tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-52412964289462340612024-02-18T20:09:07.596-08:00Play CountsLet children play. Let them solve problems. Let them learn from mistakes. Let them own discoveries. Let play count!Denita Dingerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06595550669709851195noreply@blogger.comBlogger94125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5241296428946234061.post-78385037366795262392017-11-15T18:26:00.001-08:002017-11-20T12:44:54.344-08:00The Dance: When to Lead and When to FollowI often times compare my interactions with the children in my play school to dancing. The type of dance often changes, as does who is doing the leading, and who is doing the following.<br />
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Currently, in my program, I typically utilize the following dances:<br />
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1) <b><span style="font-size: large;">The "Slow Dance".</span></b> The child who requires the slow dance needs a LOT of me in order for them to eventually fly. This child needs a lot of encouragement, they prefer I model and they copy. They need lots and lots of support. I don't like doing the slow dance for long with a child, as I want them to see that they can fly without me, however, I am not in charge of that. Meeting each child's needs is number one, and, if that requires the slow dance...then that is what I will do, for as long as it takes, with smidgens of the "Jr High Dance" tossed in to test the waters.<br />
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2) <b><span style="font-size: large;">The "Jr. High Dance" </span></b> Awe yes, I remember it well: fingertips barely touching shoulders, and space for a grand piano to fit between mine and my dance partner's bodies. The child who requires the Jr. High Dance requires just a bit of me. I just need to make ONE THING happen, just model one of the possibilities of the materials, and then that child can FLY on their own from there.<br />
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3) <b><span style="font-size: large;">The "Prom". </span></b> My ultimate goal for each child is for them to require me to do "the Prom" dance: this is when I get to decorate for the prom, but I do not get to attend! This child likes to walk into the environment I have created, based on where they have led me, and then decide for themselves what to do. They will invite me into their play, and I am allowed to stay, as long as I don't suggest any ideas!<br />
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AND THEN... not exactly a category on it's own, but there is the <b><span style="font-size: large;">"Bunny Hop"</span></b>. You know: one step forward, two steps back -- or, visa versa. The child that IS FLYING, that has achieved "The Prom" dance status, suddenly regresses back to needing the Slow Dance, for whatever reason.<br />
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***IMPORTANT NOTE***<br />
Throughout all of these dances, the leadership bee-bops between myself and the child at different intensities, and in various ways.<br />
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Today's play, was a fine example of both the various dances, as well as the flip/flop of leadership. This tale begins with the environment:<br />
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<b><span style="font-size: x-large;">THE ENVIRONMENT</span></b><br />
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Among other things, the environment was set with a couple of clear tubes I found at a woodworking supply store, taped to the legs of a chair. This tubing is meant for dust collection, but in my world, it is used to provide an opportunity for visual tracking and so.much.more!<br />
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The beginnings of this play evolved from two children (the girl and the boy in the green), to eventually four children. This is what happens when children have large chunks of time that are dedicated to THEIR PLAY. The social aspect of more children joining in is an important component that is missing from programs that only allow children a small chunk of time to play.<br />
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When children have plenty of time to PLAY, their play has time to evolve.<br />
Recall the dances I mentioned earlier? Let's get back to that:<br />
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One of the children involved in this play has been requiring the "Slow Dance" from me this week. It is as if he has lost all confidence, and has forgotten that all the materials are for him to use, and if something is not in the room that he needs, all he needs to do is ask. For whatever reason, all of this was forgotten, and so I have been rebuilding his confidence and reminding him of the possibilities all week.<br />
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While the children were enjoying the clear tubes, I shifted who was leading just a bit and said: "Hmmm.... I wonder what else you could add to these tubes? Let's see...there are the rain gutters over there, that are for you to use anytime you want. Should we add those?" (The reason I interrupted their play was to help this child remember how to fly here)<br />
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The answer was YES...and so, he and I, together, grabbed some rain gutters and the play EVOLVED to this:<br />
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And THEN, an amazing thing happened. The child who was needing me to slow dance with him, took the lead back....and added this big carpet tube to their play:<br />
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That tube is heavy, but never fear, teamwork is alive and well in my play school:<br />
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When this tube was added to their play, I took the lead for a brief moment and added yet another tube that is not kept in our play school, but it's in the storage room. I had a hunch he would use it, and I wasn't at a point yet where I trusted his confidence was back to it's "Miss Denita, can you get me the...." stage quite yet.<br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Let's review: </b></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><b>do you remember the simple beginnings of this intricate play? Two clear tubes taped to the legs of a chair somehow evolved into THIS!!</b></span><br />
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Also, it's important to note that their play arrived here thanks to their needs being met, AND taking turns leading and following.<br />
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<b><span style="font-size: x-large;">I'm not done, however! There is MORE!!!</span></b><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Do you see in the photo above, how the clear tube is draped over the ladder? </span><br />
Well.. as you can imagine, the tube kept sliding off of the ladder. One solution was to hold onto the tube (as you see in the photo directly above), however, since the ladder is risk enough, I stepped in and took the lead role and finagled a system to hang the tube from the ceiling, so the ladder was no longer supporting it.<br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>***IMPORTANT NOTE****</b></span><br />
My job is to watch for hazards (risks children can't see), I felt that huge stretch wasn't necessary, and added just that much more risk that also wasn't necessary.<br />
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As the children took leadership back of their play, and I retreated back to my role as observer, follower and hazard monitor, I realized I needed to tweak this plan a bit to alleviate the need for the children to STRETCH quite so much, especially when standing on the ladder.<br />
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<b><span style="font-size: large;">***IMPORTANT NOTE**** </span></b><br />
Children need adults to MODEL the skill of thinking-outside-the-box. They need adults in their lives that aren't afraid to try an idea-on-the-fly, that may, very-well FAIL. BECAUSE..failing happens in life.. a LOT. Modeling failure, and the resulting tweaking-of-the-plans is one of the most valuable things adults can do for children.<br />
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So, I tweaked the plan. While doing so I made sure to talk about how I needed to adjust my plan as it wasn't working exactly as I had hoped it would. Problem solving and plan making/tweaking is a very important part of my play school, therefore, MODELING those two things is an important part of my job.<br />
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Post tweaking, the tube was easy for the children to reach from the ladder;<br />
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And there you have it, a tale of "The Dance". Recall the humble beginnings of this play? It evolved to where it did because of two things:<br />
1) The children in my program have lots of time for their play. Three hours to be exact. Our schedule is: "Play".<br />
2) The children and I know how to dance.<br />
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A tale about leading and following, and knowing when to do so.<br />
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It all boils down to<br />
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1) Being in the moment with children.<br />
2) Having solid relationships with each one so you can recognize their needs at any given moment.<br />
3) Reading what dance each child requires that day/hour/moment.<br />
4) Knowing when to follow, and when to lead.<br />
5) Having a desire to help children FLY.<br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>About the author:</b></span><br />
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Denita Dinger is a popular, internationally known keynote speaker, trainer and consultant on the topic of transitioning from a teacher-led pedagogy to a play-based, child-led one. Denita's presentations are REAL, humorous and inspiring.<br />
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Denita is the co-author of three books: "Let them Play: An Early Childhood UnCurriculum", "Let's Play" and "Let's All Play".<br />
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To book Denita for your upcoming conference or to spend a few days coaching your staff, contact her at playcounts.denitadinger@gmail.com.<br />
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Learn more about Denita's philosophy on her many Facebook pages:<br />
<a href="https://www.facebook.com/Play-Counts-141352815884541/" target="_blank">Play Counts</a> (Denita's Consulting Page)<br />
<a href="https://www.facebook.com/Kaleidoscope-Play-School-721079454605219/" target="_blank">Kaleidoscope Play School</a> (Denita's Play School page)<br />
<a href="https://www.facebook.com/Camp-Empower-1546343475646670/" target="_blank">Camp Empower</a> (Denita's School-aged Summer Camp page)<br />
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<br />Denita Dingerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06595550669709851195noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5241296428946234061.post-56068019242923723902017-06-17T20:36:00.002-07:002017-06-18T17:24:12.812-07:00Empowering Imagination Beats the Real Deal<span style="font-size: large;"><b>I love learning from children.</b></span><br />
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I believe strongly that <span style="font-size: large;"><b>although I am the teacher, it is the children who do the majority of the teaching.</b></span> In both my play school and school-aged summer camp, I have learned countless things from children. <br />
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Of all of the things children have taught me, however, what I am going to share with you in this post is probably the most shocking and sad.<br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>First of all, some background info:</b></span><br />
My summer camp, Camp Empower, is a low-tech, high-think play experience for school-aged children. The whole purpose of Camp Empower is for children to be EMPOWERED by ownership. At Camp Empower, the materials are supplied by me....but the ideas are generated by children. The process of generating ideas is HARD...especially for children who are fresh from a year of public school where in some unfortunate cases, they don't dare do anything unless they are told. This creates human beings that find it difficult to think for themselves. It creates human beings who follow rather than lead. These are side-effects of the current state of our education system that I don't think enough people consider. Because of this nasty side-effect of prescribed, learn-it-just-long-enough-to-spit-it-out-for-a-test, rote learning, it takes new campers a while to fully trust that I truly mean "YOU are in charge here".<br />
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The lesson I learned, that I am going to share with you, was taught to me by my 5th-7th grade campers. (They just finished 4th-6th and are now headed into the 5th-7th grades).<br />
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<span style="font-size: x-large;"><b>This story begins in the sand pit:</b></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Without a doubt, the sand pit is the favorite area of camp. It is here where the majority of this week's play occurred.</b></span></div>
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This session, all but two of my campers have returned for their third year at Camp Empower. They are seasoned at how things work here. At the core of Camp Empower is meaningful relationships. Though we only see each other for 4-8 mornings a year (one camp session is M-Th, 9-noon and some campers sign up for two sessions), I KNOW these campers well, and every year, we pick up right where we left off upon their return.<br />
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I know that this group of campers LOVES to mix, so prior to their arrival on Monday, the environment was set, ready to welcome them with open arms. There were all of their favorites: shaving cream, corn starch, shampoo, colored water, colored vinegar, baking soda and.... for something new this year, I added washable tempera paint to the sand pit area.<br />
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The campers didn't even skip a beat. After a welcoming hug, they went straight to work.<br />
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Again, let me remind you that these children are going into the 5th-7th grades. Look at their play:<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjN-FO3E-qyzLPJi3nPo4Gy1RnGQGs8gNCT5b6RB6hcaTKo76OSsdS1fBSfVPmRtRkacFayDpdja1Jy62xa43v8fxQ5hzidQusoqgpZPK-JU2MIDYGuV_UoDnOUeNeprQS-RN4AX2OPfug/s1600/CE++Session+1++2017-77.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjN-FO3E-qyzLPJi3nPo4Gy1RnGQGs8gNCT5b6RB6hcaTKo76OSsdS1fBSfVPmRtRkacFayDpdja1Jy62xa43v8fxQ5hzidQusoqgpZPK-JU2MIDYGuV_UoDnOUeNeprQS-RN4AX2OPfug/s640/CE++Session+1++2017-77.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">The two seasoned-campers in this photo had previously figured out that using the sand as their mixing bowl worked really well and created a really awesome "dough" when cornstarch, water and shampoo were added. So here, they are teaching the rookie camper.</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4ZVJg4qqtdfAdamo9tF0zc18X4naFBP3ldEK4FABV3_WYIx7fB7anm9Wq1cJSkRdgnXpojIxEhv9nObbiO3ax0BxxVRtKTg4gglFjjy-Gf-hf_THeMRB5LZl9p1jcKzXp-8CUamMcCAs/s1600/CE++Session+1++2017-79.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4ZVJg4qqtdfAdamo9tF0zc18X4naFBP3ldEK4FABV3_WYIx7fB7anm9Wq1cJSkRdgnXpojIxEhv9nObbiO3ax0BxxVRtKTg4gglFjjy-Gf-hf_THeMRB5LZl9p1jcKzXp-8CUamMcCAs/s640/CE++Session+1++2017-79.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">It didn't take long before imaginations were hard at work and delicious looking delicacies were created.</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiT8NhPUwNgAwDnvh5B0hbq-B-3dyOuTZukxUapP8HtS_A8aOIHt0ArYaDY5WVrV-xh7ocOZqXKQz5J2gAE3j4B7Fg9F7_bxeoVASS52xOso0-IkXs1COi5EthUXN2j1OUoD2dYJOxYeQ8/s1600/CE++Session+1++2017-85.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiT8NhPUwNgAwDnvh5B0hbq-B-3dyOuTZukxUapP8HtS_A8aOIHt0ArYaDY5WVrV-xh7ocOZqXKQz5J2gAE3j4B7Fg9F7_bxeoVASS52xOso0-IkXs1COi5EthUXN2j1OUoD2dYJOxYeQ8/s640/CE++Session+1++2017-85.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">They learned that the paint mixes really well with shaving cream and cornstarch to make a super soft, amazingly vibrant frosting.</span></td></tr>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjM49xnsl1WSpOalvwYizwa1h6TtQ8lzRMLLus98M_RMg5lPX7RX1xM7a2Kd14Qwk0_BJFemPvZNmLftuRRKYqdDLGh4kKwpW9TJUfWUl41lXaQlge1Nv4RImFXtAvdNM2-erZi_jkc7JA/s1600/CE++Session+1++2017-93.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjM49xnsl1WSpOalvwYizwa1h6TtQ8lzRMLLus98M_RMg5lPX7RX1xM7a2Kd14Qwk0_BJFemPvZNmLftuRRKYqdDLGh4kKwpW9TJUfWUl41lXaQlge1Nv4RImFXtAvdNM2-erZi_jkc7JA/s640/CE++Session+1++2017-93.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJsWbhFsJDht7DRvGtQQBG4YPUPNOQ777NK6mboMqJJ7c2beFB7Z-8k25bO4HH2XX4dfKz97FMl77_lGrX26_vdFnSiVkoyDlqKD1ebzV0thCqSQxt9mXD9Lv-pQCU-1D-b0ktd0meoKE/s1600/CE++Session+1++2017-98.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJsWbhFsJDht7DRvGtQQBG4YPUPNOQ777NK6mboMqJJ7c2beFB7Z-8k25bO4HH2XX4dfKz97FMl77_lGrX26_vdFnSiVkoyDlqKD1ebzV0thCqSQxt9mXD9Lv-pQCU-1D-b0ktd0meoKE/s640/CE++Session+1++2017-98.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtTVVz25-TnHKjCzflO0xzNpULoGY-Gx2Yi0y-UoqB4yfjWE9XCeKPCLfY1GAHqnpU7qfaarFFtfTfhJxkDc6rkV0RthBBy-90lLtjC3Umh5M6bpj9vR5xesBg-d-9U9MN6WnyDgqyUHk/s1600/CE++Session+1++2017-145.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtTVVz25-TnHKjCzflO0xzNpULoGY-Gx2Yi0y-UoqB4yfjWE9XCeKPCLfY1GAHqnpU7qfaarFFtfTfhJxkDc6rkV0RthBBy-90lLtjC3Umh5M6bpj9vR5xesBg-d-9U9MN6WnyDgqyUHk/s640/CE++Session+1++2017-145.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">There is just so much to love about this picture! IMAGINATIONS hard at work...without a care in the world. Just as child-led play should be!</span></td></tr>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4BnwX2035p5nBs69ddZeaP528EwTO3U_XTvprM_K5afhYgJ5OabXtSvQkEsyLmKf4ypfqpxxSGT8kQpFl5GjwScraY541SBVESo_H9joIi3-rJszSA4BomsSGoWmLoKqZYKpAPoP7lAI/s1600/CE++Session+1++2017-143.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4BnwX2035p5nBs69ddZeaP528EwTO3U_XTvprM_K5afhYgJ5OabXtSvQkEsyLmKf4ypfqpxxSGT8kQpFl5GjwScraY541SBVESo_H9joIi3-rJszSA4BomsSGoWmLoKqZYKpAPoP7lAI/s640/CE++Session+1++2017-143.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>After this one day, it was clear to me that baking was definitely something that interested this group of campers.</b></span><br />
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My summer camp follows my play-school philosophy (I call it the Kaleidoscope Philosophy) which is, in a nutshell: <br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>My job is to control the environment, not to control children. I am in charge of the materials, the children are in charge of the "what to do" part. Once the children have arrived, my job is to grab additional materials as needed. When I do this with the best of my ability, the child-led play is constantly evolving and changing, just as the picture of a kaleidoscope is different every time you turn it.</b></span></div>
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SO...following their lead, I said "It's clear to me that you guys are having a blast playing bakery. Would you like to use real ingredients to make real cupcakes tomorrow?"<br />
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Unsurprisingly, the answer was <span style="font-size: large;"><b>YES!</b></span><br />
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And so....the next day: <br />
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<span style="font-size: x-large;"><b>We measured and mixed and scooped and baked REAL cupcakes.</b></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7EdeEe5JJBVmXPyiijdjbqNudBS58KY1N1EpanoAoT0vDgqTR0_GdQdHEAbvMba0rQ9Pi_1s5CT6j9kokjvo3sM8DnTmiMXmxxu1uns7a_vRN0zxOnZHQrOp0gFrjOX9lr8WEhfET7cM/s1600/CE++Session+1++2017-55.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7EdeEe5JJBVmXPyiijdjbqNudBS58KY1N1EpanoAoT0vDgqTR0_GdQdHEAbvMba0rQ9Pi_1s5CT6j9kokjvo3sM8DnTmiMXmxxu1uns7a_vRN0zxOnZHQrOp0gFrjOX9lr8WEhfET7cM/s640/CE++Session+1++2017-55.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2FnpyyJffsWdCQGE2atDPa9ZrexKKUfHlEGGx-vrSn4DlJvroKUE6hupYVk0UMd2KWtwlPZgsEffo28WMO95CSqQjF4Ux0kE41CGDlQHe7-wKJtbBCbXiOZWwlLw9_sB56DlZbnxrE2M/s1600/CE++Session+1++2017-59.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2FnpyyJffsWdCQGE2atDPa9ZrexKKUfHlEGGx-vrSn4DlJvroKUE6hupYVk0UMd2KWtwlPZgsEffo28WMO95CSqQjF4Ux0kE41CGDlQHe7-wKJtbBCbXiOZWwlLw9_sB56DlZbnxrE2M/s640/CE++Session+1++2017-59.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">You can't make cupcakes without licking the beaters...right?! </span>(Before you get all "germy" on me...they are using their fingers to gather batter, and then licking their own finger....the girl with her tongue out is teasing)</td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: x-large;"><b>Here's a peek at the rest of the play from this day:</b></span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTKJ3KH2c3RDccATHAdu8F7LOqXV1Hi2J9em5jpBNKnmCVqCGeEJ2z1bOvXvSU1UzBTgRQKzSZzVbaKUlOYlmnbPrvUrFNBOZn6JmrkzqgF3on7xCMPFq2a7c30T1pCDlHudvspo8cEDM/s1600/CE++Session+1++2017-6.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTKJ3KH2c3RDccATHAdu8F7LOqXV1Hi2J9em5jpBNKnmCVqCGeEJ2z1bOvXvSU1UzBTgRQKzSZzVbaKUlOYlmnbPrvUrFNBOZn6JmrkzqgF3on7xCMPFq2a7c30T1pCDlHudvspo8cEDM/s320/CE++Session+1++2017-6.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">More IMAGINATIVE cupcake baking.</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjeLqyweGmtYWE5i0WNjS0NmdORQgCTwbHDpBFE_CvtzcmBUmvwhfMkhz_GvUq_h3-ytm9MfbbXdSRffdK1oSJTs5ntX72ubxAzL2z2_uUggYnXcf9lcoQ4fwIl0xuTWO1OaV5Is3COHCM/s1600/CE++Session+1++2017-37.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjeLqyweGmtYWE5i0WNjS0NmdORQgCTwbHDpBFE_CvtzcmBUmvwhfMkhz_GvUq_h3-ytm9MfbbXdSRffdK1oSJTs5ntX72ubxAzL2z2_uUggYnXcf9lcoQ4fwIl0xuTWO1OaV5Is3COHCM/s320/CE++Session+1++2017-37.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">Paint fight with watered down washable tempera.</span></td></tr>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidIjBORzFvYIkd-LMDIQUd5xywXQUABA2F0UZVFaxPoVKFvUnJkWmfVEXRqVBKs4EskXJZahpR08INW-2Y-PHyApxGAc-4LsimLef7bHkU1rOCzfYbVrBz9plrrCHSFo8cHgnYbWHDBXQ/s1600/CE++Session+1++2017-43.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidIjBORzFvYIkd-LMDIQUd5xywXQUABA2F0UZVFaxPoVKFvUnJkWmfVEXRqVBKs4EskXJZahpR08INW-2Y-PHyApxGAc-4LsimLef7bHkU1rOCzfYbVrBz9plrrCHSFo8cHgnYbWHDBXQ/s320/CE++Session+1++2017-43.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">Bubbles!</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiL8FkczbKVcFh0bKOzZUCz5lnOxkcIr-bEbSlOvX7aTvoHGIIfIh0T3mR3k8LEC0aw_aS9UuRlygveZ_5EMIC76J0IelsGTGUxCoRnn11I7QnW0Qt3itIIsMgT2obrIRMdSUvcD3tNxmo/s1600/CE++Session+1++2017-25.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiL8FkczbKVcFh0bKOzZUCz5lnOxkcIr-bEbSlOvX7aTvoHGIIfIh0T3mR3k8LEC0aw_aS9UuRlygveZ_5EMIC76J0IelsGTGUxCoRnn11I7QnW0Qt3itIIsMgT2obrIRMdSUvcD3tNxmo/s320/CE++Session+1++2017-25.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">The parachute and WATER!</span></td></tr>
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(BONUS LESSON LEARNED: Children of ALL ages have an innate need to PLAY)<br />
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<span style="font-size: x-large;"><b>Bring on the frosting!!</b></span></div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpAC-Q5AJBp6rgJ6LntO4vXLNT9HqNu9UNoNq6vKE1K0bDTf3-5bTbxKXJXQu73exZszX5sveyK4N5aLwNXzrLX0Z9-A9hUL4-pH3K_PtkT-ISr2F8q_VY7Si3XLyrDU7rG1RbTzTpkrI/s1600/CE++Session+1++2017-80.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="930" data-original-width="1395" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpAC-Q5AJBp6rgJ6LntO4vXLNT9HqNu9UNoNq6vKE1K0bDTf3-5bTbxKXJXQu73exZszX5sveyK4N5aLwNXzrLX0Z9-A9hUL4-pH3K_PtkT-ISr2F8q_VY7Si3XLyrDU7rG1RbTzTpkrI/s640/CE++Session+1++2017-80.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-size: x-large;">Why Not?</span></b><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">For both of my programs, "Why not?" is the RIGHT answer. It comes after the following questions: </span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">"Are they hurting anyone?" </span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">"Are they hurting anything?"</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">When the answer to both of those questions is "NO"....then I say "WHY NOT?!"</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: large;">I think this last group of photos speak for themselves.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">CLEARLY...frosting and eventually wearing and then eating REAL cupcakes was a BLAST!</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-large;"><b>So then...what was the lesson I learned from this group of 5th-7th graders?</b></span></div>
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At the very end of this morning, as we were winding down, and parents were picking up, I had the opportunity to ask several campers this question:</div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b><br /></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>"What was your favorite part of the week?"</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
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Their answer?<br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><b>"Making cupcakes in the sandpit bakery."</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
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My response was another question:<br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><b>"Would you rather make pretend cupcakes or real ones you can actually eat?"</b></span></div>
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Their answer?</div>
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<b><span style="font-size: x-large;">"PRETEND!!! Not very many teachers let us use our imagination like you do."</span></b></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">There you have it.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">A very, very, VERY important lesson, taught to me by some of the most amazing teachers I have ever known.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: large;">Children....of ALL ages have imaginations that they want to use, yet our society has forgotten about that. Out of fear of what children might do when they are bored, we have over-scheduled their lives and left little time for imagining.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: large;">And so.... in my little corner of the world, there will always be sand-cupcakes to be made, by children of ALL AGES.</span><br />
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<b>___________________________________________________</b></div>
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: large;"><b>About the author:</b></span><br />
<br />
Denita Dinger is a popular keynote speaker, trainer and consultant on the topic of transitioning from a teacher-led pedagogy to a play-based, child-led one. Denita's presentations are REAL, humorous and inspiring.<br />
<br />
Denita is the co-author of three books: "Let them Play: An Early Childhood UnCurriculum", "Let's Play" and "Let's All Play".<br />
<br />
To book Denita for your upcoming conference or to spend a few days coaching your staff, contact her at playcounts.denitadinger@gmail.com.<br />
<br />
Learn more about Denita's philosophy on her many Facebook pages:<br />
<a href="https://www.facebook.com/Play-Counts-141352815884541/" target="_blank">Play Counts</a> (Denita's Consulting Page)<br />
<a href="https://www.facebook.com/Kaleidoscope-Play-School-721079454605219/" target="_blank">Kaleidoscope Play School</a> (Denita's Play School page)<br />
<a href="https://www.facebook.com/Camp-Empower-1546343475646670/" target="_blank">Camp Empower</a> (Denita's School-aged Summer Camp page)<br />
<span style="font-size: large;"></span><br />
<a href="https://www.facebook.com/groups/497498197101198/" target="_blank">Embracing Play Podcast</a> (Denita's Podcast, co-hosted with Beth Wolff)</div>
Denita Dingerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06595550669709851195noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5241296428946234061.post-50285880940292014892017-04-28T17:44:00.002-07:002017-04-28T18:10:00.636-07:00Open-Ended Baking: A Sweet and Savory Tale of Child-led Play <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Guess what? I learned something new about myself: I am a fan of open-ended BAKING opportunities!! Who knew?<br />
<br />
Up until the tale I'm about to share with you happened, I believed baking was a time for children to learn about following directions, and definitely not a time for leading with their own ideas. <br />
<br />
Baking was a time for my inner-control freak to come out, guilt-free and take over the job of leader. I was, after all, teaching children how to follow a recipe, we HAD to do it right....right? <br />
<br />
WRONG.<br />
<br />
Open-ended baking can be a thing.... in fact, it SHOULD be a thing!<br />
<br />
What does open-ended baking look like? Does it look like what it sounds like?<br />
<br />
YES. Yes, it does. As with all open-ended opportunities in my program, open-ended baking involves no adult expectations or direction. The children are given the freedom of time, task, technique and most importantly, TRUST. My job is to be in the moment, quietly following their lead, gathering ingredients they may decide they need. <br />
<br />
Truth be told: as I was setting the environment in which this tale begins, I was expecting the children to have engaging conversations about the smells and loads of fun "pretend" cooking. I NEVER anticipated this was going to turn into the EMPOWERING experience that it did.<br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: large;">Here is the tale of how open-ended baking happened organically in my program:</span><br />
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A couple of weeks ago, I set the environment at my play school with a large bowl of flour, small cups of water with pipettes in them, a bottle each of oregano, basil, garlic powder, paprika and a salt grinder. I added a plethora (don't you just love that word?) of mixing bowls that I have collected over the years at various thrift stores, as well as spoons. My expectations involved rich conversations, sensory exploration, trial and error, mixing, blending and grand imaginary play. I then stepped back and patiently waited for a child to discover what I had placed on the table.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1Qtl1mQVjXwT_mYHaQZOhYWh8FiPc0LQL6F0ajkGlGoy9-bnD5rBfQAHFgGeYqY6d1LZCnG1cBrC7gAEZDeVAHqW7rSbvddMrI1GHSCHtIFLBmksRPUjhy42DCbU9zB-P3Uk8yf32CZo/s1600/KPS+04-20-17.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1Qtl1mQVjXwT_mYHaQZOhYWh8FiPc0LQL6F0ajkGlGoy9-bnD5rBfQAHFgGeYqY6d1LZCnG1cBrC7gAEZDeVAHqW7rSbvddMrI1GHSCHtIFLBmksRPUjhy42DCbU9zB-P3Uk8yf32CZo/s640/KPS+04-20-17.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b>The first discovery.</b><br /> </span><span style="font-size: small;">The gears were turning as this child slowly took in the contents of the table. Her eyes soon brightened and she called in the troops!</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgT3guYJ5MfTLzwetssIzAcXenO3jHskJDmFy83VLJmT0IXFUG4CCoVmRqBWRUKdEXCLZiDHcBqGNRn8noBRcTMtC03xx47xQHBowl72dWnQ7r5TTm4EzTZD67EPZH4kf8HvTnE5zI2xNA/s1600/KPS+04-20-17-2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgT3guYJ5MfTLzwetssIzAcXenO3jHskJDmFy83VLJmT0IXFUG4CCoVmRqBWRUKdEXCLZiDHcBqGNRn8noBRcTMtC03xx47xQHBowl72dWnQ7r5TTm4EzTZD67EPZH4kf8HvTnE5zI2xNA/s640/KPS+04-20-17-2.jpg" width="426" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b>BEST DAY EVER!</b></span><br />
Right here, with this itty bitty bit of exploration, this child was already declaring this day to receive the coveted title of "BEST DAY EVER!".</td></tr>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9B-WC_itwUoAycwhC7QGrZfRjG249ZnMaP03oMAK3sZhX8BylKns4hALdnhRHSIwN3a8ON6DPsl7TQZoXucjZ1kEIol5foU7851Ll-gT5_kSoyfcQPYA27rZcfXDs5KmcF8PFwprwLXM/s1600/KPS+04-20-17-4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9B-WC_itwUoAycwhC7QGrZfRjG249ZnMaP03oMAK3sZhX8BylKns4hALdnhRHSIwN3a8ON6DPsl7TQZoXucjZ1kEIol5foU7851Ll-gT5_kSoyfcQPYA27rZcfXDs5KmcF8PFwprwLXM/s640/KPS+04-20-17-4.jpg" width="426" /></a></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhueVDZyAvlThusjMroJ2DpWM4I3nWbqCbVn-J62ybvn6vnR1ed1kxWQ211e4wbmsg8Zc5U4k7HwFnKON3YZtALIohBzHbSzPZWQvCdi0W555jbHt0f3-7Txb9Rdb-3-br5u21XBx7PGIo/s1600/KPS+04-20-17-21.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhueVDZyAvlThusjMroJ2DpWM4I3nWbqCbVn-J62ybvn6vnR1ed1kxWQ211e4wbmsg8Zc5U4k7HwFnKON3YZtALIohBzHbSzPZWQvCdi0W555jbHt0f3-7Txb9Rdb-3-br5u21XBx7PGIo/s640/KPS+04-20-17-21.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b style="font-size: x-large;">Creating a plan, instigating that plan...then changing the plan to make it better:</b><br />
<span style="font-size: small;">In this child's original plan, water and seasonings were important, but who cares about flour?!? She later learned, after an exciting discovery was proudly announced, that perhaps she needed to tweak her plan.</span></td></tr>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkM8KN9Ii6zCs0ymXf64v6HvUIfJeHFJUk-UB9CbGTGqqxxNBbvb1XVeLgcvO5H9q7DjgMt_JFDdopnfrhHy8Wh2VpNfQW6OdI341G7bVdFndraY7OFj0PEzQHSwOdXrpjs_o6ekkwkYs/s1600/KPS+04-20-17-22.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkM8KN9Ii6zCs0ymXf64v6HvUIfJeHFJUk-UB9CbGTGqqxxNBbvb1XVeLgcvO5H9q7DjgMt_JFDdopnfrhHy8Wh2VpNfQW6OdI341G7bVdFndraY7OFj0PEzQHSwOdXrpjs_o6ekkwkYs/s640/KPS+04-20-17-22.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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During the first twenty minutes of exploration, the rich conversation revolved around the smells and the textures.<br />
I was hearing things like:<br />
<br />
"Mmmm...it smells so good in here."<br />
"Hey...what is that smell I'm smelling?"<br />
"Feel mine! Mine is so soft."<br />
"Mine isn't soft, mine is really really sticky!"<br />
"Hey guys...wanna smell this? It's the best ever!"<br />
<br />
Over time, their interest in what they were actually playing with peaked...and someone said "Denita! What is this stuff?"<br />
<br />
I have never met a child who wasn't proud to own words. They listened intently as I told them the name of each seasoning. Immediately following my desciption, the conversations I was over hearing were along the lines of:<br />
<br />
"Can I have the oregano when you are done?"<br />
"Where did the basil go? I really need it."<br />
"Boy.. you can really smell the garlic"<br />
"I think mine needs just a bit more of the salt."<br />
<br />
As more time passed, curiosities grew:<br />
"Is this stuff spicy?" (referring to the paprika)<br />
My reply "You know what? I am not really sure. Why don't you taste it and find out?"<br />
Eyes got HUGE as he replied "WE CAN TASTE THIS STUFF!?!"<br />
<br />
"YES! It is ALL edible. That means you can taste it!"<br />
<br />
The children were now not only freely exploring with hands and noses, they were also exploring with mouths! SO EXCITING!<br />
<br />
The richness of the conversations just continued to intensify.<br />
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It was during this sampling frenzy that this discovery happened:<br />
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<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><b>"I MADE DOUGH! GUYS!! THIS STUFF CAN MAKE DOUGH!!! Wanna know how?!?! I can show you!!!"</b></span></div>
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<div style="text-align: left;">
After this "aha moment", came another one:<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><b> "Denita!!! We can bake this and see what happens!!! This really IS the BEST DAY EVER!!!"</b></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><b><br /></b></span></div>
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I immediately set the oven to 350, grabbed my cookie sheet and some parchment paper and waited for the products of their open-ended baking to fill the pan.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6bldvDY9wtZpPAZc9GV5whmo0LtGdcP9lGFdEjxrcVQ1jgtyU9t1n7WbePlYpAC1nHzvc7p7_SVrxKqAjsI5fi0ZuRItOFyIxcXIbeJ3BRTU0gHQNPCAvq1jVMIu7HO0RS5UZpOk_a04/s1600/KPS+04-20-17-13.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6bldvDY9wtZpPAZc9GV5whmo0LtGdcP9lGFdEjxrcVQ1jgtyU9t1n7WbePlYpAC1nHzvc7p7_SVrxKqAjsI5fi0ZuRItOFyIxcXIbeJ3BRTU0gHQNPCAvq1jVMIu7HO0RS5UZpOk_a04/s640/KPS+04-20-17-13.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b>Learning from others! </b></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;">After the child declared he had made dough, this child quickly re-thought her plan, tweaked it and made it BETTER!!</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqjw7GFzKNzHhdzg7R1NOFAvg38LsGhyxFIL2QXPrKPZxn_06goFQubmfWKF3aB4XoaEXDgl0B4GRnqDQGeH1BVsgBOAoaRuxXsw4At_dLi9HOiLJmUvnpsS2tjvF8izkbGlUYyO3OmzA/s1600/KPS+04-20-17-17.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqjw7GFzKNzHhdzg7R1NOFAvg38LsGhyxFIL2QXPrKPZxn_06goFQubmfWKF3aB4XoaEXDgl0B4GRnqDQGeH1BVsgBOAoaRuxXsw4At_dLi9HOiLJmUvnpsS2tjvF8izkbGlUYyO3OmzA/s640/KPS+04-20-17-17.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b>Self Regulation and Conflict Management </b></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;">Shortly after dough was discovered (no less exciting than when gold was first discovered) rollers and cookie cutters were requested. </span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;">Notice how many rollers are on the table? One. I call this purposeful conflict. I intentionally put one roller out to see if 1) they could handle the conflict this would cause 2) if they would have the self-regulation to handle waiting and 3) if anyone would think to ask me for another one. Guess what? They made ONE ROLLER WORK. They all were able to patiently wait their turns. I was beyond impressed.</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhB9cxPWrWTG-rOKGjKOjtku5t5u7oIfTMY8DtYyDv27icx2NYF07lwcyLupPvN55eoC8cJ66Smb-Np6WcJGBtbMn1LD8gAI4rtuuN_saUO_UhKXojU1MsGUj-Ff4fG9NSjNM_tap8RAhA/s1600/KPS+04-20-17-54.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhB9cxPWrWTG-rOKGjKOjtku5t5u7oIfTMY8DtYyDv27icx2NYF07lwcyLupPvN55eoC8cJ66Smb-Np6WcJGBtbMn1LD8gAI4rtuuN_saUO_UhKXojU1MsGUj-Ff4fG9NSjNM_tap8RAhA/s640/KPS+04-20-17-54.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b>Motor work</b></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;">Loads of muscles were used as dough was rolled, kneaded, punched, pulled and otherwise manipulated by little hands.</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcg3TxVr_imPXRhPLGXxvvW7Q0DI32kogGvGS3tn8GWrw_d7PbxJRYrG1rPmg-RPgTbClVOoQ4Ccpyn_fmq-jT9zi6FR63sCgpDcGi9XanDIFQHeZOBxfw41lB7SQdMR20lBBwsnkzT90/s1600/KPS+04-20-17-55.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcg3TxVr_imPXRhPLGXxvvW7Q0DI32kogGvGS3tn8GWrw_d7PbxJRYrG1rPmg-RPgTbClVOoQ4Ccpyn_fmq-jT9zi6FR63sCgpDcGi9XanDIFQHeZOBxfw41lB7SQdMR20lBBwsnkzT90/s640/KPS+04-20-17-55.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b>Freedom of Technique</b></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;">Each child discovered their own, unique technique to control the dough, and get the results they were hoping for.</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2rx_XJUBgM6q-SBk_ZKTuQZ4tJcPzq3bmSCM8b2Cu0yqwg5fsDAoh0_JyxQF17cGFr-LTDtc6uNU2feiOWqHD9nxHX4BSPQHVuenTYLqU6JCAB9g_Xaor-MmeZBHYP3LVJDCH6Rlm4K4/s1600/KPS+04-20-17-20.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2rx_XJUBgM6q-SBk_ZKTuQZ4tJcPzq3bmSCM8b2Cu0yqwg5fsDAoh0_JyxQF17cGFr-LTDtc6uNU2feiOWqHD9nxHX4BSPQHVuenTYLqU6JCAB9g_Xaor-MmeZBHYP3LVJDCH6Rlm4K4/s640/KPS+04-20-17-20.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">"Denita! Look! I made a pizza!!" </span></td></tr>
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Once the pan was full, into the oven it went. I set the timer for 10 minutes and hoped for the best! I anticipated there were about to be many lessons learned about failing... I couldn't have been more wrong.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTwJ5i5J-ehSiAWSu-WsKEGuO4u-eEEJVn39vFgWOthMmq-0ZvIV2ReXTUiZCqzWmPQFYgxcGm-TIaJjb8EyaToGmPIy0MxXhPhesBl8QurJFrIvFpUGOhJXqgfDT0G0JzJXuM49xCAsU/s1600/KPS+04-20-17-74.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTwJ5i5J-ehSiAWSu-WsKEGuO4u-eEEJVn39vFgWOthMmq-0ZvIV2ReXTUiZCqzWmPQFYgxcGm-TIaJjb8EyaToGmPIy0MxXhPhesBl8QurJFrIvFpUGOhJXqgfDT0G0JzJXuM49xCAsU/s640/KPS+04-20-17-74.jpg" width="426" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b style="font-size: x-large;">Initiative.</b><br />
<span style="font-size: small;">While their creations were baking, this child thoughtfully made a pizza sauce to accompany the anxiously anticipated delicacies. </span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: large;">When that timer beeped... holy cats! IT WAS THE BEST MOMENT EVER!!</span><br />
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<b><span style="font-size: x-large;">Let the tasting begin!!!</span></b><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7HPIBdrPEdwVCM4MFQ22uwdR60N5INc_67H992MA89LJNYhO9fOVtin8BFTFSrs7D5u5KkdmYR2K7e9POmIpyL5FOK1_RqkpFWYQfhEDM60ezAukaReMxcsV2yZgzt50945X0HxmpWsw/s1600/KPS+04-20-17-76.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7HPIBdrPEdwVCM4MFQ22uwdR60N5INc_67H992MA89LJNYhO9fOVtin8BFTFSrs7D5u5KkdmYR2K7e9POmIpyL5FOK1_RqkpFWYQfhEDM60ezAukaReMxcsV2yZgzt50945X0HxmpWsw/s640/KPS+04-20-17-76.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b>Success!</b></span><br />
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-size: small;">This child is exclaiming "HEY! They are actually really good!" AND... THEY WERE!!! I WAS SHOCKED! No lessons about failing to be learned so far! They tasted like really good bread sticks you would find at an Italian restaurant!</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgc9fcP1x5WOFEmV2g1C_Ksj_xlXM4HrQtgODZJyZ9izXfnerPH5dNW8z12RCDRi3DpvoMGlpzwPTAQKMaCKzNQ5QXP1TJa4Xffclnb9-dF-O8y2xjh80sRaut7Z1aK0JMcImww36bJe30/s1600/KPS+04-20-17-78.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgc9fcP1x5WOFEmV2g1C_Ksj_xlXM4HrQtgODZJyZ9izXfnerPH5dNW8z12RCDRi3DpvoMGlpzwPTAQKMaCKzNQ5QXP1TJa4Xffclnb9-dF-O8y2xjh80sRaut7Z1aK0JMcImww36bJe30/s640/KPS+04-20-17-78.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b>Learning from failing.</b></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;">Look closely..... see the sauce? The verdict? Too salty. He followed that up with "Now I know what to do next time."</span></td></tr>
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This very play was repeated every.single.day that week, and on Tuesday of the following week as well. <br />
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Every time they baked, they learned something more and tweaked their "recipe" ever-so-slightly.<br />
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They commented on things that happened last time, reminded each other not to do particular things because "remember what happened yesterday...."<br />
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When their creations came out of the oven, they learned to tear off their bites, so then they could share tastes with each other and compare the results.<br />
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They learned that just because the salt grinder was fun to use, does NOT mean you should use it a lot!!!<br />
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They learned that too much water makes a sticky dough, but that problem can be solved with more flour.<br />
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They learned that paprika is really fun because it makes the dough red. Unfortunately, the paprika didn't make it past the first day... it was a hot item!<br />
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They learned that sticky dough on fingers washes off quite easily.<br />
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They learned to ration the flour last Thursday, as we hit the bottom of the bag. They learned how to help each other out when in a pinch.<br />
