Summer Skills Series: Critical Thinking

The ability to think through problems, anticipate the results of your actions and reflect on what you have done are all critical thinking skills. While these don’t fit neatly into the categories of reading, writing and arithmetic, they are definitely important skills for success in school and in life. The brains of toddlers and many [...]

Birdwatching to Uncover Our Natural World

No matter where you live, chances are you see birds every day. The tall buildings of the city, parks large and small, suburban neighborhoods and rural areas all provide habitat for different kinds of birds. Give kids an opportunity to notice and watch the birds around you and you may be opening the door to [...]

Watching 2 Natural Playgrounds Part III

The snow is melting fast as winter comes to an end and this seemingly endless and trickling water supply has caused a flurry of activity on the teacher-and-kid-engineered playground. A large puddle made much of the playground inaccessible, so the kids did some problem-solving and, on their own initiative, created a canal system to drain [...]

Even Toddlers Love Science

Toddlers love exploring cause and effect. It’s amazing how a toddler (who’s short attention span is legendary) can spend what seems like hours “washing their hands”. They are fascinated by turning the water on and off, exploring what happens when they plug the drain, and watching the water pour off their finger tips. This is [...]

Great Ideas for Math and Science in Preschool

The folks at the National Institute for Early Education Research presented a great workshop at the NAEYC national conference in Washington DC in November 2009. The title was “Beyond Calendars and Today’s Weather” and focuses on improving the quality of Math and Science experiences for young children. They recently made the information from this workshop [...]