When Amber Unger (also known as the Cream City Teacher) began her career in education, she thought she’d be working with teenagers. As her path led her to a 4K public school classroom in the middle of a shift toward play-based learning, she discovered a new passion! Today, she helps other teachers on their own journeys to better understand and implement intentional play-based practices.
You can now also find Not Just Cute: The Podcast on Spotify and Amazon Music!
Notes from the Show:
(*May contain affiliate links.)
Check out the Cream City Teacher blog and Amber’s Instagram account where she shares TONS of great ideas!
Sign up for Amber’s upcoming Play Workshop!
Amber mentioned book studies, including Purposeful Play and Planning for Play, Observation, and Learning.
Here are the Wisconsin Model Early Learning Standards. (*You can usually find your own state’s standards by searching “state name” + early learning standards.)
Why We Play
Share the importance of play with the Why We Play letters! 1-page prewritten letters for every week of the school year. Add to your own newsletter to help parents, admins, and others in your learning community to understand and value PLAY!
Learn more about Why We Play and sign up for the sample letter at the bottom to ensure you hear about any VIP discounts by clicking here!
Transcript
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Highlights:
(04:43 – 08:22) Transition to Play-Based Learning Challenges (219 Seconds)
(09:38 – 10:53) Embracing Classroom Diversity (75 Seconds)
(14:05 – 15:31) Professional Growth Through Openness (85 Seconds)
(18:53 – 20:30) Challenges in Establishing Play Culture (97 Seconds)
(27:20 – 29:05) Structure and Organization in Play-Based Classrooms (105 Seconds)
(32:16 – 34:06) Teaching With Flexibility and Purpose (110 Seconds)
Transcript:
00:03 – Amanda Morgan (Host)
Hi, I’m Amanda Morgan, and this is Not Just Cute the podcast where we discuss all kinds of topics to help bridge the gap that exists between what we know and what we do in early childhood education. We’re starting conversations with academics, authors, decision makers, educators and parents so that together we can improve the quality of early childhood education while at the same time protecting and respecting the childhood experience. When Amber Unger started out in her career in education, she thought she’d be teaching teenagers, so when her path led to early childhood education, the concept of play-based learning was a new one for her. Today, Amber guides other teachers who are starting out on their own transformation to become play-based early childhood educators. As the Cream City teacher, on both her blog and on Instagram, Amber focuses on helping pre-K and kindergarten teachers lean into purposeful play in their own classrooms.
01:10
You can find this episode’s show notes, which are always full of links, tidbits and resources, at notjustcutecom. Forward slash podcast. Forward slash episode 76. Before we jump in, a quick reminder that, as we start a new school year, this is the perfect time to share more about the importance of play through the why we Play letters. You can check them out and grab a free sample letter by going to notjustcutecom forward slash why we play. As I’ve said over and over, people don’t value what they don’t understand, so let’s do our best to help others understand and value play. The why we Play letters were written to help you do just that. Grab your sample letter today at notjustcutecom forward slash whyweplay.
02:02
I had so much fun talking with Amber for this episode. We’ll get into building a team culture, getting administration and teachers on the same page and the importance of starting right where you are. If you’re interested in starting or continuing a shift towards a more intentional, playful approach in your program, this episode may be just the inspiration you’re looking for. Let’s jump in. Well, amber, I am so excited to have you with us on the podcast today. Thanks for making the time. Thanks for having me, amanda. So you are known online as the Cream City teacher and I didn’t realize that’s because you’re in Milwaukee, right? I didn’t realize it was known as the Cream City.
02:46 – Amber Unger (Guest)
Yes, I live in the Milwaukee area and it’s known as the Cream City because of all the beautiful historic buildings that we have in Milwaukee that were built using Cream City bricks. Oh very cool.
02:59 – Amanda Morgan (Host)
I assumed it had something to do with dairy as well.
03:03 – Amber Unger (Guest)
No, no, but that would be a smart guess. Actually, I never even thought about that.