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<span style="font-size: x-large;">THEN......</span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-large;">On Wednesday, I changed it up! Instead of the oregano, basil, garlic combo.... I put out mini chocolate chips, sugar and cinnamon with the flour and water. SWEET FLAVORS OH MY!</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVm_Rskg0YyZkYqmQCcmEKOy1jsOZhq4m1ClbwdYFLsU9humjL4K_9NYL4ZSaJWxPrVnwTz-ZwcyCENxw1kWm9YVDHM4m_wrNBWRzkYoagdHn4aw8SAff_oEjzVqZmiGsI2IKkjWGboVg/s1600/KPS+04-26-17-7.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVm_Rskg0YyZkYqmQCcmEKOy1jsOZhq4m1ClbwdYFLsU9humjL4K_9NYL4ZSaJWxPrVnwTz-ZwcyCENxw1kWm9YVDHM4m_wrNBWRzkYoagdHn4aw8SAff_oEjzVqZmiGsI2IKkjWGboVg/s640/KPS+04-26-17-7.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><b>Compassion</b></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;">The child in the gray shirt was the last to realize what was out on the table. By the time he joined the fun, there were no bowls for him to use. The child in red, thoughtfully said "Oliver! You can work with me! We can be a team!"</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAX35I2L8RalJg8GsGH79i51_5zgQbkcFAaQBlKvKodd7ZjxR-wmatX3Aimd5tIh8lk9e2R0i8NwB1hcLuAuew96dfIrjeqYxhpfQxEDy16T1K6y3yX9FCB5ALy_EIFGh8qOw9glSagUU/s1600/KPS+04-26-17-11.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAX35I2L8RalJg8GsGH79i51_5zgQbkcFAaQBlKvKodd7ZjxR-wmatX3Aimd5tIh8lk9e2R0i8NwB1hcLuAuew96dfIrjeqYxhpfQxEDy16T1K6y3yX9FCB5ALy_EIFGh8qOw9glSagUU/s640/KPS+04-26-17-11.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b>Teamwork</b></span></td></tr>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQGJjcsXv4Ucc_K7JmZDd9oB_R4sQliv_PzqJydDjqv9noE4QtlPgfmGUINl8SSlKHuap3LM0iw9UDe27XymA9kojoeiu_U4MaG7t3gy9VQ_-J-o16Ua9EiuJ9xEEbw2QBpY4TUXpn9aQ/s1600/KPS+04-26-17-12.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQGJjcsXv4Ucc_K7JmZDd9oB_R4sQliv_PzqJydDjqv9noE4QtlPgfmGUINl8SSlKHuap3LM0iw9UDe27XymA9kojoeiu_U4MaG7t3gy9VQ_-J-o16Ua9EiuJ9xEEbw2QBpY4TUXpn9aQ/s640/KPS+04-26-17-12.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-large;"><b>Self Control</b></span></div>
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I was so impressed with the control the children displayed. They had FREE REIGN of these ingredients, yet they very thoughtfully added the best part (the chocolate) and were careful not to hog it all. This served as yet another reminder that children CAN BE TRUSTED.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJd9ydY22FifJf-DyBFtFG-nQ0U3D3qj78DHY9xmimBCnEXKF4lUYSqhC5cIMRBJDoqAsY_JdpVi5hHs-FaEetj0Pc8XruOeHCOMzw3Dx6uBHcweIbeHdgKPtW8knHoRywY2Xt62PyPuI/s1600/KPS+04-26-17-18.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJd9ydY22FifJf-DyBFtFG-nQ0U3D3qj78DHY9xmimBCnEXKF4lUYSqhC5cIMRBJDoqAsY_JdpVi5hHs-FaEetj0Pc8XruOeHCOMzw3Dx6uBHcweIbeHdgKPtW8knHoRywY2Xt62PyPuI/s640/KPS+04-26-17-18.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">Then came the favorite part....the tasting. GUESS WHAT?!?! These were really tasty too!!! WHO KNEW open-ended baking could turn out so well?!? </span><span style="font-size: small;">(side note: the sweet version needed a hotter oven: 375)</span></td></tr>
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As the children were comparing their baked goods, plans were made for the next day. "Denita? Can you get us some sprinkles? We think these could really use some sprinkles."<br />
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So...of course I added sprinkles to the mix on Thursday!<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQZ-bWT9ntY2U-2GDkuK-f6VRNozim-4HXnQB1W3-x1X0W7132OvFLG8amjQw0kQ7q0s1Y8YKDty5CaDr4HoM66maVWa9mDkEihyeP-9yAncPpZtPBmm9VMNFO8MSd1JlnaLb1su8r6Wg/s1600/KPS+04-27-17-12.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQZ-bWT9ntY2U-2GDkuK-f6VRNozim-4HXnQB1W3-x1X0W7132OvFLG8amjQw0kQ7q0s1Y8YKDty5CaDr4HoM66maVWa9mDkEihyeP-9yAncPpZtPBmm9VMNFO8MSd1JlnaLb1su8r6Wg/s640/KPS+04-27-17-12.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b>Comparing and Contrasting</b></span><br />
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-size: 12.8px;">When Thursday's batch came out of the oven, the children just wanted to look at them all. "Guys! Don't eat them! Let's just look and see how different they all are!" </span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-size: 12.8px;">This was an extremely rich moment as the children commented on how the cookies were alike, and how they were different. What stood out the most were the three that are more brown than the others. </span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-size: 12.8px;">"What made them more brown? " </span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-size: 12.8px;">"OH! Cinnamon!" </span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-size: 12.8px;">"Look at how pretty this one is with the sprinkles, and that one is with the sugar on top." </span></div>
<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Empowered</b></span><br />
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-size: 12.8px;">THEN, it was finally time to TASTE! After much sampling and comparing and commenting, everyone decided that Elsie's tasted the best. So, I said "Elsie, do you want to tell them your secret?" (she sprinkles more sugar on top of hers when she puts it on the pan!) She was so empowered by the fact that everyone agreed that hers tasted the best that of course she told them her secret!</span></div>
</td></tr>
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<br />
When I consult with providers, I always get asked "when do you know when it's time to move on?" It's simple, you follow their lead. You listen to the children, you look for the joy.<br />
<br />
Judging from my observations, there is no end in site for our open-ended baking days. I foresee this continuing on until the end of the school year. And honestly, observing them lead this open-ended baking opportunity brings me great joy and reassures me that I have done my job, and done it well.<br />
<br />
My observations have told me, loud and clear, that these children are confident, they aren't afraid to try new things, they are kind and compassionate. They have self-regulation and can handle conflict with impressive ease. They have impressive vocabularies and understand the meaning of countless words, they can express themselves with words instead of hands even in the most heated moment of conflict. They know how to make a plan, instigate that plan, and fix it to make it better. They know how to pick themselves up from failing and try again. They know about teamwork and are able to collaborate ideas with others. ALL of those skills were demonstrated during their open-ended baking.<br />
<br />
They are amazing, capable people that I am blessed to have in my life.<br />
<br />
So then, I encourage YOU to change your thoughts about baking experiences with children. Put ingredients out that go together and follow their lead. PLEASE KNOW that your results could and SHOULD be different than mine. Forget you read this, and keep your mind open to the ideas of YOUR CHILDREN!<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
____________________________</div>
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><b>About the author:</b></span><br />
<br />
Denita Dinger is a popular keynote speaker, trainer and consultant on the topic of transitioning from a teacher-led philosophy to a play-based, child-led one. Denita's presentations are REAL, humorous and inspiring.<br />
<br />
Denita is the co-author of three books: "Let them Play: An Early Childhood UnCurriculum", "Let's Play" and "Let's All Play".<br />
<br />
To book Denita for your upcoming conference or to spend a few days coaching your staff, contact her at playcounts.denitadinger@gmail.com.<br />
<br />
Learn more about Denita's philosophy on her many Facebook pages:<br />
<a href="https://www.facebook.com/Play-Counts-141352815884541/" target="_blank">Play Counts</a> (Denita's Consulting Page)<br />
<a href="https://www.facebook.com/Kaleidoscope-Play-School-721079454605219/" target="_blank">Kaleidoscope Play School</a> (Denita's Play School page)<br />
<a href="https://www.facebook.com/Camp-Empower-1546343475646670/" target="_blank">Camp Empower</a> (Denita's School-aged Summer Camp page)<br />
<a href="https://www.facebook.com/groups/497498197101198/" target="_blank">Embracing Play Podcast</a> (Denita's Podcast, co-hosted with Beth Wolff)<br />
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Denita Dingerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06595550669709851195noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5241296428946234061.post-86926377011092854862017-03-08T11:52:00.000-08:002017-04-26T17:44:07.698-07:00What Child-led Means: An Empowering Story about a Quarter and a Dime and So Much MoreMany educators struggle with what "child-led" actually means. I used to struggle with what "child-led" actually means.<br />
<br />
<b>In my 19 years as an early childhood professional, <span style="font-size: x-large;">I have learned what it DOES NOT mean:</span></b><br />
<br />
It does not mean that the interests of children are <u>considered </u>when a teacher writes up their lesson plans (that will be strictly followed), complete with prescribed objectives and outcomes.<br />
<br />
It does not mean letting the children lead until the schedule says it's time for learning.<br />
<br />
It does not mean letting children choose the color of paint they would like to paint the fish that was cut out by you and fits perfectly into your underwater theme of the week.<br />
<br />
It does not mean that the theme of the week, which all children must participate, is dinosaurs because three out of ten children love dinosaurs, therefore it's a child-led theme.<br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: x-large;"><b>I have learned what it DOES mean:</b></span><br />
<br />
To borrow the words of Bev Bos, child-led simply means<span style="font-size: large;"><b> </b></span><br />
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><b>"The children are the curriculum".</b></span></div>
<br />
The box that can come to your program every month is <b><span style="font-size: large;">NOT the curriculum.</span></b><br />
The heavily suggested curriculum you feel forced to follow by your STAR rating program is <span style="font-size: large;"><b>NOT the curriculum.</b></span><br />
The skills that someone, who, in many cases, knows nothing about child development, has declared indicates "kindergarten readiness" is <span style="font-size: large;"><b>NOT the curriculum.</b></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;">The </span><b><span style="font-size: x-large;">CHILDREN</span></b><span style="font-size: large;"> are the curriculum in a child-led program.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
The job of the teacher in a child-led program is to set their adult-expectations aside, and follow the lead of the children. The job requires teachers to go above and beyond to meet children WHERE THEY ARE and scaffold from there Teachers in a child-led program must have a solid understanding that each child is in their own, unique place and there is NO SUCH THING as "one-size fits all" in early childhood education.<br />
<br />
When all of the above is done correctly, learning can be and usually IS, as beautiful as this story:<br />
<br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: x-large;"><b>Oliver's mom taught him a new skill:</b></span> how to make paper flowers. From that skill came the realization that he could make fans. <br />
<br />
About an hour into our time together this morning, Oliver helped himself to the construction paper, and began to make fans.<br />
<br />
It was clear that he was quite proud of this new skill of his. Through my quiet observations, I noticed he had developed some techniques that were quite impressive. This is a child, who, upon starting in my program in the fall of 2014, could not stay focused on a task to save his life. His thoughts were everywhere, and his body was a tornado. So to watch him now, develop a plan, execute that plan and stay focused throughout all of the steps, is hugely rewarding.<br />
<br />
Through all of his progress, I remained beside him. Scaffolding as necessary, coaching when needed and lovingly following his eclectic and amazing mind.<br />
<br />
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After a good 30 minutes of fan-making, Oliver had an impressive collection of handmade fans sitting before him.<br />
<br />
"Oliver? What is your plan with your fans?"<br />
Shrugged shoulders<br />"Well.. what are the possibilities?"<br />He and I then went back and forth dreaming up possible things he could do with his fans, and then I said "or your could sell them."<br />
<br />
He paused, and then his face LIT UP: "I can sell them? I never thought of that! I want to sell them, but not for pretend money. I want to sell them for real money!"<br />
<br />
At this moment Bennett approached Oliver and asked if he could have one of his fans. Oliver politely let him know that these were not something you could just have, these fans were FOR SALE. And then Oliver added in a quick "For real money.".<br />
<br />
Bennett looked at me and I said "Yep. Oliver is selling these beautiful fans. So when you go home tonight, get a quarter out of your piggy bank and bring it to school tomorrow."<br />
<br />
Oliver piped in "A quarter? No. I was thinking more like two dollars."<br />
<br />
My reply: "Two Dollars?!? That might be too much, and then you won't sell them at all."<br />
<br />
So then Oliver said "Okay. A quarter.......(pause)......and a dime."<br />
<br />
Bennett replied "I don't have any money. I have a wallet though." <br />
Oliver's eyes widened "YOU HAVE A WALLET?" And then a conversation began all about wallets.<br />
<br />
<b><span style="font-size: large;">This is where the teacher's role in a child-led program is SO IMPORTANT.</span></b> While the boys were side tracked with their conversation about wallets, I grabbed my phone and quickly texted all of the parents in my program. I informed them that Oliver had been diligently working the majority of the morning on paper fans that he is selling for a quarter and a dime, so, if they are so inclined, and happen to have a quarter and a dime handy, Oliver would be SUPER empowered if they bought a fan.<br />
<br />
I then said "Oliver? Do you want to set up a shop in the entry way for when the parents come to pick up? Maybe they would buy some fans?"<br />
<br />
"That's a GREAT idea, Denita! YES! Let's do that!"<br />
<br />
And so Oliver got to work writing his own sign (my program is based on MEANINGFUL LEARNING. The children write WHEN THEY HAVE A REASON to write. And that reason is NEVER just because it says it's "writing time" on our schedule. In fact, our schedule is simply: "PLAY.")<br />
<br />
He grabbed a bucket for his fans, and went to the entry way to set up his shop.<br />
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<br />
The first few parents that arrived did not have any money to buy a fan, Oliver came back inside, all deflated.<br />
<br />
I said "Well...how many parents are here?"<br />
<br />
"Just two."<br />
<br />
"Oliver! Go back out there! There are a lot more parents yet to come! Sometimes moms don't have any change, but SOMETIMES...they do! You don't want to miss the opportunity!" He begrudgingly headed back to the entry way.<br />
<br />
About two minutes later, Oliver came BURSTING back into the room. He was BEAMING, and in his hand was a quarter and a dime. "I SOLD ONE! I SOLD ONE! LOOK! LOOK!"<br />
<br />
In the end, Oliver sold all but two fans. He took home a handful of cold, hard cash.... but most importantly, he took home an <span style="font-size: large;"><b>EMPOWERED SELF.</b></span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><b>With a fist full of money, Oliver went home EMPOWERED.</b></span></td></tr>
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I thank God every single day that I finally figured out what "child-led" TRULY means. I am so grateful I was able to throw away my teacher-controlled lesson plans and trust children to lead me.<br />
<br />
<br />
About the author:<br />
<br />
Denita Dinger is a popular keynote speaker, trainer and consultant on the topic of transitioning from a teacher-led philosophy to a play-based, child-led one. Denita's presentations are REAL, humorous and inspiring. <br />
<br />
Denita is the co-author of three books: "Let them Play: An Early Childhood UnCurriculum", "Let's Play" and "Let's All Play".<br />
<br />
To book Denita for your upcoming conference or to spend a few days coaching your staff, contact her at playcounts.denitadinger@gmail.com.<br />
<br />
Learn more about Denita's philosophy on her many Facebook pages:<br />
<a href="https://www.facebook.com/Play-Counts-141352815884541/" target="_blank">Play Counts</a> (Denita's Consulting Page)<br />
<a href="https://www.facebook.com/Kaleidoscope-Play-School-721079454605219/" target="_blank">Kaleidoscope Play School</a> (Denita's Play School page)<br />
<a href="https://www.facebook.com/Camp-Empower-1546343475646670/" target="_blank">Camp Empower</a> (Denita's School-aged Summer Camp page)<br />
<a href="https://www.facebook.com/groups/497498197101198/" target="_blank">Embracing Play Podcast</a> (Denita's Podcast, co-hosted with Beth Wolff)Denita Dingerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06595550669709851195noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5241296428946234061.post-42696367311190070202017-02-03T12:14:00.002-08:002020-02-27T13:11:26.751-08:00The True Kings and Queens of Themes: Children<b><span style="font-size: large;">I am a former "Queen of Themes" who has proudly stepped down from her thrown. </span></b><br />
<br />
For those of you that are new to me, here's the abbreviated version of my journey, with an option to read more:<br />
<br />
For the first 11 years of my career as an early childhood professional, <span style="font-size: large;"><b>I was addicted to themes</b></span> (read about it <a href="http://playcountsdenitadinger.blogspot.com/2014/06/are-you-addicted-to-themes-tale-about.html" target="_blank">HERE</a>). <br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><b>I was a stubborn and proud of my teacher-led preschool program</b></span>. (read about it <a href="http://playcountsdenitadinger.blogspot.com/2015/01/confessions-of-stubborn-close-minded.html" target="_blank">HERE</a>)<br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><b>I THOUGHT I was running a child-led, play-based program.</b></span> (read about it <a href="http://playcountsdenitadinger.blogspot.com/2016/06/confessions-of-play-based-teacher.html" target="_blank">HERE</a>)<br />
<br />
What I know now, is:<span style="font-size: large;"> </span><span style="font-size: x-large; font-weight: bold;">I WAS WRONG.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-large; font-weight: bold;"><br /></span>
Luckily, for the children in my play school, I made changes.<br />
I am incredibly grateful for my theme-filled past, however, as it helps me spot the themes that now occur organically in my TRULY child-led program. <br />
<br />
<b>In the past, I chose the themes.</b> <br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><b>I chose them in August. </b></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: x-large;"><b>I chose them for <u>every single week,</u> from August-May, in AUGUST. Yet, I thought I was considering the "current" interests of my group. </b></span><br />
<br />
Sure, some of "my" themes were based on the interests of the children in my program, but, I admit, the majority were chosen because of the clever ideas I came up with to execute said themes. I considered myself to be the "Queen of Themes".<br />
<br />
NOW, many years later, I know, without a doubt, that<br />
<span style="font-size: x-large;"><b>CHILDREN are the "Queens and Kings of Themes"</b></span>, I just wasn't giving children enough credit. I was blinded by my own need to express MY creativity, that I wasn't allowing children to express theirs.<br />
<br />
I'd like to share the themes that were led by the TRUE Queens and Kings of themes in my program on ONE MORNING (my program is from 8:30-11:30am). These themes all occurred during the morning of February 2, 2017, and were all led by children:<br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Theme One: Sewing</b></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><b><br /></b></span>
<b>Before: </b>I would have done a week-long theme on sewing. The letter we would have focused on was "s". I would have had all sorts of books available about sewing, opportunities to sew, we would have rhymed with sew, we would have sewn with a variety of materials: cooked spaghetti, yarn, string, skinny strips of fabric. Weaving would have been incorporated.<br />
<b>Number of children participating: </b> EVERYONE. No one had a choice to not participate. It was meaningful to no one as the idea belonged to me, not the children.<br />
<b><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></b>
<b>Now: </b>One child in my program has made an old slipper into a stuffed animal while at home. He used the stuffing from one of his torn stuffed buddies at home as filler for his monkey slipper. He has brought this "stuffed animal" to school several times. Yesterday, when he arrived, he was really wanting to get rid of the "sock" part of this stuffed animal (the part of a slipper that comes up on a child's ankle).<br />
Together, he and I problem solved back and forth. I offered an idea, he shot it down, he offered and idea, we discussed the possibility of that etc. (COLLABORATION at it's finest). FINALLY, we agreed on an idea. We would pull out some of the stuffing, in order to make room for the sock part to fold into the slipper (he did not like the idea of cutting it off). He would then sew the slipper opening closed. I gathered a REAL needle and thread, and together, we sewed until I knew I could trust him to use caution and complete the project successfully.<br />
NOTE: This is an example of where TEACHER DIRECTION lives happily in a child-led philosophy. This child needed me to teach him how to sew. DIRECT INSTRUCTION, led by a child's interests.<br />
<b>Number of children participating: </b> ONE. No one else was even aware this was going on. This was a meaningful moment for ONE child.<br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Theme Two: Shadows</b></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><b><br /></b></span>
<b>Before: </b>Since this was in celebration of Ground Hog Day, I would have spent a week learning about ground hogs, yet not a single child would have actually gotten to experience a ground hog. I would have focused on the cutesy songs about ground hogs popping out the ground. We would have colored carbon copied ground hogs that were found in the latest teacher's magazine and we would have glued them to a craft stick and stuck them in a styrofoam cup. Shadows did not come into play for this theme until my journey towards a true play-based program began. My first step was ditching the ground hog and focusing on shadows. Shadow play would have been a part of the environment for one week.<br />
<b>Number of participants: </b>Everyone. No one had the option to not make a ground hog, and later, not play shadows.<br />
<b><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></b>
<b>Now: </b>I simply re-arranged the room the evening before, leaving a bare wall for shadow play. I then added a lamp, and waited for a child to ask why there was a lamp sitting on a table. When that moment happened, thanks to the natural curiosity of children, I simply turned off the overhead lights, and turned on the lamp. The why, was quickly answered by the children: "Look! Shadows!!"; "My shadow is small here, but it's big when I walk over here!" "My shadow looks like a witch!" ; "My shadow is nice." etc. etc. As the children were exploring their shadows, the book "The Dark Dark Night" by Christina Butler (that we had read the day before) came into their play. One child did mention that it was Ground Hog Day, and he explained it to empty ears.. no one, not a single child cared. What they DID care about, however, were the shadows they were making. Shadow play continued until someone requested the projector. I switched out the lamp for the overhead projector and shadow play continue with an added element.<br />
<b>Number of children participating: </b> Everyone. No one was forced, but all were naturally curious and had to experience and discover their shadows.<br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Theme Three: The Mitten</b></span><br />
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<b>Before: </b>I would have led the children in a theme based around the classic book by Jan Bret: "The Mitten". We would have explored, in depth, each animal (even though we got to touch, smell or hear none of them), we would have made construction paper mittens, we would have acted out the story (not organically, but led by me, assigning roles to the children). The letter "M" would have been the focus for the week. Stations would have been set up all related to the story, "The Mitten" in some way.<br />
<b>Number of participants:</b> Everyone. No one would have had the option to not participate. <br />
<b><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></b>
<b>Now: </b>While the lights were out, and some children were still exploring shadows, and projection play, one child asked for the finger lights (we had played with them the day before). After playing with the finger lights for a while, one child wondered what would happen if we put a finger light inside a balloon. And so.... like all wonders that happen in my program we tested it to find out. We learned it was awesome. The process of getting the light into the balloon (I held the balloon open with my fingers, while one child pushed in the light), gave ME a wonder. SO... I added on to the moment, I extended the learning and simply said "I wonder what else we can fit inside a balloon." There were several "takers" to my wonder and they were EXCITEDLY gathering items they predicted would fit into a balloon. SO, I quickly grabbed ANOTHER balloon, and held it open, while object after object was tested. Some fit, some failed. After about four items made it inside the balloon, I blew it up. I held it up to the light and we "oohed and awed" about the affect. I then released the air (resulting in a stretched out balloon that suddenly had room for MORE) and the children gathered more items. I repeated the process one more time. Then I added this: "Hmmmmm..... boys and girls, I wonder what would happen if I tie the balloon and then....... POP IT!!!!?" SQUEALS of delight followed that wonder. So, I quickly tied it, grabbed a pin, and gave plenty of warning to ALL that a balloon was about to be popped (not every single child was a part of this...and I wanted to give fair warning). "POP!!!" EVERYONE inside the balloon FLEW all about the room!! This was quickly followed by "DO IT AGAIN!" And so, the whole process was repeated. When we reached the "pop" stage, I asked who wanted to have the honor of popping the balloon (I like to hand moments like this off to the children as much as possible in order to empower them with ownership). After the second time, I said "Boys and girls. Does this remind anyone of one of our favorite books?!" "The book about animals squeezing into something very small......." One child's face LIT UP and he said "The book about the white glove!!!" (aka: "The Mitten"). After doing the balloon thing one more time, that child said "Can we read "The Mitten" now?!" YES WE CAN!<br />
<b>Number of participants: </b> The number of children participating varied throughout this play. I have eleven children enrolled in my program, ten were present on this day. The number of participants varied from 8 to 3.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEht9SpGIS472qE-IyH21oziL4zQUPL27x75csrds2UpDQxXsVEU97EHoZ9UYVu-b2pyOlEI0fs6e-XWpK2NpXsimjqBXaDm4rDae_FZrzpYPsi5am68BBSNEXFbOMu3DVJcF2hhF_RQnkI/s1600/KPS+2-02-17-48.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEht9SpGIS472qE-IyH21oziL4zQUPL27x75csrds2UpDQxXsVEU97EHoZ9UYVu-b2pyOlEI0fs6e-XWpK2NpXsimjqBXaDm4rDae_FZrzpYPsi5am68BBSNEXFbOMu3DVJcF2hhF_RQnkI/s640/KPS+2-02-17-48.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">No... your eyes do not deceive you... that IS a big stuffed mouse from Ikea (if you have heard me speak, you know all about those) INSIDE a balloon!!!</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">So proud. This child just successfully shoved a frog shower puff into the balloon!!</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I handed the process of holding the balloon open to the children. THIS IS HARD WORK!</td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Theme Four: Outer Space</b></span><br />
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<b>Before: </b>I would have done a week-long theme on outer space. We would have talked about gravity, and of course, experienced it. We would have imagined everything else. We would have focused on the letter "O", possibly "A" for astronaut. We would have explored lots of books and pictures. But nothing would have been real, and none of the children were ever very interested, but I did it none-the-less because it felt like a right-of-passage for all preschoolers to learn about outer space..something that even adults can't really comprehend.<br />
<b>Number of Participants: </b> Everyone. No one would have had the option to not travel to outer space with us.<br />
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<b>Now: </b>After the balloon excitment, one child meandered back to the overhead projector. He proceeded to figure out that the magnatiles would work on the projector, and he built a rocket ship. Another child noticed, and "hopped aboard", declaring to everyone that he was about to blast off into outer space. He was quickly empowered as other children grabbed hold of HIS idea and they too took off for outer space. The children shared all the info they knew about space travel that they had gathered from siblings and parents, sparked by their own questions.<br />
<b>Number of children participating: </b> Two - six.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0GtufCRYH33vSfx0AAkUVmCC1evkyOpE40Gm8oswJLKJYttUuwesRP8ZKPcoUiMR46Yi2PAAsrSfwEXdLgP2OLiwwsuXr6nMdByfDCZtiIRVYZlEmNS9ncykZasAuuG20jfHFKAc81Sc/s1600/KPS+2-02-17-82.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0GtufCRYH33vSfx0AAkUVmCC1evkyOpE40Gm8oswJLKJYttUuwesRP8ZKPcoUiMR46Yi2PAAsrSfwEXdLgP2OLiwwsuXr6nMdByfDCZtiIRVYZlEmNS9ncykZasAuuG20jfHFKAc81Sc/s640/KPS+2-02-17-82.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This child is trying to move the rocket by pushing it up. Prior to this, the children standing at the projector were making the rocket ship blast off. This child has yet to connect the cause and effect factor of playing with the overhead projector.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I didn't have the heart to tell them that they weren't all in the rocket, and that they were about to burn up. Sigh.</td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Theme Five: Birthdays</b></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><b><br /></b></span>
<b>Before: </b>I never did a theme on Birthdays, as I wanted each child's actual birthday to be something special.<br />
<b><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></b>
<b>Now: </b>Birthdays happen pretty much daily in my program. Someone, every.single.day., creates a birthday cake out of SOMETHING. On this day, Ellery created a birthday cake with flubber, using scissors for candles. He made it for his friend, Zoey. (perhaps because she made him a Valentine?)<br />
<b>Number of children participating: </b> Two.<br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Theme Six: Puppet Theater</b></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><b><br /></b></span>
<b>Before: The puppets would have come out for a two-week appearance (just the one's that I allowed the children to play with...aka: the "cheap ones"). I had a huge stash of puppets reserved for special appearances ONLY. Some puppets were only seen once a year, and they were only run by me. WHY? Because I didn't want the "magic" of puppets to be spoiled. (hand to forehead...what on earth was I thinking?!?!)</b><br />
<b>Number of Particpants: </b> Again, EVERYONE, as no child had a choice. (This is painful for me to reflect upon. I gave children no choice. None. I worried something fierce about the child that might be bored, or might not want to participate.. and so, participation was mandatory, whether they liked it or not)<br />
<b><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></b>
<b>Now: </b>The puppets were "set free" almost two years ago. ALL of the puppets. Even the super expensive ones. It was the best decision I ever made. Puppets are the tool some children need to open up, and express themselves. Puppets are the catalyst of imagination, and a peek into the soul of the children who are timid or shy. Puppets belong IN THE HANDS of children, not to be reserved for the hands of teachers only.<br />
On this particular day, the puppets were not in the environment, but since the children in my program are empowered, they are not afraid to ask for what they need. One child wanted to put on a puppet show, and so he asked for what he needed: the puppets.<br />
At first, all of the children, every single one grabbed a puppet. This left NO ONE to observe the puppet show. Oliver (whose idea this was to begin with) was so incredibly sad. The other children heard him, and demonstrated AMAZING compassion. It looked like this:<br />
"Awe man!! Now there is no one to watch my show! This was the worse idea ever! WHY did I think of this idea!"<br />
Within seconds of this, one child said "I'll watch your show!", and they headed across the room to grab a chair. This was followed by several more children saying and doing the exact same thing.<br />
<b>Number of children participating: </b> Every single one. And they all had a choice.<br />
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<b><span style="font-size: large;">Theme Seven: Teacher Pride and Reflection</span></b><br />
<b><br /></b>
<b>Before: </b>I was so proud of my clever ideas. I thrived on thinking of outside-the-box ways of bringing themes alive for children. I had a plan, and we stuck with the plan. Children learned that I was in control, and their job was to listen and do what I said. I was proud of the children who listened to me and followed directions so well, and frustrated those who wanted to ignore my directions and do things their own way.<br />
<br />
<b>Now: </b> I am incredibly proud of the clever thoughts and ideas of the children in my program. I am constantly amazed at the natural flow of child-led play. I love observing, and reflecting upon how one idea leads quite naturally, and sometimes bizarrely into another idea or theme. I am constantly in awe of the number and variety of themes that we visit on a daily basis. There is no pattern, there is no right or wrong. There are days where the themes visited are countless, while others, all the children participate in the same, child-directed and chosen theme for almost the entire duration of our time together.<br />
I love my job of quiet observer and facilitator. I love following the unpredictable lead of children, I love TRYING to predict what they may do with various materials I place in the environment. With that said, I love it even more when they bamboozle me with their amazing, un-fenced ideas.<br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: medium;">As I pause and reflect on every single day in my play school, I cannot believer I ever used to limit the children to ONE THEME ONLY... SOMETIMES, for weeks on end. Sigh.....</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: large;">Indeed, children are the true Kings and Queens of themes, step aside, and follow their lead!</span><br />
<br />
<br />
About the author: <br />
Denita Dinger is an internationally-known speaker and author from the USA who loves to share humorous, intentional and inspiring keynotes and workshops about the value of child-led learning to anyone who has young people in their lives.<br />
<br />
For more information, contact her at: playcounts.denitadinger@gmail.com<br />
<br />
Follow her on Facebook at <a href="https://www.facebook.com/Play-Counts-141352815884541/" target="_blank">Play Counts</a> as well as her two program pages: <a href="https://www.facebook.com/Kaleidoscope-Play-School-721079454605219/" target="_blank">Kaleidoscope Play School</a> (her child-led play school) and <a href="https://www.facebook.com/Camp-Empower-1546343475646670/" target="_blank">Camp Empower</a> (a school-aged summer play camp) and her podcast group: <a href="https://www.facebook.com/groups/497498197101198/" target="_blank">Embracing Play Community</a>.Denita Dingerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06595550669709851195noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5241296428946234061.post-86757173382190035452016-12-18T15:48:00.002-08:002016-12-18T15:48:26.627-08:00The Day I was Led to Crow BarsSomething I didn't grasp when I was a prescribed-lesson-plan-following-teacher is this whole idea of <span style="font-size: x-large;"><b>following the lead of children.</b></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;">Wasn't it my job to be the leader?</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;">Wasn't it the children who should be following ME, so I can teach them, and they can learn?</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;">How will they ever learn anything if they are leading and I am following?</span><br />
<br />
Those of you who are familiar with me, or have heard me speak, know my story.... and you know my journey from leading children to following them did not happen overnight. It was a long journey full of AHA MOMENTS; moments where it was loud and clear that my lesson plans were NOT filled with as much meaningful learning as where my children were leading me <span style="font-size: x-large;">IN THE MOMENT</span>.<br />
<br />
Enough aha moments have occurred that I have completely changed my philosophy. My program is now TRULY child-led. My plan, is no longer "mine", rather it is "ours". Our plan for tomorrow is unknown until today happens. "Our plan" simply means how I will set the environment, not what the children will do in the environment.... that is completely open to their unfenced imaginations.<br />
<br />
Because of the drastic change in my philosophy, moments like this are a regular occurrence in my program:<br />
<br />
Last week, the "Home Alone"-loving-six-year-old-student in my play school said the following:<br />
<br />
"Denita? Will you get me a piece of pvc pipe?"<br />
<br />
My "go-to" reply for such a request is always:<br />
<br />
"What is your plan?"<br />
<br />
"I want to make a crow bar."<br />
<br />
"I can't wait to see how you will create that! Let me go see what I can find."<br />
<br />
I returned to the classroom carrying the first pvc pipe piece I ran into, a roughly 3 ft. long piece of 1/2" pvc pipe.<br />
<br />
Oliver looked at it and said, with a smidgen of disappointment, "Oh. I didn't know crowbars were ever this big."<br />
<br />
"You know what, Oliver? I don't know if they are ever that big either. Let's do some research."<br />
<br />
So he and I grabbed my phone and I Googled "crowbars" and selected "images". Up popped all sorts of images of crowbars (including a cartoon of crows sitting at a bar). It was at that moment that it dawned on me that we had a crowbar out in the garage!<br />
<br />
"Oliver! How would you like to use a real crowbar?"<br />
<br />
"Can I REALLY!?!?!"<br />
<br />
I quickly returned with a REAL CROWBAR in my hands.<br />
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I then grabbed the 4x4 that we use to hammer nails into. It was full of nails that could be pried off with a crowbar.<br />
<br />
Oliver's interest in crowbars quickly spread to a few other children as well.<br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: x-large;"><b>Following their lead, </b></span>I quickly added hammers and goggles and more nails, as some children hammered, and Oliver used the crowbar.<br />
<br />
I then stepped back and quietly observed. I remained present, right there, in the moment, anxious to follow the next lead, but I was in the background of the action, rather then the center.<br />
<br />
It didn't take long for the children to determine their own method for taking turns.<br />
<br />
Patience was challenged as children eagerly awaited their turn with the coveted new tool.<br />
<br />
Various techniques were tried. Some failed, some succeeded.<br />
<br />
Children were sharing with each other what they had learned while using the crowbar.<br />
<br />
Children were assessing and managing risk. They were actively being careful, rather than just being told to be careful as a dangerous object was removed from their hands.<br />
<br />
Vocabularies were enriched as words like leverage and pry were used readily and correctly.<br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">And to think, I used to limit the learning in December strictly to things that related to Christmas .....because that is what I wrote in my lesson plan book.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;">This beautiful child-led moment will go down in my memory as the day I was led to crowbars... and the learning that followed was more rich than ANYTHING I could have ever pre-written in a lesson plan book.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span><span style="font-size: large;">Following the lead of children creates joy-filled opportunities that are loaded with meaningful learning.</span><br />
<br />
<br />
Denita Dinger is an internationally-known speaker and author who loves to share humorous, intentional and inspiring keynotes and workshops to anyone who has young people in their lives.<br />
For more information, contact her at: playcounts.denitadinger@gmail.com<br />
Follow her on Facebook at <a href="https://www.facebook.com/Play-Counts-141352815884541/" target="_blank">Play Counts</a> as well as her two programs: <a href="https://www.facebook.com/Kaleidoscope-Play-School-721079454605219/" target="_blank">Kaleidoscope Play School</a> (her child-led play school) and <a href="https://www.facebook.com/Camp-Empower-1546343475646670/" target="_blank">Camp Empower</a> (a school-aged summer play camp)Denita Dingerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06595550669709851195noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5241296428946234061.post-4900556180820355262016-09-15T12:47:00.001-07:002016-09-15T14:05:45.469-07:00Words Hold the Power to Discourage....or EMPOWER: Use them Wisely<span style="font-size: x-large;">Words.</span><br />
<br />
They are <span style="font-size: x-large;"><b>powerful.</b></span><br />
<br />
If used incorrectly, they can make a child feel inferior and not good enough. They can turn a child away from reading completely. Forced memorization of insignificant sight words is a prime example of this, as well as forced memorization of letters before a child realizes their purpose.<br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: x-large;">Words.</span><br />
<br />
They are <span style="font-size: x-large;"><b>powerful.</b></span><br />
<br />
If used correctly, they can empower children, and build the best foundation for all future literacy skills to build upon. <span style="font-size: large;">They can foster an insaturable urge to know more</span>. The "mystery word" is a prime example of this. <br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>WHAT IS A MYSTERY WORD?</b></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><b><br /></b></span>
The mystery word is a technique I use in my play school to build the foundation for future literacy skills. It's all about teaching letters in their natural habitat, where their purpose is clear, NOT isolated on a worksheet or flashcard, as a meaningless letter.<br />
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At the basis of the mystery word is simply attaching a word to a meaningful experience. It is among the simplest and most basic components of any child's literacy foundation. Next to reading, reading, reading to a child sits the very basic "attaching words to meaningful experiences".<br />
