Joining Hands (and Hearts) as Professionals: Part 2

A couple months ago I posted Joining Hands as Professionals about a new adventure in my learning journey

On September 19th five amazing people, Kimberley, Jerome, Annette, Amy, and Sally adventured here as "Team Maine" from England and I got to watch months of planning become real. My experience at the Play Iceland 2014 conference played a huge role in how I chose to plan and organize this next step of the journey.  I knew the importance of visiting different settings, but also ensuring there was time to reflect and compare notes with others at the end of each day.

When we work together, we can climb mountains.

The knowledge and experiences I gained from this would make a list far too long to share. I think overall the highlights of the experience were meeting, sharing, and collaborating with new early childhood practitioners from both near and far! I was able to reach out to and visit new settings and have visitors in my setting who had different perspectives. Forming a unique bond with a small group of individuals who can now extend the knowledge we gained back into other early years opportunities. I strongly believe we all grew as professionals and advocates for childhood, but also as individuals.

The group that was formed was an international one, but this type of professional development could be easily planned with a local group of providers.


My planning process and suggestions:

The Planning

I reached out to programs in a more populated area of my state. They were far enough away from my setting that there was not as much worry about being the competition. I think some of the appeal was having visitors from England visit their school, but there is no reason you can't form a small group of practitioners (or even just yourself) to visit other early childhood programs. It was easier for me to connect with these programs, because I was organizing for an outside group, but realized what a valuable experience this would be for anybody to do. These are beautiful programs right here at home, that I would never have experienced on my own and I had to ask myself "Why?"

I met several of the people in person ahead of time. It seems to be a growing trend that daycare providers and directors form small groups to meet with once a month to network and share ideas. I was able to sit in on one of these meetings in the area we would be visiting. I became familiar with many of the providers that we would be visiting.

I set up specific dates and times with the programs during a three day period. And made sure that I was clear what type of involvement they wanted us to have while we were visiting. Some of the programs allowed us to be involved with the children's activities, while others preferred we sit quietly and take notes. Some allowed photos with children and others asked us to take photos without. We visited in pairs, so that we wouldn't overwhelm the staff or children, but would still be able to reflect with somebody after the visit.

The Visits

The team made time at the end of each day to discuss how our visits went and what we were going to take back to our own classrooms. It was so helpful to have a the small group of people to reflect with about the visits. I am happy that we mostly visited settings in pairs, so that we came to the "table" with more than one perspective on each setting.

Reflection

One of the directors (The Children's Center) was so enthusiastic about our visits that she and I planned an evening mixer where we could meet with her staff and have a chance to talk. "Team Maine" shared a video presentation of their settings at Child First Day Nurseries. It was a magical evening filled with inspiration and like-minded individuals who all shared the same passion for working with children.

Hosting Visitors

Another important part of the experience was having visitors observe and spend time with me at my preschool. They were able to share ideas, suggestions and feedback on our philosophies and daily routines. The relationships that were formed during our week together made it so easy to have them come into my classroom. I was so worried about the way the children would respond to so many new adult faces. Everybody was so comfortable with being there together. The children still ask about them and we have a picture hanging in our classroom. The impact that they left on us teachers and the children will never be forgotten.

The Grand Finale: Joining Hands

At the end of the week, I hosted a free event at my preschool and invited about 15 other practitioners to attend. The attendees were Team Maine, teachers from the some of the settings we had spent time in and also colleagues of mine from another state who were able to share photos and information about their settings. 

 I had a tie-dyeing activity available in the middle of the day to give people a chance to be creative and to continue their discussions during a break. Everybody brought food to contribute for lunch.

We had three different speakers and time in between to talk and share. I asked that people bring any paperwork they were willing to share including: handbooks, assessments, planning sheets, etc. We had time scheduled in for small group discussions and brainstorming, but unfortunately ran out of time. I think in the future two speakers would be sufficient at this type of workshop.

There is just something about a room full of people talking about their love for children that will stick in your heart for a long time. Everybody just seemed so relaxed and happy to be there together sharing conversations about why we do what we do!

"Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world; indeed, it's the only thing that ever has." -Margaret Mead

A special THANK YOU! to all the people who were involved in this amazing experience, including Tom Shea, Team Maine, all the settings that welcomed visitors into your programs, our wonderful speakers, and all of the teachers and providers who joined us in the evening and on a Saturday to share your passion!




Stay tuned for more information on Play Iceland 2016 (now Play International)! Iceland, UK, Australia and USA.

Play Iceland 2014: Simplicity

This is my second post following my adventure to Play Iceland 2014. My first post can be found here.

Two of the days in Iceland were spent visiting "playschools." The schools were much different than most that we have in the US. The buildings I visited looked similar to a miniature elementary school. They had about eight classrooms with children ages two to six years old. Both schools that I visited were incorporating inspiration from Reggio Emilia schools of Italy.

The major thing that I noticed right away was the simplicity of  the materials in the classroom. Actually what I noticed was the lack of things. The classrooms seemed bare.

Later when I had a chance to reflect on my photos, I realized that the "things" that really caught my eye were mostly re-purposed and simple. 

Almost every room had some sort of beautiful chandelier hanging from the ceiling. Some were made from natural materials and others were created from "Beautiful Stuff."

Leikskólinn Aðalþing 

This playschool had a lot of building materials that were made from recycled stuff. The room that stands out in my mind the most had lots of boxes and tubes for the children to build with. The young group that was playing in this room was enjoying building towers (taller than themselves) and knocking them down. There were photos on the shelves to help the children organize the materials back into their places.