03:09 – Amanda Morgan (Host)
Well, I’m a dairy farmer’s granddaughter, so that’s where my brain went. Well, I always love to start out by learning a little bit about people’s backgrounds and their pathway that’s taken them through just the many different careers that are in early childhood education. So why don’t you tell us a little bit about what you are doing in early childhood and kind of a little bit about the path that took you there?
03:30 – Amber Unger (Guest)
Sure. So my professional path is somewhat interesting because I did a complete 180. When I went to college to become a teacher, I thought I was going to be a high school Spanish teacher. To become a teacher, I thought it was going to be a high school Spanish teacher. So the whole time I was doing my undergrad work I was dead set on being a high school Spanish teacher. Well, it wasn’t until I completed all of my courses and I started student teaching in middle schools and high schools and I was like I’m not really digging this, maybe I’m not meant to be a teacher, which of course was very discouraging after all the work that I had just put in. And then I was at a job fair and I kind of stumbled upon a kindergarten position and they were really eager to have me on board. But I was like I don’t know kindergarten, but it was at a bilingual school and because I had my bilingual certification, they were really eager to have me join them. So I was like, all right, why not? I’m not really digging middle school and high school, let’s give it a try. And I fell in love with kindergarten and I’ve been with young learners ever since. So it’s just kind of interesting how you know my type A Enneagram.
04:43
One personality thought I was going in this professional path, being kids Spanish education and just I completely turned that around and I’ve worked with kindergarten, first grade, esl, and now I’m in 4K, which is four-year-old kindergarten, and I’ve completed six years in 4K. I’ll be starting my seventh year this fall and we are a full day program and in our school district all of our 4k classes are play-based programs and those are in public schools. So we’re in a public school system in the Milwaukee area and it wasn’t really until I started in the play-based program that my eyes were open to this world of play-based learning. To be completely transparent with you, I didn’t have a good understanding of what play-based learning was, but I knew I loved young children and my new administrator during the interview was really excited to invite me into a school and I just had a good feeling about the school there.
05:53 – Amanda Morgan (Host)
So I just took a risk and I’m like, ok, I’m going to try this out, I’m going to grow as a professional and figure out this whole play-based learning thing and yeah, so that’s where I am now and I love it and you’ve become such a vocal advocate for play-based learning, and so I really love this transformation, because I think it’s indicative not only of what can happen for other educators like yourself that journey of not really understanding it to being fully on board and just one of the biggest advocates but I think also a lot of administrators have a similar path like yours that it’s not uncommon for administrators to come from middle school or high school and then they’re supporting the 4K teachers or the kindergarten teachers, and so I think it’s a pathway that a lot of administrators maybe, hopefully, are taking as well. So can you talk a little bit about what that evolution was like, what it was like to first come into a play-based environment without that background, and then what some of those things were that really sold you on it?
06:58 – Amber Unger (Guest)
Sure, so, just to piggyback off of what you were saying about administration, I mean, I personally have been so fortunate because it was our administration who made the decision to go from this traditional classroom environment to a play-based learning environment. So I’ve had administration at the district level as well as a school level not only supporting it but saying, no, this is our expectation, However, I know I know, However, I do talk to a lot of teachers nationally, but you know across the globe as well, and a lot of teachers say one of their biggest struggles is getting their administration on board, understanding that play is an effective approach to teaching and learning. And, as a matter of fact, I was just talking to someone on Instagram, like yesterday, and she said my administrator is coming from middle school. She doesn’t understand. So I know that that’s a very real problem that educators are facing. Even if they, the teacher, they understand the benefits of play as a method of teaching and learning, it’s difficult, it can be very challenging to implement play when you don’t have administrative support. So, yes, I understand it’s a very large problem.
08:23
As far as the evolution in our particular school district, it’s been a journey, it’s been fun. So I was actually hired because my school district was switching from traditional to play-based. Additionally, they were switching from half day to full day. So it was this big year of change, and so they needed new teachers. They needed additional staff members on board at different schools throughout the school district, and that’s where I came in.
