zella said purple

for the love of dirt

2012-02-23T11:17:00.000-08:00

Mariana, age 25 months, helping with the gardening at home.

Where does the love of dirt begin for a child?

Are certain children more likely to love the FEEL, the coolness, the texture, the color, and the DIRTiness that comes from dirt?

Maybe it is learned? Maybe it is innate? Because - let's face it - dirt is so very dirty.

My friend and teaching colleague Vanessa posted a "hands-on, body-in" photo of her 25 month old daughter Mariana.
Mariana is focused in her garden at home, working at transplanting with the vigor and finesse of a two-year-old : hand in a fist and giving a good yank to the start up plant from the small container.

Gift #1: Mariana is dressed for getting into her work and contributing her efforts to the family garden.
Gift #2: Mariana is allowed by her parents to sit right in the middle of that garden patch - right in the middle or the corner or wherever she plopped herself down.
Gift #3: Mariana was offered the plants to grasp [good luck, little plants!] and had the opportunity to experience for herself the feeling of the dirt dirt dirt.

From the early childhood educator lens, I loved this photo so much that I had to ask for permission to use it for a blog post.

Consider: Many educators are in favor of offering no-mess experiences because - well - it is easier.
Consider: Many educators are in favor of directing children exactly "the right way" something needs to be done (whether 2 years old or older).
Consider: Many educators have a whole List Of Rules of how and when and why not and don't.

In YOUR classroom:
Can you allow for exploration?
Can you allow for the child to lead her own discovery?
Can you allow for a little dirt to be the source of an invaluable sensory experience?
Maybe the experience might look like this:

boys hands-on in the muddy sand.

outside mud kitchen

*Thank you to Vanessa and Mariana for inviting us into the middle of their garden to feel the wonder of dirt.

got dirt?

what children hear...

2012-02-22T17:49:00.001-08:00

Was out shopping today at a gorgeous outdoor shopping center in California.

Was sitting on a bench that had two lovely trees as bookends.

"Look! This tree has an umbrella shaped top!" -- "What? We are going to Jamba Juice?"

Each tree had been specially trimmed to have its branches arranged in a flat top that fanned out, almost like a spider web design, and also was twisted with small lights which turn on at dusk.

As I was sitting having coffee, a mother with two young boys started walking by.

The mother stopped the boys right in front of me and said:

"Boys, look at the top of this tree. When the leaves come in it will look like an umbrella!"

The youngest boy spun around on one foot and looked all around.

The older boy, perhaps five years old, looked straight at his mother and replied:

"What did you say? We are going to Jamba Juice?"

[Jamba Juice is a well known chain of juice stores - there is one in the background of the photo.]

The mother burst out laughing, as did I.

The mother said, "No, I didn't say we were going to Jamba Juice. I said, look at this tree and see how it has an umbrella shape at the top."

"Oh," said the older boy. "So, we are not getting juice?"

"Come on, boys, time to keep walking..."

The mother and I smiled at each other.

Off they went.

I am still smiling.

How often do YOU have the experience of the "selective listening" or the "edit to one's advantage" kind of listening by your children or students? It does happen, I know it does.

4 truly loved valentine books

2012-02-10T16:10:00.000-08:00

Last week I posted about how our class celebrates Valentines to connect family and school. You can read that post called 'Got Valentines?' by clicking here.

I realized I need - truly that is the word NEED - to share my favorite and best loved Valentines books...

Here are my 4 Top Picks:

1. Frog in Love. by Max Velthuijs. Sadly, it is no longer in print so I suggest you search the amazon world for it because it is the most heart felt and sweet story of Frog who falls in love with Duck. The illustrations are tremendously lovely. Perhaps my favorite book on "love" :)

2. Franklin's Valentines. by Paulette Bourgeois & Brenda Clark. You know all about the Franklin series of books. The characters are so well done with Bear, Owl and all the friends. IN this Valentine adventure, Franklin has a little mishap with his special cards for his friends and -well - I won't tell you how it all gets resolved [but it does!].

3. The Day It Rained Hearts. [also know as Four Valentines in a Rainstorm]. by Felicia Bond (the 'If You Give a Mouse' author!). Such a simple, sweet story of one girl who makes extra special Valentines for her extra special friends. Super short story and young children love trying to guess which Valentine is for which kind of friend.

4. Somebody Loves You, Mr. Hatch. by Eileen Spinelli & Paul Yalowitz. Oh, how I do love this longer story of dear, quiet Mr. Hatch who [accidentally] gets a Valentine box of chocolates delivered to his house. The delivery makes him think someone Does love him and he begins to have confidence to talk to co-workers and become a bit more connected in his neighborhood. Oh, and how sad when the box is determined to not really be his - so sad for only a moment. Mr. Hatch's new friends let him know they Do love him :)

Do you have a favorite read for this time of year?

"then, somebody created sound"

2012-02-08T18:03:00.000-08:00

Our 4-page movie story called "Ladybug on a Bike" - with flashlight and popcorn!

Project based work makes each school year unique and exciting.

One year, we went on a fabulous journey in our Movie Theatre Project.

Stage One:

Teachers and children identify a topic worth studying.

In this case, the children realized that two of our chapter book read-aloud books were also movies they knew about: Charlotte's Web & Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. This began our discussion around how books become movies and how movies can show you a story a bit different than a book.

Stage Two:

Collecting data.

We planned a visit to our local independent Theatre. The workers there were wonderful to allow us to come during a morning time when we could have the theatre to ourselves. We generated a list of questions that we would ask and brought our camera.

Here are some of the things we learned, via photos and children's memory drawings:

Stage 3:

Exploration and re-enactment.

We created our own Movie Theatre in our classroom, under our loft. We worked in groups to create large story pages and then made up our own story as a whole class. Our biggest hit was "Ladybug on a Bike" !

We studied newspapers to see how movies are promoted.

We made signage, collected items from home to create uniforms, snack area, and used time and money in our signs and announcement.

We invited other classes of students to visit our theatre, hear our movie which was told live by a student for each show, and popcorn was really "sold" to our guests.

Stage 4: Celebration.

We invited our families to come in and hear the process of our project, to "hear" our movie and to have a feast to celebrate the rich learning of the three-month Movie Theatre Project.

Don't you love how books become movies?

"well...kids are very messy"

2012-01-30T17:53:00.000-08:00

Have you heard? Kids are messy [? ! ?]

Short post today to share my favorite moment from the college early childhood course I am instructing this term which focuses on math, science and tech for preschool age children. There is a wonderful engineering student in the class and today I asked him if he has had many opportunities to engage and make connections with the young children at his field placement school.

He shared that he has had opportunities, but..."the children tend to come straight toward me and I have to veer them away to another teacher because....well...kids are very messy."

I smiled. I agreed with him. I offered him an early warning to becoming an early childhood educator that not only is this likely to happen again, it absolutely will happen again and again and again. IT will come in many forms that are part of school - paint, goop, mud - and many other natural parts of being human - sickness, vomit, blood. IT is messy and gross and unpleasant and spontaneous and normal. Messy yet normal.

I kept smiling.

Are you smiling?

"Surely you have been a child or know someone who has been one?" [anon]

goop, gak, whatever you want to call it...IT feels cool, bloppy, sloppy, goopy, smushy, wet and- yes - MESSY.

got valentines?

2012-01-20T11:38:00.000-08:00

"You have to go to school

so you can love people you didn't know before."

quote from class group of young-fives discussing school, friendship and valentines.

delivering home-made valentines to school-made valentines bags = literacy, art, family, friends, sharing, giving.

Valentine's Day is a special holiday for many schools.

When I was in my long-term position as Young Fives teacher, we created a special tradition around Valentine's Day to incorporate literacy and art from home AND school.

Here are the key ideas we used:

1. HOME made valentines. All about choice and inclusion.

one friend delivers his home-made card to me!

We asked families to be part of the Valentine making process. It IS a process and our intention was to uplift the creating process, the including all friends process and the make-it-at-home-then-bring-it-to-school process. We felt that the young-5s age is an appropriate age to challenge the creating/planning for 20 cards for their classroom friends. This is also likely a first-time challenge for guardians to "support" their child without doing the project for them. (* to note, it usually ended up that 1 out of our 16 would still be 'parent made' but that's ok - it is a learning curve for everyone to let go :)
We'd make sure to start the planning of this at least 2 weeks ahead - not too soon that it got set aside, yet not too time-scrunched for parents.
We sent home a printed BOLD list of all names from our class - this included children, teachers, pets at the time (yes, we would have a Valentine Bag ready for our fish or rat !) and any other significant member of our class group. The bold list could be used at home to copy from when writing or even to literally cut out and glue them onto their work.
We encouraged guardians to chat/plan with their child THEIR way they would like to make valentines. We encouraged the CHOICE to be made by the child so that they would be excited and motivated to enjoy the process of valentines. Examples include
1. Maybe via the COMPUTER with a self-made design or using artsy software
2. Maybe via LOTS OF ART with glue and shapes and markers and glitter
3. Maybe via store bought commercial CARDS (some children super love Hello Kitty or Star Wars or whatever - that's fine!) with the child signing their own name. *We encourage no candy so that we focus on literacy + art.
4. We'd have the completed cards arrive the morning of Valentine's Day in a zippy bag for safe keeping til the children would pass them out mid-morning.

"I think this is the right bag for this card I made..."

2. Meanwhile AT SCHOOL, we would decorate sturdy, open topped, handled party bags.

Use decorative, colored papers in traditional (pink, purple, red) colors and non-traditional (yellow, brown, orange) colors.
Could have pre-cut hearts (for convenience) as well as stencils and scissors for children to design and cut their own hearts.
Doily papers (lace-like cut papers), silver foil, gold stickers, be creative. These could be donated by families or purchased from your classroom budget.
Super cool addition is COMPUTER PRINTED, LARGE "LOVELY" WORDS to glue onto their bags if the children choose. Word ideas include: KISS, LOVE, HEART, HUGS, SMILE. I tended to use shorter words so they would take up all the room on their bag.
We found gorgeous holiday paper napkins that we would cut or tear to use pieces all over the bags.
Blank papers for children to write their own words or messages to glue on.

Special envelop with heart sticker for each friend around our Valentine Mail Table!

ADMIRATION and MATCHING and READING. Also part of the process.

When children brought in their bag full of cards on the morning of Valentines, I would make a special point of admiring their heavy bag or wanting to peek inside at their hard work :) The children would save their cards in their cubbies til we did our Special Valentine Delivery late morning.
At morning meeting, we'd talk about the work we did and try to explain to our friends what we did for our collection and how they might identify our cards later. Admiring the process of CHOICE and HOW MANY DAYS OR HOURS it took to make these collections is important. Children begin to see how everyone did their own work and how we collectively come together to share and celebrate.
When we DO pass out our Valentines, we had a big table set up with our school-decorated bags ready to filled. We'd put our school big name card in front of our bag for easy finding and matching. (Our name cards are an integral part of our good morning times as well as our early writing experiences. You can see my name card a couple photos above - all children have one just like it.).
Children take turns with a partner to pass out their cards while other children are in the choice time in the classroom. This allows for everyone to have their own time - long or short - to match up their cards to the bags on their own or with some support from teachers. The children playing in the room know they also get their own turn without being hurried or bumped around.
When we are all done, we ADMIRE the bags so full on the table and bring our bags to our meeting area.
We just ask the children to CAREFULLY look through their bag yet not dump them all out in case the cards get mixed up. Of course, the dumping and looking completely can happen at home :)
When the children are reading through their Valentines, they are admiring each others' work, trying to read or guess who made which one, seeing stickers or art or envelopes. It is a special time to model how to look close, to give attention to work given by others, to appreciate effort and friendship.

Can you see the boy is smiling as he admires the Valentine from his bag? A very special moment.

The bags go home happily with the children at the end of the day.

The guardians' faces light up when they seen ALL the children walk out of the classroom with their hands holding tightly to their colorful, love-filled bags of Valentines.

Don't you just love Valentines Day?

sugar butter flour

2012-01-17T11:08:00.000-08:00

what is your recipe for an enriched, engaged and energetic day at school?

This post was inspired by two things:

One is a delicious local bakery with said name Sugar Butter Flour which I try to not frequent for obvious reasons; the other is the Walker's shortbread that I snacked on yesterday with likely those ingredients in larger quantities than I should eat at one time.

Both got me thinking about the simplicity of ingredients to make good things.

The 3 Ingredients got me thinking about Early Childhood and how complicated things seem to have become over time as to what preschools "should" be, what teachers "should" teach, and [the most brutal] what children "should" learn. [sigh].

Got me thinking about 3 Ingredients for Best Practice.

Wouldn't that be great? Three weighty ingredients that could anchor Early Childhood for new teachers and master teachers alike? [yes].

