16
While children’s theories are seldom complete and
will go through many revisions, the coherence of the
curriculum offers them opportunities to make in-depth
explorations over an extended period of time.
Science learning: Something to talk about
Several years ago, the local director of state-funded
preschool programs was asked why she was spending
money on inservice training in the area of science
when, after all, “everyone knows” that language and
literacy should be the focus during preschool. Agreeing
that language and literacy were important goals for
young children, the administrator pointed out that
language and literacy learning must be about something.
After hearing this story, we asked our teachers, who
had been using a science-based curriculum for several
years, to respond to the Why science? question based
on their own observations and experiences. The
resulting conversation was condensed into the 10 good
reasons (shown at the left in “Science at the Center of
the Integrated Curriculum: Ten Benefits Noted by Head
Start Teachers”).
There can be many reasons for a science focus in the
preschool years. Because science is so intriguing for
young children, they become more engaged and therefore more attentive to and involved in the language of
the classroom. A coherent, integrated curriculum allows
for more complex language use and more sustained
literature studies than does a disjointed approach to
content.
Teachers may wonder how language and literacy
experiences are integrated into a science-focused
curriculum. Researchers have found that children are
most likely to learn language and literacy skills when
they have opportunities to use these skills in authentic
situations (e.g., Goodman 1984; Teale & Sulzby 1984).
The problem-solving approach associated with scientific inquiry is rich in language. Teachers can support
children as they acquire and practice increasingly
sophisticated language skills. The group discussion may
be completed in 5 minutes or may continue as long as
45 minutes. Throughout this period, participants are
involved in coherent, contingent conversation. Whether
active contributors to the conversation or listeners,
children gain important practice in how to maintain
conversational coherence, switch and return to topics,
use language to move between the past, present and
future, and translate between linguistic and mental
representations.
To speak, children must translate their own mental
lady butterflies. Strong and meaningful learning takes
representations into linguistic output that can be
place as children participate in language and literacy exshared with others. In listening, they create mental
periences about something of real significance to them.
representations based on someone else’s language.
Translation between
linguistic form and
Conclusion
mental representation
Some teachers want to take
Because science is so intriguing for young
is generally difficult for
steps
to introduce more science
young children, but in
children,
they
become
more
engaged
and
into
their
education programs,
this case it is supbut
they
are
unsure about what
therefore more attentive to and involved in
ported and facilitated
to
do.
These
same teachers are
by the hands-on
the
language
of
the
classroom.
often
comfortable
with cooking
experience being
and
art.
It
is
possible
to explore
shared by the listener
many
science
activities
through
and speaker.
cooking and art. A coherent unit can be developed in
which the same topic is explored through three activiAs children were gathered around the duck egg incubaties—science, art, and cooking. For example, the effects
tor in Mrs. Toot’s classroom, the teacher asked them
of air could be explored by making meringue cookies
what they knew about ducks. The children speculated
(cooking), by using a straw and hairdryer to blow a
about what ducks eat, and asserted that ducks quack
marble across a page containing wet paint to create an
and can swim. One girl added that they have “skin
air picture (art), and by taking a collection of items and
between their toes.” The discussion continued about
predicting which can be moved by blowing through a
what covered their bodies, with some children arguing
straw (science).
that it was fur, while others contended that feathers
Teachers who increase their understanding of what
cover a duck. No agreement was reached, and the
science is at the preschool level will come to see that
suggestion was made that they needed a real bird to
look at. Mrs. Toot arranged a classroom visit from a
parakeet while they waited for their duck eggs to hatch.
Investigations of the everyday world offer many
opportunities for a variety of preliteracy and literacy
experiences. There are opportunities for receptive and
expressive language, for consulting text, and for producing graphic representations of ideas (both drawn and
written). So, in our classrooms, the daily literacy
activities are integrated into the science learning. As in
many other preschool classrooms, our science-focused
teachers read to their children every day.
Children work together to create written reports
about their scientific explorations. They make graphs
and charts, create books, and dramatize ideas. Many
children keep science journals to record data. For
example, in our classrooms three- and four-year-old
children from families living in poverty used drawings
and words to document the growth and changes that
occurred as their caterpillars transformed into painted
Strong and meaningful learning takes place
as children participate in language and literacy experiences about something of real
significance to them.
17
science can be incorporated into many, if not most, of
the activities that they already do. Science itself is not
an activity, but an approach to doing an activity. This
approach involves a process of inquiry—theorizing,
hands-on investigation, and discussion.
Over the past seven years, we have worked with almost two dozen teachers who were implementing
ScienceStart! predominantly with children from families
with low incomes, including children with special needs.
We have found consistent reactions among these teachers. They find that an emphasis on hands-on science
leads to increases in children’s level of engagement,
in language use and language skills, and in positive
peer interactions. Families have been surprised by
their children’s abilities to learn science and report
that their children often transfer content knowledge and the process of inquiry from preschool to
the home environment. For example, while in the
backyard with his mother, one three-year-old
asked, “What do you think will happen if we add
water to this dirt? What do you think we will get?”
In 1993 the American Association for the Advancement of Science published Benchmarks for Science
Literacy, a compendium of specific science goals for
K–12 grade levels. The use of a coherent, hands-on
science curriculum provides preschoolers with the
opportunity to meet virtually all of the benchmarks
described for children in the K–2 range. For example, at a very general level, the benchmarks for