08:58
So you know a few of the teachers that were already in the school district. They had a little bit of a leg up because they had been observing in other school districts, observing what play can look like and what play is looking like in other schools. They had been doing some advanced reading and having advanced conversations, so they had a bit of a jumpstart. But then there were others like me that were sort of hired at the last second and we’re playing catch up. But ultimately all of us were learning together. We’re learning through practice, learning as we were going along, and so it’s definitely been a big evolution, I think.
09:38
For a long time we were trying to make everything in alignment, make everything cohesive, make it look all the same. But and I don’t necessarily want to speak for my entire 4K team district-wide, but I think I’ll speak for myself what I learned through that process is that, even if you’re whether or not you’re using play, as your method of instruction is sort of irrelevant. Every teacher and every classroom is unique and we can’t always force everyone to you know, you can’t always force everybody to do the same thing, it’s just you’re not going to have the results you want. It’s a very frustrating process frustrating process.
10:25 – Amanda Morgan (Host)
I think this is an hits on something that is a common frustration or misconception, because if you’re trying to be play-based or developmentally appropriate, inherent in that is being responsive to the children, and so the children in your classroom and the children in your neighbor’s classroom are going to need or be interested in or drive slightly different things. So even if you’re in alignment philosophically, like you said, you’re not necessarily going to be exactly doing the same thing. You shouldn’t be doing exactly the same things all the time, exactly.
10:51 – Amber Unger (Guest)
And that’s true whether you are a play-based classroom or not. So, and I think about my own personal journey and where I am now versus where I was six years ago. And if I put those two versions of Amber on the same team and said, okay, ready set, go, make everything look cohesive and in alignment, well, that’s not quite possible, because I was a different educator six years ago than I am right now, even if my philosophies were the same. But I had to go through the journey, the process that I’ve been on, in order to understand and know what I do today. So I think our team and then you know again I don’t want to necessarily speak for everyone, but we’ve kind of learned that you can’t force that, that all teachers are on their own journey and we just got to value that and respect that and it is an evolution for everyone.
11:47 – Amanda Morgan (Host)
And it’s just like we do with the children meet them where they are and build from there right that. That’s where the most effective learning is going to happen.
11:56 – Amber Unger (Guest)
Yeah, and that’s a huge part of your unique process is working with each child and each group of children that you have every single year. They’re going to help mold and sculpt you as an educator, and until you go through that and work with those individuals, that change and that growth doesn’t happen.
12:13 – Amanda Morgan (Host)
Mm-hmm. So I’m so interested. I love that you as a team, that it was really a team effort, that you were really building a culture together. So what were some of the things that you did? You mentioned some observations and advanced readings that the team did before you were in there, but what were some of the other things that, even though, like you said, the realization was you couldn’t be in perfect alignment, it does sound like there was a lot of support that you were giving one another and a lot of professional development that was happening as a team. So what were some of those pieces that you felt were really helpful to support this whole team in making that successful transformation to a play-based program? Definitely.
12:51 – Amber Unger (Guest)
One of the things that we’ve done a number of times are book studies. So I think, like my first year, we read Purposeful Play. And then there was another year where we read Planning for Play and Observation. What is the title of that book? Planning for Play, observation and Learning. I think that was one of the other books. And then there was another year where we didn’t all read the same book but we split up into like smaller groups and each group did it like a book study.
13:24
So anyway, yes, that has been really. Those books have been the springboard for really excellent conversations amongst our team and that has caused us to have a lot of great conversation and self-reflection and realizing what’s happening or maybe not happening in other classrooms. So I think that those book studies played a huge role in that process.
13:50 – Amanda Morgan (Host)
I think you hit on it. It’s the book itself that information is great, but it’s the discussions that it sparks and the observation and reflection I think is so powerful. So it’s great to read a book, but to discuss it, to think about it, to apply it, to reflect on your own practice, that’s what makes it really powerful. So as you entered that process and, like you said, you come from primarily this middle school background and then you jump in with and I think the first piece is just what you hit on that you said I’m open to growing as a professional. So I think it’s that openness and that willingness is a big part. But as you jumped into that, that world that wasn’t part of your background, what were some of the pieces or the big light bulb moments that made you realize, oh, this is it, this is the way this works.
