Mike leads a discussion about environments that support children when they are upset. Some children will need "caves" while others need "treehouses." Tom observes that children can also create their own spaces for regulation within the classroom. Ross wonders, can you have a treehouse in a cave?
Do children have the right to relax? How do we set the atmosphere to allow for relaxation? Does it work when we tell children, "I need you to relax"? Maybe we all need to learn how to play the ukele so we have something to do while children play.
A garden gleaning results in thrilling play experiences in Joey's classroom. If squash and potatoes can be this exciting, what other ways can we include real experiences for children? Tom recalls logs and leaves in the sensory table and Mike shares a story of a piano in the play yard. Ross reminds us that offering real tools and authentic materials provides a chance to build trust with children.
Get ready to feel smart as Tom teaches us the science behind cute aggression. How does the urge to squeeze something cute help us stay regulated? Mike is reminded of favorite books that depict this dimorphous emotion--from the Where the Wild Things Are to More, More, More Said the Baby. Mike and Ross show off their brain chemistry knowledge. Perhaps cute aggression also has a role to play in rough and tumble play between friends.
Depsite our goal to create communities where everyone helps, sometimes offers of help can create conflict in the classrrom. Ross shares a recent example during block clean up. Mike has seen "help" with puzzle assembly lead to similar conflicts. Thinking of ways that we do (and don't) like to receive help in our own work can give some insights. Joey wonders if the word "help" leaves things too open ended sometimes. As we support children in building their skills to do hard things, we need to also...
Mike taps into his knowledge of Latin for a conversation about emotion, which at the root means "moving out." What do we do when emotions move children in the classroom? We can take on the role of "inner voice" and guide childrens' responses to their feelings. Sometimes words get in the way and the thing to do is give time and space for feelings. We also come with our own emotions, which can complicate things. The onion metaphor is resurrected, and in the center we find children's feelings....
In the final installment of the conversation with That Early Childhood Nerd, talk turns to care at the center of teaching practice. We are working to build communities that show care for one another--teachers and children. The hope is that our work inspires people waiting on airport lines at some future time--they will be kind and helpful! Ross searches for his trademark metaphor and future sponsor....
The conversation with Heather Bernt-Santy from That Early Childhood Nerd picks up from last time. The group reminisces acout learning from Tom's classic video clips before returning to the topic of honoring childhood. How do we honor the child who is not like everyone else? Where do nurture and care fit in when we are often so focused on teaching and learning?
That Early Childhood Nerd (aka Heather Bernt-Santy) takes over the discussion. She kicks things off with a Raffi quote that leads to a conversation of how adults so easily forget what it's like to be a child who needs to move . Tom talks about how he and Mike first met. Heather shares a pet peeve, and we reflect on what different lenses see in terms of movement, learning, and teaching. What does it look like when children are learning vs. when adults are teaching? More to come next week! More ab...
Children often enact "tiny beautiful celebrations" where they express joy by hugging and piling up together. Tom has even noticed adults doing the same thing when they celebrate a sporting win. Big emotions elicit big movements. We see it every day in our classrooms as children create these joyous piles.
It's back to school season! Travel back in time to 2020 (still too soon?), when distance learning was a new invention and we were trying to make sense of it all. While school is more or less back to normal, the questions are still worth asking. Ross wants to talk paradigm shift. What lessons will we learn from the current disruption to our educational system? Joey asks the dangerous question, why school? Tom advocates for the privilege of being at school. Everyone agrees that it's the COMMUNITY ...
For our 300th episode celebration, we answer listener questions (and a few of our own). Learn about Mike practicing magic on his baby sister, Tom's three years in Hungary, Joey's run-ins with head lice, and Ross's dreams of being a professional skateboarder.
Tom invites us to take a closer look at what we mean when we talk broadly about "development." Developmental expectations can easily transform into standards of performance. What is the impact on the individual child? Are we trying to make all kids the same?
The trouble is that kids get in trouble for moving. Perhaps the problem comes from us due to poorly designed spaces and unreasonable expectations.
At the top of a steep and slippery hill, Joey had the chance to reflect on how children know what they need even if they can't always say it. When you provide opportunties to do what they need, they will show you how capable they are. It all makes Mike think of Ernest Hemingway.