kindergarten through second grade are as follows:
Students should be actively involved in exploring
phenomena that interest them both in and out of
class. These investigations should be fun and exciting,
opening the door to even more things to explore. An
important part of students’ exploration is telling others
what they see, what they think, and what it makes them
wonder about. Children should have lots of time to talk
about what they observe and to compare their observations with those of others. A premium should be placed
on careful expression, a necessity in science, but students
at this level should not be expected to come up with scientifically accurate explanations for their observations.
(AAAS 1993, 10).
Most young children bring curiosity and wonder to
the early childhood setting. Teachers need only capitalize on these characteristics to make science learning
come alive every day. Science learning provides a rich
knowledge base that will become an essential foundation for later reading comprehension. It also provides
the foundation for meaningful language and literacy
development.
References
American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS).
1993. Benchmarks for science literacy: Project 2061. New York:
Oxford University Press.
Bredekamp, S., & C. Copple, eds. 1997. Developmentally appropriate practice in early childhood programs. Rev. ed. Washington,
DC: NAEYC.
Chaille, C., & L. Britain. 1997. The young child as scientist: A
constructivist approach to early childhood science education. New
York: Longman.
French, L.A. 1996. “I told you all about it, so don’t tell me you
don’t know”: Two-year-olds and learning through language.
Young Children 51 (2): 17–20.
Gallas, K. 1995. Talking their way into science: Hearing children’s
questions and theories, responding with curricula. New York:
Teachers College Press.
Goodman, Y.M. 1986. Children coming to know literacy. In Emergent literacy: Writing and reading, eds. W. Teale, E. Sulzby, &
M.Farr. Norwood, NJ: Ablex.
Katz, L., & D. McClellan. 1997. Fostering children’s social competence: The teacher’s role. Washington, DC: NAEYC.
Nelson, K. 1996. Language in cognitive development: The emergence of the mediated mind. New York: Cambridge University
Press.
Teale, W., & E. Sulzby. 1986. Emergent literacy as a perspective for
examining how young children become writers and readers. In
Emergent literacy: Writing and reading, eds. W. Teale, E. Sulzby, &
M. Farr. Norwood, NJ: Ablex.
Please write to the authors to receive an extensive list of
fiction and nonfiction children’s books for use in science
units on properties of matter (liquid, solid, gas, and change)
and color and light: Lucia French, Warner School, University
of Rochester, Rochester, NY 14627
Copyright © 2002 by the National Association for the Education
of Young Children. See Permissions and Reprints online at
www.naeyc.org/resources/journal.
Click the back button on your browser to go back to the Beyond the Journal menu.
18
Sensory Table Ideas
Food
Dry Rice
Dry Pasta Noodles
Dry Beans
Feed Corn
Un-popped Popcorn
Un-popped Colored Popcorn
Peanuts
Pumpkin Seeds
Other Seeds
Cereal
Bananas and Mashers
Cornmeal
Gelatin
Coffee Beans or Grounds
Potato Flakes
Dry Oatmeal
Marshmallows
Cooked Pasta Noodles
Frozen Vegetables
Jell-O Filled Balloons
Pudding Filled Balloons
Cornmeal Filled Balloons
Salt
Pumpkin Guts
Flour
Applesauce
Environmental
Leaves and Other Outdoor Finds (found on
Nature Walk)
Soil
Soil & Live Worms
Sand
Hay
Rocks
Pebbles
Twigs
Bird Seed
Fresh Flowers
Pine Cones
Grass Clippings
Pieces of Sod
Cedar Chips
Sea Shells
Pine Needles & Boughs
Recycled Items
Packing Peanuts
Corks
Wallpaper and Scissors
Shredded Paper
Scraps of Material, Felt, Foam, etc.
Paper and Scissors
Bean Bag Filling
Beanie Baby Filling
Paper Tubes & Small Balls
Party Confetti
Water, Wet, & Messy
Ice
Bubbles
Water
Shaving Cream
Soapy Water
Snow
Mud
Finger Paints
Homemade Slime
Hair Gel
Store Bought and Other
Wrapping Paper with Scissors, Tape, Bowes,
Bows, Ribbons, etc.
Straw Pieces and Yarn
Cotton Balls
Popsicle Sticks
Aquarium Rocks
Pompoms and Tongs
Feathers
Colored Cellophane Squares
Plastic Easter Eggs and Small Plastic Animals
Easter Grass
Large Beads & String
Play Dough and Cookie Cutters
Magnets and Metal/Non-Metal Objects
Pillow Filling
Ribbon Pieces
Buttons
Beaded Necklaces
Tissue Paper Pieces
Fake Snow
Bubble Wrap
3/31/2016
Why?
• Family Place
Storytime Shake-Up:
Creating Developmentally Appropriate Programming
– Developmentally appropriate programming
– Parents as first teachers
– Outreach to new families with young children
• Every Child Ready to Read-5 Practices of Early
Literacy
– Reading
– Writing
– Singing
– Playing
– Talking
Gross Motor Play
• Gross Motor play includes any activity that
uses the large
muscles in the arms,
legs, torso, and feet.
• Gross Motor play offers
a wide range of learning
experiences: cognitive, language/literacy,
social/emotional, physical and creative.
Sensory Play
• Sensory play includes any activity that
stimulates the young child’s senses: touch,
smell, taste, sight and hearing.
• Sensory Play offers a wide range of learning
experiences: cognitive, language/literacy,
social/emotional, physical and creative.
Hop, Skip, & Jump
Gross motor playtime for 2-5 year olds and
caregivers, includes:
• Books
• Music
• Fingerplays/chants/poems
• Gross Motor Activities
Silly Sensory
Sensory playtime for toddlers (walking-35
months) and their caregivers, includes:
• Books
• Music
• Sensory (messy) play items
1
3/31/2016
Science Exploration
• For young children science is about experiencing
the world around them and developing and
testing theories about how the world works.
• Scientific exploration
offers a wide range of
learning experiences:
cognitive, language/literacy,
social/emotional,
physical and creative.
Music
• For young children music is a whole body
experience
• Music offers a wide range
of learning
experiences:
cognitive,
language/
literacy,
social/emotional,
physical and
creative.
Free Play
• Play is the primary way young children learn
about their bodies and the world around them
• Free play offers
a wide range of learning
experiences: cognitive,
language/literacy,
social/emotional,
physical and creative.
Little Scientists
Science based storytime for 3-5 year olds
without caregiver, includes:
• Books (both fiction & nonfiction)
• Music
• Science exploration &
experimentation
Music & Me
Storytime, with an emphasis on music, for 0-5
year olds and caregivers, includes:
• Books
• Music
• Fingerplays/
chants/poems
• Instruments
Babies Play
Play group for babies not yet walking and
caregivers, includes:
• Books
• Music
• Fingerplays/chants/
poems/bounces
• TOYS!
2
3/31/2016
Other Story Groups
• Family Fun-traditional storytime for 0-5 year
olds with caregiver
• Preschool Time-traditional storytime for 3-5
year olds without caregiver
• Tot Time-traditional storytime for toddlers
with caregiver
• Mother Goose-traditional storytime for infants
with caregiver
Other Early Literacy Programs
