Educational and Advocational Opportunities

Making math fun in early childhood classrooms

Early math skills are foundational for school success and have been shown to relate to a whole host of later academic outcomes. Early math skills have been shown to not only have a strong association with later math skills but are also just as strong of a predictor of later reading ability than early reading skills! In addition, building early math skills can promote better executive functioning, which is critical for children’s learning throughout school, problem solving, and ability to get along with other children. In fact, children’s early math skills have been shown to predict high school graduation rates as well as career opportunities. Read more to get strategies to promote and support young children’s math skills early in their lives.

Learning doesn't stop once you start working.
 
Learning doesn't stop once you're put in charge.
 
In fact, learning becomes even more important as you grow in your career.
 
Especially in a child care center.
 
You suddenly have to know things like...
 
·   
Are all your teachers following health and safety guidelines?
 
·   
How do you handle re-training and on-boarding of staff who may have been working there for years?
 
·   
How do you keep a happy, motivated staff when dealing with the unique stresses of child care?
 
·   
How do you do all this without spending countless hours and dollars learning from mistakes?
 
We have bundled key courses to help you deal with these specific challenges and more. All these training courses are available online, so you can take them on your schedule. From your own computer, tablet, or smartphone.
 
We call it training at your fingertips.
 
We have different levels of packages depending on how much training you think you need.
 
For the next 7 days, we are offering a 10% off any of our online Director Training packages. Because we want you to be ready for whatever comes next.
 
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Tender Topics: Handling Trauma and Sensitive Issues with Young Children and Youth

According to the American Psychological Association, more than two thirds of children report experiencing a traumatic event by age 16. From traumatic events, such as child abuse and neglect or witnessing disturbing world events on the news, to sensitive topics, such as children’s questions about skin color or disabilities, young children and youth process these stressful events in many different ways.

This course will help with identifying stress related behaviors in young children, as well as ways to talk with them about those events in a way that supports and facilitates their ability to cope.

Cost: Free

Course Hours: 1

Register here: https://www.prosolutionstraining.com/store/product/?tProductVersion_id=1450

Staying Connected in Crisis: Using Technology to Communicate with Families

Technology has many useful tools for communicating, especially for classroom teachers and families. When schools and programs close, these tools can be very helpful in maintaining connection between home and school until face to face contact is reestablished.

This course will share some ways teachers can connect with the families they serve using various forms of technology.

Cost: $0

Course hours: This course is not approved for CEUs or annual training hours and is meant to serve as a resource for education programs.

Register here: https://www.prosolutionstraining.com/store/product/?tProductVersion_id=1884

LEARNING RESOURCES FOR KIDS

10 NON-SCREEN ACTIVITIES FOR CHILDREN

They are super simple and require little to no materials besides things you would normally have in your home.                                    

1. MAKE YOUR OWN CRAYONS

Materials Needed: Broken crayons, muffin tin, oven

Do you have lots of broken crayons around your house? Gather up all of the broken pieces to make new crayons.

Instructions:

1.        Peel off all paper and break crayons into smaller pieces if necessary.

2.        Preheat your oven to 150 degrees.

3.        Fill a muffin tin with an inch-thick layer of crayon pieces.

4.        Bake for 15-20 minutes, or until the wax is melted.

5.        Allow the muffin tin to cool completely, then pop out your new  crayons.

These chunky crayons are perfect for small hands!

2.              TAKE A WALK

Going outside has many health and learning benefits! Whether you take a walk around the neighborhood or explore your own yard, there is much to observe and learn. As you walk, talk about what you see. Pick a letter, talk about the sound it makes, and identify all of the objects you can find that start with that letter. For example, pick the letter “B” and look for a bird, butterfly, blossom, etc. Sound out the words and help your child try to spell them. Older children can practice writing the words and use the words in sentences. The outdoors are also great for math. Count the trees, look for a four-leaf clover and count the leaves. You can also pick a color and see how many things you can find of that color.

3.              STEM CHALLENGE – NOODLE TOWERS

Materials Needed: Spaghetti noodles or other long noodles, play dough or tape

Use spaghetti noodles to see if you can build a tall tower. Use the play dough or tape to join noodles together.

4.              MAKE YOUR OWN BUBBLES

Materials Needed: Water, dish soap, light corn syrup, large container, measuring cup, pipe cleaner or straw

Begin by adding 6 cups of water to a large container. Next add 1 cup of dish soap (try to not use a soap that is ultra concentrated) and stir slowly until the soap is dissolved. You do not want to create bubbles while you stir. Next, add ¼ cup light corn syrup to the container and mix together. For the best bubbles, put a lid on the container and let it sit overnight. You can also use the bubble mixture right away.

Create a bubble wand out of a pipe cleaner or the wire from a loaf of bread. You can also dip a straw in the mixture. *Adapted from homesciencetools.com

5.              SCAVENGER HUNT

Materials Needed: Paper and pencil

This activity can be complete indoors or outdoors. If you have access to a computer and printer, you can create a scavenger hunt list with pictures and words. If not, draw pictures or let children create their own scavenger hunt lists. If you are completing the scavenger hunt outdoors, make a list of items children are likely to see: birds, squirrels, trees, flowers, etc. If you are completing the scavenger hunt indoors, you can hide items around your home or simply list common items. To make it more challenging for older children, you can provide clues and have them problem-solve to find the items. For younger children, you can switch things up and have them find all objects of a certain color or shape.

6.              SINK OR FLOAT

Materials Needed: Large bowl, water, various household items that will sink and float, paper, pencil

Fill the bowl ¾ full of water. Create a chart on your paper with three columns for ITEM, PREDICTION, and RESULT. Write each item you will be testing along the left side of the paper. Take a moment to talk with children about how scientists conduct experiments and find out how things work. Also talk about the meaning of the words “prediction” and “result.” Before dropping each item into the water, ask the child to predict if it will sink or float. Have the child write an S for sink or an F for float in the prediction column. After dropping the item into the water, see if the prediction was correct and why or why not. Write an S for sink or an F for float in the result column.

7.              MAKE YOUR OWN GOOP

Materials Needed: Cornstarch, water, bowls for each participant, paper towels/wipes for clean-up, optional food coloring

Combine equal parts cornstarch with equal parts water. You may also add a few drops of food coloring. Use your hands to play with the mixture. Discuss if it is a liquid or solid.

8.              COOKED PLAYDOUGH

Materials Needed: Flour (use gluten free for allergy friendly), salt, water, cooking oil, cream of tartar, optional food coloring

Combine 2 cups flour, 1 cup salt, and 4 teaspoons cream of tartar. Add 2 cups water, 2 tablespoons cooking oil and food coloring, if desired. Cook the mixture over low to medium heat for 3-5 minutes, stirring constantly. Keep stirring until the mixture forms a solid ball. Cool completely and store in an air-tight container.

9.              MAKE A BOOK 

Materials Needed: Paper, pencil, markers or crayons

Encourage children’s imaginations and help them create their own book. For younger children, adults can write the story as children dictate the words. Older children can write their own words. All children can create the illustrations. Staple the pages together and encourage the child to read their book aloud.

10.           SOCK PUPPETS 

Materials Needed: Tube socks, markers, sticky foam shapes, glue, buttons

Create sock puppets using tube socks. Use markers, sticky foam shapes, or glue buttons on the sock to create a face. Use the sock puppets to create your own puppet show.

https://docs.google.com/document/d/15KgUFOzg52sP-QOiivuxqx5xaOX0VtyhUm0DpKdy8v8/edit#