Documentation Board: For Families
This is a simple explanation of a documentation board for families in your program.
A Documentation Board is a visual communication tool. These boards are organized around a theme, with artwork, photographs, dictation, anecdotes, work samples, and educational information to communicate with you. They are also used by the teacher to deepen and extend the learning in a classroom and to inform future classroom learning goals.
A documentation board is created by observing, recording, interpreting and sharing the processes and products of learning.
A documentation board will enhance communication with you by:
- Allowing for a deeper understanding of how children learn
- Sharing a visible record of classroom learning
- Sharing your child’s learning
- Deepening our relationship with your children and yourselves
- Encouraging you to ask questions
Children can re-visit, reflect and respond to the visuals of a documentation board, enhancing their learning experiences.
Additionally, a documentation board allows your child’s teacher to reflect on her practice which completes the cycle to start over again.
Documentation Board: for Teachers
What is a Documentation Board? For teachers:
“By documentation board, we mean the practice of observing, recording, interpreting, and sharing the process and products of learning through a variety of media in order to deepen and extend learning.”
Process and Product = the how and what of learning
- Identify a theme for your board
- Learning environment, classroom routine
- Special event
- Specific curriculum
- Skill acquisition
- Child development, expected behaviors
- Projects
- Collect
- Photographs
- Artwork
- Child dictation
- Anecdotes
- Work samples
- Educational information
- Review your collection with your team and identify a learning moment
- Develop a teacher narration for the panel, a synthesis of what is happening, no more than 2 paragraphs including names of teachers, students, and the date or time period.
- Put the board together
- Title, large and prominent
- Strong focal point
- The viewer should be able to “read” the board from 2-3 feet away
- Balance of artwork, photos and text, matted for display
- Clean/uncluttered flow, left to right, top to bottom
- Typed, use Large Type
- Edit and have someone else edit
- Lastly, add parent comments
Benefits
- Communication with Parents
- Accountability
- Extending Learning
- Insight into curriculum that informs future curriculum
- Living document, change/add new info continually
My next post will be, Documentation Board: for families.
Toddlers Bite, Now What?
Toddlers bite. Right? Calm down, this too shall pass.
Most adults see biting as super aggressive and inappropriate, still toddlers bite. We often react in a way that is actually not helpful. We get as mad and as frustrated as a toddler. We place blame on the teacher(s), the biter, the parent(s).
YET toddlers are developing language skills and they are often frustrated by the inability to communicate their wants/needs. A toddler may also be teething. We are able to communicate to talk about our frustration, here is how to help. First, remain calm.
How to help a biter (for educators).
First, we must realize that it is developmentally appropriate for a toddler to bite. As educators we need parents to know this and communicate it often. Suspend judgement and blame of child and family. Build a great relationship with the family as this is paramount to a high quality early education program.
On the spot, try to identify the problem with the child’s help, then verbalize for the child, explaining and naming the emotions involved. Help the child communicate by modeling the words you would like him/ her to use. Make sure you are calmly communicating that biting hurts. Give the child something appropriate to bite on. Always follow up with an accident/incident report.
How to help the parent of the biter. First, toddlers bite. Normal. Communicate with your child’s teacher. Be at ease with the situation. Practice the same response as your child’s educator for consistency for the child. Be on the same page as your child’s educator.
How to help the bitten child. Console and comfort, perhaps give some ice if needed. If the skin breaks, follow your center’s protocol.
How to help parent of the child that got bit.
Suspend all judgement and blaming of the toddler, the toddler’s family and teacher(s), ask the family to do the same. Build a great relationship with the early educator(s). Communicate often. A solid parent/teacher relationship is key. Parents need to trust that you are a professional and you are caring for ALL the children in your classroom. Biting is developmentally appropriate. Toddlers bite.
How to help the parent of the biter. Communicate with your child’s teacher. Be at ease with the situation. Be on the same page as your child’s educator. Be consistent in your calm but firm reaction to biting. State that biting hurts.
It’s all about forging trusting relationships with the children in your care and their families.
Declutter
TLC Too is undergoing an extensive renovation of all the classrooms with new paint, new flooring, new cabinets and countertops. Teachers have been asked to declutter and intentionally reflect on what they will put back into their classrooms.
Decluttering seems a daunting process but what a wonderful opportunity to start fresh with a specific purpose in mind.
When setting up for the new school year ask yourself these questions.
- What do I want the children to learn in the space?
- How do I want them to use the materials you present?
