Storytime Spotlight: Over in the Meadow

Have you ever picked up a book and been captivated by the rhythm of the language? How about really unique illustrations? If not, you’re in for a treat with our June Fireflies Book of the Month, Over in the Meadow. Published by Barefoot Books, Over in the Meadow was a NAPPA Honors winner in 2011.

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Differentiating in a Preschool Setting

It’s Sunday night and you have just finished creating the perfect set of lesson plans, filled with exciting activities to evoke interest and engagement in all of your little ones. Your children arrive the next day and within the first hour you realize that everything you had planned is not going to happen. What do you do?

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Storytime Spotlight: Baby Animals

We are on cuteness overload with the Buttercups Book of the Month, Baby Animals! The May themes are all about growing up and we found a nonfiction book showing adult animals and their babies. The full-color photographs capture lions, ducks, cats, dogs, horses, and elephants as adults and babies.

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Let Them Out: Outdoor Play in the Early Years

Is there anything better than hearing a young child laugh as they jump in a rain puddle, run around the playground, or make pies out of mud? This may not be what is seen at some child care programs today. What happened to outdoor play for young children?

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Tikkun Olam: Repairing the World on Earth Day

As early childhood educators, we know that supporting children's social-emotional development is crucial to their success in the primary grades, their relationships, their choice-making, and in essence, life. Every child has his own unique challenges in developing a sense of responsibility, self-regulation, and self-care. As we support children's personal growth, we also need to consider how to encourage them to care for one another and for the world at large.

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