education

Outdoor Play Connects Children to Nature and Their Environment Nature Feels Good and Inspires Playing outdoors allows children to experience their natural environment with all their senses “open.” They can breathe fresh air and feel the invigoration of their hearts pounding as they charge up a hill. Children learn about the variety of creatures that […]

Fitness and Health Strenuous, physical play is especially important today, when obesity among children and adults has reached an all-time high. An estimated 64% of all adults in the United States are seriously overweight or obese. Approximately 10% of all children age 2 to 5 years and 15% of older children are overweight (Association for

Play Fosters Physical Development Sensorimotor Skills On a very simple level, play promotes the development of sensorimotor skills, or skills that require the coordination of movement with the senses, such as using eye-hand coordination to stack blocks (Frost et al., 2008; Jones & Reynolds, 2011; Morrison, 2004; Tokarz, 2008). Children spend hours perfecting such abilities

Purposes of Play Play fulfills a wide variety of purposes in the life of the child. The importance of play in early childhood is strongly emphasized in a recent report by the American Academy of Pediatrics (Milteer & Ginsburg, 2012): Play is essential to the social, emotional, cognitive, and physical well-being of children beginning in

American History Questions Part 1: Questions Chart Select an elementary grade level and three American history standards of your choice.  Complete the “American History Questions Chart,” creating four different questions for each identified standard. Part 2: Reflection In a 250-500 word reflection, provide a rationale for the questions you have developed and explain why it

Play, Transitions, and Disruptions Rubric This week we have learned about incorporating play into the classroom and planning for disruptions and transitions in the classroom. These ideas are connected to the second pillar of becoming the Whole Teacher, incorporating developmentally appropriate practice. How will you know if the teachers you work with are able to

Play, Transitions, and Disruptions Rubric This week we have learned about incorporating play into the classroom and planning for disruptions and transitions in the classroom. These ideas are connected to the second pillar of becoming the Whole Teacher, incorporating developmentally appropriate practice. How will you know if the teachers you work with are able to

Play, Transitions, and Disruptions Rubric This week we have learned about incorporating play into the classroom and planning for disruptions and transitions in the classroom. These ideas are connected to the second pillar of becoming the Whole Teacher, incorporating developmentally appropriate practice. How will you know if the teachers you work with are able to

Play, Transitions, and Disruptions Rubric This week we have learned about incorporating play into the classroom and planning for disruptions and transitions in the classroom. These ideas are connected to the second pillar of becoming the Whole Teacher, incorporating developmentally appropriate practice. How will you know if the teachers you work with are able to

Play, Transitions, and Disruptions Rubric This week we have learned about incorporating play into the classroom and planning for disruptions and transitions in the classroom. These ideas are connected to the second pillar of becoming the Whole Teacher, incorporating developmentally appropriate practice. How will you know if the teachers you work with are able to