So, here's the thing. I am not saying I have the answers of what the 3 Key Ingredients for Early Childhood "should" be. Just saying an anchor would be pretty cool so that - for example - when someone starts saying the 3 Ingredients, then people would automatically associate them with Early Childhood Education in a positive, weighty, anchor sort of way.

When I first started teaching over twenty years ago (hmm, that's odd because I am still 29...anyway...) - I thought I knew A LOT already about children.

For example, I liked kids so that must equate to I Know A Lot About How Children Learn [wrong].

OR, I was creative/artsy so that must equate to I Know How To Engage Children In A School Setting [wrong].

OR, I know how to read so that must equate to I Know How To Choose Books & Read Aloud With Children [not super wrong, but not not really quite right yet either].

Basically, I didn't know what I didn't know yet!

Acquired keys along my journey in the early childhood field.

1. Step Back. The more seasoned I become as a facilitator for young children, the more excited and comfortable I am to completely fade into the background of children's explorations to allow for Their Agenda to thrive instead of mine. Granted, this has been a style of mine since the beginning, but the lens by which I admire the children's work has become more refined. Documentation and photography are my absolute must-have tools.

2. Hands-On. The use of diverse, natural materials are rich (not expensive) resources to enhance your environment for inquiry, exploration and invention. Collections from nature (pinecones, stones, sticks) can go in the Block Area, Science, Art. Taking apart used machines (wires, buttons, nuts/bolts) can contribute to sculptures, block construction, art. Think outside the plastic box.

3. Reflective Teaching. Collaboration with colleagues, bloggers and brand new teachers is vital to keep the dialogue of Best Practice ongoing in your own daily/yearly/lifelong work. Reflecting on your own work combined with networking can help you determine who you want to be as an educator, what you believe in, how to take risks, how to best support children's learning.

Sugar Butter Flour.
Good things are so simple.

Do YOU have ingredients for an enriched, engaged and energetic classroom?
Do you include yourself, the environment AND the children in your ingredients?
Please share in the comments below! Thx.

work worth doing

2012-01-08T21:58:00.000-08:00

what is your work? is it worth doing? do you believe in it?

"you have to remember,

[the work] was worth doing when nobody knew about you at all."

(james taylor to the dixie chicks in a collaborative concert, expressing his support for them playing exactly the music they wanted to play and saying exactly what they wanted to say, period, with complete disregard for what is popular or popular or popular).

Sometimes I am just stunned. It happens in moments when least expected, the best time really. Stunned in a way that makes you realize Somebody Knows About You in the blogosphere.

Have just finished dinner (California time, Sunday evening, Jan 8).

Have just read Christie at Childhood 101 : 12 Great Blogs to Read in 2012 (posted Australia time, Monday, Jan 9):

Christie included Zella Said Purple in her 

12 Blogs To Read in 2012. 

Makes me smile to know Zella (and me) are alive out there in the early education blogging world.

That Zella is read by people like the ever-amazing Christie and passed on and shared.

Ironically, equally, I know that the format of Zella is less usual compared to other early education blogs that perhaps share craft ideas or activities or lessons. Zella likely touches on those occasionally but not purposefully.

Zella is about stories and uplifting learning that happens while children are Hands On, Making Choices, Discovering and Making Meaning Of Their World. It is all in the story.

I thank Christie...and recommend giving a click on the 11 inspiring blogs mentioned in her post:

1. Not Just Cute

enjoy your work...make it worthwhile to YOU.

2. Sew Liberated

3. 1000 Homes of Happiness

(number 4 is Zella!)

11. Planning with Kids

12. Sesame Ellis

[The work] should always be worth doing - whatever you are writing, to whom you are writing, for whatever cause or purpose or higher regard.

It should always be worth something to YOU... before anything else.

one word: brilliant

2012-01-05T10:50:00.000-08:00

Loved the idea of One Word as a guiding light for 2012.

Christie at Childhood 101 talked about her word: Balance.

Scott at Brick by Brick chose the word: Choose.

My word: Brilliant.

Personally.

I strive to live healthy, offer gestures of kindness, to assume goodwill.

I value the support of those around me to help me build a brilliantly joyful 2012.

In the classroom.

I strive to see all children's efforts with a brilliant lens...a 'that child is offering their best today' lens.

I want the brilliance of the children's work to be uplifted by my communicating, documenting and photography.

oh, to live a life that is brilliant.

the girl at the motorcycle museum

2012-01-03T10:42:00.000-08:00

What if you could always self-select your activities to determine your own enjoyment and engagement? Sounds good, right?

What if then you were surrounded by people who also self-selected That experience on That day? Hmm, that could work out well.

Likely, it would turn out like my own family adventure over holiday...

My 8 year old niece Megan is a choice maker, an experimenter, an inventor.

She is sharp witted, she is colorful, she is action packed.

She is 'I can keep up with my 4 older brothers' AND she is 'I love sparkly things.'

Megan 'test rode' every demo bike at the Museum!

So, it really shouldn't have surprised me when my husband and I visited Wisconsin over holiday and planned to go on a field trip to the Motorcycle Museum one hour away from my niece's city.

I called my sister, Megan's mother, to find out if any of the big brothers or Megan would like to join us the next day at the Museum.

My sister's answer was 'Yes, Megan wants to go.'

I said 'You are kidding?'

My sister said 'Oh, no, really, Megan wants to go. She is already counting her money so she can go to the gift shop.'

I said 'Really...really?'

My sister says 'Do you want to talk to her so you'll believe me?'

Me: 'Yes, Absolutely, I'd like to talk with her.'

Megan gets on the phone.

I said 'Meg, your mom said you'd like to join us to go the Motorcycle Museum?'

Megan: Oh, Yes I would.

Me: So, you know this is a different kind of museum. It doesn't have Dinosaurs nor Fancy Artwork nor Experiments for Kids to Play? It is only Full of Motorcycles.

Megan: Yes, I know. I'd like to go!

We left the next afternoon for a most memorable museum experience.

It is highly possible that Megan was more engaged and delighted by the Harley-Davidson Museum than even my engine-loving husband or my younger sister and her teen-age son!

We all wore the usual motorcycle casual attire: blue jeans and other things that are black or gray.

Gotta get low in the Race Position!

Megan wore her Mrs. Santa dress - long sleeved red velour dress that went mid-calf and had a white furry collar. She also wore the fluffy cuffed toe-socks that we gave her for Christmas. She carried a blue jean purse with special zippers. She was all set. Period.

The HD Museum actually had an amazing Scavenger Hunt for children when we entered: Megan got a clipboard, a pencil, and a photo flip chart of 12 cool motorcycles with clues to find them throughout the museum. She was focused and completely rose to the challenge to find these specific motorcycles to complete her game. Megan read clues and read signs and re-read clues. She got some "help" in the search from my wonderful nephew Dan and my sister Jeri.

Later, Megan got a prize of stickers and a wash-away HD tattoo for completing the Scavenger Hunt. Megan shopped in the Gift Shop with her special money from her special purse. She bought something for herself and gifts for her whole family. She was all set.

Megan could be a poster child for "How to Love Going to a Museum."

Megan, clipboard & purse: Studying the Robot that makes special moto parts!

The Harley-Davidson Museum was a huge success.

It was a huge success because an 8 year old girl named Megan Self-Selected to go with us to unlikely place.

I could write more, more, more, but really, Megan had a great time because she Chose to be there.

It is that simple.

Red sparkle dress, furry socks, blue jean zipper purse = Ready for the Motorcycle Museum.

The clear connection to our Early Childhood Education practice:
Trust children to choose their own experiences. Trust children to want to engage in experiences that interest them. Trust children.

"I thought I heard your voice"

2011-12-19T12:18:00.000-08:00

Last week, I arrived at the state university where I am a part-time instructor. I walked into the office of the elementary education department and the Head of the Department greeted me by name. I have only seen her three times since I began working at the university and she greeted me by my first name. Even as an adult, I am caught by that skill - intention - that teachers at all levels try to offer: the idea that each person is recognized and acknowledged, my face and name having been filed away in the Head of Department's memory.

"Hi, Jeanne," said the Head of the Department as she casually glanced up to see me, To See Me.

We spoke for a few minutes, standing in the office doorway, about final grades and next term's courses.

I started making my way down the hallway to the Co-chair of the Department and as I arrived at her open door, she looked up from her desk and said, "Hi...I thought I heard your voice down the hall..." We chatted for a few minutes about the semester, upcoming courses, and her sweet dog Lucy who was in her office.

As I left that day from campus, I thought about Being Greeted By Name and My Voice Being Known.
I thought about how these same ideas are abundantly important in the early childhood classroom.

The most basic LITERACY: Young children know others by face and sound. This is how they "READ" and engage and connect. They see others and hear others, they discriminate details of how things look and how they sound. Young children are making meaning of their world bit by bit, face by face, sound by sound, voice by voice.

Classroom Games & Books:

1. Make class books of close-ups of parts of children's faces (you can take a regular portrait of the child, then crop in editing for Just Eyes, or Just Mouths, etc). Put the book in the Reading Area and children will love identifying their friends by these small clues!

2. If you don't have a tape recorder to make a "Sounds Like" tape/CD to play, you can make a Sounds Like book! Have the children make a drawing of their own favorite sounds and create a class book. Perhaps someone loves Truck Sounds or Wind Sounds or Jingle Bell Sounds! Friends can identify their friends' favorite sounds in their drawings!

3. You can play Sound games at your meeting/circle time. Children can say Good Morning or any other phrase using a different kind of voice - a mouse voice, a booming voice, a high or low voice. They can make up lots of ways to play with their voice!

4. You can play I Spy Describing Games for eyes or hair..."Do you see someone who has long, brown, curly hair? Who could it be?"..."Do you see someone with big green eyes? Who could it be?"

5. You can read Bill Martin Jr & Eric Carle's : Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See? and Polar Bear, Polar Bear, What Do You Hear?

Look around. Listen. Who do YOU see? Who do YOU hear?

hands-on nativity scene

2011-12-16T09:34:00.000-08:00

Have nativity pieces for children to interact with along with a book - they love it!

One of my favorite explorations during the Christmas season is offering the children the pieces of the Nativity scene to get their hands ON. The classroom is lucky enough to have two distinct kinds of hands-on pieces for children to handle - you can see a few pieces of both sets in the photo.

1. One lovely set was gifted to our classroom nearly twenty years ago. A mom hand-painted pre-cut wood pieces from the local craft store, small enough for small hands, painted with rich colors and even some gold on the kings crowns (don't children LOVE silver and gold!).

2. The second collection is from a purchased hand-carved set with lightly washed-in colors, larger sized yet still handle-able by young children. These pieces I purchased one or two at a time over some years.

It is wonderful to be able to have pieces that are For Children to use, handle, play with, explore, experiment as they wish. So many Nativity scenes are 'extra special' to only look at on display, never touch, breakable, treasured, all that - it is important to offer pieces to children at home/school that invite them into the scene of the Birth Day :)

In your classroom:

You can make pieces from CONSTRUCTION PAPER, decorated by children, laminated to last longer and make more handle-able.

You can make pieces from CLAY or PLAYDOUGH.

You can make pieces from RECYCLABLES & CARDBOARD.

out of print but worth a search!

This particular book, The Christmas Story: A Nativity Tale for Young Children by Anita Ganeri, is a favorite to read, act out and also put out alongside the creche pieces. The book is unfortunately out of print, yet perhaps available if you search for it from sellers. The main reason I love it is because the pages are literally photographs of children dressed as though in a play acting out the Christmas Story and the story is easy to read and follow for the young age group.

* To note, this exploration is appropriate at our religious based school, where we explore religions of any students along with Christian celebrations.

Happy reading. Merry Christmas. Peace. Joy. Jingle.

year one for zella!

2011-12-07T20:47:00.001-08:00

the enthusiasm I feel for my first year of blogging!

I started blogging one year ago today.

Click here to read my very first blog post 'Usually' from December 07, 2010.

I was encouraged to start blogging by a professional mentor who thought I might enjoy the creative aspects of writing along with incorporating my classroom photos and educational theory. It was a gift that I didn't know would be Such A Gift: Blogging has been the richest form of professional development and networking that I have ever experienced, and it only keeps getting richer and better.

Thanks to all the readers, bloggers, educators, and parents for offering support and comments over the year via this blog, twitter or FB. I am inspired daily reading so many fabulous blogs that inform my own teaching and enrich my lens on valuing childrens learning and development.

In celebration of Year One For Zella, here are my 5 favorite posts from the last year...

1. The Mermaid, the Girl & the Book

My five-year-old friend Mimi loved to draw. That's all she really loved to do.
Hmmm, let me be more clear: Mimi really really loved drawing mermaids.

2. Word Bank Treasures

Using a Word Bank in your classroom is an exciting, hands-on way to offer words to children to USE without imposing direct teaching methods.