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We can attach words to experiences through conversation. Simply being in the moment and providing commentary of child-led play is one way of accomplishing this. Another is writing down a word that is connected to what children are currently doing and physically building that word. THAT is what the mystery word is all about.<br />
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The Mystery Word's beginnings are quite teacher-led. This technique was originally imagined by my good friend Jennifer Henson. She was a family childcare provider who was also on a journey, like mine, away from a thematically-led, teacher-controlled program to one where the current interests of children are respected and the children lead, while I follow and scaffold. (to see where the Mystery Word began in my program, read <a href="http://playcountsdenitadinger.blogspot.com/2012/02/power-of-one-word.html" target="_blank">THIS POST</a>)<br />
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Over time, however, it has evolved into something that is completely led, and owned by the littles in my play school. They, on their own, figured out that the mystery word was connected to what they were currently doing. And one day, out of the blue, a child suggested a word to me..... and the rest is history. It is now totally led by children. There is not a mystery word unless a child suggests one to me. Some days there are three mystery words, while other days, or even weeks, there are none.<br />
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<span style="font-size: x-large;"><b>Today,</b></span> my littles discovered a small photo album that contains upwards 80 index cards with one word on each card. Those are our mystery words from last year. That's right almost EIGHTY MEANINGFUL WORDS. ALL suggested to me, by my littles. ALL are attached to meaningful memories.</div>
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The excitement on the children's faces when they realized what was in this book matched that of a child who just discovered a jar of candy. </div>
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"DENITA! It's our mystery words!!! You saved them!! JUST FOR US!?! Read them to us!!"</div>
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And so I began: "Costume"</div>
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"I remember that day! It's the first day we had the cow costume and the cat costume and the dinosaur costume!!! Read some more!!"<br />
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"Snap, crack, pumpkin, crash, monster, slimey, wipe...."</div>
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"STOP! I remember that day! It's the day we learned that we could wipe off the walls in the doodle room, and the color moved to the rags!! Read some more!!"</div>
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"Build, swing, color, push..."</div>
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"STOP!!! I remember those words! It's the day we had the green swing and we colored on the floor while we were swinging. We have to do that again this year! The new kids don't know about the green swing yet! Read some more!!"</div>
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"Dump, suck, ramp, goopy, puppet, magnets, balloon, lights, donuts..."<br />
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"STOP!!! That was Oliver's birthday! He brought us donuts to eat!! Read some more!!!"</div>
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"Blow, flubber, family, party, snip, drip, stretch, projector..."<br />
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"STOP! Today is the perfect day for the projector! Will you get it out?"</div>
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"That's a grand idea! I will be right back."</div>
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And so.....out came the projector. And with it, the start of new memories as "fragile" and "light" were suggested for mystery words.<br />
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SIDE NOTE: "Fragile" was suggested because after setting up the projector, I reminded the children that it was fragile. After saying that, Oliver said "Hey! Fragile would be a good mystery word because our box is fragile too!" (we have a house/train/rocket ship in our environment that we constructed out of several boxes and duct tape, and let me tell you...it is FRAGILE!! :D ). "Light"...for obvious reasons.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhri5LGGuhdVlZnulRnT4BBFoTLvzspUPeKkt_UKkazAlUnrO_LQx33l8dK68POsrMPcIhpDV9uP1UKDNXXkws00pZOiGPSOkDshoCLg7qxI9OMd9U6MjxFhZhZFMhr8_igkqhAccyXHzc/s1600/KPS+09-15-16+%252833+of+70%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhri5LGGuhdVlZnulRnT4BBFoTLvzspUPeKkt_UKkazAlUnrO_LQx33l8dK68POsrMPcIhpDV9uP1UKDNXXkws00pZOiGPSOkDshoCLg7qxI9OMd9U6MjxFhZhZFMhr8_igkqhAccyXHzc/s640/KPS+09-15-16+%252833+of+70%2529.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHvkG8zRCoHOTPhPRy3WQpxFgrcMpmgXYG-6YjjqFHbxf9b_NWuUikn8pfruibdNFsrZy2no5_vhgQngHcpB4vRfT3PJGOqhz2Y1B7T5a6bcj519bP11Li6nOEeXEp-Tpl_ZkWoZmehUo/s1600/KPS+09-15-16+%252837+of+70%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHvkG8zRCoHOTPhPRy3WQpxFgrcMpmgXYG-6YjjqFHbxf9b_NWuUikn8pfruibdNFsrZy2no5_vhgQngHcpB4vRfT3PJGOqhz2Y1B7T5a6bcj519bP11Li6nOEeXEp-Tpl_ZkWoZmehUo/s640/KPS+09-15-16+%252837+of+70%2529.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-size: large;">When a mystery word is suggested, I write it on an index card, show it to the child that suggested it (they usually watch me write it) and then I hang it on the wall. When the attention is off of the word, and whomever was interested is back to their play, I hide the black letters you see in this picture. Using poster putty on the back, I hide them anywhere and everywhere. I then wait. Quietly. As the children play, they discover the letters... and let me tell you, it is EXTREMELY exciting to find the letters. When found, they figure out where the letter goes. </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">The most AMAZING thing that has evolved out of the mystery word is extreme letter knowledge. My littles understand the POWER of a letter. They know that every letter they add CHANGES the word. How do I know they know this? Because they ask "what does it say now, Denita?" after they add a letter.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiO1_yyLygBIsnyNv8QX5p7-GSH1cjtim3IgQn4CbQwgnIBhR0NTIa92uAqZnrjJL0dDxo31HHOfy_uXC3qqvZ2dyj7Bq7CdRWAuPivi5cIdZgZ3UIhPfFWnyPJFatKjP-0GUA57wiyTp4/s1600/KPS+09-15-16+%252823+of+70%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiO1_yyLygBIsnyNv8QX5p7-GSH1cjtim3IgQn4CbQwgnIBhR0NTIa92uAqZnrjJL0dDxo31HHOfy_uXC3qqvZ2dyj7Bq7CdRWAuPivi5cIdZgZ3UIhPfFWnyPJFatKjP-0GUA57wiyTp4/s640/KPS+09-15-16+%252823+of+70%2529.jpg" width="640" /></a></span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1fTmXa_vrXvWtnLEhaYqKArzwypBvUE2Qz14H3W_5ddWoNwFzX5pUD8ws8gdsYR3oxhtyqKxjYlTUsWoEEmdaP53wfBX_5cqDvE0OIcSWJeB-U1zXLZXI09tDIInm4AalA05ynJHY5II/s1600/KPS+09-15-16+%252841+of+70%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1fTmXa_vrXvWtnLEhaYqKArzwypBvUE2Qz14H3W_5ddWoNwFzX5pUD8ws8gdsYR3oxhtyqKxjYlTUsWoEEmdaP53wfBX_5cqDvE0OIcSWJeB-U1zXLZXI09tDIInm4AalA05ynJHY5II/s640/KPS+09-15-16+%252841+of+70%2529.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: left;"><br /><span style="font-size: large;">This child discovered a problem, and decided to take it upon himself to fix it! Do you see how the letter "g" is in front of the letter "i"? Noticing that error takes some fantastic visual tracking abilities and differentiation skills.</span><br />
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<tr><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjk0ufvDXqNOwl5lT8X2OGKJ45A4XsF4qKHd59GrkF8WSRL4WUZJCUzjZat_fXPzPUcv8h1X90upW5Q5KQk8cu-zw3oFZ6w18a5PNWr9w_K0bJedMEi0un3T2WgbsXLUdlaFV2g8rX1Aro/s1600/KPS+09-15-16+%252842+of+70%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjk0ufvDXqNOwl5lT8X2OGKJ45A4XsF4qKHd59GrkF8WSRL4WUZJCUzjZat_fXPzPUcv8h1X90upW5Q5KQk8cu-zw3oFZ6w18a5PNWr9w_K0bJedMEi0un3T2WgbsXLUdlaFV2g8rX1Aro/s640/KPS+09-15-16+%252842+of+70%2529.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: large;">PRIDE. Intrinsically motivated PRIDE. No one told this child to fix the word. No one praised this child after he fixed the word.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_QcXcbTVcU77qb4T_AoNrPXWM-I_LN1yg5FKGNbMOCOxxG8eK8t4JSmUYbAS1P8fQOq4SktATWSWbK6OC2lvfTtKpPb2D6lKA7gD4-rUTOgXQWQ_XAH4ruagKJDPT6xjcfsUHDhiWhF4/s1600/KPS+09-15-16+%252843+of+70%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_QcXcbTVcU77qb4T_AoNrPXWM-I_LN1yg5FKGNbMOCOxxG8eK8t4JSmUYbAS1P8fQOq4SktATWSWbK6OC2lvfTtKpPb2D6lKA7gD4-rUTOgXQWQ_XAH4ruagKJDPT6xjcfsUHDhiWhF4/s640/KPS+09-15-16+%252843+of+70%2529.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiR5epW4LHlkR_TuPtX12kpT0W0GK8xqWHopUdLwnrw0v_JI40thEj9iI0IcZzrIBgk5XNOriDmcg65o0t9f40PCS5XouZbVaZS2JUTolZYJ2OwPri0avrO4cfHWq67ZKS0N_-lMycObc/s1600/KPS+09-15-16+%252870+of+70%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiR5epW4LHlkR_TuPtX12kpT0W0GK8xqWHopUdLwnrw0v_JI40thEj9iI0IcZzrIBgk5XNOriDmcg65o0t9f40PCS5XouZbVaZS2JUTolZYJ2OwPri0avrO4cfHWq67ZKS0N_-lMycObc/s640/KPS+09-15-16+%252870+of+70%2529.jpg" style="cursor: move;" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8px; padding-top: 4px; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: large;">This Noelle. She just turned five and is VERY much in love with our mystery words. She just found the "f" that completed "fragile". She was just a tad bit excited!! Insert a sing-songy voice as she is yelling "FRAGILE!!!". </span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Words.<br /><br />They are </span><span style="font-size: x-large;"><b>powerful</b></span><span style="font-size: large;">.<br /><br />We can use that power to discourage children..... or </span><span style="font-size: x-large;"><b>EMPOWER</b></span><span style="font-size: large;"> children.<br /><br />I choose empower, every.single.time.</span></td></tr>
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About the Author:</div>
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Denita Dinger is the owner of Play Counts Consulting and is an international keynote speaker on the topic of embracing play. She is passionate about helping early childhood professionals see the learning power of child-led play. Her most popular training is the Defender of Play Boot Camp. </div>
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Contact her at playcounts.denitadinger@gmail.com for more information about her speaking rates. You can also learn more about Denita's passion for embracing play on her Facebook pages: <a href="https://www.facebook.com/Play-Counts-141352815884541/" target="_blank">Play Counts</a>, <a href="http://kaleidoscope%20play%20school/" target="_blank">Kaleidoscope Play School</a> and <a href="https://www.facebook.com/Camp-Empower-1546343475646670/" target="_blank">Camp Empower</a>.</div>
Denita Dingerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06595550669709851195noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5241296428946234061.post-90903836847912302016-09-15T12:47:00.000-07:002016-09-15T12:54:56.552-07:00Words Hold the Power to Discourage....or EMPOWER: Use them Wisely<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-size: x-large;">Words.</span><br />
<br />
They are <span style="font-size: x-large;"><b>powerful.</b></span><br />
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If used incorrectly, they can make a child feel inferior and not good enough. They can turn a child away from reading completely. Forced memorization of insignificant sight words is a prime example of this, as well as forced memorization of letters before a child understands that letters are used to make words.<br />
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<span style="font-size: x-large;">Words.</span><br />
<br />
They are <span style="font-size: x-large;"><b>powerful.</b></span><br />
<br />
If used correctly, they can empower children, and build the best foundation for all future literacy skills to build upon. <span style="font-size: large;">They can foster an insaturable urge to know more</span>. The "mystery word" is a prime example of this. <br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b><br /></b></span>
<span style="font-size: large;"><b>WHAT IS A MYSTERY WORD?</b></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><b><br /></b></span>
The mystery word is a technique I use in my play school to build the foundation for future literacy skills. It's all about teaching letters in their natural habitat, where their purpose is clear. NOT isolated on a worksheet or flashcard as a meaningless letter.<br />
<br />
At the basis of the mystery word is simply attaching words to meaningful experience. It is among the simplest and most basic components of any child's literacy foundation. Next to reading, reading, reading to a child sits the very basic "attaching words to meaningful experience".<br />
<br />
We can attach words to experience through conversation. Simply being in the moment and providing commentary of child-led play is one way of accomplishing this. Another is writing down a word that is connected to what children are currently doing. THAT is what the mystery word is all about.<br />
<br />
The Mystery Word's beginnings are quite teacher-led. This technique was originally imagined by my good friend Jennifer Henson. She was a family childcare provider who was also on a journey, like mine, away from a thematically-led, teacher-controlled program to one where the current interests of children are respected and children led, while I follow and scaffold. (to see where the Mystery Word began in my program, read <a href="http://playcountsdenitadinger.blogspot.com/2012/02/power-of-one-word.html" target="_blank">THIS POST</a>)<br />
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Over time, however, it has evolved into something that is completely led, and owned by the littles in my play school. They, on their own, figured out that the mystery word was connected to what they were currently doing. And one day, out of the blue, a child suggested a word to me..... and the rest is history. It is now totally led by children. There is not a mystery word unless a child suggests one to me. Some days there are three mystery words, while other days, or even weeks, there are none.<br />
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<span style="font-size: x-large;"><b>Today,</b></span> my littles discovered a small photo album that contains upwards 80 index cards with one word on each card. Those are our mystery words from last year. That's right almost EIGHTY MEANINGFUL WORDS. ALL suggested to me, by my littles. ALL are attached to meaningful memories.</div>
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The excitement on the children's faces when they realized what was in this book matched that of a child who just discovered a jar of candy. </div>
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"DENITA! It's our mystery words!!! You saved them!! JUST FOR US!?! Read them to us!!"</div>
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And so I began: "Costume"</div>
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"I remember that day! It's the first day we had the cow costume and the cat costume and the dinosaur costume!!! Read some more!!"<br />
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"Snap, crack, pumpkin, crash, monster, slimey, wipe...."</div>
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"STOP! I remember that day! It's the day we learned that we could wipe off the walls in the doodle room, and the color moved to the rags!! Read some more!!"</div>
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"Build, swing, color, push..."</div>
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"STOP!!! I remember those words! It's the day we had the green swing and we colored on the floor while we were swinging. We have to do that again this year! The new kids don't know about the green swing yet! Read some more!!"</div>
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"Dump, suck, ramp, goopy, puppet, magnets, balloon, lights, donuts..."<br />
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"STOP!!! That was Oliver's birthday! He brought us donuts to eat!! Read some more!!!"</div>
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"Blow, flubber, family, party, snip, drip, stretch, projector..."<br />
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"STOP! Today is the perfect day for the projector! Will you get it out?"</div>
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"That's a grand idea! I will be right back."</div>
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And so.....out came the projector. And with it, the start of new memories as "fragile" and "light" were suggested for mystery words.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhri5LGGuhdVlZnulRnT4BBFoTLvzspUPeKkt_UKkazAlUnrO_LQx33l8dK68POsrMPcIhpDV9uP1UKDNXXkws00pZOiGPSOkDshoCLg7qxI9OMd9U6MjxFhZhZFMhr8_igkqhAccyXHzc/s1600/KPS+09-15-16+%252833+of+70%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhri5LGGuhdVlZnulRnT4BBFoTLvzspUPeKkt_UKkazAlUnrO_LQx33l8dK68POsrMPcIhpDV9uP1UKDNXXkws00pZOiGPSOkDshoCLg7qxI9OMd9U6MjxFhZhZFMhr8_igkqhAccyXHzc/s640/KPS+09-15-16+%252833+of+70%2529.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHvkG8zRCoHOTPhPRy3WQpxFgrcMpmgXYG-6YjjqFHbxf9b_NWuUikn8pfruibdNFsrZy2no5_vhgQngHcpB4vRfT3PJGOqhz2Y1B7T5a6bcj519bP11Li6nOEeXEp-Tpl_ZkWoZmehUo/s1600/KPS+09-15-16+%252837+of+70%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHvkG8zRCoHOTPhPRy3WQpxFgrcMpmgXYG-6YjjqFHbxf9b_NWuUikn8pfruibdNFsrZy2no5_vhgQngHcpB4vRfT3PJGOqhz2Y1B7T5a6bcj519bP11Li6nOEeXEp-Tpl_ZkWoZmehUo/s640/KPS+09-15-16+%252837+of+70%2529.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-size: large;">When a mystery word is suggested, I write it on an index card, show it to the child that suggested it (they usually watch me write it) and then I hang it on the wall. When the attention is off of the word, and whomever was interested is back to their play, I hide the black letters you see in this picture. Using poster putty on the back, I hide them anywhere and everywhere. I then wait. Quietly. As the children play, they discover the letters... and let me tell you, it is EXTREMELY exciting to find the letters. When found, they figure out where the letter goes. </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">The most AMAZING thing that has evolved out of the mystery word is extreme letter knowledge. My littles understand the POWER of a letter. They know that every letter they add CHANGES the word. How do I know they know this? Because they ask "what does it say now, Denita?" after they add a letter.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiO1_yyLygBIsnyNv8QX5p7-GSH1cjtim3IgQn4CbQwgnIBhR0NTIa92uAqZnrjJL0dDxo31HHOfy_uXC3qqvZ2dyj7Bq7CdRWAuPivi5cIdZgZ3UIhPfFWnyPJFatKjP-0GUA57wiyTp4/s1600/KPS+09-15-16+%252823+of+70%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiO1_yyLygBIsnyNv8QX5p7-GSH1cjtim3IgQn4CbQwgnIBhR0NTIa92uAqZnrjJL0dDxo31HHOfy_uXC3qqvZ2dyj7Bq7CdRWAuPivi5cIdZgZ3UIhPfFWnyPJFatKjP-0GUA57wiyTp4/s640/KPS+09-15-16+%252823+of+70%2529.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1fTmXa_vrXvWtnLEhaYqKArzwypBvUE2Qz14H3W_5ddWoNwFzX5pUD8ws8gdsYR3oxhtyqKxjYlTUsWoEEmdaP53wfBX_5cqDvE0OIcSWJeB-U1zXLZXI09tDIInm4AalA05ynJHY5II/s1600/KPS+09-15-16+%252841+of+70%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1fTmXa_vrXvWtnLEhaYqKArzwypBvUE2Qz14H3W_5ddWoNwFzX5pUD8ws8gdsYR3oxhtyqKxjYlTUsWoEEmdaP53wfBX_5cqDvE0OIcSWJeB-U1zXLZXI09tDIInm4AalA05ynJHY5II/s640/KPS+09-15-16+%252841+of+70%2529.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: large;">This child discovered a problem, and decided to take it upon himself to fix it! Do you see how the letter "g" is in front of the letter "i"? Noticing that error takes some fantastic visual tracking abilities and differentiation skills.</span><br />
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<tr><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjk0ufvDXqNOwl5lT8X2OGKJ45A4XsF4qKHd59GrkF8WSRL4WUZJCUzjZat_fXPzPUcv8h1X90upW5Q5KQk8cu-zw3oFZ6w18a5PNWr9w_K0bJedMEi0un3T2WgbsXLUdlaFV2g8rX1Aro/s1600/KPS+09-15-16+%252842+of+70%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjk0ufvDXqNOwl5lT8X2OGKJ45A4XsF4qKHd59GrkF8WSRL4WUZJCUzjZat_fXPzPUcv8h1X90upW5Q5KQk8cu-zw3oFZ6w18a5PNWr9w_K0bJedMEi0un3T2WgbsXLUdlaFV2g8rX1Aro/s640/KPS+09-15-16+%252842+of+70%2529.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: large;">PRIDE. Intrinsically motivated PRIDE. No one told this child to fix the word. No one praised this child after he fixed the word.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_QcXcbTVcU77qb4T_AoNrPXWM-I_LN1yg5FKGNbMOCOxxG8eK8t4JSmUYbAS1P8fQOq4SktATWSWbK6OC2lvfTtKpPb2D6lKA7gD4-rUTOgXQWQ_XAH4ruagKJDPT6xjcfsUHDhiWhF4/s1600/KPS+09-15-16+%252843+of+70%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_QcXcbTVcU77qb4T_AoNrPXWM-I_LN1yg5FKGNbMOCOxxG8eK8t4JSmUYbAS1P8fQOq4SktATWSWbK6OC2lvfTtKpPb2D6lKA7gD4-rUTOgXQWQ_XAH4ruagKJDPT6xjcfsUHDhiWhF4/s640/KPS+09-15-16+%252843+of+70%2529.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Words.<br /><br />They are </span><span style="font-size: x-large;"><b>powerful</b></span><span style="font-size: large;">.<br /><br />We can use that power to discourage children..... or </span><span style="font-size: x-large;"><b>EMPOWER</b></span><span style="font-size: large;"> children.<br /><br />I choose empower, every.single.time.</span></td></tr>
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About the Author:</div>
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Denita Dinger is the owner of Play Counts Consulting and is an international keynote speaker on the topic of embracing play. She is passionate about helping early childhood professionals see the learning power of child-led play. Her most popular training is the Defender of Play Boot Camp. </div>
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Contact her at playcounts.denitadinger@gmail.com for more information about her speaking rates. You can also learn more about Denita's passion for embracing play on her Facebook pages: <a href="https://www.facebook.com/Play-Counts-141352815884541/" target="_blank">Play Counts</a>, <a href="http://kaleidoscope%20play%20school/" target="_blank">Kaleidoscope Play School</a> and <a href="https://www.facebook.com/Camp-Empower-1546343475646670/" target="_blank">Camp Empower</a>.</div>
Denita Dingerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06595550669709851195noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5241296428946234061.post-63924898268755387742016-06-04T13:13:00.000-07:002016-06-04T13:38:40.512-07:00Confessions of a Play-based TeacherI haven't always had the correct understanding of what "play-based" meant. And I didn't always support children more than I supported the system.<br />
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<span style="font-size: x-large;"><b>I believed.....</b></span> that "play-based learning" simply meant children learned through playful activities, not sit-down worksheets.<br />
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<span style="font-size: x-large;"><b>I believed.....</b></span> that I was a "play-based" program because:<br />
<ol>
<li>I didn't do any worksheets in my program. </li>
<li>All of the ways children learned were, arguably, PLAY.</li>
<li>I thoughtfully considered what my littles were interested in when I sat down in August and wrote out nine months worth of lesson plans.</li>
</ol>
<span style="font-size: x-large;"><b>I believed .....</b></span>the following were MY JOBS in order to run a "play-based" program:<br />
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<ul>
<li>I set up the hands-on, play-based stations.</li>
<li>I demonstrated each station so the children would know the correct thing to do at each one.</li>
<li>I decided how many children could be at each station.</li>
<li>I decided how long children would be allowed to explore each station.</li>
<li>I decided what letter we would be learning about each week, and would plan activities around the letter.</li>
<li>I chose the themes that either lasted one or two weeks (depending on how much I thought the children would enjoy each theme).</li>
<li>I decided how many materials to set out.</li>
<li>I worked hard to avoid conflict.</li>
<li>I solved problems for children (again, to avoid conflict).</li>
<li>I made sure all children were busy doing something, out of fear they would be bored.</li>
<li>I made sure the blocks stayed in the block zone, and the books in the book nook.</li>
<li>I stopped children from doing anything that was even slightly risky.</li>
<li>I pulled each child aside periodically to "test them" to make sure that, even with all of this "play" they were still learning what they "needed" to know.</li>
</ul>
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<span style="font-size: x-large;"><b>I believed </b></span>the following was the children's job:<br />
<ul>
<li>Listen to me and follow my lead.</li>
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<span style="font-size: x-large;"><b>That was then.... and this is now:</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Thanks to a very lengthy journey, and some hard work, busting through my stubbornness <b>(you can read about it <a href="http://playcountsdenitadinger.blogspot.com/2015/01/confessions-of-stubborn-close-minded.html" target="_blank">here</a>)</b>, <span style="font-size: medium;">my belief system changed, and with that, the depth of learning that happened in my program changed drastically.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: x-large;"><b>I finally GOT IT. It was like I got brand new eyes.</b></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">What I was doing before was TEACHER-CONTROLLED, PLAYFUL LEARNING...... NOT to be confused with PLAY-BASED LEARNING.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: x-large;"><b>I Now Believe....</b></span><span style="font-size: large;"> </span>"play-based learning" means children learn through THEIR play; child-led, adult-ideas-out, PLAY. NOT to be confused with teacher-led playful learning (which is what I was doing before)<br />
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<span style="font-size: x-large;"><b>I Now Believe....</b></span><span style="font-size: large;"> </span>I am a "play-based program" because:<br />
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1) There still are no worksheets in my program<br />
2) Children lead their learning through their play.<br />
3) The "plan" for the next day doesn't get written until TODAY is over. The plan for tomorrow is directly related to where my littles led me TODAY. The plan only includes the setting up of the environment, and the gathering of materials. There is no "here is what we are going to do" in OUR plan at.all.<br />
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<span style="font-size: x-large;"><b>I Now Believe...</b></span> the following are my jobs:<br />
<ul>
<li>Be in the moment with children. Thoughtfully listening and observing, jumping in only when invited.</li>
<li>Following the lead of children and adjusting the environment accordingly.</li>
<li>View play through a lens that respects the learning that is buried deep within.</li>
<li>Keep the environment free from hazards (NOTE: Hazards are dangers children CANNOT see. RISKS are dangers children CAN see and CAN assess and manage)</li>
</ul>
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<span style="font-size: x-large;"><b>I Now Believe....</b> </span>the following are the jobs of the children:<br />
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<ul>
<li>Freely explore the materials in the environment and use them as they choose to do tasks of their choosing as well.</li>
<li>Own discoveries.</li>
<li>Ask for what materials they need.</li>
<li>Decide how many children they would like to play with at any given time.</li>
<li>Work hard to manage conflicts.</li>
<li>Solve problems.</li>
<li>Learn through failing.</li>
<li>Pick themselves up.</li>
<li>Work together.</li>
<li>Lead with their own interests.</li>
<li>Demonstrate what they know, (unbeknownst to them), through their play.</li>
<li>Cross pollinate all of the toys.</li>
<li>Sit and stare into space, full of wonders.</li>
<li>Embrace boredom and figure out what to do next.</li>
<li>Enjoy their freedom of time, technique and task.</li>
<li>Assess and manage risk.</li>
<li>Play freely. (not to be confused with "free play")</li>
</ul>
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<b>Do I feel like I have "arrived" and have nothing more to learn? </b> Oh goodness no! I don't feel there is ever a true destination in the world of early childhood education. There is always something to be learned, something to change, something to improve upon.<br />
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But what I do feel like is I am NOW running a program that supports CHILDREN, not the system and the grossly inappropriate expectations being placed on them.<br />
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If you would like Denita to speak at your next early childhood professional event, contact her at playcounts.denitadinger@gmail.com<br />
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Read more of her thoughts and journey on her Facebook page, <a href="https://www.facebook.com/Play-Counts-141352815884541/" target="_blank">Play Counts</a>.Denita Dingerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06595550669709851195noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5241296428946234061.post-509763462623451392016-05-09T19:02:00.002-07:002016-05-11T11:06:57.286-07:00Risk. Finding the Balance.<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-size: x-large;">Risk.</span></div>
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Life is full of risk.</div>
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Early childhood programs have a responsibility to help prepare children for life. Part of that responsibility is to provide opportunities for children to see risk, determine just how risky said risk is, and solve the problem of dealing with the risk (aka: recognizing risk, assessing risk and managing risk)</div>
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Too many programs are shying away from this responsibility.</div>
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Too many parents are shying away from this responsibility as well.</div>
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The result: </div>
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<ul>
<li>Children who don't have the "gut feeling". </li>
<li>Children who get blind sided by risk, and don't win.</li>
<li>Children who get used to hearing an adult yell "STOP!! THAT'S DANGEROUS! YOU CAN'T DO IT!" When that adult isn't there, the child has no idea how to recognize risk as they have always depended on the yelling adult.</li>
</ul>
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I'd like to share this moment-o-risk that just happened last week in my play school. As you look at the photos and read the captions, I encourage you to dissect all the IMPORTANT STUFF that the children in this situation are learning. At the end, we will review.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFVz1nnXhuFgMFFxUVAK4psufKadDDaTtsq6ONM6pWFmNLMnwwSsy81QevWs910nKXG5Bi4fl8CKRV7gBr3jfbzbCQYwtcLYJxbrGpivS7MrCIJdiLbuZPTFJdQc7KmZgTWePI7gFu9f4/s1600/KPS+05-03-16+%25281+of+9%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFVz1nnXhuFgMFFxUVAK4psufKadDDaTtsq6ONM6pWFmNLMnwwSsy81QevWs910nKXG5Bi4fl8CKRV7gBr3jfbzbCQYwtcLYJxbrGpivS7MrCIJdiLbuZPTFJdQc7KmZgTWePI7gFu9f4/s640/KPS+05-03-16+%25281+of+9%2529.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Meet Bennett. Bennett </span><span style="font-size: large;">has had opportunities to practice using caution</span><span style="font-size: small;">. He knows how to slow his body when the gut feeling tells him too. He is using our brand new water-weaving wall. In order to pour water in that red funnel, Bennett had to solve a problem. He had to get himself up higher. This tire, was conveniently right there, and so, it is the obvious solution to his problem.</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWnqHv7MJH96eFLH6_MXWKPK-oADwSpplgAsmtjgwHEg-b6aajN1tQ_mydN2sit_BrwxR2Xtmhnat_f0Z_MxS0MFZj90xEgPQQ2SwALdqy9G-P4_039V1vgbZ8tw7tLrMW9pNHYRqbEnA/s1600/KPS+05-03-16+%25282+of+9%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWnqHv7MJH96eFLH6_MXWKPK-oADwSpplgAsmtjgwHEg-b6aajN1tQ_mydN2sit_BrwxR2Xtmhnat_f0Z_MxS0MFZj90xEgPQQ2SwALdqy9G-P4_039V1vgbZ8tw7tLrMW9pNHYRqbEnA/s640/KPS+05-03-16+%25282+of+9%2529.jpg" width="426" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">While standing on this tire, </span><span style="font-size: large;">Bennett's body is learning a lot about balance and support</span><span style="font-size: small;">. Notice how he is bracing himself on the lattice?</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLY4nIkuuS_j11rQWW-CNdXys1VjYegkBjJHfTEompyqwixPslHnJg9MX8hgCjBGk1Ci-1PRYLnfs0iEZh7ce4T-bhKFVjkWhDzpsZGaZjIEKxJEhKZFgKQ-y8DTOAQhFjSFrowo51BTA/s1600/KPS+05-03-16+%25283+of+9%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLY4nIkuuS_j11rQWW-CNdXys1VjYegkBjJHfTEompyqwixPslHnJg9MX8hgCjBGk1Ci-1PRYLnfs0iEZh7ce4T-bhKFVjkWhDzpsZGaZjIEKxJEhKZFgKQ-y8DTOAQhFjSFrowo51BTA/s640/KPS+05-03-16+%25283+of+9%2529.jpg" width="426" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Bennett is</span><span style="font-size: large;"> PROUD</span><span style="font-size: small;"> to have accomplished his self-chosen task with a technique he chose as well.</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOAC94UW79A_xtzAdVMvu_iBHz3V1S5xFcpNKfX8IcOKskrQuu5icXwEzAyDrn5yUWZpZlgqE0QYOm1_eqzofGwzaEssGDQ588fMu5m7HrZVi9dS95wlLUVIx6DE-IsUkYiopTmWNVfWA/s1600/KPS+05-03-16+%25284+of+9%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOAC94UW79A_xtzAdVMvu_iBHz3V1S5xFcpNKfX8IcOKskrQuu5icXwEzAyDrn5yUWZpZlgqE0QYOm1_eqzofGwzaEssGDQ588fMu5m7HrZVi9dS95wlLUVIx6DE-IsUkYiopTmWNVfWA/s640/KPS+05-03-16+%25284+of+9%2529.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Meet Oliver. Oliver is the middle child. He and Bennett are solving a problem. Oliver would like to pour water in another tube on the water-weaving wall. That tube, however, does not have a tire to stand on near by. SO, these boys are using some teamwork to accomplish this task.</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgT2GI6PC8BUOlJIWQiYJYtxthbDeMOnho7w7SyjbhwDfsKDHMVK14uGL9qzfS7viqGF81_d5e2oDo_qO_ppn5Wf7C4Y6RG5FDUYWIUInOrXCqC_yAAQA6FX6NVpTpyaJxDTLS8tG7FDh8/s1600/KPS+05-03-16+%25285+of+9%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgT2GI6PC8BUOlJIWQiYJYtxthbDeMOnho7w7SyjbhwDfsKDHMVK14uGL9qzfS7viqGF81_d5e2oDo_qO_ppn5Wf7C4Y6RG5FDUYWIUInOrXCqC_yAAQA6FX6NVpTpyaJxDTLS8tG7FDh8/s640/KPS+05-03-16+%25285+of+9%2529.jpg" width="426" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">The boys invited me in to their play by asking me to help them stack the tires (ASKING FOR WHAT WE NEED). The stacked tires provides some risk. See how Oliver is standing? His gut feeling is telling him to </span><span style="font-size: large;">MOVE SLOWLY </span><span style="font-size: small;">in order to maintain his balance. See Zoey? She is helping to support the tire tower for her friend.</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjt7W-PKVNQxWsX4By3W9GGsiidn8ICt9AU16nfCCf1I9R4205UKR9Ha_hbENRrYsA8D1FOcOjHZmnEY-N2_-exZMArBTPsNXEMVe5qAcvlV4Erg4X9Go4FYq0cZDF9EdyK4LGwVCKant8/s1600/KPS+05-03-16+%25286+of+9%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjt7W-PKVNQxWsX4By3W9GGsiidn8ICt9AU16nfCCf1I9R4205UKR9Ha_hbENRrYsA8D1FOcOjHZmnEY-N2_-exZMArBTPsNXEMVe5qAcvlV4Erg4X9Go4FYq0cZDF9EdyK4LGwVCKant8/s640/KPS+05-03-16+%25286+of+9%2529.jpg" width="426" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">As Oliver is standing on the tire, I simply said "Oliver? Do you feel safe?" His reply? "No". See Bennett? He added to our conversation with this awesome, nugget of knowledge: </span><span style="font-size: large;"> "Don't worry, Oliver. I'm coming to help. I'll stand over here and balance the tire for you."</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJ4W1y47YLB-EyZzNpO95KDp-2JBq968hwRY9hhj8c42y2KyauWaw_78fsjIp7LI5PL6ieFrCudk9tRaaZbexg3HI22n1hSGCmC7J-1WjR1S4wxwCzkdJb4A8tVZlSFMCLLKxry2XnNa8/s1600/KPS+05-03-16+%25288+of+9%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJ4W1y47YLB-EyZzNpO95KDp-2JBq968hwRY9hhj8c42y2KyauWaw_78fsjIp7LI5PL6ieFrCudk9tRaaZbexg3HI22n1hSGCmC7J-1WjR1S4wxwCzkdJb4A8tVZlSFMCLLKxry2XnNa8/s640/KPS+05-03-16+%25288+of+9%2529.jpg" width="426" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">After Bennett got into position, I simply said "Oliver? Do you feel safe now?" His response: "YES! Yes I do!"</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_SaYRs8boFPlu6z7OkKKAdHxKYEoWY3g9Xi1zaFfaOlSS5d7obtbhKQQbOG9k3BUo7CUUQSx50m6hOm_NRrngeJ74jG4Ut4zZQUqc0BsvRO3s_LLkgmTzThAlDplhRLPa0IMcgWWd3UQ/s1600/KPS+05-03-16+%25289+of+9%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_SaYRs8boFPlu6z7OkKKAdHxKYEoWY3g9Xi1zaFfaOlSS5d7obtbhKQQbOG9k3BUo7CUUQSx50m6hOm_NRrngeJ74jG4Ut4zZQUqc0BsvRO3s_LLkgmTzThAlDplhRLPa0IMcgWWd3UQ/s640/KPS+05-03-16+%25289+of+9%2529.jpg" width="426" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">After Oliver emptied his bucket of water he said "Denita? Do you remember the ladder we used last year when we had the other water wall? Can we use that again?" My response "Absolutely!"</span><br />
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Let's review all the opportunities that occurred during this beautiful, child-led moment at my play school:</div>
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<b>Recognize Risk:</b></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">Standing on one tire provided an opportunity for Bennett's gut feeling to kick in. It told him it was time to kick into "cautious mode"</span></div>
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<b>Risk Assessment:</b></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">Bennett's gut feeling told him it was time to kick into "cautious mode" but this was a risk he was able to manage.</span></div>
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<b>Risk Management:</b></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">Bennett listened to his gut feeling, recalled all the other times he has had to manage risk and knew that he needed to SLOW HIS BODY down in order to take the time to be cautious.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Problem Solving:</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">Oliver needed to get his body up higher. After looking around at the supplies near by, he proceeded to move a tire to where he needed it.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Teamwork:</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">Seeing that tires were a very good solution to the problem of getting up higher, Bennett ran over and moved another tire with Oliver.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Recognize Risk:</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">The moment Oliver got up on the tire tower, he knew this was risky. His gut feeling kicked in, just as it was developed to do. Oliver has had previous opportunities to have that feeling, enough to recognize that that feeling means USE CAUTION.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Risk Assessment:</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">This is where my job as teacher came in to play, by simply offering one question to help Oliver assess this moment of risk: "Do you feel safe?"</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Risk Management/Applying Previously Learned Knowledge to a New Situation:</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">Enter in Bennett to offer the help that Oliver needed in order to manage this moment of risk. Bennett took information he has learned through previous experiences with balance, and balanced the tires so Oliver could finish his self-chosen task more safely.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Asking for What We Need:</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">After working very hard in order to dump some water down a tube, Oliver recalled that there was an easier solution, and one that held a lot less risk. He asked for the ladder that he remembered using last fall.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;">I encourage you all to do what Bennett did for his pal, Oliver; he helped him find balance. You need to find a way to balance risky opportunities while also meeting each child where they are at. The amount of risk needs to match the amount of trust... with a slight push of those boundaries.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">I leave you with this bit of wisdom and a whole lot to ponder:</span><br />
<b style="font-size: x-large;">"At my school, we no longer call it risky play. We call it safety play, because when provided with risky opportunities, children are learning how to be safe." </b><span style="font-size: small;">-Teacher Tom</span></div>
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<br />Denita Dingerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06595550669709851195noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5241296428946234061.post-70250409573374770352016-01-28T13:07:00.003-08:002016-01-28T16:10:27.840-08:00Innovative Materials Foster Innovative Thinkers<span style="font-size: x-large;"><b>If we want children to grow up being innovative</b></span>, then we better be innovative with the materials they have access too! Ditch the commercialized junk that limits imaginations and boxes children in. Replace that with INNOVATIVE materials. (aka: empty boxes, plastic jars, plastic rain gutters and other, seemingly random odds and ends)<br />
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THEN... be innovative with how you present the materials children already know.</div>
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Take <b style="font-size: xx-large;">vinegar and baking soda</b> for example. Children LOVE the reaction that happens by simply mixing vinegar and baking soda. When I lead my Defender of Play Boot Camps, I share LOADS of innovative ideas of how to present the opportunity to create the FIZZ... but this is one that is brand spanking new... hot off the press... straight from the noggin....and totally AWESOME! </div>
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<b>Allow me to introduce you to...... </b></div>
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<b><span style="font-size: x-large;">Baking Soda Ice Cubes </span>(Don't stop scrolling here....keep on reading.. this grows into another, even more amazing idea!!)</b></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitJqZueZdQFefU6slrQ83v6TGdm_mxHr1XAVsW5ZEHylE6oOJB4NKpn90oK0NY1HCp9p4jWwnE5xTIyDTZbxuyPuowl8m_dRrJdAplfS8cDNYt9QFovBM0YQSYfVKmdD5shEoueUKN0q8/s1600/Camp+EMPOWER+6-23-15+%252819+of+97%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitJqZueZdQFefU6slrQ83v6TGdm_mxHr1XAVsW5ZEHylE6oOJB4NKpn90oK0NY1HCp9p4jWwnE5xTIyDTZbxuyPuowl8m_dRrJdAplfS8cDNYt9QFovBM0YQSYfVKmdD5shEoueUKN0q8/s640/Camp+EMPOWER+6-23-15+%252819+of+97%2529.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">I am not a measuring kind of gal (you should have supper at our home sometime... it gets interesting). THEREFORE, I have no measurements for you (relax, ye with little faith.. trial and error is GOOD) What I can tell you is I dumped in a bunch of baking soda, and added water, stirred it well and then filled various ice cube trays with the mixture. I used silicone ice cube trays from Ikea. </span></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">I plopped (this means I just put it in the environment with ZERO direction or expectation) the ice cubes, a couple of brownie pans, a mini-muffin pan and cups of colored vinegar (each with a squirt of Dawn dish soap added) and pipettes. I then quietly waited to observe what my littles would do with these materials.</span></td></tr>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhL_rRmViqb0UdpsA7yBgYQJKIhxtSPl2BYzw7oETUkbfgeDs5_1a4k3iUVq4JgM2VUFdUWUQ24rHwDTrXCt2XPua0bfYJVYK21BmCYkYK1cTHEHY4fWL3ehWkJ6faQzBNc0gIN6OvIWis/s1600/KPS+01-27-16-8.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhL_rRmViqb0UdpsA7yBgYQJKIhxtSPl2BYzw7oETUkbfgeDs5_1a4k3iUVq4JgM2VUFdUWUQ24rHwDTrXCt2XPua0bfYJVYK21BmCYkYK1cTHEHY4fWL3ehWkJ6faQzBNc0gIN6OvIWis/s640/KPS+01-27-16-8.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCkLRaAismvZKavDI2lr0xqGz2yJrwgiLzReAtZgsbVWh-_nhgF8Cd1jx4E0YrQ9yktHKWn9xlFhJ5Q3ww57a_O0wzFwaOdwbrG2zt7TE28R5fxnuuX-ZzttUdrXw_ydlmGFwD-M8My2g/s1600/KPS+01-27-16-12.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-size: large;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCkLRaAismvZKavDI2lr0xqGz2yJrwgiLzReAtZgsbVWh-_nhgF8Cd1jx4E0YrQ9yktHKWn9xlFhJ5Q3ww57a_O0wzFwaOdwbrG2zt7TE28R5fxnuuX-ZzttUdrXw_ydlmGFwD-M8My2g/s640/KPS+01-27-16-12.jpg" width="640" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">As the "magic ice cubes" melted, and the fizz died down, there was MORE fizz opportunity, and that made for really gorgeous results!</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: large;">So then... as I was rinsing out this container post-play, I realized that it was really AWESOME to watch it all run down the pan... which sparked the next idea I am going to share with you.....</span></div>
