There is a good chance that today marks the beginning of a new year in your program. I realize that many of you only had Friday off to celebrate New Year’s Day and it isn’t a whole lot of time to hunker down and make plans for big changes in your classroom, but it is […]

This week we usher in a new year, a new beginning, and a new, exciting chapter of all of our lives. Have you ever played the game where you go back and try to remember where you were on New Year’s Day (or Eve) year after year until you can’t remember anymore? It’s much more […]

My favorite game – completely made up by the fabulous teachers at my former preschool- was called “Steal the Jewels.” The premise is simple. Take a whole bunch of shiny strings of beads (the New Orleans Mardi Gras kind work really well) and make a pile of them in one area of your indoor gross […]

Balances and scales are rich with opportunities for children to consider weight and size. The Bucket Balance, pictured below is made for the classroom and it encourages children to weigh objects “relatively” to a standard weight or “relatively” to another object. Through trial and error, they can see if an object is lighter or heavier […]

I have no idea if there is a real game called People to People or if I learned of it at one of my previous positions, but this is a great one that you should know too. People to People is a gross motor game that is fun and engaging and children love it. It […]

At the beginning of each semester, I ask my student teachers to observe their classrooms, requesting that they simply look for play; what does it look like?, how frequent is it?, what materials and spaces are available for the children to play with and in?, etc. Each semester, it amazes me what classrooms, teachers, and […]

As the weather turns colder and outdoor time becomes shorter, indoor gross motor time becomes a much more important part of the early childhood curriculum. If you are lucky enough to have a large indoor space that allows for running and climbing, jumping and riding, then count yourself among the lucky. Children (all children, not […]

Sometimes I dread meetings. Honestly, I dread most meetings but this past week I attended the annual Board Meeting for the Chicago Children’s Museum (since I am on the Advisory Board of the Tinkering Lab and we were invited to the BIG meeting) and it was exceptionally fun and entertaining. Once the voting was over […]

This blog focuses solely on the business of child care. Tom writes about tax preparation, hiring and firing, the law, advocacy, and a host of other topics that are applicable to our work. What I love about this Blog is that he will write about things that you are thinking about. He responds to all […]

This article from Quartz.com, describes a method of math learning from Singapore that encourages “productive failure.” Children are presented with problems and are then asked to try to solve them without direct instruction or the help of their teachers. As they fail, they learn from their mistakes and try again. Although the article focuses on […]