All About Me: BIG and SMALL

This week our intern Lacey planned a week of "All About Me," for her class. For today's activity each child had a turn to get traced and then paint themselves. It was a lot of fun and fascinating to see all their individual artistic styles through the way they decorated themselves. 

Once the children were given the paint, we did not interfere with how they wanted to decorate their people. 

To some of them it was simply a giant piece of paper and they were not going to let that person outline get in the way of their painting.

 For others it was a template for making a face and hair and a colorful outfit.  

Some started with a face and hair, but enjoyed using the paint so much they painted right over the face when they ran out of blank space elsewhere. 

Some chose to stay in the lines and others used the WHOLE paper. Some of them traced the outline with paint, while others made a few very intentional blobs of color and stated, "I'm done."

No matter their styles, they all really enjoyed having a turn being traced and seeing their "big" selves on the paper. They also loved having a large piece of space to create all on their own.

We also have mini-me versions of everyone that they like to carry around and play with. This week we taped them upright on to blocks to encourage even more play with the photos.

I'm realizing right now that these are all girls in this picture. I just went to check and one (or more) of the children seemed to have created a boy shelf and a girl shelf. Not sure if it was intentional or not. Very interesting!

This is such a fun way to get a group photo when everybody has such different schedules.

I can do it myself.

Never help a child with a task at 

which he feels he can succeed.

-Maria Montessori

One of our major goals is to help build self-confidence in the children and provide time for them to practice important life skills. 

Here are just a few of the daily routines, where the children have a chance to gain independence.

Getting dressed

The children are reminded and encouraged to do as much of their own dressing and undressing for outdoor play as possible. We give reminders to the children to guide them to remove their own shoes and jackets. Sometimes they need help with the velcro, laces or zippers, but then they can actually remove the item and put it away themselves. When getting ready to go outside, they are asked to put on as much as they can and then approach us to be zipped, buttoned, tucked etc. Often we will hook their zipper and have them pull it up themselves.

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Toileting

In the bathroom children are encouraged to be as independent as possible. If the child is still in pull ups (or diapers), they are expected to pull everything down and then back up after they have been changed. These are the beginning steps to helping themselves in the bathroom. In order for children to feel successful they need to have stretchy clothing on. Things that discourage independence in the bathroom: tight fitting pants, buttons, snaps, belts and overalls. These can also be a problem if a child is rushing to the bathroom in an emergency and can’t get onto the potty in time.

At the table.

Children pour their own water and pass the water pitcher to their friends. They ask to “clear” or to be excused when they are finished. They sometimes have to make two trips to the kitchen, but they scrape their plates and put them in the sink. As the year goes on children are provided with more opportunity to serve themselves. We have recently started experimenting with occasional buffet style meals.

Outside

There are lots of different experiences for the children on the playgrounds. Some of the elements are simple and some requires a bit more balance and physical ability. The general rule at Inch By Inch is once they can safely get on and off by themselves, than they are ready to use it. If a child climbs onto something and needs assistance to get back down, than they are redirected to something easier that can strengthen those same skills. Teachers act more as observers on the playground, allowing the children the time and space to explore and problem solve on their own.

I think that being in a social environment is a great place for children to practice these skills. There is often more time for practice at preschool than there is at home. The children are usually more willing to try for another adult besides their parents. And of course, most importantly, they are learning from and watching each other succeed. Self-motivation is the best motivation.

A Balancing Act

The best part about having my own program is following the children's lead. That doesn't mean that I don't have a plan for each day. It means that sometimes the children's interests steer us in a different direction and that is okay. 

It was very clear by 8:30 a.m. that these little bodies needed to be MOVING today.

 Think quick! 

How do I keep them busy until outside time?  

Give them something to stand on and jump from.

As more children started to gather. I realized we needed more supplies.

I sent a couple children into other areas to gather my requested materials.

They had so much fun experimenting and moving.

Lots of moving. A little bit of risk assessment. Math. Science. Problem Solving. What a "productive" day!

I am hoping they will gather the materials on their own next time the have the wiggles. 

Creating Bears: The Process and The Product

I have realized over the last couple years how much it bothers me that so many things in Early Childhood have to be Right or Wrong. A school/teacher either has to follow one philosophy or another. If you are play-based than you are not allowed to sing the Alphabet Song. If you are a quality program than you would never allow children to play with food. These are just a couple examples of the never ending list of do's and don'ts of preschool.

Another example of this is the great debate between Process Art versus Products. I am a firm believer in children being allowed to express themselves freely through art with available open ended materials. I also agree that if children are always provided with a template or an example, that their creativity will most likely be stifled. 

 I have realized more and more that it doesn't have to be one or the other. There are many types of learning styles and personalities in every classroom. If a variety of methods are not used, than how will the needs of all the children be met?

