Natural Wonders A Guide to Early Childhood for Environmental Educators
Created by the Minnesota Early Childhood Environmental Education Consortium
Marcie Oltman, Editor Natural Wonders A Guide to Early Childhood for Environmental Educators
Created by the Minnesota Early Childhood Environmental Education Consortium
Editor Marcie Oltman Minnesota Children’s Museum Contributors Jenny Eckman Tri District Community Cultures/ Environmental Science School Sandra Hudson Tamarack Nature Center Design/Layout Mark Granlund Nora L. Koch Como Park Zoo & Conservatory Gravel Pit Publications Julie Powers Copy Editor Dodge Nature Preschool Mary Kate Boylan April Rust Indigo Ink Communications Project ⁄ Illustrator Department of Natural Resources Peter Quinlan Nikki Schneider Cover Design Dodge Nature Center Tara Lundborg
This project would not have been possible without the generous funding provided by the Minnesota Office of Environmental Assistance.
© 2002 MN Early Childhood Environmental Education Consortium © Minnesota Children’s Museum and the Minnesota Office of Environmental Assistance. This publication may be reproduced in portions or its entirety for educational or non-profit purposes only. You may not distribute, copy or otherwise reproduce any of this guide for sale or commercial use without written permission from the publisher. Permitted users shall give credit to the author(s) and include this copy right notice.
To request additional copies and alternative formats, contact— Minnesota Children’s Clearinghouse Coordinator Museum Minnesota Office of W. 7th St. Environmental Assistance St. Paul, MN Lafayette Rd N Floor 2 -- St. Paul, MN - -- (fax) -- -- (fax) -- (toll free)
Printed on paper with % total recycled fiber and % post-consumer waste. Contents Section lll: Essential Ingredients for Active Learning Hands-On Learning 36 Open-Ended Activities 38 Choice 40
Section lV: Supporting Active Learning About this Guide iv Learning Stations 44 Acknowledgements v Art 46 About the Authors vi Story Time 48 Introduction: Reed’s Story viii Outdoor Exploration 52
Section l: Section V: Understanding Young Children Possible Program Formats Developmentally Appropriate Practice 2 Infant and Toddler Programs 56 Developmental Stages 4 Adult-Child Programs 57 Constructivism 6 Drop-Off and Camp Programs 58 Egocentrism 8 School Groups 59 Teaching to the Whole Child 10 Section VI: Multiple Intelligence Theory 14 Developing and Evaluating Diverse Learners 16 Your Program Learning through Play 20 Program Components 62 What You Need to Know Developmentally appropriate About Children Under Six 22 Practice at a Glance 64 Section ll: How Developmentally Appropriate Planning for Active Learning Is Your Program? 67 Teaching vs. Learning Objectives 24 Epilogue: Reed Returns 68 Appropriate Topics 26 Authentic Experiences 26 Section VII: Inquiry-Based Learning 30 Resources Guiding Children’s Behavior 32 Resources 69
iii About this Guide Since the late ’s, the National Association for the Education of Young Children () has led the way in defining what those ways are. This information has been available to early childhood educators for years, but has not been translated for use in environmental educational settings—until now. This guide was written especially for natural ists and environmental educators who are inter ested in learning more about how and why young children think and act and how they can use this information to design developmentally appropriate programs and activities. However, it is not intended to be a recipe book. You won’t Environmental education organizations and find a prescribed method for teaching about other informal education venues have recently maple syruping or pond study. Although we do recognized the need to provide specialized pro provide guidelines on what makes a program or gramming for infants, toddlers, preschoolers and activity developmentally appropriate, we recog their families. Likewise, record numbers of par nize that everyone’s situation is different and ents, daycare providers and early childhood edu allow for as much flexibility as possible. cators have begun seeking out nature centers, zoos and museums as places to help their not-yet How to use this guide school-aged children learn, grow and develop an appreciation of and love for nature. On the sur The sections of this guide become progressively face, it’s a match made in heaven. However, more practical and specific—from understand unlike teachers in the formal school system who ing the basics of how young children think to specialize in certain age groups, informal educa evaluating the developmental appropriateness of tors have to be ready and able to provide dynam programs and everything in between. Each sec ic, interesting, relevant and appropriate programs tion contains specific topics that explain in for all ages—from preschool to senior citizens— greater detail the elements of child development often at a moment’s notice. and what it means to facilitate young children’s While this kind of versatility is necessary, it learning. can lead to one-size-fits-all programming that At the end of each topic, a chart is provided leaves preschoolers behind. But the more we detailing information and examples of most learn about the brain and how experience appropriate, somewhat appropriate or least affects growth and development, the more we appropriate practices associated with those top see the need to specialize our approach to edu ics. We have provided this chart as a gauge edu cating young children. Thanks to educators and cators can use to identify where their teaching researchers like Rousseau, Piaget, Froebel and methods currently are on the developmentally Montessori, we’ve known for decades that chil appropriate continuum and what they can dren are not just smaller versions of adults, nor change about their methods to make them are preschoolers smaller versions of school-aged more developmentally appropriate. No one is children. From years of research and practice, developmentally appropriate percent of the we know that very young children—infants, time. But if you challenge yourself to keep pro toddlers and preschoolers—are fundamentally gressing along the continuum, you’ll find it different than older children and need to be becomes easier and more rewarding for you and taught in fundamentally different ways. the children.
iv Practicing developmentally appropriate edu Williams Ridge, Dave Metzen, Sarah Sivright, cation is a constant and evolving process. Even Jim Roe, Ken Finch, Kelly Osborn, and Mark veteran early childhood educators must evaluate Hoffman. their practices on a regular basis and adapt To the individuals who served as reviewers of them to changing situations and children. The early drafts of the guide and provided valuable best way to evaluate your programs for develop feedback and editorial comments: Mary Adams, mental appropriateness is by being an active Michelle Anderson, Patti Bailie, Helen Bartee, learner yourself—experiment, explore, seek Cheryl Bauer, Arta Cheney, Kathleen Cohen, questions and answers, test theories and invent Jenna Daire, Sandra Gavin, Judy Gibbs, Beth new ways of approaching learning. Girard, Paige Guetter, Jen Hagen, Karrie And don’t forget to have fun! Holler, Margie Jones, Michelle Kelly, Louie Acknowledgements Kolberg, Shelly Lewis, Corinne Lines, Elaine Loranz, Christine Lukes, Becky McConnell, This guide is the culmination of a two-year Lori Olson, Jennifer Perry, Becky Rosendahl, project of the Minnesota Early Childhood Pat Rummenie, Kim Schilla, Sue Shockey, Environmental Education Consortium with Glenn Shoemaker, Bekah Stendahl, Alyssa generous funding from the Minnesota Office of Szepi, Suzanne Trapp and Terry Wittnebel. Environmental Assistance. The authors would Special thanks to Colleen Schoenecker of the like to gratefully acknowledge everyone Office of Environmental Assistance and Greg involved in the project and the creation of this Allen of Minnesota Children’s Museum for guide. help and support in managing the project. To the sponsoring organizations that offered And last but not least, to the individuals who support, meeting space and in-kind financial patiently worked with naïve writers, met very assistance: Minnesota Children’s Museum, tight deadlines with grace and good humor and Tamarack Nature Center, Ramsey County who helped produce this wonderful resource: Parks and Recreation, Como Zoo and Nora L. Koch, Mary Kate Boylan, Peter Conservatory, City of St. Paul, Dodge Nature Quinlan and Tara Lundborg. Center, Dodge Nature Preschool, Tri District Community Cultures/Environmental Science School, Project , Minnesota Department of Natural Resources, Duluth Aquarium, Ney Environmental Center, Moorhead State University Regional Science Center, Quarry Hill Nature Center and the Minnesota Office of Environmental Assistance. To the individuals who supported the project by contributing ideas, time, expertise and encouragement: Karen Stimpson, Myra Smisek, Jeff Ledermann, Kelly Finnerty, Bekah Stendahl, Joey Schoen, Kathleen Mountain, Barb Poblete, Michelle Blodgett, Sheila
v About the Authors Mark Granlund Mark Granlund has been the resident artist at the Como Park Zoo and Conservatory, in St. Paul since and is currently the arts and community gardening coordinator for St. Paul Parks and Recreation. In this capacity, he coor dinates art classes and programs for adults and children, develops and implements public art projects and oversees the more than commu nity gardens in St. Paul’s parks. Mark received his masters degree in painting and drawing from Brooklyn College, Brooklyn, New York in and has exhibited his environmentally- Marcie Oltman themed art work in New York and throughout Marcie Oltman has a bachelor of science in the upper-Midwest. He has taught undergradu biology from the University of Northern Iowa ate art classes at Brooklyn College; Bethel and a master of science in environmental educa College, Arden Hills, Minnesota; Lakewood tion and interpretation from the University of Community College, White Bear Lake, Wisconsin-Stevens Point. She is a state-certi Minnesota; and the Vermont Studio Colony, fied early childhood educator with a master of Johnson, Vermont. education in early childhood education from Mark owns and operates an environmental the University of Minnesota. An advocate for consulting business, Green Crayon, and pub the inclusion of young children in the environ lished articles in Orion Magazine and the mental education agenda, Marcie has shared her American Community Garden Association early childhood environmental education Newsletter. expertise with educators in numerous work shops and conferences across the nation since April Rust . April Rust earned a bachelor of science in natu Marcie has published articles in the mono ral resources and environmental studies from graph Environmental Education at the Early the University of Minnesota in . April Childhood Level, Cooperative Learning,and worked as an intern naturalist at William Legacy and serves as a consultant on exhibit and O’Brien State Park in Minnesota, where she building design, early childhood environments taught seasonally from to . As part of and early childhood environmental curricula for her master of science in forestry, she studied clients around the country. She is on the board social forestry programs in Kitui, Kenya of the Minnesota Association of Environmental through the Minnesota Studies in International Education and an advisor to the Early Childhood Outdoors Institute in Omaha and Development program. Her master’s focus was environmental education and international the Dodge Nature Preschool in West St. Paul, Minnesota. Marcie has worked at Minnesota environmental issues. After graduating in , Children’s Museum since in exhibit and she developed and established an elementary- curriculum development, interpretation and as level, sustainability-focused environmental cur the coordinator for Project GreenStart, the riculum for the nonprofit organization, Full Museum’s environmental education initiative Circle Institute ( ) in Minneapolis. While for young children. working at , April joined the Early Childhood Environmental Education Consortium Project. In , April became the
vi Minnesota Project (Water Education for Sandra Hudson Teachers) coordinator and was elected in Sandra Hudson is a naturalist at the Tamarack to serve on the national Project council. Nature Center in Ramsey County, Minnesota, She continues to be an active environmental specializing in preschool environmental educa educator in Minnesota. tion. She has also worked as a seasonal natural Julie Powers ist for Wisconsin State Parks and the Dodge Nature Center in West St. Paul, Minnesota. Julie Powers holds a bachelor of science in child Sandra has a bachelor of science in biology development from the University of Arizona from the University of Wisconsin-River Falls and a master of science in human development and has done graduate work at Iowa State and with specialization in early childhood and par the University of Wisconsin-River Falls. ent and community work from Pacific Oaks College in Pasadena, California. She was the Nikki Schneider founding director of Dodge Nature Preschool at Nikki Schneider has bachelor of science in biol the Dodge Nature Center in West St. Paul, ogy from Stetson University. She is currently Minnesota and now serves as a consultant to working on her master of education in early the program. Julie also serves as a validator for childhood education at the University of the National Association for the Education of Minnesota. She is a certified trainer in the Young Children, making site visits to early National Guidelines for Excellence in childhood programs that are seeking certifica Environmental Education and the Material tion. She works as a consultant in the areas of Guidelines for Excellence in Environmental early childhood programming, early childhood Education. Nikki has shared her expertise in environmental education and natural play areas. the best practices for environmental education Julie currently lives in Telluride, Colorado. at local, state and national conferences since Jenny Eckman . Nikki is the current president of the Jenny Eckman is a primary, multiage teacher at Minnesota Association for Environmental the Tri-District Community Cultures and Education and has served on their board since Environmental Science Elementary School in . She is a city-appointed board member for Maplewood, Minnesota. She is a national board the Lino Lakes Environmental Advisory Board. certified teacher in early childhood education She also served as the chairperson for the and was named a Minnesota Teacher of Environmental Education Consortium from Excellence in through the Minnesota to , creating partnerships between Teacher of the Year program. environmental educators and formal teachers to Jenny has been involved in environmental develop age-appropriate curriculum in environ education with ages birth to adult and was inte mental education. She is the director of educa gral in the creation and cultivation of the Tri- tion at the Dodge Nature Center, West St. District garden program. Her teaching empha Paul, Minnesota, developing curriculum and sizes making connections between environmen coordinating early childhood, elementary and tal education and multicultural and antibias middle school environmental education pro issues. Before joining the world of elementary grams. education, she spent eight years in the company of young children and their families in various roles including Head Start teacher and home visitor, early childhood educator and work in therapeutic preschools.