3. choices turn into "I Need to Do This"
During Choice Time, the children direct themselves in or out of the classroom, engaging with peers and materials and teachers. During Choice Time, teachers have the opportunity to listen and observe, photograph, document...

4. Moving at the Speed of Children

People have often asked me how I can work with young children.

"Aren't they wild and busy and on-the-go all the time?

Don't they go in all different directions?

Aren't they moody and needy and unpredictable?"

Ummmm, not really, no, not really.

5. Be That Teacher

What IF... children could DO what they wanted with whatever materials they chose?
What IF...children could THINK of an idea then try it out with whatever materials they chose?
What IF... children could INVENT anything they wanted with whatever materials they chose?

Happy Reading.

Looking forward to writing Zella in Year Two...

edublog nominations! (clap, clap)

2011-12-02T09:28:00.001-08:00

The Edublog Awards are here!

Click HERE to read more about Edublog Awards!

I will start with a personal admission: I am not usually a fan of the awards kinds of things, the center of attention kind of things. I prefer the focus to be the children, period, and my role is to fade out as much as possible to allow the children to shine.

However.

The Edublogs are a bit different. Or, at least, I perceive them to be different because they exist within the blogosphere and are cloaked by professional development and networking.

I see the nominations in the Edublogs Awards to be a valued acknowledgment by e-colleagues to recognize bloggers For Their Inspiration in their specialized field (early education, in my case).

I appreciate the acknowledgments I have received already by other bloggers. Literally, just being nominated by them has uplifted my efforts of my blogging work and my support of others' work.

I follow many many blogs and now - in return - it is quite difficult to reason out who I would like to most Thank For Their Inspiration by nominating them for an Edublog Award.

With THANKS to all bloggers who have supported and commented on Zella...

I offer these nomination for this year's Edublog Awards:

Best Individual Blog: Teacher Tom the powerhouse blogger for early childhood education

Best Individual Tweeter: Brick by Brick ECE networker & support extraordinaire

Best Group Blog: Irresistible Ideas for Play Based Learning global community builders

Best Teacher Blog: Let the Children Play the queen of all blogs & cheerleader for all bloggers

Most Influential Blog Post: Teacher Tom's "Spoiled Brats" a must must must read

Clap. Clap. Clap.

anonymous white napkin

2011-11-27T13:08:00.001-08:00

Couple weeks ago went to RE 'Wonder of Learning' Exhibit at the Steinbeck Center.

Couple weeks ago had the rich opportunity to be inspired in person by the stories of Dr. Lella Gandini.

what if you explored a napkin? what if you really really looked at it as Special?

Still letting it all sink in.

Letting words, ideas, and images soak in.

Letting the affects really take hold.

That's how it works for me.

Listening, watching, taking notes.

Relying on these experiences to change me as an educator, to make me a better facilitator for children and new teachers, and to afford me a new lens to really see learning in a new way.

Ideally, as well, relying on these experiences to steal away at least one: "Aha! I have not thought about THAT in THAT WAY before..."

My steal away this time, in particular, had to do with part of the Exhibit that showcased the exploration of White and White and White. Children explored different white papers, textures, and properties of white on its own and what happens to white when manipulated.

The White Napkin.

It was fascinating to think about the Study of Something that usually is a tool in our everyday lives, as though it itself is already known because we use it. Aha! But perhaps it is not really known very well at all...

The Diana Preschool's White and White Project with 3s & 4s suggest to us:

"A paper napkin on a table is an anonymous object camouflaged by daily use and presence. A customary material which when explored reveals many properties. It is white, lightweight, soft and delicate and just slightly rough to the touch. In layers it obscures light but when unfolded it is almost transparent...Hands, mind and material come together to know each other."

Thoughtful and deliberate exploration of something the children USE daily.

Have you ever thought of this kind of exploration?

Have you ever given something so simple such focus?

Dr. Lella Gandini: "Young children are not yet attached to their ideas and are willing to test, risk, change and make mistakes."

Let the children explore something we might think is obvious.

Look around your classroom. What might that be?

Look for the anonymous. Look at it Special.

The Diana School: "It is special when we look at it special."

Yep, still letting it all soak in. Yep.

RE speaker in Los Altos 11/09/11

2011-11-05T20:52:00.000-07:00

"Creativity is Dressed in Everyday Clothes”
An Inspirational Evening

with Author, Lella Gandini, Ed.D.
Wednesday, November 9, 2011
Christ Episcopal Church/Ventana School, 1040 Border Road, Los Altos

7:00 - FREE presentation by Dr. Gandini

5:30 - ($20) Open Studio Time (see below)

Click Here to Register for Event via Eventbrite

In Dr. Gandini's presentation she will cover how:

~ Creativity should not be considered a separate mental faculty but a characteristic of our way of thinking, knowing and making choices.

~ Creativity seems to express itself through cognitive, affective, and imaginative processes.

~ A child's creative process is fostered by his/her environment and by peers and adults who observe and listen to their ideas.

~ Intellectual and expressive activities are both rich in possibilities, and when used create more constructive and meaningful learning exchanges with children.

*Join for an Open Studio and Social Hour with Lella Gandini - $20 per person. Heavy Apps and beverages will be provided. Opportunities to explore materials in Ventana School's Studio. To RSVP for this event please email Elisa Merrifield at elisa@ccla.us.

**Child care will be available with advanced reservation only. $8 per child/$5 sibling fee. Please reserve a spot by contacting Elisa Merrifield at elisa@ccla.us or call (650) 948-2151 ex 115.

Questions? Contact: Elisa Merrifield at elisa@ccla.us or call (650) 948-2151 ex 115.

This free event is being hosted by The Third Place. Donations will be gratefully accepted.

Hope to see you there!

join an evening with Lella Gandini

2011-10-31T12:54:00.000-07:00

children, light and mirrors...so many possibilities.

For over twenty years, the Reggio Emilia Approach to early education has been the vehicle that has transformed and revitalized teaching and learning with young children around the globe.

When educators, schools and administrators say they are "Reggio Inspired," well, we all know what that means: It means we are trying to be with young children in a way that is uplifting their journey of making meaning of their world.

The opportunity to attend even one Reggio Emilia conference in Italy is on the Wish List of so many of thousands of educators. Mostly, we have to rely on attending local conferences or workshops to gain new perspectives and revisit the theories of how to facilitate children's exploration in the most respectful and authentic ways we can. Read read read, join discussion groups in your community, tour the Exhibit when it comes near you, and become a teacher that listens (instead of "teaches").

OK, here's the best news:

If you live in the Bay Area in the gorgeous state of California, USA, there is an opportunity to hear the inspiring Lella Gandini, Reggio Children's Liaison for the Dissemination of the Reggio Emilia Approach. Dr. Gandini is the co-author of "The Hundred Languages of Children" - THE resource for starting your journey to understand the RE Approach, its history and key principles to early education.

The Ventana School and Christ Episcopal Church in Los Altos are hosting an evening with Dr. Gandini on November 9, 2011.

Click here for online info & registering via Eventbrite

*This is a free event for the 7:00 presentation.

*If you would like to join the 5:30 Open Studio Social Hour with Leila Gandini, there is a charge of $20.

**Child care is available for a fee, see the online registration for details.

“Creativity is Dressed in Everyday Clothes”
An Inspirational Evening

with Author, Lella Gandini, Ed.D.
Wednesday, November 9, 2011
Christ Episcopal Church/Ventana School, 1040 Border Road, Los Altos

the many faces of creativity, perspective, color & joy.

In Dr. Gandini's presentation she will cover how:

~ Creativity should not be considered a separate mental faculty but a characteristic of our way of thinking, knowing and making choices.

~ Creativity seems to express itself through cognitive, affective, and imaginative processes.

~ A child's creative process is fostered by his/her environment and by peers and adults who observe and listen to their ideas.

~ Intellectual and expressive activities are both rich in possibilities, and when used create more constructive and meaningful learning exchanges with children.

**Child care will be available with advanced reservation only. $8 per child/$5 sibling fee. Please reserve a spot by contacting Elisa Merrifield at elisa@ccla.us or call (650) 948-2151 ex 115.

Questions? Contact: Elisa Merrifield at elisa@ccla.us or call (650) 948-2151 ex 115.

This free event is being hosted by The Third Place. Donations will be gratefully accepted.

not-scary books for halloween

2011-10-23T15:58:00.000-07:00

Gotta love happy reads for Halloween time.
I appreciate books that are kid-friendly and are not scary for the <5 year old group.
Granted, some kids do like scary books, yet generally in a class group of children there will be 1-3 who don't like to be scared.
So, I just leave the potentially scary stuff for children to individually check out from the school library or with their guardians.

Books about Pumpkins:

Picking Apples & Pumpkins. Amy & Richard Hutchings. Real photos at a farm!
The Pumpkin Patch. Elizabeth King. A real pumpkin patch.
Pumpkin Pumpkin. Jeanne Titherington. Growing your own pumpkin.

Book about the Day of the Dead:

Felipa and the Day of the Dead. Birte Muller. Felipa looks for the long-lasting soul of her grandmother, Abuelita. Beautifully written & Illustrated.

Books for the Fun of Halloween:

Franklin's Halloween. Paulette Bourgeois/Brenda Clark. Franklin book series is so appropriate for children!
Georgie. Robert Bright. A ghost looking for a friendly haunted house.
Boo! Made You Jump! Lauren Child. Love Charlie & Lola?? Of course!
Pumpkin Soup. Helen Cooper. It takes teamwork to make good soup!
The Bumpy Little Pumpkin. Margery Cuyler/Will Hillenbrand. Choose the pumpkin YOU like best!
Room on a Broom. Julia Donaldson/Axel Sheffler. Adventures on a crowded broom!
Angelina's Halloween. Katharine Holabird/Helen Craig. Angelina series.
The Biggest Pumpkin Ever. Steven Kroll/Jeni Bassett. Two mice tending to 2 pumpkins for the Big Contest!
Bats at the Library. Brian Lies. Did you know Bats love to read???
Big Pumpkin. Erica Silverman/S.D. Schindler Best best best recorded tape/CD - must get! Teamwork of ghost, bat, mummy, vampire to help witch get her pumpkin!
Winnie the Witch. Valerie Thomas/Korky Paul. Colorful adventure of Winnie!
Winnie Flies Again. Valerie Thomas/Korky Paul.
Winnie's Midnight Dragon. Valerie Thomas/Korky Paul.
Too Many Pumpkins. Linda White/Megan Lloyd. What if accidentally you had a yard FULL of pumpkins and you didn't even like pumpkins???
The Little Old Lady Who Was Not Afraid of Anything. Linda White/Megan Lloyd. A huge favorite, great call-response, so wonderful & surprise ending!
The Teeny Tiny Ghost. Kay Winters/Lynn Munsinger. The ghost who didn't like to be scary or loud!
On Halloween Night. Harriet Ziefert/Renee Andriani. Repetition, rhyme, & colorful illustrations as one girl gets the elements of her costume on for Halloween night!

BOO!

Happy Reading!

Do YOU have a favorite Halloween book?

"Pah-lease!"

2011-10-14T13:02:00.000-07:00

Think about the children in your current classroom and from years past.
There are always faces that flash straight to mind due to one reason or another.

I must say, for me, children with some attitude or flair come to mind. Not necessarily the "busy" or "bossy" ones or the "ohhhh, gotta keep an eye on that one" ones. More so, for me, I reflect on children who seamlessly incorporate a certain tone to deliver a phrase or in their conversation AND have a way they use their eyes and hands to help express their opinion or announcement. Makes me smile just thinking about Leo and Lara and Marina ...

"No more photos, pah-lease"

My blog today is inspired by my friend Laura's daughter "S" and a caption Laura attached to a recent photo of S on a social networking site:

"Ah, shades of things

to come...I was taking photos of my daughter on a recent flight to LA when she puts her hand up and says

'No more photos, pah-lease'"

Take a moment to appreciate S and her calm yet clear request to her mother.

Take another moment to appreciate the one leg casually crossed, the one hand propped under her chin, the eyes looking upward and - yes - the hand signal STOP to reinforce the "pah-lease" no more photos.

[Couldn't have been a better photo of this request to stop taking photos.]

Laura and her daughter reminded me about ways that adults and children relate together. I appreciate that S has her own personal style to communicate with her mother. I appreciate that S has an opinion about something - photos, in this case - and how she feels at that moment on the airplane to not have photos. I interpret, though, that this was a comfortable request, not demanding, not defiant. S just happened to also have the hand signal and the eyes up, as though she couldn't have put out the request without the eyes and the hands, too. Pah -lease!

