 |
The Long Island Pre-K Initiative is proud to be part of Long Island's Regional Technical Assistance Center for Pre-K and Early Education (LI-RTAC). Visit its web page for links to all partner organizations. Many have important COVID-19-related resources to offer: www.nassauboces.org/rtac
|
It's finally warming up on Long Island. Here are some ways to get kids learning outdoors--birds, bugs and barefoot
Watching the backyard birds
is a fun activity that kids can do from the safety of their own homes. The folks at Read Brightly have assembled a
free activity kit
that includes printable coloring sheets, instructions on making a plastic bottle feeder and--of course--a book recommendation,
Crazy for Birds
by Misha Maynerick Blaise.
Building a "bug hotel" may be a new idea for those who are a little uneasy about insects, but it's a great project for at-home learning. Creating a home for snails, ants or ladybugs can help children discover that they're a really important part of our ecosystem, and even promote understanding of life cycles. Plus, it's fun!
Nat Geo Kids offers a very simple approach to "making a home for bug buddies" that uses an empty plastic bottle, which is filled with leaves, twigs and other natural materials. A much more ambitious insect haven is described on the
Super Simple website, but it is also based on using recycled materials such as empty cans, milk cartons or plastic bottles, plus moss, wood chips, pinecones and other natural materials found in any backyard. (If you search #bughotel on Pinterest, you'll find amazing high-rise insect resorts!)
Walking barefoot can benefit the brain, according to child development expert Rae
Pica. She reminds us that feet are the most nerve-rich parts of the human body, so they help build those important neurological pathways. "Shoes can often constrict movement of the feet, and can negatively impact walking, balance, sensory development and proprioception (the understanding of our body's orientation in the space around us)."
Read more.
Gardening needs to be age-appropriate. For parents or teachers who want to encourage kids to plant vegetables or flowers this spring, horticulturist Justin Spittal wants us to manage our expectations. "When gardening with kids," he says, "you need to understand the child's desire to accomplish tasks...Their physical abilities. Their concentration on the job." In his experience, 3- to 5-year-olds, for example, are enthusiastic but distractable. They are able to dig in loose soil, but can also get sidetracked into investigating bugs and worms. Ages 6 to 9 are "the golden years." "They can concentrate, may actually want to help and be productive. They will let you know they are done usually by disappearing for a while to perform some sidewalk chalk artistry."
Read more.
|
YOUR CLASSROOM
When school eventually re-opens will classrooms just be "a distant memory" for 5-year-olds?
Kindergarten transition events are an important lead-up to September for preschoolers--building tours, bus trips, even meet-ups with future classmates. Because of COVID-19, those activities aren't happening. Plus, children have been learning at home, away from the routines and expectations of a Pre-K classroom.
Educators around the U.S. are approaching this issue in different ways, and the Education Dive news service has rounded up some examples.
Some states are expecting to hold in-person summer programs for rising Kindergarteners, but most are considering ways to introduce a new school or grade in virtual ways--even though they aren't as effective as the real thing. One recommendation, from New America's Aaron Loewenberg, is to work on the teacher-parent relationship first. Not only does this establish a positive relationship, but teachers can also gather information such as how often they read books together, and what interests the child has. And no Zoom meeting needed: "a traditional phone call can accomplish the same goals."
A California school readiness specialist says using digital tools over the summer is "better than no program at all. Children can still practice raising their hands or waiting to be called on during a Zoom call."
Other early educators are assuming that when schools do re-open, things will be very different--perhaps the year will start remotely or students will attend on a staggered basis. Emily Glasgow from Portland, OR, is pushing for more emphasis on social-emotional learning in the school day, whatever that day looks like.
But, in the end, says a teacher from Georgia: " The biggest key to welcoming new Kindergarteners will be flexibility...Teachers are creative and problem-solvers, so I know we will be ready for the challenge, no matter what."
Read more.
|
OPINIONS
"Say hello to that new spin studio and goodbye to your child care"
That's the headline on an opinion piece that ran in the New York Times last week. The authors, both from child care sector nonprofits, point out that "we've flatly refused to finance [child care] like the public good that it is." The result: the business of child care quickly collapsed when COVID-19 forced providers to close their doors.
And where do the spin studios come in? The authors point out that states seem to be prioritizing the speedy re-opening of gyms over safe and accessible care for children.
"Would we be content to hope and pray for the return of public school?" they ask. "K-12 schools will take time to re-open, but they will weather the storm because
they are publicly financed....There's no such guarantee for child care and preschool programs. Most important, because of our commitment to making public K-12 education free to families, no parents will worry that being laid off because of COVID-19 will mean they cannot continue their child's education. Not so for parents of preschoolers."
Read more.
|
PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT
Space still available for these free conversations with experts
Managing the Stressors and Unknowns of the New Working/School
Environment
Date: Monday, June 1, 2020
Time: 1:00 p.m. to 2:00 p.m.
Maintaining Family Connectedness During COVID-19
Daytime session: Friday, May 29, 2020
Time: 1:00 p.m. to 2:00 p.m.
Evening session: Wednesday, June 3
Time: 7:00 p.m. to 8:30 p.m.
Engaging Families Through Technology: Planning for the "Next Normal"
Evening session: Wednesday, June 10
Time: 7:00 p.m. to 8:30 p..
Daytime Session: Friday, June 1
Time: 1:00 p.m. to 2:30 p.m.
|
|
About Us
The Long Island Pre-K Initiative is a collaborating partner in the state-funded Regional Technical Assistance Center, which supports Pre-K and early childhood education on Long Island. The other collaborating partners are the three Long Island BOCES, the Child Care Council of Nassau, Inc., the Child Care Council of Suffolk, Inc. and the Family Leadership Network.
|
|
NASSAU BOCES
71 Clinton Road, Garden City, NY 11530-9195
Phone: (516) 396-2220 Fax: (516)-396-2355
www.nassauboces.org
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