vii Introduction craft while the children stood idly by. Knowing she was running short on time, she herded Reed’s Story everyone to the door for the hike. She hurried along the trail, attempting to point out animal homes along the way. The group quickly became spread out, several children needed to go back to the building to the bathroom and the program fizzled out. Needless to say, Reed decided that preschoolers weren’t her cup of tea. The best intentions Reed is not alone in her experience. We’ve all been there or done something like it. Thinking we are planning with young children’s best interests in mind, we inadvertently plan inap Reed, a naturalist at a community nature center propriate programs based on meeting our needs planned a presentation on animal homes for a instead of the children’s developmental needs. group of three-year-olds and their parents. In Reed’s case for example, it seems logical to Reed modified a minute program into a respond to short attention spans by planning minute one thinking that young children have short activities. In reality, this doesn’t help chil short attention spans, have trouble staying in dren extend their attending abilities and may one place, like to touch things and have diffi only exacerbate the problem. Adults tend to culty taking turns. Several activities were to last react to the nature of young children by placing only a few minutes each. She marked the floor limits on individual behavior rather than creat with tape so children would know where to sit, ing supportive situations where they can freely collected real examples of animal homes and and actively participate. By doing so, we may be eliminated the need for turn-taking by deciding creating negative experiences with nature to choose only one child to help her put felt instead of the intended positive experiences and animals in their felt homes. Reed planned to making more work for ourselves in the process. end her program with a hike through the forest Reed made her program choices on deficit- in search of real animal homes. based assumptions (what she thought children Despite those plans, the program did not go couldn’t do) instead of on how she, the program well for Reed, the children or their parents. and the environment could best support the Distracted by an aquarium and other objects in emerging abilities of her young audience. the room, it took ten minutes to get everyone Following the guidelines offered in this man settled. As soon as she brought out an old hor ual will help you plan appropriate, productive net’s nest, all fifteen children mobbed Reed, and joyful early childhood environmental edu eager to get their hands on it. She managed to cation programs. Children will have room and get everyone back in place by promising to pass time to play, explore, experiment, run, leap, bal the nest around which ended up shredded into ance and climb; time to nurture friendships and pieces. Using only one helper for the felt animal learn about caring and sharing; and a chance to home activity was disastrous as it was accompa discover for themselves the beauty and wonders nied by cries of “I want to do it!” and “When is of nature. it my turn?” The craft activity was no more successful. As Reed carefully explained each step in the craft she noticed that the parents were making the
viii Section I: Understanding Young Children Understanding Young Children on decades of research and knowledge of how children grow and develop and are guidelines by Developmentally Appropriate which we can measure our effectiveness. The Practice power of developmentally appropriate practice lies in the educator’s ability to make choices and decisions about what is best for the children and families he or she serves. We all know that edu cational practices are most effective when they are attuned to the way children develop and learn—that is, when they are developmentally appropriate. What are the benefits of using developmentally appropriate practice? Children have better comprehension What does it mean? and retention. Because material is presented in a manner Developmentally appropriate practice () is best suited to their developmental stage, the an early childhood education standard that was material is absorbed better than it would have first described by the National Association for been if it was designed for older children. the Education of Young Children. According to , developmentally appropriate practice is There are fewer struggles to get children matching the learning environment—the physi to engage in the program. cal set-up, materials, schedule, curriculum, Material presented in a developmentally teaching methods and so forth—to the devel appropriate manner is more interesting to opmental levels of children. It means under students and naturally grabs their attention. standing the developmental changes that typi Children and adults can learn together. cally occur from birth through age eight (and Following a child’s lead often takes us in a beyond), variations in development for individ much more interesting direction than any uals and how we can best support their learning adult prescribed curriculum. and development during these years. More diverse programming can reach more There is no magic formula for developmen tally appropriate practice. Educators make deci students. sions day by day, minute by minute, based on Creating developmentally appropriate materi knowledge of how children develop and learn, als requires more diverse forms of interaction the individual children and families in question and presentation and reaches more diverse and the environmental, social and cultural con learning styles. text (Bredekamp & Copple, ). Why don’t educators use developmentally Developmentally appropriate practice in early childhood environmental education means appropriate practices? making program choices that emphasize and We tend to stay with a teaching style we are most support both the individual and collective abili comfortable with. ties of children. We tend to rely heavily on props, scripts or Why is it important? visual aides to do the teaching instead of allowing for more personal discovery, interac Developmentally appropriate practice is based tion and relationship building.
Natural Wonders 2 a Guide to Early Childhood Environmental Education We tend to focus more on sharing facts about necessary to change approaches for certain nature than on the process of learning. individuals, cultures and or abilities. Some children may require more structure, fewer What are possible behavior issues related options or less stimulation. Developmentally to developmentally appropriate practice? appropriate practice is by definition, tailoring programs to meet the needs of particular Often there are perceived behavior concerns individuals and groups. when, in fact, the opposite is usually the case. In developmentally appropriate programs, Want to know more? children have more freedom to think and do Bredekamp, S & Copple, C. . for themselves. Providing well-structured pro Developmentally Appropriate Practice in Early grams with the freedom to make choices Childhood Programs, revised edition. actually keeps behavioral issues to a mini Washington D.C.: National Association for mum. There are usually more behavior-based the Education of Young Children. problems in programs that are rigidly didac ---. Excerpts available at tic, require children to sit and listen for long newhorizons.org/naeyc.html periods of time or don’t encourage open- ended exploration. However, it may be
Developmentally Appropriate Practice: Constructivism
Activities are attuned to the Programs are presented at an Information is presented at an child’s level of cognitive, physical appropriate level in language but inappropriate level involving and social development including other aspects may be inappropri props, setting, language and tim props, setting, language and tim ate. There is some struggle but ing. Children learn little and are ing. Learning is easier for the most of the concepts are compre either bored or overwhelmed. child and teacher. hended.
EX AMPL ES
Various learning stations such as Various learning stations are set Children sit quietly while a natu water table with pond life, paint up around the gathering area and ralist explains the water cycle ing table with water colors, pond children rotate from station to using words like transpiration and puppets and costumes and so station at the teacher’s direction. precipitation. forth are set up around the gath Specific outcomes are expected at ering area. Children are encour each station. aged to choose at will between the activities offered. They are free to move about the area, play alone or with others, and explore materials at their own pace.
Understanding Young Children 3 Developmentally Appropriate Practice Understanding Young Children is essential to developmentally appropriate practice and good teaching in any setting. Developmental Stages It helps us respond to children appropriately. Our first response to a child’s burst of illogi cal thought is too often to either correct them or dismiss it as cute. However, if we respond by asking questions, we can find out a lot about the mysteries of learning and thought. What are the challenges to recognizing developmental stages and characteristics? It’s difficult for adults to really think like children. Once you’ve gone through the developmental What does it mean? stages yourself, it’s nearly impossible to back Psychologist Jean Piaget first described young track. Try to imagine having no concept of children as having a unique set of physical, cog the past, present and future or believing in nitive, social and emotional attributes that dif the tooth fairy. The best we can do is to ferentiates them from any other age group. He incorporate theory into our teaching practices described the constructivist theory—that children and try to remember what life was like with construct knowledge out of their exploratory out logical thought. actions on the environment. This theory forms Why don’t we recognize developmental the basis of the modern interactive, hands-on approach to learning. stages and characteristics more? Piaget also described how children’s thinking We weren’t taught to recognize these stages. changed over time. By observing children’s Unless you’ve taken classes specifically for behavior, he noted four distinct stages: sensori early childhood education, it’s likely you motor, preoperational, concrete operational and weren’t exposed to the developmental theories formal operational. (See accompanying chart.) of learning in young children. It takes prac Why is it important? tice to recognize certain characteristics. It’s hard to master the mysteries of young Young children think differently than adults. children when you teach them infrequently. Because of this, we have difficulty interpreting But once you catch on, the payoffs are their actions, emotions and reactions. They have immense. little concept of the past, present and future; they confuse reality with fantasy; they think What are possible behavior issues related that everyone feels, thinks and acts like they do. to not recognizing developmental It is essential for us to understand not only how characteristics? young children think but why they think what they do and change our methods accordingly. Unrealistic expectations. Expecting too much or too little from chil What are the benefits to recognizing dren almost guarantees difficult or “inappro developmental stages and characteristics? priate” behavior. The more you know about children’s abilities the better chance you’ll Knowing your audience. have for a successful program. Knowing how young children think and feel
Natural Wonders 4 a Guide to Early Childhood Environmental Education Want to know more? Miller, Karen. . Ages and Stages: Developmental Descriptions And Activities, Birth through Eight Years. Beltsville, MD: Telshare Publishing. : ---.