- Are materials displayed to invite use?
- How does your classroom convey what you want children to feel while there?
- Is your environment inviting and beautiful?
This is the link to a great article to refer to creating a beautiful learning environment. http://home.edweb.net/lessons-from-the-bowerbird-how-to-create-inspiring-and-purposeful-environments-for-young-children/
Or watch as a webinar. http://home.edweb.net/lessons-from-the-bowerbird-how-to-create-inspiring-and-purposeful-environments-for-young-children/
Research has pointed to decluttering or the “bare walls” theory for increasing creativity and reducing distraction and anxiety in the classroom.
Read more here. http://www.edutopia.org/blog/decrease-classroom-clutter-increase-creativity-erin-klein
Overwhelmed, start with a few small changes. Let me know how it goes.
Happy planning for back to school!
Painting Ideas
I have been working on this list of painting ideas for the last half year. Here is my start.
Try painting:
WITH
Water color
Water color then cover with plastic wrap, let dry and remove plastic
Do a dot (bingo dabber)
Do a dot on dark paper
Frozen paint
Pudding
Kool aid
finger paint
tempra paint
Watercolor on ice block
How about painting on:
ON
Newspaper
Cardboard
Boxes
Laminating
Tubes
Crumpled paper
Ice
Tin foil
Wax paper
Paper towel
Felt
Big branch
Mirror
Rocks
Shells
You might try:
USING
Pine Cone
Pine needle
Flower
Weed
Yarn
Balloon
Ball
Bumpy ball
Cotton ball
Marble roll
Tea bag painting
Lego
Dinosaur
Animal
Brush
Foam brush
Roller
Sponge
Squeeze bottle
Eye dropper
Kitchen gadget
Fork
Scrub brush
Fly swatter
Spray bottle
Spaghetti
Rocks
Cups
Tubes
Bow
Comb
Bubble wrap
Car
Truck
Train
Cardboard scrapper
Teabag
Feather
Painty elastics around a tray, twang
ADD this:
Spice
Sand
Corn syrup
Baking soda ADD vinegar after for fizzy
ADD AFTER painting:
Salt
Can you add to this list?
Trusting young children
When did we stop trusting our young children? We believe that young children will not exercise good judgement about being safe even if we have provided a backdrop for safety including supervision. We say, “stop”, “be careful”, “you’ll get hurt” long before we give children a chance to investigate, explore, discover and problem solve on their own. We need to teach children about safety without being over cautious and “helicoptering”, allowing them to take risks because we trust them. This is not a conversation about keeping children safe by using sound judgement when it comes to safe practices like car seats and helmets.
This past week our canopy made of branches was taken down. How that came to pass is another story. The branches were left lying on the playground. The children investigated and began to build. This is what I saw as I SUPERVISED the area by watching and listening. Toddlers, all under 3 years old able to wield large branches and not hurt each other. Sure they got beaned on the head a few times but they figure it out without any adult help. I also saw children figure out how to duck as long branches moved around them or over their heads. I witnessed them knowing enough to leave if they didn’t like it. I saw children being safe, smart, inventive little humans. I saw cooperation, communication, negotiation, reasoning, problem solving, imagination, language development and compassion. I watched self-esteem go up and pride abound! These are all skills I want all children to develop.
It was not without some lip pursing moments where I wanted to shout out, “oh, sh*t” and bite my tongue. The result was worth it and the next time was easier! The branch building area is an incredible area to supervise!
Will you try it?
Patriotic Cupcakes/Muffins
Feeling Patriotic? Let’s make patriotic cupcakes or muffins for a Fourth of July celebration!
Here’s how.
Purchase a white cake mix or muffin mix. Follow the directions for making cupcakes/muffins on the box. Let the children add the ingredients as directed and stir the mix.
After sufficiently mixing, divide the batter into three bowls. Now it is time to add color! Add red food coloring to one bowl, mix well. Add blue food coloring to a second bowl. Mix well. Please leave the third bowl uncolored.
Use one color to fill 1/3 of your individual muffin cup. Here we used red first.
Use the second color to fill the next 1/3 of the individual muffin. Here we used the uncolored batter.
Scoop the last color to fill the muffin cup. We scooped blue last.
Bake according to the directions on the box. Here is the final baked muffin! Enjoy
Spin Art
As a child I loved to watch spin art at the local agricultural fair every summer. For a while my colleagues and I attempted to replicate the experience using and old record player. This produced a rather interesting splattering of paint everywhere, which was a different kind of fun! One day I saw instructions on making spin art with a salad spinner. My life as a spin “artist” came alive. Now every summer the teachers at preschool dig out our collection of salad spinners and let the children create their own fair inspired spin art!
