Whole-Child and Active Learning Professional Development Workshops Include:
Active Learning Across the Curriculum:
Teaching the Way They Learn!
The domains of child development — physical, social/emotional, and cognitive — are so intertwined in the early years that a child can’t learn something in one domain without learning something in the others. To truly educate the whole child, we must recognize children as thinking, feeling, moving human beings who learn through all their senses. In this workshop, participants explore activities that will offer children meaningful and long-lasting educational experiences in art, language arts, mathematics, music, science and social studies.
Acting Out! Avoid Behavior Challenges with Child-Friendly Approaches & Activities That Promote Calm, Cooperation, & Self-Regulation
Behavior challenges are becoming more and more common in early childhood settings, as young children are asked to sit still, be quiet, and focus on academics. When teachers and caregivers understand child development and incorporate active learning experiences, games, and physical activity breaks (all of which contribute valuable knowledge across the content areas) into the daily curriculum, they can be assured of a setting that is more joyful, peaceful, and productive!
Trouble-Free Transitions:
They’re Possible If We Understand Child Development
If there were a list of things that young children aren’t developmentally ready to do, at the top of that list would be being still and being quiet. Yet those are the two requirements — along with forming an orderly line — we try to impose on young children during most transitions. And rarely does any of it work! But if we handle transitions in imaginative and developmentally appropriate ways — and plan them, as other parts of the program are planned — transitions will be both trouble-free and filled with important learning experiences.
Break Them Out of the Mold!: Creativity in the Age of Standardized Testing
Why is creativity important, and why, in this country, does it peak at about age 4? Structured classroom environments, insistence upon conformity, academic accountability, and emphasis on competition are often blamed for squelching creative potential. Yet the characteristics of creativity are what today’s kids will most need as they venture into an ever-changing future. This presentation offers ideas and encouragement to those hoping to nurture creativity, self-expression, and problem-solving skills.
Jump into Literacy!
Policy may have changed, but children haven’t; they still need to experience concepts to fully understand them. That includes concepts falling under the heading of literacy and the language arts. This presentation explores the use of movement and music as tools in the promotion of children’s emergent literacy.
Jump into Math & Science!
Policy may have changed, but children haven’t; they still need to experience concepts to fully understand them. That includes concepts falling under the heading of math and science. This presentation explores the use of movement and music as tools in the exploration of and acquisition of knowledge in early mathematics and science.
Physical Fitness & the Early Childhood Curriculum
Should children’s physical fitness be the responsibility of early childhood professionals? Yes! We are responsible for children’s bodies as well as their minds. This participatory workshop explores the concept of developmentally appropriate physical activity, the five health-related components of physical fitness, and ideas for helping young children to become lifelong movers!