Exploring Hygge! Creating Spaces that Foster Happiness, a Sense Belonging, and Togetherness Hygge. A Danish term that encompasses a way of living that promotes happiness, joy, coziness, and a sense of belonging. Does this sound familiar? It’s similar to what we want children to feel and experience when they walk into our early childhood spaces. […]
Managing Stress: Finding Balance at Work and in Life Managing stress is not an easy task for many early childhood educators. We invest our heart, minds and bodies in what we do as professionals and often take things home with us. Not only the material 'to-do' list, but also the emotional 'to do' list. How […]
Curiosity and Wonder of Heuristic Play and Treasure Baskets: Infant and Toddler Play Explorations Infants and Toddles explore the world around them with awe and wonder. They explore with a zest for curiosity and exploration. They deserve an environment that supports this natural process of learning. They deserve Play! Creating responsive environments for infants and […]
Rocks and Sticks and Wonderful Things! Creative Outdoor Play Experiences for Young Children Let's Get Outside and Play! We just don't seem to hear or see that too much anymore. What happened to connecting with the world around us in a hands-on way, instead of looking at it on a screen? Do you know the […]
Active Listening: Surviving Difficult Conversations with Positive Outcomes Conflict. Disagreements. Tension. People. Adults. A common communication barrier for many early childhood educators is how to address conflict in the workplace, between co-workers and with families. This is not an easy task and takes time, intentionality and practice. Effective communication is key to developing a positive workplace […]
What A Wonderful World! Culturally Diverse Practices in Child Care The world is full of adventure, possibilities and play! Our children and families come to us with different play experiences, backgrounds, traditions, cultures and values. Learning and understanding how children see culture is an important part of being a citizen in our communities. In this […]
Beautiful Minds! Caring for Children with Neurodiversity Our brains all function slightly differently. Some of us are great with numbers, while others are great artists or sports players. As our brains grow and develop, we may notice that some brains are wired differently, and different strengths and behaviors emerge. Children who are neurodivergent grow just […]
Creating Magical Spaces! Inspiring Early Childhood Environments Creating a space that promotes curiosity, exploration, discovery and play is a complex task. Trends change over time...so what's the latest and greatest in creating an environment that truly captures the image of the child and children's play? It's a setting that focuses on the child, creates a […]
Caring Connections: Interactions that Matter The comfort of an encouraging smile. The caring reassurance after a fight with a friend. The excitement of co-celebration as they discovery a new skill. How we interact with children has a huge impact on children's growth and development, not only their social emotional development, but also in their abilities […]
Tinkering and Toying with STEM: Exploration and Discovery Through STEM, STEAM & STREAM STEM - Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math; STEAM - Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, and Math; STREAM - Science, Technology, Reading, Engineering, Arts, and Math. Regardless of your acronym, STEM activities are bound to be a hit with children as they encourage problem-solving, […]