Here’s how. Measure and cut circles of paper to fit in your salad spinner. 
Tape a paper into the bottom of your spinner. Fill some squeeze bottles with slightly watered down tempera paint. Squeeze the paint onto the paper adding lots of colors and designs (or not as the child chooses).
Put on the top and turn the crank! Young children love to be in control of the spinning. Try different speeds.
Take your masterpiece out and hang it to dry!
Beautiful!
Potato Container Garden
Want to try container gardening with your little ones? We had success with potatoes! Here is why it worked for us!
First, seed potatoes or potato eyes are large enough for little hands to manage. Have you ever tried planting tiny carrot seeds with young children………you get the idea, potatoes are doable!
Second, the potato grows under the soil so there is minimal disruption if a child or children pick the leaves of the potato plant. Unlike, if a just forming tomato is picked, the project is over!
Third, the potato is not delicate. Children can dig into the box at the end of the growing period and find the potatoes without harming the produce.
Here’s how to set up a potato container garden.
You will need some kind of big container, soil, starter potato, a trowel,water and mulching material.
We used an old window box, filled it with soil, dug a few holes into the soil, plopped the potato in and covered the whole box with more soil and a layer of old leaves and straw. Place your container in a sunny location.
Water your container steadily if you don’t have rain from time to time. Water it, watch the plants grow and when the plants die off sometime about 10 weeks from the start of the project, it is time to dig up your potato!
Small potatoes, big impact!
Process Art Experiences
NAEYC has written a great article about process art experiences. I have edited the content to show the benefits of process art. The whole article is here. http://www.naeyc.org/tyc/article/process-art-experiences
Many of us still look for “cute” projects. Cute is usually not art, it is craft and product based. Pinterest has made it easy to find product oriented “cute” projects. One needs to understand the difference between process and product art and use that knowledge when offering art experiences to young children. There are many ideas online however don’t be fooled by posts that come up with the heading process art but are product art in disguise!
The following is about process art as summed up by NAEYC.
Characteristics of process-focused art experience
- There are no step-by-step instructions
• There is no sample for children to follow
• There is no right or wrong way to explore and create
• The art is focused on the experience and on exploration of techniques, tools, and materials
• The art is unique and original
• The experience is relaxing or calming
• The art is entirely the children’s own
• The art experience is a child’s choice
• Ideas are not readily available online
What children might say
“Look what I made!” “I’m going to do another!”
“Can I have more time?”
Provide open-ended, creative art experiences by offering activities such as
• Easel painting with a variety of paints and paintbrushes (with no directions)
• Watercolor painting
• Exploring and creating with clay
• Finger painting
• Painting with unusual tools like toothbrushes, paint rollers, potato mashers
• Printing and stamping (stamps purchased or made with sponges)
• Creating spin art using a record player and paint, squirt bottles, paintbrushes, or markers
• Stringing beads independently and creatively
• Weaving cloth, yarn, or paper
• Drawing with pencils, art pens, various sizes of markers, or crayons
• Using homemade doughs
• Making collages using tissue paper, various sizes of paper, glue, paste, glue sticks, scissors, and recycled materials
Tips for leading process-focused art
- Approach art like open-ended play—for example, provide a variety of materials and see what happens as the child leads the art experience
2. Make art a joyful experience. Let children use more paint, more colors, and make more and more artwork
3. Provide plenty of time for children to carry out their plans and explorations
4. Let children come and go from their art at will
5. Notice and comment on what you see: Look at all the yellow dots you painted
6. Say YES to children’s ideas
7. Offer new and interesting materials
8. Play music in the background
9. Take art materials outside in the natural light
10. Display children’s books with artful illustrations, such as those by Eric Carle, Lois Ehlert, and Javaka Steptoe
11. Let the children choose whether their art goes home or stays in the classroom
12. Remember that it’s the children’s art, not yours
What children do and learn through process-focused art
Social and emotional
Children relax, focus, feel successful, and can express their feelings
Language and literacy
Children may choose to discuss their art and add print to it (on their own or by dictating to a teacher)
Cognitive
Children compare, predict, plan, and problem solve
Physical
Children use small motor skills to paint, write, glue, use clay, and make collages
Full article is here: http://www.naeyc.org/tyc/article/process-art-experiences