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Real Tools, Real Work
Sarah Adams-Kollitz and Andrew Rowan We are a group of big feelers. For 3-5 year olds, every day contains a range of emotions: missing a parent, saying goodbye to a beloved teacher who is moving on or a friend who is now in kindergarten, moving to a new school and feeling uncertain about who to trust…
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THE HELP DESK – Democracy Project
Sarah Adams-Kollitz and Andrew Rowan The Help Desk project started one day in October when D (a preschooler) was so excited he threw his stuffed dog, 20, over the playground fence. ‘20’ is a very important security object for D and all the students help keep track of him. He was so upset he started…
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DOCUMENTATION – The Importance in Early Ed Classrooms
Katlyn Bullis All teachers at the Burlington Children’s Space are researchers and documenters. We are collecting as much information as possible to paint a picture of progress and outcomes. Documenting individual growth requires a great deal of research, as the teacher must observe each child in a variety of areas of development over a substantial…
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PAPER INVESTIGATIONS – Exploring our senses
Katlyn Bullis The many properties of paper invite children to explore using all their senses. It provides opportunities for children to build skills in all areas of development as they manipulate and explore the paper. Sound – Ripping, crinkling, and waving large pieces of paper empowers children to become scientists. Paper can make amazing loud,…
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THE PROCESS OF CLAY with Old Toddlers
Samantha Spaulding During the process of introducing modeling clay to the children, the experience has been very open-ended and leaning into creativity and sensory experience that it offers. The clay that is offered is bright and colorful with a doughy, smooth texture. Manipulating the clay by squishing, squeezing, pulling, and rolling helps the children to…
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EARLY LITERACY – Fostering a Love for Language
Katlyn Bullis The idea of babies talking, and reading can seem incredible, but language and literacy skills start from birth! Babies communicate through sounds, facial expressions, and gestures. These are all important ways to help them learn about language and the written word. Early language and literacy skills are learned best through everyday moments such…
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SIGN LANGUAGE – Importance of Non-Verbal Communication in the Early Years
Katlyn Bullis Everyone has had moments in their lives when they could not communicate their needs in a way others could understand. The result is a level of frustration beyond compare. Sign Language gives children a means to express needs in an effective way. Try thinking about a time, as an adult, when you have…
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THE HAPPINESS COLLAGE
Representing Our Joyful Feelings Preschoolers have been participating in an ongoing discussion about our feelings. We’ve been working on discovering how emotions feel in our bodies and recognizing those physical reactions to emotional stimuli. Preschoolers have been discussing how to recognize emotions in the faces and body language of our friends and reading the emotional…
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OLD TODDLER TAKE HOME CANVASES
Here you see a line up of our take home canvases that are sent home to families at the beginning of every month. We created this opportunity for families to be engaged in the classroom to establish the connection in support of every child’s development. When families get this firsthand experience with their children, it…
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HOLLOW BLOCK BUILDING
Blocks are not just fun for kids to play with but can also help them in many ways! Block play stimulates learning in all domains of development, intellectual, physical, and social-emotional and language. This helps children in so many ways: improving their hand and finger strength, strengthening core through heavy lifting, developing creative skills, learning…