14:32 – Amber Unger (Guest)
Um, for me I think that it didn’t come quickly. I’m definitely your typical rule follower, enneagram one like I want to do things, quote the right way and I want to make sure that my administrator approves of what I’m doing, you know. So that’s always just a personal challenge that I’ve had all throughout my life. So it really took some time for me to realize that there’s no right or wrong way to do play per se. There is criteria and guidelines and research that we can tune into and try to apply in our classroom. But, as we’ve discussed, that’s going to look different in every environment, with every teacher, with every group of students. So that took me a really long time to figure out. Like, oh my goodness, there isn’t necessarily a right or wrong way to do this, it’s what works for our students and our school.
15:32
I don’t know, for me it’s definitely more gradual, but and no big aha moments pop into my brain off the top of my head but if anything, I think it’s just you know, as an educator, whether you teach through play or not, you start to see things just kind of trucking along where you can almost step away from the environment and step away from the kids, and it just kind of happens with or without you.
16:01
The momentum is there. Yeah, I think those, those were some big moments where I was like, oh my goodness, okay, this is, this is working. We’re, we’re, we’re doing something good here. Another thing that is really satisfying, I think. Another thing that is really satisfying, I think is when parents come to me and say, oh my goodness, my child is doing this at home, or my child is, you know, saying this to me, or still thinking about what we did in school. They’re still thinking about it at home and they’re able to articulate that experience to their grownups at home. So those are just some really rewarding examples of when it just feels like play is working. Yeah.
16:51 – Amanda Morgan (Host)
And I love seeing your face light up as you talk about that. That’s one of the things in my training. We often talk about that. As people talk about play and for you, teaching with play, our faces light up and I feel like that’s representative of what’s going on in our brains, because our brains light up in play, right, and so I just love I wish everybody could see your face right now as you talk about these experiences.
17:17
And I also love that you mentioned because I can be a little bit of a rule follower too, and so I love that you mentioned this realization that there isn’t a right way or wrong way. But you also mentioned there is criteria, there are principles, there are elements, and I think that’s an important thing for people to realize too, especially for those who are holding on to the right way of doing things, to realize that it doesn’t mean just letting go and it’s laissez-faire and whatever, that it’s still very intentional and there are still elements and principles and things that are intentionally being brought into that effort, that it’s not just anything goes, but you’re still very aware of those pieces that are important to have, absolutely, I really feel I really, I really, I really feel discouraged when I when I hear other educators who have extremely radical stances on play-based learning.
18:06 – Amber Unger (Guest)
Because, as someone like me six years ago, that can almost shut a teacher down out of fear of not doing it correctly. Right. So I never want to be that person that says, oh, this is the way play has to look, because other teachers who might be interested in play or starting to dabble or wonder about it might hear me say, oh, play has to be like this, and go, oh, my gosh, I don’t know, I can’t do that. That’s not me, that wouldn’t work at our school. Forget it, play’s not for me. You know, I never want a teacher to feel that way, and so that’s why I say there isn’t necessarily a right or wrong way to do it. You just got to kind of get started and learn and grow from there.
18:50 – Amanda Morgan (Host)
I think that’s so important. I’m so glad you brought that up. The other thing I was interested for you in particular because you are at a public program that I think there are some unique challenges within that, within public programs of establishing a culture of play. Are there some specific challenges that you’ve seen or that you’ve seen with the other educators that you’ve worked with who are in public programs, and what are some of the ways that you have been able to, or that you’ve been able to help others to overcome some of those unique challenges to public preschools?