Other phrases or words from children who had the pizazz to go with it:

1. "ACTUALLY" : this has been a popular word over the years, used by a number of children to begin their sharing of an opinion or what seemed to them to be a correction of their peers [or me!]. Often, the word would be said slowly to articulate the four syllables AC-TU-AL-LY allowing the child's audience to get ready for something quite brilliant that was forthcoming. Along with the word, the head might be tilted to one side with eyes focused forward and two hands might be offered out like a tray that will deliver the new 'actual' information.

2. "Let Me Tell You Something!" also known as "Did you know?!..." An informative phrase. Might be when children arrive at school, out of breath running up to me, eyes tilted upward with forehead scrunched as they have information bursting out about a trip to the beach, a bug they found, or what they have in their lunch box.

3."Oh, Man...". Children have used this when blocks fall over, when they hear the recess bell that recess is over, or when they can't find a chair at the snack table. This phrase has the shoulders slumped, the mouth squished, the eyes squinted in. Disappointment shown at its fullest along with "oh, maaannnnn......" dragged out in despair.

personality, pizazz, & flair at their best.

I hope your children have their personal style to share information, to make an announcement, to communicate with adults and peers.

I can only imagine you can appreciate the flair and pizazz of PEOPLE - who happen to be young - who express themselves both in word and action. 

Do YOU have an example of a phrase or word that children have used with flair? "Pah-lease" feel free to share! [head nodding, eyes extra-wide open, one hand swishing out to the side]
** special thanks to Laura and S for their inspiration of living life with colorful self expression!

friday thank you notes 10.06

2011-10-07T17:47:00.000-07:00

Reading other bloggers allows me to listen to children in new ways.

What a week.

(I am just saying).

Big things going on and - as always - amazing bloggers in the blogosphere that continually inspire me.

Big Thanks to 5 bloggers who made me think in new ways, made me think about children in new ways, and likely made me laugh a bit, too.

Check out these hot posts:

1. Documentation Gone Mad

Jenny from Let the Children Play posted a wonderful link on her Facebook page that addresses the role of Documentation for early childhood educators and how it often replaces the actual time spent to form relationships with children. Interesting perspective and reflection: click here to read about Documentation Gone Mad via Early Life Foundations.

2. Children are INTO Stuff
Do you know about Salt & Nectar? You must! Check out this post with guest writer Leslie Harper Foss who shares about children being Into Stuff - really really really Into Stuff - click here to read Let's be "INTO" Stuff

3. Cooperatively NOT Sharing

What if we leave young children to their own problem solving in their own time? What if adults - US - don't intervene to allow these very young to (cooperatively) NOT share? The ever-inspiring Janet Lansbury shares her perspective and a short real time video of Toddlers (cooperatively) NOT Sharing.

4. Grinding Coffee (he had me at COFFEE!)

Let's face it, sometimes you just cannot NOT read Teacher Tom's reflections, theories and matter-of-fact "this is our school" stories on his blog. Check out this post on simple machines, hand-ground coffee and treasures found at estate sales. Click here for "Grinding Coffee" from Teacher Tom

5. Using Your Fingers to Guide Your Reading

Gill Connell is masterful at making connections between physical development and any other curricular area for young children. Click here and check out this post that answers a parent's question regarding a child's use of fingers to help guide their early reading. Wonderful support for children using their bodies - hands, eyes - as they journey to become a reader!

Cheers to diverse, thoughtful, and respectful bloggers who continually uplift the life and learning of young children.
what do YOU think? do you have a favorite read?

book list from bloggers & friends

2011-09-30T18:09:00.000-07:00

Don't you love when you get MORE IDEAS FOR BOOKS from people who love to read books to young children just like you?!

Yes, of course, absolutely, yes!

Here is a list from bloggers and friends via my Zella Facebook Page.

(you can follow me on FB via the button on the right column ... OR JUST CLICK HERE).

Give the list a look, check out on Amazon if the title looks interesting to you or for your child! Add them to your "look for" list during your next library visit! There were only a couple books that I couldn't include on the list because the title given didn't quite match up to a title I could find with an author, so my apologies to any favorites that are missing!

To note: while I am so excited and appreciative of the contributors' ideas on this list, it does not mean I have read all of them and therefore need YOU to be the evaluator of what books you like for your family or your school. Perhaps some are too young, too scary, too commercial, too short, too long...ahhhh, yet perhaps so many are just fabulous and a bit of a treasure to find :)

HAPPY READING!

Special THANKS to book ideacontributors:

NatalieGiulianelli , AlidaFernandez Chacon, Learningfor life, Jo Pentony, RandiLondon Albertsen, Angie McLaren, Lucy Kiermaier Michaud , Imagesof Learning Project, Rachel White, Stephanie West, CourtneyFloyd , Playingin Prep, Sara Brooks Long, Maria Navaratne, Rainbows within Reach, Jaana Swanson

Books recommended by bloggers,educators and parents:

Bitsy and the Bear ~ Angela McAllister

Captain Flinn & the Pirate Dinosaurs~

Giles Andreae

Charlotte's Web ~ E.B. White

Dear Zoo ~ Rod Campbell

Duck on a Bike ~ David Shannon

Fox in Sox ~ Dr. Seuss

Funny Face ~ Nicole Smee

Go Dog Go ~ P.D. Eastman

Good Night,Me Andrew Daddo

Green Eggs and Ham ~ Dr. Seuss

Hiccup: The Viking who was Seasick ~

Cressida Cowell

How to Make an Apple Pie and See theWorld ~ Marjorie Priceman

Hush Little Baby ~ Sylvia Long

I Was So Mad ~ Mercer Mayer

Little Rabbit Foo Foo ~ Michael Rosen

Love you Forever by Robert Munsch

Mrs. Wishy Washy ~ Joy Cowley

On the Way Home ~ Jill Murphy

Owl Babies ~ Martin Waddell

Popcorn ~ Frank Asch

Purple, Green and Yellow ~ RobertMunsch

Pussy Willow ~ Margaret Wise Brown

Red, White and Blue ~ Debbie Clement

Remember the Night Rainbow ~ CooperEdens

Room on a Broom ~ Julia Donaldson

Ten Little Fingers and Ten Little Toes~ Mem Fox

The Giving Tree ~ Shel Silverstein

The Gruffalo ~ Julia Donaldson

The Little Mouse, The Red RipeStrawberry & The Big Hungry Bear ~Don & Audrey Wood

The Spiffiest Giant in Town ~ JuliaDonaldson

The Very Busy Spider ~ Eric Carle

The Wolves in the Walls ~ Neil Gaiman

Today I Will Fly ~ Mo Willems

Too Many Pumpkins ~

Linda White

Where is the Green Sheep? ~

Mem Fox

Where the Wild Things Are ~

MauriceSendak

Wild Child ~ Lynn Plourd

Zero ~ Kathryn Otoshi

+ books and poems by:

Eric Carle, Beverly Cleary, Lois Ehlert, Mem Fox, Virginia Lee Burton, Shel Silverstein

WHAT? YOU NEED more BOOK IDEAS???
CHECK OUT MY Favorite Read-Alouds page
And, of course, I would LOVE to add more books to our great starter list! What are some of YOUR favorite books for young children? Please comment below & offer 1 or 2 or 3...or more!

the ink monster

2011-09-25T17:46:00.000-07:00

How to create an ink robot monster while sitting next to your best friend at the art table:

Space Station guys in all yellow ink and Robot Monster in all black ink. Of course.

Start with one black pen, then draw!

[So simple]

Here are two boys who chose to work next to each other at the art table - they are best friends - and both have their own vision of what will come to life on their paper: their unique vision, their unique hand-eye coordination, their unique motivation to create what they will create.

Doesn't it fascinate you to see what children will create

when their time is THEIR TIME?

Robot Ink Monster. Completed. Please admire.

Consider the alternative IF I HAD TO BE "in charge" of art time:

How would I know to offer the one boy only a yellow pen and the other boy only a black pen?

How would I know that one paper should be turned wide and the other paper turned tall?

How would I know to direct them to outer space for their vision and to write space terms?

How.

Would.

Know?

I wouldn't.

Art and time is for the children.

Our job is to provide materials, variety of spaces to create, and time. 

How hard is that? it is not. 

[so simple].

no doubt fearless

2011-09-15T13:55:00.000-07:00

Children who just ARE who they are - absolutely - even at a very very young age. They already have that sense of self, somehow, that brings some attitude, some "of COURSE I can do that", some leadership and charisma.

It is one of my favorite parts of my role as an early childhood educator - to meet 4-year-olds who just "get it" already, can socialize, have opinions, have plans and questions and don't want to miss a second of school life.

Didn't matter to Ava that supplies were high - she always got what she needed!

Here is one such girl.

I will call her Ava [yet I change all the names of students in my blog for their privacy].

Ava was a Go-Getter, a Do-It-My-Selfer, and a Nothing Is Too Hard For Me kind of girl.

However, I didn't know that Ava at first.

When her family first visited our school to consider applying, I met with them and with Ava. I loved the family, loved Ava and certainly thought they could be a match for our school.

My concern was that I was a teacher of young-fives at a school where we were the youngest and everything in our school was set for elementary-AGED children and, accordingly, elementary-SIZED students.
Ava was not petite - she was strong and a fast runner and capable - yet her height was far below a typical range for height for 4 or 5 year olds.

I was fearful she would not be able to participate in some things, that she wouldn't be able to climb on the big playground climber, that all the stairs and steps at our big school would wear her out everyday.

However, none of that was a concern for the family. Ava was talkative, busy and full of energy. She was a great match for a young-fives program and would be a great addition to our class culture. We discussed that time would allow us to see how Ava would adapt to school and that we would make adjustments on her behalf if necessary.

Nothing was needed. No changes were necessary. Ava embraced her school environment and it embraced her.

In the classroom, Ava had no issues that kept her from doing what she wanted to do, used materials as she needed, and navigated her way around independently.

Ava was NO DOUBT FEARLESS.

Teachers and families often have concerns for their children that are grounded in the right ideals of wanting children to be safe, capable, successful.

Yet, we often don't realize that we equally must give credit to the child that they can adapt and meet the challenges or expectations of whatever [school, a sports team, a transition].

Ava reminds me that each person is THEIR OWN PERSON.

Ava has been herself HER WHOLE LIFE and never considers anything impossible.

Ava knew she could do school before her family or myself knew she could do school.

OF COURSE Ava could do school...of course.

How many NO DOUBT FEARLESS children have you met?

the torch you carry

2011-09-11T15:10:00.000-07:00

Today is the tenth year to pause and reflect on the tragedies of nine eleven.

It is a big day,

perhaps a quiet day,

perhaps a day to count blessings.

I am remembering the day it happened, going to school early for a meeting that was on my schedule with another faculty member. I had heard about the first plane when still home getting dressed; I heard about the second plane while sitting in the faculty meeting before school even started. Stunned.

We still had school that day. We didn't really know the magnitude of it all til a bit later, so we just still had school.

I was with my Young Fives class. When families started arriving, there was this 'upper level' conversation among adults with bewildered looks in the eyes and unsettled shoulder shrugs trying to communicate above the children "what just happened?" ... as in:
WHAT just happened?
what JUST happened?
what just HAPPENED?

We mostly had a regular day at school. Yet, at our morning meeting (circle time) with the students, I decided that we had to have an open chat to see what they knew, what they saw on tv, what they were thinking as they surely overheard their guardians speak of some NEWS.

We had a conversation.

We had honest information shared among 5-year-olds.

We made a prayer poster.

This is a copy of what I wrote in our newsletter that week, sharing with families what happened during our morning meeting with their children. The school is a religious-based school so God and prayers are integral for coping, offering support and seeking strength. The text:

"I have tried to speak to each family over the last number of days as we all deal with the tragic events of Tuesday, September, 11. Most of you know that we had a discussion in class that very morning. I wanted to know what the children knew so far and how they were understanding any of it.

Know that my intent in opening a discussion is never to lecture or inform on specifics, but to provide an arena for a young age group to talk together about something they may be trying to understand in their own way.

The sharing was diverse, with different energy from different children, with different pieces of the morning News: "bad guys flew a plane into a building!" "there was smoke and lots of fire!"

We talked about how it WAS bad guys who flew into the big worker buildings in New York, how it was NOT an accident, how it is a big problem and that the fire people and police and the President are working to help solve it. We looked on the globe to see New York and to see California. We talked about how we are safe here [at school] and in our houses.

And then, we really talked about how the people in the worker buildings got hurt and a lot of them probably died, how we could think good thoughts for them and say prayers together. We talked about making art to help have good wishes for anyone who was hurt and we thought about drawing [cheerful ideas like] rainbows, flowers and hearts. We displayed the poster on the blue wall in the block area. Please, come see." [to note: the poster remained displayed in the classroom until I left the school in 2007].

The students from this class are 15 years old now. They likely do not recall the actual day of the event or our conversation in class or anything. They probably have a newer, current memory made perhaps in an upper elementary grade when studying history; or via a thoughtful discussion with family; or via a course in high school.

