Using Documentation Panels to Showcase Children’s Experiences

November 12, 2020

Teacher Notes Documentation is a powerful tool in the early childhood classroom. Put simply, documentation is any evidence collected over a period of time that describes, narrates, or demonstrates a child’s experience. Documentation can involve teacher and parent notes, a child’s drawings and dictations, and recordings/photos of an event or interaction. Such evidence allows for parents, teachers, children, and other stakeholders to engage in meaningful discussions about children’s learning and growing.

15 Creative Greetings to Start Your Day

October 15, 2020

A typical morning in child care might involve greeting children with hugs, high fives, and snuggles for those who are still waking up or having a hard time saying goodbye to loved ones for the day. However, some children (and adults!) are slow to warm in the morning, preferring quiet, space, and independent activities. Regardless of how children are entering your setting, it’s important to make space and time to acknowledge each other. Below are 15 creative greetings to support you in promoting safety, personal space, and rapport in your setting:

Celebrating Sukkot

September 25, 2020

Harvest Basket The Jewish holiday of Sukkot is the perfect time of year for family engagement and community-building in preschool settings. Historically, Sukkot commemorates the forty-year period during which Israelites wandered the desert, living in temporary shelters. Sukkot is also a harvest holiday about coming together and sharing food. Perhaps the most recognizable symbol of Sukkot is a structure built for outdoor eating and sleeping called a sukkah. The sukkah, emblematic of the temporary shelters used during this period of wandering, can be made of any material, as long as it is stable enough to survive the wind. The roof, however, is typically made of natural materials, i.e., leaves, bamboo, etc. Once established, the sukkah is a space for family and community gatherings.

Welcoming Kindergarteners in Your Setting: Tips and Resources

August 4, 2020

gate Many providers welcome kindergarteners and other school-age children during summer and as needed when school is closed. While our Fireflies curriculum tackles and reinforces many skills and concepts essential to kindergarten, we felt it important to offer you resources that will support you in extending our curriculum to meet the needs of and challenge the older children in your care.

We’re Celebrating 25 Years!

July 21, 2020

Twenty-five years ago, Beth Ehlis, owner and president of FunShine, was searching for quality educational materials for the children in her licensed child care program. What she was looking for, however, was not available on the market. At eight months pregnant and dreaming of a business, she began creating her own curriculum, with just a paper cutter, heat sealer, computer, and the copy machine in her basement. In 1995, along with the help of her mom and sister, she started reproducing the materials for other providers. The very first curriculum kits for September 1995 were shipped to 30 customers! Every single one of them re-ordered, and Beth knew the content was sound.

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