19:22 – Amber Unger (Guest)
Sure, we do have a lot of challenges in public schools. One of the challenges that I personally experienced that I know other teachers also experience because they’ve reached out to me about it is a lack of resources. Now, this is a conversation we can go on and on about. We can have a whole podcast episode about this, but for me personally, I was so ecstatic to be hired into this 4K play-based program. However, when I walked into my classroom the first time, it was quite literally empty and I knew that students would be walking in that door in a month. So that was terrifying for me. You know, I’m just I’m just beginning my play journey and I walk into this empty classroom. There was nothing there but tables and chairs, a few leftover items that the teacher you know before me had to, you know, still move out, and I kind of laugh now because there wasn’t even a sink. It was like open piping, uh-huh, oh, my goodness, I have students in a month. So, and like I said, I do hear other teachers talk about a lack of resources or a lack of funds to get the most appropriate resources for their students. So I just wanted to preface this by saying yep, and they’re done. That, you know, but it can be done, and so what I often like to tell teachers is just, first of all, start with what you already have. So, for example, maybe you have an abundance of puzzles, whether they’re puzzles in your classroom or puzzles in your basement that your own children aren’t playing with anymore, or maybe even puzzles that you can pick up at Goodwill for you know a buck. Hey, maybe then you have a puzzle center. Right, that’s better than nothing. Or one of the things that I love to do is put a message out on social media. On Facebook, for example, I just messaged my friends and family I did this the summer that I was hired. I said hey, I’m really excited, I was just hired as a new 4K teacher in a play-based classroom. We could really use some support. If you are cleaning out your toy rooms or your basements this summer and you’re looking to get rid of things, please shoot me a message before making a run to Goodwill or Salvation Army.
21:53
I would welcome any materials with open arms. Salvation Army, I would welcome any materials with open arms, and that really made a big difference in getting materials right off the bat. Something else I like to remind teachers of is that materials don’t necessarily need to cost you any money at all. You can use recyclables. For example, our maker space in our classroom is primarily filled with boxes and toilet paper, tubes and scrap paper just packaging parts, kleenex boxes, bottle caps, you name it. That is primarily what our makerspaces and of course, we have scissors and glue, sticks and tape and things in there as well, but right there you can have a makerspace or an art center with minimal cost. So I just like to remind teachers that you can get started without spending much money at all. So but yeah, that is definitely one of the biggest challenges that I faced. Getting started was limited materials, and I think that a lot of teachers face as well.
23:07 – Amanda Morgan (Host)
And I think that that ties into what you said before, that we have to be careful about having this standard that feels really intimidating and unattainable for new teachers or teachers who are new to play-based teaching. That the same goes with our materials, right, if we have this idea that everything should look perfect and should have these. There are so many amazing, wonderful resources we would love to have but that it’s okay if you don’t. I mean, it’s wonderful to have this amazing, beautiful sensory table, but I used a sensory bin more often than a sensory table, just because of the resources I had. Right, so it was just a storage bin, but it gives them the same experience.
23:44
And, like you said, it’s wonderful to buy these beautiful loose parts in collections, but you can make loose part collections and the children love to participate, right? I’m sure they’re bringing you in these recyclables. We called it beautiful junk at the lab school that I worked at. I loved that name, but then I think it’s this great reminder that, while there are amazing resources and we would wish for every program to have access to whatever resources they deemed were best to not let that be a barrier to getting started that really simple, accessible can can make a difference and that you can open up to your community. They’re willing to help and share with that as well.
24:22 – Amber Unger (Guest)
For sure same with our sensory table as well. We my classroom didn’t have a sensory table, so I asked my dad to grab some, two by fours, and I grabbed a like a big tub from Home Depot, I think and we found some directions on the internet and, with the help of my father, we just slapped together a sensory table. And guess what? We’re still using it today and I actually like our sensory table a lot better than one that we would have bought from a big box company, because it’s like just the right height, just the right dimensions for the space in our classroom. I’m not stuck with this sensory table that’s too wide, too tall, too skinny, too whatever. We made it tailored to fit our classroom and our students. So I love our sensory table. I’m not getting rid of it anytime soon, but I mean, at the time I thought that I was just like, oh, I just need something in a pinch, but in the long run it’s worked out better than anything we could have bought out of a magazine or online.