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
How does this all work at RHPL?
• Storytime Schedule:
– 7 Librarians-3 full time, 4 part
time (3 days/week)
– Each full time librarian runs 2
story groups, each part time
librarian runs 1
– 2 groups each weekday
morning Monday-Thursday
– 2 groups on different weekday
afternoons (Mother Goose &
Babies Play)
– We rotate the days & times so
that everyone gets a chance to
participate
• Yearly Schedule:
– 5 week Storytime session
Jan/Feb
– 5 week Parent Child Workshop
& Big Fun session March
April/May
– Summer Reading (Outdoor
Explorers, Baby Splash & Play,
Toddler Dance Party, Parent
Child Workshop)
Sept/Oct
– 5 week Parent Child Workshop
& Big Fun session Oct/Nov
Nov/Dec
Parent Child Workshop
Big Fun
Fantastic Friday
Free Play Saturday
Outdoor Explorers
Baby Splash & Play
Toddler Dance Party
Acknowledgements
•
•
•
•
•
•
www.earlychildhoodnews.com
www.NAEYC.org
www.PBS.org
www.indiana.edu
www.playparachutes.com
www.msuextension.org
3
The Benefits of Music Education
By Laura Lewis Brown
The following article was published on www.pbs.org
Whether your child is the next Beyonce or more likely to sing her solos in the shower, she is bound to
benefit from some form of music education. Research shows that learning the do-re-mis can help
children excel in ways beyond the basic ABCs.
More Than Just Music
Research has found that learning music facilitates learning other subjects and enhances skills that
children inevitably use in other areas. “A music-rich experience for children of singing, listening and
moving is really bringing a very serious benefit to children as they progress into more formal learning,”
says Mary Luehrisen, executive director of the National Association of Music Merchants (NAMM)
Foundation, a not-for-profit association that promotes the benefits of making music.
Making music involves more than the voice or fingers playing an instrument; a child learning about
music has to tap into multiple skill sets, often simultaneously. For instance, people use their ears and
eyes, as well as large and small muscles, says Kenneth Guilmartin, cofounder of Music Together, an early
childhood music development program for infants through kindergarteners that involves parents or
caregivers in the classes.
“Music learning supports all learning. Not that Mozart makes you smarter, but it’s a very integrating,
stimulating pastime or activity,” Guilmartin says.
Language Development
“When you look at children ages two to nine, one of the breakthroughs in that area is music’s benefit for
language development, which is so important at that stage,” says Luehrisen. While children come into
the world ready to decode sounds and words, music education helps enhance those natural abilities.
“Growing up in a musically rich environment is often advantageous for children’s language
development,” she says. But Luehrisen adds that those inborn capacities need to be “reinforced,
practiced, celebrated,” which can be done at home or in a more formal music education setting.
According to the Children’s Music Workshop, the effect of music education on language development
can be seen in the brain. “Recent studies have clearly indicated that musical training physically develops
the part of the left side of the brain known to be involved with processing language, and can actually
wire the brain’s circuits in specific ways. Linking familiar songs to new information can also help imprint
information on young minds,” the group claims.
This relationship between music and language development is also socially advantageous to young
children. “The development of language over time tends to enhance parts of the brain that help process
music,” says Dr. Kyle Pruett, clinical professor of child psychiatry at Yale School of Medicine and a
practicing musician. “Language competence is at the root of social competence. Musical experience
strengthens the capacity to be verbally competent.”
Increased IQ
A study by E. Glenn Schellenberg at the University of Toronto at Mississauga, as published in a 2004
issue of Psychological Science, found a small increase in the IQs of six-year-olds who were given weekly
voice and piano lessons. Schellenberg provided nine months of piano and voice lessons to a dozen sixyear-olds, drama lessons (to see if exposure to arts in general versus just music had an effect) to a
second group of six-year-olds, and no lessons to a third group. The children’s IQs were tested before
entering the first grade, then again before entering the second grade.
Surprisingly, the children who were given music lessons over the school year tested on average three IQ
points higher than the other groups. The drama group didn’t have the same increase in IQ, but did
experience increased social behavior benefits not seen in the music-only group.
The Brain Works Harder
Research indicates the brain of a musician, even a young one, works differently than that of a
nonmusician. “There’s some good neuroscience research that children involved in music have larger
growth of neural activity than people not in music training. When you’re a musician and you’re playing
an instrument, you have to be using more of your brain,” says Dr. Eric Rasmussen, chair of the Early
Childhood Music Department at the Peabody Preparatory of The Johns Hopkins University, where he
teaches a specialized music curriculum for children aged two months to nine years.
In fact, a study led by Ellen Winner, professor of psychology at Boston College, and Gottfried Schlaug,
professor of neurology at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center and Harvard Medical School, found
changes in the brain images of children who underwent 15 months of weekly music instruction and
practice. The students in the study who received music instruction had improved sound discrimination
and fine motor tasks, and brain imaging showed changes to the networks in the brain associated with
those abilities, according to the Dana Foundation, a private philanthropic organization that supports
brain research.
Spatial-Temporal Skills
Research has also found a causal link between music and spatial intelligence, which means that
understanding music can help children visualize various elements that should go together, like they
would do when solving a math problem.
“We have some pretty good data that music instruction does reliably improve spatial-temporal skills in
children over time,” explains Pruett, who helped found the Performing Arts Medicine Association. These
skills come into play in solving multistep problems one would encounter in architecture, engineering,
math, art, gaming, and especially working with computers.
Improved Test Scores
A study published in 2007 by Christopher Johnson, professor of music education and music therapy at
the University of Kansas, revealed that students in elementary schools with superior music education
programs scored around 22 percent higher in English and 20 percent higher in math scores on
standardized tests, compared to schools with low-quality music programs, regardless of socioeconomic