Piaget’s Four Stages of Development According to this concept, there are four stages of cognitive development:
• Babies are a bundle of reflexes. Babies and toddlers, birth to two • Very little intention to their movements. • Rely on adults and environment for stimulation. • Cannot think of an object when it is out of sight. • Increasing awareness of relation between own actions, objects and environment. • Major milestone is object permanence—holding an image or event in memory.
• Little knowledge of cause and effect. Preschoolers, two to six • Difficulty taking another’s point of view. • Think inanimate objects have human feelings. • Cannot understand that something remains the same even though it changes form. For example, a peanut butter sandwich cut into four pieces is more than one cut into two pieces. • Lack logical thought. For example, a child might think that the moon follows him wherever he goes. • Major milestone is the emergence of logical thought—thinking is no longer limited by perception.
• Begin to think more logically. School age, six to eleven • Begin to reason and understand abstract concepts. • Understand moral concepts of rules, intentionality and justice. • Major milestone of this stage is the mastery of logical thought.
• Can reason about the past, present and future. Adolescents, twelve to nineteen • Can think about their own thoughts and feelings as if they were objects. • Major milestone is the development of hypotheti cal and deductive reasoning abilities.
Understanding Young Children 5 Developmental Stages Understanding Young Children Why is it important? Constructivism Understanding and promoting constructivism is fundamental to teaching young children. It can also be the most challenging to naturalists and environmental educators. We are scientists, eager to share our own knowledge of the outdoors. It is easy to lose sight of the importance of the indi vidual experience and opportunity for creative thought. The preoperational child needs to make the transition into logical thought. Effective edu cators need to facilitate and support children’s learning at the children’s level not the educator’s. In the words of Jean Piaget, “Every time we teach a child something, we keep him from What does it mean? inventing it himself . . . that which we allow him to discover himself will remain with him.” One of the most widely used theories describ ing how young children learn is the construc What are the benefits of constructivism? tivist theory by Jean Piaget. It states that all knowledge comes from an individual’s interac It is active, hands-on learning at its best. tion with the environment. Piaget proposed It is the heart and soul of environmental that children construct knowledge out of their education. exploratory actions—either physical (manipula Why don’t we use constructivism more? tion of objects) or mental (wondering about something). Exploration is then focused on We may be afraid children aren’t learning constructing or making sense of the world by anything or are learning the wrong things. actively interpreting experiences. They will Children are learning beings. It is not possible often make up or construct answers to their for them to go though an experience and not many questions in an attempt to make sense of learn from it. However, mastery and under something that is puzzling them. Because they standing take a long time, and there is a lot for lack the ability to think logically, these “naïve” a little person to learn. For example, it’ll prob theories can be interesting and lead to creative ably take more than an afternoon with even conclusions. For example, a four-year-old may the most talented educator for a young child to conclude that the sun goes down because she truly understand the life cycle of the frog. goes to bed, and in her limited experience this It takes time and effort to learn the process. seems true. Attempting to correct her with a Just like breaking a bad habit, it takes practice scientifically accurate explanation will probably and careful thought to encourage creative be fruitless because she’s in the throes of preop erational, illogical thought. The educator’s job is thinking. But it’s all worth it when you see to provide her with rich experiences, ask that light bulb go on! thought-provoking questions like “Does it go What are possible behavior issues related down when I go to bed?” encouraging her to to constructivism? revise her theories and most of all, to trust the process. Children feel trusted. Children recognize that their ideas are respected and not trivialized. This can lead to mutual trust and excitement about learning.
Natural Wonders 6 a Guide to Early Childhood Environmental Education Give an inch and they’ll take a yard. Forman, George & Kuschner, David. . The Be prepared for creativity and experimenta Child’s Construction of Knowledge: Piaget For tion to explode! Your tolerance levels for Teaching Children. Washington D.C.: messiness and noise might be challenged but National Association for the Education of if you relinquish a little control, the rewards Young Children. ---. are priceless. Forman, George & Hill, Fleet, . Constructive Play: Applying Piaget In The Want to know more? Preschool. London: Addison-Wesley. DeVries, Rita, et.al. . Developing ---. Constructivist Early Childhood Curriculum: Practical Principles and Activities.New York: Teachers College Press. ---.
Developmentally Appropriate Practice: Constructivism
Children are encouraged to Children are encouraged to Children are discouraged from explore, invent and create theo invent explanations for things creating their own theories. ries about life, death and every- and adults respond by choosing Adults react to theories in appro thing in between. Adults ask books and other resources for the priately. open-ended questions and pro- children that give factual infor vide resources to aid children in mation. their “constructions.”
EX AMPL E S
Listening (without correcting or When overhearing children dis Listening to a child’s theory interrupting) to children discuss cussing what’s frozen in the ice about how ice got on the pond what’s frozen in the ice on the on the pond, the teacher inter and responding with either a pond. Asking questions such as rupts their conversation to read neutral, “Oh, that’s nice,” a scien “What do you think is under the them a book about water and tific, “Water turns to ice when ice?” and “How do you think the explains the three phases of water the temperature is degrees or ice got on the pond?” then taking and what makes it freeze. colder.” or worse yet, an incredu them out on the frozen pond and lous, “That’s not how ice gets on drilling a hole with an auger and the pond! Where’d you get that other ice activities. idea?”
Understanding Young Children 7 Constructivism Understanding Young Children What are the benefits to recognizing Egocentrism egocentrism? Fewer behavior problems. Recognizing egocentrism and planning accordingly can make a large difference in your programs. For example, if you plan on illustrating plant adaptations to a group of four-year-olds by asking for one volunteer to stand up in front and put on pieces of a plant costume, you’ll soon have preschoolers wondering when it will be their turn. Most would be so focused on their own desire to dress up they couldn’t listen to or enjoy another’s experience. Allowing every child to What does it mean? simultaneously act out a sprouting plant with When talking about young children, egocen all its parts is a more effective way to partici trism does not mean selfish or arrogant. Rather, pate for preschool children. it means that a child experiences everything Why don’t educators recognize from only one point-of-view—his or her own. They assume everyone else sees, feels and expe egocentrism more? riences things just as they do. Much of the way Our own egos get in the way. children behave can be attributed to their ego We tend to be so focused on our own agendas centrism and their inability to see things from and teaching everything we know about our another’s perspective. For instance, in describing subject, we forget to make it relevant to a sibling’s birthday party, a three-year-old might young children. The best way to make it rele describe it like this. “My sister had a birthday vant to them is by including each individual yesterday and I had birthday cake and I went to and their whole bodies in the experience. Chuck E. Cheese and I ate fish pizza and then We don’t make the time. I threw-up.” Nothing is more important to In trying to do too many things in a short young children than sharing things that are per period of time, we don’t allow for young chil sonally happening to them. dren to share things with us. For example, Why is it important? when reading storybooks, we tend to dislike interruptions from children because it slows Egocentrism is the cornerstone of how young us down. From their point of view however, children think. sharing their thoughts as they occur is just as Understanding the limits to how young chil important as listening to the story. dren think enables us to tailor our programs to meet their needs. Lecturing young children on What are possible behavior issues related the wonders of the water cycle has nothing to to egocentrism? do with them personally. However, playing in rain puddles and catching raindrops on their Children may have difficulty waiting their turn tongues has everything to do with them. or sharing. This may result in excessive fidgeting, talking or disruption. Avoid activities that only one or two children can do while others wait their turn. Emphasize activities that everyone can
Natural Wonders 8 a Guide to Early Childhood Environmental Education do at once and make sure you have an abun Want to know more? dance of materials to avoid the hoarding Elkind, David. .Child Development and instinct. Education: A Piagetian Perspective. Children have an intense, yet skewed, sense of Oxford University Press. : ---. fairness. Peterson, Rosemary & Felton, Victoria. . Make sure there is enough of the same thing Piaget Handbook For Teachers and Parents. for everyone. For example, you’ve discovered Early Childhood Series. NY: Teachers that you don’t have enough Teddy Grahams College Press. ---. for the whole group so you add regular gra ham crackers, figuring they are just about the same thing. Any three-year-old can and probably will tell you, “ That’s not fair.” In other words, everyone should get the same amount of the exact same thing. If it’s not possible for everyone to have exactly the same thing, let children choose their own items.
Developmentally Appropriate Practice: Egocentrism
All children are allowed to expe All children have a chance to Children are expected to listen to rience the same activities at the participate but each person has to the instructor and answer ques same time. Children are continu wait for everyone else in the tions without embellishment or ally supported and encouraged to group to have a turn before going story telling. share their stories, thoughts and on to another activity. feelings. EX AMPL E S Listening to children tell their Reading or telling a story and Requiring all children to sit and own stories without hurrying or encouraging children to comment listen to a story without allowing interrupting them. Everyone can or ask questions throughout. questions, interruptions or pro participate at their own pace. viding an alternate activity.