25:29 – Amanda Morgan (Host)
I love that and I just think it’s so representative of what children do in a play-based classroom. Right that we work the problem. You have ideas and you’re creative and you run into roadblocks and you figure out how to overcome them, and I think it’s whether we realize it or not. I think we’re modeling that all of the time as we’re creating our classroom together with our children. Absolutely so. You now mentor other teachers who want to bring more play into their classrooms. We’ve talked a little bit about that, but I’m curious if, as you’ve done that work, if there are some other things that we haven’t mentioned yet that you’re recognizing are some of the most common questions or some of the most common misconceptions around play-based learning. For those who are maybe fresh, new to that perspective, what are some of the things they’re coming to you with?
26:16 – Amber Unger (Guest)
Sure, I love getting questions from teachers because it really gives me some insight into what’s happening in other classrooms, and I’m one of those people that loves visiting other classrooms and seeing what’s going on, so love the questions that I get. One of the common questions that I hear often is about structure and organization. You know, I remember there was one question in particular that was like okay, okay, okay, I get giving students voice and choice, but what about structure, organization and time? And it’s kind of funny because anyone that knows me really well knows that I don’t know how to function without structure and organization. My parents like to playfully tease me when I was little, you know I was the girl that organized her books and, you know, organized my doll, clothes and all of that. I don’t know how to be unorganized.
27:16
So, yes, our play-based classroom is very organized and very structured. Just because you are a play-based, you identify as a play-based classroom, doesn’t mean that there’s chaos. So I think that I just would like to put that out there that you can still have structure and organization in your classroom if you are a play-based classroom and that is done through consistent routines and explicitly teaching routines and procedures, just like you would do if you weren’t a play-based classroom. So just because you decide to teach through play all of a sudden doesn’t mean that you go well, forget, forget structure, forget organization. No, that’s not the case at all. You still hold your students’ hands and walk them through what that looks like in your classroom, just the way you would do if you weren’t teaching through play. So I think that’s one of the biggest misconceptions that I like to sort of debunk.
28:16 – Amanda Morgan (Host)
Yeah, and I think that having that structure, having boundaries, I always teach that children make choices within the boundaries that we set, and when we set really clear boundaries, that’s what makes it possible for them to make successful choices. And so it really, when you’re talking about voice and choice that actually works better within the structure of boundaries and organization, that they actually work together, not against each other.
28:38 – Amber Unger (Guest)
Oh my goodness, I could not agree with this even more, like I couldn’t agree with even more, amanda. I think students, when they feel comfortable and confident within the structure that frees them up to have deeper play and really focus on the learning that’s happening, versus like being tugged in so many different directions Absolutely yes, I agree.
29:06 – Amanda Morgan (Host)
So are there others, any other big ideas and questions and misconceptions that you wanted to address?
29:11 – Amber Unger (Guest)
Yes, yeah, a lot of people ask about schedules, daily schedules, daily lesson plans, weekly schedules, scope and sequences, and these are all legitimate questions, right. We as educators want to make sure we’re quote doing it right. Like I mentioned earlier, I get that. However, what I’ve learned in the last six years is that even if I had a scope and sequence to hand over to another educator, it doesn’t mean that scope and sequence is going to work for you, amanda, or for you, know, jessica, down the hall or whomever, because it’s really what we do in a play-based classroom is really dependent on the interests and needs of our students every single year and that changes. That’s not going to be the same year after year.
30:03
I was kind of laughing because not laughing, but I was kind of we were kind of chuckling because one of my colleagues this year said she goes, Amber, you didn’t really do any lessons on like building, play stamina this year, and I said no, because it wasn’t really necessary. You know we didn’t have students saying I don’t know what to do or what do I do with these materials or I’m bored. We didn’t. While we’ve heard those comments from some students in the past and we would teach into that, we didn’t really hear that much this year. So I didn’t feel a need to teach my students how to build their play stamina. They had already just sort of naturally developed it. So that’s just an example of how, with each group of students, what you do, what you teach into during that play is good, is going to vary depending on their, their needs.
