Let Children Play Freely!

July 25, 2019

There seems to be a push in recent years to make sure children do not sit idle. With so many state standards to cover, many providers feel pressured to make sure they are maximizing every learning opportunity. While we live in an age where knowledge and information are constantly at our fingertips, children may be lacking opportunities to explore, sit and daydream, and play on their own.

Rain Boots and Mud Pies—Gearing Up for International Mud Day

June 21, 2019

As early childhood professionals we know that learning can be messy. Children often seem to be at their happiest when they are digging, painting, or creating. In fact, if each of us paused for a moment and thought about it, we could probably easily recall a time when the children in our care were consumed by swirling paint colors and painting over the same area on the page, piling sand into large mounds, or collecting an assortment of sticks and rocks. In each of these activities, children are honing many skills—fine motor, gross motor, cognitive awareness, and math and counting. Help children and families in your setting embrace messy play by getting outside and celebrating International Mud Day on June 29.

Benefits of Using Themes

June 20, 2019

We receive a lot of questions about our themes and how we select the activity schedule each year. In this post we talk about how we create and update our themes. First, let’s talk about the benefits of using themes in early childhood education in general.

Learning in the Outdoors

June 14, 2019

16 Activities to do Outside
by Patricia Dietz

Cooking with Kids

May 31, 2019

Imagine having your teaching setting filled with delicious scents and seeing your children willingly dig into healthy foods. How can you make this happen? One of the best ways is to offer healthy cooking experiences. Whether you work in family care, a child care facility, or even a public school, there are many ways you can make cooking a part of your day.

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