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<b><span style="font-size: x-large;">Frozen Fizzing Ramp!! </span>(I KNOW... right? HOW CLEVER and FUN!!!??)</b></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><u>Directions:</u></span><br />
Do the same thing that you did to make the "magic cubes" only fill a brownie pan with the mixture instead. Using shelf liner from the Dollar Tree on the edge, (this keeps the pan from slipping) position it on the edge of another container to create a ramp)</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgwG4EtoFeWH3oHULKZPLLfNF0VtJADOoUXtWxld2KNG42pKi4P6ZclMVExoqLTmwumKaYL7TBRZycmjcN1kxx2Awn4ozj_CECzghH7Hj5uB6scQyC3O3EWk8vXtLEmhVUxN-GV825tZk/s1600/KPS+01-27-16-14.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgwG4EtoFeWH3oHULKZPLLfNF0VtJADOoUXtWxld2KNG42pKi4P6ZclMVExoqLTmwumKaYL7TBRZycmjcN1kxx2Awn4ozj_CECzghH7Hj5uB6scQyC3O3EWk8vXtLEmhVUxN-GV825tZk/s640/KPS+01-27-16-14.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">Then, my own curiosity led me to grab the scraper to see if they could scrape away the top layer and start all over. The scrapping was LOTS of fun, and a great sensory experience too!</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">The children's conversations were rich with comments on the colors they were making, the speed in which the magic cubes were traveling, the sizes of them as they melted and how cold it was when they touched it. There was cheering for the fish as they slid down the slide and lots of "Oh LOOK WHAT I DID!!"</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">Recall the magic cubes from earlier? Well, I made more of those too, and it turns out they are lots of fun on a ramp as well!!</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">As our morning progressed, and the magic cubes and ramp melted, the results changed. The ability to fizz happened again and again for the melting cubes and ramp, the rainbow river that appeared was awe-inspiring and sparked lots of conversation and imagination.</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: x-large;">Innovative materials fosters innovative thinkers.</span></div>
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Hopefully this post will work the same on you, as opportunities like this do on my littles. Let this <span style="font-size: x-large;"><b>inspire YOU to be INNOVATIVE</b></span>.</div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">I challenge you to</span> <span style="font-size: x-large;"><b>take the ordinary and make it EXTRAORDINARY</b></span>. <span style="font-size: large;"> Get in touch with your innovative side! You have children to </span><span style="font-size: x-large;"><b>inspire!</b></span></div>
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Denita Dingerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06595550669709851195noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5241296428946234061.post-15052334248632360212015-10-14T14:10:00.000-07:002015-10-14T14:10:56.978-07:00A Child's Remorse and Forgiveness is Not Yours to Control<span style="font-size: large;">How many times have you said to a child: <b>"Tell him you are sorry."</b>? </span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">Chances are, your answer is: "Too many to count."</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">What about this: <b>"She said she is sorry. Tell her you forgive her."</b></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">For whatever reason adults feel the need to "coach" children through the act of apologizing and forgiving, but when while we think we are "coaching" what we are truly doing is CONTROLLING and fabricating something that should be authentic and from the heart.</span><br />
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<b><span style="font-size: x-large;">Authentic remorse and forgiveness are owned by a child...</span></b> <span style="font-size: large;">they cannot be controlled by an adult. They can be taught through example... not through control.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">If you have heard my "Empowering Children Through the Gift Of Control" workshop, you know I hold "trust" in high regards. Specifically, trusting children. </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: x-large;"><b>WHY is trust so important?</b></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"> Knowing someone trusts us is empowering. </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Empowered children are able to develop a solid foundation of self regulation, they are more apt try new things, stand up for themselves, and own their mistakes. Apologizing to someone is basically owning your mistake.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Today, a situation happened in my play school that backs what I just said:</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Oliver threw water on Sam.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">It is October, in South Dakota. It's not the kind of weather where you say "thank you!" to someone who just threw water on you. </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">To say this did not go over well is an understatement. </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">After consoling and getting dry clothing for Sam, and having a very firm, yet loving conversation with Oliver, all was well.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">NOTE: There was no adult-ordered apology, and no apology was authentically offered.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Fast forward thirty minutes:</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Out of no where, Oliver went over to Sam and said: "Sam, I am really sorry for throwing water on you."</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">My inner adult-control-freak was going BONKERS.... I wanted to hear "It's okay, I forgive you" come out of Sam's mouth SO BADLY. BUT.. instead of telling him to say those words, I simply said "Hey Sam! Did you notice that Oliver is apologizing?"</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Sam looked at me and said "Yup."</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Fast forward about fifteen more minutes:</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Out of no where, Sam walked over to Oliver and gave him a hug.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Ladies and gentlemen of the jury..... I rest my case.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Young children (the children in this story are 3 and 5) CAN be trusted to give authentic apologies and own their forgiveness, handing it out when they feel it is appropriate to do so.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Now... I know what you are thinking. Well.. if we can't coach, then HOW do we teach children about remorse and forgiveness?</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">OBSERVING.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">If the adults in children's lives are doing their jobs well, there should be ample time for children to learn about apologizing and forgiving THROUGH OBSERVATION. It is YOU JOB to be an EXAMPLE. It is NOT your job to control that in which children can be trusted to control themselves.</span><br />
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The author of this blog is Denita Dinger, Defender of Play and owner of Kaleidoscope Play School and Play Counts Consulting.<br />
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If you are interested in having Denita keynote your upcoming early childhood professional conference or training, you can email her at playcounts.denitadinger@gmail.com for more information.<br />
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<br />Denita Dingerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06595550669709851195noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5241296428946234061.post-34870846686531244922015-10-02T09:16:00.003-07:002015-10-04T08:12:32.533-07:00"WOW!" Born from "Whoops!"<span style="font-size: large;">There is always a pendulum of some sort in my play school program. </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: x-large;"><b>Why pendulums?</b></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">At the forefront of pendulum play is visual tracking, a vital piece of the literacy foundation. </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">In order to successfully read, we all need to be able to follow a row of print, and then return our eyes to the very next row. This is called visual tracking. Ipads and iphones are ruining a child's ability to develop their visual tracking skills correctly. Visual tracking needs to happen in LARGE SPACES with DEPTH before tracking things on a smaller plane. Please do not give young children iphones or ipads to play with. We are ruining eye development and therefore harming future reading success. Give them pendulums instead.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Pendulum play is also loaded with social benefits, builds a beautiful foundation for science, math and provides fantastic social-play opportunities.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">What hangs at the end of our pendulum can be anything from a PVC connector to a swing.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Sometimes I hang the balloon pendulum VERY high...so they have to really reach and stretch and jump to hit the balloon. While sometimes I hang it an inch off the ground so they can kick it with their feet (we don't wear shoes in my program). Kicking requires a whole lot of core strength and balance and </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">I use para cord attached to various eye hooks that are attached to studs in the ceiling of my play school..... my husband LOVES drilling holes into our basement ceiling for me (insert LOTS of sarcasm).</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">This particular story I am about to tell (grab a blanket and get cozy...) begins as a story about a balloon pendulum, but it quickly grows into so much more.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">It was "stuffed animal day" (as requested by one of my stuffed-animal-lovers) and Bennett was giving Zippity a ride on the balloon pendulum.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">The children were having a blast playing with the pendulum as this was the first time this year a balloon was attached. </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">LAST YEAR...... we all learned a valuable lesson: if you pull on the balloon, it will eventually get a tiny hole and slowly shrink before our eyes. The children learned to play in a different way with the balloon pendulum.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Fast forward to this year...... that lesson had been forgotten</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: x-large;"><b>Out of the blue, I heard a child exclaim: "DENITA! LOOK! The balloon looks like an apple!"</b></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Sure enough, the balloon had suffered a small puncture wound, and was losing air at an alarming rate.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGsQ5GcaYfcbN7kwcIcMNLPnORCasCOob8uB7MYjOlbpX_or39npiXPiOfsqZifHBCHpr83obtD0NmCcpaJj1rq6h9zJWWtLoO0s8XregLzcoiwqlhm58TFocKDc-CaXyf2g3tIPLEK0w/s1600/KPS+9-30-15+%252817+of+111%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGsQ5GcaYfcbN7kwcIcMNLPnORCasCOob8uB7MYjOlbpX_or39npiXPiOfsqZifHBCHpr83obtD0NmCcpaJj1rq6h9zJWWtLoO0s8XregLzcoiwqlhm58TFocKDc-CaXyf2g3tIPLEK0w/s640/KPS+9-30-15+%252817+of+111%2529.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">I announced: "Boys and girls. We need to have a meeting."<br /><br />We then talked about what was happening to the balloon and why -- you should have seen the hands-to-forehead expressions as the children were like "OH YA! WE FORGOT!"</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">I told them I would hang up a new balloon tomorrow, but for today, we would play with this deflated balloon. I am thinking: "This will really be a good opportunity for them to use self regulation in the future to control how THEY are playing with the balloon"</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: x-large;"><b>And then.........this happened:</b></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">And the balloon SNAPPED and FLEW into the air.... clearly, Noelle did NOT have a clue what had happened... but the observing child on the cozy chair did (look at their eyes)</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-large;">As quickly as the balloon had disappeared from site.... it returned. And Noelle was like "OH! There you are!"</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">As you can imagine. This discovery was completely and totally ASTOUNDING for my littles. I love it when an opportunity to patiently take turns presents itself so naturally.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: x-large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: x-large;">It didn't take too long, before the already injured balloon broke off, and my littles learned that I trusted them to throw the two pieces of balloon away.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-large;">I then added a new, deflated balloon to the pendulum so this valuable moment could continue.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Next up was a child who had been observing from a distance. Do not under estimated the value of a child who appears to be doing "nothing at all" for they are learning SO MUCH through observation. As these photos clearly show, this child had observed enough to be able to predict what was going to happen when he snapped the balloon:</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Watch this child's eyes. He had collected enough information through observation to predict what would happen....only.... it didn't happen! What a grand opportunity for handling failure and exploring problem solving and perseverance. </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: x-large;"><b>"Hey Denita! I learned something! You can't let go slow! You have to let go FAST!"</b></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: x-large;"><b>And then..... THIS happened:</b></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: x-large; font-weight: bold;"> The balloon did not come back down. </span><span style="font-size: large;">(insert GASP!)</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiG_euEfOE5-VRman3GmEUts-X6Gwhd7aQduLRI1xmZgmMY2kAiPFb7ZeT_8xe5QcxtD4JHcro9gOAhd8HfPZL7aVGjP-awcoKJ68dMEdgN_zLY2NYSg15BPI7HWH1dfj8THWC-4RHohyY/s1600/KPS+9-30-15+%252858+of+111%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiG_euEfOE5-VRman3GmEUts-X6Gwhd7aQduLRI1xmZgmMY2kAiPFb7ZeT_8xe5QcxtD4JHcro9gOAhd8HfPZL7aVGjP-awcoKJ68dMEdgN_zLY2NYSg15BPI7HWH1dfj8THWC-4RHohyY/s640/KPS+9-30-15+%252858+of+111%2529.jpg" width="426" /></a></div>
<span style="font-size: x-large;"><b>Call in the troops! EMERGENCY! The balloon needs rescuing!</b></span><br />
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<b style="font-size: xx-large;">TEAMWORK solved the problem! </b><span style="font-size: large;"> (well.. according to Bennett "No. Zippity did, Denita" :) )</span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-large;"><b><br /></b></span>
<span style="font-size: large;">After the great rescue, the play continued, as did the visual tracking, motor control, visual planning, empowerment, problem solving, turn taking, perseverance and, let's not forget: FUN!</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: x-large; font-weight: bold;">And so my story ends. </span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">It is really a simple tale. Child makes a mistake, mistake turns into a moment of heartbreak, moment of heartbreak turns into a new discovery, new discovery opens up an entire morning of empowering exploration full of failing, persevering, solving, succeeding, collaborating and pre-literacy (visual tracking is VITAL for future reading success).<br /><br />The most beautiful part: in the eyes of my littles, this was nothing but another day of play. And a child's play is truly their work.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>The Author:<br />
Denita Dinger is an international keynote presenter and owner of Kaleidoscope Play School. Contact her for more information: playcounts.denitadinger@gmail.com<br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>Denita Dingerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06595550669709851195noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5241296428946234061.post-64138725747108235602015-03-23T18:28:00.001-07:002015-03-23T18:28:33.050-07:00Respect Child-led Play: Wait for Your Invitation<span style="font-size: x-large;"><b>Think of all the special events you have attended in your life.</b></span><br />
Would you have crashed the party without being invited?<br />
Would you have waltzed on in, suggested how things could be done differently and then helped yourself to some beverages and nibblies?<br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Of course not.</b></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: x-large;"><b>Think of a time when you have been in the middle of a project.</b></span> You are focused on what you are doing, enjoying the fact that you are getting things accomplished.<br /><br />What if your spouse suddenly crashes in and corrects you?<br />
What if your spouse starts telling you that your method is wrong and you should do it their way?<br />
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<span style="font-size: large; font-weight: bold;">Would you be offended? </span><br />
Of course you would.<br />
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<span style="font-size: x-large;"><b>What about child-led play? </b></span><br />
Have you ever crashed in on child-led play without being invited?<br /><br />Have you ever offered advice or a solution that wasn't solicited?<br />
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Have you ever stopped a child in the midst of their own technique because you had this incredible urge to teach them how you would accomplish the task at hand?<br />
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I am betting you have done at least one of the three, if not all. I know I have, or I wouldn't be writing about this!<br />
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For whatever reason, it is very hard for adults to understand their role in child-led play. <br />
It is hard for adults to understand that sometimes, children really don't want to hear from us. (gasp! I know!)<br />
It is darn near impossible for some adults (myself included) to bite their tongue and give children the RESPECT they deserve and WAIT FOR AN INVITATION into their play rather than just crashing in, completely unwelcomed.<br />
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<span style="font-size: x-large;"><b>Last week.... I crashed child-led play.</b></span> It was a HUGE "aha" moment. (For heaven's sake!! When will the "aha" moments finally cease?!! I have so many "aha" moments it's not even funny. I could have a wall-o-aha-moments, a photo-album-ala-aha!)<br />
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Let me set the scene:<br /><br />This is Bennett.<br />
Bennett is an amazing child with amazing ideas.<br />
He has set up the game he invented the day before: "SUPER BALL GAME!"<br />See how he has carefully placed a PVC pipe connector at the bottom of this plastic rain gutter?<br />
The goal: release a ball down the ramp and watch it come out one of the two holes in the pvc connector.<br />
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It didn't take long for Bennett to come up with a new idea!<br />He decided to add plastic jars to the end of his ramp to catch the balls.<br />
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I am quietly observing, thinking this is so awesome. I can hardly wait for him to be successful with this GRAND idea!<br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>After carefully placing the jars....he released the first ball. </b></span><br />A hush fell across the crowd of observers (um...so, basically, I was quiet .. everyone else was engaged in their own tasks and had no clue what Bennett was up to... but when do I ever get to say "A hush fell across the crowd...?")<br />
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<span style="font-size: x-large;"><b>Was he successful?</b></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: x-large;"><b> No. But SO CLOSE!</b></span><br />
Not one to be easily discouraged, he grabbed another ball, went back to the ramp and tried it again.<br />
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<span style="font-size: x-large;"><b>Failed again.</b></span><br />
At this point, Bennett was ready to move on. He grabbed the balls, one at a time and placed them into the jar.<br />
<span style="font-size: x-large;"><b>No big deal...right?</b></span><br />Well.. apparently, my adult brain was having fits about this. Internally I heard a very dramatic: <span style="font-size: large;"><b>"NOOOOOOOO!!!! You can't give up! YOU.MUST.TRY.AGAIN!"</b></span><br />
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Bennett had moved on to exploring the balls inside the jars.... and, in hindsight, I should have left it alone. But.....I didn't. <br />
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<span style="font-size: x-large; font-weight: bold;">Instead, I grabbed my super hero cape, </span><span style="font-size: large;">and I crashed Bennett's play.</span><br /><span style="font-size: large; font-weight: bold;">I swooped in </span>(insert appropriate Indiana Jones music)<span style="font-size: large; font-weight: bold;">, uninvited and unwelcome and offered my unsolicited advice.</span><br />
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I said: "Bennett! You are SO close! Look. All you have to do is....." and I proceeded to take a jar out of his hand (oh the shame) and show him how the pvc pipe could fit INSIDE the jars.<br /><br />After I connected one jar, we ran a test ball...SUCCESS! <br />
I stepped back and let him connect the second jar.<br />
(It was at that moment the Indiana Jones music came to a screeching hault and<span style="font-size: large; font-weight: bold;"> I remembered this is not MY play..</span>it was his, so perhaps I should let the poor child participate in his own play.)<br />
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<span style="font-size: x-large;"><b>Bennett then dropped a second ball down the ramp....</b></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: x-large;"><b>SUCCESS!!</b></span> <br />
I instantly pictured confetti falling all around us as we happily celebrated this awesome accomplishment. <br />
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When I opened my eyes to reality...Bennett had quietly left the scene and ran off to play something else.<br /><span style="font-size: large;"><b>There was no </b></span>"THANK YOU DENITA! You were a life savor! How could I possibly play without you?"<br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>There was no</b></span> "WOO HOO!! We did it!"<br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>There was....</b></span> NOTHING but a child who no longer owned his own discovery.<br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><b>There was... </b></span>NOTHING, but a child who lost the control he had of his own play.<br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><b>There was... </b></span>NOTHING, but an adult who recorded yet another "aha moment" for the books.<br />
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<span style="font-size: x-large;"><b>What did I learn?</b></span><br />
<br /><span style="font-size: large;">I learned </span>that it's not all about succeeding.<br />
<span style="font-size: large;">I learned</span> that perhaps children understand that the process can be just as much fun and rich as success.<br />
<span style="font-size: large;">I learned</span> that teaching does not necessarily mean to "show you a better way". <br />
<span style="font-size: large;">I learned</span> that SOMETIMES, teaching means to stay back and enjoy the show, giving ownership of the entire process to young children.<br />
<span style="font-size: large;">I learned</span> that the quickest way to end child-led play is to crash in, uninvited.<br />
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<span style="font-size: x-large;"><b>Respect child-led play. </b></span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-large;"><b>Wait for your invitation.</b></span><br />
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Denita Dinger provides trainings across the US and Canada. Her material is appropriate for parents, teachers, before and after school program staff and administrators.<br />Contact her for more information: playcounts.denitadinger@gmail.com<br />
Follow Denita on Facebook at <a href="https://www.facebook.com/pages/Play-Counts/141352815884541" target="_blank">Play Counts</a>Denita Dingerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06595550669709851195noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5241296428946234061.post-50955667808525989812015-03-18T13:03:00.002-07:002015-03-18T13:22:43.731-07:00If You Give a Child Plenty of Time to Play...<span style="font-size: x-large;"><b>There is a natural flow that happens when young children are leading their learning. </b></span><br />
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If you pay close attention to child's play, one thing always leads to another...there is always one connecting factor between what they are doing now, and what they were doing just moments earlier.<br />
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<b><span style="font-size: large;">Child's play is really a situation similar to the classic: "If You Give a Mouse a Cookie".<br /><br />If you Give a Child Plenty of Time to Play.....</span></b></div>
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Yesterday and today this truth was blatantly obvious in my play school. </div>
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One moment logically led to the next...and the next...and the next. And every moment was oozing with valuable learning. Learning that I couldn't even imagine replacing with something in my lesson plans.</div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Here's the thing: </b></span> </div>
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when you give a child plenty of time to play, and you closely observe and facilitate that play; being present with just the right amount of you that each child requires (I need to write a blog post on that topic) the learning is AUTHENTIC. It is ORGANIC. It is NATURAL. It is led by the child's own curiosities and interests AT THAT MOMENT. THAT, my friends, is the kind of learning that STICKS with a child for the rest of their life.<br />
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<span style="font-size: x-large;"><b>Child-led play is not</b></span> teacher-driven, skills and drills learning where information can be regurgitated on the test, or for an assessment only to be forgotten a week/month later. It does not teach a child to be dependent on an adult to tell them what they will be learning next, or what they should be interested in now.</div>
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<b><span style="font-size: x-large;">Child-led play is</span></b> meaningful learning that is self motivated and easy to recall. It is based on what is happening NOW and how that affects a child NOW and what it motivates them to do NOW. It teaches a child that their independent thoughts are valuable and worthy of being explored. It empowers children to work through problems and struggles, to try new things, to fail and persevere. </div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Without further aduex</b></span> (I have no idea how to spell "aduex" and judging by the red squiggles, "a-d-u-e-x" is not correct... but since this is not a test... I do not care...and, in case you are wondering, if it were for a test, I still would not care :D I have lived a fine life without spelling every single word correctly, and though it drives my mother crazy..I quite enjoy using inventive spelling when necessary!)</div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>I present to you:</b></span></div>
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(Clears Throat) <br />
<span style="font-size: x-large;"><b>If You Give a Child Plenty of Time to Play....</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>When they cut apart the yarn from the trap the leprechaun built in retaliation for the one they built to catch him, the yarn will turn into spaghetti.</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>When the yarn turns into spaghetti, they are going to need some meatballs to go with it. Imaginations will be at work as they scrounge around for something to use for meatballs.</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>When they have cut up all of the yarn, they will realize they need more spaghetti and ask you to get them some more yarn.</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>When they have access to the yarn, they will be empowered by knowing they are trusted to choose and cut the yarn themselves. The cutting of the yarn will become the focus for some.</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>As they add more spaghetti to the mix, they are going to play and play and play...cutting more yarn, mixing it in and building scenarios. They will be working together towards a common goal and practicing how to compromise as different ideas are offered.</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>The spaghetti play continues into the following day...when new ideas emerge.<br /><br />When new ideas emerge, the sensory table needs to be cleaned out (the new idea was: "let's put the spaghetti in the sensory table!")</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>When the sensory table gets cleaned out and they put the spaghetti in, they realize they need lots more spaghetti to fill this large space. This gives them an opportunity to ask for what they need.</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>After asking for what they need, and adding more spaghetti, the teacher also adds in some spools of ribbon just for fun.</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>The spools of ribbon create a moment of curiosity that is immediately explored.</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Upon exploration of the ribbon, they decide to unravel it to see how long it is. When it stretches almost all the way across the room they.....</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>...are amazed by the length of the ribbon and soon others follow their lead.</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>They discover that some ribbons are very short.</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>While others are very long.. maybe even longer than the first one.</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>When they pull the ribbon, they will discover that it follows them where ever they go..but they constantly test the theory by turning around frequently just to see if the ribbon is still there.</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>When all the ribbons are stretched out on the floor, and all have been compared by length, color and width. A complete accident happens and they discover that if they jump with the ribbon in their hand, the whole long piece of ribbon will jump with them. This is a completely fascinating moment.</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Meanwhile, another child grabs the odd-shaped PVC pipe that has been removed from the sensory table in order to make room for the spaghetti and uses it as an addition to the raingutter ramp he has built.</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>They discover that this is crazy fun as the ball doesn't always come out the same hole.</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b><br />When a game is super fun, they are going to continue to play it, and maybe even make some changes to it.<br /><br />When they add four balls they learn that not all the balls will make it into the tunnel.</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b><br />When all the balls do not go into the tunnel, it gives them a reason to fix things a bit and see if they can solve the problem. After tinkering with it and trying and failing and trying, they determine that the game works the best with one or two balls...but not four!</b></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5PjC_6wKTI4ujMuZ520-ov_O9VEl431Qj3ysZZ4eGrvC1GNqnkkSZ91ox_iPBRzrK6Q6RJnpT0bQli__rOJRMaXeFt4cO_e9Tgd8yFFH1HBTEjDT7G8-VZp4TqmCzogO_H_090wH79Pc/s1600/KPS+3-18-15+(42%2Bof%2B106).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5PjC_6wKTI4ujMuZ520-ov_O9VEl431Qj3ysZZ4eGrvC1GNqnkkSZ91ox_iPBRzrK6Q6RJnpT0bQli__rOJRMaXeFt4cO_e9Tgd8yFFH1HBTEjDT7G8-VZp4TqmCzogO_H_090wH79Pc/s1600/KPS+3-18-15+(42%2Bof%2B106).jpg" height="426" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>When one friend is being super clever and inventing a new game, it motivates another to go exploring and invent a game of their own. While sitting and thinking, they make an awesome discovery about magnets!</b></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglCfs7lAPnECDV18O9N_a8nFNLFEwzTu38aoO8uA16RNUmqOXP_karzxVpOEn6RgD3xVpVqOar6kdSpu7Ck4ArNLBKRQT1in8tULLr7XBslNCxnc8cL4eAekekrZDYdHiILxuQnzfVhcs/s1600/KPS+3-18-15+(46%2Bof%2B106).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglCfs7lAPnECDV18O9N_a8nFNLFEwzTu38aoO8uA16RNUmqOXP_karzxVpOEn6RgD3xVpVqOar6kdSpu7Ck4ArNLBKRQT1in8tULLr7XBslNCxnc8cL4eAekekrZDYdHiILxuQnzfVhcs/s1600/KPS+3-18-15+(46%2Bof%2B106).jpg" height="426" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>They learn that magnets can make each other move WITHOUT touching each other!</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>When they learn something new, they want to test it again and again just to make sure it is true.</b></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiuuapVyMK0RmvjBTyOYAFpWkljg9bP1XxZsOFivTDgo8jxIs0QLLRp8OGEz6UEyyAItTcNNv9cUrABwFKuSEP9cbQEJrVbg_nlKnGdP2xcqdH0Pu7aZGDmnhgOoTz0FUYC4B6POrJfp4/s1600/KPS+3-18-15+(48%2Bof%2B106).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiuuapVyMK0RmvjBTyOYAFpWkljg9bP1XxZsOFivTDgo8jxIs0QLLRp8OGEz6UEyyAItTcNNv9cUrABwFKuSEP9cbQEJrVbg_nlKnGdP2xcqdH0Pu7aZGDmnhgOoTz0FUYC4B6POrJfp4/s1600/KPS+3-18-15+(48%2Bof%2B106).jpg" height="212" width="320" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirmc6c4DCVckpoAv7d3oXEk2keRJUCy-UrAaVTvO-5n1iyuNjs-u26MbENoX6KMbWxxo1PtYxkE_5FhbLxxSNIz8MvZKMgKwWn_8G2UguCNf9DqjJjpAW4dhehDW1WRY3nUEYtbMwh9E4/s1600/KPS+3-18-15+(45%2Bof%2B106).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirmc6c4DCVckpoAv7d3oXEk2keRJUCy-UrAaVTvO-5n1iyuNjs-u26MbENoX6KMbWxxo1PtYxkE_5FhbLxxSNIz8MvZKMgKwWn_8G2UguCNf9DqjJjpAW4dhehDW1WRY3nUEYtbMwh9E4/s1600/KPS+3-18-15+(45%2Bof%2B106).jpg" height="213" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-large;"><b>After they have exhausted their testing, they reverse the rolls to see if it works with the other magnet in their hand. </b></span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDXXnXpCgTFuVI8nUH5OHV6cW9Lz56hMwdd24_-pl-jNqxOBLbBNpTELtnaWsSygsSBku64fjZmdZoarko1JgHASrgPu7bO1vsg19Uu4VwGif3JZQeAIlHz0yO_ZHnzJheABo_Gmmwo40/s1600/KPS+3-18-15+(49%2Bof%2B106).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDXXnXpCgTFuVI8nUH5OHV6cW9Lz56hMwdd24_-pl-jNqxOBLbBNpTELtnaWsSygsSBku64fjZmdZoarko1JgHASrgPu7bO1vsg19Uu4VwGif3JZQeAIlHz0yO_ZHnzJheABo_Gmmwo40/s1600/KPS+3-18-15+(49%2Bof%2B106).jpg" height="426" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>When they have explored something to exhaustion, it's helpful when their teacher sets up the environment in a way that motivates them to continue exploring in a different way. They head over to check out what has just been added.</b></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUBgsrf8fIh_OUGyCbgAFDbeLQs3XcOQv8vQMC7L51Xjjl-NezrXv_Yj_HMhV83vBO8-0y-VrH2gnc3wT2Ng_XpKzfZTQ5Mg74PqYzOqwO6eAEnK8pbI1mXc0ghKjqbtYHzGUPKv-a2qQ/s1600/KPS+3-18-15+(52%2Bof%2B106).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUBgsrf8fIh_OUGyCbgAFDbeLQs3XcOQv8vQMC7L51Xjjl-NezrXv_Yj_HMhV83vBO8-0y-VrH2gnc3wT2Ng_XpKzfZTQ5Mg74PqYzOqwO6eAEnK8pbI1mXc0ghKjqbtYHzGUPKv-a2qQ/s1600/KPS+3-18-15+(52%2Bof%2B106).jpg" height="426" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>They discover that magnets can move metal balls through paint like magic! They then discover that the large balls become easily stuck in the paint, but luckily -- </b></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>there are also small magnet balls to manipulate too!</b></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9JD9dqWhQnMZmQ7dzs_9_4TG8ex-Q8sHmsRrKXDKlopXBZFzmFCre4HT-VgAy_ZUO8Gqq46FUfZGbkPucmTvHSjYjTlhfTL2GrV3LbbJ2wWwmKLBNpIqCeg7LbkHEsDlQRt1NhDsLXus/s1600/KPS+3-18-15+(54%2Bof%2B106).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9JD9dqWhQnMZmQ7dzs_9_4TG8ex-Q8sHmsRrKXDKlopXBZFzmFCre4HT-VgAy_ZUO8Gqq46FUfZGbkPucmTvHSjYjTlhfTL2GrV3LbbJ2wWwmKLBNpIqCeg7LbkHEsDlQRt1NhDsLXus/s1600/KPS+3-18-15+(54%2Bof%2B106).jpg" height="426" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>When they discover something that is super fun and exciting, it's very empowering to have the opportunity to teach someone else.</b></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtf4hzzrbstAAxhhy-_UH1c5c9RhUttlzLRcM603FTAXEQgTIzioyN7flMyx-h4WD4iiJLwBxdcgdbGZsNeXpZpC90_vInAhUZpp6KxQ1Qh1Md7zF8Y5PVQKSXEcQ_BlpRiEzV7Zszq28/s1600/KPS+3-18-15+(57%2Bof%2B106).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtf4hzzrbstAAxhhy-_UH1c5c9RhUttlzLRcM603FTAXEQgTIzioyN7flMyx-h4WD4iiJLwBxdcgdbGZsNeXpZpC90_vInAhUZpp6KxQ1Qh1Md7zF8Y5PVQKSXEcQ_BlpRiEzV7Zszq28/s1600/KPS+3-18-15+(57%2Bof%2B106).jpg" height="426" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Whenever someone else gets involved they get to work on getting along and taking turns. These are always valuable moments filled with social skills that will last a lifetime.</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Tummies tend to get hungry while they are busy playing and messes have to be cleaned up before snack comes out.</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>SIGH.<br /><br />If you give a child plenty of time to play......they are going to need plenty of time to pick up and some magical moments to make it motivating.</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Remember all that ribbon spread across the room?<br /><br />Guess what is the best way to pick it all up that is also CRAZY FUN?!</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>A shop vac!!!</b></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhc124S-kw7T2p88zllBM4IWcaGud4Gu0anKja3CT3UUwwMOp3dH7ji43ZiMItTx_Et6Z9wFC-PIkPW-ck1XGYu9bR2ZVGBGBkv21VYOWHKEO1UUG-BUqPa9OMoI3tVSyqcKnlQ0LpPaIw/s1600/KPS+3-18-15+(74%2Bof%2B106).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhc124S-kw7T2p88zllBM4IWcaGud4Gu0anKja3CT3UUwwMOp3dH7ji43ZiMItTx_Et6Z9wFC-PIkPW-ck1XGYu9bR2ZVGBGBkv21VYOWHKEO1UUG-BUqPa9OMoI3tVSyqcKnlQ0LpPaIw/s1600/KPS+3-18-15+(74%2Bof%2B106).jpg" height="213" width="320" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTQtylONQD8mfOsIdUSxeqahUxnqTLJO-_ojdr3FdPliWT-tbs46ihrhhcNvdOA7ZBB_ReU_G8mLbKRXAE91NgyyYU0NryAJ_bLTml7z8E86GHTobAhLg_pfwEVyMrL12h0vmzfYS6N6c/s1600/KPS+3-18-15+(75%2Bof%2B106).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTQtylONQD8mfOsIdUSxeqahUxnqTLJO-_ojdr3FdPliWT-tbs46ihrhhcNvdOA7ZBB_ReU_G8mLbKRXAE91NgyyYU0NryAJ_bLTml7z8E86GHTobAhLg_pfwEVyMrL12h0vmzfYS6N6c/s1600/KPS+3-18-15+(75%2Bof%2B106).jpg" height="213" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>When all the ribbon is cleaned up, they are going to want to "DO IT AGAIN"!!<br />And so....</b></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2YdT_6x5izEuwpjJELCCs_jZ53KdcHXwSW_XWDO1bycDU0PEPeWSaD5Mljw8-rCcN7zJWUM5Y6HDpuejUhpZaN6CE7C1b4eynsgaa85v2q4IzPE8l9G6t7IkuZbIZ8EgXMbCGeg-CoUY/s1600/KPS+3-18-15+(77%2Bof%2B106).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2YdT_6x5izEuwpjJELCCs_jZ53KdcHXwSW_XWDO1bycDU0PEPeWSaD5Mljw8-rCcN7zJWUM5Y6HDpuejUhpZaN6CE7C1b4eynsgaa85v2q4IzPE8l9G6t7IkuZbIZ8EgXMbCGeg-CoUY/s1600/KPS+3-18-15+(77%2Bof%2B106).jpg" height="426" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>They lay the ribbons all back out on the floor. When they lay the ribbons all back on the floor, they are going to want to use teamwork and think about the process a little bit. This can take a whole lot of collaboration and coordination, not to mention hard work!</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>But it's worth it:</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-large;"><b><br />When you give a child plenty of time to play......they are going to look like this:</b></span><br />
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Denita Dinger is a play school teacher, author and a professional speaker. Her most popular training is "The Defender of Play Boot Camp". To book Denita for your upcoming event, or just to receive more information, email her at playcounts.denitadinger@gmail.com. <br />
Make sure to check out Denita's Facebook page: "<a href="https://www.facebook.com/pages/Play-Counts/141352815884541" target="_blank">Play Counts</a>" too!</div>
Denita Dingerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06595550669709851195noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5241296428946234061.post-90908583082439997962015-01-28T17:48:00.003-08:002015-01-28T17:48:39.399-08:00STUCK!I sometimes get stuck on my ideas. Getting stuck on my ideas and refusing to follow the amazing ideas of young children is a hard habit to break...BUT, I am proud to say I have broken it, with the exception of a wee bit of regression here and there. I am human after all, and the important thing to note here is that I LEARN every time, as every time I butt in and try to change their thinking to my thinking I ruin the moment.<br />
<br />
I use a technique in my program called "plopping". You can call it what you like: plopping, play invitation, provocation, setting the environment.....there are MANY words that are similar to "Plopping", but, to know me is to know that I do not like to do things EXACTLY as someone else has done. ALSO...to know me, is to know that I live in "my world" and, until recently, and outside of my college courses a "few" years ago, I don't really pay much attention to what other people (aka: programs) are doing. I do what works the best for the children that are in "my world". And so, I plop.<br />
<br />
When I was transitioning from a VERY teacher-controlled (only I did NOT know I was controlling...interested in hearing more about my journey? <a href="http://playcountsdenitadinger.blogspot.com/2015/01/confessions-of-stubborn-close-minded.html" target="_blank">CLICK HERE</a>) to a child-centered, play-based philosophy, "plopping" was one of my many stages. And plopping, is still a very valuable part of my philosophy. (<a href="http://playcountsdenitadinger.blogspot.com/2012/11/plopping-101.html" target="_blank">Learn more about "Plopping"</a>)<br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;">To know me is to also know that my adult brain has ideas, and it really likes it's ideas. </span><br />
Therefore, I sometimes have a VERY hard time biting my tongue and allowing children to take what I've plopped and run in an entirely different direction than my adult brain imagined. OR...worse yet, when children don't even explore the plop at all -- just basically look at it, squish up their face and saying "eh". (insert sigh and a tremendous amount of self-control to resist the urge of saying "BUT..this was suppose to be GRAND!! WATCH ME!! I'll DO IT FOR YOU!!")<br />
