Field trips stopped when the pandemic began. Some programs have never allowed them. Join Cindy and Alison to learn about the value of field trips and how they help children to build skills. Help us bring field trips back and to all early learners!
Did you know your classroom books should be mirrors, windows, and sliding doors? Join Cindy and Alison to learn what this means and what to look for in your classroom and school libraries.
When families discover that their child's teacher or the administration has changed, panic can set in. Join Cindy and Alison to discuss why this change can be good, what it can teach children, and how professionals might prevent that reaction from families.
Did you know that there are game-based assessments that could take the bias out of determining children's learning and progress? Join Cindy and Alison for a frank discussion about this new way of monitoring children's skills and how it might replace or complement what we are doing now.
Join Cindy and Alison to hear some tips for first-year teachers that can really work for anyone heading into a new school year. Listen and share with the first-year teachers in your life!
Have you heard of small teaching? Are you already doing this but didn't know? Cindy and Alison discuss this method for planning and introducing topics to young children.
When we hear people are not nice, we tend to believe it. When we hear people are nice, we tend to doubt it. Cindy and Alison discuss the possibility of both stranger danger and the possibility of nice people co-existing for young children.
In honor of the Barbie movie's record-breaking release, Cindy and Alison dedicate an episode to the messages girls in the preschool years need to get from their teachers and families. We don't discuss the Barbie movie plot, and we don't have to in order to think about being a girl in today's world.
How can we ensure that all children will be able to learn the same ideas and be able to express them? Universal design! Join Cindy and Alison to learn what this looks like in early childhood settings.
Did you know that mind-wandering can be intentional and unintentional? Did you know that mind-wandering can be beneficial or detrimental? Join Cindy and Alison for a discussion about mind-wandering and young children.
We tell children to pay attention as if that is a simple thing to do. Cindy and Alison discuss the components of paying attention and all the steps we take that can be easily derailed.
Children are used to technology giving them answers and those answers being correct. Join Cindy and Alison to discuss experiments being done related to children's experiences with humans, technology, and correctness.
Did you know that 1 in 6 children with autism are expelled from early childhood programs? Join Cindy and Alison to discuss why and what we can do about that.
Do you know how much sleep children need at different ages? Do you have a routine to help children settle down and sleep? Join Cindy and Alison for an episode filled with information about young children and sleep habits.
It's summertime, and there is no better time to discuss the importance of sand play! Join Cindy and Alison to learn some benefits of sand play that you may not have realized and get tips for keeping that sand as hygienic and insect free as possible.
It's fun to make children laugh, AND it is educational! Cindy and Alison discuss why children find different types of jokes funny at different ages and how it helps them to build understandings.
"Stop being silly." "You will be fine." "That's not a big deal." Did you grow up receiving these messages in the face of your emotions? We know better today! Join Cindy and Alison to discuss taking children seriously and supporting them as their social-emotional and cognitive skills take root.
Many of us have heard of cultural responsiveness and cultural competence. Less known is the practice of cultural humility. Join Cindy and Alison to discover cultural humility and why it enables you to be more responsive and culturally competent.
With so much focus on literacy and math, what learning opportunities are lost? Join Cindy and Alison for a discussion about the other areas of learning and how they benefit children.
Once again, there are articles discussing pandemic learning loss and proposals to not have summer break. Join Cindy and Alison for a discussion about what children lose by not having breaks or summer programs that focus on socialization.
The expectations of teachers in early education have changed drastically. Today's college and credential students may have expectations of job responsibilities that current staff did not have at the start or even middle of their careers. Cindy and Alison discuss how this gap started and what we might need to do now.
When we think about collecting information about children's progress, we often focus on anecdotal notes and running records. Join Cindy and Alison to discuss processes that could be equally valuable - interest inventories and child interviews.
Much like there are great movies no one is watching, there are very interesting children no one is noticing. Our lives and their lives can be enriched by fostering connections with them. Join Cindy and Alison for a discussion about the children who are growing up in the shade.
Why do we only teach children sign language when they don't yet have language skills or for specific situations? Cindy and Alison discuss the benefits of teaching conversational sign language to all.
Do you worry about going to the doctor? Do you have a fear of seeking help for medical issues? That perspective on going to the doctor may have been set up during your early childhood years. Join Cindy and Alison for a discussion about helping children see doctors as a resource instead of as a threat.
Have you ever stumbled upon a page in a favorite older children's book and realized you should not read that to the children? Join Cindy and Alison for a discussion about what they stumbled upon that might not be good for the emotional well-being of young children.
If we were taught how to reflect intentionally and have a gratitude practice when we were young, it would be a part of who we are as adults. Cindy and Alison discuss how to have intentional conversations with children that help them remember, think about experiences, and be grateful for the good in their lives.
Three years ago, Cindy and Alison discussed the need for more men in early education settings. It is now 2023, and the issue seems to not be improving. We can do better than this, Preschool Peeps! During this discussion, consider ways to bring attention to discrimination against men in the early education field.
Sometimes, we need to be willing to unlearn practices or ideas we have held onto for a very long time. Soon it will be spring - a perfect time for unlearning! Join Cindy and Alison for this discussion about facing the unlearning.
Should families know up-front that we will let the children pick whatever dress-up clothes or roles they want during free play? Is it time to be proactive and have policies that state that we don't put children in gender boxes when they are playing? Join Cindy and Alison for a discussion about this important topic.