But, the children WERE there, in the moment, and had emotions and opinions and prayers.

For today, I offer a memory of the tragic day that included young children with kind hearts and sincere worry for people they didn't know and for a world they didn't comprehend yet.

I hope you have important discussions with your young students - in the moment that they are important - as the memory ends up being the torch you carry for them & for yourself.

This is the irony of this blog based in reflections and narratives: my personal story of this huge historic tragic event is lodged with my experience with these 5-year-old students and the poster of rainbows, neither of which exist any longer.

Yet, I remain the storyteller, to carry the torch, to be their memory.

listen to me!

2011-09-08T11:47:00.000-07:00

nathan calls to me about The Tigers!

One of my most powerful memories of Becoming The Teacher I Want To Be was when I first listened - really really listened - to my 2-year-old friend Nathan. Read the full story of Nathan and the Tigers here.

In the outside play yard one day, Nathan called to me...

"Come, come...come help me look for the tigers in the big tree! Come, come. The tree tigers are calling to us and we need to find them in the tree! Come, come, come!"

This calling to me changed who I was as a teacher, it changed my relationship with Nathan, it changed how I engaged with children for all the years forward in my career.

Nathan's calling to me made me start to deconstruct what he was telling me and understand better where he was in his development. I could start to hear Relationship, Imagination, Sense of Self, Focused Play, Role Play & Socio-Dramatic Scenarios.

listening to children is a treasure.

Last week in the college course I am instructing with a focus on Math/Science, we explored some quotes that I had collected over the years.

All the quotes had the "LISTEN TO ME!" content that teachers could use as base to extend into inquiries and projects.

Listen to the children: can you hear some math concepts, scientific theories, gaps in logic, attempts at facts, cause & effect, articulation of time & age, explanations of things that change, complex questions...?

"103 is a lot of fish, not a little. It is like 16." rose, 3yo.

"I am two and a half and my sister is seven pounds for a dollar." kevin, 2yo.

"My daddy's car is the color of Nestle's Quik...it is the color when you first put it in the milk." jessica, 4yo.

"Let me tell you something. When it is all gone, that means zero." evan, 3yo.

train your ear to hear children in Their language.

"What if everything in the whole world, even the planets and stars, were made of pink paint?!" shannon, 5yo.

"Here, read this book first. And, after that one, read this one first." andrew, 2yo.

"When I grow up, I want to be a seagull so I can eat garbage." alice, 3yo.

"Is yellow allergic to brown?" haley, 5yo.

"Medium is near lots, right?" matt, 5yo.

"Birds don't go up to Jupiter or Mars. They just go where the blue is." shannon, 4yo.

Start documenting your listening with children during their open play time. Really listen and you'll start to hear important concepts - real INFORMATION - that you can use to extend and deepen your students' understanding using intentional teaching methods. You can integrate exploration of these concepts into the richest context that is of value to children: their play.

Click here to read more about Starting To Document.

The children are telling us every day what they KNOW. It just happens to be true that a lot of what they tell us also has what they DON'T KNOW weaved strongly in, as well. It is our job to interpret and deconstruct and support. It is our job, yet really, for me, the partnership with children is what creates such a dynamic learning environment daily, weekly, year after year.

What are ways that you listen to and document what your children are telling you in their play?

friday thank you notes 09.02

2011-09-02T14:40:00.000-07:00

Thank you to bloggers this week that continue to make me think and rethink about children, my role, my intentions and also the joy of teaching.

Links worth a visit & a read:

1. Extraordinary Classroom "Changing of the Season"

2. Atelierista "Teachers Tinker"

3. Silly Eagle Books "Things I am Excited About"

4. Sand and Water Tables "Baby Washing"

5. Designing Early Childhood Australia "Storytelling"

6. Childhood101 'Play Grown Learn' new e-magazine!

have a fabulous weekend!

and happy reading.

ready. set. launch!

2011-08-30T19:12:00.000-07:00

Don't you love it when something INCREDIBLE is dreamed then created?

It takes a certain, very special vision to do both - the dream AND the actual realization of the dream.

Christie from the ever-inspiring Childhood101 did just that. She dreamed something "bigger than her blog" and created one of the most gorgeous, informative and accessible early education publications I have ever seen.

Here's the big news:
Christie has just launched her e-magazine, her First Issue of her Playzine...
'Play. Grow. Learn. Because Play Matters' and you can get your own very first issue, just Click HERE to view, download and read read read!

You will find something for every age group, home and school, parents and educators, outdoors and indoors. There are guest writers from the blogosphere offering fantastic articles on a variety of topics - super hero capes, games, block towers, parties, cooking & more! The photos alone are worth the download, seriously.

Incredibly, Zella Said Purple has the honor of being part of the 'Play Online' bloggers section which also uplifts Sherry & Donna from Irresistible Ideas, Jenny from Let The Children Play, Amanda from Not Just Cute, and Tom from Teacher Tom.

Very impressive is that Christie has allowed her dream to be shared by and with so many other parents & educators!

Huge Congratulations to Christie!
Yet, quite selfishly really, we all get to be part of the INCREDIBLE by reading the First Issue and eagerly anticipating the next quarterly publication!

Ready. Set. Go Get your copy!

whatever is most difficult

2011-08-28T19:39:00.000-07:00

The night before school begins.

I am thinking wonderful thoughts as I love this time of the year.

I am aware, however, that some people don't love this time of the year.

Sometimes the effort, smiles and breathing that is required to Start A New School Year is so deafeningly exhausting. Period. Totally Understandable.

For me, in my times of need -

times when I NEED SOME PERSPECTIVE - I turn to a Master Artist, Poet, Storyteller and Word Smith ... Brian Andreas, author of all Story People stories & art Click Here to read more, admire, smile, laugh.

So, here is one of my most favorite Story People quotes for all who may be Worried about school or Are Freaking Out

or Are Unsure @anything.

... Maybe you worry about connecting with your students, or your classroom being set up just right, or getting through the lessons you have planned, or meeting the new parents of your students, or or or or or or.

Thank you, Brian Andreas, for writing this thoughtful, powerful quote:

"THIS IS A GIANT BLOCK OF WHATEVER IS MOST DIFFICULT FOR YOU TO CARRY AND TRUST ME ON THIS YOU'LL CARRY IT MORE TIMES THAN YOU CAN COUNT UNTIL YOU DECIDE THAT'S EXACTLY WHAT YOU WANT TO DO MOST AND THEN IT WON'T WEIGH ANYTHING AT ALL."

brilliant.

stunning.

I can read it a million times and keep learning from it each time.

see how children make life so light and joyful and colorful? let go of whatever is most difficult.

Do YOU have a challenge starting a new school year?

How do you cope - not just "get through it" - yet actually embrace & celebrate a new school year? Stories? Strategies?

Day 1: for the love of books

2011-08-24T11:00:00.000-07:00

Educators are readying for the beginning of school.

Butterflies...excitement...and, of course, planning what books to have on hand to read! Some teachers have just started their classes this week and some are soon to start in the coming days or weeks.

these books were written by the children later in the year after we read a million incredible books together!

These "can't miss" books are perfect to connect with preschool children on Day 1. Why?

1. These are classics, favorites, and most likely KNOWN by the children coming into your class.

2. Children being familiar with a book for read-aloud time is a Comfort, is a Confidence builder that school is going to be ok, is an" Oh, I Love That Book!"

3. Teachers using familiar books can Have Fun with the book, Offer Participation while reading for repeating phrases or guessing "what's next", and know the length/content well to match the needs of the group.

**tip: I like starting off with shorter books in order to create a stronger connection with the group of children by having a number of books read in one day that we now have experienced together! We might read one or two at morning circle, one at mid-day, one or two at goodbye time! It is also a good idea to have a number of books so children can try a "vote" for when to read which one during the day!

Here are friendly books with Bears, Ducks, and Mice...plus a few extra animal friendly books in the bonus recommendations list at the bottom!

Going on a Bear Hunt

by Michael Rosen &amp;amp; Helen Oxenbury

A father and his four children--a toddler, a preschool boy and two older girls--go on the traditional bear hunt based on the old camp chant: "We're going to catch a big one. / What a beautiful day! / We're not scared. / Oh-oh! Grass! / Long, wavy grass. / We can't go over it. / We can't go under it. / Oh, no! / We've got to go through it!" The family skids down a grassy slope, swishes across a river, sludges through mud and, of course, finally sees the bear, who chases them all back to their home. It's a fantastic journey--was it real or imagined?--with the family's actions (and interaction) adding to the trip a goodnatured, jolly mood.

(Review from Publisher's Weekly)

Duck on a Bike

by David Shannon

Shannon serves up a sunny blend of humor and action in this delightful tale of a Duck who spies a red bicycle one day and gets "a wild idea." Sure enough, in no time flat, he's tooling around the farmyard. A succession of his barnyard friends greet him politely enough, but their private responses range from scornful ("That's the silliest thing I've ever seen," from Cow) to boastful ("You're still not as fast as me," from Horse) to wistful ("I wish I could ride a bike just like Duck," from Mouse). Then a herd of kids rides down the road in a blur of dust; they park their bikes and head indoors. A wordless spread records the sublime moment when the animals all gather with identical wide-eyed looks and sly smiles. Readers can almost see what they're thinking, and sure enough, the next spread shows them all zipping around on bikes, with Duck in the lead.

(Review from Publisher's Weekly)

If You Take a Mouse

by Laura Numeroff &amp;amp; Felicia Bond

In a rollicking romp, Numeroff and Bond send the energetic, exuberant star of If You Give a Mouse a Cookie and If You Take a Mouse to the Movies (and his boy sidekick) into the classroom. After pulling on his overalls, the diminutive character makes his first request ("He'll ask you for your lunchbox") and then demands a snack, notebook and pencils before climbing into the boy's backpack. Once at school, the mercurial mouse happily bounds from one activity to the next: he spells "a word or two" on the blackboard (Bond shows these as an impressive list headed by "onomatopoeia"), conducts a science experiment (purple matter erupts from his beaker), builds "a little mouse house" out of blocks (the edifice looks quite elaborate) and fashions furniture for it with clay. Realizing he needs something on his new bookshelf, the ambitious critter collects paper and pencils and creates his own book, which he then wants to take home, in "your" lunch box. (Review from Publisher's Weekly)

You might also keep in your book bag nearby...

Where the Wild Thing Are by Maurice Sendak

Olivia by Ian Falconer

Franklin (any in the series) by Paulette Bourgeois

Click, Clack, Moo: Cows That Type by Doreen Cronin

little blue and little yellow by Leo Lionni

Mouse Paint by Ellen Stoll Walsh

The Flying Dragon Room by Audrey Wood

The Gruffalo by Julia Donaldson

** for a big list of my Favorite Read Alouds Click Here

There are so many wonderful children's books to start off the school year!

What are some of your favorites to have ready-to-read in the early days of school?

no rules classroom

2011-08-22T12:47:00.000-07:00

New school year is starting for many of us.

Educators create routines, daily schedules, small group experiences.

We plan for wonderful books to read, experiments with new materials, songs to sing.

And, we m-i-g-h-t have a big discussion about RULES and then generate some sort of list with our students.

Here's the thing for me:

I have never liked having RULES in the classroom. Never.

this is not a rule list...this is a child's birthday party list!

I have never made a big list with my students.

I have never posted statements - whether 3 charming rules which might include "Be a Friend" or 102 detailed ones such as "Don't throw the hamster" - on a wall in the classroom.

I prefer having project documentation and photographs of children engaged in school life posted on the walls of the classroom, not a list of RULES.

Ideals I believe in: goodwill, intentional teaching, partnership with children.

I also believe that children are the real owners of the classroom - not me. They are the ones who create the energy and life of that particular school year. I rely on that. I don't try to control it.

breathe. breathe...let me tell you more about my no rules classroom.

No worries, educators and parents. I believe there are other ways to have a group of children work collaboratively and cooperatively in a classroom without have a big list.

I prefer to start the school year diving into relationship building with students - teachers with students AND students with students. I believe that we all have some initial unsettled feelings and behaviors in a new environment so Wiggles, Distraction, Running ahead, Leaving Circle Time, Pushing Someone Else's Blocks, Missing Dad or Mom, Not Joining In, Expressing Unkind Words...all these things are normal and need time to work themselves out. No "rules" will make the beginning of school extinguish the newness and the unknown. Instead of spending time TALKING ABOUT RULES, we can spend time DOING SCHOOL & PLAYING GAMES & EXPLORING OUR CAMPUS ... working out our unsettled feelings in the moment they are happening and getting used to the routine.

keep breathing...there is more to my theory.

1. ROUTINE MEETS THE CHILDREN. I believe that The Role Of The Teacher has to be the changing component to support the adjustment for children, not the children being confined to how they 'should' feel or be. The beginning of the school year, I leave the routine open so that there is plenty of room for teachers to support and connect with students.