30:58
So, um, that’s why I don’t really. I mean, I could tell a teacher, sure, I have like a very loose plan, but there isn’t like this strict scope and sequence that I follow. But I do get a lot of questions around that and teachers do ask do you have a required curriculum that you’re required to follow? We in our school district, in our 4k program, we follow I shouldn’t say we follow we use the Wisconsin Model Early Learning Standards as goalposts, as guidelines, but we do not have like a boxed curriculum that we’re required to follow. So I feel very blessed to have that freedom to follow my students’ interests and needs and tailor our instruction based on that, and we don’t necessarily have those requirements. But again, those are questions that I get from teachers and I think, especially in a public setting.
31:54 – Amanda Morgan (Host)
I can see why in a public setting, teachers are more concerned with, like you said, doing it right, meeting those benchmarks, meeting those checkmarks and the curriculum. You’re very aware of those things that create sort of a not really, I guess, a boundary or a guideline, but then you can make choices within that to recognize what is actually necessary. How do we approach it? This year that may be different from last year, what isn’t even really an issue this year? And so I’m aware you’re very aware of play stamina, but then you just look at your children in front of you and recognize that it’s not a need this year. So I think there’s a lot of similarities there, that that, all of those resources, you’re aware of them and you know, you know the ideas of scope and sequence. You have that general outline and idea, but then actually establishing what is necessary for these children becomes very responsive and personal to them. So it’s that having that structure first and then making choices that give you that freedom, I think is that perfect balance.
33:03 – Amber Unger (Guest)
Absolutely, and I think too, when we have the freedom to focus on these like goalposts versus a required curriculum, we’re really able to focus on the goals themselves and not the curriculum, if that makes sense. So, for example, when I’m, when I’m choosing materials for a play invitation or we’re setting up a play space, I can really be reflective of, okay, what goals or standards on our Wisconsin Metal Early Learning Standards can we bring into this play experience Versus what is my required curriculum teacher text tell me to do this week. So I think that not having that gives us the freedom to really be purposeful about the play spaces that we set up.
33:56 – Amanda Morgan (Host)
Yeah, that’s a really good point. It really frees you up to teach the children and not just teach a curriculum. Right, you’re not just following a script, but you’re really meeting the goals with the children in mind, which is so much more effective. Well, you’ve got my brain turning on so many other things. We’re going to have to have another conversation, because I can already see there’s other things we’re going to need to talk about. But before I let you go, I want to make sure that I give you a chance to let people know where to find you or make them aware of any other resources that you’ve been working on that people might be looking for.
34:25 – Amber Unger (Guest)
Thanks, Amanda. I do have a website. It’s creamcityteachercom and everything is housed there. I hang out on Instagram every day. I shouldn’t admit that, but I’m on Instagram every day.
34:38
So that’s Cream City Teacher, with underscores between the words Cream City Teacher, and I am really excited to say that I am working on a course that is specifically around launching and implementing play workshop in classrooms and that should be out by the end of the month, and so if teachers are interested in that, they can go to creamcityteachercom slash course and they will be able to get details on the course when it becomes available.
35:08 – Amanda Morgan (Host)
That’s fantastic, and so they can go now and get on the wait list if they’re interested, and then, hopefully by the end of July, is what you’re shooting for. Yes, ma’am, awesome, very exciting. Well, thank you, amber, so much for what you’re doing and for the ways that you’re helping early childhood educators, and thanks for talking with me today. Thanks for having me, amanda. Thanks again for listening to Not Just Cute, the podcast. You can find show notes at notjustcutecom. Forward slash podcast. Forward slash, episode 76. There you’ll find links to Amber’s site and course, as well as other tidbits I know you’ll love. You can also hit up the show notes for a link to the why we play letters.
35:46
Head to not just cute dot com. Forward slash podcast. Forward slash, episode 76. Or go straight to not just cutecom forward slash why we play to get signed up and download your free sample letter. I’m Amanda Morgan. You can read more on my blog and sign up for the not just cute newsletter at not just cutecom. You can also stay tuned for social media updates on Instagram by following me at Amanda underscore. Underscore not just cute. Thanks for listening today and, as always, thank you for standing up for children and for childhood.