Understanding Young Children 9 Egocentrism Understanding Young Children think that inanimate objects such as trees or stuffed animals have human feelings and Teaching to the Whole Child desires. They are bound by their perceptions of the world and therefore can think in only concrete terms. One way children begin to broaden their egocentric perceptions is by adopting roles and acting out make-believe scenarios and stories. This helps them see things from different perspectives. Because preschoolers lack logical thought, they often confuse appearance and reality. Toddlers and preschoolers often think that a Halloween mask changes the identity of the person wearing it and believe that a straight stick partially submerged in water actually gets bent because it appears that way. What does it mean? They begin to reason by making simple, but For children to learn effectively and joyfully, they often mistaken associations between ideas. must be engaged. It is impossible to separate the For example, a child may think that the sun cognitive, physical and social and emotional goes down because it’s time to go to bed. aspects of development when discussing and The heart planning activities and programs for young chil The social and emotional life of preschoolers dren. Children are learning about everything, all is filled with constant challenges. They are the time and with every fiber of their being. If navigating their way through a sea of social you want something to stick in the brain, it must rules and contexts and finding out through first go through the body and heart. trial and error which rules work. They strug Why is it important? gle with recognizing, accepting and express ing feelings as well as responding to the feel This is the prime time in life when all three ings and needs of others. aspects of development converge and must be Developing strategies for initiating and treated with equal importance and relevancy. maintaining play with other children is a Learning how to make friends and maintain major challenge and gradually moves from friendships is just as important as learning how solitary to cooperative play. Providing chil to count or read. For typically developing chil dren with the time, place and freedom to dren neither can be accomplished without mov interact with each other is essential to good ing and mastering one’s own body in space. preschool programming in any setting. The body What is important about the mind, heart Preschool children are learning about how and body of preschoolers? their bodies move and becoming aware of The mind how to manage this movement. They need As discussed previously, a major characteristic lots of experiences with lots of different of the preschooler is egocentricity. They have objects and types of movement to master a difficulty taking another’s point of view and wide variety of physical skills. Gross motor think everyone thinks, sees and acts like they experiences such as running, balancing, do. They frequently talk to themselves or to climbing, throwing, kicking, swinging and so their toys rather than to each other. They may forth, enhance physical and motor fitness. Fine motor control is developed through
Natural Wonders 10 a Guide to Early Childhood Environmental Education manipulating small objects like blocks, puz you are less accustomed to dealing with other zles, beads and play dough as well as point aspects of development. Older children find ing. A well-rounded program includes a bal it easier to compartmentalize their learning. ance of gross motor and fine motor activities. Naturalists tend to think of teaching con tent as being their job and do not understand What are the benefits to teaching to the the need to engage all areas of development whole child? to help children learn. When you attend to the whole child, you will What are possible behavioral issues engage children more fully and make a greater related to teaching to the whole child? impact on their thinking. If you work with young children, you are If children are allowed or encouraged to interact going to deal with their physical, social, and with each other, conflicts will come up. They emotional needs whether you plan to or not. will come up anyway, but this allows the By taking the whole child into consideration instructor to maintain some control though when planning, your plans are not derailed by anticipating problems and planning for their these needs. resolution. When children are allowed physical outlets, they need to move enough to satisfy Working with joyful children is fun! their needs before they are ready to sit still Attend to their social needs, and enjoy again. Instead of unfocused, short-term run watching them make connections with you ning around, involve children physically in and each other. learning for longer periods of time. Deal with their physical needs, and watch Encouraging children to express their feelings them learn to keep their balance when walking takes time. You can’t let one child make a per over varied terrain, handle tweezers and other sonal connection out-loud (“My dog died just tools for researching nature, and manage eye- like the dog in the story!”) and not expect the hand coordination to use magnifying glasses. other children to also express their feelings. Attend to their emotional needs, and Plan time for this to happen. experience emotional connection with chil If children develop an emotional connection dren and their connection with nature. with you, you may experience conflicts with Why don’t we teach to the whole child them. Addressing children’s feelings creates more complex relationships, even if you only more often? know them for a few hours. If naturalists don’t have background in child development, they may not understand the Want to know more? importance of including emotional, social, and Gurewitz, Sydney. The Sun’s Not Broken, A physical needs as well as cognitive needs. cloud’s Just in the Way. Mt. Rainier, MD: Young children’s emotions can be overwhelming. Gryphon House. ---. Rather than getting emotionally involved Griffen, Elinor Fitch. . Island of Childhood. with children, some people find it easier to New York: Teacher’s College Press. pretend they don’t have feelings. ---. If your experience is with older children,
Understanding Young Children 11 Teaching to the Whole Child Developmentally Appropriate Practice: Teaching to the Whole Child
Activities and programs engage Activities and programs engage Activities and programs concen children’s physical, social, emo children’s cognitive and physical trate on content and cognitive tional and intellectual needs. needs but emphasize cognitive. skills.
EX AMPL E S
In a program about birds, chil Children play a matching game Children listen and watch as a dren are read books that are both of birds and their eggs (cogni naturalist teaches them to identi non-fiction cognitive ) and fic tive), learn the names of backyard fy birds using flash cards. tion (emotional). They dramatize birds (cognitive) and fly around being fed in the nest (emotional, like birds (physical). social), touch bird feathers (phys ical), climb trees to view bird nests
Natural Wonders 12 a Guide to Early Childhood Environmental Education Notes
Understanding Young Children 13 Teaching the Whole Child Understanding Young Children What are the benefits to teaching Multiple Intelligence Theory to multiple intelligences? You can reach more children in less time. Informal educators rarely get to know indi vidual children well because our contact is limited. If subjects are taught in many ways, we will reach more children than the tradi tional methods of teaching—using lectures, books or demonstrations. It makes planning easier. Using multiple intelligence helps to provide variety in programming options. Why don't educators use multiple What does it mean? intelligence theory more? Multiple Intelligence () is a theory developed We think of ourselves as scientists. by Howard Gardner of Harvard University in Naturalists often focus their lessons on get . He theorized that people have at least ting children to understand concepts and eight different intelligences. Every person has facts. As a consequence, we often plan for the capabilities in each area but some areas are naturalist intelligence, neglecting the others. stronger than others. The following are the eight intelligences: We’re unfamiliar with multiple intelligence Logical-mathematical (numbers, reasoning) theory. Linguistic (reading, talking) We often do what is comfortable and familiar Bodily-kinesthetic (moving, doing things with rather than try new techniques. your body) What are possible behavior issues related Musical (songs, patterns, sound) Interpersonal (understanding other people and to multiple intelligence theory? social interactions) If children are truly engaged, they are less likely Intrapersonal (self knowledge) to behave inappropriately. Spatial (drawing, mapping) By offering a variety of activities that address Naturalist (understanding of the physical world, many of the multiple intelligences, educators nature) should experience fewer behavior issues. Why is it important? Young children do not compartmentalize their learning. Just focusing on science curriculum without looking at all ways children can develop understanding makes the program less effective. As educators we can use this concept to see children as individuals with specific areas of strengths and limitations and adjust our teach ing accordingly. In doing so, we can combine many of the intelligences into one activity and meet several children’s needs at a time.
Natural Wonders 14 a Guide to Early Childhood Environmental Education Want to Know More? Campbell, Linda & Dickinson, Dee. . Teaching And Learning Through Multiple Intelligence. Upper Saddle River, N.J.: Prentice Hall. : ---.
Developmentally Appropriate Practice: Multiple Intelligence
Educators consciously plan activ Instructors incorporate the most Instructors focus on just one or ities and provide materials that obvious and convenient intelli two methods of teaching without span all of the eight intelligences gences when planning activities. considering different learning equally. styles or intelligence. EX AMPL E S
• A class about birds might • A class about birds might • A class about birds might include the following: include the following: include the following: • Listening to bird calls (musi • Playing a bird identification • Lecturing about bird identifi cal) lotto game (logical-mathemat cation (linguistic) • Playing a bird identification ical) • Examining bird nests (natural lotto game (logical-mathemat • Reading stories about birds ist) ical) (linguistic) • Dramatizing with bird puppets • Lecturing about bird identifi (interpersonal) cation (linguistic) • Talking about personal experi ences with birds (intraperson al) • Making bird feeders (spatial) • Moving like a bird (Bodily kinesthetic) • Reading stories about birds (linguistic) • Examining bird nests (natural ist)
Understanding Young Children 15 Multiple Intelligence Theory Understanding Young Children see themselves in an educational experience, they are less likely to retain the information. Diverse Learners Connecting learning that occurs in your programs to children’s home and community experiences is respectful and sets a foundation for learning. Why is it important? The United States’ population is becoming increasingly diverse. Some of the most obvious and quantifiable changes are happening in the racial make up of our nation. The Bureau of Educational Statistics predicts that by , children of color will make up over half of the students in U.S. schools. A Children of 2010 report published in the Los Angeles Times (March ) predicted that by no single What does it mean? ethnic group will constitute a majority of the In order to create the best possible experience U.S population. These statistics have enormous for children, diversity can and should be significance for all educators. If the goal of an addressed and planned for. Diversity includes environmental education program is to create a race, language, socio-economic status, disability positive connection between children and the and even learning style. A quality program will environment, not taking diverse factors into take these areas of diversity into account and account can sabotage the goal. will make every effort to address them sensi tively. What are the benefits of diverse learning? Programs that strive to create an environment Providing experiences that children can connect and curriculum that is inclusive go beyond the to prior knowledge increases their learning. surface level of “political correctness” and We know from research in educational psy understand that it is in all children’s best inter chology and brain function that children est to be provided with a larger, more accurate learn new things based on what is already picture of the world. established. New knowledge is categorized This means being aware that all students are into what already makes sense. Learning that not coming from homogenous backgrounds with the same base of knowledge. It means is isolated from what is familiar or known is making a genuine effort to create programs that less likely to be long term. connect familiar things to children. Early childhood pioneer Lev Vygotsky Educator Emily Styles of the Seeking stated the idea of socio-cultural development, Education, Equity and Diversity () project in which learning and psychological develop encourages teachers to develop experiences for ment occur through experiences that happen students that create both windows and mirrors. in a social and cultural context. Although this Mirrors are opportunities for children see their is now a widely accepted concept, many edu own experiences reflected. Windows allow them cators overlook the experience of a student to see the experiences of others. Activities or that may be different from their own experi experiences that may be a window for one child ences. By making an extra effort to provide an could be a mirror for another. If children do not inclusive experience, the learning becomes more meaningful for all students.
Natural Wonders 16 a Guide to Early Childhood Environmental Education Why don’t educators take diversity and every project has to have a specific cul into account more often? tural focus, but the underlying message must be one of inclusion. Educators may see multicultural education as a Varying levels of comfort and knowledge are separate field from environmental education. accepted. This couldn’t be farther from the truth. The For example, a child living in an apartment future of our planet is a concern for all people building may have had minimal contact with and learning to make connections with the the world outside of his or her apartment. natural world is crucial for all people to Venturing out into a nonurban area might be ensure its survival. frightening. Another child from the same Educators think that a great deal of background building may have no fears of the same area. knowledge is needed. Inclusive instructors provide a variety of ways While there is a wealth of information about to participate and value all kinds of knowl diverse populations and about how to work edge. most effectively with diversity, the most Welcome diversity. important piece is awareness. Educators who Educators should find out as much as possi are aware that diversity exists and who make ble about the children attending a program an effort to be inclusive are taking an essen and adapt accordingly. This could be as sim tial first step. ple as learning some common Hmong pro Educators feel uncomfortable talking about nunciations of children’s names or giving a diversity. welcome greeting in one of the children’s Young children are aware of differences in home languages. people. When these differences are ignored or overlooked, they get the message there is Want to know more? something wrong with the differences. The Derman-Sparks, Louise. . The Anti-Bias more that human diversity is discussed and Curriculum: Tools for Empowering Young celebrated, the more children will understand Children. Washington D.C.: National and feel comfortable with the diversity Association for the Education of Young around them. Children. ---. Educators think taking diversity into account is Menkart, D., Lee, E., Okazawa-Rey, M. . only necessary if there is a noticeably diverse Beyond Heroes and Holidays: A Practical Guide group. to K-12 Anti-Racist, Multicultural Education Inclusive education is the best practice no and Staff Development. Washington D.C.: matter what the group. A child in summer Network of Educators on the Americas. --- camp may be in a much more homogeneous . group during summer than she is in her pub lic school during the rest of the year. What does representing diversity look like? Represent reality and avoid stereotypes. Books and materials used (posters, photo graphs, music, props and so forth) should show a diverse group of people. Addressing diversity does not mean that every program
Understanding Young Children 17 Diverse Learners Developmentally Appropriate Practice: Diverse Learners
Fear is dealt with respectfully. Fear is handled but with annoy- It is assumed that all children are Diverse tools and props are used. ance. Some diversity is represent- comfortable and familiar with An effort is made to obtain and ed. Some effort is made to be outside activities, getting dirty include knowledge about local inclusive but it isn’t considered an and actively participating. No cultural groups. There is an accu integral piece of the learning. effort is made to represent diver- rate representation of gender, Expectations are that all children sity in materials or curriculum. ability, race and culture. will be comfortable and familiar Stereotypes are reinforced. with outside activities, getting dirty, and actively participating. Minimal effort is made to repre sent diversity in materials or cur riculum. EX AMPL E S
During a program in December, During a program in December, During a program in December, a naturalist reads The Snowy Day a naturalist reads The Snowy Day a naturalist reads a book that and other books that show a vari and everyone sings Jingle Bells. shows only white children sled ety of people enjoying the snow. Books about snow are available ding in the snow. The group is Children act out poems about that only represent one racial led in singing Christmas songs animals getting ready for winter. group or gender enjoying the and the children are asked what Children are given a choice snow. During a walk through the they want Santa to bring them between going on a walk through forest, a few children become for Christmas. The naturalist the forest or exploring close to concerned about being so far leads everyone on a hike to the the building. Stories are told from the building. The naturalist forest to see the newly fallen about people who have never makes a joke and says they’ll go snow, even though several chil seen snow before because it is back to the building soon. dren do not have hats or boots. always hot where they live. Precut paper trees are decorated Natural winter events are empha with Christmas ornaments. sized instead of the holidays.