disparities among the schools or school districts. Johnson compares the concentration that music
training requires to the focus needed to perform well on a standardized test.
Aside from test score results, Johnson’s study highlights the positive effects that a quality music
education can have on a young child’s success. Luehrisen explains this psychological phenomenon in two
sentences: “Schools that have rigorous programs and high-quality music and arts teachers probably
have high-quality teachers in other areas. If you have an environment where there are a lot of people
doing creative, smart, great things, joyful things, even people who aren’t doing that have a tendency to
go up and do better.”
And it doesn’t end there: along with better performance results on concentration-based tasks, music
training can help with basic memory recall. “Formal training in music is also associated with other
cognitive strengths such as verbal recall proficiency,” Pruett says. “People who have had formal musical
training tend to be pretty good at remembering verbal information stored in memory.”
Being Musical
Music can improve your child’ abilities in learning and other nonmusic tasks, but it’s important to
understand that music does not make one smarter. As Pruett explains, the many intrinsic benefits to
music education include being disciplined, learning a skill, being part of the music world, managing
performance, being part of something you can be proud of, and even struggling with a less than perfect
teacher.
“It’s important not to oversell how smart music can make you,” Pruett says. “Music makes your kid
interesting and happy, and smart will come later. It enriches his or her appetite for things that bring you
pleasure and for the friends you meet.”
While parents may hope that enrolling their child in a music program will make her a better student, the
primary reasons to provide your child with a musical education should be to help them become more
musical, to appreciate all aspects of music, and to respect the process of learning an instrument or
learning to sing, which is valuable on its own merit.
“There is a massive benefit from being musical that we don’t understand, but it’s individual. Music is for
music’s sake,” Rasmussen says. “The benefit of music education for me is about being musical. It gives
you have a better understanding of yourself. The horizons are higher when you are involved in music,”
he adds. “Your understanding of art and the world, and how you can think and express yourself, are
enhanced.”
http://www.pbs.org/parents/education/music-arts/the-benefits-of-music-education/
The Importance of Play in
Early Childhood Development
by Jona K. Anderson-McNamee, MSU Extension Family and Consumer
Science Agent, Cascade County, and Sandra J. Bailey, Family and Human
Development Specialist, MSU
MontGuide
Play is essential for a child’s development and for learning life skills. While
the information in this publication is specifically for parents, the information
applies to other adults including grandparents, extended family members and
child care providers that have opportunities to affect the play of children.
MT201003HR New 4/10
PLAY IS A CHILD’S WORK. PLAY IS IMPORTANT
Playing With Your Child
for children’s development and for children to bond. It
In today’s world of balancing work and home schedules,
offers a chance to connect with your child. You are your
parents find it hard to have quality time with their children.
child’s first teacher and much of that teaching happens
It is essential for parents to make the best use of time they
through play. Play helps your child learn the rules of your
have with their children. Your child needs time with you to
family and what is expected of him or her. As children grow, relax and play.
play helps them learn how to act in society.
Playing with children builds lasting bonds. Playing
Parents need to make time to play with their children.
allows parents to appreciate the uniqueness of each child.
You start to play when your child is an infant. When your
Playing with children can also be a stress reducer for overbaby starts to smile and you
worked parents. Laughing
smile back, you are engaging
and relaxing are important to
“When you asked me what I did in school today
in play. Play is directed by
your own well-being.
and I say, 'I just played.' Please don’t misunderstand
the child and the rewards
Try to spend individual
come from within the
me. For you see, I am learning as I play. I am
time with each of your
child. Play is enjoyable and
learning to enjoy and be successful in my work.
children. When a parent or
spontaneous. Play helps your
sibling plays a board game
Today I am a child and my work is play.”
child learn social and motor
with a child, shares a bike
Anita Wadley, 1974.
skills and cognitive thinking.
ride, plays baseball, or reads a
Children also learn by
story, the child learns
playing with others. You
self-importance. Your child's self-esteem gets a boost. You
provide the setting for your child to play with others. As
are sending positive messages to your child when you spend
your children grow, you provide toys, materials, and sports
quality playtime with him. From these early interactions,
equipment so that they can play with others. It is important children develop a vision of the world and gain a sense of
that children learn that play is important throughout life.
their place in it.
Play is needed for healthy development for your child.
Family activities are important for the whole family. They
Research shows that 75 percent of brain development occurs help develop strong family bonds, which can last a lifetime.
after birth. Play helps with that development by stimulating Families who play together are more cooperative, supportive
the brain through the formation of connections between
and have better communication. Have movie nights and
nerve cells. This process helps with the development of fine
game nights, or go for walks together. A game night allows
and gross motor skills. Fine motor skills are actions such
parents to teach children to take turns, how to win, how to
as being able to hold a crayon or pencil. Gross motor skills
lose and methods of sequencing events. Listening to music
are actions such as jumping or running. Play also helps
together by singing along, or playing rhythm instruments
your child to develop language and socialization skills. Play
will help children to listen for and recognize patterns in
allows children to learn to communicate emotions, to think, music, which will assist with math skills in school. If you
be creative and solve problems.
are a single parent or have only one child, invite family and
friends over to play.
For More Online MontGuides, Visit www.msuextension.org
Today, children of all ages are exposed to technology
such as computers and videos. Children who spend most of
their time using technology often are not physically active
or using their imagination. You can help your child by
reducing screen time. Limit screen time to no more than two
