NEW! Indigenous Learning Series Inspired Minds ECC is excited to announce our brand new learning opportunity "Indigenous Learning Series" for early childhood educators. Inspired Minds ECC is pleased to welcome our guest presenter for these sessions, Sherry Duncan, as she shares with us her vast knowledge and experiences of Indigenous ways of knowing and being […]
Celebrating the Good Times! Understanding the Anti-Biased Approach to Celebrations in Early Learning Environments Celebrations! Holidays! Traditions! Celebrations in the early learning years are full of excitement, joy, and play. However, they can also be overwhelming, exclusive, and difficult for children if we don't consider the meaning and relevance of these holidays for children and […]
Inspiring Curiosity to Play: Creating Invitations and Provocations to Play! How do we create an environment that extends children's natural curiosity and interests in the classroom? How can we introduce new ideas, based on our observations and our understanding of possibilities for children? What activities can we do that promote play? Rooted in the emergent […]
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 […]
Storytime Success: Building Relationships, Community and Memories Through Storytelling Creating memories while reading stories together is one of the most impactful experiences for young children. It sparks the imagination, builds literacy skills, and promotes a positive learning space. The biggest benefit for me... is the bond we create with children when we engage in storytelling. […]
Building Stronger Teams Together: Effective Team Communication in Early Childhood Programs Your team is the heart of your early childhood program. Strong teams build each other up, value each other's strengths and collaborate to reach goals. We establish professional friendships and learn and grow together. Building a strong team, though, takes time, intentionality and vision. […]
The Journey of Learning: Reflective Practices of an Early Childhood Professional One of the most impactful strategies I have learned as an early childhood educator is how to reflect on my practices. This is not something I did much of in my early years as an educator. After all, I was simply trying to survive […]
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 […]
The Magic of Loose Parts: Promoting Play with Loose Parts Loose Parts! The possibilities are endless when we arrange loose parts (open-ended) materials for children to explore. Remember the possibilities of a cardboard box?! Was it a den? A spaceship? Or a 3D canvas to paint and draw on? The possibilities are endless! Join me […]
The Me, The You, The We: Facilitating Social Emotional Learning Feelings! Feelings! And more Feelings! The everyday struggle of identifying and understanding big emotions is a tough gig for young children. It’s all so hard! But with the right positive support and environment, children can thrive and build the skills required to manage these big […]