Natural Wonders 18 a Guide to Early Childhood Environmental Education Notes
Understanding Young Children 19 Diverse Learners Understanding Young Children either extending or breaking patterns. It gives children opportunities for success with a mini Learning through Play mum of risk or penalties for mistakes. Play is where it all comes together—the mind, heart and body are fully engaged and —voila—learning happens! What are the benefits of play? Playing is fun. Play is open ended and not goal oriented. Everyone can do it. Play naturally falls to the level, or varying lev els, of participants. Learning can be spontaneous. What does it mean? Children will introduce new ideas based on what they are experiencing at that moment. Play is the natural activity of children. It is a mental or physical activity whose sole conscious Play can relieve children’s stress. aim is amusement, relaxation, enjoyment and/or Stress can build up from too many teacher- self-expression. Researchers have described six directed activities, emotional or social tension elements of play, known as the disposition of and worry. Play can be used as a release, dis play (Rubin as referenced in Rodgers and traction or as a means to work out stressful Sawyer, ): scenarios. . Play is intrinsically motivated. Why don’t educators use play more often? . Play is relatively free of externally imposed rules. Play is not seen as effective. . Play is carried out as if the activity were Educators often worry that children are not real. learning if they are playing. They may feel a . Play focuses on the process rather than any need to control what children are learning by product. lecturing or providing study sheets. . The players dominate play. There isn’t time in the schedule. . Play requires the active involvement of the If it feels like there is no time to play, reex player. amine the schedule. How much time is spent Why is it important? in teacher-directed activities? In transitioning from one activity to another? In explaining The most important things in life are learned rules and directions? Play should be at the through play. Although play is often considered heart of every program. frivolous or ineffective, play actually benefits children’s learning in several ways. Physical play What are possible behavior issues is necessary for children to learn through their related to play? kinesthetic intelligence. During play, children form their own context from things they are Inevitable conflicts between children. learning and experiencing in everyday life. When two or more children play together Imaginative play allows children to become there are bound to be conflicts. Resist the someone or something else, to do things they’ve temptation to rush in and solve the problem never done before or have seen others do often. for them unless there is danger of people or Play allows children to explore lines of thought, property getting hurt. Instead, help children
Natural Wonders 20 a Guide to Early Childhood Environmental Education solve their problems by helping them express Smilansky, Sara & Shefatya, Leah. . how they feel and what they need. Facilitating Play. Psychosocial and Educational Publications. Want to know more? ---. Jones, Elizabeth & Reynolds, Gretchen. . Van Hoorn, Judith, et al. . Play At The The Play's The Thing. NY: Teachers College Center Of The Curriculum. Saddlebrook, NJ: Press. ---. Prentice Hall. ---. Rogers, Cosby & Sawyers, Janet K. . Play in the Lives of Children. Washington D.C.: National Association for the Education of Young Children. ---.
Developmentally Appropriate Practice: Play
Open-ended playtime is provided A limited amount of time is set Teacher’s agenda is followed pre with several options including aside for play. Activities are set cisely. Activities do not allow for dramatic, block and sensory play. up with some choices for stu creative interpretation. Spontaneous play is interwoven dents, but end result is predeter throughout activities. Instructor mined. follows the child’s lead. EX AMPL E S
Various play stations with a vari Children are given only a few Children are given a preselected ety of materials are set-up around minutes at the end of the session activity such as a coloring sheet to the room or gathering area. to play an organized game such complete in a given time period. Children are encouraged to as tag. choose among the play materials and are allowed to play for a minimum of continuous minutes.
Understanding Young Children 21 Learning through Play What You Need to Know About Children Under 6
They think differently than we do. Choose topics relevant to their lives and limited (developmental stages) experience. • Concrete thinkers. Choose concrete topics—clouds vs. weather, squir • No concept of time. rels vs. mammals. • Appearance is reality. Use simple language—avoid clichés. Use mystery, puppets, etc. to capture attention. Avoid refer • Cannot think logically or abstractly. ring to the past or future. Give one or two • Think inanimate objects have feelings, thoughts directions at a time and repeat activities. and desires. • Can think of only a few things at one time.
Everything is about “Me!” (egocentrism) Use puppets, costumes and dramatic play to give • Think everyone thinks, feels and acts like they children a change of perspective. do. Make sure everyone can participate to the same • Rigid sense of equality and fairness. extent. • Unable to distinguish between intentional and Provide enough time and materials for everyone. unintentional acts.
When in doubt, they make it up. Instead of correcting inaccurate information, find (constructivism) out why they think what they do. • They construct their own understandings of Use open-ended questions to challenge them to how the world works. think in different ways. • Develop their own theories about the world Facilitate learning rather than teach facts. based on prior knowledge and experience.
They can do it themselves! Provide lots of materials for experimentation. (play, constructivism) Provide choice whenever possible. • Learn best when they can decide for themselves Provide enough time and space to explore things what, when and how to do things. thoroughly.
They are learning about everything all at Integrate natural concepts in with social play, once, all the time. (Teaching to the whole material manipulation and hands-on experi child) mentation. • Learning occurs through every domain—social, Incorporate movement into programs. cognitive, physical, emotional, and so forth. Playing is learning.
They make sense of their world through play. Use familiar stories, songs, nursery rhymes and so (play) forth but add a new verse or twist. • Like to experience new things in familiar ways Don’t jump into teaching facts before children and familiar things in new ways. have had a chance to explore and experiment. • Approach materials in four stages: awareness, exploration, inquiry and utilization.
Natural Wonders 22 a Guide to Early Childhood Environmental Education Section II: Planning for Active Learning Planning for Active Learning What are the benefits to teaching Teaching Vs. Learning Objectives objectives? Keeps expectations realistic and appropriate. Remember, as a teacher of young children, your goal is to facilitate learning and help children discover things for themselves. You have little control over what children are actually learning, especially in an informal setting with limited time. Be realistic about the experience you want them to have versus facts you want them to know. Teaches to the whole child. Young children are learning every minute of What does it mean? every day. However, they are learning in more ways than just cognitive. They learn about Many who were trained as formal educators their world through language, physical move recognize learning objectives as a way to clarify ment, social interaction, emotional challenges, the purpose of programs. These are usually con music and more. crete statements that describe what the student Encourages open-ended activities. is expected to know after participating in the Providing open-ended exploration of topics lesson. However, when teaching very young leads to more questions and many possible children it is unrealistic to set these types of answers. This is inquiry-based learning at its expectations. Instead, we should set the goals best. and objectives for ourselves as facilitators and supporters of learning. This allows for ecologi Why don’t educators use teaching cal concepts and developmental skill-building objectives more? to be combined into an appropriate activity for the age group. We aren’t trained to use teaching objectives. Learning objective example: At the end of this Formal - systems tend to train teachers to lesson each student will be able to list three animals use learning objectives in order to measure that use camouflage as protection. success efficiently. Early childhood systems Teaching objective example: The purpose of favor teaching objectives and observation, this activity is to provide opportunities for outdoor which tend to emphasize learning effective exploration and to introduce the concept of camou ness. flage through a game of animal hide and seek. Results aren’t easily measurable. Why is it important? We often want and expect instant measures of success. Young children develop in their own Stating your teaching objective helps keep the time. Educators of young children need to not focus on the child’s experience and addresses expect them to know what we want them to the learning needs of the whole child rather know when we want them to know it. than just factual, cognitive information. In this way, the process, not the product, of learning is emphasized.
Natural Wonders 24 a Guide to Early Childhood Environmental Education What are possible behavior issues related Want to know more? to objectives? Katz, Lilian & Chard, Sylvia. . Engaging Inappropriate objectives often lead to cranki Children’s Minds: The Project Approach ( nd ness, oppositional behavior, failure to complete ed.). Greenwich, CT: Ablex Publishing. --- the objectives and disappointment—and that’s . just the teachers! Keep your expectations realis tic and you’ll have a great class.
Developmentally Appropriate Practice: Teaching Objectives
Teaching objectives are process Teaching objectives are process Learning objectives are product oriented with both content and oriented but contain content, not oriented and emphasize factual developmental goals included. developmental, goals. learning only.
EX AMPL E S
• The purpose of this activity is • Children will learn amphibians • After this lesson, children will to provide opportunities for from reptiles. be able to describe the differ children to classify different • Children will learn the differ ence between a reptile and an types of animals through a ence between a marble and a amphibian. sorting game. spotted salamander. • After this lesson, children will • The purpose of this activity is be able to list the names of to introduce children to sala three native salamanders. manders and to practice matching skills by finding two salamanders that look alike.