hours per day. Make sure your child gets a minimum of one
hour of physical exercise everyday.
You have important roles in play. You can encourage play
by providing interesting materials that promote exploration
and learning. Playing with your child helps him learn how to
manipulate toys and other play materials by modeling your
actions.
Types of Play
As your child grows and develops, his or her play evolves.
Certain types of play are associated with, but not restricted
to, specific age groups.
Unoccupied play: In the early months of infancy,
from birth to about three months, your child is busy in
unoccupied play. Children seem to be making random
movements with no clear purpose, but this is the initial form
of playing.
Solitary play: From three to 18 months, babies will spend
much of their time playing on their own. During solitary
play, children are very busy with play and they may not seem
to notice other children sitting or playing nearby. They are
exploring their world by watching, grabbing and rattling
objects. Solitary play begins in infancy and is common in
toddlers. This is because of toddlers’ limited social, cognitive,
and physical skills. However, it is important for all age
groups to have some time to play by themselves.
Onlooker play. Onlooker play happens most often during
the toddler years. This is where the child watches other
children play. Children are learning how to relate to others
and learning language. Although children may ask questions
of other children, there is no effort to join the play. This type
of play usually starts during toddler years but can take place
at any age.
Parallel play: From the age of 18 months to two years,
children begin to play alongside other children without any
interaction. This is called parallel play. Parallel play provides
your toddler with opportunities for role-playing such as
dressing up and pretending. It also helps children gain the
understanding of the idea of property right such as “mine.”
They begin to show their need of being with other children
their own age. Parallel play is usually found with toddlers,
although it happens in any age group.
2
Associative play: When your children are around three
to four years of age, they become more interested in other
children than the toys. Your child has started to socialize
with other children. This play is sometimes referred to
as “loosely organized play.” Associative play helps your
preschooler learn the do's and don'ts of getting along
with others. Associative play teaches the art of sharing,
encourages language development, problem-solving skills
and cooperation. In associative play, groups of children have
similar goals. They do not set rules, although they all want
to be playing with the same types of toys and may even trade
toys. There is no formal organization.
Social play: Children around the age of three are
beginning to socialize with other children. By interacting
with other children in play settings, your child learns social
rules such as give and take and cooperation. Children are
able to share toys and ideas. They are beginning to learn
to use moral reasoning to develop a sense of values. To be
prepared to function in the adult world, children need to
experience a variety of social situations.
Motor - Physical Play: When children run, jump, and
play games such as hide and seek and tag they engage in
physical play. Physical play offers a chance for children to
exercise and develop muscle strength. Physically playing with
your child teaches social skills while enjoying good exercise.
Your child will learn to take turns and accept winning or
losing.
Constructive Play: In this type of play, children create
things. Constructive play starts in infancy and becomes
more complex as your child grows. This type of play starts
with your baby putting things in his/her mouth to see how
they feel and taste. As a toddler, children begin building
with blocks, playing in sand, and drawing. Constructive
play allows children to explore objects and discover patterns
to find what works and what does not work. Children gain
pride when accomplishing a task during constructive play.
Children who gain confidence manipulating objects become
good at creating ideas and working with numbers and
concepts.
Expressive Play. Some types of play help children learn
to express feelings. Here parents can use many different
materials. Materials may include paints, crayons, colored
pencils and markers for drawing pictures or writing. It
can also include such items as clay, water, and sponges to
experience different textures. Beanbags, pounding benches,
and rhythm instruments are other sources of toys for
expressive play. You can take an active role in expressive play
by using the materials alongside your child.
Fantasy Play: Children learn to try new roles and
situations, experiment with languages and emotions with
fantasy play. Children learn to think and create beyond their
world. They assume adult roles and learn to think in abstract
methods. Children stretch their imaginations and use new
words and numbers to express concepts, dreams and history.
Cooperative play: Cooperative play begins in the late
preschool period. The play is organized by group goals.
There is at least one leader, and children are definitely in or
out of the group. When children move from a self-centered
world to an understanding of the importance of social
contracts and rules, they begin to play games with rules.
Part of this development occurs when they learn games such
as Follow the Leader, Simon Says, and team sports. Games
with rules teach children the concept that life has rules that
everyone must follow.
Benefits of Play
There are many benefits to play. Children gain knowledge
through their play. They learn to think, remember, and solve
problems. Play gives children the opportunity to test their
beliefs about the world.
Children increase their problem-solving abilities through
games and puzzles. Children involved in make-believe
play can stimulate several types of learning. Children can
strengthen their language skills by modeling other children
and adults. Playing house helps children create stories about
their roles, such as “I am the Mom.” They also imitate their
own family experiences. This helps children learn about the
different roles of family members.
Children gain an understanding of size, shape, and
texture through play. It helps them learn relationships as
they try to put a square object in a round opening or a large
object in a small space. Books, games, and toys that show
pictures and matching words add to a child's vocabulary. It
also helps a child's understanding of the world.
Play allows children to be creative while developing
their own imaginations. It is important to healthy brain
development. Play is the first opportunity for your child to
discover the world in which he lives. Play offers a child the
ability to master skills that will help develop self-confidence
and the ability to recover quickly from setbacks. For example,
a child may feel pride in stacking blocks and disappointment
