A Learning Community
What is a learning community? How do you fit in? Community is defined as the experience of belonging to a group including a feeling of unity with those in the group and a commitment to the functioning of the group. How is an adult community the same as a children’s’ classroom community?
I belong to many different communities of adult learners. The community that best meets my emotional, social, intellectual, and physical needs are simultaneously the groups I am comfortable in and I learn and enjoy myself. Many of my communities overlap. There are some groups that I belong to that only partially meet my needs and my commitment to these groups is less strong.
I reflect about the need for community as follows as I compare the groups I belong to and the classrooms I see daily.
As an adult in a community, I want to feel a sense of belonging to meet my emotional needs. This unifying sense is what has me coming back again and again. This can be accomplished by the way I am greeted and addressed and if I am given a name tag and offered a place for my things. Being offered food and drink and a place to sit would go a long way in making me feel welcome in the community. A familiar face helps me feel secure. This translates to the children’s environment as well.
In a learning community the children and parents are pleasantly greeted by someone familiar and the children have a labeled space for their things in a defined classroom. Around the classrooms, posted in various locations are family photographs and photographs of the children. In several classrooms these photographs are in frames the children can carry around with them. Some play objects such as boxes and blocks are adorned with the children’s photographs. The children are ushered into a favorite spot or into a familiar ritual with their caregiver as the parent leaves. Each classroom is equipped with an appropriate sized place for an adult and child to sit. In the perfect learning community teacher turn over would be very minimal and many personalized objects would be in each classroom. Lowered ceilings and soft elements would add additional emotional security in the environment.
My social needs as an adult are met by having someone introduce me to a person with interests similar to mine within a community. I want to be heard and respected for my view even if it is in opposition to another’s point of view. In the children’s classroom, the teachers encourage children with similar interests to play together. Social interventions are modeled and practiced.
In an intellectual community I want to be challenged to learn something new. I want to believe I can fail and still be supported. Ideally, I commit to working collaboratively and cooperatively within the group. This requires a commitment to a common goal. In children’s learning communities the teachers support the children in actively exploring the environment indoors and outdoors. The teacher allows for risk and failure. The teacher scaffolds the children’s learning in the classroom.
I feel part of a community when my basic physical needs are met. The community meets my need for shelter, a comfortable temperature, rest and activity, a bathroom and food. In the classroom community teachers allow for meeting these basic physical needs as well as the need for physical activity. Children are dressed in appropriate clothing for indoor and outdoor temperatures. The teachers provide for active and quite activities. The children have their diapers changed and they are fed regularly and often fed on demand! Teachers allow children to take physical risks within the confines of comfort. I encourage teachers to trust that the children know their abilities and limitations.
In conclusion in comparing adult communities with early learning classrooms in the most successful communities our emotional, social, intellectual, and physical needs are the same throughout and met in a similar way!
Refective Practice
REFLECTIVE PRACTICE 
- Thinking about or reflecting upon what you do
- Requires a conscious effort to think about events
- Helps us explore theories and apply them to experience
- Encourages us to explore our own beliefs and assumptions to solve problems
- Can be a shared experience or alone
SIMPLE FRAMEWORK
What (….is the problem? ….is my role? ……..happened? ……. are the consequences? etc.)
So what (…….was I thinking? ……should I have done? ……….do I know? etc.)
Now what (….do I need to do? ………issues were raised? ………might happen? etc.)
Why should we reflect? I have found that taking a moment to reflect about an interaction with an adult or child, an activity or an idea, slows me down to think about what happened. The positive in this is the opportunity to note what is worth repeating and what need changing, redefining or revisiting with new perspective. It is a way to enrich your personal life and deepen your professional practice!
Sensory ideas
Things I have used in a sensory table this year.
Rice
Flour
Oatmeal
Cornmeal
Beans
Bird seed
Cotton Ball
Mash Potato Flakes
Salt
Salt and Spice
Ice
Water
Feathers
Pom poms
Corn Starch
Sand
Shredded Paper
Bubbles
Dish Soap and Corn Starch
What would you add?
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
Welcome New and Returning Families!
Welcome New and Returning Families!
We are so excited for the new school year and cannot wait to get started! This year will be filled with exciting adventures, fun projects and educational activities. These will be designed to help prepare the children for life’s endeavors, understand dynamics and engage in small and large groups, and become familiar with concepts they will further develop throughout elementary schooling and beyond.
We are welcoming so many new families, and are also mixed with bittersweet emotions as we send off our graduating students to continue their academic journeys in kindergarten.
Please join us for the end of summer playground playdate and Art Show on Friday, August 28th from 4:00-5:00 PM.
FGNS Kids
Please label everything your child brings into school. Each child brings hundreds of personal items into the school throughout the year and it is not possible to keep track of what belongs to who. Things fall out of cubbies, children take things off and throw them on the floor, give them away to another child or put them in the wrong cubby. In order to avoid confusion, we respectfully ask that you label absolutely every personal item that your child brings or wears into school. This may include but is not limited to sippy cups, thermoses, water bottles, lunch boxes, containers, jackets, hats, mittens, boots, slippers, comfort items, blankets ect. Anything special, valuable or irreplaceable should not come into the school. If your child comes home with something that does not belong to them, please return it in a timely manner. We thank you for your understanding and cooperation.