Planning for Active Learning 25 Appropriate Topics Planning for Active Learning Are there any exceptions? Appropriate Topics Sometimes you’ll meet a child who is extremely interested in advanced and abstract concepts such as dinosaurs, space exploration or African wildlife. Their enthusiasm may even spread to the rest of the group. By all means, follow their lead and provide as many resources (books, toys, pictures, games, music) as you can to feed their curiosity. For the most part, however, plan pro grams about local and familiar topics and relate it to special interests whenever possible. What are the benefits to using appropriate topics? What does it mean? It’s more enjoyable. Naturalists and environmental educators are By using age-appropriate topics the whole blessed with a plethora of topics and themes on program becomes easier to design. Both you which to plan a program. Nature provides an and the children will enjoy the program. inexhaustible supply of interesting topics from It provides more opportunities to use all or most amphibians to zooplankton. However, what is of the senses. appropriate for one age group may not be For example, think of all the ways you can appropriate for another age group for a variety experience apples first hand—picking, eating, of reasons. Young children are concrete cutting, baking, making cider and so forth. thinkers. They have difficulty thinking about abstract concepts. For this reason, program top Why don’t educators use appropriate ics must be boiled down to their simplest com topics more? ponents—things that you can see, feel, smell, hear or taste are appropriate topics for young children. We forget that young children don’t think like us. Another guideline is to stick to local topics that Not understanding how young children think children see every day. and learn can lead to the misperception that a Why is it important? child’s program can simply be a watered down version of an adult program. But Preschoolers learn best from concrete examples, because their brains haven’t caught up with things they can experience first hand. Abstract us, they need the basics. topics confuse children and frustrate their efforts to learn. For example, the water cycle is What are possible behavior issues related too abstract for preschoolers to understand. to inappropriate topics? However, a program on rain would be perfect and programming could center on playing in Children may become frustrated and things that rain makes—mud and puddles. disinterested. Starting with simple, concrete topics sets the Children are more likely to behave inappropri stage for understanding more abstract topics in ately if they don’t see a direct connection later years. between themselves and what they’re learning.
Natural Wonders 26 a Guide to Early Childhood Environmental Education Want to know more? Bredekamp, S & Copple, C. . Developmentally Appropriate Practice in Early Childhood Programs, (revised edition). Washington D.C.: National Association for the Education of Young Children. ---. Excerpts available at newhorizons.org/naeyc.html.
Developmentally Appropriate Practice: Appropriate Topics
Topics are simple and easy for Topics are concrete but difficult Topics are abstract and children children to experience immedi to experience first hand. have a difficult time understand ately and first hand. If you can ing or relating to them. see, touch, taste, hear or smell it, it’s a concrete topic.
EX AMPL E S
-- *
Flowers Monkeys Ecosystems Butterflies/bees Tigers Weather Animal tracks Plants of the desert Habitats/biomes Frogs Sea life Rain forests Squirrels Rain forest animals Geologic time Wind Universe Turtles * With the exception of special Invasive or endangered species Leaves ized facilities such as zoos, and similar facilities. Apples Winter birds Snow Dirt/soil/mud Insects Gardening
Planning for Active Learning 27 Appropriate Topics Planning for Active Learning by. Computer games take us into abstract worlds that don’t exist. Toys with bells and Authentic Experiences whistles leave little to the imagination and everything, it seems, can be made into a plastic toy. What are the benefits to authentic experiences? They extend learning. Real, authentic experiences provide the foun dation to countless learning opportunities. They provide the context or hat rack upon which other experiences are hung. Learning can be extended farther and faster if it is What does it mean? based on the real thing. Children should experience the real thing before Authentic experiences are real or as close to real other experiences. as you can get. Anyone who has had meaning ful encounters in their lives knows the differ For example, asking children to “fish” for ence between real, simulated and fake. Imagine numbered construction-paper fish cutouts the difference between seeing a grizzly bear in without any prior experience with ponds, fish, the Alaska wilderness, viewing one at the zoo, or even aquariums, is an inauthentic experi playing a simulated grizzly bear computer game ence. Contrast that with visiting a real pond or watching a cartoon of a generic bear raiding and examining all kinds of creatures living a picnic basket. Each experience is less authen there. That real experience can be later tic than the previous one and teaches us less as extended by looking at pond photographs, a result. drawing or painting pond critters and then These may be extreme examples, but count creating a game from what you know. less everyday experiences have the potential for They are easily remembered. authenticity. As adults, we benefit from a life Children’s senses are heightened during time of experiences to enjoy and remember. authentic experiences—feeling the cool water When we choose to buy bread from the store it of a mountain stream, smelling fresh pine is as a timesaving convenience, not to deny our needles, hearing a beaver slap her tail—are selves the pleasure of homemade bread. But if easily recalled once they’ve been experienced. we have experienced making bread from scratch Why don’t educators use authentic or eating it fresh from the oven, we know the richness of that experience is undeniable—espe experiences more? cially so for young children. It takes a lot of work. Why is it important? It is much easier to watch a video about pond life than go through the hassle of taking a Young children want, need and deserve authen field trip to the pond. Environmental educa tic experiences with real objects. Because they tors are the exception to this concept. Most are concrete thinkers, real experiences help of the time, we are the field trip. We have the them to learn about their immediate world and opportunity to provide the authentic, relevant things that are relevant to their lives. In this age experiences so many children are lacking. Our of technology, authentic experiences with real challenge then is to push ourselves to evaluate objects and environments can be hard to come
Natural Wonders 28 a Guide to Early Childhood Environmental Education all of our practices to ensure that we’re prac Want to know more? ticing what we preach. Rivkin, Mary. . The Great Outdoors: What are possible behavior issues related Restoring Children’s Right To Play Outside. to authentic experiences? Washington D.C.: National Association for the Education of Young Children. Young children are still learning how to control : ---. their own impulses. Real items often take a beating in the hands- on department. If an item is truly irreplace able and can’t be touched, put it in a clear case for viewing only. Don’t handle it yourself while simultaneously telling kids they aren’t allowed to touch it—this sends mixed mes sages. Always supervise small groups of chil dren when handling fragile objects like bird nests or animal skins and demonstrate how to properly touch or hold them.
Developmentally Appropriate Practice: Authentic Experience
Children experience an activity or Children have a simulated expe Children see only two-dimen environment first-hand, using rience via video or computer sional, (often cartoons or chara real objects, processes and appro without ever having seen the real catures) representations of priate equipment. thing. objects, animals, processes or products.
EX AMPL E S
Children visit a real pond and use Children read a book or watch a Commercial posters of cartoon nets to collect insects, crayfish video on things that live in the fish and flowers are hung up and other pond creatures. An pond. A water table is set up with around the classroom. Children aquarium or water table is set up plastic frogs, fish and other ani play Go Fish or Hungry Hippo in the classroom that contains mals and children catch them during free choice time. real pond life. Children play with with small nets. realistic replicas of frogs and fish in the water table.
Planning for Active Learning 29 Authentic Experiences Planning for Active Learning What are the benefits of inquiry-based Inquiry-Based Learning learning? Instruction will be individually appropriate. Children will find the answers they are ready to understand. The focus remains on the process of learning rather than the facts. Children learn to think scientifically. Children who learn early to think creatively and problem-solve are more likely continue this type of thinking as they get older. They can ask their own questions and find their own answers. What does it mean? It is empowering for children to learn that they can find answers rather than needing to Inquiry-based learning is focusing on children relying on others to give them answers. making discoveries independently or as mem bers of a group. Children are encouraged to ask Why don’t educators use more inquiry- questions, experiment, use trial and error, dis based learning? cuss and evaluate. Inquiry is the point of the activity, not a way of getting children to the Fear of losing control. right answer. This kind of learning can get loud and may To facilitate inquiry, ask open-ended ques appear chaotic to someone unfamiliar with tions whenever possible. When interacting with this type of education. Once instructors young children, adults often fall into the quiz bowl trap. Questions like “What color is that?” become accustomed to the activity level of or “How many dinosaurs are there?” come easily children involved in inquiry, they recognize it to us but too many may inhibit a child’s ability as the sound of minds at work. to reflect and reveal their own thoughts and Concern that children won’t learn. perspectives. Instead, ask questions that you Children will be less likely to have facts to don’t know the answers to. “What do you think parrot back than they would in a skills-driven would happen if . . .” or “If you were a bird program. Recognition of what children where would you fly?” By asking questions with should be learning at this age, which includes no right or wrong answer you’ll find out how attitude, passion and confidence, helps children think, not just what they know. instructors to let go of the desire for children Why is it important? to know facts. Young children learn best through finding their Concern that they will learn misinformation. own answers. This is a time for learning to learn When children find their own answers and rather than learning facts. When children dis construct their own knowledge, sometimes cover that they can find answers to what puz they come up with less than the whole zles them, they are learning the basics of scien answer. Educators need to encourage children tific principles. to revise their theories until they are develop mentally able to achieve true understanding.
Natural Wonders 30 a Guide to Early Childhood Environmental Education What are possible behavior issues of Want to Know More? inquiry-based learning? Katz, Lilian & Chard, Sylvia. . Engaging As with most creative ways of learning, inquiry Children’s Minds: The Project Approach can get messy, loud and perhaps chaotic but it’s ( nd.ed.). Greenwich, CT: Ablex Publishing. --- worth it! .
Developmentally Appropriate Practice: Inquiry
Educators listen to children and Focus is on children’s learning Educators develop plans to con pick up on their interests and through discovery, but educators trol the outcome. Focus is on questions. They ask guiding make sure children have accurate gaining factual information. questions to steer children to information rather than allowing Instructor tells or shows children finding solutions. Educators find children to find out for them and children repeat back what materials and create opportunities selves. Some discovery activities they were told. for children to follow their ideas. are included. They challenge children’s ideas (both correct and incorrect) to further their thinking rather than to direct them to the right con clusion.
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Children search for butterflies; Children are allowed and encour The naturalist holds up different observe where they land; look for aged to observe butterflies, ask pictures of a butterfly’s life cycle, clues to find out what they eat; questions about and ruminate telling children about each stage look through books, at mounts about the answers. However, and ask the children to repeat the and live butterflies; hypothesize incorrect information or theories information. about what makes a butterfly dif are corrected by the naturalist. ferent than a moth through observation and so forth. Instructors challenge children’s ideas and lead them into finding out more information.
Planning for Active Learning 31 Inquiry-Based Learning Planning for Active Learning It is important to recognize that it is eas ier for an educator to change his or her Guiding Children's Behavior expectations and offering more appropriate activities, schedules and interactions than it is to change the behavior of children. What are the benefits of guiding children’s behavior? By focusing on appropriate expectations, instructors will spend less time engaged in power struggles. The less time spent on trying to make chil dren behave appropriately, the more time can be spent on the learning experience. What does it mean? It is less frustrating and stressful for everyone. Guiding children’s behavior means managing the Everyone—children, parents, staff—are all behavior of young children in positive and negatively affected by conflict and struggle. respectful ways. It helps children recognize what By being proactive you minimize the level of it means to be part of a group and behave in stress affecting the group and feel more in socially acceptable ways. This self-regulation is a control. major part of social development and many fac Why don’t educators focus more on tors influence a child’s ability to control impulses, maintain friendships and solve conflicts. A large guiding positive behavior? part of guiding children’s behavior is creating an It is difficult to discipline children when you have environment that minimizes stress and conflict limited contact (perhaps just one class). and encourages appropriate, social behavior. Many factors determine how children will Why is it important? behave on a given day. We’ve all gotten up on the wrong side of the bed, had too little sleep It allows you to keep conflicts from being the focus or been out of sorts at one time or another. of the experience. Have a doable plan for dealing with minor Being proactive when dealing with children’s and major problems and stick to it. behavior is the first step. You need to have It can be uncomfortable to discipline children clear expectations, create an environment that with their parents or other adults present. encourages cooperation and know how you An unwritten societal rule seems to prohibit will react to misbehaviors. us from disciplining another’s child, especially The good news is that adults still tend to when the parent is present. It’s best to consult be a greater influence on preschool children with the parent directly and privately if a than their peers. Preschoolers are generally child’s behavior is disrupting the class. interested in pleasing adults. The less-than good news is they have been less indoctrinated Most educators have minimal training in this to school (and group) expectations than older area. children. Begin by assuming that children will There are ways to offset this. One suggestion behave if expectations are reasonable, their is to volunteer in an early childhood class needs are being met and there is a climate of room and observe how seasoned teachers deal cooperation. Problems will then be minimized. with behavioral issues. Keep a journal of behavioral issues that are challenging to you.