Mike invites the group to shares stories from the classroom when things did not go to plan. Listen to find out more about preschool runaways, decapitated bears, and gathering coins to buy "whiskey."
With summer in full swing, Joey wants to talk aboout children's foraging for berries and other tasty things. When we trust children's ability to meet their self-care needs in foraging, we can see how capable and competent they are. It's a whole body and mind practice as children rely on their executive function skills and experience immersive sensory input. Tom's grandchildren have been teaching him what to look for on neighborhood walks. Mike knows that tasty plants can be found even in urban e...
Tom had some time to catch up on his reading while he was away. He's back and ready to talk about spinning and the importance of vestibular development. Children find all kinds of ways to spin, such as twirling, rolling, somersaulting, and doing cartwheels. All this spinning is essential to developing the vesitibular system and--the hardest task of all--the ability to sit still. To support this growth, we need to provide spaces where children can spin and calibrate their senses. (Tom ran out of ...
Children need to run. It's a way for them to express joy and excitement, feel powerful, tap into energy, and explore their environment. Since children need to run--and love to run--adults should want them to run. How can we provide for this basic need and source of joy for children? (Originally released April 2022)
Joey returns to Ross's favorite theme of disappointment, failure, and the illusion of perfection. If children are always told that they are correct, then everyone else must be wrong. The implications are not great in a world where everyone makes mistakes.
Sometimes children are overwhelmed by choices and may struggle to get going in very open-ended, play based settings. What is the adult's role? Mike sees adults as the bridge to engagement. This bridge can lead to a highway where children need help navigating the on ramp to play. From there, children need to learn the rules of the road. We promise, it's not all metaphor as we talk about strategies for supporting children in connecting through play.
Ross wants to talk about navigating transitions. As the school year comes to a close, we often notice a ramp up in children's (and adults') level of dysregulation. How do we support children and teach the skills for managing the many inevitable changes of life? We talk about what is staying the same alongside what will be different...we practice rituals for saying goodbye...we involve children in concrete actions, such as cleaning, giving mementos...we engage in rituals that encourage reflection...
While we're on a brief recording break, enjoy this episode from the archive: Inspired by Stephen J. Smith from his book Risk and Our Pedagogical Relation to Children , Tom asks the group to consider the idea of silently observing children's movements as "reading their actions as they're being written." What more would we learn about children if we watch in silence and listen instead of always talking? (recorded November 2018)
Mike leads us into a discussion about the importance of connection. Social connection is how children get through the hard things...Connections build resilience...Children are always looking for connection...All play is social and all learning is social...We're wired to learn from the group so why is assessment still tied to individual achievements...Shout outs to: Vygotsky, Gilligan and Usain Bolt...The most important job of teachers is to be there.
Joey wants to talk about the idea of emotional strength. How do we support children in building inner strength without making assumptions about what they can handle? Mike reminds us that stress--in the right amount--supports growth. Tom shares the experiences of listening to children and being an advocate for their feelings. We need to watch out for accidentally giving the message that being "strong" means you don't feel sadness. Ross advocates for expanding children's (and everyone's) emotional...
What is lost when adults let children win at all the games? Ross worries that it gives children the false sense that they can never lose. How do you keep games fun when the skill set is mismatched?... Do kids know what is happening when adults let them win?... Letting children win can be a form of power reversal play... It can be disrespectful when adults check out of the play and let children win... There is a level of challenge needed to make a game fun, motiviating, and to increase your skill...
Monkey piles, piggy piles, "pile on"--Tom has noticed that children often pile up together. This physical play provides close contact and a little unpredictability. What other needs are met in piling up?
The conversation about environment wasn't quite finished. Joey, Mike and Tom continue to work their way through the jargon in search of more practical and meaningful language.
Mike invites us to unpack the term environment as it is used in the field of early childhood. Does emphasis on "creating the environment" overlook the fact that you are in a specific place that already exists? Does it take into account the children and people who inhabit the space? How can we avoid fighting against the place we are in?
How can we give children chances to explore space (and the feeling of having a lot of it)? Spending time outdoors is one of the best ways. Inside, perhaps children can experience a feeling of being in a separate space under a table. Spending time alone in an empty classroom can also tap into an expansive feeling. As Tom sums it up, it is an awesome experience "exist in the expanse."