Welcome New Teachers!
We want to extend a warm welcome to our new staff who will be officially beginning their journey teaching at Friendship Garden Nursery School full time for the 2015-2016 School Year. They are all thrilled to be part of our team and excited to further enrich the children’s lives with excitement and intrigue. Their objectives in the next few weeks will be to learn all about the children and their families, and continue to offer the structure, social, emotional and academic education the children need to thrive.
We appreciate your understanding and patience as everyone continues training for the last few weeks of summer. We recognize the importance of consistency in caregivers and are committed to maintaining a high standard of excellence in the quality of early education experiences offered here at FGNS. The new teachers were carefully selected, are in the process of undergoing comprehensive training and each has offered their assurance they are reliable caregivers and focused educators.
Meet Our Staff
Alexis Turner is our new Lead Teacher, stationed in the Toddler Room. Alexis has over 20 years experience teaching in preschool and toddler classrooms. She is also the mother to 3 wonderful daughters, Ashton, Emily and Ava. We are thrilled to have Alexis on our team as we know she will bring a whole new level of excitement for our amazing group of toddlers. 
Olivia Fluker will be the full time Teacher for our Pre-Kindergarten classroom. Olivia is developing a comprehensive curriculum plan to prepare the children for kindergarten and beyond. She is working hard to create a full schedule of fun and engaging activities and projects. She will be working in collaboration with Megan and myself to implement these plans effectively throughout the year.
Megan Foster will be the full time Teacher Assistant in the Pre-Kindergarten classroom. Megan is so happy to pursue her career as a preschool teacher. She will be working more closely with the young preschoolers to allow them more flexibility in academic based projects and increased support in social emotional development and potty training.
Dramatic Play Prop Boxes
Circus Prop Box
The importance of dramatic play was outlined in another of my blog posts, this blog overviews some fun, inexpensive open ended dramatic play ideas for your early learning center or home. When children dress up or play in the Dramatic Play Area, they try on various roles which help them process and understand the world. Young children are developing social skills and the ability to play with others, while using their imagination and being creative.
Dramatic play is not just a “housekeeping” kitchen center but we’ll start there.
Housekeeping, it is familiar to most children and therefore a great starting point for dramatic play. All that is needed are items you have in your home or center already. Old phones, pots/pans, bowls, spoons, kitchen towels and some open ended materials such as blocks, river stones or fabric pieces that can be used imaginatively. Open ended materials (materials that have no specific intended use) add richness to dramatic play.
Here are A FEW other ideas for dramatic play centers/areas or prop boxes.
Restaurant/pizza parlor- discarded pizza boxes, play money, order pad, phones, aprons, cash register, stove, play pizza cutter, cardboard circles (pizzas) with felt on one side, felt toppings – green peppers, mushrooms,
Grocery Store-play food, empty food containers/boxes, paper bags, cash register, play money, sale flyers, grocery cart/basket, aprons, purses/wallets, coupons, paper and pencil for lists
Ice cream shop – ice cream scoops, paper cones, empty ice cream tubs, play money/cash register, apron and hat, order pads/pencils, wipe-off board menu, empty whipped cream spray cans
Flower Shop-Plastic flowers, water can, tools, seed packets, smock, plastic pots, cash register, money, tools, phone, garden hat, ribbon, pen and paper
More Themes:
Farm/zoo/jungle safari/pet shop/vet office
Camping/fishing
Lemonade Stand
Archeological dig
Doctor Office/Eye Doctor/Dentist/Office
Construction site
Airplane/train/boat
Use your imagination and add inexpensive hands on materials for discovery. Remember to add open ended materials to stimulate the imagination. Boxes, tubes, plastic containers, pieces of fabric, paper, writing instruments and tape can be anything the child wishes to create.
I’d love to hear your additions!
Positive Environments, “yes” spoken here!
What does a positive learning environment/home look like?
There are several things I have learned and continue to learn that create a positive rewarding environment in which to live and grow. The following ideas can be used in all work and/or play environments.
One. Treat all children equally. Treat all parents equally, treat all colleagues equally! Playing favorites contributes to an environment of negativity. Eliminate inequities.
Two. Setup the environment/daily home with different things for the children to do, make sure there are clear expectations for behavior, list how many children in each area (for child care centers), and what happens with the materials. The environment should act as a teacher. Put out different things for young children to find/discover. An example of this working well is the library. We tell our children to use quiet voices in the library, the library has engaging books and materials set up for hands on use. Children behave in the library exactly the way they have been asked to by the adult and the environment setup.
Three. Phrase everything that you can in the positive, this is hard at first, but you’ll catch on. A “YES” environment is so much calmer and fun and builds a young child’s self-esteem. As an adult you will feel less stress and more happiness. A “NO” environment limits a child’s ability to build self-esteem and self-regulation. A “NO” environment reduces us all to “I’m not good enough” or to seek pleasing behaviors.