<br />
With that background information, I bring to you what happened in my program today:<br />
<br />
My story begins with YESTERDAY.<br />
<br />
Towards the end of our day, I introduced the children to a new story: "<a href="http://www.amazon.com/dp/0399257373/?tag=mh0b-20&hvadid=3488749103&ref=pd_sl_7mysl2fpgf_e" target="_blank">Stuck</a>" by Oliver Jeffers. I finished this book to a chorus of "AGAIN! READ IT AGAIN!" Upon finishing it the second time, the chorus was repeated: "AGAIN! READ IT AGAIN!" (note to self: this book is a WINNER).<br />
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SO....based on their love of the story, "Stuck", my brain went to work imagining HOW can I bring the concept of stuck into their child-led play?<br />
<br />
How can I prepare the environment for the following day, in a way that will enhance their love of the book "stuck"?<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhma6_FwejW-z9hx3g97DT7V7OIYz0IAWh5W2OZ00qKgT49Y8P1tGTSBCBp1Aj1OCbtsK-gUpLGsDzTsbFGN03-6LfLn3zWeg-mjcDKICkecqCMlI0_i5EFPl5Id5unMbFKJPfzKIugBT0/s1600/10289897_938889152797566_5508713657201420620_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhma6_FwejW-z9hx3g97DT7V7OIYz0IAWh5W2OZ00qKgT49Y8P1tGTSBCBp1Aj1OCbtsK-gUpLGsDzTsbFGN03-6LfLn3zWeg-mjcDKICkecqCMlI0_i5EFPl5Id5unMbFKJPfzKIugBT0/s1600/10289897_938889152797566_5508713657201420620_n.jpg" height="640" width="360" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">I constructed what I call, the "Ball-o-Stuck-Stuff", here out to be referred to as the "BSS". I put recognizable items in the BSS such as our beloved alligator puppet. I knew that would tug at their heart strings and they would want to get him unstuck. I also added items I knew my littles would love and had never seen at school before. The pink flowers for my lover-of-all-things-pink, wagon wheels for my lovers-of-all-things-that-make-you-go-huh? and a new puppy toy for my puppy lovers. I carefully added foam letters of each child's names (they are BIG into "their" letter right now), more puppets, jewels and random bits and parts.</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: large;">I also added a PVC frame to the environment</span> with the intent of wrapping masking tape around it and putting out sparkly fluffy pom poms and sequins and spangles for the children to stick on the tape. As I set that out, I decided to wait until they arrived to add the masking tape.<br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Finally, the letters to build the word "stuck" were hidden. </span> I was taking a big chance by starting with the word I hoped to inspire, but I felt like this was going to be a hit. And so...I did it. The new mystery word (What the heck is a mystery word? <a href="http://playcountsdenitadinger.blogspot.com/2012/02/power-of-one-word.html" target="_blank">CLICK HERE</a>) would be "stuck" and HOPEFULLY it would be attached to a meaningful experience. (generally the mystery word is inspired by whatever the children are actively doing, and a lot of times, I ask them what our new mystery word should be....but occasionally, I start our day out with one)<br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">I then went to bed ANXIOUS for morning, </span>but trying hard to HUSH my adult brain. I did not want to get too STUCK on what I thought would happen the next day that I controlled the learning. I wanted my littles to own as much of it as possible. I also like the children to feel like their ideas are fabulous (no matter what inner struggles my adult brain may have when the the idea of a child is no where close to where my adult brain anticipated they would go). <br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><b>The homerun did not happen immediately. </b></span> In fact, I feared for the worse as only one child asked what the BSS was. <br />
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I gave my usual answer: "I have no idea. What do you think it is?" <br />
<br />
His reply: "Flowers" <br />
(insert a "no shit sherlock" PLEASE tell me you have SILENTLY said that phrase in your head hundreds of times while working with young children...if not, then I am a horrible person. I will make myself a t-shirt "I AM A HORRIBLE PERSON" and on the back it will say: "NO SHIT SHERLOCK" (to know me, is to know that I have an odd sense of humor...bare with me)).<br />
<br />
As the children got more and more into their play, they started to find the letters to our mystery word. They asked me what the word was, and so I told them.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">As the children find each letter that is needed to build the mystery word during their play, they then hang it up in the appropriate spot. This is an interesting process as some understand the need to leave a space for the missing letters while others do not. In the end, a whole lot of teamwork is used to correctly create the word.</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: large;">That was my cue to add the masking tape to the PVC frame</span>. <br />
As I was doing this, one of my littles took one look and said "That looks like a spider web" She was RIGHT! IT did! AND...guess what? BUGS get STUCK in spiderwebs! <span style="font-size: large;">SO..I scratched my adult idea to add the shiny, sparkly stuff and grabbed the basket of bugs instead!!</span> BRILLIANT (and, nice job unsticking from my plan)<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiN7dEloOADcUYqr6DE78BEvDNxFZJtX_IoFeokqkRv76u3xdVN1fqhzqKFb15zLzvxxfw7UxbTOEaD2bZX-Li-h-pWZ7lk7FTST9-jT3SnP471bk3SdIHuazHqZ_V3JREOynaodhSJy5s/s1600/Kaleidoscope+2014-2015-25.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiN7dEloOADcUYqr6DE78BEvDNxFZJtX_IoFeokqkRv76u3xdVN1fqhzqKFb15zLzvxxfw7UxbTOEaD2bZX-Li-h-pWZ7lk7FTST9-jT3SnP471bk3SdIHuazHqZ_V3JREOynaodhSJy5s/s1600/Kaleidoscope+2014-2015-25.jpg" height="426" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-large;">After about 50 minutes or so of PATIENTLY waiting for SOMEONE to show a little more interest in the Ball-O-Stuck-Stuff, </span>I sat down with the book, "Stuck" and had an instant audience (this is always so good for the self-esteem :D). When I finished reading, the connection was made between this thing dangling from the ceiling and the book, "Stuck". There were LOTS and LOTS of things STUCK in that big ball-o-stuck-stuff.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxKYJfAbX9idtwvi9QE2JMXWTryafulqnLvQOoA8VgimGDnHaQ-U-3JppwNe2YV-M5YrNQPnVj3hLIGGPSxP9XXJqUjpX_BriPxjtVU0IibCyvUWwm_c5m26xyP0VpSFMK6qaZLRaSa-g/s1600/Kaleidoscope+2014-2015-28.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxKYJfAbX9idtwvi9QE2JMXWTryafulqnLvQOoA8VgimGDnHaQ-U-3JppwNe2YV-M5YrNQPnVj3hLIGGPSxP9XXJqUjpX_BriPxjtVU0IibCyvUWwm_c5m26xyP0VpSFMK6qaZLRaSa-g/s1600/Kaleidoscope+2014-2015-28.jpg" height="426" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">My crew is accustomed to solving problems, and sometimes solving problems requires standing on chairs.</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjca3PPLCAYpcRkFsGBjv8sZ6WzeiRcrLchzyS_FepPZgPnO-JuXesXCoWfHu-P3Y5PyUGRebEXZuSAl6tJIllXEaW2ePuL8BgcXESu0KAkfbPnrBB4HuP_LMzo7ymR8sjgtUPC331wn5U/s1600/Kaleidoscope+2014-2015-30.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjca3PPLCAYpcRkFsGBjv8sZ6WzeiRcrLchzyS_FepPZgPnO-JuXesXCoWfHu-P3Y5PyUGRebEXZuSAl6tJIllXEaW2ePuL8BgcXESu0KAkfbPnrBB4HuP_LMzo7ymR8sjgtUPC331wn5U/s1600/Kaleidoscope+2014-2015-30.jpg" height="640" width="426" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">Children need opportunities to assess risk and practice being CAREFUL. Too often we yell from across the room </span><b><span style="font-size: x-large;">"BEEEE CAREFULLLLL!!!"</span></b><span style="font-size: large;"> Then grab our capes, and run with the speed of a super hero to remove from the hands of the child that in which we just told them to be careful with...therefore REMOVING the opportunity to </span><br /><b style="font-size: x-large;">PRACTICE BEING CAREFUL.</b><br /><span style="font-size: large;">Children need to know we trust them to be careful. I'm not talking about scaling the side of a frozen water fall "Be careful, it might be a little slick" ...I'm talking about standing on a chair that is 12 inches from the ground in order to do something they would otherwise need an adult to do. THIS kind of risk assessment and management is EMPOWERING for a young child.</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxwfOY7o4D7YLeWbS4rYqaZVDYMWv5PDpnrErhP6hiDpWIpLdP6dRLnvqOv4Eolg67LfAwwTOpAP_4zcDFdbhioVqGzD3ofyyH6EcGV9DOP6Osrw4y8Rd-AQ-uVSU_XNMnGW_hVECFw2s/s1600/Kaleidoscope+2014-2015-31.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxwfOY7o4D7YLeWbS4rYqaZVDYMWv5PDpnrErhP6hiDpWIpLdP6dRLnvqOv4Eolg67LfAwwTOpAP_4zcDFdbhioVqGzD3ofyyH6EcGV9DOP6Osrw4y8Rd-AQ-uVSU_XNMnGW_hVECFw2s/s1600/Kaleidoscope+2014-2015-31.jpg" height="426" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">Another opportunity to be careful. <br />Children CAN be cautious with scissors. Again, we need to give them the opportunity to practice using caution. There was NO running, NO waving scissors wildly about. This was a very calm time with VERY focused children.</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHgpZM8E98V7jSkqFh-xCOLpOyJhQJvay26cNrYzBgZ3Q3Rc42ry1sYvysh8QD5Ip3bEvYP1f33jsKJl8QvBNYiO-HtlebeGDEfuy37KT8Z9TPS92YOUuGrhMfAYzaybpeK38naIJdrJQ/s1600/Kaleidoscope+2014-2015-34.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHgpZM8E98V7jSkqFh-xCOLpOyJhQJvay26cNrYzBgZ3Q3Rc42ry1sYvysh8QD5Ip3bEvYP1f33jsKJl8QvBNYiO-HtlebeGDEfuy37KT8Z9TPS92YOUuGrhMfAYzaybpeK38naIJdrJQ/s1600/Kaleidoscope+2014-2015-34.jpg" height="426" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">I carefully selected the items I placed in the BSS (Ball-O-Stuck-Stuff in case you whizzed past the beginnings of this post). I knew this cute puppy would motivate a few of the children to work hard at removing the tape. (side note: this is the child I figured would go for it...as well as the pink flowers :) )</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">A motivated and focused child.</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1qf3Z1TswrgWhe5WNFYVz0MF19hQtTvaHEdpr2cwtbMmBUVZXtbtDczRSov2JFJUVm7YabNNBmYJMnuoxvv-PuydhHOirEfwYzEOYEZRxvJvhOSDB2P6iK4fWsHpHtcS9cgII0ye5meg/s1600/Kaleidoscope+2014-2015-44.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1qf3Z1TswrgWhe5WNFYVz0MF19hQtTvaHEdpr2cwtbMmBUVZXtbtDczRSov2JFJUVm7YabNNBmYJMnuoxvv-PuydhHOirEfwYzEOYEZRxvJvhOSDB2P6iK4fWsHpHtcS9cgII0ye5meg/s1600/Kaleidoscope+2014-2015-44.jpg" height="426" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">This child had his sights set on unsticking the wheel. He was working very hard on that task.</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgIgEQOEiJMoQVvlv4sMMqiG5F0uKbfQFi8lQKgdmP7XpDgy5jp0e6hyNajwK_mMGxMTRYykjzF4aoNkZJP9OL_qQoRnrIDhutOdKhVj1CF8_7mGQ8_J7KJgZaop-E-MNCIBIDd6JJVpw/s1600/Kaleidoscope+2014-2015-57.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgIgEQOEiJMoQVvlv4sMMqiG5F0uKbfQFi8lQKgdmP7XpDgy5jp0e6hyNajwK_mMGxMTRYykjzF4aoNkZJP9OL_qQoRnrIDhutOdKhVj1CF8_7mGQ8_J7KJgZaop-E-MNCIBIDd6JJVpw/s1600/Kaleidoscope+2014-2015-57.jpg" height="426" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">WHOO HOO! The wagon wheel is successfully unstuck! See the child in the blue shirt? HE SO WANTED TO GET THAT WHEEL. Luckily, the child in the red was all about the process of just getting stuff unstuck, and further exploring the wheel was not more important to him than getting more stuff unstuck.</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGiNG5DdqG4fZx404iKvDT7y2hiBV2PUiybgk37FJ-6cAvi2BF1eUI5uihLAooEbQD321ZUHLJf0F6phhc10JFZ7qVg3OFphosYfcTyeaP2JdugScQ5vddsEWQ76ys5d9fXzX8pjOmUEQ/s1600/Kaleidoscope+2014-2015-58.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGiNG5DdqG4fZx404iKvDT7y2hiBV2PUiybgk37FJ-6cAvi2BF1eUI5uihLAooEbQD321ZUHLJf0F6phhc10JFZ7qVg3OFphosYfcTyeaP2JdugScQ5vddsEWQ76ys5d9fXzX8pjOmUEQ/s1600/Kaleidoscope+2014-2015-58.jpg" height="426" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">I LOVE this picture. That's all I have to say about that. :)</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCOnFBPp6B7GENu_3PVtOvrO4tzRibdIbHS7c1NHd30_rsYzOVX7t47FFrYWh7xkklOZYXgIJcXPXMnQlOt8zu-OxrXuzxiuBGqtMx0lzfu8o6arsOXoI_xU7YypVLmGsANQYgKIEiWPs/s1600/Kaleidoscope+2014-2015-59.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCOnFBPp6B7GENu_3PVtOvrO4tzRibdIbHS7c1NHd30_rsYzOVX7t47FFrYWh7xkklOZYXgIJcXPXMnQlOt8zu-OxrXuzxiuBGqtMx0lzfu8o6arsOXoI_xU7YypVLmGsANQYgKIEiWPs/s1600/Kaleidoscope+2014-2015-59.jpg" height="426" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">Let the investigating begin.</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEie22JK07BkmdL6GQCYqx9tFhV7kW6O5tjGAf4MFM7itVwimN82sQKEzQLyAjAhH5TyXMc-0sQGmzkFQV7c9KWsIwcR_-YRUCciRoCTRUn12BpqNYafhZ0uetGLEDDydNPVp57x0OX5M2E/s1600/Kaleidoscope+2014-2015-66.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEie22JK07BkmdL6GQCYqx9tFhV7kW6O5tjGAf4MFM7itVwimN82sQKEzQLyAjAhH5TyXMc-0sQGmzkFQV7c9KWsIwcR_-YRUCciRoCTRUn12BpqNYafhZ0uetGLEDDydNPVp57x0OX5M2E/s1600/Kaleidoscope+2014-2015-66.jpg" height="426" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">And then, SUDDENLY, the BSS was no longer hanging. Both of these children realized it at the same time. "HEY! It fell!"</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgp-oVvjEZ8dzUXb6xTBruqUj2-CIBU0qr5nugbc3uxFaeu3-P09JgQvqRse1ZlDPsntvTJh0xvNQeDmv0KJLNHrWRTHtQYqRgT64YA6KGPvMTs6viIrwP2lh42fOwe3-G8t5VbajsIQAI/s1600/Kaleidoscope+2014-2015-71.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgp-oVvjEZ8dzUXb6xTBruqUj2-CIBU0qr5nugbc3uxFaeu3-P09JgQvqRse1ZlDPsntvTJh0xvNQeDmv0KJLNHrWRTHtQYqRgT64YA6KGPvMTs6viIrwP2lh42fOwe3-G8t5VbajsIQAI/s1600/Kaleidoscope+2014-2015-71.jpg" height="426" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">These two pumpkins are going after "their" letters. Talk about motivating! :)</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikYlKnCMzDP5VWEimtzyULHTdJR3I2tXqq8dRJ5h_uEmHKUryvrdUXP-7yb7osN-2bDZfmyngzuTgBkohDD5feS9tbzyDQnpd_t8_-qa72an34LFgpWOLVRm5JqMy0CA0kGtUJRAti7lY/s1600/Kaleidoscope+2014-2015-83.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikYlKnCMzDP5VWEimtzyULHTdJR3I2tXqq8dRJ5h_uEmHKUryvrdUXP-7yb7osN-2bDZfmyngzuTgBkohDD5feS9tbzyDQnpd_t8_-qa72an34LFgpWOLVRm5JqMy0CA0kGtUJRAti7lY/s1600/Kaleidoscope+2014-2015-83.jpg" height="426" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b>And then it was down the Mr. Alligator and a frog. This child was ELATED to discover the frog was under all that tape too!</b></span></td></tr>
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So....there you have it.<br />
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<b><span style="font-size: x-large;">I encourage you all to be intentional with the materials you place in an early learning environment, but not so intentional that you are so STUCK on your adult plans you can't allow yourself to follow the whims of young children.</span></b><br />
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This story showed an example of both leaving my adult plans behind (the spider web) in order to follow an awesome idea from the mind of a young child as well as keeping my adult plan because the children did exactly what I thought they would.<br /><br /><span style="font-size: large;"><b>SIDE NOTE:</b></span> what DID happen that I did NOT see coming was the use of scissors for this activity. I had imagined they would just use fingers to peel the tape. I loved the initiative the children showed by grabbing a tool to solve a problem. I carefully observed and discussed safety with the children throughout...HOWEVER, at the end, when we were down to just the alligator and a few other items, and just two children working away on the BSS, a child's finger did get snipped a bit (enough to teach them all that scissors are something we must be careful with) SO...I would suggest that when it gets down to such few things to put the scissors away and use fingers for the remainder of the task, or just one pair of scissors for all to share. I would definitely do this activity again.Denita Dingerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06595550669709851195noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5241296428946234061.post-85329409023294549692015-01-26T09:03:00.001-08:002015-01-26T11:22:47.650-08:00Confessions of a STUBBORN, CLOSE-MINDED and PROUD Early Childhood ProfessionalFULL DISCLOSURE: This blog post is me being completely REAL. This confession is completely honest and from the heart. This is what I talk about very openly and honestly when I speak with early childhood professionals across the country. This post may hit a nerve, because YOU just might resonate with where I WAS. If you find yourself fidgeting while reading this post, or laughing at yourself(which is the more desired outcome), read it again and then figure out how your own stubbornness, closed-mind and pride get in the way of your program being more age-appropriate. Now then, with that out of the way, let's get started, shall we?<br />
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I gently encourage you to NOT let your stubbornness, closed mind or pride get in the way of doing what is in the best interest for the children in your program.<br />
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I can say this, without hiking myself up on to a high horse, because I let my stubbornness, closed mind and pride get in the way of age-appropriate learning for YEARS. <br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>A little background info: </b></span><br />
My program began 17 years ago as a preschool with wrap-around care. My original intent was to be solely a preschool, BUT, this preschool was in my home and I quickly learned that in order to get families, as a brand-new, in-home program, in a city of 150,000 people that I was new to, I had to meet people's needs. Their needs were all-day care. SO...I was a preschool program for children ages 2 1/2 - Kindergarten that morphed into a family child care program. <br />
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I spent 10 of those 17 years as a teacher-controlled program, only I did not think my program was teacher-controlled. I believed it to be child-led because all the themes that I planned out months in advance were based on the interest of the children in my program...therefore, it was child-led. I believed my program was "play-based" because all of the learning that occurred was really play. No worksheets...just lots of teacher-led games and activities that were all playful. I have since learned that I was completely wrong. My program was NOT "child-led". My program was NOT "play-based". My program was very much a teacher-controlled, teacher-directed, teacher-led program. Children owned nothing, they followed my lead, and only used materials to do the things I showed them to do. They didn't follow me like this out of fear, they followed me like this because they knew no other way to go about their day. They were completely dependent on me. I had wired them to follow me. I had no intentions of doing this -- but it truly is the negative result of the way I ran my program. <br />
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Once I was able to set my stubbornness aside, open my mind and realize I could still have as sense of pride, my six-ish year journey from a teacher-centered, controlled, dictated program to play-based and child-centered program began. After a life-changing year in 2014, I finally took the leap of faith and closed my child-care program and re-opened as a play school where children attend on T/W/Th from 8:30-11:45. I am SO thankful for the journey as there were so many valuable lessons in it, which is why I share it so openly with you.<br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b><br /></b></span>
<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Here's how being stubborn with a closed mind and a lot of pride got in my way of embracing a more age-appropriate philosophy in my program:</b></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: x-large;"><b>STUBBORN</b></span><br />
I was one of "those" kids....just ask my mom and my teachers. :) Stubborn is something you never grow out of, but you reach an age where you can finally own it and see it as both a blessing and a curse, when you want to.<br />
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When you are stubborn, even if you believe the other person is right, it is really, really, REALLY hard to concede. I can't explain it, and only stubborn people can truly understand it.<br />
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I heard Bev Bos (It's fair to say that Bev is the queen of the play-based, child-centered philosophy) speak 15ish years ago...but I was not even close to a point where I could embrace what she was saying. There were things she said that were absolutely true, and she was right on -- but I was too stubborn to admit it. I was one of those squished-faced people sitting in the back, appalled at the thought of allowing children to paint themselves.<br />
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<span style="font-size: x-large;"><b> HOWEVER</b></span>...seeds were definitely planted in my brain. And I was able to embrace Bev's message in small increments through the years, finally building to a grand crescendo and eventually....YEARS later, saying YES to a child's request to PAINT THEMSELVES (inspired by the book: "I Ain't Gonna Paint No More")<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWFMtarODy6o_sSV3ErfrmDvlbmzbG1daty5VCiqESluog4UNnv_oY5-yBG0dhRbdZexI9-catBIDKBzKFbGmwip8bAPxdgChqPmhZUrzdnOdAmHdSmgofeLgcwM1MBiRL1kh1la9E_A0/s1600/IMG_7207.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWFMtarODy6o_sSV3ErfrmDvlbmzbG1daty5VCiqESluog4UNnv_oY5-yBG0dhRbdZexI9-catBIDKBzKFbGmwip8bAPxdgChqPmhZUrzdnOdAmHdSmgofeLgcwM1MBiRL1kh1la9E_A0/s1600/IMG_7207.JPG" height="480" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">Notice the calmness in this picture? This activity -- one that I had refused to allow children to do for YEARS simply because I was stubborn and refused to do that in which is silently thought to NOT BE OKAY -- was one of the most amazing moments in all of my program's 17 years. The children OWNED this. They were TRUSTED to do something that was taboo and they will NEVER forget this special moment. They will never remember when they learned their first letter...but they will always remember when they first got to paint their legs.</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">The environment was set up so the children could own the entire process without needing to depend on an adult. EMPOWERING. Prior to setting my stubbornness aside, I would have never realized how important this part of the process is for a young child. I had always done the cleaning up of the children, never realizing that I was making them more dependent on me, when really..don't we want children to confidently embrace their independence? It is so clear to me now!</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Is play-based all about letting children paint themselves and break other unwritten "rules"? </b></span><br />
NO. It's all about following the natural whims of a child's "why not?" mind.<br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Is play-based all about letting children do whatever they want to do? </b></span><br />
NO. It's all about letting them test wonders and learning that YES! sometimes wonders turn out AWESOME and AMAZING. It's also about letting them test wonders and learning that WHOOPS! That didn't work so well.<br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Is play-based all about the shock-factor and who can have the messiest pictures to show of what is going on in their program?</b></span><br />
NO. It's about trusting children to lead their learning, to assess risk and make choices, to test theories and imagine solutions to problems. It just so happens that when children are given permission to do these things -- it can get a bit messy and THAT'S OKAY.<br />
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<span style="font-size: x-large;"><b>CLOSED MIND</b></span><br />
My mind was very much closed to the idea that children learned through play. I VERY much believed that children learned through direct instruction from an adult. Play time was something I scheduled into our day to get their energy out so they could then pay attention to me.<br />
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I also was very afraid to "just" let children play as parents had EXPECTATIONS that their children were learning while in my program, and in order to prove that they were, I felt they all needed to carry home a paper receipt (in the form of "art") every single day. I felt this "art" had to be identifiable and HAD to relate to our theme. This meant that a child's "art" was truly not THEIRS, as I dictated what they would do, how they would do it and if they would do it or not (basically, there were no choices..."art" was mandatory) AND..truth be told, I finished MANY "art" projects for children who just weren't interested (what would their parents think if they were the only child that didn't have a toilet paper roll puppy to take home? GASP!)<br />
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When I first started my program 17 years ago, I was just 3 years out of college. I was an elementary ed major with a minor in early childhood ed. I was all about direct instruction, lesson plans and themes. THAT was what my mind deemed as age-appropriate.<br />
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Little by little, aha-moment after aha-moment, my mind was opened.<br />
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Along with an open-mind came open-eyes. I actually FOCUSED on the children while they were playing. Prior to this realization, play time was what the children enjoyed while I busily set up the stations that I would direct children to after they got all of their energy out. I didn't have time to "just" stand there and watch children play. I was in the room, I was "present", but I was NOT observing. I was NOT SEEING the learning because 1) I'm stubborn 2) I'm close-minded and 3) I was too proud of what I was setting up for stations to even consider the fact that the children just MIGHT be doing something better than what I had planned for the day.<br />
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My ability to OPEN MY EYES was probably the very best thing I did as far as finally opening my mind. You cannot TRULY observe children in adult-out, child-led play and NOT see the value. If you struggle with this, come to one of my trainings. I will gladly smack you aside the head so your eyes see better (kidding..I'm not a violent person, just stubborn, closed-minded and proud) :D<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYbel-h35PtGUr7oSKFiHkB-nYXeYq9zdNYMZUsGXMNq20Q1HJcjISpULdctHbDj0t0lF7vFZoweAANYgpgG6-SkQsDyxm33sFymH9gh1AdgFEPur2yziSYAMLrXWzroes9yitAsrF3BU/s1600/Kaleidoscope+2014-2015-17.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYbel-h35PtGUr7oSKFiHkB-nYXeYq9zdNYMZUsGXMNq20Q1HJcjISpULdctHbDj0t0lF7vFZoweAANYgpgG6-SkQsDyxm33sFymH9gh1AdgFEPur2yziSYAMLrXWzroes9yitAsrF3BU/s1600/Kaleidoscope+2014-2015-17.jpg" height="640" width="426" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This child is playing with suction and learning through trial and error what things this vacuum hose can pick up, and what things it cannot. His brain is constantly collecting data and storing information to he can recall it later. His confidence is boosted through this process simply because a shop vac is generally not something a child has permission to use. BUT, at his school, where he gets to own so many experiences, this type of play is OKAY! A child who is empowered with a good self esteem is more likely to try new things and test new theories. All of these things strengthen this child's foundation for future academics to build upon.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgd0orY6HhwKozJVCRnucTVqWjpv25EMlEJ3LbnNjMsMnytpm0cPR1FC_xSAVZsRsvMJnmFsjTp-plfvrixicoaG-6Uzp0taRXv9L12jTiYQqoHww2jZBy9VUsC_S54kRkzIpeqZmjZb34/s1600/Kaleidoscope+2014-2015-36.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgd0orY6HhwKozJVCRnucTVqWjpv25EMlEJ3LbnNjMsMnytpm0cPR1FC_xSAVZsRsvMJnmFsjTp-plfvrixicoaG-6Uzp0taRXv9L12jTiYQqoHww2jZBy9VUsC_S54kRkzIpeqZmjZb34/s1600/Kaleidoscope+2014-2015-36.jpg" height="426" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">For this child's future reading success she needs to be able to track items in space so that she can then track a line of words. This scarf organizer was just randomly placed on our pendulum. After about 30 seconds, the children devised this game. It is quite simple. Throw the balls through ANY of the hoops. When ten children are doing this at the same time, the hoops start to swing -- so now you have a moving target for eyes to work extra hard at aiming for. Immediately following this moment was that powerful moment of pride that comes from success. Success encourages a child to do it again!</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpCkfEX9wMEqTavyw1Nuh1UDvNTfrvZwpD_f-TLowPuilWaGMfs-mmiuXdRO84QhdHax45-X2ANZgyEjWTNyX-_a0NShXdtfhkL6TibrKqr6_tu0_SLzQ-WQb08g03swY5G1HoAdHgess/s1600/Kaleidoscope+2014-21.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpCkfEX9wMEqTavyw1Nuh1UDvNTfrvZwpD_f-TLowPuilWaGMfs-mmiuXdRO84QhdHax45-X2ANZgyEjWTNyX-_a0NShXdtfhkL6TibrKqr6_tu0_SLzQ-WQb08g03swY5G1HoAdHgess/s1600/Kaleidoscope+2014-21.jpg" height="426" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">This child is taking "use your head" to an entirely new level. She was struggling greatly to get the pink suds to come out of this bottle so she could play with them and stir them all up. She used her imagination to come up with a solution for her problem. Imagination is at the forefront of how we solve problems. Little fingers are grasping and strengthening as well, something that needs to happen for handwriting success as well as many, many other important tasks. Remember, this child was a baby, with a brand new body not that terribly long ago. She is figuring out the many different ways her muscles can coordinate to accomplish a task.</span></td></tr>
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Once my mind was opened to the power of child-centered, child-led play, it became quite closed to philosophies that don't value play. My heart, however, is very open to closed-minded people simply because I "get it". I was once there myself. I once struggled greatly to see the importance of child-led play.<br />
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So I gently encourage you to open your eyes first, and take the time to carefully observe children while they are in play. Listen to their conversations, look at how they are manipulating their bodies and remind yourself that not all that long ago, they were babies with a body they had little control over. Think of all the things our minds and bodies can do -- imagine learning ALL OF THAT. NOW...watch a child playing. APPRECIATE what they are able to do. The mind can only deny what the eyes see for so long.<br />
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<span style="font-size: x-large;"><b>PRIDE</b></span><br />
I was VERY proud of my program. I LOVED it.<br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">I was also very proud of my lesson plans too, and could hardly wait to tell my littles what we would be doing every day. </span><br />
To let go of that lead role was unthinkable. I LOVED to set the environment so the children could all learn about the pre-planned theme that I had carefully chosen based on the interests of my littles AND on what the time of year dictated was an appropriate theme. (appropriate themes like: polar animals simply because it's January, because, polar animals are relevant to a young child living in SD where there are no polar animals and their brain can't wrap itself around the fact that polar animals do not live here, they live far far far far far far far away, so lets spend two weeks learning about them even though we can't touch them, smell them or see them in person, or grasp what a globe is and where exactly polar bears live, and how do they live on this little ball you call a globe...and you say we live on this thing too?) (and yes...that was suppose to be very confusing, full of sarcasm, with no breaks for breathing) <br />
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(SIDE NOTE: please don't comment that there is nothing wrong with exposing children to polar animals. I never said don't ever expose children to polar animals. <br />
My point here is this: Is it worth ONE OR TWO WEEKS of a young child's life to learn about something that they cannot fully experience or wrap their brains around simply because the teacher magazine has coloring sheets you can copy and a really cute polar bear craft idea OR because one or two children think polar animals are amazing. <br />
OR...is it better to provide opportunities for the children that are interested NOW, but wait to REALLY teach about those things to an entire class, whether interested or not, when children are a bit older and CAN grasp the concept of the world and different climates and animals that live in them? Perhaps it is just better to run outside in the SNOW and talk about how cold it is, how dirty is gets, how fun it is to squish, melt, toss, paint etc. If you live in Florida..my apologies for using snow as an example, I will gladly package up some snow and mail it to you :D )<br />
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It is safe to say that I was addicted to themes (<a href="http://playcountsdenitadinger.blogspot.com/2014/06/are-you-addicted-to-themes-tale-about.html" target="_blank">See previous blog post on this topic</a>), or perhaps I was addicted to the sense of pride I got when I wrote up my plans and found a way to connect almost everything that was in the environment to the current theme. Whatever it was, that addiction was very hard to beat. When my stubbornness and close-mindedness finally allowed some change to occur to my program, my pride in my themes was the very hardest part to let go of. Here is my personal "6-step" program for beating an addiction to themes:<br />
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1) I still had my themes, and neatly organized lesson plan BUT....I had "Discovery Mondays". I gave my littles MONDAY to find something better to do than my plans. If they didn't get into something grand, then on Tuesday we would follow my plan. If they DID find something grand, then I would follow their lead and make THAT the theme for the remainder of the week. (hey..it wasn't perfect, but it was a step in the right direction)<br />
2) I let go of a topic theme, and did the letter of the week thing, but tried as hard as I could to keep the letter relevant to what the children were currently interested in. I would try to find common bonds between all of the children's interests and choose a letter that could tie them all together. SO..I no longer planned months in advance, but rather just a week or so. We still had Discovery Monday, but truth be told, it had to be something pretty darn amazing that happened on Monday to lure me away from my plans.<br />
3) I added the "Mystery Word" concept to my program. (<a href="http://playcountsdenitadinger.blogspot.com/2012/02/power-of-one-word.html" target="_blank">what the heck is the "Mystery Word" concept</a>?) Whatever word the children led me to on Monday, we would stick with that letter for the week. SO, if the children led me to the word "swing", "S" would be our letter all week, and the remainder of the mystery words for that week would also start with the letter "s".<br />
4) I realized that, with the exception of Holidays, I did not need a common bond. CHILDREN did not need a common bond. I recognized that there were MANY different themes going on at any given time in my program, and I did my best to facilitate exploration in all of them. This required GRAND organization as I never knew what materials I may have to get for my littles.<br />
5) The realization hit me that holidays aren't that big of a deal to young children. They aren't all that relevant in their lives until AFTER the fact. SO, for example, this past Halloween, we explored pumpkins (because, well...pumpkins are a big deal in SD). We rolled pumpkins down ramps, we cut pumpkins open etc.) BUT..that is pretty much all we did. There were other Halloween-ish things in the environment, but the children did not show much interest in them. I read Halloween stories, and they loved them, but the themes did not carry through to their play. AFTER Halloween, on the other hand, they were REALLY into monsters and scary stuff from the things they experienced while trick-or treating. So AFTER Halloween, I got out the monster books, and the children led me towards a mini-monsterish theme I would say. It was definitely led by the interests and current experiences the children had.<br />
6) Reverse planning. I now, most currently, document all the play that occurs while the children are in my program. I then evaluate what I observed and determine what materials I should have available in the environment the following day. I keep my intentions accountable by writing down what I anticipate might happen (do not confuse this with a lesson plan -- it is JUST what I think MIGHT happen...not what WILL happen). The next day, I repeat the process, I write down what DOES happen (aka: The Play by Play), evaluate, intentionally plan, repeat. Along with written observations, I also take a plethora of pictures. (roughly 100 during our 3 hour play school session)<br />
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Deep breath.<br />
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There you have it.<br />
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The confessions of a stubborn, close-minded and proud early childhood professional. Please do not judge me. I am not perfect, though I sure aim to be, I am quite flawed. I have been on one heck of a journey and have MUCH respect for the early childhood professional who is ANYWHERE on their own journey.<br />
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Thank you for sticking it out to the end. I hope this post made you laugh at yourself more than it made you uncomfortable. If it made you uncomfortable, if you saw too much of yourself in me -- then it might be time to evaluate your program and see if there just might possibly be time for change.<br />
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Research points quite clearly to the fact that young children are wired to learn through play. I encourage you to open your mind, set your stubbornness (if you are a stubborn person) aside, and let go of your pride for long enough to embrace the value of child-led, adult-plans-out play. If you need more convincing, Google works by <a href="http://heathershumaker.com/" target="_blank">Heather Shumaker</a>, Dan Hodgins, <a href="http://vimeo.com/28871572" target="_blank">Bev Bos</a>, <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bg-GEzM7iTk" target="_blank">Peter Gray</a> just to name a few!<br />
<br />Denita Dingerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06595550669709851195noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5241296428946234061.post-51526197469984993532015-01-09T20:28:00.000-08:002015-01-10T08:54:02.101-08:00A Morning in the Life of Kaleidoscope Play School<span style="font-size: large;"><b>I get asked quite frequently: </b></span> "What does a morning look like in your program?"<br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>My response is this: </b></span> "It looks different each and every day. The only constant is snack. That is the only guaranteed thing that will happen."</div>
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I have gotten asked this question enough that I feel it is time for this blog post, to give you a solid taste of my program and my philosophy.<br />
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<span style="font-size: x-large;"><b>And so, I welcome you to Kaleidoscope Play School.</b></span></div>
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Here is what you need to know before spending a morning with us:</div>
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My program has one session from 8:30-11:45 on Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday mornings. This allows for long weekends in which I can travel to speak at early childhood professional conferences and trainings all across the US.</div>
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<span style="font-size: x-large;"><b>THE CURRICULUM:</b></span></div>
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In the words of Bev Bos: <span style="font-size: large;"><b>"The children are the curriculum". </b></span> </div>
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I thoughtfully document the child-led play each day and use that information to set the environment for the following day. </div>
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I do not know what is going to happen until my curriculum arrives every morning. I have my adult ideas in place, but that doesn't mean that is what will actually happen.<br />
In my documentation I write down what I THINK is going to happen, and then I write down what actually does happen. <span style="font-size: large;"><b>Very rarely does my "I Think" match up with "What Happened"</b></span>. <br />
I then use the "what actually happened" (or "the Play-by-Play" as I call it) documentation to set the environment for the next day.</div>
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<span style="font-size: x-large;"><b>THE ENVIRONMENT:</b></span></div>
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The environment at Kaleidoscope Play School is rich with opportunities for the children to explore, discover, fail, solve, succeed, persevere, grab, squeeze, splat, splash, paint, wonder, test, imagine, invent, collaborate, practice, grip, climb, challenge, assess risk, strengthen, coordinate, track, plan, inquire, instigate and struggle. All with the goal of building a solid foundation for all future academics to build upon.</div>
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<span style="font-size: x-large;"><b>CIRCLE TIME:</b></span></div>
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All the elements of a traditional "Circle Time" are sprinkled throughout our time together. There is no scheduled "Circle Time". </div>
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<li>Daily, we share, talk, take turns, wait patiently, read books for pleasure as well as inspiration, listen and follow direction.</li>
<li>Attention span is constantly being practiced as children follow their interests and have opportunities to use determination to persevere and stay on a task of their choosing (an age-appropriate means to strengthen attention) </li>
<li>Whenever there is an appropriate moment for it, we sing, dance and do finger plays and rhymes. I will not interrupt valuable child-led play for this.</li>
<li>"Calendar time" happens whenever the children discover the hidden calendar numbers. This does not necessarily happen on a daily basis, and that's okay, since the emphasis is NOT on the days of the week, but rather number order, number recognition and measurement (click <a href="http://playcountsdenitadinger.blogspot.com/2011/10/deconstructed-calendar.html" target="_blank">HERE </a>to learn more about how I do an age appropriate "calendar time" in my program). </li>
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<span style="font-size: x-large;"><b>THE SCHEDULE:</b></span></div>
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Play<br />
Snack<br />
Play<br />
Go Home</div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">And now, I proudly present to you, </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-large;"><b>"A Morning in the Life of Kaleidoscope Play School":</b></span><br />
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The day I am sharing with you just so happened to be my birthday, Jan. 9, 2014. (it was a snow-day make up day, so we were together on a rare Friday)</div>
