The Patterns of Nature

Mathematics is the science of patterns, and nature exploits just about every pattern that there is. — Ian Stewart   This profound quote illustrates the connection between math and nature. Nature supplies us with wondrous examples of math: the hexagon of … READ MORE

How Families Impact Educational Success

The most important teachers in a child’s life are their families at home. Although children spend a large amount of their time at school, it is not a replacement for the learning, love, encouragement, and reinforcement they receive from family … READ MORE

Outside Time: Friend or Foe?

I have one question to ask: As an early education teacher, do you see outside time as a friend or foe? Wrangling coats, hats, gloves, and other articles of clothing for winter outdoor play takes half of the scheduled time … READ MORE

The Need to Move: Bodily-Kinesthetic Intelligence

The perfect pirouette of a ballerina, the art of a sculpture, or the gravity defying layup of a basketball player. What do these three people have in common? They all possess bodily-kinesthetic intelligence.   Howard Gardner defines bodily-kinesthetic intelligence as … READ MORE

Reasons to Get Outside…Even When it’s Cold

Noses are running, fingers are numb, and it takes lots of time and patience to get everyone bundled up to go outside and play on the playground equipment. When you finally do get outside, everyone’s ready to come back inside … READ MORE

The 6 Best Ways to Learn & Play with Leaves

There are so many ways to get outside and enjoy the changing leaves – the colors and textures can be so much fun! Of course, who doesn’t love raking leaves into a big pile and jumping in them? But when … READ MORE

Language Development on the Playground

Language development is one of the most important skills children learn through play. Children are learning how to interact with the world. They’re honing their ability to understand others and to express their thoughts, feelings, and needs. The preschool playground … READ MORE

Fall is in the Air: Observe, Explore, Document

The change in the temperature has signified that fall is upon us.  The crisp air and cooler temperatures bring significant observable changes outside.  A wonderful and common activity to do with children in the fall is to observe the changing … READ MORE

Observe the Creepy Crawlies of Autumn

As the weather begins to cool off, there are several creepy crawlies, a.k.a. bugs and insects, that begin to swarm as they look for warmer places to be. How many of these have you seen in or around your playground? … READ MORE

Explore Musical Intelligence

“Music is the art of thinking with sounds.”  – Jules Combarieu Many years ago, I had a boy in my program who loved to dump out the toys in the bins, turn the bins over, and drum to his heart’s … READ MORE