For example, instead of guardians needing to drop off their child straightaway for teachers to begin our morning meeting (circle time), we leave the first hour or longer for transitions: Guardians can stay if they want, chat with teachers, look around with their child, and their child gets comfortable in some sort of play/art/books. When guardians leave, we continue supporting the children in their chosen exploration. If/when there are challenges the children are having, we help resolve it with them right then - perhaps with materials in the classroom, how to include themselves in play, how to open/use something, etc. We might finally have "good morning" hours later.

As the days go by, we can shorten this transition and also let children know that we'll start having Morning Meeting closer to when they say goodbye to their guardian. This gives the child space to understand the components of the routine and be a part of the minor adjustment as to When we do a certain thing. When children have had TIME to be engaged in the classroom and have had some interactions individually with teachers, they are much much much much much more likely to be able to follow some tweeking to the routine.

2. CLASS PROBLEM-SOLVING DISCUSSIONS. After we have had the transition into school and have made connections with the children individually, most unsettled behaviors have disappeared. This doesn't mean challenges don't present themselves in our group.

Here's what happens when I DO interpret that a child or children's words or behaviors require some - ummm - modification: I bring the issue to the the class group. Not in a "look what THIS girl or boy did" kind of way. I bring an issue to the group as a QUESTION or as a HERE'S WHAT YOUR FRIENDS DISCOVERED or as an I WAS WONDERING ABOUT THIS. Depending on the issue, it may have have been resolved already with the specific children at the time and "we" thought it would be helpful for other children to "know" about the conclusion.

For example, there was sand being thrown in the outdoor sand & water area. The sand was being thrown AS children were digging a deep hole and shoveling out the sand behind them with a big toss into the eyes of children sitting behind them in the sandbox. In group meeting, we were able to talk about the great hole being dug, the wonderful shovels available to use and the actual kids who did toss the sand in others' eyes. Those kids were the ones who demonstrated the sandbox resolution: how to watch for other people and different ways to stand/squat/kneel so that your shovel doesn't toss sand in people's eyes.

For me, this is what I love. Children learning and sharing how to use materials in safe ways and being respected for their intended work (digging the deep hole). We don't need a DON'T THROW SAND rule. We all learned about the very deep hole, the great shovels, and practiced different ways to position your body to try to keep the sand out of people's eyes when digging. No kids had to label other kids as "the ones who throw sand" because they weren't - they were the kids who were trying to dig a very deep hole.

[Yes, these discussions take some time. Yes, I know we can't have a group discussion about every discovery or resolved issue. Yet, if it is important, we can make time.]

3. I KNOW THERE ARE SAFETY RULES. I am aware that there ARE safety rules. There are fire drills, dangerous cement stairs, sharp fences...there are also hammers, wood blocks and delicate science tools.

There are things that require a discussion first in order that choices to use something have boundaries around them. Still, I might offer these 'rules' as part of the 'how' to use or do something.

For example, we might discuss how our classroom front door opens out onto the play yard. We might discuss how IF you are the one opening the door, please open it slowly in case there are students outside walking near our door. The children understand that reasoning, but I don't consider it a 'rule' that needs to be posted on my classroom wall.

Another example, perhaps children want to use our woodworking bench. We talk about how bits of the wood or dust might fly around when you hammer or nail something, so your eyes need to have the 'safety glasses' on when you use the woodbench. This is part of USING THE WOODBENCH, yet I don't consider it to be a 'rule' - I consider it to be a required element of using the woodbench.

In the end, I guess it is sort of ironic. I guess My Rule For Myself is to have no rules for children to adhere to from a bold, posted list staring at them everyday. Pretty good rule, really, to have for myself.

By the way, I get it. I get that teachers want to have a group consensus, something to refer back to as the class agreement so that teachers are not the police or the bad guys or potentially being inconsistent with the reinforcement of the rules. I get it. However, I just don't see the need to establish these before the behavior/challenge presents itself as I find it artificial and presumptuous.

Children's needs for support and adjusting to routine varies every year:

Note: I have had groups of 4s & 5s who needed a couple weeks to get into the routine.

Bigger Note: I have had a group of 4s & 5s who - literally - created their own 'morning meeting' on the second day of school and were waiting for me to join them to start the day.

I think rules impact children in ways that make them WALK THE LINE when really they want to dance or skip.

LASTLY, if you NEED to have something posted: What if you had a Motto instead? What if you had a Positive Message instead? What if you had posted quotes in your class that DO set the UPBEAT tone for how everyone - teachers, children, visitors - can feel in your classroom?

Here are some sample quotes from my classroom:

"Everyone should know the JOY of walking into a room and having people be happy because they are there." (anon)

"Children, like anything else of value, should not be hurried." (anon) (I usually have this posted right below our classroom clock on the wall!)

"We have to go to school so that we can love people we didn't know before." (former 4s/5s students)

cheers to a new school year.

cheers to partnering with children in a respectful, thoughtful, patient way.

cheers to uplifting children's intentions as positive and dynamic.

Do you have a No Rules tip?

Can you share a favorite inspiring quote to post in a classroom?

moving at the speed of children

2011-08-16T12:16:00.000-07:00

People have often asked me how I can work with young children.

"Aren't they wild and busy and on-the-go all the time?

Don't they go in all different directions?

Aren't they moody and needy and unpredictable?"

Ummmm, not really, no, not really.

three-year-olds quietly fascinated by the chickens drinking water.

green paintings, green paintings, green paintings....perhaps this child created ALL these works?

Children are capable and focused.

They are self-directed and have their own interests.

They express their feelings and opinions.

Those are the kind of people I get to work with daily.
They just happen to be 3-, 4- or 5 -years-old.

This post is inspired by a post by Elise Edwards at Yo-Yo Reggio who wrote about 10 Important Things I Am Still Trying to Learn. I latched onto #4 in particular having to do with moving at the speed of children. The other 9 are wonderful, by the way, and definitely things I continue to practice and refine!

The idea of moving at the speed of children caused me to reflect on the value of my teaching days. Ironically, moving at the speed of the children is what I rely on - it informs the content of my teaching, it informs the needs of the moment, it informs me that THEIR AGENDA is most important instead of racing through My Agenda (whatever that might be).

"Children, like anything else of value, should not be hurried." (anon)

Sure, it is not always easy or comfortable moving at the speed of children. The moment might be S-L-OW-E-R than you are hoping to go - "we are heading to library class and two children are interested in learning to tie their shoes" - or much FASTER than you'd planned "three children who'd like to dance as you are starting to read a book". Hmmm, what would YOU do in both these instances?

Surely, there are ways to support the pacing the children are trying to set and adjust yourself accordingly. Most of the time, for me, I CAN actually move at the child's speed. Only occasionally do I need to suspend their agenda to accommodate my own. I have to stay aware of when I am pushing to have my agenda run because "it is easier."

I am always thinking if the the clock is more important than the moment with the child. The clock does not often win.

mud kitchen work takes time and focus to really get the mud cooking just right!

a close up photo of child and teacher together - a quiet, slow moment.

the careful placement of the block in one simple moment to create a balanced, unusual design.

3 Different Speeds:

The Zipper. One boy and a task.

I was thinking about my friend Joshua and the extended time we both spent at his backpack working on THE ZIPPER! I have a strong visual of just me, him and his backpack - that was our world with the task of zippering at hand.

Josh was used to his family and friends opening his backpack for him and then zipping it closed for him. Josh was nearly 5 and really didn't have an idea about How The Zipper Works on his own backpack.

I knew he was capable - he just never had the chance to really try to work it himself. Josh and I spent many minutes at snack time and lunch time for days and days giving attention to his zipper: How to hold one side of the fabric, how to look with your eyes where the zipper-pull is heading, how to yank and zip and open and close. Josh was able to master the zipper after some time together AND other children becoming helpers for him to learn instead of doing it for him.

Moving at Josh's pace to slow down enough for him to work his small motor, hand-eye coordination and understand the concept of how zippers work was important to give him the confidence that he Could do this on his own.

Good Morning. One boy, the whole class and Patience.

Kyle was a quieter boy. He struggled with group time and speaking in a moment's notice. We never put him on the spot to say Good Morning during our morning meetings, yet we wanted to make sure that he didn't literally get skipped over - we didn't want Being Skipped Over to be acceptable. We wanted to make sure everyone was a valued member of our class in the way they were comfortable. We had different games for Good Morning and each time when it was Kyle's turn, we would wait to see what he would do or not do. We did stop at his turn to give him time to think if he'd like to participate to say Hello, to say "please pass" , to give a wave or a blink or a thumbs up. I felt it was important that the whole class didn't learn that Kyle was someone to be skipped over. Most of the time, we'd wait a bit and Kyle would give a little hand wave or a head nod - great! I knew our work was successful when one day when we were at Kyle's turn, another child said "oh, it is Kyle's turn...he likes to think about how he wants to say Good Morning" and the other children simply happily agreed. That is being a valued member at its best. Wow.

Fossils in the Dirt. The whole class unearths a project.

An exploration of "fossils" unearthed in our school yard, in the dirt, under rocks. During outside time one day, the children discovered 'prints' of leaves and bugs left in the hard dirt and dusty rocks. We took photos and explored every day for more "fossils" that lived at our school. The discovery of the fossils happened in an instant by two children: the study of living things, nature, and imprints was a collective exploration by the class of 16 children over a couple weeks. This exploration could not have happened if we didn't follow the children's pace and discoveries. I had not planned this project, yet I did jump at the chance to guide the discovery into being a project.
It is like a treasure map to move at the speed of children - their interests, their discoveries, their search to make meaning of their world.

watching water drip drip drip from the water table - life should be that simple.

What is your speed with children?

Are you able to join in and follow their agenda?

friday thank you notes

2011-08-12T18:22:00.000-07:00

who makes YOU a better teacher ?

Late-summer Thank You Notes to some inspiring bloggers...

1. who have influenced me daily

2. helped me think about education outside of my own four classroom walls, and

3. have jolted me to admire tiny specks of sand and entire outside environments.

BIG HAT TIP TO:

* Jenny @preschoolplay Let The Children Play Makes me think of a book on classic outdoor children's adventure - Roxaboxen by Alice McLerran.

* Tom @theteachertom Teacher Tom's Blog Makes me think of a book that has a child using tools, loose parts and recyclable materials to create something fabulous - Galimoto by Karen Lynn Williams.

* Gill Connell @movingsmartnow Moving Smart Makes me think of a fun movement book with surprising animals that fly and swim - Caramba by Marie-Louise Gay

* Christie @childhood101 Childhood 101 Makes me think of the gorgeous colors, art and friendship in the book called The Lion &amp; The Little Red Bird by Elisa Kleven

* Sherry and Donna @sherryanddonna Irresistible Ideas for Play Based Learning Makes me think of a book that is full of children's dreams, ideas and imagination of self - I Want to Be by Thylias Moss

* Lisa Sunbury @lisasunbury Regarding Baby Makes me think of an adventure book that celebrates caretakers of babies - Rainbabies by Laura Krauss Melmed

All these books are listed on my Favorite Read Aloud page

chocolate milk

2011-08-09T19:03:00.000-07:00

I have been collecting quotes, bits and parts of what people say, and poetry since I was sixteen years old. It is just something that intrigued me from early on - how words make a statement, how words together can be a work of art, a philosophy, an argument, a question, an expression of hope or love.

I love to happen upon a gem of a phrase whether via a live speaking person or via text or music. I try to listen in a quirky way and discover something that seems to me unusual or unusually charming or deeply touching.

On this blog, I have a page of 'wisdom from young children' which you can read here and a post about starting out with a Sharpie if you also want to start documenting by clicking here.

5 mini-stories today of how COLOR was incorporated by children in their explanations and expressions:

1. CHOCOLATE MILK.

My 4-year-old friend Jessica and I were waiting for her dad to pick her up from school at the end of the day. We were sitting out in front of the school, Jessica's things all packed up, and her dad was running a bit late. We decided to do an I SPY game as cars drove past our school, keeping a close watch for her dad's car. As we were looking, Jessica offered this great clue to aid our watch:

"My daddy's car is the color of Nestle's Quik...it is the color when you first put it in the milk."

So, the car is NOT the color AFTER you stir the powder in but right when you "first put it in" which is a totally different color and certainly darker than the photo can show you! Excellent detail to describe the exact color of dad's car and - thankfully - he did arrive soon thereafter!

2. BLUE POCKETS.

My friend Natalie was trying to make a collection of nature items. She was gathering sticks and rocks and bark. All these pieces were first cradled in her arms, then she turn her shirt upward to form a carrier and soon her collection was bigger than her shirt could hold. "Oh, I have blue pockets at my home!" she says as she wishes she had more room to gather her treasures.