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Observations from the previous day included a fascination with melting. The children melted crayons, hammered frozen balloons to smaller chunks then watched those smaller chunks melt, using an electric skillet set on WARM (a safe way for young children to assess risk, with an adult who is PRESENT) and melting ice using salt and pipettes to squirt warm water onto the frozen balloon. The <a href="http://playcountsdenitadinger.blogspot.com/2012/02/power-of-one-word.html" target="_blank">mystery word</a> was "melt".<br />
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Taking those observations into the consideration, and also considering that the children knew the following day was my birthday, and they were very excited about it, I set the environment as follows:<br />
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1) The electric skillet was ready to roll, but not yet in the environment. I wanted the children to have an opportunity to ask for what they need. A VALUABLE skill that many adults could use some practice on! :)</div>
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2) Another balloon had been frozen and was ready to come inside</div>
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3) The salt and warm water were ready</div>
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4) I removed the salted balloon out of the freezer from the day before and placed it on a table with cups of warm water and pipettes.</div>
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5) Scattered about the ceiling were 10 helium filled, mylar balloons (from the Dollar Tree) with strings thoughtfully cut to allow for some problem solving if the children wanted to retrieve them for play.</div>
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6) The "mystery word", rise, was at the ready.</div>
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7) Birthday blowers were at the ready, but not yet present in the environment.</div>
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8) A vinegar and baking soda activity was also "at the ready" to enhance exploration of the word "rise" if the children led me in that direction, but this was not yet out in the environment</div>
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Without further aduex (hey, I do not speak French, other than "Pass the french fries, please", so I have NO idea how to spell "aduex".... And the way I have chosen to spell it has the "Red Squiggly Line Police" going bonkers. My apologies to the perfectionists out there! I.....am not. :D )</div>
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When my littles arrived, to my utter shock and amazement, no one noticed the 10 balloons with ribbons dangling from the ceiling. </div>
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Instead, they went straight for the salted balloon from yesterday. But this soon became last week's news as excitement grew for the balloons.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7etNEa58I0RDUdmCYtrkDnssiZbSDwzJvh8NWJ0_gQsCtgpFVsdOBWaJ-tHbOkf5LoM15CZWsJH0iu4xbiNRmLIrbmZl-PfNojrxRKHALEct1KF34_8PNqnYHCmoiz70oNaMJOjE98Jk/s1600/Kaleidoscope+2014-2015-1-2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7etNEa58I0RDUdmCYtrkDnssiZbSDwzJvh8NWJ0_gQsCtgpFVsdOBWaJ-tHbOkf5LoM15CZWsJH0iu4xbiNRmLIrbmZl-PfNojrxRKHALEct1KF34_8PNqnYHCmoiz70oNaMJOjE98Jk/s1600/Kaleidoscope+2014-2015-1-2.jpg" height="425" width="640" /></a></div>
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This little sweetie was the first to notice the balloons. Her go-to method for capturing a balloon was simply climbing up on a chair and grabbing with her hand (she caught the balloon that had a slow leak, and was floating quite low). </div>
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<span style="font-size: x-large;"><b>Solving problems is encouraged.</b></span> </div>
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Standing on chairs is something that happens on a regular basis. It is always accompanied by four simple words from me: <span style="font-size: large;"><b> </b></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>"What is your plan?"</b></span> This gives the child an opportunity to STOP THEIR BODY (hard for some to do, but a necessary skill) and THINK AHEAD. They then get to express with words what exactly they plan on doing.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-kxYdLx0_bJXiOT54-gWPyrx_ebsGWatpcqqu9yxIz-MUj8-v_NzBUnSZLPchefnJ0dBwWZKHGH5UD1oCrUh8iI9p9C0jXCUGtgnUPM2Ne2qnL-FAQ2sqwKILcu4GY7mrqpMEn2Q9dyQ/s1600/Kaleidoscope+2014-2015-2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-kxYdLx0_bJXiOT54-gWPyrx_ebsGWatpcqqu9yxIz-MUj8-v_NzBUnSZLPchefnJ0dBwWZKHGH5UD1oCrUh8iI9p9C0jXCUGtgnUPM2Ne2qnL-FAQ2sqwKILcu4GY7mrqpMEn2Q9dyQ/s1600/Kaleidoscope+2014-2015-2.jpg" height="426" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-large;"><b><br /></b></span></div>
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<b style="font-size: xx-large;">Children motivate each other.</b></div>
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One child experiencing success is all the motivation my crew needed. Instantly, several children were off to gather their own chair and gather the tools they felt they would need to capture a balloon to play with.<br />
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<span style="font-size: x-large;"><b>The problem solving wall has loads of tools for the children to use to assist with problem solving.</b></span></div>
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The first tool of choice were the tongs, most commonly used for picking up toys (Sorry, Mary Poppins, to heck with sugar, TONGS make the job a piece of cake!)</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAK5WAXwbLN3U1Bslim_bn-udUEu-aixziliy83J3oBsc_ny4XaJKTF7s36f06Uow-lmfpDjzkk8zhs3l1Ijia3caCw7lU2tliBOVYug5INt9pA9l0apVR1jjY6GqWZZQhgqPvySLj-7s/s1600/Kaleidoscope+2014-2015-4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAK5WAXwbLN3U1Bslim_bn-udUEu-aixziliy83J3oBsc_ny4XaJKTF7s36f06Uow-lmfpDjzkk8zhs3l1Ijia3caCw7lU2tliBOVYug5INt9pA9l0apVR1jjY6GqWZZQhgqPvySLj-7s/s1600/Kaleidoscope+2014-2015-4.jpg" height="640" width="426" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlDfZeAh0jpfyQoe8HzODdlLPH08od7EXz-KwWU_Z2A2eHQ0Uy5GGCTPC8MbBMCsRuddd2aNRAS4DnpWn4Wkvp9o_0w9m6d1Ob43SEEqUdSCoU_irL0qqoJ7Weqea9FcxB_SP5VZ-H5i0/s1600/Kaleidoscope+2014-2015-5.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlDfZeAh0jpfyQoe8HzODdlLPH08od7EXz-KwWU_Z2A2eHQ0Uy5GGCTPC8MbBMCsRuddd2aNRAS4DnpWn4Wkvp9o_0w9m6d1Ob43SEEqUdSCoU_irL0qqoJ7Weqea9FcxB_SP5VZ-H5i0/s1600/Kaleidoscope+2014-2015-5.jpg" height="640" width="426" /></a></div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhR_R-Se7cgt8OGDl6WUMAZ_0PJbRlVV-BQcTCl02kBWQ3C4JAmzFMZ3FOS96gqEg2iIZoYr8EoUmgMKqB4XlEi1j1A3b3WT1IgkbFE5Pp6rs37SETTIEDw0uWMJNhp_fro0D253TOWObw/s1600/Kaleidoscope+2014-2015-15.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhR_R-Se7cgt8OGDl6WUMAZ_0PJbRlVV-BQcTCl02kBWQ3C4JAmzFMZ3FOS96gqEg2iIZoYr8EoUmgMKqB4XlEi1j1A3b3WT1IgkbFE5Pp6rs37SETTIEDw0uWMJNhp_fro0D253TOWObw/s1600/Kaleidoscope+2014-2015-15.jpg" height="640" width="426" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">This little pumpkin was bursting with pride upon capturing the yellow flower balloon!</span></td></tr>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCXYEf6zq5WfuuhFyaShAFyESESsay7AVvd5cZNxIY4MTUeurQFkQJqJ1TWRVnFnWVsbrgqmXkSFaqygEn8Zq5GgV1UIZlE1MOPXo5BIEueOo5iORYlu1_FWFtvUZGQUVEt80UOIv-dYA/s1600/Kaleidoscope+2014-2015-14.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCXYEf6zq5WfuuhFyaShAFyESESsay7AVvd5cZNxIY4MTUeurQFkQJqJ1TWRVnFnWVsbrgqmXkSFaqygEn8Zq5GgV1UIZlE1MOPXo5BIEueOo5iORYlu1_FWFtvUZGQUVEt80UOIv-dYA/s1600/Kaleidoscope+2014-2015-14.jpg" height="640" width="426" /></a></div>
<span style="font-size: large;">Thanks to the simplicity of helium-filled, mylar balloons, children were having opportunities to solve problems, be patient, take turns, FOCUS, stay on task for long periods of time, observe, share their ideas and methods and think outside of the box. They were expressing their thoughts, struggles and unique techniques through words.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiu2XybOnNLOBlq8aU5ZLKP2dGHmVLjVghLEm0UwYaNAoK5Guhq752ig04PBo0yIT0ykBsQCS-e1CSDewfMA1XOdzpzQ2IfBvS4ao3LtNZV0u7TpCfda79OEXB9ntBJel0CBqvR7mN2_xc/s1600/Kaleidoscope+2014-2015-11.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiu2XybOnNLOBlq8aU5ZLKP2dGHmVLjVghLEm0UwYaNAoK5Guhq752ig04PBo0yIT0ykBsQCS-e1CSDewfMA1XOdzpzQ2IfBvS4ao3LtNZV0u7TpCfda79OEXB9ntBJel0CBqvR7mN2_xc/s1600/Kaleidoscope+2014-2015-11.jpg" height="640" width="426" /></a></div>
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My favorite thing about documenting the power of play through photography, is sometimes you capture amazing moments like this next series of pics:<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyRRdnJx9MEVyFzyFc56OsgYG0d2PCpm6ALPRk-xoxOuQyuBUMx7FlKapaPULSVUMlumRgeqwAP1iL5WFvKEiKEpQ2RQMld4dsarn1te959mKaWJlS_3fVb40itvOm6XEUTWRjd20MtUM/s1600/Kaleidoscope+2014-2015-7.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyRRdnJx9MEVyFzyFc56OsgYG0d2PCpm6ALPRk-xoxOuQyuBUMx7FlKapaPULSVUMlumRgeqwAP1iL5WFvKEiKEpQ2RQMld4dsarn1te959mKaWJlS_3fVb40itvOm6XEUTWRjd20MtUM/s1600/Kaleidoscope+2014-2015-7.jpg" height="640" width="426" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">You can see the sheer exhaustion on this child's face, but he was SO determined to GET that balloon down.</span></td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPeg9zQJX5-ljCwG7x1cHj-c_1eTdKt-8Gki_pfm6dvPlFVumU04mHvzA0XETWvLjsPeS5JAwbhsSfD6ijnjwPf0lLYjaAmor5balwKKzGhxg0sRbHyfG_7JmNLRWpmuJO5qySBRHtbEg/s1600/Kaleidoscope+2014-2015-8.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPeg9zQJX5-ljCwG7x1cHj-c_1eTdKt-8Gki_pfm6dvPlFVumU04mHvzA0XETWvLjsPeS5JAwbhsSfD6ijnjwPf0lLYjaAmor5balwKKzGhxg0sRbHyfG_7JmNLRWpmuJO5qySBRHtbEg/s1600/Kaleidoscope+2014-2015-8.jpg" height="426" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">Ahhhh..... the sweet taste of success. Victory is his.....look at that intense face, he knows that balloon is not yet safe in his hands, but it is SO CLOSE....</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRNlQo4a9oUtUDpXjm3XA9LR7mLhr2OJTD7qnzjkEOodbLxe8rlQSHWOz3gptss2wPC1skAkcEY8ELur8apZ0gypGmraVK_U26AKe-Of11xSwzI8t6twnUokQNuBDet-emv2J6wHt0n4E/s1600/Kaleidoscope+2014-2015-9.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRNlQo4a9oUtUDpXjm3XA9LR7mLhr2OJTD7qnzjkEOodbLxe8rlQSHWOz3gptss2wPC1skAkcEY8ELur8apZ0gypGmraVK_U26AKe-Of11xSwzI8t6twnUokQNuBDet-emv2J6wHt0n4E/s1600/Kaleidoscope+2014-2015-9.jpg" height="426" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-large;">....and yet SO.FAR.AWAY.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">"NITA! WHY do these balloons have to rise so fast?" (Our "mystery word" was "rise" -- I loved hearing them use the word so naturally in their descriptions of the balloons.)</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: x-large;"><b>My adult ideas did NOT see this coming!</b></span></div>
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This child FINALLY was successful, but he was exasperated. Absolutely BUSHED. He figured out how to keep that balloon from rising again! HE TAPED IT TO THE FLOOR! GENIUS idea! THAT, my dear friends, is INNOVATION! It is SO empowering for a young child to come up with an idea, test that idea and then, the best ever, watch his peers COPY that idea! THAT is far more important for a four year old, than sitting down and reciting flashcards EVER could be.</div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMUqE-snwYQmHJ6cRIlJCfVxLQGEejw0vb7lHOmz2mw48XrJqCNPMsR03bXwHRlKRbbtRzbNziPZrocNJM-R6wzql0xFVLcm48Fz65Wm3CZ08xixe10M1-XXTNXgbaENs0o3WtQhLuLT0/s1600/Kaleidoscope+2014-2015-24.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMUqE-snwYQmHJ6cRIlJCfVxLQGEejw0vb7lHOmz2mw48XrJqCNPMsR03bXwHRlKRbbtRzbNziPZrocNJM-R6wzql0xFVLcm48Fz65Wm3CZ08xixe10M1-XXTNXgbaENs0o3WtQhLuLT0/s1600/Kaleidoscope+2014-2015-24.jpg" height="640" width="426" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-large;">HA! Take that Mr. Balloon! Rise, no more!</span></td></tr>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhrQh3Zbs0_lVNaF113ovUmgfiRLfR3fIcNtf5PHw_iS4QoDE5uFYPGKsuzd7eFLgLX27SC95vPx_HO2FOWS9oQLKdP431ywi939ibsC6ck92XkDzQl4U3D1dE70N1oH0FyiztiO1-x1Y/s1600/Kaleidoscope+2014-2015-27.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhrQh3Zbs0_lVNaF113ovUmgfiRLfR3fIcNtf5PHw_iS4QoDE5uFYPGKsuzd7eFLgLX27SC95vPx_HO2FOWS9oQLKdP431ywi939ibsC6ck92XkDzQl4U3D1dE70N1oH0FyiztiO1-x1Y/s1600/Kaleidoscope+2014-2015-27.jpg" height="426" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-large;"><b>Meanwhile.... </b></span></div>
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while these children were all having fun solving problems, capturing balloons, and taping them to the ground....across the room, the frozen balloon was brought inside. It's important to note that the child whose idea it was to tape the balloons to the floor, had completed that task, and briskly moved onto the next -- hammering the frozen balloons!</div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">After hammering, the electric skillet was requested </span>(which, due to my observations the day before, I had "at the ready" just for such a request)<br />
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These two pumpkins dabbled with the salt-covered balloon -- and by dabbled, I mean spent about 30 seconds and were off to something else. <br />
<span style="font-size: x-large;">DABBLING happens in child-led play and THAT is OKAY!</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdy9H2afLLjSK2wvggInOACbHV0csi2D26kuGbx2vDQcqAfdIKqc0PHo1RQB7lC3pZyTFlBD_byhnkUkjxed_NGmPGpKrJqC9W2-sFgavzShyphenhyphenXZFO92UGiqMh90yLMhTQR5BrK_fDGYGM/s1600/Kaleidoscope+2014-2015-26.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdy9H2afLLjSK2wvggInOACbHV0csi2D26kuGbx2vDQcqAfdIKqc0PHo1RQB7lC3pZyTFlBD_byhnkUkjxed_NGmPGpKrJqC9W2-sFgavzShyphenhyphenXZFO92UGiqMh90yLMhTQR5BrK_fDGYGM/s1600/Kaleidoscope+2014-2015-26.jpg" height="426" width="640" /></a></div>
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When the hammers were brought out for the frozen balloons, the "workbench" was requested as well.<br />
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<span style="font-size: x-large;"><b>MEANWHILE......</b></span></div>
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Back with the balloons, the "air squirters" (aka: water squirters and balloon pumps from the Dollar Tree) were added to the play. Children were having fun moving the now floating balloons with the power of air.</div>
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Children were visual tracking the balloons as they beebopped in the air as they also coordinated a LOT of muscles in order to manipulate the "air squirters".</div>
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<span style="font-size: x-large;"><b>CHILD-LED PLAY IS RANDOM...... and that's OKAY</b></span></div>
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SUDDENLY, completely by surprise, with no apparent connecting factor (sometimes I can clearly see the flow of play...THIS, I have no idea what led to it...all I can say is it was the definition of RANDOM) the children hopped on a sled. A really, really long sled with lots of seats.<br />
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Me: "Where are you sledding to?"<br />
One child: "We are going to check on Santa."</div>
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Me: "Will you be back in time for snack?"<br />
Same child: "I sure hope so."</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhK1WhfPmv8i-8p0rHzvy7-IaNjqZiHvGpLVAYQVnW1Z8hOQxeC8VSFdBoyb5sqJd50w8ODB0tw-cBiRi-zxVjQz9hDgtubPNNM_Xbd2hpgKPpg5g2jEK_W64Vh6LBszUc9cVGUP93XURg/s1600/Kaleidoscope+2014-2015-47.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhK1WhfPmv8i-8p0rHzvy7-IaNjqZiHvGpLVAYQVnW1Z8hOQxeC8VSFdBoyb5sqJd50w8ODB0tw-cBiRi-zxVjQz9hDgtubPNNM_Xbd2hpgKPpg5g2jEK_W64Vh6LBszUc9cVGUP93XURg/s1600/Kaleidoscope+2014-2015-47.jpg" height="426" width="640" /></a></span></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-size: x-large;">I LOVE it when children are able to organize themselves. </span></b><span style="font-size: large;"> This is a prime example of how this happens so naturally in child-led play if we allow the time and freedom for children to do so. Notice that this entire morning has been led by children. </span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: x-large; font-weight: bold;">MEANWHILE.....</span> (oh yes, there's more!)</div>
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Through all of this play, the children were discovering the letters that are needed to build our "mysery word": "rise". I love to watch this process. There is a lot of teamwork involved as the children help each other place the letters in the right order, and then determine how many have been found (um..math), and how many are still missing (more math). They then need to determine the correct placement of the letters (ordinal vocabulary) which letter should be first? Which one is last? HOW are we going to make room for a letter that was forgotten about (amazingly difficult for children to solve this problem).</div>
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<span style="font-size: x-large;"><b>MEANWHILE...</b></span></div>
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While all the other children were off to visit Santa, this little sweetie was doing her favorite thing to do: draw.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8c2fy_BHINGNNviBiuzji4ZKUckQuA-2hyphenhyphenxxYwRrgXw2zA24_yE1rVkne3pSdt6pl-acL3hSCCY-nL26PWI-xSsRyJPCYFyL80IlLJCsn_2BhwL6C7fo_FnORh39ULbYBCzdp1Bq1sb4/s1600/Kaleidoscope+2014-2015-51.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8c2fy_BHINGNNviBiuzji4ZKUckQuA-2hyphenhyphenxxYwRrgXw2zA24_yE1rVkne3pSdt6pl-acL3hSCCY-nL26PWI-xSsRyJPCYFyL80IlLJCsn_2BhwL6C7fo_FnORh39ULbYBCzdp1Bq1sb4/s1600/Kaleidoscope+2014-2015-51.jpg" height="426" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">Because sometimes you just can't get close enough to your paper....</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><b>ALWAYS.......take the time to LISTEN.</b></span><br />
Children rarely draw "nothing". <br />
This illustrator is telling me that she is pretending to be an airplane in this picture (see the first person drawn in brown on the bottom? That is her...with her arms out like an airplane). She went on to tell me that "After my brothers and daddy and mommy saw me being an airplane, they were airplanes too." (See the sun on the furthest side of the paper? )<br />
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As I observe, it is my job, when possible, to </div>
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<span style="font-size: x-large;"><b>ENHANCE THE LEARNING.</b></span> Listen to the cues the children are expressing and change the environment accordingly. Sometimes this means adding, and sometimes it means subtracting from the environment. </div>
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In this case, the children were really having a blast with watching the balloons RISE, in the event that this would happen, I had yet another activity "at the ready".<br />
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This plan required cups of colored vinegar, clear straws, and a container of baking soda. Time for another opportunity to use the word "rise".</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfgdcwpw9Xt3MY0TT73xh4X_yICfUvr6DxKBSuubRyAKe_h9QoqTqPq1dGtii9fukBHnz4HC52-B5ergC9VdJ4j0otAetbQj_F48Km-jPLUG7xfSs6WYHxyXV8vo6fv6e5wybwAkMdIus/s1600/Kaleidoscope+2014-2015-54.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfgdcwpw9Xt3MY0TT73xh4X_yICfUvr6DxKBSuubRyAKe_h9QoqTqPq1dGtii9fukBHnz4HC52-B5ergC9VdJ4j0otAetbQj_F48Km-jPLUG7xfSs6WYHxyXV8vo6fv6e5wybwAkMdIus/s1600/Kaleidoscope+2014-2015-54.jpg" height="426" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Figuring out the mechanics involved in capturing vinegar in a straw was VERY challenging for some, and a piece of cake for others. But the results are SO motivating, every child that chose to participate tried until they found a technique that worked for them.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGagNNl5hlLgVb1OWeXQPc6VcYkdogTRm3GtP9qPDB5NM3MpE4l81G12EMc1Er3m9adnml13Nb6wzxQmfE3Zy2phodWRb_mbbsHAiYOcm_xRyyHcyMNd1Fad5Cq7OTykcOmaSaXMn6tuM/s1600/Kaleidoscope+2014-2015-62.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGagNNl5hlLgVb1OWeXQPc6VcYkdogTRm3GtP9qPDB5NM3MpE4l81G12EMc1Er3m9adnml13Nb6wzxQmfE3Zy2phodWRb_mbbsHAiYOcm_xRyyHcyMNd1Fad5Cq7OTykcOmaSaXMn6tuM/s1600/Kaleidoscope+2014-2015-62.jpg" height="426" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">This is the fist time that the girl, who is grinning from ear to ear with pride, was successful. See the straw oozing blue fizz in the back? That is hers. She was always breaking the seal, and releasing the vinegar before she stuck the straw in the backing soda. The fizz doesn't rise up the straw then.</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgvQkTLPfWhbMfs6ahkmrjjaC3zf94K6nTxRbXb24TG7dXiawEczkdVPo-3sUUT42fl3ZM4hEJ1SDLDtWCw3v1pVWsIxMybl9nTasIY3FQq4Xqc7PiqpReyM_xJ4DajDxcXefOLqVXKMc/s1600/Kaleidoscope+2014-2015-67.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgvQkTLPfWhbMfs6ahkmrjjaC3zf94K6nTxRbXb24TG7dXiawEczkdVPo-3sUUT42fl3ZM4hEJ1SDLDtWCw3v1pVWsIxMybl9nTasIY3FQq4Xqc7PiqpReyM_xJ4DajDxcXefOLqVXKMc/s1600/Kaleidoscope+2014-2015-67.jpg" height="426" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><b>Children need delayed gratification.</b></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">This activity is loaded with delayed gratification and a very specific way to be successful. I love that it offers children an opportunity to PAUSE and wait. Even if it is just for a couple of seconds. It is still a PAUSE.</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: x-large;"><b>Sometimes, I add things JUST BECAUSE....</b></span><br />
After about 20 minutes of this, I added some pipettes to the mix...just out of curiosity.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIPJAQ6Cdzhq7FvESRy8xZsYz48pUvuc_N2Z1IISShRFeujqdxIdLNs7m75g68MuHaZ6vemmAHaJBuQNBvJ1ES2OQZLH5BwHgSm-Bh9QTQPqNqj8mMnD9VHqAfcZUuK9ouglpmK2zyi30/s1600/Kaleidoscope+2014-2015-82.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIPJAQ6Cdzhq7FvESRy8xZsYz48pUvuc_N2Z1IISShRFeujqdxIdLNs7m75g68MuHaZ6vemmAHaJBuQNBvJ1ES2OQZLH5BwHgSm-Bh9QTQPqNqj8mMnD9VHqAfcZUuK9ouglpmK2zyi30/s1600/Kaleidoscope+2014-2015-82.jpg" height="640" width="426" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-large;">"Just because" can turn into "GRAND"...you just never know!</span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;">The children aimed the pipettes into the straws! I never saw this coming! What a fabulous opportunity for eye-hand coordination and visual tracking and planning! Both necessary for handwriting, and tracking is necessary for reading and math!</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSW1bG5LP2Zd5BtkXqa1DzA-xhY6E-bt8bOroK-LHvqTGnaB-Xvh54Nk6InLwIi4ylwPmFN8Dksk4dCuEepz5TlzsZg9Gq2MnfOdCz9gWkATFgx4yFWinnOPHcU4dC7gC1IIIcF7evQWU/s1600/Kaleidoscope+2014-2015-85.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSW1bG5LP2Zd5BtkXqa1DzA-xhY6E-bt8bOroK-LHvqTGnaB-Xvh54Nk6InLwIi4ylwPmFN8Dksk4dCuEepz5TlzsZg9Gq2MnfOdCz9gWkATFgx4yFWinnOPHcU4dC7gC1IIIcF7evQWU/s1600/Kaleidoscope+2014-2015-85.jpg" height="426" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><b>Children are innovators. </b></span><br />
This child is never content with status quo. He is always coloring outside the lines to find a new, innovative way to accomplish something. Without fail.<br />
In this instance, he has put TWO straws together, and is now filling his pipette with vinegar. So the right hand is holding the straws together, and the left hand is crossing the body to collect the vinegar. There is a LOT going on here.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbC5TLhqjEo4pfH_Izm6-Z9YYPRMrZoL4DWpPg6cb5Cv6Tt2R4J18HLjPFqITUvJmVtLzD-zrfXMNRTAJchcMlnvHP3ZU85GfcGYzKyHtnqhFm2-V_OOWQ9hvd-DFCTBJcyyv1Zm-vjAw/s1600/Kaleidoscope+2014-2015-86.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbC5TLhqjEo4pfH_Izm6-Z9YYPRMrZoL4DWpPg6cb5Cv6Tt2R4J18HLjPFqITUvJmVtLzD-zrfXMNRTAJchcMlnvHP3ZU85GfcGYzKyHtnqhFm2-V_OOWQ9hvd-DFCTBJcyyv1Zm-vjAw/s1600/Kaleidoscope+2014-2015-86.jpg" height="426" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">Testing his idea....AND..... SUCCESS!!</span></td></tr>
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You guessed it,</div>
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<span style="font-size: x-large;"><b>MEANWHILE....</b></span></div>
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I have two brand new littles. One is a "dive in head first, no hesitation let's just go" kind of a kid. The other child is a thoughtful observer. He definitely knows what he likes and what he doesn't. For example, he is in the very first picture of the baking soda and vinegar fun, with his big brown eyes taking it all in. This. Was not for him.<br />
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Earlier, when the children were capturing the balloons, he was off playing with the barn in the butterfly house, peeking around the curtain every once in while to observe what everyone else was doing, but choosing not to partake.<br />
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He watched as they used the tongs and grabbers (a brand new thing to him).<br />
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Fast forward an hour and a half (At least).....and the following occurred, once everyone else had forgotten about the grabbers. (SIDE NOTE: the grabbers are an inexpensive reach tool that is considered the holy grail here in my program. It is the most coveted tool of them all.)</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4I7jWLsm3ePgn_IyGBcoXtPNBUq4zfQvCii2uJDLIwRobQQr2UT5dN9qUjvikSDVxh1tEspmMJ80_rYurzLXXlkjV1QCLftsAt06PXGtTt5ydDm30iPTmOVpNz-JqrJa1sGmpnW1kQL4/s1600/Kaleidoscope+2014-2015-92.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4I7jWLsm3ePgn_IyGBcoXtPNBUq4zfQvCii2uJDLIwRobQQr2UT5dN9qUjvikSDVxh1tEspmMJ80_rYurzLXXlkjV1QCLftsAt06PXGtTt5ydDm30iPTmOVpNz-JqrJa1sGmpnW1kQL4/s1600/Kaleidoscope+2014-2015-92.jpg" height="640" width="426" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><b>A Plethora of Visual tracking opportunities should be available in all early learning programs.</b></span><br />
Pay close attention to those big brown eyes in this picture and following few. THAT is valuable visual tracking. THAT is what this child needs for reading success. He does not need a game on a screen to prepare him, in fact, a game on a screen will do him more harm than good. Children need to track things in LARGE, OPEN spaces. They need to track BIG, and then track small. To do it any other way can be setting children up to fail. Screens should have no place in the life of a young child. (gasp...but the technology is so cool! ) Yes. The technology is cool, but stop and think about how the body is designed to learn and grow and develop. All natural signs point to <b><span style="font-size: large;">NO SCREENS.</span><span style="font-size: small;"> (NO ipads, iphones, computers, TV (VERY limited) etc.)</span></b></td></tr>
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FINALLY.....at 10:30, the very first "I'm hungry" was heard. This is what dictates our "schedule". The first "I'm hungry" means it is time for me to give the five minute call. "Boys and girls. Finish up the task you are doing. We will be picking up very shortly."</div>
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Some play-based programs do not have a pick up time. I am not one of them. I believe there is value in picking up. There is comparing and contrasting as children sort through the myriad of objects that always end up randomly scattered hither and yon. There is teamwork, cooperation, listening, following directions and chattering. There is organization, ownership and responsibility. I am a firm believer in picking up. NOW, if a child has created the most amazing thing, and they have requested to save it for the next day, I will do anything in my power to do so.</div>
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Once the toys are all picked up, the children are told one thing. "Let me know when you are ready for snack". I know they are ready when they work together to create a circle (an opportunity to organize themselves...LOTS of vocabulary goes on here, lots of leading and lots of following).</div>
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Then, depending on the time and the amount of tummy rumblings, I may get out the guitar and we may sing for a bit, we may chat for a while, we may play a quick, random, follow direction game, there really is no rules with this time, I just follow their lead. </div>
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Today, the children were so absorbed in their play, the tummy rumblings were noticed quite late, so there was no time for guitar and singing. I didn't see a single reason to interrupt ANYTHING that I was observing today to sing. Singing was not more valuable than the child-led play that occurred. So we went straight to snack.</div>
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At Kaleidoscope Play School, the children own all experiences. Even getting out their snack (they all bring their own), opening containers (we struggle , we solve problems, we use teamwork and we ask for help), picking up our mess when we are done and cleaning up our spills.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhb8b4WlEeyFSYmeP49wcQRZ_LjMLRV0YnRzZN6GzS5uz_wfC6ryD949LnRTkt-hjUTSuvem2ZxsDhdpzcxA57ANNOv3BWktYEmjmYnitrVEATuJbywIk_ahQF4IDt6VlebNBVz2s-gJJM/s1600/Kaleidoscope+2014-2015-104.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhb8b4WlEeyFSYmeP49wcQRZ_LjMLRV0YnRzZN6GzS5uz_wfC6ryD949LnRTkt-hjUTSuvem2ZxsDhdpzcxA57ANNOv3BWktYEmjmYnitrVEATuJbywIk_ahQF4IDt6VlebNBVz2s-gJJM/s1600/Kaleidoscope+2014-2015-104.jpg" height="426" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><b>Children need to have the freedom of discovering their own technique.</b></span><br />
This sweetie worked VERY hard to get her Oreos opened. She used the scissors to snip the slightest hole, and then worked from there. Not the way I would do it, but children need to own a technique that works for them. They do not always need an adult to show them "the better way".</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWrs751C7XgupZ2rXzWRjXKzM4WMdq2oA_n90V1zsrqtZRFk-xzWwXacm_sEUCJEyVNmEGNF6q16YCbHxAy4n-J5xVK2II22oDLjr2F4sDDQgR6N3O67E9vFAw29FLYH_B6ge6UT0CwKU/s1600/Kaleidoscope+2014-2015-106.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWrs751C7XgupZ2rXzWRjXKzM4WMdq2oA_n90V1zsrqtZRFk-xzWwXacm_sEUCJEyVNmEGNF6q16YCbHxAy4n-J5xVK2II22oDLjr2F4sDDQgR6N3O67E9vFAw29FLYH_B6ge6UT0CwKU/s1600/Kaleidoscope+2014-2015-106.jpg" height="426" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">The sweet face of success.</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdkPVRaSqMPRdUlHWCFC07BFWCOlKWn3X7OMGiKrK1mAxrQ8z4deu6bJaemqCZ0JTDsAZ8_5jqfF6cjBKBHUsUsHivLCM1umxflTEdxUneZ5ZUpKVR_w4_DXcgr7wtUL28idEZOIthL74/s1600/Kaleidoscope+2014-2015-108.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdkPVRaSqMPRdUlHWCFC07BFWCOlKWn3X7OMGiKrK1mAxrQ8z4deu6bJaemqCZ0JTDsAZ8_5jqfF6cjBKBHUsUsHivLCM1umxflTEdxUneZ5ZUpKVR_w4_DXcgr7wtUL28idEZOIthL74/s1600/Kaleidoscope+2014-2015-108.jpg" height="426" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><b>DETERMINATION</b></span></td></tr>
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And then, we finished the day with.......</div>
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BIRTHDAY BLOWERS!!! </div>
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Thank you for spending a morning in the life of Kaleidoscope Play School with me! It is my pleasure to give you a peak inside my program and a taste of my philosophy.</div>
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I love sharing my passion for the value of play through this blog, my <a href="https://www.facebook.com/pages/Play-Counts/141352815884541" target="_blank">Facebook page, Play Counts</a> as well as speaking at all sorts of events for early childhood professionals, administrators, parents, therapists...you name it!<br />
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If you are interested in having me speak at your event, you can email me at:</div>
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playcounts.denitadinger@gmail.com for more information.<br />
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To find out where I will be speaking in the future, check out my website: <a href="http://playcounts.com/" target="_blank">www.playcounts.com </a></div>
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Denita Dingerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06595550669709851195noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5241296428946234061.post-7095218577870867612014-12-19T14:07:00.002-08:002014-12-20T08:53:04.744-08:00STOP the Adult Brain Instead of Stopping Child-led Play<div>
Just as children get urges, we adults get urges too. Sometimes those urges are very strong. The most common urge we get is to interrupt what a child is engaged in for the simple reason that it goes against what our adult brain has "planned" for them to do.</div>
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The adult brain sometimes interprets the brain of a child as being frivolous. Especially the brain of a child engaged in adult-out, child-led play. Adults have a hard time seeing the purpose or meaning in child-led play and often times cast play aside as something children do to waste time.</div>
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We tend to struggle with the urge to STOP THEIR PLAY, when really, we need to STOP OUR BRAINS and take a moment to reflect on the learning that is occurring right in front of us, NOT because of us.</div>
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I experienced this very urge this week in my play school program. I KNOW very well that there is value in child-led play. I KNOW that play is the best way for a young child to learn. Even with KNOWING those things are true, my adult-brain still struggles to not lead sometimes.</div>
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Here's the order of events that sparked this blog post (yes, pull up a chair..this might get lengthy...or, save this post for THAT trip to the bathroom -- you know the one, where you flush many times so your family thinks you are really "busy" in there, but really, you just want some quiet time and are actually sitting on the floor all cozied up with your "must read" items....if you have never done this, you are welcome for the idea, it works like a charm.)</div>
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And so the story begins:</div>
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Thanks to itty bitty pieces of torn up wrapping paper and the parachute, my crew led me to the mystery word, "fly" at the end of our time together on Wednesday. SO...I followed their lead as I prepared the environment for our time together on Thursday. </div>
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<b><span style="font-size: x-large;">The environment in an early learning program should be inspired by where the children have led you.</span></b></div>
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I "plopped" the following in the environment:</div>
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1) the catapult and bucket with soft items perfect for flying</div>
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2) a small parachute was placed beside the bucket of wrapping paper pieces begging to fly</div>
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3) the pendulum had a bathroom puff tied to the end of it...perfect for flying through the air</div>
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4) the mystery word: "fly"</div>
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<b><span style="font-size: x-large;">Not sure what I mean when I say "I plopped...." Then you will enjoy reading <a href="http://playcountsdenitadinger.blogspot.com/2012/11/plopping-101.html" target="_blank">this post.</a><br />What on earth is a "mystery word"? Read <a href="http://playcountsdenitadinger.blogspot.com/2012/02/power-of-one-word.html" target="_blank">this post.</a></span></b></div>
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I also was prepared with turkey baster bulbs and plastic shot glasses (yes, I deduct plastic shot glasses from my taxes) and plastic spoons and fluffy pom poms. All of which are fantastic opportunities for making things fly. I had these ready for when my littles led me to wanting MORE opportunities.</div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>One of the keys to running a successful child-led, play-based program is to be prepared for where you THINK the children may go -- BUT, accept it (which is hard to do) when they DON'T go there.</b></span></div>
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The children arrived on Thursday morning, and, as expected, dove right in to the catapult......what wasn't expected is they played with it for ten minutes and that's it. </div>
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One child discovered the mini (6 man) parachute and wrapping paper....they played with that for long enough to scatter wrapping paper ALLLL over the floor.</div>
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The pendulum was a hit...again, for about ten minutes, then got the occasional attention from the passing-by child.</div>
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They found the letters "l" and "y" and figured out that our mystery word was fly.</div>
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That was it....no more excitement about flying objects than that. Sigh. </div>
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No leading me to pulling out the turkey basters and shot glasses. No flying objects launched from plastic spoons. </div>
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I looked around the room feeling quite deflated. I really wished they would have dove deeper into the concept of flying as there were so many learning opportunities waiting for them there. My adult brain was so ready to give them more opportunities...it was suppose to have been a morning so rich with learning. Instead, it was just a ho-hum kind of a morning. </div>
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My brain had an inner struggle: STOP THEM...TELL THEM TO MAKE THINGS FLY/ DON'T STOP THEM...THEY ARE ALL INVOLVED IN THEIR OWN, CHILD-LED TASKS AND IT'S OKAY.</div>
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The "STOP THEM" argument ALMOST won, but then I had a moment to skim through the pictures I had taken thus far that morning. And what I saw simply amazed me. The learning was SO CLEAR in hindsight.<br />
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This is what I saw:</div>
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<span style="font-size: large; font-weight: bold;">A child was learning through cause and effect, and comparing and contrasting </span>as she related how far she pulled the catapult back to how far the stuffed mouse would fly.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6ZNN0n52rMRroNcn7JJOERNssIQuAiDufpsp1lFDK3pGxMXm3CZ0C7kLM-2MZWDsB_lr1RXvD_ylxIFYW3bg8cS74jalJU4hSwQagV3rA5WCfP8AzH5MNYl1hwAjS2IkIG2WL1IIYk8U/s1600/Kaleidoscope+2014-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6ZNN0n52rMRroNcn7JJOERNssIQuAiDufpsp1lFDK3pGxMXm3CZ0C7kLM-2MZWDsB_lr1RXvD_ylxIFYW3bg8cS74jalJU4hSwQagV3rA5WCfP8AzH5MNYl1hwAjS2IkIG2WL1IIYk8U/s1600/Kaleidoscope+2014-1.jpg" height="426" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large; font-weight: bold;">A child was learning about weight and numbers </span>as he figured out if the mouse or the green ping pong ball was heavier.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi937c3Vqf6zOeN1ebcM1SVLLY_CMq5SLLyPxLQ-ZZRa2nhDjvAuGMJW1UakTmpVM5K0EMzEW11NMH8n4POWs6ddSBsINQoGTnqVXH_aYj8B4KdVwgN4hiNxBxbRNrauwxE8m_9oZCELLQ/s1600/Kaleidoscope+2014-2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi937c3Vqf6zOeN1ebcM1SVLLY_CMq5SLLyPxLQ-ZZRa2nhDjvAuGMJW1UakTmpVM5K0EMzEW11NMH8n4POWs6ddSBsINQoGTnqVXH_aYj8B4KdVwgN4hiNxBxbRNrauwxE8m_9oZCELLQ/s1600/Kaleidoscope+2014-2.jpg" height="426" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large; font-weight: bold;">A child was empowered from the opportunity to organize his friends in order to accomplish a task of his choosing. </span>What was the task? He wanted to make the wrapping paper fly using the parachute. He couldn't do this alone.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVw7bLXxrPovqtXtOkD4VUShqu8ayNdCwEzqZm_qvuV6SfHFSJRZST2UXO74eQpOoV_YsWI9jnXpCo_avouAczxiVfP_obmKGE5Z7Ff3QBK4-_3twF2Q4de1LtLIyYsHb0MjCytiEjC4g/s1600/Kaleidoscope+2014-3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVw7bLXxrPovqtXtOkD4VUShqu8ayNdCwEzqZm_qvuV6SfHFSJRZST2UXO74eQpOoV_YsWI9jnXpCo_avouAczxiVfP_obmKGE5Z7Ff3QBK4-_3twF2Q4de1LtLIyYsHb0MjCytiEjC4g/s1600/Kaleidoscope+2014-3.jpg" height="426" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large; font-weight: bold;">Children were utilizing teamwork to accomplish a task. </span>The child in the red snowman jammies is orchestrating this endeavor, and he did a fine job with it.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkhtWoD8sDrZ_REQ-WDTDhydueuJAoZRX_2yc8gQNe7yDHuHwz6zGe43DtrTwf_KZJF8-YgFknuQ4SY410TEzXtvttWlzG9UmOLpfPYakZrfwFMQ7UmNPdh2tCjtBpCy1pbquDvYJScX4/s1600/Kaleidoscope+2014-4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkhtWoD8sDrZ_REQ-WDTDhydueuJAoZRX_2yc8gQNe7yDHuHwz6zGe43DtrTwf_KZJF8-YgFknuQ4SY410TEzXtvttWlzG9UmOLpfPYakZrfwFMQ7UmNPdh2tCjtBpCy1pbquDvYJScX4/s1600/Kaleidoscope+2014-4.jpg" height="426" width="640" /></a><br />