Natural Wonders 32 a Guide to Early Childhood Environmental Education Seek out other professionals for advice, read the reoccurrence of these behaviors include the reputable early childhood behavioral guides following: and soon you’ll see patterns and solutions Give children simple, clear expectations when a emerge. new activity begins. Preschoolers are most likely to behave For example, “We are taking a walk on the trail. We will leave the sticks on the ground cooperatively if the following occurs: as we walk.” There is enough space and materials to go around. Give children reasons for these rules. If children must push ahead to see or receive “We leave the sticks on the ground because it materials, conflicts increase. is unsafe to walk or run with sticks.” Their physiological needs are met (food, rest, If children break the rules, remind them of the temperature). rule and why. Make sure children are dressed appropriately “Please leave the stick on the ground. It isn’t for outdoor activities, the indoor temperature safe to run with the stick.” is moderate, the time of day is optimal for Giving children a choice often diffuses a power preschoolers (programs that conflict with nap struggle. time may be a problem) and offer a snack for “You can put the stick on the ground, or you a program longer than ½ hours. can give it to me and I’ll put the stick on the There is an optimal level of stimulation (not too ground.” much or too little). Don’t phrase directives as questions or children A good guideline is to provide at least two believe compliance is optional. slots per activity during free choice or gather “Leave the stick on the ground, please.” ing time. For example, if you are expecting rather than “Can you leave the stick on the twelve children for a program, offer six activi ground?” If children do not respond to verbal ties with enough space and materials to directions, take action calmly and firmly. Take accommodate at least two children at a time. the stick from the child’s hand and place it on The group size is manageable. the ground. “This is where the stick belongs.” Even with small adult-to-child ratios, a large If children repeat misbehavior, allow for a group size (more than ) has too many per natural or logical consequence. sonalities for easy cooperation. A natural consequence is something that There are more child-initiated than adult- would naturally happen—if you don’t watch directed activities. where you are walking you may trip over a You will find more misbehavior if children are stone. A logical consequence is something expected to sit and listen to adults for extend you as the adult would do as a result of an ed periods of time. action. For example, taking hold of a child’s Activities and class topic are developmentally hand if he doesn’t watch where he is walking. appropriate. If you use a logical consequence, explain what If activities are interesting and understandable you are doing in a matter of fact way, letting to children and topics are concrete, children the child hear that he has some control over are more likely to be appropriately engaged in what happened. “It seems hard for you to learning and play. walk alone without picking up sticks. I will hold your hand to help you remember.” When children behave inappropriately: Even with the best planning, challenging behaviors will still come up. Steps for reducing
Planning for Active Learning 33 Guiding Children’s Behavior If children behave dangerously or If a child is out-of-control on a hike or other less- aggressively secure environment, return to a building immediately. Educators often don’t know children well, if at Make a plan with her responsible adult (par all, before programs. If it is possible to receive ent or teacher) for avoiding the conflict in the information regarding children’s special needs future if the child will return for other pro (including behavioral) before class, do so. If not, grams. you may find children who do not respond to low-key behavior management techniques. Want to know more? When this happens do the following: Nelson, J., Duffy, R., & Erwin, C. . Positive Maintain safety first. Discipline for Preschoolers: For Their Early Protect children from others and from them Years-Raising Children Who Are Responsible, selves. Hold out-of-control children if need Respectful, and Resourceful. Rocklin, CA: ed. Tell the child, “I won’t let you hurt anyone Prima Publishing. ---. and I won’t let anyone here hurt you.” Have a plan for getting additional adult support. Know if another instructor or office personnel can help you if a situation gets out of hand.
Developmentally Appropriate Practice: Guiding Behavior
Children are given clear direc Adults try to manipulate children Rules are arbitrary or inconsis tions with just a few steps. into behaving with rewards and tent. Authority of adults is more Expectations are reasonable and punishments. important than children’s learn logical. Children are given the ing. Children’s behavior is rigidly benefit of the doubt, but hurtful controlled. or disruptive behavior is handled firmly and kindly.
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When a child grabs a raccoon When a child grabs a raccoon When a child grabs a raccoon mount roughly, the adult gives mount roughly, the adult says mount roughly, the adult shames the child a reason for handling “Mrs. Raccoon will cry if you pull him and sends him to the time the mount carefully. If child con on her.” out chair. tinues to harm the mount, adult redirects the child to a different activity.
Natural Wonders 34 a Guide to Early Childhood Environmental Education Section III Essential Ingredients for Active Learning Essential Ingredients Children learn from each other. When children are doing rather than listen for Active Learning ing, they will talk more and share their dis Hands-on Learning coveries with each other. Why don’t educators offer more hands-on activities? It requires a lot of materials and equipment. It is less expensive to have a class that only uses written notes than a class that requires materials and equipment for each child to use. Using as much recycled, donated, rented or borrowed equipment as possible can allevi ate this problem. They worry that children will damage props. What does it mean? Equipment like animal mounts are expensive and delicate. However, even very young chil Hands-on learning is much more than touching dren can be taught to handle equipment with and manipulating objects. It means actively par care and respect. ticipating in the learning process. It includes all Class preparation takes more time. the elements of good teaching—experimenting, A class with hands-on activities needs a fair testing cause and effect, discussing the various amount of preparation but the ease of the possibilities and making choices about what to class experience makes it time well spent. do next. The more children have control over their own actions and choice, the more hands- Tips on learning becomes. • Use low tables. Children will need to reach Why is it important? materials to handle them • Use the floor. Many activities can be done This is the heart of the constructivist learning sitting on the floor. theory (see Constructivism). Children need to • Organize storage. Having materials easily be active agents in their own learning in order accessible in labeled tubs or another system to transform their ideas and naïve theories into will keep it easier to access. true understanding of the world around them. What are the benefits of offering hands- What are possible behavioral issues in on activities? hands on learning? You must have enough equipment to involve all Young children learn best through hands-on of the children at the same time. activities. Expecting some to participate and others to They can involve all of their senses, their watch them participate will create conflict. minds, bodies and hearts in the learning process. Children need to know limits in handling Children like them. materials and props. Children are drawn to activities they can Handing a child a delicate skull and being touch, transform and examine and they need angry when it is broken is not reasonable. Is less encouragement to become involved. something is very fragile, hold it “with” the child.
Natural Wonders 36 a Guide to Early Childhood Environmental Education If children sit before handling an object, Want to know more? they will be able to keep their balance better Hohmann, Mary & Wiekart, David. . and are less likely to drop or break it. Educating Young Children. Yipsilanti, MI: Children are likely to take learning to the next High/Scope Press ---. level. When using hands-on learning, don’t expect children to just do what you have instructed them to do and then wait for the next direc tion. They will find a new and imaginative (and perhaps dangerous or destructive) use for materials and props once they are no longer interested in what you have directed them to do.
Developmentally Appropriate Practice: Hands-on Learning
All props and materials are used Some props and materials are Adults demonstrate with props by children freely. Adults demon handled by children. Others are and then show children the strate the expected use of props shown or explained without props. All lessons are done as lec and then allow children to handle opportunities for hands-on ture or demonstration only. them. experiences.
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Children have an opportunity to Children are given a lecture Children are shown parts of an examine insect specimens up about insect body parts. Later, insect’s body with pictures and close with lenses and other tools. they take a walk to look for are told the names of each part. While examining insects, chil insects. dren are verbally encouraged to notice body parts and compare different kinds of insect to each other. Children walk to look for insects in their natural habitat and notice what attracts insects to this particular place. Children can construct habitats to attract insects.
Essential Ingredients for Active Learning 37 Hands-On Learning Essential Ingredients What are the benefits to offering open- for Active Learning ended activities? Open-Ended Activities Everyone can learn. With closed activities, there is a narrow range of children who will benefit. Children who have enough understanding to complete and master the activity have no opportunity to go farther. With open-ended activities, children can naturally tailor the activity to their inter ests and abilities. Children are empowered to learn. Giving children open-ended activities encourages them to pose their own questions, test their ideas, share with their peers and take part in the scientific method. What does it mean? Learning can be more spontaneous. Open-ended activities are activities that can be With closed activities, instructors must put used in more than one way. Block play and dra each activity together to be used in one way. matic play are good examples of open-ended With open-ended activities, the same materi activities. The opposite is closed or self-correcting als can be used over and over with different activities that can only be used correctly one learning happening each time. way. Examples of closed activities include puz Educators have more opportunities for catching zles and matching games with only one right the teachable moment. answer. Open-ended activities help adults take on the role of facilitator, supporting rather than dic Why is it important? tating what and how children learn. It allows Young children learn best through making dis for more flexibility, experimentation and dis coveries for themselves. Through taking part in covery. open-ended experiences, children can learn Why don’t educators offer more open- what they are ready to understand. For example, if children are given a stack of pictures of ani ended activities? mals and told to make one pile of animals that Concern about what children are learning. live in the water and one that live on land, chil Educators may worry that if children are not dren either have the knowledge to complete the following instructions for a closed activity, task or not. If they are able to complete the they won’t be learning anything. By offering task, then the learning is done. If instead, chil open-ended activities and observing how dren are given a stack of pictures and are asked learning occurs, educators should become how they can go together, children can catego more confident in this style of teaching. rize based on where they live, what they eat, They want a product to send home. which animals they like or do not like, which live in the wild or can be pets, which lay eggs or Educators may worry that parents won’t think give live birth and so forth. The learning con they “got their money’s worth” if the children tinues and everyone can complete the task don’t bring something home. Instructors will because the task is open-ended. see the parents responding to the excitement in their children’s eyes and can be educated to not expect the pay off of a product.
Natural Wonders 38 a Guide to Early Childhood Environmental Education They think children need closed activities to learn Want to know more? to follow directions. MacDonald, Sharon, . Block Play: The Instructors may view closed activities as an Complete Guide To Learning and Playing with appropriate way for children to learn to follow Blocks. Beltsville, MD: Gryphon House. directions. There are many opportunities for ---. children to learn to follow directions. Following directions to use snowshoes without Forman, George & Hill, Fleet, . falling over or following a recipe in a cooking Constructive Play: Applying Piaget in the experience are more useful ways to learn direc Preschool. London: Addison-Wesley. --- tional skills. .