I found it humorous that Natalie describing blue pockets - compared to other colors? - was important and perhaps we all were to immediately be sympathetic and understand "ohhh, the BLUE pockets - yes, those would definitely gather nature items quite well."

3. PURPLE IS FOR BEAUTIFUL.

Oh, my sweet friend Jack. He was painting at the easel and I was video-taping his work while he shared. He explained about the red cross is for the church, the pink heart is for love, the black part is for the school and the purple..."The purple is for beautiful."

Yes. It is.

4. IS YELLOW ALLERGIC TO BROWN?

My five-year-old friend Hailey liked to have her drawing markers NOT touch each other on her work. She had been drawing since quite young and had gained a particular sense of color and composition. She was working one day in the art area when - somehow - her yellow marker overlapped onto her brown that was already drawn on her paper. She saw the tip of her yellow marker become brown and when she tried to use it straight away, the yellow marker presented brown color onto her paper. I watched her look perplexed, look again at the marker tip and turn to me..."Is yellow allergic to brown?" she asked. You can decide how you would answer that question.

5. PINK-ISH, PURPLE-ISH.

There is almost nothing more delightful during my school days than documenting children's work. My friend Isabella had this story ready to tell when I started to ask her about her work:

"This is a friendly monster named Jackie! She likes to eat carrots and she lives in the mountain! Her favorite color is pink-ish, purple-ish!"

What a treasure to meet such a friendly monster!

There are so many elements to documenting, listening, collecting quotes or questions. It is lovely to be in classrooms where WHAT the children have to say is appreciated and examined and respected.

What gems have YOU discovered in art, chats, and your daily routine? Anything about Chocolate Milk or Blue Pockets or Friendly Monsters with favorite colors?

"Come! Look!"

2011-08-07T18:58:00.000-07:00

Friendship. Powerful, moving, hilarious. Friendship.

It is a gift to witness friendship that is created and bonded between young children at school. It is quite remarkable, really, to commit one's self to connecting with and seeking out the companionship of another who is not a family member when you are 3 or 4 years old. Remarkable really. Come, look.

what if you discovered a photo of you & your best friend in a class book? maybe you'd have a friend Come & Look.

[Oh, I am ahead of myself in my blog story already.]
Here's the real story:
There is a great deal of documentation that goes on in preschool classrooms: stories are written, dialogue is noted, secret treasure maps are detailed, & projects are posted for reflection. Also, many photos are documented - perhaps to capture a special moment, experience or discovery of a child or children. Sometimes photos have no elaborate documentation at all - the photo tells the story on its own, an image of children doing the important work of play.
And, then, there are photos that come to life in a different way...by being a personal memory for a child. Come, look.

One girl wrote her own class book and wanted to share it with her friend. Come, look.

A four-year-old boy named Brian and his friend Sam were working together on building airplanes with Legos. Both boys were making the sound of the engines at take off. The photo I took of them working with their Legos showed (you have to imagine it) the boys with airplanes in mid-hold & their mouths formed in a "whhrrrrrr" shape. This photo was put in our Forest Room Photo Collection along with dozens and dozens of other photos. (see below about Classroom Photo Books). This particular photo had no official documentation - just the photo on its own to show the friends, the Legos and airplane designs.

The memory story came after the photo was placed in the Class Book. One of our classroom teachers had placed the book on the center welcome table in the morning one day so that children could look through for new photos at arrival and throughout the day. Brian happened to be looking at the book by himself that early morning when all of a sudden he yells to me from across the room: "Jeanne! Come! Look! I found the BEST picture of all! Look! Here's a picture of me and my friend Sam! That's the BEST picture!"

Brian kept looking at the book but kept his hand on the page of the Best Picture. Every few pages, he would flip back just to look at himself with his best friend one more time.

----- [grin, sigh, grin.] -----

Teacher tips:

Making class books is something that so many schools do and they are wonderful to have in different areas of the room. You can create Class Books out of construction paper, bound by ribbon or staples; store-bought "photo albums" that could be donated by families; bound books with school or local copier store bindings. + Create a Wish List for your classroom if you'd like donations or help with creating and/or compiling books.

1. You might have an on-going photo album of the life of the classroom - perhaps photos taken by teachers AND parents and compiled throughout the year. In the photo below, the photos are in sleeves for easy handling and adding more pages: 'There's Halloween!' This book might be in the reading area, in the dramatic play area or in the block area.

class books can come in many forms: fun photo albums, art books with a topic, project books with a study focus.

2. You might create 'topic books' for art/drawing experiences to be collected together. In the photo above, the example is a "Rainy Day Book" where all the children made drawings of what school, home or the neighborhood looks like when it rains. Each child's description of their work is included. Also, this book had the title created by the children! This book might be in the science area, art area or reading area.

3. Perhaps you created a class book around a study topic or project. We made our Cooking Journal over the course of the year as parents visited every other week and shared a new food and/or kitchen tool! This book might be found in our dramatic play area, science area or reading area.

Something wonderful about Class Books is that they are, themselves, a History of Your Classroom. They chronicle the tales of different school years, children, families, studies, adventures, traditions. Having access to these class books was my memory and vehicle to writing this blog story.

Children love books. Children love books even more when they have a personal connection to it whether via photos, art or writing.

Children want to be able to Come! Look! and to Flip Back To A Page that becomes a favorite. These authentic classroom books offer children an experience that is private, or shared, where they may have their own memory just be seeing one photo. (Perhaps spying a treasured friendship in color right there in front of them.)

It is highly likely that once you have class books,

you will also hear..."Come! Look!"

** What kinds of class books have you made? What kinds of materials did you use? Any other tips for teachers?

"way too fancy for preschool"

2011-08-01T22:49:00.000-07:00

Maybe "Too Fancy" is just right?

Maybe planning for one's return to preschool requires Something Shimmery or Twirly? Perhaps Something Super-Hero-Like or Purple Striped?

Oh, yes, I am talking about a 4-year-old yet perhaps teachers go through the same indecision?

Some schools started up again today. Friends on Facebook and Twitter made comments about their children, their summer being over, the surprise that it was August 1st already.

And then there was "K" - a soon-to-be 4-year-old who had a wardrobe dilemma yesterday while planning for her own return to her preschool.

Here is the story straight from K's mom, Gretchen:

Twas the night before school started and all through the house, all I can hear much more loudly than a mouse,

"I don't have anything to wear to school tomorrow!"

Gretchen: "What about the "new school clothes" I just bought you?"

Says the almost 4 year old with a sigh ... "Those are way too fancy for preschool."

The story that Gretchen shared made me smile and then laugh out loud with a knowing & understanding teacher-of-young-children-laugh.

The story made me think of other children I have met over the years that have a sense of "style" at an early age, who really coordinate and have opinions about their clothing or how they present themselves:

Natasha's Hair: I remember Natasha who liked to do her own hair each morning. Her father would arrive at school with Natasha and in she walked - sometimes 7 barrettes and 3 pony tails in surprising directions dancing atop her head.

Natasha would skip happily into class and her father couldn't have been happier, either. He was one of the most supportive parents I have ever met. He knew that Natasha doing her own hair was a gift on many levels. He allowed Natasha to BE Natasha - bold, confident and self directed. Ironically, Natasha's different hair styles each day really did make her personality shine exactly as it should. She would not have looked fully like Natasha with just one barrette pulling her hair back. Natasha loved school.

Ryan's Capes: My 4-year-old friend Ryan loved capes. Arrived in one everyday - sometimes kind of like Superman, or another super-hero, sometimes just a beach towel attached to his shirt. He was comfortable and happy with the flowing item trailing behind him. He didn't always play super-hero. He didn't always fly around. He just loved capes. Ryan's parents allowed him to wear what he needed and wanted to wear.

I also had capes in the classroom that my mother had made for the students - silk capes, with gorgeous patterns, lined on the inside, and hooded with fur on the edge (I know, right, my mother is amazing!). So, sometimes, Ryan would even add an extra cape to his existing one. Who can capture a double-caped super-hero four-year-old? Not a chance. Ryan loved school.

Kia's Colors: Kia would arrive at school in more colors than I could imagine. She would have layers of clothes in order that she would have more colors. Long-sleeve blue striped shirt, short sleeve red flowered shirt over that, with perhaps a cowgirl vest. She'd have polka dot leggings and a multi-colored skirt.

Kia would still wear socks - perhaps yellow - and shoes that she decorated with pen. And perhaps orange laces. Perhaps.

How can you not admire someone who knows what they want to wear - "Hhmm, where is my ______ because I need it over my _________ then I will add my ________ and, oh, maybe I need a Hat!" Fantastic. Kia loved school.

I admire when children have an opinion about Themselves,

about Who I Am, about How I Want to Present Myself, about How I Feel When I Step Out into The World.

Maybe it is "too fancy" ? Yet maybe it is just right?

Surely YOU know a child that has that certain flair, that certain something that makes their personality come to life even at a very young age?

Perhaps YOU are that child? Perhaps you still have that flair to be fancy, or have great hair, wear that great accessory or glow in great color...?

Please share in the comments below a favorite "must wear" item for yourself, your child or a student you can fondly recall.

Thanks to Gretchen, "K" and purple skirts - not too fancy... just right.

the weight of 9 books

2011-07-27T15:14:00.000-07:00

Integrated curriculum at its best:

Children using math and science...while weighing a hefty stack of literacy.

"How much do 9 books weigh...?" Great question!

This photo was taken during Choice Time in our 4s/5s class. We had been engaged in a long term project of the science of cooking, recipes and family-favorite foods. This table was filled with tools for weighing and sorting, cookbooks and items for writing your own recipe. These 2 students decided themselves to collect all the books nearby and give them a weigh, as well! You never know if you might just want to add a dash of a book into a "Pretend Soup" recipe! (if you are not familiar with these child-friendly cookbooks - I highly recommend them! by Mollie Katzen)

overheard:

"Press them down more to make a bigger number..."

"I think they are number 10 near the bottom..."

"The red line went so far! These books must be so heavy!"

"I wonder if we should get MORE books? Let's make the red line go far far far!"

It is fantastic when there is new language and new partnerships around an investigation. These 2 students did not usually play together yet were both interested in finding out what would happen with books on a scale. They collaborated for quite a while, tried more books, and tried other objects to get the "red line to go far far far!"

Skills used in this open-ended episode:

inquiry & hypothesizing
collaboration, teamwork & dialogue
using tools & materials in new ways to gain knowledge
number exploration of weight and quantity of books
self-direction and engagement in an experiment

This school year, we had been working on a long term project of Cooking and Family Recipes.

Families would come in with a chosen 'family favorite' recipe - arms loaded with all the tools and ingredients required - and cooked and baked and blended it together with our class of 16 students! Incredible experience.

My next post will be about the amazing 'Science of Food' that was explored this school year and how family guardians were integral in creating a very special community while cooking and feasting with young children. We created our own cookbook, documented with photos and comments, and had the children invent their own recipes as well. Look for this post in the coming days!

because it is your name

2011-07-20T17:26:00.000-07:00

Came across an old photo and just stared at it.

I remembered this 4-year-old girl in this exact moment, so many years ago.

I remembered her NAME - easily - as I stared at the photo of her water painting her own name with a stick, at our school, outside on the playground, on the side of the sand box.

Outside exploration with sticks and water and ... T-A-Y-L-O-R.

I thought about how special each of our names are to us.

How it begins so early to put our name on things we do, things we make, things we own. Putting our name on something is an action of sorts - it is an announcement that continues to announce every time someone reads our name:

This is ME, I am HERE. This is MY NAME.

Painting mostly abstractly on the easel...except for his name: can you see it TWO TIMES?

Think about your name.

Think about how people know YOU because of your name, how it sounds,

how it feels on your tongue,

how it rhymes or jolts or is lovely like a song.


one friend gives friend JACK a letter which he discovers in his mailbox: he knows it is his because it is HIS NAME.

There are so many names to know OTHER THAN our own: this girl is writing a note to someone from the class list!

Do you make sure to KNOW your students names on the first day (nearly!) of school? I have found that knowing a student's name (and their guardians, and siblings, and grandmothers...) literally changes your relationship in one instant:

"Wow? YOU know ME?"

Has that ever happened to YOU? Didn't you feel immediately welcomed, included and "in" ?
Your name has power and grounding and vitality.

It is double-or-nothing for C-H-R-I-S-T-I-N-A as she signs her second piece of art work with HER NAME.

Personally, I remember wishing I had a different name because I wanted it to "sound" a different way - exotic perhaps, or like a famous person, or from another country. As I grew up, I realized my name was exactly what it should be and it fit me exactly right.

My name IS french and IS in songs by David Bowie and Elton John so surely I can be content with that.

My name IS part of I Dream of Jeannie and The Little Mermaid. It could be worse.

And, I am pleased with the general "magic" with which my name IS associated.