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<span style="font-size: large; font-weight: bold;">Children were making connections as they manipulated their bodies in different ways. </span>Exploring the purpose of different muscles and the effect it has on the task at hand.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-RnjJKP3TpAzAZF0Y5TFFUd_Ib0DhMK1zr4mdJHiSoGUEigSfdt988-ryhkme1Vmx25zGimfAN5uspvgE-_FXL_1j6OEP6sglmW33n482S279577rWoH8gz5tcUQVA4mstS6rWzVRWH8/s1600/Kaleidoscope+2014-5.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-RnjJKP3TpAzAZF0Y5TFFUd_Ib0DhMK1zr4mdJHiSoGUEigSfdt988-ryhkme1Vmx25zGimfAN5uspvgE-_FXL_1j6OEP6sglmW33n482S279577rWoH8gz5tcUQVA4mstS6rWzVRWH8/s1600/Kaleidoscope+2014-5.jpg" height="426" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Children were having a whole lot of fun.....one just can't have too much belly-laughing in their day!</b></span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRwmEZmAnlc-LA3RVspkBGRYeX8SkVqpOqXtrqng44AVVxXRWVOhmrBJ6V2widobmLKATaV4tWpX7JhIGSdS3DZiagRFRDH4Ym0zlh5l9MSow6Bgl_Bt8I-WhSRhhjC_zbm86P0wZ7fak/s1600/Kaleidoscope+2014-6.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRwmEZmAnlc-LA3RVspkBGRYeX8SkVqpOqXtrqng44AVVxXRWVOhmrBJ6V2widobmLKATaV4tWpX7JhIGSdS3DZiagRFRDH4Ym0zlh5l9MSow6Bgl_Bt8I-WhSRhhjC_zbm86P0wZ7fak/s1600/Kaleidoscope+2014-6.jpg" height="426" width="640" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5XuhpLONjlRk4qpvPtSA6BOYqY_LeP8ri-Gz-5SXkrX8U_U9tq_jTRp9PgF0mnn0Yn09sFz1CqjHVzOKtwcjnGYKOKkpSohFzRACbMRqALQyiFFEp-pE8w6M_9jAU07iEvmraA7vK1xs/s1600/Kaleidoscope+2014-7.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5XuhpLONjlRk4qpvPtSA6BOYqY_LeP8ri-Gz-5SXkrX8U_U9tq_jTRp9PgF0mnn0Yn09sFz1CqjHVzOKtwcjnGYKOKkpSohFzRACbMRqALQyiFFEp-pE8w6M_9jAU07iEvmraA7vK1xs/s1600/Kaleidoscope+2014-7.jpg" height="426" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large; font-weight: bold;">Children were multi-tasking. </span>This child was determined to hold onto the mouse AND move the parachute at the same time.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHSkCCUBXKCbG69u3cfoDILexcD6LCXeoGBsEN1k3S0UfEYRAwY2ODIhgEGbJVgQIa8m5HxJl857IiB97EtmNxtX2kO34BnNoZ25teJkF5YFKjiHxNFHsnXK1h0C4xmdRMkoKaCNJPYDs/s1600/Kaleidoscope+2014-8.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHSkCCUBXKCbG69u3cfoDILexcD6LCXeoGBsEN1k3S0UfEYRAwY2ODIhgEGbJVgQIa8m5HxJl857IiB97EtmNxtX2kO34BnNoZ25teJkF5YFKjiHxNFHsnXK1h0C4xmdRMkoKaCNJPYDs/s1600/Kaleidoscope+2014-8.jpg" height="426" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large; font-weight: bold;">Children were learning the importance of focusing and being careful. </span>This child switched his focus from his drilling to where his mouse went for one second and the drill quickly turned off. He learned that drilling requires two hands, and focus.<br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b> Children were learning that SLOW gets the job done better than fast sometimes. </b></span> This child was cutting out the star he had drawn the other day (using the giant dot-to-dot that is on our floor of a star) I highlighted the lines that needed to be cut out, and he went to work. He failed at his first attempt because he wanted to go FAST. Well...guess what happens when you go fast with scissors? You cut your paper in half! So these are pictures of his second attempt....his SLOWER attempt.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjl__kXpfs_p_QORapNbvFGa_VzRe-KpV6mcnAKpQ9rl5SVKnS0Ef2piwEYZhbeyIelpgja5DBIXCKwUz4jZ_pYHpTZL4n_z3qp0f_RbG4da_-lDHfFWLXQ7WlQ7KVT7_2QCYF1GZaaI0A/s1600/Kaleidoscope+2014-13.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjl__kXpfs_p_QORapNbvFGa_VzRe-KpV6mcnAKpQ9rl5SVKnS0Ef2piwEYZhbeyIelpgja5DBIXCKwUz4jZ_pYHpTZL4n_z3qp0f_RbG4da_-lDHfFWLXQ7WlQ7KVT7_2QCYF1GZaaI0A/s1600/Kaleidoscope+2014-13.jpg" height="426" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Children were feeling PROUD of their accomplishments.</b></span> Pride builds our self esteem. A good self esteem gives children the confidence they need to try new things, to think outside the box to solve problems and persevere through struggles. Arguably, these abilities are very important for all future learning.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0QH-pE_Wa564xOVDwfdEjSBbYZvftvZF8YMeY4Qnv_5nrdHvTxqGz60l9MVDXq_lT2y1iWggezK3u5pIGRqCHZx0l05Lg5_ytBsHSeNwnBT9m4IGzX4QaXad19xLi_d4IsgTKQAsY7mQ/s1600/Kaleidoscope+2014-19.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0QH-pE_Wa564xOVDwfdEjSBbYZvftvZF8YMeY4Qnv_5nrdHvTxqGz60l9MVDXq_lT2y1iWggezK3u5pIGRqCHZx0l05Lg5_ytBsHSeNwnBT9m4IGzX4QaXad19xLi_d4IsgTKQAsY7mQ/s1600/Kaleidoscope+2014-19.jpg" height="426" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Children were motivated by sparkle.</b></span> The whole reason this child wanted to make a star? He wanted to use the glitter! He is finally enjoying the fruits of his labor.....GLITTER!!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJTgAnZ6ATKOAihQAyvb0pZjXp4qchDM7RUDoYPiWXZR81dfL26FKryWTkb88XItKK-_GHC70CtSURdo1C9shss6DwIS9xB-sJVufgA-fpnc-JllX0BPqRIezgbVN7k3rKAByScHJyCrA/s1600/Kaleidoscope+2014-20.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJTgAnZ6ATKOAihQAyvb0pZjXp4qchDM7RUDoYPiWXZR81dfL26FKryWTkb88XItKK-_GHC70CtSURdo1C9shss6DwIS9xB-sJVufgA-fpnc-JllX0BPqRIezgbVN7k3rKAByScHJyCrA/s1600/Kaleidoscope+2014-20.jpg" height="640" width="426" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Children were learning there is a process you need to follow, an order of events: </b></span> 1) draw, 2) cut, 3) glue, 4) sprinkle, 5) CAREFULLY dump and....<br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Children were AWE-inspired from their own hard work</b></span>.<br />
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<b><span style="font-size: large;">Children were learning they can make something happen </span></b>(see the spinning mice? The one on the left is gray, the one on the right is white)<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivsGxxN-5cKeC-xUcWLK1H1N0L6IAAD_Z2pjgxZuTDCDkWN-Ew9eNFEW5mqAqtWVKFoL-Um9CcgFH35Z8ieuKvA7N0rYoU_vbY99u97Zap_ACya2uPHM3ucl_KP-dCXtecDc3KBXEd8nc/s1600/Kaleidoscope+2014-28.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivsGxxN-5cKeC-xUcWLK1H1N0L6IAAD_Z2pjgxZuTDCDkWN-Ew9eNFEW5mqAqtWVKFoL-Um9CcgFH35Z8ieuKvA7N0rYoU_vbY99u97Zap_ACya2uPHM3ucl_KP-dCXtecDc3KBXEd8nc/s1600/Kaleidoscope+2014-28.jpg" height="426" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Children were discovering problems. </b></span> See the balls clogged in the crazy tube?<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgimPhZuCj6nmF4IHRpM5CY4nMQiZiE7ps-PZ_Zr92B2gcU3dKgAXL8a7wtwEGZ2UBV9WgbSATZLLWfarBEwd0oeqbYJ2zM0eY5Dop_33TebiUAbFBbGpb8C1pcthC83B_K_EEmPmuN1bs/s1600/Kaleidoscope+2014-32.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgimPhZuCj6nmF4IHRpM5CY4nMQiZiE7ps-PZ_Zr92B2gcU3dKgAXL8a7wtwEGZ2UBV9WgbSATZLLWfarBEwd0oeqbYJ2zM0eY5Dop_33TebiUAbFBbGpb8C1pcthC83B_K_EEmPmuN1bs/s1600/Kaleidoscope+2014-32.jpg" height="426" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Children were collaborating ideas in order to solve a problem</b></span>. The problem? Balls were stuck in the tube.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibxgWuVid3jD3qW9sllCSQ-6_eymS0WP3f_tgDP_QqXWos5-pJjLwxKnfhaTlwO_BWUpeau5hm2rG-QcudYgl0IiCm-cFiHSkqbNRt8T2L4RDKF1CG-KyJo34Ow_Tpa6kqXnyE1_pKFo0/s1600/Kaleidoscope+2014-33.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibxgWuVid3jD3qW9sllCSQ-6_eymS0WP3f_tgDP_QqXWos5-pJjLwxKnfhaTlwO_BWUpeau5hm2rG-QcudYgl0IiCm-cFiHSkqbNRt8T2L4RDKF1CG-KyJo34Ow_Tpa6kqXnyE1_pKFo0/s1600/Kaleidoscope+2014-33.jpg" height="426" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Children were learning the boundaries at play school are in place for a reason.</b></span> The boundary (aka: rule) for the crazy tube? BALLS ONLY. WHY? Because all other objects will get caught. What was causing the clogged tube? A teensy, tiny mini eraser had been placed in the tube. It is small then an inch big, and it was causing the blockage. This child is hitting the tube in order to get the eraser to slowly shimmy on through. When she was finished she looked at me and said "I won't ever do that again. That was hard work"<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6ylGlc_uw3LdAfAe2lW2A6AX4CPn-xz7_vGdxAf5xIvhWT5M_jnYZMr1xbZw6cYGINQK20j44rjIZB5SZ6BecaKkEDUH_3Nks-2wXCWnHIgL6BFo9FHdDa1T0fGojB4iw_5yWKC_GGr4/s1600/Kaleidoscope+2014-34.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6ylGlc_uw3LdAfAe2lW2A6AX4CPn-xz7_vGdxAf5xIvhWT5M_jnYZMr1xbZw6cYGINQK20j44rjIZB5SZ6BecaKkEDUH_3Nks-2wXCWnHIgL6BFo9FHdDa1T0fGojB4iw_5yWKC_GGr4/s1600/Kaleidoscope+2014-34.jpg" height="426" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Children were learning that making a mess is far more fun then picking it up.</b></span> However, when you add tools to the job (like the "grabbers" in this child's hands) it's a lot more fun!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhv7zCHYDaaMhP5PU8HotXaTD6BzkONONVdEFLrPAHv_AjLSrHNCP1AMq3nKL30ryAv5jDJY3Bzky93elq80DxNZqRf00_TlJR9-nSCMBhZhujZd0NHQZuumWqJ-4XiuOfqBnYQDIVTZQA/s1600/Kaleidoscope+2014-36.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhv7zCHYDaaMhP5PU8HotXaTD6BzkONONVdEFLrPAHv_AjLSrHNCP1AMq3nKL30ryAv5jDJY3Bzky93elq80DxNZqRf00_TlJR9-nSCMBhZhujZd0NHQZuumWqJ-4XiuOfqBnYQDIVTZQA/s1600/Kaleidoscope+2014-36.jpg" height="426" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Children were discovering their own technique for accomplishing tasks and using tools.</b></span> This child was having a hard time being successful. She changed up her technique several times.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTp-rkCj1iEtUm4vGCOuGFqqVr3yKVbsYQvk-Qy6sYYxls6pNu5B6-BZ3siN_9Qg2JWKOKZV11HAS8DLnr5DksjAH2vg3WvZhyBl2RJ6SlaL2ZFiJPdBgIBjM4QGIJPV9jJ3gRWG17fwM/s1600/Kaleidoscope+2014-37.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTp-rkCj1iEtUm4vGCOuGFqqVr3yKVbsYQvk-Qy6sYYxls6pNu5B6-BZ3siN_9Qg2JWKOKZV11HAS8DLnr5DksjAH2vg3WvZhyBl2RJ6SlaL2ZFiJPdBgIBjM4QGIJPV9jJ3gRWG17fwM/s1600/Kaleidoscope+2014-37.jpg" height="426" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Children were persevering.</b></span> This child worked on this very task for well over 5 minutes. Testing out different techniques and tweaking them ever-so-subtly with the hopes of finding success.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguwEA7XOJAAE1gGIp1t6JUSokAdcSDQLlRaC8z3TfBHX0RShdM2hdkZpL1qqb8Cii-CfTInH4QX_qHcyLa4zguTUCXy9JPnIA6dDMUppBYPZH3FlDOVOpFChhaHRDGAyPI5lCYHaMnlHI/s1600/Kaleidoscope+2014-39.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguwEA7XOJAAE1gGIp1t6JUSokAdcSDQLlRaC8z3TfBHX0RShdM2hdkZpL1qqb8Cii-CfTInH4QX_qHcyLa4zguTUCXy9JPnIA6dDMUppBYPZH3FlDOVOpFChhaHRDGAyPI5lCYHaMnlHI/s1600/Kaleidoscope+2014-39.jpg" height="426" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b> Children were learning that sometimes things are really hard, and a big deep breath and a break can help.</b></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Children were learning that success feels really good, but can take a lot of work!</b></span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_4duDfMISwCiG5XG4rUT6NCBxsqerO7rrfMMc2CRNkO7gv-AJKlg5ZK5D1FndZph2AB6CxFI9QVhopMCv2mJM7FPTtauMtcbbEKpHcBkkVuA3Et4W_8axqL3SnhSxs6Xdf9lDoMfUM68/s1600/Kaleidoscope+2014-42.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_4duDfMISwCiG5XG4rUT6NCBxsqerO7rrfMMc2CRNkO7gv-AJKlg5ZK5D1FndZph2AB6CxFI9QVhopMCv2mJM7FPTtauMtcbbEKpHcBkkVuA3Et4W_8axqL3SnhSxs6Xdf9lDoMfUM68/s1600/Kaleidoscope+2014-42.jpg" height="640" width="426" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b> Children learned that in the middle of picking up, it's okay to take a break and PLAY!!</b></span> This child is gathering up as much wrapping paper as he can so he can make them fly!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWi1L5FrxDqmrkngIpIyIKfL9ov7aeZMJgtr9sD15GM9iQD5XeEHLdpWQMQPr_0e0fwGsQPyjC3xp5hemhQBEH1qPPOzckOEHo327R_x48JxvYvpGBm91OnJQF8_57_RYaFZZF9mj5-V4/s1600/Kaleidoscope+2014-46.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWi1L5FrxDqmrkngIpIyIKfL9ov7aeZMJgtr9sD15GM9iQD5XeEHLdpWQMQPr_0e0fwGsQPyjC3xp5hemhQBEH1qPPOzckOEHo327R_x48JxvYvpGBm91OnJQF8_57_RYaFZZF9mj5-V4/s1600/Kaleidoscope+2014-46.jpg" height="640" width="426" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b> Children were tracking items in space with their eyes.</b></span> A necessary skill for future reading success.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEio6J4BGj8u0dT0tLNqY132y4BitsRqVoKQf_z2hm852xV-WETfL7XcrMO037tQR1KsQ-cyFZEanRmL8N-e_Q3bqEBFjU9Rm-y9EuOXbIIirf2gtZ-gspVm1287VGPUBH8_yw_D4wssqgE/s1600/Kaleidoscope+2014-49.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEio6J4BGj8u0dT0tLNqY132y4BitsRqVoKQf_z2hm852xV-WETfL7XcrMO037tQR1KsQ-cyFZEanRmL8N-e_Q3bqEBFjU9Rm-y9EuOXbIIirf2gtZ-gspVm1287VGPUBH8_yw_D4wssqgE/s1600/Kaleidoscope+2014-49.jpg" height="426" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Children had the freedom of technique. </b></span> This child is decorating the tree....ALL from a comfortable seated position on the floor. (notice the saturation of candy canes? :) ) Is this the way our adult brains would do it? NO. Is it okay though? YES. It's times like this that can be very challenging to hush the adult brain and just let the child own the experience.<br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Children were recognizing numbers. </b></span> During snack time, this child found a number 3 in her pretzels!!<br />
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So, the next time you get that STRONG urge to stop child's play in order to make them follow your adult plans....please take a moment to <span style="font-size: x-large;"><b>STOP YOUR BRAIN</b></span> instead of stopping the valuable child-led play that is happening before you.</div>
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I highly suggest adding photo documentation to your program. As you just witnessed: the pictures tell it the best!</div>
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There was no reason for me to stop the child-led learning that was occurring in my program. The value was right there in front of me, I just needed to stop my brain, and take a moment to really SEE the value.</div>
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Denita Dingerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06595550669709851195noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5241296428946234061.post-45920451915198517272014-11-05T19:38:00.001-08:002014-11-11T13:50:04.039-08:00The Early Childhood Environment Speaks Loudly: What Does Yours Say?<span style="font-size: large;">Our job as early childhood educators is to set up the environment with thoughtfulness and intention.</span><br />
<br />
The environment should say<br />
<span style="font-size: large;">"This place is just for you...go now, explore and make discoveries, own problems and solutions, work through struggles, own your mistakes and learn from them, you are trusted, lead the way.</span><br />
<br />
Once the environment is set, it is then our job to step out of the way and follow young children. It is our job to closely observe and adjust the environment as needed, either adding to or taking away. There are times when we have too much available, and times when we don't have enough. Successfully preparing the environment is a fine art, it is a skill. It takes careful observation and positive relationships with the littles in our programs. The better we know our crew, the better we can prepare for them. The more we know the needs of each child, the better we can set up the environment to meet those unique needs.<br />
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Today, I nailed the environment, which resulted in a morning rich with meaningful learning. Take a look:<br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">A few varieties of tubes awaited the arrival of my littles.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhS1j8kBlzElJTKNg-_GLxy1emFXEUj4anpfVVUIDhkNXXe80gCdMcTw-nxZ1Ik8N9cyY1CMwRUbIDF_5S66blKw8h4vRwuGzYtMzmL4ZYTsTQkw0ra_CmflxnXaM43whyphenhyphenPyxQ20uNlo5w/s1600/Kaleidoscope+2014-2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhS1j8kBlzElJTKNg-_GLxy1emFXEUj4anpfVVUIDhkNXXe80gCdMcTw-nxZ1Ik8N9cyY1CMwRUbIDF_5S66blKw8h4vRwuGzYtMzmL4ZYTsTQkw0ra_CmflxnXaM43whyphenhyphenPyxQ20uNlo5w/s1600/Kaleidoscope+2014-2.jpg" height="640" width="426" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: large;">A couple of containers of soapy water held surprises beneath the suds, and tongs were thoughtfully placed nearby. </span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuqIN6lx9pfkv986ud8pL5afqQxxwf6QnZNgFQ6Gp1c9-XD8D02LWd7qIc-2Vx9_OpQN0J4-QxvJ2j2rxd9YWWdOcyI87oWP1Y9wqGvVJGLi260Hg9I6IG49flM1rfhQtrvaGbH2Blswg/s1600/Kaleidoscope+2014-28.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuqIN6lx9pfkv986ud8pL5afqQxxwf6QnZNgFQ6Gp1c9-XD8D02LWd7qIc-2Vx9_OpQN0J4-QxvJ2j2rxd9YWWdOcyI87oWP1Y9wqGvVJGLi260Hg9I6IG49flM1rfhQtrvaGbH2Blswg/s1600/Kaleidoscope+2014-28.jpg" height="426" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">The catapult that was explored yesterday now had a ball of yarn tied to it, adding an entirely new experience to be explored. </span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0r9Qd07uXcVqlqRRvfzGowRK5QbSYHd9N-fMeFEj3w6zzBHh5FkZaM8evf9gJjBfpX6mnAVeyeIX-TBJ_EWcVxCbp_QPsKLYhOgCz5yGgcIz7u6HCcP57HR7jdZyy33YgU0dQWy6jkYE/s1600/Kaleidoscope+2014-7.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0r9Qd07uXcVqlqRRvfzGowRK5QbSYHd9N-fMeFEj3w6zzBHh5FkZaM8evf9gJjBfpX6mnAVeyeIX-TBJ_EWcVxCbp_QPsKLYhOgCz5yGgcIz7u6HCcP57HR7jdZyy33YgU0dQWy6jkYE/s1600/Kaleidoscope+2014-7.jpg" height="426" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">In addition to these <a href="http://playcountsdenitadinger.blogspot.com/2012/11/plopping-101.html" target="_blank">"plops"</a> (as I call them), there was the usual in the room as well...the "black dress" if you will. The items that the children can count on being there every time they come to school.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: x-large;">Absent from the environment every day </span>are flashcards, worksheets and worries about how to make letters and what sounds they make. Missing is a forced circle time that everyone must attend and a rigid schedule that must be followed. Gone is pressure to meet expectations.<br />
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<span style="font-size: x-large;">Present </span>is respect for meaningful learning that children are capable of leading.<br />
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<span style="font-size: x-large;">Present</span> is the knowledge that when children are allowed ample time and freedom to build a solid foundation, all future academics will build seamlessly upon it.<br />
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<span style="font-size: x-large;">Present</span> is confidence in play, and the fact that play is a child's work.<br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">The learning that evolved from this thoughtfully set up environment was astounding. There truly is no other word for it.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: x-large;">There were children focused on tasks, demonstrating attention spans that some adults I know don't have (myself included!!).</span><br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdRfZ7boovPwsSMcNOIdrAJVcFbvs1WsgL7khrHnXHwCScFUiCVl3_2b31vV3n2A2XNEEuwFn3iZYIjczftg6d1o5GvooYQ8kMU-oelPPmmt3eSCCBC9QFXxDq8hTVjXu7-7sLof2X42o/s1600/Kaleidoscope+2014-33.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdRfZ7boovPwsSMcNOIdrAJVcFbvs1WsgL7khrHnXHwCScFUiCVl3_2b31vV3n2A2XNEEuwFn3iZYIjczftg6d1o5GvooYQ8kMU-oelPPmmt3eSCCBC9QFXxDq8hTVjXu7-7sLof2X42o/s1600/Kaleidoscope+2014-33.jpg" height="213" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Painting.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPi07kgEGQPOPB_eTa4MPHYoXdkig2sgEjTiRmQyboATyAjHp5y6n5_3QXFkYupU2zKRcsM7IZBuqv2lvd0guskyIeV1ZSYmPNH_JwIKUWVDyovHjlG2QXfq7od7G1OGBofumpqkebKwg/s1600/Kaleidoscope+2014-47.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPi07kgEGQPOPB_eTa4MPHYoXdkig2sgEjTiRmQyboATyAjHp5y6n5_3QXFkYupU2zKRcsM7IZBuqv2lvd0guskyIeV1ZSYmPNH_JwIKUWVDyovHjlG2QXfq7od7G1OGBofumpqkebKwg/s1600/Kaleidoscope+2014-47.jpg" height="213" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Exploring the magic of magnets.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0-UC82g_XbrnegBRcO0Jg9fNI7r_Z4h3dzEqwKXTXq0PmVLAu3JOTpUmRZ2wGWyiQfLYTwORayknzEriT2ylj9tso_TtlJAKuIK31KU-3KCF6XkzewZ0W9rL0I5FYjYXxmOPM8EfwjD4/s1600/Kaleidoscope+2014-51.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0-UC82g_XbrnegBRcO0Jg9fNI7r_Z4h3dzEqwKXTXq0PmVLAu3JOTpUmRZ2wGWyiQfLYTwORayknzEriT2ylj9tso_TtlJAKuIK31KU-3KCF6XkzewZ0W9rL0I5FYjYXxmOPM8EfwjD4/s1600/Kaleidoscope+2014-51.jpg" height="213" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Totally focused on wondering.</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhh0M70xWxfcYGeVOZo69l4C7GWXBWXkeGsLhPQliEX3CgJCEhUXi2AnsNMzDC8PJPBeTADQz7bc0PyaVS5qzojuRqhVoAG59RK4dIzIUNdW7_PsPJEUtprx92BLhoK9Oqq81SkeRqod2M/s1600/Kaleidoscope+2014-59.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhh0M70xWxfcYGeVOZo69l4C7GWXBWXkeGsLhPQliEX3CgJCEhUXi2AnsNMzDC8PJPBeTADQz7bc0PyaVS5qzojuRqhVoAG59RK4dIzIUNdW7_PsPJEUtprx92BLhoK9Oqq81SkeRqod2M/s1600/Kaleidoscope+2014-59.jpg" height="213" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Making eyes for his monster...completely focused on the task at hand.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIP94ag8i3OSzs6EbBOe1To8ceKa8u3AY9CD8zjvmbCx0-IuuugOLFBSda6Keme-h89ZjCz2jZF0SVe1PzosPZt777h7ob0TLVpMbvl0X6MiAf0HRuL2WofgrinAQ8wDL0QXJ4NsvHtwg/s1600/Kaleidoscope+2014-74.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIP94ag8i3OSzs6EbBOe1To8ceKa8u3AY9CD8zjvmbCx0-IuuugOLFBSda6Keme-h89ZjCz2jZF0SVe1PzosPZt777h7ob0TLVpMbvl0X6MiAf0HRuL2WofgrinAQ8wDL0QXJ4NsvHtwg/s1600/Kaleidoscope+2014-74.jpg" height="320" width="213" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Solving a problem with the grabbers...completely focused for well over four minutes. This child did not give up, that is a face of determination.</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-size: x-large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: x-large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: x-large;">There were children working through problems, working so hard that I could feel the gears turning as they struggled through and persevered.</span><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUey_tHoPZvT6xWX8QyOE55acgI9nOCE7iqh4Fh87-_LHh4xJP7IxnLAzlX6ainclhADlFmpF6lz3ZTvmUcWORpLAZ6jbNB-mzpwEyPJThanO8_-MClZJDz8RTv3AD7Akt1XwTPCHFDqQ/s1600/Kaleidoscope+2014-14.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUey_tHoPZvT6xWX8QyOE55acgI9nOCE7iqh4Fh87-_LHh4xJP7IxnLAzlX6ainclhADlFmpF6lz3ZTvmUcWORpLAZ6jbNB-mzpwEyPJThanO8_-MClZJDz8RTv3AD7Akt1XwTPCHFDqQ/s1600/Kaleidoscope+2014-14.jpg" height="266" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">This child put the smaller clear tube inside this large tube. </span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWptM5x7u6kE_Jklwbsq1dDR4WpdOpE9eLx6dO8kb3BJevPTVaDVwT4UI3bAbD8Zhvg3K5zNS24SD_2QE3abD5SpkcQpjbsnCooUhnhH03Gidg2ps_teDRh4dpP9qr7T10oT_EJmgjuAo/s1600/Kaleidoscope+2014-15.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWptM5x7u6kE_Jklwbsq1dDR4WpdOpE9eLx6dO8kb3BJevPTVaDVwT4UI3bAbD8Zhvg3K5zNS24SD_2QE3abD5SpkcQpjbsnCooUhnhH03Gidg2ps_teDRh4dpP9qr7T10oT_EJmgjuAo/s1600/Kaleidoscope+2014-15.jpg" height="266" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">His initial thought process was completely logical. Pick up the tube and the other tube will slide right on out.....</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFWmWG7dZKtwAJSeHR7ovgcDHLMgkfsoz8CratmX31DCQxNZvtR7CJY3xGtJnW4B8ndrpAWRNHkgjtlVe8w25EiujEfyTlvatAEo5Vcy-__duntDi4p1GsnjeIRYx8jLVWUTh_ycmgph4/s1600/Kaleidoscope+2014-16.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFWmWG7dZKtwAJSeHR7ovgcDHLMgkfsoz8CratmX31DCQxNZvtR7CJY3xGtJnW4B8ndrpAWRNHkgjtlVe8w25EiujEfyTlvatAEo5Vcy-__duntDi4p1GsnjeIRYx8jLVWUTh_ycmgph4/s1600/Kaleidoscope+2014-16.jpg" height="213" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">...or will it? The look of sheer bamboozlement on his face was priceless! I know children who would give up at this moment, but not this child. He kept working at it.</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvaYzanwsFAWQxl1sxKGkEWdRlRgenzG75o-GUFcd1qB0h3CPBUIyvnlVOCCykr-iC4Bpfl3GlS57V8gmrc9foTTbirsBwZ54Z7CBERTPxnlFKFgeqcMTfiaxsspUhMel5UY3CROPVDp4/s1600/Kaleidoscope+2014-17.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvaYzanwsFAWQxl1sxKGkEWdRlRgenzG75o-GUFcd1qB0h3CPBUIyvnlVOCCykr-iC4Bpfl3GlS57V8gmrc9foTTbirsBwZ54Z7CBERTPxnlFKFgeqcMTfiaxsspUhMel5UY3CROPVDp4/s1600/Kaleidoscope+2014-17.jpg" height="266" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">Finally! A sign that the technique he is using is working! Onward!!</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjw8Yi2BtiXshvIYb8PteQveyW2oVDnF8rfnapoiznDk9Y5zvBEZluBko1h-mQhQhqZALK__xkHI4ssGi_YWwgWBJepAxlTCc0vdwRgl93DQL-nfOHpNUXkidK2mvrjvFBlkhQQR6oewgo/s1600/Kaleidoscope+2014-18.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjw8Yi2BtiXshvIYb8PteQveyW2oVDnF8rfnapoiznDk9Y5zvBEZluBko1h-mQhQhqZALK__xkHI4ssGi_YWwgWBJepAxlTCc0vdwRgl93DQL-nfOHpNUXkidK2mvrjvFBlkhQQR6oewgo/s1600/Kaleidoscope+2014-18.jpg" height="266" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">It's important to note that this tube is not light - this was very hard work, not only mentally, but physically as well!</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgA3jJNv_P9mOob8WQPDq18UdSzEIAkMCRdwt_KcsWXr92XCAWbxjwPgMYxKiNWTZXJsUM8YT2lH-me0agJYrvEkJk3RtE9r4Y9bhnEukPUeTRVnOz1KBBj1VjjnRVocNvIWtdsxxQkMAI/s1600/Kaleidoscope+2014-19.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgA3jJNv_P9mOob8WQPDq18UdSzEIAkMCRdwt_KcsWXr92XCAWbxjwPgMYxKiNWTZXJsUM8YT2lH-me0agJYrvEkJk3RtE9r4Y9bhnEukPUeTRVnOz1KBBj1VjjnRVocNvIWtdsxxQkMAI/s1600/Kaleidoscope+2014-19.jpg" height="266" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">SUCCESS! He learned that hard work pays off. Perseverance is a vital, life-long skill! I dare say a four year old that can work through struggles is more prepared for future academics then a four year old that can identify all of the letters, but can't handle struggling.</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<br />
<span style="font-size: x-large;">There were children working through social conflicts, determining when turns would occur and organizing themselves.</span><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBpQFtLlZ4qV6jLElG4vJYK1H7Gemo-uazOpox0KYeIY4GRlZXyHUuSion1fZWrfvxucn4KbDGR0AL4NjB9zcr1yt7kovzFwTrP8i120SfkyUplqoxjuH4LZsNSE06aBOs98qSB-toYJk/s1600/Kaleidoscope+2014-11.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBpQFtLlZ4qV6jLElG4vJYK1H7Gemo-uazOpox0KYeIY4GRlZXyHUuSion1fZWrfvxucn4KbDGR0AL4NjB9zcr1yt7kovzFwTrP8i120SfkyUplqoxjuH4LZsNSE06aBOs98qSB-toYJk/s1600/Kaleidoscope+2014-11.jpg" height="266" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">These two children devised a plan for using the catapult. Children need opportunities to handle conflict and work through social struggles. Giving them the freedom to organize themselves and own the solution is empowering.</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-size: x-large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: x-large;">There were children exploring freely, knowing their thoughts and ideas are respected here and every wonder can be tested</span>.<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFWewn8zJyc6L9CaL5WUUT4R7SHjzbyZTXNrycC167GufbZk2n61W1SDwY69ML101c-9-wCNdszFdTiPjpwVN1GW7bDFhJnJhEHBnmXP-Yw2-cOGUOCjNzSQ4FMxHZPDbmpYGVRj_Z7zQ/s1600/Kaleidoscope+2014-26.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFWewn8zJyc6L9CaL5WUUT4R7SHjzbyZTXNrycC167GufbZk2n61W1SDwY69ML101c-9-wCNdszFdTiPjpwVN1GW7bDFhJnJhEHBnmXP-Yw2-cOGUOCjNzSQ4FMxHZPDbmpYGVRj_Z7zQ/s1600/Kaleidoscope+2014-26.jpg" height="266" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">HEY! I can fit inside of this tube...and so can my friend!</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3LjoVl4Cf4v406n2niu1M22bYDeozTC5X2Xm6_dL7Q966sypJMlbusAZ-UgpJmSyGmUxfzlsjdaLlwe4K66EtAX7w8zO0dzFGN93Bz0tSY94lyV2JsmbTwhUlr0Bdx7S8CFOUvpD_A78/s1600/Kaleidoscope+2014-27.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3LjoVl4Cf4v406n2niu1M22bYDeozTC5X2Xm6_dL7Q966sypJMlbusAZ-UgpJmSyGmUxfzlsjdaLlwe4K66EtAX7w8zO0dzFGN93Bz0tSY94lyV2JsmbTwhUlr0Bdx7S8CFOUvpD_A78/s1600/Kaleidoscope+2014-27.jpg" height="266" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">WHOA! I can roll inside of this thing!!</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjdUh6keLwZR4mMLLwadb7oWB2kyKq9yRhwUDIn5E2xB8RI3AY3XntwEE-uV9TAQyidaSciTo3e00B2KlpaQwOawjWZllbApKmxjs0xl23e_8SBKp7nXi6ixHUQyrwigPwUTewrp0Zxf8/s1600/Kaleidoscope+2014-44.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjdUh6keLwZR4mMLLwadb7oWB2kyKq9yRhwUDIn5E2xB8RI3AY3XntwEE-uV9TAQyidaSciTo3e00B2KlpaQwOawjWZllbApKmxjs0xl23e_8SBKp7nXi6ixHUQyrwigPwUTewrp0Zxf8/s1600/Kaleidoscope+2014-44.jpg" height="640" width="426" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">I wonder what will happen if I put a metal ball inside of this tube with the chips?</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvMFTlpEjWYGrI1r3v1X8JSNMEXgML2qk3vYTTIdLJR4ykAZiZbqyudiX1J36sdkHo3sTEBWD_MgRJ2QJjjRcFupzS4VL4VjXUYBrS4nd_qpZKQVRGvyHQEeeeq29tpq5i223jcXsKp3I/s1600/Kaleidoscope+2014-45.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvMFTlpEjWYGrI1r3v1X8JSNMEXgML2qk3vYTTIdLJR4ykAZiZbqyudiX1J36sdkHo3sTEBWD_MgRJ2QJjjRcFupzS4VL4VjXUYBrS4nd_qpZKQVRGvyHQEeeeq29tpq5i223jcXsKp3I/s1600/Kaleidoscope+2014-45.jpg" height="266" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">If I wiggle the magnet back and forth really <br />fast, the chips move out of the way, <br />and then I can move the ball!</span></td></tr>
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6zGt7cVKgGGazHgiNyE3SWjklB3ZfG6ih4NrD5fYBHoL1nhJtiFPUtixkfutKrcAZg0VdNonk_YYoW-Tzb3Ro52AFYIcrMqQ0dCuPAcgbl7y91yFVh6NqjS48r8gjmXmp2DQE9F1t34o/s1600/Kaleidoscope+2014-52.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6zGt7cVKgGGazHgiNyE3SWjklB3ZfG6ih4NrD5fYBHoL1nhJtiFPUtixkfutKrcAZg0VdNonk_YYoW-Tzb3Ro52AFYIcrMqQ0dCuPAcgbl7y91yFVh6NqjS48r8gjmXmp2DQE9F1t34o/s1600/Kaleidoscope+2014-52.jpg" height="266" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">This thing in my hands makes <br />the things in the tube move.....</span></td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzVfTrLPypN8VjMt0kL_YO3H72dclJEM457rPEE5wdg3dlyuxwBQhMYhfcYelOqDrTYsblrp9mmf_0rte52N4fFI-Gb6dTqriRxud1LEbLGnQMpy9VhyphenhyphenATyT0nNNalztCDYagoWjUvAZs/s1600/Kaleidoscope+2014-53.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzVfTrLPypN8VjMt0kL_YO3H72dclJEM457rPEE5wdg3dlyuxwBQhMYhfcYelOqDrTYsblrp9mmf_0rte52N4fFI-Gb6dTqriRxud1LEbLGnQMpy9VhyphenhyphenATyT0nNNalztCDYagoWjUvAZs/s1600/Kaleidoscope+2014-53.jpg" height="426" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">This tube makes a cozy hideaway.</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: x-large;">There were children exploring the purpose of letters through <a href="http://playcountsdenitadinger.blogspot.com/2012/02/power-of-one-word.html" target="_blank">words attached to experiences.</a></span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjd-z3VSoPd1Ued6qktqYUY9Eij5CIWIK8hIPVbVmW9FULPU-iPVic_jPZNKWPrezYr3vPKCRoWEf2kCM02LbKUNbZ0HIjeZo8wY6Xcw5TqyiSpRDJZGBJGPupzyPbbWov8vRSPwZPZxd0/s1600/Kaleidoscope+2014-60.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjd-z3VSoPd1Ued6qktqYUY9Eij5CIWIK8hIPVbVmW9FULPU-iPVic_jPZNKWPrezYr3vPKCRoWEf2kCM02LbKUNbZ0HIjeZo8wY6Xcw5TqyiSpRDJZGBJGPupzyPbbWov8vRSPwZPZxd0/s1600/Kaleidoscope+2014-60.jpg" height="426" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">The "mystery word" concept involves hiding letters that form a word that is directly connected to what the children are currently doing, or what is in their environment. This child was tired of searching for the elusive letter "t", so he decided to build one himself...problem SOLVED!</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: x-large;">There were children strengthening muscles needed for handwriting, and coordinating muscles that aren't working together yet.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjz1jozwwbIi9zkmrDvoy6pyFaQYWeYr_VqXt5BVvJ1FEGdsRsF-IzSozuaNHRZnfbXVmSAjpW-KjcrXcALjDC6kQZf0NNtiPcMmOsnLn8PDELyTXH_EU1U1klrX79mGJfrJRhEZ1vTPms/s1600/Kaleidoscope+2014-29.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjz1jozwwbIi9zkmrDvoy6pyFaQYWeYr_VqXt5BVvJ1FEGdsRsF-IzSozuaNHRZnfbXVmSAjpW-KjcrXcALjDC6kQZf0NNtiPcMmOsnLn8PDELyTXH_EU1U1klrX79mGJfrJRhEZ1vTPms/s1600/Kaleidoscope+2014-29.jpg" height="266" width="400" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsqeg1Zh_VjbLGThSbnbTbD_nje-CCC29e_luE2LMaveqJZJCoJpmDcr7Z_1y2KySzbAChQO3G7hLG6YJUmoCpSimOVu4nlDrRVXOq6b65kG3zT9xIgwL6ctGmMoDjA7SomX0lDDPy5mQ/s1600/Kaleidoscope+2014-30.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsqeg1Zh_VjbLGThSbnbTbD_nje-CCC29e_luE2LMaveqJZJCoJpmDcr7Z_1y2KySzbAChQO3G7hLG6YJUmoCpSimOVu4nlDrRVXOq6b65kG3zT9xIgwL6ctGmMoDjA7SomX0lDDPy5mQ/s1600/Kaleidoscope+2014-30.jpg" height="266" width="400" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSzcXhcigpWqI3cY1gOM07_v0n4jOQVSNEDG3XwQTF5R1DQI_041WwOBJfVr7Ox4F3_7OCH9vMPRsf2TujAJCpUUhIun7-Ej79E_8DSmBn7JwsTeAeBITqWKr6EinXGBsDfrFLlwvjwVQ/s1600/Kaleidoscope+2014-35.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSzcXhcigpWqI3cY1gOM07_v0n4jOQVSNEDG3XwQTF5R1DQI_041WwOBJfVr7Ox4F3_7OCH9vMPRsf2TujAJCpUUhIun7-Ej79E_8DSmBn7JwsTeAeBITqWKr6EinXGBsDfrFLlwvjwVQ/s1600/Kaleidoscope+2014-35.jpg" height="266" width="400" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZLaZGNDiatKsj_TSwFS4xbSuvdCOwhD5MCC448flyhyYEdb-iEnVEbe3IDaakOsVEWocJMZz60cZW_lzN0jt4Xu182bTPAE64sf61616exTJEo3EI6bm39aVs2o5ePfAKOAgrnwYUm5Q/s1600/Kaleidoscope+2014-36.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZLaZGNDiatKsj_TSwFS4xbSuvdCOwhD5MCC448flyhyYEdb-iEnVEbe3IDaakOsVEWocJMZz60cZW_lzN0jt4Xu182bTPAE64sf61616exTJEo3EI6bm39aVs2o5ePfAKOAgrnwYUm5Q/s1600/Kaleidoscope+2014-36.jpg" height="266" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Children are empowered during their time at Kaleidoscope Play School. The environment immediately sends a message that this place is special, and it is just for them. They are welcome to explore, to discover, to fail, to persevere, to struggle, to solve, to cooperate, to practice, to learn and to own their experiences here.</span></div>
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What message does your environment send to children?</div>
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Denita Dingerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06595550669709851195noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5241296428946234061.post-1253888937620143062014-10-14T14:42:00.000-07:002014-10-14T14:42:04.011-07:00The Bamboozled Adult Brain<span style="font-size: x-large;"><b>Ever been bamboozled by the ideas of children?</b></span><br />
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Have you noticed how our adult brains are tainted? I dare say, to some extent, our adult brains are ruined.<br />
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They aren't ruined by drugs, alcohol or too much TV. They are ruined by too much wisdom (yes...you read that correctly).<br />
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Knowledge can sometimes damper the imagination.<br />
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Ever noticed how freely a young child's brain can imagine? Ever notice how easy it is for them to WONDER IF? <span style="font-size: large;">Their brains have not yet been ruined with knowledge.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">For a young child, ANYTHING is possible.</span> Leprechauns can really make shoes for fairies and hide gold at the end of the rainbow. Santa can actually fly around the world delivering toys to all the boys and girls in ONE NIGHT. Bubbles can be the shape of the blower, NOT just circles.<br />
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<span style="font-size: x-large;">Nothing ruins a young child's brain faster then an adult who can't keep their "ruined brain" from stealing the innocent wonders and imaginations of a child.</span><br />
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What am I suggesting? <br />
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Am I suggesting we adults should invest in some duct tape and use it when necessary? Well... sort of. I am suggesting we keep our mouths shut, and sometimes, that is easier to do with a little help from 3M. (side note: I am joking. No need to email me nasty emails)<br />
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Here's a tale of my "ruined brain" being completely and totally bamboozled today:<br />
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My story begins with the drilling of holes into an innocent pumpkin. Why? So we can fill it with baking soda and squirt colored vinegar into it. The resulting fizz will pour out the holes of the pumpkin.<br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">It.will.be.epic......... or, perhaps my brain will be bamboozled.....</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgInnwxsTFkPBpfELrix5VwM49qNLmWNPWj4ISm9wfw4rzI4dE_uop5n8wuKht4zwzJjGcpoRednDDAOFi5Q3VuiRLdrNu8ZP4pZK5ZuOQcbrLV2EX5-2D1r2j-FfYXXzdtVvOEKjh9A8M/s1600/Oct+2014+(9%2Bof%2B49).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgInnwxsTFkPBpfELrix5VwM49qNLmWNPWj4ISm9wfw4rzI4dE_uop5n8wuKht4zwzJjGcpoRednDDAOFi5Q3VuiRLdrNu8ZP4pZK5ZuOQcbrLV2EX5-2D1r2j-FfYXXzdtVvOEKjh9A8M/s1600/Oct+2014+(9%2Bof%2B49).jpg" height="426" width="640" /></a></div>
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After the holes were drilled, I added the baking soda, and plopped it on the table with cups of colored vinegar. I then waited for the first child to make the discovery and start to investigate.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGPRGkhS0SeSMMuPcnTOfSYSbeeMAjn1AMIlAp-MF01gIi2vBXW6uquRXAAbz39jag5R9lucZ56Anzx-auH7mMKgaKZNxOTZLP_TcvaNsnT5orsc7gcdQa_8lN2QDiCMNrKXfCV5iQWYY/s1600/Oct+2014+(14%2Bof%2B49).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGPRGkhS0SeSMMuPcnTOfSYSbeeMAjn1AMIlAp-MF01gIi2vBXW6uquRXAAbz39jag5R9lucZ56Anzx-auH7mMKgaKZNxOTZLP_TcvaNsnT5orsc7gcdQa_8lN2QDiCMNrKXfCV5iQWYY/s1600/Oct+2014+(14%2Bof%2B49).jpg" height="426" width="640" /></a></div>
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I did not have to wait long.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSoOvnzgPLvynJ0kHasiX9SUVjIPOw9PKcaa1dseraq3B-2BDksNjsFzPECiEVy_46i9gmZrTFzYCaWBb2DEnpatfNzDH7mBzvEEIGSRDplMWGU_bjoyLcpbCYTeqRvw-6mTH9LIxQRfI/s1600/Oct+2014+(23%2Bof%2B49).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSoOvnzgPLvynJ0kHasiX9SUVjIPOw9PKcaa1dseraq3B-2BDksNjsFzPECiEVy_46i9gmZrTFzYCaWBb2DEnpatfNzDH7mBzvEEIGSRDplMWGU_bjoyLcpbCYTeqRvw-6mTH9LIxQRfI/s1600/Oct+2014+(23%2Bof%2B49).jpg" height="426" width="640" /></a></div>
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Realizing that the reaction was not really coming out of the holes, and they were having a hard time seeing inside the pumpkin, we moved the action to the floor.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzh7rC_1-iyPs_R8FxIB-IpyfdD8z_ipPtos5Z5F6OG1ouuLZFfDkwt-Q80E863iLTEahvK6Nt01PuVXKSDZwydv1HhU-dspVanRKQfzYPIesSHtTbzNsCJQxZaPL2qAoJd92xYZY6QBk/s1600/Oct+2014+(33%2Bof%2B49).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzh7rC_1-iyPs_R8FxIB-IpyfdD8z_ipPtos5Z5F6OG1ouuLZFfDkwt-Q80E863iLTEahvK6Nt01PuVXKSDZwydv1HhU-dspVanRKQfzYPIesSHtTbzNsCJQxZaPL2qAoJd92xYZY6QBk/s1600/Oct+2014+(33%2Bof%2B49).jpg" height="426" width="640" /></a></div>
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Then we moved it back to the table. Don't ask why...I am really not sure. But I am glad we did! This mess was far easier to clean off of a table then it would have to clean off the floor!<br />
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Notice that scoops and bowls have been added to the fun. Scooping out the mushy, vinegar-soaked baking soda was so fun, and it was beautifully colored as well!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivEjGuUAy9wesItIQFTfYaI0JMD1S0eJT70mxX-HG3bdOoDQzNlR_UN3ziAJxE8Vy3rgN9q2tMNP694xz9Jwalfvi8i-yjktusSfkz3wioy5kKoocIAYZhDbWzN81Yqqpv30BLJtaUQBw/s1600/Oct+2014+(37%2Bof%2B49).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivEjGuUAy9wesItIQFTfYaI0JMD1S0eJT70mxX-HG3bdOoDQzNlR_UN3ziAJxE8Vy3rgN9q2tMNP694xz9Jwalfvi8i-yjktusSfkz3wioy5kKoocIAYZhDbWzN81Yqqpv30BLJtaUQBw/s1600/Oct+2014+(37%2Bof%2B49).jpg" height="426" width="640" /></a></div>
I emptied the bottle of vinegar, which this child was quick to request. He had big plans for that big jug! As he was scooping and pouring I realized that the reaction was all used up. SO, being the nice teacher that I am...I took it upon myself to grab more baking soda so they could do more squirting and fizzing. <span style="font-size: large;"> (I know....I know..... WAIT FOR THEM TO ASK FOR WHAT THEY NEED!!! I broke my own rule...sigh. That adult brain is SO hard to re-wire, and regression happens!!)</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"> To my adult brain's SHOCK,</span> instead of gathering colored vinegar and watching more fizz, they scooped up the baking soda with their fingers and used it as cheese for the pizzas they had apparently made! <br />
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The internal struggle that proceeded between my brain and my mouth was quite interesting. My mouth and hands wanted to so badly cause more fizz -- but my brain wasn't allowing it. My brain was saying "STOP! Do not ruin this child-led imaginative moment!!"<br />
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I am so glad my brain won this one!!<br />
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The baking soda turned into so many different things, and there was SO much learning and imagining going on!! It was a most amazing moment! It took my bamboozled brain a second to grasp what was going on.....but once it did, it was like "How clever are they?!!! Do not ruin the moment!!"<br />
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So, there you have it.<br />
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Whether you agree with me or not on the "ruins" of the adult brain.....the adult brain CAN shut down some pretty amazing little imaginations if it doesn't keep itself quiet!<br />
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The next time you are observing children doing something that completely bamboozles your brain....keep quiet, observe and enjoy the cleverness and fenceless imagination they possess and do not take it away!Denita Dingerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06595550669709851195noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5241296428946234061.post-5646088336961540242014-09-23T19:12:00.002-07:002014-09-23T19:19:47.088-07:00Delayed Gratification.....Goop StyleWe live in a rush, rush, now, now world. <br />
<br />
Need supper NOW? Throw it in the microwave, it will be ready in seconds.<br />
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Need the answer to a question?....Google it.<br />
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Need to find out what time your husband will be home?....call him at work. He doesn't answer? Call his cell phone. Still no answer? Text him. <br />
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Children are shoved into our world and are observing with sponge-like brains and memories that trump ours so badly (not sure about you, but I get SCHOOLED every time I play Memory with a young child....and I am not a believer in "let them win"!!!). They quickly learn that adults don't wait for much, this in turn makes them not want to wait for much. <br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Children need opportunities to experience delayed gratification.</b></span> <br />
They need opportunities to be patient.<br />
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This is a tale of how one thing always leads to another, and each "another" is usually filled with pure genius-ness when children are leading the way. It is a tale that ends with a beautiful moment of delayed gratification. It is one of those moments that I did not see coming, and was enthralled by it!<br />
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I will forward through the "boring stuff" as to not delay your gratification any longer (I know...how kind of me. If you have been reading my blog for a while, you know I CAN be long-winded :D )<br />
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Here's the order of events that led to said "delayed gratification":<br />
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1) Smack painting (giant paper, fly swatters, paint)<br />
2) Color changing ramps (colored water in squeeze bottles with a plastic rain gutter ramp system with rubber duckies for good measure)<br />
3) White goop (aka: ooblick aka: cornstarch and water)<br />
4) Colored water from the color changing ramps meets the goop -- the results create more independent thinking.....<br />
5) Paint from the smack painting meets the goop -- the results are awe-inspiring<br />
6) The resulting chocolate-milk-colored goop meets the plastic raingutters and ducks<br />
7) The moment of delayed gratification....<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b>Smack painting</b></span></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b>Color Changing Ramps (as the water runs down the ramp, it mixes with the other colors and "magically" changes!!)</b></span></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b>This clever 4 year old decided to catch the colored water in the ice cream scoop.....hmmmmm....what is his plan? Scroll to the next pic...</b></span></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b>He decided the white goop was a bit boring, and it needed some color!</b></span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilaQUWtHbdOKkZKMeKAdclWMbABFn1eLgYPmuqXjjayp5hyphenhyphenAH3WcHD0YUsJqmZDtLm3udztI5im0glKfmLAVX4N0lok4h4JDvi4W5f08a6YRZlt01G-rjLMurfI3yWIr9RYf0T4wF62mk/s1600/Meet+and+Greet+2014+(17%2Bof%2B59).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilaQUWtHbdOKkZKMeKAdclWMbABFn1eLgYPmuqXjjayp5hyphenhyphenAH3WcHD0YUsJqmZDtLm3udztI5im0glKfmLAVX4N0lok4h4JDvi4W5f08a6YRZlt01G-rjLMurfI3yWIr9RYf0T4wF62mk/s1600/Meet+and+Greet+2014+(17%2Bof%2B59).jpg" height="640" width="426" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b>And more color.....</b></span></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b>And more color....</b></span></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b>And more color....</b></span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: large;">And now here is when the: </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-large;"><b>"whoa, I didn't see that coming"</b></span><span style="font-size: large;"> moment occurred...</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">the </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">goop </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">met </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">the </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">ramps.... </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">the results were FILLED with value!!!</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqypMj5cJND2VNeWpCi9radRPD0xdi36aXuiLvc31RVwTPavfjzw7KFVrFnasPyJ9mVYJkYWrwjpE0qHMmNu06cR9o5_0HKxaqJBm9eb3Okv4g_Udghw6SJTP3bhE36U6QFIOyEwpXtow/s1600/Meet+and+Greet+2014+(50%2Bof%2B59).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqypMj5cJND2VNeWpCi9radRPD0xdi36aXuiLvc31RVwTPavfjzw7KFVrFnasPyJ9mVYJkYWrwjpE0qHMmNu06cR9o5_0HKxaqJBm9eb3Okv4g_Udghw6SJTP3bhE36U6QFIOyEwpXtow/s1600/Meet+and+Greet+2014+(50%2Bof%2B59).jpg" height="426" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b>This child was SO anxious for the duck to go over the edge. The ducks had moved fairly swiftly when the colored water was being used. The goop provided a completely different transport speed for the ducky. If you look closely you can see this child's finger moving towards the duck to help him along..he just couldn't stand to wait!!</b></span></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b>Luckily, his brother convinced him to be patient, and they added more goop behind the duck to see if that would speed things along. Their problem solving skills were successful!! Over the ducky went. E-v-e-r s-o S----L----O----W----L----Y.</b></span></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b>At this point one of the children exclaimed "HEY! It's like an elevator!!! Before it was like a water fall, and now it's like an elevator!!" (this picture was not taken with a fast shutter speed -- this ducky moved SO SLOWLY!!!)</b></span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b><br /></b></span>