There is just as much value in crafting as there is in process art. Both provide a chance for creativity, expression and learning, when they are approached with specific children's needs in mind.

Every single thing that a teacher provides in the classroom should be done with intention. 

My basic rules for creating projects in the classroom:

Children should always have choices on the outcome of their craft or project

An adult should NEVER adjust or finish a child's project for any reason.

All the finished products should look unique in their own way.

Here is an example from this week on how a project might be presented in our classroom:

At circle time I showed the children all the pieces that would be available during this project. I showed them different ways that they could put them together to create a bear. 

I did not have a finished product glued together. 

The supplies were later available at the table for the children to create their bears.

Almost all the pieces available were circles, but the black pieces were bunch of different sizes and also included some heart shapes too. 

I sat at the table and spoke with the children and showed them a real teddy bear. On the teddy bear I pointed out the bear's "muzzle" and how it had a nose and mouth on its muzzle. Many of the children wanted to include that, but some chose not to. 

Many of the children have been struggling with getting things to stick with glue sticks, so this was a good chance to practice.  In order to encourage the children to be thoughtful about their bears and to make a plan, I asked them to put their bears together first and then I would give them the glue stick once we talked about it. (Glue sticks are always available for free gluing, which some children really enjoy and seem to NEED to do) 

Again, it is all about a balance at our preschool.

 Everybody had a very different idea about how they wanted their bears to look. 

The bear below was a wonderful example of how adults need to be VERY careful before making assumptions about children's work. When I saw the bear below I wondered if the child had decided to add arms and legs instead of ears (which would have been completely fine in our classroom). The child (almost three) told me that the two circles on the sides were cheeks. :)  Sadly, I know many classrooms would have told the child that they took too many ears or simply removed them for the child without even asking. 

The final products all had their own unique flair that truly reflected the personalities of their creators.

The children were very proud of their projects! 

I am looking forward to seeing if this inspires anybody to create more things with paper, shapes and glue at the table during their own time. 

A couple years ago we did a similar art project, but the children were a bit older and the activity was much more open ended. I am hoping in a another year I will be seeing similar projects from my current group of children. 

Dining Inspiration

Meal time has always been a work in progress at Inch By Inch. It is a very important part of our day. We have two snacks together and lunch. We have tried different styles of serving and presentation. Currently our children use ceramic plates, glass cups and glass pitchers. Most of the time the children serve their own water, but teachers serve the food. We have tried passing food around the table family style, but have struggled with making it work. 

Lunch at Inch By Inch

When I attended Play Iceland recently I was able to see two different types of meal presentation. Both were lovely and inspired me to keep experimenting. It has encouraged me to look more closely at other ways to allow the children more independence during meal time. 

Lunch at Leikskólinn Stekkjarás

Both of our tours took place mostly in the morning. We were able to see the set up at the first playschool, but didn't actually see the lunch in progress. I loved the place settings at Stekkjaras, especially the food carts and serving dishes.  We were told that in most of the classrooms, the children serve themselves. 

In Iceland the playschools have a high focus on healthy eating and the slow food movement. 

The playschool has a chef who makes the food from scratch daily including the bread.

I loved the plates, they would be great for soup or as a regular plate. 

Lunch at Leikskólinn Aðalþing

Adalthing has over a 100 students, who all share this unique dining room. This dining room is in the center of the school and can seat 29 children. Only 26 children are allowed to be in the dining room at any given time. This means that the child entering the dining room always has a choice about where they sit. During a certain period of time, children are allowed to leave their classroom to walk down and have their lunch. There is a buffet (on the far right wall) where children can serve their own food and then take a seat where they please. When the children are finished they clear their settings and walk back to their rooms. There are usually three teachers in the room who supervise the safety of the children and occasionally explain new offerings on the buffet. 

Children are able to make choices about what they eat and how many helpings they need. Staff have found the children are more engaged and relaxed at the table.

I simply fell in love with the idea of all these different tables and seating options. I know several children in my group who would gain more socially from sitting with smaller groups, without teachers at the table. My plan is to slowly eliminate one of my bigger tables and include several different height and size tables.

Suzanne from Interaction Imagination was with me during my visit and has included more details in her post here

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As I was brainstorming about this post, I decided to also include photos from a couple other smaller settings that have inspired me with their meal times. 

Lunch at Today's Play

Tammy at Today's Play values family style meals.  The first photo is a typical lunch time at her small Home Child Care. She always has the most beautiful centerpieces and provides real plates and utensils. 

The bottom photo is an example of one of her buffet style meals. This is a "Pasta Salad Bar" where the children can select and serve themselves the items they want in their Pasta Salad. She has also done a Yogurt Bar, where children can select from granola, fruit and other healthy toppings. 