Examples are; when running, state, “we walk inside”, when playing in our chair, we state, “we sit in our chair during dinner”, When the child melts down, we state, “I see you are having trouble, how can I help? This is how we can “use gentle hands”, all positive statements when really you want to yell…..STOP running, NO hitting, etc. No, no, no, no and we stop listening! 
Try to restate the “rule” “We walk inside” and then “I need you to walk inside, we may run outside.” Lastly if necessary give a choice, “we may walk inside or you may hold my hand” or some other option that you find acceptable. The goal is for young children to internalize behavior by making sure the environment is all about what they CAN do.
Four. Use observational/describing remarks to help the young child describe his/her feelings like, “you sound angry”, “you look sad”, “that was a loud yell” acknowledge the feelings and help children manage them by adding; “when you are ready, I will help you”. Limit asking questions. Too many questions can overwhelm the younger child, they really don’t know why they have misbehaved or had a temper tantrum, no need to ask.
Five. Help children to internalize their own self-worth by praising LESS. Encourage young children by acknowledging what has been done by stating what they have done. “You made a red line”, “you asked for help”, “I see you put your mittens on”. The goal is for children to feel internally proud of their accomplishments not for you to impose pride. If you say “good job” or “I like it” the child gets no intrinsic value.
Six. Stay calm. If you lose control of your emotions, the kiddos will get the upper hand, and FEED off of this negative energy resulting in chaos and negativity. Practice deep breathing or put on soothing music.
Seven. Check your expectations for behavior for given age, perhaps they are too high or too low! Remember children mature at different rates so not all behaviors should be expected at the same age for all children.
Teaching styles and temperaments
Do different teaching styles and temperaments help develop a well-rounded child?
Children will encounter many different types of personalities and temperaments in their educators. The skills they develop from each will make them stronger more resilient adults. We have all developed certain traits based on how an educator impacted us, some negative and some positive.
I have observed over the years that it is not necessary to be huggy and cuddly to be an excellent early childhood educator. What does this mean, don’t we want our young children to be surrounded by baby talking, cooing people? This is not a necessity to being a good educator. Being kind and fair is. Children must adapt to the teaching style, just like in life. There is not a one size fits all profile for the early educator. The key to success is good relationship between the family and the provider, in other words, “a good fit”.
Ask yourself, are the needs of the children being met beyond custodial care? Is there a loving trusting relationship bond between the educator and the family and the child? If there is it is a good sign that educator is a good caregiver.
I work with educators from age 18-60. We are not all the same in our approach and style. Some of us have more physical energy and flexibility, some of us see more humor in situations, some of us are cuddly, and some of us are reserved. ALL of us care deeply about your children and we meet the basic tenants of caring and committed professionals.
Let’s go outside
Let’s go outside! Many people spend 90% of their time indoors. It has gotten harder to get young children away from the screen. As we get ready to head outside for more hours than in the winter, let’s explore some of the benefits of being outdoors.
The first thing that comes to mind when someone mentions going outside is fresh air, sunshine and time to renew my spirit and energy. It takes a great deal of reserved strength to be a great teacher and getting outdoors is a way to renew those reserves. Time spent enjoying nature helps me renew not only my physical energy, but my emotional outlook as well. These benefits are enough to make me head for the door. I believe this to be true for young children too.
Jan White in her Exchange (May/June 2013) article, “Somersaults and Spinning: The Serious Work of Children’s Neurological Development says a vast amount of movement is required for the brain to fully develop and then fine-tune its ability to interpret all the motion possibilities. This also needs to be matched with vision, hearing, and sensory information coming from inside the body (proprioception). Rather than actually balancing and staying still, it is movement in gravity that makes this sensory system wire up in the brain and body. It is perhaps not surprising to find that these are the very things that young children most want to do and find such pleasure in!”
Young children need to move their whole bodies. Young children need to throw, catch and kick a ball, run, jump, dribble and shoot a ball, climb, chase, gallop, swing, crawl, and be loud. Young children need to dig, fill, spill and carry. They also need space to whirl, twirl, roll and bounce. All of these activities build the large muscles of the body necessary for a sense of equilibrium in relation to space and gravity, which is necessary for school readiness. All these movements can be accomplished during unstructured play time or under the direct instruction of a teacher or a coach. Games of toss and catch, kicking into a goal, shooting a ball into a basket, hopscotch, jump rope and hula hoops are some traditional playground games. Remember drawing with chalk on the driveway or painting with water on the building are great ways to strengthen muscles.
Young children need the sensory experiences of sight, sound and touch. Grass, trees, and bushes offer up a variety of sensory experiences. Use all of your senses when outdoors.
At Friendship Garden Nursery School we are in the process of building an outdoor learning center, as an extension of the indoor classroom. Since undertaking this project I have been investigating some different elements to include. Outside of the above mentioned playground activities our area will include a space to make music, a mud kitchen, tables and benches for outdoor discovery, paint easels and a big chalk board.
In this area we will also enjoy sun catchers and wind chimes. There will be baskets of pinecones and tree blocks. The goal is to assault the senses with nature.
Now, go outside and have fun!