when the last block makes the stack fall. Play allows children
to express their views, experiences and at times, frustrations.
Play with other children helps a child learn how to be
part of a group. Play allows a child to learn the skills of
negotiation, problem solving, sharing, and working within
groups. Children practice decision-making skills, move at
their own pace and discover their own interests during play.
Unstructured play may lead to more physical movement and
healthier children.
Play is important when your child enters school. Play can
assist children in adjusting to a school setting. It enhances
children’s learning readiness and their cognitive development
by allowing them to move from subject and area without
of the fear of failure. Playtime in school such as recess time,
allows learning and practicing of basic social skills. Children
develop a sense of self, learn to interact with other children,
how to make friends, and the importance of role-playing.
Exploratory play in school allows children time to discover
and manipulate their surroundings.
Conclusion
Play is an essential and critical part of all children's
development. Play starts in the child's infancy and ideally,
continues throughout his or her life. Play is how children
learn to socialize, to think, to solve problems, to mature
and most importantly, to have fun. Play connects children
with their imagination, their environment, their parents and
family and the world.
Parental involvement in a child's world of play is not
only beneficial for the child but is extremely beneficial to the
parent. Playing with children establishes and strengthens
bonds that will last forever. Parent-child play opens doors for
the sharing of values, increases communication, allows for
teachable moments and assists in problem solving. Playtime
provides opportunities for the parent and child to confront
and resolve individual differences, as well as family related
concerns and issues. Finally, it allows the parent to view the
world through the eyes of a child once again.
Let’s Play and Have Fun!
3
References
Bailey, C. M. (2006). Learning through play and
fantasy, EC 1297E, Corvallis, OR Oregon State
University.
Bodrova, E. & Leong D. (2005), The importance of
play, why children need to play. Early Childhood
Today, 20 (3), 6-7.
Ginsburg, K. R. (2007). The importance of play
in promoting healthy child development and
maintaining strong parent-child bond, Journal of
American Academy of Pediatrics, 119 (1), 183-185.
Isenberg, Packer, J. and Quisenberry, N. (2002)
Play Essential for All Children, A Position Paper
of the Association for Childhood Education
International, Retrieved from http://www.
highbeam.com/doc/1G1-93348877.html
March 16, 2010.
Wadley, A. (1974) Just Playing, Permission to print
granted by author and available on request.
Retrieved from http://www.anitawadley.com/Site/
Poem.html March 16, 2010.
How Do You Play With Your Child(ren)?
Acknowledgments
We would like to acknowledge the following
individuals who reviewed earlier drafts of this guide:
- Ellen Abell, Associate Professor & Extension Specialist, Auburn University
- Jennifer Wells, MSU Extension Agent, Hill County
- Denise Seilstad, MSU Extension Agent, Fergus County
- William B. Anderson, Fair Oaks, California
After reading this guide, list three types of play that you
observe when your child is playing.
What type of play do you enjoy with your child?
List three ways that you would like to change when playing
with your child.
As you look to the future, what are you looking forward to
playing with your child?
D
Keep a list of your child’s growth. Write down your child’s
likes and dislikes of toys and games. Ask yourself, am
I playing with my child in his or her world? Note your
reactions and enjoyment with playing with your child. Be
ready to change play as your child continues to grow.
NLOAD
OW
FREE
E
E W
To order additional publications, please contact your county or reservation MSU Extension office, visit our online
catalog at www.msuextension.org/store or e-mail [email protected]
Copyright © 2010 MSU Extension
We encourage the use of this document for nonprofit educational purposes. This document may be reprinted for nonprofit educational purposes if no endorsement of a commercial
product, service or company is stated or implied, and if appropriate credit is given to the author and MSU Extension. To use these documents in electronic formats, permission
must be sought from the Extension Communications Coordinator, 115 Culbertson Hall, Montana State University, Bozeman MT 59717; E-mail: [email protected]
The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), Montana State University and Montana State University Extension prohibit discrimination in all of their programs and activities on
the basis of race, color, national origin, gender, religion, age, disability, political beliefs, sexual orientation, and marital and family status. Issued in furtherance of cooperative extension work in agriculture and home economics, acts of May 8 and June 30, 1914, in cooperation with the U.S. Department of Agriculture, Douglas L. Steele, Vice
Provost and Director, Montana State University Extension, Bozeman, MT 59717.
File under: Family and Human Development
(Human Development)
New April 2010 300-410SA
"What's the harm if I paint my arm?": A Toddler's
Guide to Sensory Activities in the Home
by Julia Luckenbill
Infants and toddlers love to explore with their senses. They delight in the process of exploring art
materials and other sensory activities even though they are typically unconcerned with the end result.
They are also capable of making a tremendous mess, which might make a parent think, “Are they really
ready to use art supplies? Shouldn’t we wait until they can use the tools the ‘right,’ way to make
pictures that look like something and mold critters out of clay?”
Don’t wait! Just as infants and toddlers need experience crawling or scooting to learn to walk and
babbling and crying to learn to talk, they need to practice using their hands to control art supplies and
practice using their minds to figure out how art supplies work. They need the time and freedom to be
curious and creative. They also need permission to freely explore other sensory activities that aren’t
usually thought of as art, such as water, mud, nontoxic plant materials, and sand.
Below are some art supplies that we use regularly in our classrooms—and also worked well for my
toddler at home. Most of these are very easy to work with and to clean up; however, none of these will
produce a recognizable product. That’s because your child is working to please the most important
audience of all—himself!
1. Paint. I started painting with my daughter when she was about 6 months old after observing her
interest in smearing her snacks. I allowed her to use nontoxic finger paint while she was seated in her
high chair. She painted herself green and needed a bath after the adventure. As she has grown (she just
turned 2), we have explored other kinds of paint, added an easel, and introduced tools. She has