I would love to include more centerpieces. 

I also love her divided Corelle plates. 

Breakfast Bar at Exploration Child Care

Careese has found a great breakfast system for her In-Home Child Care. Every morning she has a selection of items prepared and displayed on her counter. At drop-off time parents help the child select their breakfast and then follow them to the table before they say good-bye. This allows the caregiver more time to help prepare bottles for the infants and speak with parents. It has created a much smoother transition in her program. 

What a great morning ritual for the children and their parents!

The Leader of the Pack: Giving them time to be the role-models.

I think one of the best parts of our preschool program is having the one multi-age classroom. I love having the 2-5 year olds all mixed into "one big family." It has such a home-like feel to it and everybody is learning something from everybody else, just like siblings do. They are learning patience. compassion, nurturing, leadership, empathy and the list goes on.

Recently during a Montessori session at the NAEYC Conference the presenters talked about the benefits of the three-year groups that Montessori children are in. They remain in the same classroom for three years. As they spoke I realized that I follow a very similar philosophy when it comes to the benefits of a multi-age classroom for preschoolers. 

When they enter preschool they are able to observe and learn from the older children who have attended the program longer. As they move up the "totem" and become the bigger kids of the group, it is easy to see the changes taking place. Suddenly they are the big kids. They get to be the leaders. It is time for them to pull together everything they have observed and learned and use it with confidence. 

They get to lead the play. They are the teachers. 

For some children this opportunity is key to allowing them to build confidence and to feel comfortable in their own skin.  It is important that I recommend to each family whether they should move on to Public PreK (4 year old program in public school) or whether they would benefit from having the extra year. The extra year allows many to become the leaders in an environment where they are already comfortable. It is necessary to look at every child as an individual. Some children really benefit from moving on to the public 4 year old program, after just a year or two of being in a multi-age program. Others really need that final year to be the role models and learn valuable leadership skills that will follow them through their school years. 

Are they still learning after being there that long? Of course. They are solidifying all the concepts they have learned as they model them to younger friends. Kids like to feel smart! They get excited when they are finally the ones who are always the "experts" before the littler kids get a chance to answer. They are also gaining critical social skills. 

This is an important conversation for the parent-teacher team to have when advocating for what is in the best interest of the child.

Public Prek is often a bigger group and usually a bigger school. Many parents feel the need to introduce their children to this experience before kindergarten so they are not overwhelmed. I think what is often not considered is, if they wait their child may be entering Kindergarten much more confident. They may be really READY if they are given another year to develop their self-esteem further.

"Character formation cannot be taught. It comes from experience and not from explanation.” -Maria Montessori

Warning!! Large Box

We have had this box for over a week. It seemed like a typical fort-sized horizontal box. Until this morning, when it suddenly flung upright in the middle of the classroom. It wasn't until shortly after that I noticed it said...

"Warning!! Large Box."

Better be on the safe side and bring this box outside...

Our curriculum coordinator for the morning.

Peer Guidance

Our Science of Sledding

Our favorite winter activity at preschool is sliding down our "snow mountain."

Managing a small group of kids sledding seems to have become a science. Here's how we make it work.

We used to have classic plastic sleds, which are fun with a couple kids, but our new style sleds have proven to be amazing for a group of preschoolers. I get to spend a lot more time monitoring for safety and less time helping. We got ours from LL Bean, but I have seen similar sleds from other stores. It seems that people either really like these sleds or really dislike them. We have had nothing but success, but our hill is usually smooth. They really need a packed trail. 

These sleds are very light and easy to carry up the hill, which creates a lot of independence.

 It always takes a few sessions to create a smooth rhythm. 

To begin they have to master how to get on the sleds, which can be a little tricky at first for kids who haven't used them before. Scaffolding proves to be a great learning tool, with beginners observing the experts.

 We call them "horse sleds," which seems to help the kids understand that the handle needs to go in the front and that you can't let go!

Another great part about these sleds is the body control that they have to accomplish, it's practically yoga. They have to center themselves carefully on the sled and then lean back just enough and hold their feet up off the ground. It's amazing how fast the catch on. They also have a lot more control of stopping, because their feet are not in the sled. 

I usually have to prompt the children to hand their sleds over, but there is rarely a complaint. They know that the child will quickly be back to the top to hand it back again. Often, a couple children are off doing something else and there are enough sleds for everybody. I have considered getting more, but in some ways I think the turn taking is an important part of the experience.

There is a lot of opportunity to practice waiting, watching and being aware of others.The biggest challenge is helping them understand and remember that they have to walk up to the left of the sledding path. The kids waiting at the top also have to be aware and they do a great job waiting for kids and/or shouting out "look out below."

Of course, marching up the hill in their full winter gear is great exercise and usually yields a quiet nap time.