Whole Child Development
This week, I’ve written about the Importance of a Good Foundation and introduced you to Literacy Beginnings — A Prekindergarten Handbook, a resource I truly believe will become a new standard resource for early literacy. After Wednesday’s post outlining the wealth of information in this great book, you might be surprised to know there’s even MORE!
Just one page into Fountas and Pinnell’s new book, Literacy Beginnings: A Prekindergarten Handbook
This month’s Pay it Forward feature comes from a place that’s really special to me, Costa Rica. There, Scott and Leslie Freeman and their family are engaged in creating a safe place for children who otherwise face overwhelming risks on their own.
Due to the enormous amount of fun we’ve been having with face painting around here lately, I thought I’d let you in on a little secret I learned about a decade ago while teaching at the lab school. If you purchase an inexpensive set of Watercolor Colored Pencils
Here’s just a sample of where these pencils, plus a little imagination, have taken us in the past few days:
I had orginally planned on including the Time Timer in the First Friday Q&A, but it just didn’t seem to jive with the hot topic I ended up with for the Q&A feature, so I’m giving it a post of its own.
This is one of my favorite time management tools for kids. It’s a great way to help children grasp the concept of time. Check it out in this video:
Happy 4th of July weekend! Even though it’s a holiday weekend, I do have some housekeeping to do, and that includes here on the site. As happy as it makes me to have so many of you reading via email, my host’s server isn’t quite as happy. For those who have been recieving emailed posts sent from my address (amanda@notjustcute.com), you will need to update your subscription before you can receive any more posts.
This Friday’s Q&A is a hot topic. In response to a reader’s question about handling weapon themed play among preschoolers, I’ll discuss the importance of fantasy play for children and how we can come up with reasonable, enforceable boundaries. Of course, this is a question with answers that come from a variety of perspectives, so please respectfully share your insights in the comments as well. Here’s the video (also found here), followed by excerpts and links to some interesting resources on the topic :
I’m trading my usual Wednesday post for a Tuesday post to let you know about a couple of guest posts I have out there in the blogosphere right now.
In my ebook I discuss the importance of developing intrinsic motivation in our children. It’s widely accepted that children shouldn’t be bribed because it can reinforce power struggles and negative behaviors. But at the same time, positive reinforcement and celebrating accomplishments can also be powerful tools. This can sometimes be confusing for parents and teachers of young children. So I asked a few writers I know who are also mindful, intentional parents and professionals to weigh in on how they balance these concepts in their own personal and professional philosophies.
Each one offers a great perspective to the discussion. I’d love to have you add your perspective as well!
While I had a great week away with my husband, I came back to find some wonderful reads to catch up on. Here are just a few of my favorites:
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