responded by labeling her artwork with intriguing titles like “Chopping Onions.” She also enjoys painting
on objects such as rocks and pinecones.
2. Crayons, pens, pastels, and pencils. When my daughter began to show interest in using a spoon as a
tool and trying to take my pens while I was writing, I gave her short and thick pens, pencils, and crayons
to explore. She responded by making scribbles, then arcs, then dots, and now circles and blobs. Recently
she began commenting that she is writing her name (which still looks like scribbles) and making pictures
of things such as “flamingos pooping” (which look like dots).
3. Stamps and dot markers. These are fun for cause-and-effect play. Unfortunately, I introduced these
tools to my daughter before she understood stamping as a concept. She decided that ripping the
removable stamp pad was more fun than stamping and that trying to pick off the dot marker tips was
better than dotting. This year, at 2, she seems much more inclined to use the tools more conventionally,
making stamps and dots, and noticing her results.
4. Homemade and store bought Playdough and natural clay. I waited to introduce these materials,
beginning at about 18 months, because I didn’t want my daughter to eat the salty homemade
playdough, and I didn’t think she was strong enough to shape the natural clay. At first, she enjoyed using
her fingers and tools to poke holes in the dough and clay, but she was quickly bored. Now she is more
excited by various clays. She enjoys making “sunflowers” by planting pipe cleaners in her dough and also
likes cutting out “cookies” with cookie cutters.
5. Sticky things. When my daughter was about 18 months, I introduced masking tape because she was
trying to peel off the tape I had been using to keep her artwork on the tray. She loved it and put tape all
over her picture. Since then, she has made tape sculptures (3-D art!) and moved on to stickers and dollar
store Band-Aids. Now that her hand-eye coordination has improved, handling these materials is easier
for her than it would have been last year. We also enjoy exploring contact paper by placing objects on
the sticky side. And we have just begun investigating glue, which my daughter treats like paint. This is
another good activity to do in the high chair.
6. Really gooey things. Sometimes we get into really messy activities. My daughter enjoys making mud,
exploring oobleck (cornstarch and water), forming cakes out of very wet sand, “helping” with potting
soil, and “cooking” bread and tortillas with us. These make a tremendous mess, so we choose days when
this will be the primary activity and plan a bath right after her adventures. I find that I need to play along
and join my daughter in the mud and goo, or else she notes my avoidance of the mess and won’t dive in.
7. Water and bubbles. Water play is usually a hit in the classroom and at home. When my daughter was
smaller, simply splashing and making bubbles was exciting. Now she loves mixing colored water,
pretending to wash dishes, playing with colored soap, exploring volume with measuring cups, and the
list goes on. Soapy water (and shaving cream, too) is particularly good for play since it’s quite easy to
clean up.
8. Ice/snow. This is a tricky one. Many kids don’t like getting their hands cold, so they avoid sensory
activities that include touching frozen items. Offer your child a tool (such as a hammer) to chip away at
the ice around a frozen object, give her mittens to keep her hands shielded when playing in the snow, or
use something like salt or sand to modify ice without touching it. My daughter and I just began our
frozen explorations, and mittens were key to her willingness to engage, but they also frustrated her
because she likes to explore with her bare hands.
9. Various natural materials. Because we have chickens at our home and at our early childhood
program, as well as plenty of wild birds, exploring the feel of chicken feed and birdseed has been an
ongoing experience for my daughter. While using rice or pasta in play activities can upset families who
dislike food waste, exploring birdseed before the birds eat it is culturally sensitive and nontoxic. Other
satisfying natural materials include dried (nontoxic) leaves, fresh herbs such as mint, and rose petals.
10. Your toddler! As I mentioned in item one, my daughter’s first art action, like that of most of her
peers, was to paint herself. Since then, she regularly colors herself. Her favorite tools for this are colored
soap (bath crayons), washable marker, and paint. Nontoxic face paint is another option. Try to relax—
the paint comes off! At the very worst, your child will be unusually blue for a day or two. Consider
instead the time you spend bonding, the joy of creative expression, and the self-initiation that comes
from this activity, and choose to laugh along with your toddler.
As you begin this journey with your child, be aware of how you respond to your child’s efforts. You may
be tempted to comment with “Good job” or to shape your child’s work by praising the art that looks
most like an adult product. Try instead to comment on the process—the colors your child is using, the
shapes or lines or marks created. If offered an end product, say: “You look really proud of that! You
worked hard!” Research suggests that when adults give open-ended feedback instead of praise, children
are more creative with their play and are more motivated to engage in activities because they want to,
not because they seek our approval.
I hope you have as much fun as we did as you explore open-ended art and sensory activities. We’d love
to hear back what worked for you, and about any other art and sensory activities that you enjoy with
your toddler.
See more at: http://families.naeyc.org/blog/toddlers-guide-sensory-activities-home
Young Children is pleased to introduce Learning by Leaps and Bounds, a new regular column
by Rae Pica about young children’s movement and learning. The column will offer practical ideas
for teachers in the July, November, and March issues of the journal and Beyond the Journal.
Rae Pica
Why Motor Skills Matter
The speaker tells a group of early
childhood professionals that just as reading and other skills must be taught in early
childhood, so too must motor skills be
taught. Nobody comments, but the speaker
imagines she can hear their thoughts:
“I’ve already got so much to do! Now I have
to worry about motor skills too?”
“It’s not as though we’re talking about something important, like language skills.”
“But teaching motor skills wasn’t part of my
preservice training.”
Rae Pica is a children’s physical activity
specialist, the author of numerous books
on movement in early childhood, and the
cocreator and host of a radio program
called “Body Mind and Child” (www.
bodymindandchild.com). You can
contact her at
[email protected].
®
2, 3, 5
Those of us who work to make movement a bigger part of children’s lives and
education have heard similar comments—out loud—for years. They’re not
