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PRE-K UPDATE
OCTOBER 3, 2019
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Here's the latest news from The Long Island Pre-K Initiative, your source for
expert training and useful resources:
www.nassauboces.org/pre-k
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Is an "extinction of experience" threatening kids' ability to care about the living things around them?
When researchers asked 2,759 North Carolina schoolchildren about their opinions of various animals, some of the results were surprising. For one thing, except for dogs and
cats, their favorite animals were exotics--pandas, monkeys and lions, for example, who would only be encountered on screens or in zoos. For another, they didn't like local animals much, disliking creatures like skunks, coyotes and bats. "The students were also creeped out by invertebrates, reptiles and fish," reported an article about the research in Anthropocene magazine. These attitudes could be the result of what is being called the "extinction of experience"--that is, kids substituting time with screens for hours spent outdoors with "an everyday connection to nature."
Why does this matter? "People tend to care about and invest in what they know," say the researchers. So if there's a disconnect between children and wildlife, there may be a negative impact on conservation efforts in the future. "...educational and recreational programs that focus on local, everyday species are important. Just noticing plants and animals on the way to school can go a long way, and citizen science programs can help nourish famliarity." Read more.
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How to take students on a "micro hike" to study nature
"Shrink your students down to the size of a bug and send them off on a miniature hike across the school grounds." That's the basis of a lesson idea offered as a resource for Outdoor Classroom Day, an international event that takes place this year on Thursday, November 7 and again on Thursday, May 21, 2020.
The micro hike calls for marking off a small section of grassy space, and asking students to pretend they are only the size of a thumbnail and have very short legs. What do they see? What types of small creatures live near your school?
Outdoor Classroom Day was organized to spread the word that spending time outdoors is important for children's development. According to its website, more than 19,000 schools, world wide, are officially taking part this year.
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Want to help kids learn more easily? Add more movement to the school day
You can add neuroscientist Wendy Suzuki to the growing chorus of voices advocating for more recess and more movement at school. Based on her own experiences, she switched her field of research from memory to focus on the cognitive benefits of
exercise instead. Recently, she told California Public Media that "exercise is the most transformative thing you can do for your brain."
A professor at NYU, Suzuki says that exercise stimulates the growth of new neurons and increases levels of chemicals in the brain that support feelings of emotional well-being and improve the response to stress. In other words, when kids run around at recess, "...their brains are getting a bubble bath of good neurochemicals, neurotransmitters and endorphins. These help memory and mood. A simple burst of exercise helps students focus better--to filter out what they do and do not need to pay attention to."
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"Super Saturday" -- take advantage of this unique professional development opportunity for early educators
Date: Saturday, October 26, 2019
Time: 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
Place: Nassau BOCES Administrative Center, Garden City
Credit: 6 hours
Keynote: Alvin Irby, founder of Barbershop Books, a literacy program that creates child-friendly reading spaces in barbershops and provides early literacy training to barbers.
A dozen workshops: Range from classroom management to parent communication to mandated CACFP (Child and Adult Care Food Program) training...and more.
Click here to view the brochure with workshop descriptions and registration details.
Sponsored by the Child Care Council of Nassau, Inc. and The Long Island Pre-K Initiative
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Last chance to register for free Kindergarten Transition Summits
Date: Monday, October 7, 2019
Place: Eastern Suffolk BOCES Instructional Support Center at Sequoya, Holtsville
Time: 8:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. (continental breakfast included)
Date: Friday October 11, 2019
Place: Western Suffolk BOCES Conference Center, Wyandanch
Time: 8:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. (continental breakfast included)
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About Us
The Long Island Pre-K Initiative is a grant-funded project that seeks to strengthen partnerships between school districts and community-based organizations and to share information about research, policy and best practices for early learning. Administered by Nassau BOCES, it is supported with expertise from The Early Years Institute and funds from the Rauch and Hagedorn Foundations. Our partners: Eastern Suffolk BOCES, Western Suffolk BOCES, and the Child Care Councils of Nassau and Suffolk.
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NASSAU BOCES DEPARTMENT OF STRATEGIC INITIATIVES
71 Clinton Road, Garden City, NY 11530-9195
Phone: (516) 396-2220 Fax: (516)-396-2355
www.nassauboces.org
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