Leikskólinn Stekkjarás 

This playschool had a room that was based on the idea of Reggio Emilia's Remida. A whole room full of organized collections of things to create from and learn with. This was a room that teachers could use for gathering resources, but also children could visit to collect things they need for artwork and projects. There were bicycle wheels, fabric, jars, cardboard, wood, broken electronics, and so much more. I would like to have been left alone in that room for hours.

Remida Inspired Room

Lesley from Takoma Park was part of Play Iceland 2013 and wrote about her experience with materials. Materials #playiceland

Little Moments in a Big Big World

We have two playgrounds. 

Our smaller and older playground is wedged between the building and a major road. 

No trees and very man made.

Our bigger and newer playground is out back of the building with lots of trees, ferns, rocks and a few mushy leafy muddles.

Our small playground is a great place to find ants in the sand and grasshoppers in the lawn. That is about all.

Our big playground has birds, moss, frogs, grapevines and snails.

Today I had to look twice as I stood on the small playground and looked down at the dirt of the bike path.  

The tiniest little Painted Turtle. 

Thank goodness the preschoolers were all huddled in the sandbox and not whipping around on the wagon or tricycles.

The preschoolers insisted that we return him to his Dad. They were having a hard time comprehending that baby turtles are on their own once they hatch. They were also just as confused as I was on how he ended up here.

The preschoolers were concerned that he might be hungry. We did a bit of "Googling" on the playground and learned that when they are young they are more carnivorous. This led to a worm search and the discovery of a tiny worm for our tiny turtle. He wasn't really interested though.

At the end of the day a few of us walked down the road to the "beaver swamp" and released our tiny friend into a safer habitat.

He seemed pretty content with all that his new home had to offer.

Good luck little friend. It's a big big world!

Nature's little surprises are one of the best parts of my job. I get to feel like a child again. A chance to be as equally fascinated as they are by the world around us. Taking me back to many cherished childhood memories in nature. 

I hope that one day, when these kids are wandering around in the big big world, they will look back and cherish these moments too.

Uno, Dos, Tres.

We may be the only preschool that was learning about Mexico in March, but we like to do things different around here. Here is the post from the beginning of our Mexico unit.  

We have learned some Spanish words for food, clothes and colors.  The children have really been absorbing their favorite words and teaching them to their families at home. Although our unit on Mexico is over, I anticipate our Spanish vocabulary will continue to grow.

Sombrero craft done with the children by one of practicums from the university.

We did our counting in Spanish this month. Our pattern of cactus, sombrero and pepper was also great practice for Spanish colors ( Verde, blanco, rojo).

We received a book from some friends in the mail about a travelling armadillo. How appropriate! José enjoyed being the center of attention this month

José loves his sombrero.

They colored these with oil pastels. I love how they all have their own creative flair.

We ended the month with a Fiesta. Read about it in this post.

Mexico!!

For the month of March we are focusing on Mexico and the Spanish language. 

During last week's drama day the theme agreed upon was travel and airplanes. The purpose of drama day is for the group to make a plan together. The teacher is not usually involved once the plan has been made. The preschoolers usually stay engaged with their game/scenario for about 45-60 minutes. 

The pilot hard at work.
(By the way, I was told this airplane is so big that it has a kitchen)

Drawing a map of the route.

Packing bags.

Did you know there are treasure collecting cowboys in Mexico?

Eating lunch during the flight.

Studying the map.

We also received three postcards from a new friend named José last week. He told us that he was traveling to our preschool from Mexico to teach us some Spanish. 

He gave us a few hints about himself. He said that he was shy and sometimes curls up into a ball....  

In his postcards he taught us to say "Hola, adios and amigos," which means hello, goodbye and friends.

Our postcards

When he arrived on Friday, some of us were very surprised to find out that José was actually an armadillo!

We all introduced ourselves with some Spanish. José is very shy and will only whisper in the teachers ears. He taught us to say "Me llamo (insert name)," which is another way to introduce yourself in Spanish. 

We also learned to ask "How are you?" or "Como estas?"

José told the children he was very tired from his long journey and one child suggested that he needed a bed.

José sleeping off his jet lag.

Over the next few weeks we will be exploring Mexican culture. We will be learning Spanish words for food, colors, clothes and general conversion words. Towards the end of the month we will "travel" to Mexico to return José to his home.

Snakes.

Four years ago, I had a boy in my preschool who LOVED snakes. I would have considered him an expert back then. He would spend hours studying any book he could find with snakes in it. 

He has been asking for several months to come in and teach us all about the slithery reptiles. 

Today he finally shared his knowledge with the preschoolers, during a very well prepared presentation. This inquisitive eight year old boy may have found his calling early in life. 

The preschoolers did not take their eyes or ears off of him, well except his sister, who has heard it all a million times. :)

This might be part of a new "returning graduate" series. 

Any takers?

We may not have had snakes on the playground back in 2010, but here is one picture that I've always kept close at hand of today's visitor. :)

Circles, Spots and Polka Dots Art Show!

After spending the entire month of May creating, painting, cutting, gluing, drawing, coloring, and dabbing, we finally pulled it all together for the First Annual Inch By Inch Art Show! 

The kids were so excited to show off their art work and their school. Mostly they were just excited about all the amazing circle snacks that were available. :)

Such a great opportunity to see all the families and kids come together. 

Thanks for helping make it a success.