Listen to Your Quiet Child

A preschool classroom is usually full of colors, scribbles, toys, children playing and sharing, but most of all. . . a lot of noise. Over the course of the school year, a teacher gets to know each of her students—their noises, voices, laughs, and cries. There is always a particular voice, a more outgoing child, one who arrives with a hug and leaves with a smile on his face. Or, there’s the child who loves to play with lots of friends, and the one who plays with many toys at the same time because fun shouldn’t have limits!

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Storytime Spotlight: September Reads

One of the most exciting updates to the FunShine Express curriculum this year was the additional books included in the Fireflies and Buttercups programs. The children’s books are consistently ranked highly on our customer survey as a favorite component. This year we made some changes in order to include an additional book to help you expand your classroom library!

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FunShine Staff Favorites: Materials, Projects, and More!

Each winter, the FunShine team gathers to plan the new curriculum year. At that time, we discuss customer feedback, our themes, purchasing art materials and books, and of course, any curriculum redesigns. We are regularly immersed in planning, writing, designing, and editing. When we’re busy, it’s hard to find time to discuss what we love about our work. In addition to the many new features you’ll see in our curricula this year, we wanted to share a few of our favorite components with you. Read below to learn more about why we love what we do and what makes our work exciting!

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Promoting Community in a Preschool Setting

A tenet of developmentally appropriate practice is establishing and nurturing a sense of community in your classroom or setting. This sense of community should encompass your relationships with the children, their families and caregivers, and with your colleagues.

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Vegetable Recipes for Preschoolers

Healthy food choices can’t start early enough. If children participate in the preparation of meals, they are more likely to eat the foods. Other tips to get your little ones to enjoy vegetables include familiarity, satiety value, social context, modeling, and “hiding” vegetables. You can learn more about these tips here.

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