Actual Questions and Answers
A young child asks about letters in order to learn about ownership and labeling, not because they want to have a formal lesson in identifying and writing out the alphabet and words! No, thank you.
Building Play
The play builds. Just like blocks on top of blocks. The children take the play messages left by the group before and move easily into their own play arcs. The play goes on. And on. And on.
Scaffolded Social Dramatic Play
In our current Tracks class (4 and 5-year olds) we have pulled out all the stops to build up their social language and connections expressed through play. We started with quite basic of ideas, “pretend you are a…” and progressed through to more complex overtures for play. The progress they have made is quite astounding.
Crying
Think about the last time you cried…do you remember why?
Apologies in advance if this brings any reader to a place of discomfort. This is not my intention. Rather, I want us to consider the many sources of our own tears as a way to give children the room they need for the same range.
When the Implicit Environment is Not Enough
While nursery school is filled with fun and light-hearted conversations, there are times when something is said and we have to walk towards it. There are also times when we have to purposefully name something and explore topics. These are the building blocks of a bias-free environment.