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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
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These Kindergarteners built a playground for a spider--and their teacher tells you why and how
Deanna Pecaski McLennan is a Kindergarten teacher and author (Joyful Math). And like more and more early educators, you'll find her class outdoors. In a recent
blog post for Stenhouse Publishers, she shares some ways to get children involved in "mathematical play" in the schoolyard. For example, you can wheel out a Wonder Wagon full of magnifying glasses, sorting bowls and other measuring tools for children to choose among. Or you can plan an activity in advance and supply items such as a kitchen scale and measuring cups and spoons. Most importantly, says McLennan, teachers need to be prepared to answer children's questions ("Why are the leaves turning colors?") and to build on their
curiosity as long as their interest lasts.
If you're wondering how this approach plays out in a real classroom with students like yours, you can read another blog posted by McLennan just last Friday. It describes how her students came to build a playground for "Mr. Big Legs," a spider they found outdoors and how that discovery turned into an in-depth study of spiders (even one making a web outside their windowsill). It's accompanied by step-by-step photos of little hands building, for example, a spider bed out of sticks and leaves, and she shares some of the books they used to study the arachnids.
Looking for more STEM ideas for this fall?
We told you about STEM "Quick Wins" a few months ago, but they're worth
checking out again because new activities are being added all the time. Each one comes with a downloadable instruction sheet and a video of a STEM Connection* staff member explaining and demonstrating the activity. They're designed for K-5 students, but can easily be adapted for a Pre-K lesson. New entries include "Make Your Own Animal." Like all the "Quick Wins," it includes recommendations for literature tie-ins, such as Creature Features: 25 Animals Explain Why They Look The Way They Do. Read more.
* The STEM Connection is a nonprofit based in Indiana aimed at facilitating "hands-on, minds-on, feet-on-the-ground" science experiences.
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When it comes to planning professional development, we want to hear from you
Please click below and complete a brief survey about your preferences for webinar topics in the coming months. It will only take a couple of minutes--there are only two required questions--and everyone who answers will be entered in a drawing for a $25 Amazon gift card.
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BOOKSHELF
Books and activities for a fun--and safe--Halloween
From book lists to a printable pumpkin fact sheet to photos of 23 costumes inspired by favorite books, Read Brightly wants the "spooky season" to be fun this year. They've collected "9 fun ideas for a safe and happy halloween," plus a collection of printables (Berenstain Bears Halloween Maze, anyone?) and even a special list of "fright-free" Halloween books. Other Halloween book lists include a rundown of witch books, a dozen funny monster titles and even Halloween audiobooks. Read more.
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LOCAL LEADERS
Long Island's Florence Barbour is in the "Lessons in Leadership Spotlight"
"Surround yourself with people who will support what you don't know," is just one piece of advice shared by Florence Barbour in an interview published the New York
Early Childhood Professional Development Institute as part of its "Lessons in Leadership" series.
Barbour is currently the Executive Director of Harbor Child Care and is a member of The advisory councils for The Long Island Pre-K Initiative and The Long Island Leadership Initiative. She's well known to other educators as an active participant in professional development events, including the Pre-K Initiative's Summer Institute and conferences.
The in-depth interview includes reflections on challenges she has faced. "I had to realize that not everyone will approach leadership from the same lens and that I have to be okay with that." And she discusses incidents related to race and/or gender, and how she's learned to deal with them. "I must be honest, sometimes I'm caught off guard by comments that I hear in 2019 and 2020." Read more.
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PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT
Register now for one of these free fall webinars from The Long Island Pre-K Initiative
MONDAY, OCTOBER 26, 2020
Now That We're Back: How Do We Continue to Support Students,
Families and Ourselves
Time: 4:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m.
WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 28
Professional Learning Circle--Sharing How We Work With Children With Special Needs
Time: 7:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m
MONDAY, NOVEMBER 2, 2020
Now That We're Back: Strategies for Program Leaders
Time: 4:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m.
WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 4, 2020
Play All Day: Structures and Strategies for Joyful, Responsive and Exploratory Learning--Part Two
Time: 5:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m.
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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.
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| NASSAU BOCES
71 Clinton Road, Garden City, NY 11530-9195
Phone: (516) 396-2220 Fax: (516)-396-2355
www.nassauboces.org |
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