Professionally, I have been called by my first name only, then "Miss Jeanne" for about thirteen years, then "Teacher Jeanne" (of which I am not a fan) and now, well, am back to my first name only in the college courses I teach.

My husband takes delight in hearing "Hello Miss Jeanne" on occasion as we walk through our downtown streets in the location where I taught for so many years. It does have a nice ring to it - my name ... granted, to be acknowledged usually does have a nice ring to it.

What about YOUR name? Does it fit you just right? Have you struggled with it?

A-M-A-N-D-A's name is ready to take flight with her twirly flyer any second!

special delivery of a card with 2 NAMES on it and looking for ONE NAME on the exact right mailbox.

Think about all the places we NAME IT in our classrooms:

name tags, cubbies, clothing, shoes, blankets, backpacks, lunchboxes, mailboxes, coat hooks, charts, portfolios, writing area lists, birthday boards, sing up lists...
so many opportunities for our NAMES to be boldly present.

a friendly monster story AND a painted I-S-A-B-E-L-L-A ... what could be better?


from a boy named W-A-L-T: "C-O-L-E you are inv - " ited to my birthday party. friendship rocks.

Think about the names that will be in your upcoming class.

KNOW that each name is important - the way it is pronounced and the respect it deserves.

The name IS the child that you are inviting, welcoming, and including into the family that is your classroom.

Uplift the names, uplift each child.

this says it all: L-A-U-R-E-N and then she had me write at the bottom "I put a frame around my name!" well done.

We should ALL feel this proud of our NAME [like Lauren's painting above] where we frame our name in big bold fabulous paint.

S-I-G-N your N-A-M-E.

the window owns the view

2011-07-17T12:04:00.000-07:00

Perspective taking.
Looking closer.
Looking lower, higher, across, under, over.

the window does own the view...with 5 different pair of eyes seeing what they choose to see.

"What you see depends on

where you are standing

when you look." (anon)

For our students, it can mean offering ways to LITERALLY look around using tools that CHANGE THEIR VIEW:

CAMERA to zoom in on friends and classroom.

tube BINOCULARS to see the world differently.

friends change colors with COLOR PADDLES!

MAGNIFIER on a light table w/ shells & jewels.

HOW you see something changes WHAT you see.

Do you offer your students different ways to view the world? Make it smaller or bigger, higher or lower, sideways and upside-down?

the parent/art expert introduces the idea of a mini-frame lens.


2 children test out the mini-frame to find THEIR own interesting spot in the art.

In this ART EXPLORATION:

children used mini-frames to look closer at their own abstract art ... and then they described what they saw! For a full read on this Abstract Art project, click here.

this boy discovers a section on the abstract art that he especially likes.

Teacher Reflection... 3 ideas that helped ME see differently:

1. Ironically, I realized in my classroom that while I did/do offer students ways to experience the school day from different perspectives I REMAINED IN A ROUTINE WHERE MY OWN PERSPECTIVE WAS THE SAME!
I always sat in the same "teacher spot" for meetings/circle - sure I might sit on the floor OR a chair, yet I kept my same spot because I wanted to be near the books/games/music for easy access. I realized that this also only let me experience meeting time with one lens. When I - finally - sat in a different place around the circle, I literally felt different and viewed the experience differently. After that day, I was more deliberate to switch up where I joined the meeting. Have you had this experience, as well?

2. Something I DID do that helped perspective taking as a model for students was NOT be the leader on a walk or if we needed to be in a line of some sort (going up/down stairs, etc.). I would elect to be in the middle or end or partner with a student somewhere IN the line or group. (Of course, for safety, there would be another teacher at the lead if required). The non-leader role helped me be a member of the group experience, instead of needing to lead or protect the experience.

3. A tip as we head into A NEW SCHOOL YEAR and PREPPING OUR CLASSROOMS: as you prepare your environment, squat low and/or sit on the floor to see how children will be seeing the room. What barriers present themselves at their level? What materials and experiences are available at their eye level? What is above their eye level that might be too overwhelming, high or distracting? Examine your color choices on the walls and the quantity of materials: Neutrals, natural materials, clean and defined choices in baskets or trays, a flow and non-clutter - the layout should inspire YOU to want to touch, discover, play.

2 MAGNIFIERS to examine the Dinosaur That Might Be Dead.

Taking new perspectives is exciting.

It allows for new ideas, opinions, and understandings of our world.

It allows for the joy of teaching to present itself daily.

following emily

2011-07-12T22:17:00.000-07:00

We all know Emily.

We all know her or have known someone just like her - boy or girl, young or old, quiet or not-so-quiet, long or short hair, large or small family. No formula.
Emily is my blog story today because she was a follower.
And I learned to be a better teacher by following her.

these 2 are actually playing TOGETHER, neither following the other.

The day would begin the same each day:
Four-year-old Emily would come to school, happily say hello to me and happily say goodbye to her mother.
And then the Search began...

sometimes a child becomes a shadow of another...what to do?

Emily began her hunt
to find her friend Lara -
"Is she here yet?"
"Where is Lara?"
"I want to play with Lara."

Emily followed,
followed, followed Lara.

Emily became
like a shadow of Lara.

Our classroom of 4s/5s was an inquiry based classroom where the children would explore, make their own choices, invent, try new materials, work independently or with a partner or in a group.

Surely one of my goals as an educator in this environment was to uplift the image of each child.
I was challenged because my image of Emily was overshadowed by that of Lara. [Or so I thought].

what happens when a child Admires another? what happens when a child sees past their self & Seeks out another?

It was something that happened over a short period of time, very soon after the school year started.
Emily started making choices that were based ONLY on Lara's choices.
If Lara planned to paint in the art area, so would Emily.
As soon as Lara decided to make a new plan in the classroom, Emily would - literally - drop her paintbrush and follow Lara.
Playing in the sandbox - Lara leaves, Emily bolts out.
Building in the block area - Lara goes to to use the bathroom, Emily waits for her at the doorway.

There was desperation to Emily's actions. A frantic nature by Emily to keep next to Lara at all times.

I must say, I had never seen the behavior to that extent before - and really have never seen it again to that level. There are always children - people - who prefer to be cautious, to see what others do and then join in. There are always those of us who don't mind NOT being the leaders, NOT being the most inventive or creative, NOT being the center of attention. Personality, social comfort and competence in an activity surely affects all of us daily, yet doesn't mean we are dependent upon ONE other person.

how can you tell if one child is following or if 2 children are playing together?

Hmm. What to do.
I looked closer at Lara:
Lara does have a way about her that also is quite unusual for a 4-year-old.
I can understand how Lara IS seen as quite fantastic.
Lara DOES have charisma [to this day she does!] which is rather unheard of in the very young.
Lara and I had a couple chats about being a leader and how to help friends have a chance at an idea. She was part of the unusual situation that had presented itself this school year. Emily followed Lara because Lara could lead her, could always have new ideas, could always know what to do at school.

what if there was a child at school with actual Charisma? could you identify it? could you see it how other children see it?

Next
when I started looking closer at Emily, I realized I needed to actually follow her . Then, I realized something quite spectacular:

I realized that it is quite amazing for a 4-year-old to Admire Someone Else, to Value Someone Else, to Appreciate Qualities of Another Human Being.

Surely Emily would not have had been able to do this when she was 3 or 2 years old. Emily's development of understanding, compassion and friendship was on a different level than I had witnessed by one child toward another.

I realized that Emily - while, yes, a follower - was coming from another perspective that I had not used as much as I should in my own life. Emily was able to move outside herself and seek out the skill, actions and choices of another as a source of inspiration for her own day.
I realized that this was a whole different kind of social constructivism (nod to Vygotsky). Emily was constructing her understanding of school life, social interactions, routine and choice making via another child that was more capable (scaffolding at its best, another nod to Vygotsky).

How could this NOT be applauded?
How could this not be applauded.

Being a teacher is such a journey.

Emily taught me about valuing children AT the place they are, BY the people they seek, FOR the reason that only they can know they need.

My image of Emily changed when I changed the lens through which I was seeing her.

Emily learned about how to be at school by following Lara.
I learned to be a better teacher by following Emily.

How could that not be applauded.

[yes, for everyone who is wondering, Emily learned over time to make her own choices and to bring her own spirit into the classroom. She and Lara remained close friends for many years.]

once upon a photo

2011-07-09T12:52:00.000-07:00

perhaps my favorite photo of all time.

Photos.
They have so many stories to tell.
Not just one.
Not just the story of the frozen moment the photo was taken.

Photos are a memory.

Photos become the narrative of our memory.

Photos become an integral part of the history of who we are and who we explain we "used to be" to others.

Doesn't this sound like all of us when looking at a personal photo:
"Hey, I remember this photo ... I was [insert age], at [insert place], and [insert reference to something that was happening before and/or after the frozen moment in the photo]"

* This posted photo was taken way back before digital cameras were readily available, so actually the shot is even more fabulous because it was my one and only chance to capture this exact stance.

This photo has a story that has been alive for fifteen years.

Cover: Two girls. Age 5. At our school library looking for books.

Page 1: When I got the developed 4x6 photo back from the camera store, I immediately knew it was a favorite. I was captivated by the rich personality and vitality of the shot: the two very different stances of these girls, the chair and the stool, the tall and less tall, the red shoes, the untied shoe, the long braid, the heads tilting "reading" for which book to pull off the shelf and the book shelves filled with books as the background.

Page 2: I gave this photo, enlarged and framed, to our school librarian who in turn added it to the rotation of framed book posters that she displayed on a wall in the school library.

Page 3: Years later, the framed photo was gifted to the parents of one of the students in the photo.

Page 4: Years later, at present time, part of the photo was posted on Facebook by "long braid, red shoes" as she had just discovered the framed work being stored at their home. She had a sweet caption that she had added for her friends to read "just looking for my favorite book." I happen to be 'friends' with K on Facebook (she is 20ish now!) and saw her posted photo.

Page 5: I made a comment to K about the photo and told her I'd love to write about it on my blog. The travels of this particular photo has reconnected me with K in a fun way, has offered her a reflection on when she was 5 to share with her friends, and has circled back to me to now post on an early education blog that absolutely didn't exist fifteen years ago.

Personally, as the photographer of the photo yet also the teacher of these two girls long ago...I could also say this photo makes me think of K and her amazing positive spirit. I think of K's family with whom I have remained close all these years (her father married my husband and me, K's younger sister was our flower girl). I think about the other girl in the photo, H, whom I have already written about on this blog as she was the writer of Lilly's Umbrella Hat click here to read her story
Professionally, this photo says "CHILDREN LOVE BOOKS. Give children time to LOVE BOOKS." And, for teachers, be deliberate about the photos you share: sure, take a zillion on your digital camera, yet really LOOK at the photos, be SELECTIVE and CHOOSE the story you want to tell.

Photo stories are powerful.
That is the story of this photo as of today.
And now all of you are part of this photo story...and can retell it, share it, blog about it, tweet about it, and become extended storytellers of this one captured moment from 15 years ago.

book review: a fine, fine school

2011-07-05T21:18:00.000-07:00

I realized that I have my lovely, lengthy Favorite Read-Aloud Books page yet I have not offered any book reviews of any of them. I will remedy that ever so slowly, one by one...

So, here starts my first Book Review and I thought I may as well begin at the top of the list:
A Fine, Fine School by Sharon Creech. Recommended for ages 4ish-8ish.

This book seemed just right to begin with because many of us right now are on some sort of holiday where we don't attend and/or teach school for weeks/months.

The funny (deep breath!) idea from Sharon Creech is that Principle Mr. Keene is so proud of his students and teachers, that he starts to add more days to come to school!

"This is such a fine, fine school! I love this school! Let's have more school!"

What if YOUR school was open on weekends, in the summer and every holiday, too! Oh, my, what if we really did that?

Fortunately, this story also has a girl named Tillie who does love school, yet also loves her little brother - who doesn't go to school yet - and her dog, Beans.

Tillie loves being at home on the weekend to climb her favorite tree, and to take Beans on his walks, and to push her brother on the swing and to try to teach him how to skip.

As school becomes MORE and MORE, Tillie gets to do LESS and LESS with her family and her dog. By the end of the story, Tillie has a heart to heart with Mr. Keene and things - just maybe - turn out as they should.

Things I love about reading this book with children:

Illustrations by Harry Bliss are humorous and colorful and detailed - children find so many quirky bits on every page.
Repetition of language ... "let's have more school!" ... offers call & response with students
Opens discussion about school AND family time
Open discussion about when something is "good" should we just have More and More of it?

**Play for children - and adults and pets - is a huge, invaluable part of a healthy life. The content of so many blogs for early education SHOWS us that this IS absolutely true.

For play and exploration and active ideas, please check out these inspirational bloggers

Cheers to good books that remind us that school is important yet FAMILY and PLAY and NATURE are vital in our daily lives.