<span style="font-size: large;"><b><br /></b></span>
<span style="font-size: large;"><b>And there you have it. Delayed gratification....goop style.</b></span><br />
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Delayed gratification can be that <span style="font-size: large;"><b>simple</b></span>. It happens all the time, all around us. <br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Snag those moments and see them for the valuable learning opportunity that they are.</b></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><b> Play counts</b></span>....it is filled with valuable moments like this. We just need to open our eyes and look a little more closely at what is really going on!<br />
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<br />Denita Dingerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06595550669709851195noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5241296428946234061.post-1484275116102441902014-08-11T17:43:00.001-07:002014-08-11T17:43:29.500-07:00The Learning Lives in the Process (This is not a tale about an art project)Just as the journey is not about the destination, the learning is not about the end product.<br />
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The important part is not the fact that 2+2=4 ... the important part is how you figured out how to figure that out.<br />
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Here is a simple tale about a light and it's hard-to-reach light switch. It is a tale about the fact that the learning is in the process, not the end product. <br />
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The important part is not the fact that the light was successfully turned on....the important part is how a young child was allowed the time to struggle, solve problems and finally succeed.<br />
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Sit back, and enjoy (I might suggest you pop a little popcorn and grab yourself a beverage...)you are about to entertained by a lovely thing called: "The Process":<br />
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<strong><span style="font-size: x-large;"> I could have easily done this for him. But why?</span></strong><br />
It would have taken me a second to reach with my bare hand and turn on the light in our fort space. But I did not. I am so glad that I chose to step back, document and give this child ownership of the process.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKCxeSjx_v9SBRkRrgB6926SfuJiiuRYJii4muNQ8jeBiQ4Ouo1wMj8PgK1TFjpqwIYYUKs7LX295ZX57l7JKR46WWNtiyLls-tLcyDRLN4EC1Ur7_j7c04C_dR3KqUIrNBYmzu-SZKsU/s1600/All+Time+Favorites+(123+of+283).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKCxeSjx_v9SBRkRrgB6926SfuJiiuRYJii4muNQ8jeBiQ4Ouo1wMj8PgK1TFjpqwIYYUKs7LX295ZX57l7JKR46WWNtiyLls-tLcyDRLN4EC1Ur7_j7c04C_dR3KqUIrNBYmzu-SZKsU/s1600/All+Time+Favorites+(123+of+283).jpg" height="640" width="428" /></a></div>
<span style="font-size: x-large;"><strong> </strong></span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-large;"><strong>Young children need to own the process.</strong></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: x-large;"><strong>The learning lives in the process.</strong></span><br />
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The learning doesn't live in a teacher's plans. The learning doesn't live in the end product. The learning lives in the process.<br />
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You could spend hours coming up with the best laid plans for your littles. BUT...if you do not let them own the process, there is little to no learning...<span style="font-size: x-large;"><strong>no MEANINGFUL learning, in your plans.</strong></span><br />
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You could spend hours helping your littles create the most amazing art product, dictating how much paint, directing where to put the paint, telling them they are making a fish. BUT...if you do not let them own the process, there is little to no learning...<span style="font-size: x-large;"><strong>no MEANINGFUL learning in the end product.</strong></span><br />
<strong><span style="font-size: x-large;"></span></strong><br />
<strong>The learning truly lives in the process. Good early childhood programs recognize this fact, and give their littles ample time to own the process. Programs with tight schedules and strict lesson plan guidelines tend to (note I said tend to...that does not mean always... if you are afraid you may fall under this second category of programs, then do something about it...make a change) stifle the process and focus more on the product.</strong><br />
<strong><span style="font-size: x-large;"></span></strong><br />
<strong><span style="font-size: x-large;">Take a look at the learning I would have stolen from this little 2 year old sweetheart had I just simply done it for him:</span></strong><br />
<strong></strong><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzh4Z39gfYdVdFAo3XU_3AHf_CVligu52rcA_sq9ls1ofpp_pE8TsaDfbSTV2HonfQE4S3QRXBPG4_VLOd46uF8NdDvRrBdd2lzx4xQuF_z9qBx_v4U404zCwMeG9Zmrz1n4CuTuOhXeU/s1600/All+Time+Favorites+(116+of+283).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzh4Z39gfYdVdFAo3XU_3AHf_CVligu52rcA_sq9ls1ofpp_pE8TsaDfbSTV2HonfQE4S3QRXBPG4_VLOd46uF8NdDvRrBdd2lzx4xQuF_z9qBx_v4U404zCwMeG9Zmrz1n4CuTuOhXeU/s1600/All+Time+Favorites+(116+of+283).jpg" height="640" width="428" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><strong>Recognizing that he had a problem to solve, Trillian got a chair from the art area, and carefully dragged and carried it across the floor. </strong></span></td></tr>
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Let's dissect this part of the process. Dissecting play and processes is the most valuable skill an early childhood professional can have.<br />
<br />
1) Look at the muscles he is using. We are not born with muscles that know how to work together to solve problems. We need to learn how to use them by manipulating our world.<br />
2) He is empowered because that chair is not light, and he is doing it by himself!!!<br />
3) He is needing to patiently wait for the other child to get out of his way.<br />
4) Let's not overlook the fact that he first realized he had a problem, and learning through observation, knew how to solve it. He had witnessed several children, using different techniques, turn on the fort light. He stored that information away for the moment he would need it. That moment finally arrived, and he was ready for it!<br />
5) Finally, there is a lot of risk assessment and management involved in standing on a chair in order to solve a problem. Children NEED risk. I will say that again: children NEED risk.<br />
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Here's more of the learning I would have swiped away had I just turned the light on for him (again: it is not about the product..the light ON is not where the learning is)<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEged762DLBLkOmMf8lXLbJqIogKfjFqMcX96iT3ol8txhn9luwVB58v7NjnNNlinloXfxNi1P0etTXPbwpEOGfVJ-hv8nHc5SISFO3cEmWk5vv5dJ6Wl_2_NpnNcOCsybLUmBrEpfdspRE/s1600/All+Time+Favorites+(118+of+283).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEged762DLBLkOmMf8lXLbJqIogKfjFqMcX96iT3ol8txhn9luwVB58v7NjnNNlinloXfxNi1P0etTXPbwpEOGfVJ-hv8nHc5SISFO3cEmWk5vv5dJ6Wl_2_NpnNcOCsybLUmBrEpfdspRE/s1600/All+Time+Favorites+(118+of+283).jpg" height="640" width="428" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><strong>Having watched the older, taller children time and time again use the car tracks to turn on the fort light, he thought that technique would work for him as well.</strong></span></td></tr>
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Let's dissect this part of the process. Dissecting is the best tool for "selling" play:<br />
<br />
1) This child is about to fail. He is not going to succeed. There is a tremendous amount of learning in failing. I dare say there is more learning in failing, then there is in success.<br />
2) Failing gives children an opportunity to persevere and practice determination.<br />
3) He is learning a bit about math. More specifically, measurement.<br />
4) Here is a chance to practice some vocabulary words. "This one is too short. I need to make a longer one."<br />
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And yes....there is more:<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2NMdTHMuW9-MB8vw2iGdqHF5OYVPtWb6e58ONiSPWDhhEgV3ldQZTrC-c4Y4c2n-DPxgnoKwDnWkqJhbVCspAMgQMF_u8qpFqLY1LNrvpJDUqnpWTx6UaPp7UdueEpI4dXXeIg9-agFE/s1600/All+Time+Favorites+(120+of+283).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2NMdTHMuW9-MB8vw2iGdqHF5OYVPtWb6e58ONiSPWDhhEgV3ldQZTrC-c4Y4c2n-DPxgnoKwDnWkqJhbVCspAMgQMF_u8qpFqLY1LNrvpJDUqnpWTx6UaPp7UdueEpI4dXXeIg9-agFE/s1600/All+Time+Favorites+(120+of+283).jpg" height="640" width="428" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><strong>Did you notice the blond haired child in the previous picture? That is "Mama Avery". Mama Avery takes the job of being Denita very seriously. Whenever I am not stepping in, she has me covered! The Mama Avery's of the world need to be dealt with carefully. They are so proud to help, but must know when to help, and when not. I decided to let her help this time.</strong></span></td></tr>
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Dissecting away:<br />
<br />
1) Failing, as Trillian did in the previous picture gives a young child the opportunity to ask for what they need. In this case, Trillian decided he needed help, and "Mama Avery" was all too happy to oblige.<br />
2) The learning for Mama Avery is a sense of pride and importance. SHE IS HELPING SOMEONE, and that feels good.<br />
3) Look at how carefully Trillian is studying Mama Avery's technique of hooking the track pieces together.<br />
4) Trillian is feeling special because an older child is helping him.<br />
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Oh yes.....there is more:<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhp3jsI3mfDPiJu6FAgDZgK7Xj2RJZWtV2fI5NNx1RPPlfSlEypdKlpbrRsk_XEN53B5oTX9xFJ_EaU87ClW87zmtL-0ZEmZtY5bgnBTDWqrvN05JWi9w_40hY97o4IIbVAd_aA4TXE-Oo/s1600/All+Time+Favorites+(122+of+283).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhp3jsI3mfDPiJu6FAgDZgK7Xj2RJZWtV2fI5NNx1RPPlfSlEypdKlpbrRsk_XEN53B5oTX9xFJ_EaU87ClW87zmtL-0ZEmZtY5bgnBTDWqrvN05JWi9w_40hY97o4IIbVAd_aA4TXE-Oo/s1600/All+Time+Favorites+(122+of+283).jpg" height="640" width="428" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><strong>Uh boy! That is a large load to carry while climbing up a chair. Children need a little risk in their lives, they need to have opportunities to be careful.</strong></span></td></tr>
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Let's take a closer look at even more learning I would have stripped away had I just turned on the light for him. Again, this is called dissecting play and it is the KEY to educating parents and administrators of the power and value and necessity of PLAY.<br />
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1) Muscle coordination (I mentioned this earlier)<br />
2) Confidence<br />
3) Risk assessment and an opportunity to be careful. Too often we tell children to be careful, but then we take away the very thing they need to be careful with, thusly removing the opportunity to practice caution!! Say "be careful" and then LET THEM BE CAREFUL!<br />
4) Math...specifically measurement<br />
5) Physics. This longer track is going to be far more difficult to hold up then the shorter one was.<br />
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Yup. Another picture, another learning moment in the process:<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKCxeSjx_v9SBRkRrgB6926SfuJiiuRYJii4muNQ8jeBiQ4Ouo1wMj8PgK1TFjpqwIYYUKs7LX295ZX57l7JKR46WWNtiyLls-tLcyDRLN4EC1Ur7_j7c04C_dR3KqUIrNBYmzu-SZKsU/s1600/All+Time+Favorites+(123+of+283).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKCxeSjx_v9SBRkRrgB6926SfuJiiuRYJii4muNQ8jeBiQ4Ouo1wMj8PgK1TFjpqwIYYUKs7LX295ZX57l7JKR46WWNtiyLls-tLcyDRLN4EC1Ur7_j7c04C_dR3KqUIrNBYmzu-SZKsU/s1600/All+Time+Favorites+(123+of+283).jpg" height="640" width="428" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><strong>Ta-da!!! SUCCESS!!!</strong></span></td></tr>
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Without further adieu:<br />
<br />
1) The sweet taste of success. Not the sweet taste of someone else doing it for you. There is a huge difference.<br />
2) Muscle coordination.<br />
3) An "I did it" moment that will get tucked away in the brain and retrieved whenever another challenge arises. Trillian will recall this moment and remember how good it felt to not give up. He will remember he can do things for himself.<br />
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Again I tell you, it's all about the process. This phrase does not just relate to artwork. It relates to EVERYTHING. <br />
<strong><span style="font-size: x-large;">Step back. </span></strong><br />
<strong><span style="font-size: x-large;">Allow time for the process to occur.</span></strong><br />
<strong><span style="font-size: x-large;">Do not stifle or under-value the process.</span></strong><br />
<strong><span style="font-size: x-large;">Give ownership of the process to young children.</span></strong><br />
<strong><span style="font-size: x-large;"></span></strong><br />
<strong><span style="font-size: x-large;">The learning lives in the process.</span></strong><br />
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Denita Dingerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06595550669709851195noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5241296428946234061.post-78369072353941940122014-06-10T20:53:00.002-07:002014-06-11T06:54:10.017-07:00Messy Play for the Messy-Intolerant<b><span style="font-size: large;">Picture it:</span></b><br />
Eight little hands covered in drippy, droppy, messiness....in your house....with 15 ft of carpet between them and the bathroom. Add to this picture six more children engaged in various play, needing your attention at random moments. No. This is not a nightmare. This is reality. It is a reality that I didn't think I would ever be able to fully embrace.<br />
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<b><span style="font-size: large;">To say that the thought of messy play made my skin crawl is an understatement.</span></b> Not only was it sensory overload for me, but it was also patience overkill as well.<br />
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I was a family child care provider for 16 years. I provided care for up to 12 children at a time, ages 2-6. I provided this care with three co-workers: <span style="font-size: large;"><b> me, myself and I. </b></span>I could not wrap my brain around the logistics of offering messy play opportunities when there was just me, myself and I to deal with the side effects of said messy play.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVhFrL3COyEEApcvkJKo7W_tqBwUEbgGx5ky1_SxJG5Fy7FknKSUHTihZ_z0Z5kH7cuHGzDRIJ2YwE8Y7prWiGPAy3d80O46YhIGIVOmU7476b_PJUSnjbKZnkQveNKHUBIkYkC4HSsRo/s1600/DSC_0257.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVhFrL3COyEEApcvkJKo7W_tqBwUEbgGx5ky1_SxJG5Fy7FknKSUHTihZ_z0Z5kH7cuHGzDRIJ2YwE8Y7prWiGPAy3d80O46YhIGIVOmU7476b_PJUSnjbKZnkQveNKHUBIkYkC4HSsRo/s1600/DSC_0257.JPG" height="212" width="320" /></a></div>
<b><span style="font-size: large;">What side effects was I concerned about?</span></b><br />
<ol>
<li>The mess getting on my carpet.</li>
<li>The mess getting on the children's clothing.</li>
<li>The mess getting on me.</li>
<li>The mess getting on a child who did not want the mess on them and the unknown behaviors such a catastrophe might spark.</li>
<li>The inevitable cleaning up of the mess.</li>
<li>The thought of what the little people in my care would be doing while me, myself and I cleaned up the messy play residue.</li>
</ol>
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Add to these concerns the simple fact that me, myself and I were not fans of cleaning and you can clearly see why I suffered from messyplay-intolerance.<br />
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BUT then....I heard Lisa Murphy (aka: The Ooey Gooey Lady) speak. She said that messy play was ESSENTIAL to a child's development. She said that sensory experiences were something that needed to be offered every single day. (insert guilt trip...ha!!) <br />
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The only messy play I had been able to embrace at this point in my career was playdough, flubber (borax and glue...kind of like silly putty) and ON SPECIAL OCCASIONS ONLY: shaving cream and goop (cornstarch and water). "ON SPECIAL OCCASIONS ONLY" meaning only on days when I had an extreme amount of tolerance and patience. And I mean EXTREME.<br />
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On the Monday immediately after hearing Lisa's message, I offered messy to my littles. I went for the big dog on this first attempt at embracing play: shaving cream and glue. The sensation of this stuff was amazing.<br />
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<b><span style="font-size: large;">My littles were beyond themselves with excitement. One child literally shook as she squeezed the concoction and loudly exclaimed "I LOVE YOU NITA!!!"</span></b><br />
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Ahhhh yes......Lisa was right. Children NEEDED messy play. They needed to explore with all of their senses the amazing textures of our world. They needed the freedom messy play supplies and the fenceless opportunity for imaginations to wander and soar.<br />
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It did not take long for story lines to form, the process of figuring out the social rules of messy play and amazing vocabulary to emerge through the child-led play.<br />
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I stood on the sidelines....prepared to catch that child who was done being messy and quickly and carefully whisk them away to the bathroom so I could wash them up and return them to their mess-free self. I will admit I was on edge. <span style="font-size: large;"> But I kept breathing. Deep....deeeeep....deeeeeeeeeeeep breaths. I kept reminding myself this is good...this is good...this is good.</span><br />
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Over the course of time, I learned to embrace messy play, and I learned some tips that I feel may be helpful to other messy-intolerant early childhood professionals out there.<br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>1. Be present. </b></span> Only set up for messy play on days that you have a clear mind. Do not do messy play on a day that you are waiting on an important phone call from the Dr. with scary test results. Do messy play on a day that your brain and body are fully present in the moment. (Let's be real...we know we need to be fully present, but there are days when that is a very challenging task. Do not attempt messy play on a day when presence of mind is challenging.)<br />
<b><span style="font-size: large;">2.</span></b> <span style="font-size: large;"><b> Structure the environment.</b></span> The better job you do at structuring the
environment, the more free your little people can be with their play.
Set them up for success. Structuring the environment lets children be in control of the experience. It lets them be the organizers of themselves and it sets them up for empowering success!<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizVzQgUC37XDDh2g3MFR0sayIgfLnNsf2N5ZsTnXL0z5rtDQHEoeR_3-UFFN1nq-MiXYKBH2UW1mSM7sscPBFAB1o2pzfaLxeU-ioqCFkGDzEU33lJaQexxEGLwDPXOUoVNmTTrUhgAX4/s1600/DSC_4349.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizVzQgUC37XDDh2g3MFR0sayIgfLnNsf2N5ZsTnXL0z5rtDQHEoeR_3-UFFN1nq-MiXYKBH2UW1mSM7sscPBFAB1o2pzfaLxeU-ioqCFkGDzEU33lJaQexxEGLwDPXOUoVNmTTrUhgAX4/s1600/DSC_4349.JPG" height="428" width="640" /></a></span></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b>See the structure in this picture? </b> <br /><span style="font-size: small;">The yellow bucket contains goop (equal parts cornstarch and water...or, do the "Denita Method" and just dump and see what happens) The purple bucket to the right is the "Default Hand (or feet and leg) Washing Bucket" . My crew has learned that if that bucket is out, let the messy play begin!! See the little girl in pink right in front? She has ice cream scoops. ALWAYS have tools for those that want to play with the messy, but do not care to have it all over their hands. To the back where the child in blue and the child in green are playing is another messy choice. Again, there are tools present for them as well. They are playing with itsy bitsy pieces of sidewalk chalk that have been soaking in water. They have potato mashers for tools. When smashed up, this makes a great paste that is perfect for hand and feet prints!! (SIDE NOTE: I am a state registered program. In SD, children CAN play in the front yard, and we can have 12 children with one provider....I get asked that a lot when I show this photo during my keynote presentation)</span></span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>3. </b><span style="font-size: small;"> <span style="font-size: large;"><b>Give ownership to children.</b></span> Find a way for your littles to be able to own the entire messy experience from start to finish...including the clean up part. Giving ownership of the entire process to young children is not only very empowering for them, but it also takes the stress of "how am I going to clean up all of these mess-covered children?????!!!!" from you...because, you are not going to clean up all of these mess-covered children when they are perfectly capable of doing it themselves.</span></span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYxHWBwwwu-VgC2_G2sFrgmRlFoUFDWYMJgV2SQh7uYFHfwDdhDlt2LkjnlgoCBabVJ5YDei1TF_z5atku2C6KjDh0zCjD11hApZ4xlP_tUKY_KkSHfwTpYQeAWdxizAe4y6-4uraVelo/s1600/IMG_7207.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYxHWBwwwu-VgC2_G2sFrgmRlFoUFDWYMJgV2SQh7uYFHfwDdhDlt2LkjnlgoCBabVJ5YDei1TF_z5atku2C6KjDh0zCjD11hApZ4xlP_tUKY_KkSHfwTpYQeAWdxizAe4y6-4uraVelo/s1600/IMG_7207.JPG" height="480" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b><span style="font-size: large;">Messy play fosters independence.</span></b><br />This messy-play opportunity was inspired by the book <i>I Ain't Gonna Paint No More</i> by David Carrow. Notice the structure of the environment, most importantly, the cleaning station in the background, not far from the mess-making area. Give children the tools they need for independence and watch their self esteems and sense of self soar!</span></span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhx9CudF8i42-Q5_DTj2b8oZhSKaapNI3egOV9dYew3gmaEMr-BHzR-VCvZ4QRuTRAso1vGns28Ncaaa7ng082Je1HHWXI0ZLEGV0Qllh2dixrznqX0HgAKRKwIcyjptyIwWsyyvDRuC64/s1600/IMG_7238.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhx9CudF8i42-Q5_DTj2b8oZhSKaapNI3egOV9dYew3gmaEMr-BHzR-VCvZ4QRuTRAso1vGns28Ncaaa7ng082Je1HHWXI0ZLEGV0Qllh2dixrznqX0HgAKRKwIcyjptyIwWsyyvDRuC64/s1600/IMG_7238.JPG" height="640" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b><span style="font-size: large;">From messy-to clean...all owned by children.</span></b><br />I am proud to say that I did not wash off a single child. My littles, ages 2-6 owned the entire experience...from messy to clean! They left just enough residue in strange places (mainly arm pits) to send the message that they got to do something pretty awesome that day!</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Cleaning up is empowering!<br />
Children thrive on trust. They love to be trusted. This child was empowered through my trust and he loved getting to own the responsibility of cleaning the bucket we used for messy play on this particular day.<b><br /></b></td></tr>
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<b><span style="font-size: large;">4. Do not force. </span></b>All children, just as all adults, do not enjoy messy play. Do not force a child to "just touch it, I know you will like it" (please tell me I am not the only one who has done this!!). I have done that. It has back fired almost every single time. Allow children to explore as they are comfortable. TRUST THEM. Be patient and let the natural process of curiosity happen. Make sure to have tools available so the messy isn't as threatening, and give lots of time for a young child to learn to trust the messy opportunity.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmw9XrAzw6QHk-zxHRgQFucXCP5ohEOLQRJQ-c9d7OCdTfIZgb4uQXCvmGAjlMb8LQ_fC0j7Tqp2reDk0vnb0fC7fxhnC3hxR5FtRkdYJJOyQyYDmg8GMpLg_rvxo5fMXh2aF_DWUErzM/s1600/DSC_0196.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmw9XrAzw6QHk-zxHRgQFucXCP5ohEOLQRJQ-c9d7OCdTfIZgb4uQXCvmGAjlMb8LQ_fC0j7Tqp2reDk0vnb0fC7fxhnC3hxR5FtRkdYJJOyQyYDmg8GMpLg_rvxo5fMXh2aF_DWUErzM/s1600/DSC_0196.JPG" height="428" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-size: large;">Always supply tools for messy play.</span></b><br />
This natural clay was plopped with plenty of tools so children who did not want to get messy could still play. Notice every one's hands? Pretty clean...this was at the beginning of the play. Now scroll to the next picture.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjejKxpg0cY8gBYbhpL2LheqZrhw8TBlXt-Ts4TKTcjKb78FpAjKfWurjR-ATMmvORg_aEUITm_99N6C7BMAvLnRBs9MeGdkGWJVbpYHifTR-vn7TvmkNbZhn9U6hLDSlpFj0_t3INTYvk/s1600/All+Time+Favorites+(53+of+283).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjejKxpg0cY8gBYbhpL2LheqZrhw8TBlXt-Ts4TKTcjKb78FpAjKfWurjR-ATMmvORg_aEUITm_99N6C7BMAvLnRBs9MeGdkGWJVbpYHifTR-vn7TvmkNbZhn9U6hLDSlpFj0_t3INTYvk/s1600/All+Time+Favorites+(53+of+283).jpg" height="428" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-size: large;">Freedom of Time</span></b><br />
The freedom of time is of utmost importance for messy play. Children need time to warm up to the sensations of new messy play opportunities!</td></tr>
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<b><span style="font-size: large;">5. It's okay to claim it</span></b>. It is okay for a child to hog the messy experience and declare that they will be there until pick up time. First of all, that's a huge pat on the back to you. You have offered an opportunity that this child clearly LOVES. Second of all, there are a lot of social lessons involved in that simple declaration of commitment: 1) The child declaring their loyalty to the messy play that day learns that you respect them. They also get an opportunity to be responsible and considerate when they remember to tell the next child that it is their turn (in the event that the messy-loving child over estimated how much they love the messy play and finish before pick up time) 2) the child that is waiting their turn gets an opportunity to practice patience, and the experience of disappointment and delay of gratification. It's a win/win for everyone.<br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Now that you have some tips to help you embrace messy play, here are a few of my favorite messy play moments:</span><br />
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<b><span style="font-size: large;">1. Scoopy Doop </span></b><br />
Inspired by frozen, colored vinegar on top of baking soda, "Scoopy Doop" was a spontaneous random concoction created out of "I wonder..." moments.<br />
The frozen vinegar on baking soda did absolutely nothing. My littles watched it with eyes full of anticipation. It was a genius moment of delayed gratification. After a child wondered what would happen if we squirted warm water on the vinegar cubes, one thing led into another. "I wonder what would happen if we added more vinegar?" "I wonder what would happen if we added more baking soda?" Pretty soon, all of those "I wonders.." led to an amazing concoction!!<br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>2. Wet Chalk Smashing</b></span><br />
Rather then throw away those itty bits of sidewalk chalk. Soak them and plop them with potato mashers. Little people will know what to do!! <br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>3. Baking Soda and Colored Vinegar</b></span><br />
When given the freedom of time, baking soda and colored vinegar can become a fabulous messy play opportunity!<br />
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<b><span style="font-size: large;">4. Set the Shaving Cream FREE!!</span></b><br />
The first time I set out the actual bottles of shaving cream, my littles picked it up and handed it to me, telling me I dropped it. I quickly corrected them and said, "No, I set this down for you to play with" They thought they had died and gone to heaven!! THE ENTIRE CAN?! FOR THEM?! <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUqufLNrOe8TekuxhWcUfSOL0cmCQsLfKMqHwZhyphenhyphen-hHlizPXFXf9bg4QuvxSt4BWiXqkSv9bLL-3vXWzbi8HhcAcc9zfKZZd376JTfXmlntdjP62U3wG7DUJ7us6oQihrIxjPtPHumKq0/s1600/All+Time+Favorites+%252869+of+283%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUqufLNrOe8TekuxhWcUfSOL0cmCQsLfKMqHwZhyphenhyphen-hHlizPXFXf9bg4QuvxSt4BWiXqkSv9bLL-3vXWzbi8HhcAcc9zfKZZd376JTfXmlntdjP62U3wG7DUJ7us6oQihrIxjPtPHumKq0/s1600/All+Time+Favorites+%252869+of+283%2529.jpg" height="428" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-size: large;">Oh the many ways our muscles work!</span></b><br />
Setting the shaving cream free is an awesome opportunity for young
children to learn the many different ways their muscles need to work
together in order to accomplish tasks. There was a lot of shoulder shaking going on, with zero success. This child had not yet figured out how to use the muscles in his thumb.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-size: large;">Shaving cream is motivating</span></b>.<br />
After lots of failed attempts and shaking shoulders and arms, this child FINALLY discovered a method that worked!</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdWFwd2P3d1B9Owfqtmd5PYW3DhhC95baVVO9zs19Ku2LU8nlmVAo3fxjwRXnmEGN2teq0d8i8MMAF13HSOWiKJ0cUv7ezadOd-2lJOubw6clBlPJUB916MxrIlNWjiPeLa_z-8sCt0wI/s1600/Free+Shaving+Cream+2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdWFwd2P3d1B9Owfqtmd5PYW3DhhC95baVVO9zs19Ku2LU8nlmVAo3fxjwRXnmEGN2teq0d8i8MMAF13HSOWiKJ0cUv7ezadOd-2lJOubw6clBlPJUB916MxrIlNWjiPeLa_z-8sCt0wI/s1600/Free+Shaving+Cream+2.jpg" height="428" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-size: large;">Hmmm...been watching mom shave her legs lately?</span></b><br />
Children NEED play to make sense of their world, to try the things they see and express themselves!!</td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>5. Sprinkle Dough</b></span><br />
Not messiest of mess-making play, but it's a grand one none-the-less. Simply mix flour and baby oil until you reach a consistency of moon dough. Once all the flour is saturated with oil, add liquid water color one color at a time, and mix. The colors will form sprinkles, and the different colors will NEVER mix! This is a favorite for ice cream shop play!<br />
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<b><span style="font-size: large;"> BONUS #6: Colorful Suds</span></b><br />
Yep. It's that simple. Plop a bucket of water, add some cheap shampoo and watch the messy (ha..it's soap!!) fun take over! After lots of fun playing with suds, my crew added sidewalk chalk to the suds they were making on the sidewalk.<br />
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<b><span style="font-size: large;">Okay, ye messy-intolerant ones....how are you doing?</span></b> Was this post successful in giving you some tools in order for you to go forth and embrace messy play?<br />
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I certainly hope so, otherwise, I just wasted a good 2 hours of my life I won't get back (ha...it's always my pleasure to share my journey in this blog!!)<br />
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<b><span style="font-size: large;">Take a deep breath in....read this blog several more times....and go get messy!!</span></b><br />
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Interested in having Denita speak at your next early childhood educator training? Contact her at steelerfan.dd@gmail.com. Denita Dingerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06595550669709851195noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5241296428946234061.post-7363447800822572052014-06-04T20:49:00.000-07:002014-06-05T07:40:22.470-07:00Are You Addicted to Themes? A Tale About Themes, a Caterpillar and ChangeFor whatever reason...adults (well intentioned adults, mind you) feel that young children need to learn in themes. They feel the brains of a young child are actually organized enough to see the world thematically, and not only that, but desire staying with the same theme for sometimes weeks at a time.<br />
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For whatever reason...adults (still well intentioned adults) feel that everything a young child learns while in a preschool type program should be all bundled up nice and neat in the form of a theme. Whether this is to appease misinformed parents, inspire bulletin boards or help children with their life long skill of categorizing, themes have ruled the preschool world for years.<br />
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For whatever reason....adults (and yes, still well intentioned adults) work tirelessly after hours to bring a theme alive for young children. I stapled (yes, you read correctly) roughly fifty greeny vines to the ceiling of my basement to replicate a jungle for our jungle theme years and years ago.<br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b> _______________________________</b></span></div>
<span style="font-size: large;"><b>HEAR me now...if you can't bring children to the jungle, a teacher-led jungle theme is not an effective way to give children an opportunity for MEANINGFUL learning.</b></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>_______________________________ </b></span> </div>
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These same well intentioned adults choose their themes wisely, taking into consideration the interests of each child in their program...and therefore, they call their program "child-led". This is not what child-led means. <br />
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<b><span style="font-size: large;">_______________________________</span></b></div>
<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Child-led means the children are the curriculum. Child-led means the adult carefully observes the children in their program and follows their lead and enhances the discoveries owned by young children.</b></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>_______________________________</b></span></div>
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Listen closely, all of you theme lovers out there who are squishing up your faces, gathering your feisty response to this post:<br />
<b><span style="font-size: x-large;">I USE TO BE ADDICTED TO THEMES.</span></b> (insert group therapy: "hello....my name is Denita Dinger. I was addicted to themes.")<br />
I lived and breathed for themes. I dare say I was a self-declared "Queen of Themes". In fact, if you look back at my very first blog posts, you will see the remains of my themey self.<br />
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<b><span style="font-size: x-large;">What changed me?</span></b><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;">A caterpillar.</span><br />
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An innocent caterpillar that did not fit into my grand theme...but would in two weeks when I had "Caterpillars" in the lesson plans.<br />
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<span style="font-size: small;">A caterpillar, that I was not going to bring inside so young children could observe and learn from, simply because he did not fit into my adult-led theme.</span><br />
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<b><span style="font-size: x-large;">What was this theme that was so much better then watching a child-discovered caterpillar metamorphosize into a butterfly?</span></b><br />
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The Five Senses. (ahh yes, trumped by those darned senses)<br />
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On this particular day, my plan was exploring the sense of smell. We were just outside playing for a little bit before heading inside to get to the "important stuff" when my crew goes and finds a caterpillar. (sigh. I have changed....OH HAVE I CHANGED!! Play IS the important stuff...never forget that!!) <br />
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To make a long story short, I said "no" to the requests to bring the caterpillar inside. After watching every single shoulder and eyebrow of hope slouch in disappointment I stopped and had myself a little "aha moment". Up until this moment, I had not realized that I was THAT ADDICTED to themes that I couldn't allow an innocent caterpillar to interfere. What would happen if that caterpillar poisoned the brains of my littles with CURIOSITY and MEANINGFUL LEARNING!!?? (the crowd gasps). What if they were no longer interested in the five senses? (insert appropriate dramatics)<br />
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After much chit chat with myself, I went back to my crew, and said I made a mistake. We brought the caterpillar inside and this particular moment will always be known as my biggest and most beneficial "aha moment".<br />
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And so began the metamorphosis of my program. From that day forward, little by little I gave up on my "themey" ways.<br />
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(Anyone else see the irony of a caterpillar, a creature who is known for
how it changes, being the creature that caused great change in the way I
viewed how young children learned and how I ran my program?)<br />
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<b><span style="font-size: x-large;">What did I discover as I let go of themes, step by step?</span></b><br />
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I discovered a child's brain does NOT work in themes. Well, I take that back...a child's brain does not stay on one theme for very long, and certainly not in synchronization with all the other brains in the room. I might have ONE child interested in dinosaurs for weeks, another that shows interest for five minutes here and five minutes there, but nothing consistent. I might have 4 children who are enjoying a picnic lunch..when suddenly, as often does in child led play...one thing leads to another and the dinosaur lover, in his dinosaur ways has come to destroy said picnic....and the picnickers play along for a few minutes until a bright shiny object catches their eye and they are off to another topic...perhaps even splitting into twos as the world of curiosity beckons each child in unique ways.<br />
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I discovered that children learn even without the leadership of elaborate themes. In fact, they learn more because there are no adult-set limits. (whether you notice it or not...themes have boundaries, themes can limit a child's natural curiosity)<br />
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I discovered that I could still get my theme-fix during the holidays. I learned to "set some bait" so to speak. If the bait didn't inspire the direction of the traditional theme, I learned that was okay, and I could ditch the theme and follow what the current interests of my littles were. For example: after Thanksgiving, teensy gingerbread boys just start appearing. First one. Then two. Then three. This particular bait is always taken and leads into our tradition of gingerbread boy fun. BUT, if they were to not "take the bait" I would be okay with it (well..truth be told, I would sort of be okay with it ... I'm not perfect after all!!!).<br />
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I discovered that all the time I took to organize my supplies and books into themes over the years was still helpful because when children are allowed to lead, we sometimes visit up to 5 different themes in a given day. It just depends on the interests of each individual child. Organization is the KEY to following young children. I need to know where my stuff is at a moments notice!<br />
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I discovered that I should not be feeling guilty that I was no longer sending home theme-related notes and having theme-related show and tell opportunities and theme-related snacks. I discovered that if I continued to do that, it was not to benefit the children...it would instead be all about pleasing the parents.<br />
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I discovered my job is to educate parents, not to please parents. My job is to create an environment that allows young children to learn in the way they were wired to learn. Research proves young children learn best through child-led explorations and play. My job is to provide a learning experience that benefits the children. My job is to then educate the parents the reasoning behind why I do my job the way I do it.<br />
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I discovered that my job is to educate parents, not to please parents. A child-led program looks much different then a teacher-led/controlled one does. Changing from teacher-led to child-led can come across as the teacher is "not doing their job as well as they did before". Do not assume your parents "get it". Do not assume your parents are reading your blog or other information you send home. Assume that you cannot educate too much. You cannot show them too much research or too many articles that support play based and child-led programs. You cannot talk to them too much about how their child is learning.<br />
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<b><span style="font-size: large;">Take a deep breath. Reflect.</span></b><br />
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I know from personal experience, change is hard. I also know from personal experiencing that recognizing the need for change is harder....sometimes it takes several, slap ya in the face, "aha moments" to alter your perspective and open your eyes. <br />
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Caterpillars make change look so easy and effortless, when in all actuality it is challenging and somewhat painful.<br />
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Are the rewards worth the effort? <br />
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<b><span style="font-size: large;">The change this post suggests gives children the wings they were wired to use. </span></b><br />
<b><span style="font-size: large;">Following young children and trusting them as learners gives each child the freedom to soar at their own pace to heights unique to them.</span></b><br />
<br />Denita Dingerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06595550669709851195noreply@blogger.com