Curriculum & Educational Training

Take the Stress out of Assess! Measuring Child Progress with FunShine Curricula Tools
(1.5 hours)

Is assessment stressing you out? Click below to see how FunShine Assessment Tools make tracking child progress simple. We'll cover best practices and take a quick look at FunShine Digital for creating easy digital Child Progress Reports aligned to your state standards. Save time and skip the stress!

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Developing Handwriting in the Early Years  
(1.5 hours)

Most early learning standards include language that describes developmental milestones related to handwriting. At the toddler level, children often begin making random marks, such as dots or scribbles. By preschool, children's marks become discernible as lines, shapes, and even letters. During this session, we compare how handwriting is taught to how handwriting is learned, talk about best practices for developing handwriting skills, and highlight activities in the curriculum that support children's fine motor development.

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A Multisensory Approach to Developing Literacy Skills
(1.5 hours)

Studies show that about 5% of children have trouble learning to read in the early elementary years. Schools across the country are training teachers to take a multisensory approach to teaching reading that gives children the tools they need to read on or above level with their peers. Fortunately, the early childhood years are full of multisensory experiences. Join us as we share how implementing a multisensory approach to literacy skills can help lay a solid foundation for literacy development in later years.

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How to Prep Your Environment for Literacy Success
(1 hour)

You've labeled cubbies, carpet squares, and special areas in your environment. But what else can you do to set up your classroom to promote literacy? We share 10 tips to prep your environment for literacy success, with lots of ideas that can be implemented immediately!

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From Product Art to Process Art: A Two-Part Series
(3 hours)

What children create and how they create is a hot topic in early childhood education. In this two-part course, we define product art and process art, identify the benefits and challenges of both approaches, and engage in hands-on learning with project examples from the Lillio curriculum. This session helps you define your own approach to teaching art, understand basics of how different approaches to art support child development, and offer insight into the arc of art project development throughout the curriculum year.

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Finding Time for Art with Infants and How to Do It
(1 hour)

Can babies do art? Yes! Infancy is a period of rapid growth that involves children engaging in sensory play and learning about their environments. Art for infants is about safe hands-on exploration. In this session, we will talk about what art with infants "looks like," address safety issues around doing art with infants, and how to help families understand the benefits of process art with our youngest learners.

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Learning Outside for Every Season 
(1.5 hours)

Create fresh context for learning by taking lessons and activities outdoors. Children experience a multitude of benefits when engaged in outside learning. While this teaching practice may be common in warmer months, it can be challenging to continue throughout the year in less ideal weather. You will be provided with outdoor activities for each season, encompassing a variety of learning domains. Discussions will also include essential safety tips, suggestions for smooth and efficient outdoor-to-indoor transitions, and communication between your setting and children's homes. 

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Discovering Science in Our Curricula 
(1.5 hours)

Infants are born with natural curiosity and the propensity to explore using their senses. As children grow, their developing ability to reason and remember helps them continue to make sense of the world. This session explores how the curriculum writers create experiences that connect the science domain to all other learning domains, moving children from sensory experiences to full-fledged experimentation using the scientific inquiry process. Receive tips for creating open-ended and higher-order questions, developing scientific vocabulary, and more.

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Bringing Math Concepts to Life in Everyday Experiences
(1.5 hours)

What do taking attendance, filling a calendar, sharing snacks, and sorting blocks have in common? They are all math skills that preschoolers encounter every day! Join us as we uncover the hidden "math" opportunities in daily experiences. We share simple strategies to include math and math language during each part of your daily routine.

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Catering to Multiple Intelligences in Your ECE Classroom 
(1.5 hours)

Children learn in a variety of ways and tend to gravitate toward activities that capitalize on their strengths. Lillio Learning Curricula helps teachers address all learning domains which supports Howard Gardner's theory of Multiple Intelligences. Explore the MI theory, the VAKT multisensory approach, and learn how these are embedded in your lesson plans and easily incorporated into your classroom each day. 

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Supporting Dual Language Learners and Families 
(1.5 hours)

Learn how to create a supportive learning environment for Dual Language Learners and establish healthy communication with their families. As diversity increases, providers and teachers aim to create an inclusive learning community. In this session, we discuss ways in which you may support Dual Language Learners through environmental enrichment and differentiated instruction. You will also be provided with tips on fostering communication with caretakers for whom English is not a primary language.

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Inclusion: Easy Adaptations for Supporting All Learners 
(1.5 hours)

Early childhood educators know that an intentionally designed learning environment can support all types of learners by drawing upon children's unique strengths, personalities, and interests. Putting this into practice, however, can feel cumbersome. Educators often feel they need special materials or even more training to support children with disabilities. While special materials and training are sometimes necessary, educators often have everything they need to implement an inclusive setting right at their fingertips. In this session, we talk about activities that you can utilize to support all learners. Special attention will be given to organizing your environment and choosing materials.

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Mindful Moments in the ECE Classroom
(1 hour)

How can you bring mindfulness into your ECE classroom? Mindfulness is defined as being fully aware of thoughts, feelings, and actions. Young children are just beginning to develop an awareness of their own concepts and emotions, and healthy expression takes practice! We explore a variety of multi-sensory mindfulness techniques for young children, with tips on how to incorporate small mindful moments into daily routines.

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Building More Effective Communication With Your Staff
(1 hour)

How many times have you heard from your staff or colleagues that "communication" is a problem? Yet - we have more ways to communicate with co-workers than ever before! As our work environments have evolved with time-saving tools such as email, chats, Zoom meetings, and more - we sometimes have become less thoughtful about the manner in which we communicate. The "Seven Steps of a Fierce Conversation" can help us execute our most difficult, important discussions. Attendees learn a framework to assist with the implementation of this process. Passion, integrity, and collaboration are at the heart of every Fierce Conversation!

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Engaging Children in Meaningful Weather Investigations
(1 hour)

It goes without saying that the weather impacts us every day. Aside from dictating what we wear and our moods, exploring the weather opens children up to endless possibilities for learning. In this session, we take a look at how weather impacts children's daily lives and what they're expected to know and understand about weather developmentally. We talk about Weather Displays—what they are, how they work, where to keep them, and if/when they're needed. Ideas for investigating the weather across the learning domains is also shared.

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You, Me, We: Five Strategies for Addressing Diversity in the ECE Classroom
(1 hour)

Our world is diverse, and it continues to grow and change at a rapid rate. Over the last several years, the early childhood profession has placed significant emphasis on developing programs that reflect the diversity of the children they serve and the population at large. For everyday educators and providers, knowing how to address diversity in your setting can be challenging. In this session, we focus on five strategies to support you in planning activities and creating environments that welcome and reflect the cultures and perspectives of the children in your care.

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