surprising given our society’s false notion that the mind and body are separate and the functions of the mind are superior to those of the body.
I’m delighted by all the research pointing to the body’s role in cognitive
development, but, as a children’s physical activity specialist, I feel strongly
that the body matters too. Physical development and physical fitness deserve
equal respect and attention! As such, I’ve chosen to focus this, my first Young
Children column, on the role of teachers in helping young children learn
motor skills.
Many people believe children automatically acquire and perfect motor
skills, such as running, jumping, and throwing, as their bodies develop, that
it’s a natural process that occurs along with physical maturation. It is true
that one day the infant rolls over by herself, eventually starts to crawl, and
then suddenly rises up onto hands and knees and begins creeping. Sometime
around her first birthday, with only a little assistance and a lot of enthusiastic encouragement from adults, she takes her first steps. And then it seems,
almost before you know it, she’s off and running!
But maturation takes care of only part of the process—the part that allows
a child to execute most movement skills at an immature or beginning level.
At this level something about the child’s form or technique in performing
a physical skill isn’t fully developed. This can happen even with such basic
motor skills as walking and running. (If you’ve ever observed a child who
hasn’t quite mastered the ability to move his limbs in perfect opposition
[right arm and left leg, left arm and right leg] or whose feet roll in, pinky toes
lifting off the ground, you know this is true.) When children don’t get the
help they need to learn physical skills, many never fully master gross (large
muscle) motor skills.
The ability to perform gross motor skills is related directly to physical
fitness. A competent mover will gladly keep moving; he or she will engage
in such activities as dancing, jumping rope, and hanging and swinging on
Beyond the Journal • Young Children on the Web • July 2008
the playground equipment. A child who feels physically awkward and uncoordinated is going to avoid movement. Such a child isn’t likely to take part in
an after-school game of tag or hopscotch or to climb the monkey bars during
recess. Since poor movement habits tend to remain from childhood into adulthood, a physically inactive child is likely to grow up to be an inactive adult.
Considering the health hazards for the unfit—obesity, heart disease, diabetes,
and other risks—teaching children motor skills is indeed just as important as
teaching language skills.
To do more
The most important thing you can do is to give children the time, space, and
opportunity to move. It’s also critical to observe closely. Based on what you
know about motor skills, are you seeing anything that requires attention? For
example, does a child land properly from a jump, with her heels coming all
the way down and knees bent? If not, you’ll want to work with her to master
the correct movements. It can be a simple matter of demonstrating the proper
technique or of offering a few simple words of encouragement. For instance, if a
child is landing with straight legs, you could simply suggest she make her legs
“bendy” when she lands. If she’s landing on her toes only, tickle her heels so she
feels the part of the foot and then ask her to make sure that part touches the
floor when she comes down.
Fortunately, serious motor control problems are fairly rare. But motor skill
delays, unlike language delays, can be difficult to detect, and they will not simply disappear on their own. If a child is a bit awkward and uncoordinated in
his movements in comparison to others his age, it could be due to slight motor
delays or to limited opportunities for active play. The child may just be clumsy,
a trait that can be inherited. Similarly, what you assume to be a problem may
be due to lack of maturity rather than poor motor coordination. For example, if
a preschooler regularly drops a ball when you toss it to her, you shouldn’t rush
to the conclusion that she’s experiencing delays. Catching a ball is a skill many
preschoolers are still learning. Books like Experiences in Movement, listed below,
include information on milestones in motor development, which can help you
know what to expect at certain ages.
If you suspect a child has a problem with certain skills, the first thing to do is
ensure he gets more practice. For instance, if he’s having trouble with alternating movements, like climbing or descending stairs, play games with repetitive
movement patterns, like hopscotch. If he’s always walking on tiptoe, play a
game in which you walk on heels only, or stick bottle caps on the heels of his
sneakers, inviting him to make noise with them as he walks. If he doesn’t swing
his arms while he walks or runs, put a streamer in each hand, inviting him to
make them move back and forth; or attach Velcro strips with bells to his wrists,
inviting him to make “music” with his arms. If a problem persists (especially
after other children have moved to more advanced skills), speak with the child’s
parents about consulting a pediatrician, occupational therapist, or physical
therapist for an evaluation.
To learn more
Following are resources you can use to familiarize yourself with both the
importance and the fundamentals of motor skills. You don’t have to be a motor
development specialist or study movement in depth to help children build
motor skills.
Copyright © 2008 by the National Association for the
Education of Young Children. See Permissions and
Reprints online at
www.journal.naeyc.org/about/permissions.asp.
Landy, J.M., & K. Burridge. 2000. Ready to use fundamental motor skills & movement
activities for young children. West Nyack, NY: Center for Applied Research in Education.
Little, T.L., & L. Yorke. 2003. Why motor skills matter. New York: McGraw-Hill.
Pica, R. 2004. Experiences in movement: Birth to age eight. Clifton Park, NY: Delmar
Learning.
Sanders, S.W. 2002. Active for life: Developmentally appropriate movement programs for
young children. Washington, DC: NAEYC.
Also, visit www.pecentral.org. Click on the Lessons tab, then choose the
appropriate age range.

Friday 11:20 a.m. - Storytime Shake Up

Transcription

Similar documents

our August Newsletter - Central Shoalhaven Mobile

Honda 300ex National Race Machine

Improving saxophone performance by incorporating recent

Credo Reference Discovery Session WALDO, March 12, 2012

Emergency Bailout Procedures for Pilots

Addictive Games and affect on our children

Play helps children feel good about themselves

parents! - First In Math

Noahs Ark ACH Online Payment Instructions

ACEV short version

WhisperShade® IQ® System

here - Jen Hawley Music

2016 catalogue - here

Differentiated Instruction For Mathematics: Instructions and Activities

Dimensions - Southern Early Childhood Association

April, May June 2015 newsletter

View Newsletter + - Childhood Cancer Support

Enemy Airborne Forces

Contents - Division of Social Sciences