Developmentally Appropriate Practice: Open-Ended Activities
Appropriate, safe and durable Adults know what they want the Activities are set up for children materials are made available to children to make (a person, a with a demonstration, a model to children to use at will. No pumpkin) but they are allowed to follow, or other methods for instructions are given. select their own materials. adults to maintain control over the end result. Children are cor rected if they use the materials wrong. Adults may also fix up the finished product so it looks right.
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During free-choice time, children During free-choice time, children During free-choice time, children build whimsical structures with are told to build shelters for ani make a home for a groundhog by tree blocks. mals out of tree blocks. coloring a photocopy of a groundhog, gluing it onto a craft stick and poking it into the cen ter of a paper cup. The teacher shows everyone a sample of what it should look like.
Essential Ingredients for Active Learning 39 Open-Ended Activities Essential Ingredients strategies work best for avoiding power struggles. for Active Learning Individualized learning. Choice Everyone has different strengths and weak nesses in their learning. This is easy to see with young children. Some learn best through trial and error, others want to learn collabora tively and work with peers, others need it explained while still others need to see for themselves. Through offering choices, educa tors enable children can learn about a topic in the best way for them. Easier rhythm to the program. When the educator has all of the children doing the same thing together, it is easy to run out of time or run out of planned activities. What does it mean? When children are given choices, the activities that go well get more time and the activities Including choice in programs means that chil that don’t go well can be ignored. dren may choose between more than one activi ty, and children have the choice not to partici Why don’t educators offer more choices? pate in some activities. Not trusting that children are learning. Why is it important? Some people feel children are not learning Most young children learn best through self- about a topic if they are not controlling the selected activity. Preschoolers have a longer children’s activity. attention span for self-selected activity than Educators may believe that if all of the they do for activities mandated by adults. When children are doing the same activity at the they attend to an activity longer, they develop a same time, they can be sure everyone gets it. greater understanding of the topic. For example, Unfortunately, they are underestimating a preschooler may only be able to last through children’s ability to tune out what they are not ten minutes of block play and then they are interested in. Young children will actually get ready to try something new. However, this same more out of an activity they have chosen. child may work on an art activity or play in a Limited space. sensory table for more than thirty minutes. It can be a challenge to find space for several Making good choices is one of the most impor activities at the same time in small rooms. If tant tasks for preschool children. you offer four activities at the same time, and What are the benefits to offering choices? each activity accommodates four children, you’ll have enough room for sixteen children. Fewer power struggles. Concern about supervising more than one When children are allowed to choose what activity at a time. they would like to do, they are more excited about activities and less resistant of directions. This is less important if you offer activities This makes a big difference when educators that children can do independently. If an work with children for short periods of time adult must stand over a group to be sure they and don’t have the luxury of learning what are doing an activity correctly, it is probably too complicated to begin with.
Natural Wonders 40 a Guide to Early Childhood Environmental Education What are possible behavior issues related Want to know more? to providing choice? Bredekamp, S & Copple, C. . Some choices are more popular than others. Developmentally Appropriate Practice in Early Childhood Programs, (revised edition). Try to make all choices attractive and offer Washington D.C.: National Association for the most space and time to the most popular the Education of Young Children. activities. ---. Excerpts available at Children need to work independently. newhorizons.org/naeyc.html. Offering several activities at the same time means children need to be able to work with out adult direction. Ensure that activities are open-ended enough (see Open-Ended Activities) to allow as much independence as possible.
Developmentally Appropriate Practice: Choice
Program offers choice for children Selected activities are offered. Teachers decide what activity during as much of the program as Some activities are required, some comes next and children are given possible. No activities are a choice. little if any clue about what comes are required, alternative choices next. are presented.
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Stations or activity centers on Several activities are offered but Time is divided into increments birds allow several activities to take all children must complete feather and children move as a group place simultaneously. One center painting and listen to a story from one activity to the next. All might be painting with feathers, about birds. children hear a bird story, then lis another looking at books about ten to birdcalls, then paint with birds, another listening to a tape of feathers and finally take a walk. bird calls, another examining kinds of nests, another group going on a bird hike and another acting out a story with bird puppets.
Essential Ingredients for Active Learning 41 Choice Natural Wonders 42 a Guide to Early Childhood Environmental Education Section IV: Supporting Active Learning Supporting Active Learning environment encourages learning and play and discourages inappropriate behavior. It Learning Stations doesn’t hurt your credibility with parents, either. It says, “You belong here.” Why don’t educators teach with learning stations more? There is a feeling of lack of control. Educators who are used to controlling chil dren’s activities may view learning stations as chaotic and unorganized. There isn’t enough time for “play.” Then make your programs longer. Children What does it mean? will have a more positive experience and Learning stations are learning zones set up in probably learn more from free-choice activi the outside gathering area or meeting room. ties than from other organized activities. Children are given the time and opportunity to It takes a lot of time and effort. explore them at their own pace. Stations are Yes, it does but it’s worth it! The more com generally grouped to promote certain activities: fortable you become with this teaching style, books and writing area, block or building area, the less time it will take to prepare. sensory area with water or sand play or play dough, art area, dramatic play area with cos What are possible behavior issues related tumes and props, science area and so forth. to learning stations? Why are they important? Conflicts between children. These are inevitable because children are just Learning stations promote choice and freedom learning how to relate to their peers. You can of movement. They convey a sense of trust in minimize conflicts by providing enough toys the children by allowing children to choose and materials to go around. what is important to them. As a result, the pro gram is more responsive to the needs of indi Learning stations generally alleviate problems. vidual children, rather than herding them Giving children the freedom to choose helps around and treating them as a group. to avoid defiant behavior and acting out. What are the benefits to teaching with Want to know more? learning stations? Trister Dodge, D. & Colker, L. . Creative Curriculum for Early Childhood. Washington Learning stations create a welcoming D.C.: Teaching Strategies. environment. ---. When children arrive they may be feeling apprehensive. Having familiar activities set up for them to choose from helps to ease them into a new space and routine. It shows you have anticipated their needs. Setting up an appropriate environment for young children is half the battle. The right
Natural Wonders 44 a Guide to Early Childhood Environmental Education Developmentally Appropriate Practice: Learning Stations
Various activities are set up Learning stations are set up Children are greeted in the meet around the meeting space. around the room. Activities are ing room but given no time to Children are given sufficient time generally closed with an intended explore the room. They are at the beginning of the program outcome. Children rotate from expected to sit and listen before to explore at their own pace. The one area to the next. going onto the next group activity. teacher interacts with individual children as they play.
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Children arrive at the picnic Children arrive at the picnic Children arrive at the picnic shelter for a program on frogs. shelter for a program on frogs. shelter and told to sit on the There are four areas set up for There are three areas set up: a benches. The teacher tells them them to choose from: a water frog song identification activity about frogs and how to identify table with lily pads and rubber sheet; a frog and toad coloring them. frogs; play dough with rollers and sheet with green and brown cookie cutters; pond puzzles and crayons and frog puzzles. water colors. Children play for Children are asked to complete ten to fifteen minutes before one or more activities but no coming together for a welcoming more than three people can be at circle. a station at a time.
Supporting Active Learning 45 Learning Stations Supporting Active Learning What are the benefits of offering art Art activities? Exploration and experimentation Children need to freely explore several art media, just for the sake of experience. For example, very young children are often more fascinated with the cause and effect aspects of painting for example, then they are with cre ating something specific. Individualized expression and learning Children are free to express, at their own level of ability with their own perspective, what they have learned. What does it mean? Learning is sensory-based. The more sensory the learning experience the Art is the making or doing of things that display greater the retention. Poetry and music relate form, beauty and unusual perception. It includes to hearing. Drawing and painting relate to painting, sculpture, architecture and other the visual. Dance relates to the kinesthetic. media. It is the distinctly human ability to make Sculpture and ceramics relate to touch. things based on creativity, skill and beauty. Why don’t educators offer Why is it important? more arts activities? One of the most important gifts we can give Crafts are so cute! young children is the opportunity for creative We often substitute craft projects for art for thinking and expression. Exploring and experi this very reason. But children learn more menting with a variety of materials and tech from making their own choices. We also use niques is an essential part of creating. Art is an crafts as a way to help children learn to follow activity based on sensory experience, similar to directions. This is an example of an inappro our experience of nature. It allows children to priate match between objectives and activity. explore and experiment with creating something When offering an art activity, your prime for its own sake or to express their knowledge of objective should be to encourage creative a subject with their own perspective and associa expression. There are more appropriate and tions. Art in the early childhood years is child- meaningful ways to help children follow step oriented, as opposed to craft, which is teacher- by-step directions. oriented. For example, a craft activity (such as creating a snowman by gluing down three white Children’s choices may not conform to the theme. circles) focuses on producing a finished product What is more important, conforming or cre that matches a model, and may include matching ating? Adjust your expectations so it’s not a a process or technique. Art is about expressing a big deal. concept in an individualized manner (like creat Parents like crafts. ing a three-dimensional wire sculpture) with a Parents will love anything their child creates. child’s ability, energy and experience as a filter. Help them to appreciate the art for its own sake, rather than as a tool to compare their child’s progress with others. Material cost. Crafts can be more expensive than free art
Natural Wonders 46 a Guide to Early Childhood Environmental Education projects. Art can be created from reused or Tips recycled materials, scraps and odds and ends. • Have plenty of art materials on hand and Possible behavior management issues accessible to all children. related to art activities. • Do not limit the amount or kind of materi als children may use in their art. A child may get upset over a forgotten or ruined • Show examples or copies of professional project. artists’ work for inspiration. Because it is such a personal activity, children • Have a display area for finished pieces. • Art proof your space: no carpets, a slop are often very protective of their individual sink, storage and so forth. works. Make sure children have a safe place to store art projects, their names are clearly Want to know more? marked and they have an opportunity to take their masterpieces home. Bos, Bev. . Don’t Move The Muffin Tins. Roseville, CA: Turn the Page Press. Children do not want to participate. : . Many children are afraid to express them Lasky Lila & Mukerji-Bergeson, Rose. . selves in front of others or art may not be Art: Basic For Young Children. Washington their thing. Respect their choices but try to D.C.: National Association for the Education engage them in different ways. Frame the of Young Children. project in terms of play or find other related jobs for them to do, such as assistant dance director or dispenser of materials.
Developmentally Appropriate Practice: Art
Children are free to use materials Children are free to express and Activity designed to recreate an for creative expression. Children interact with materials but activi example already created by the are free to interact spontaneously ty is still product-oriented. teacher (i.e. product-oriented). with materials. The process of Focus is on following instructions creating art is emphasized over instead of spontaneous interac the product or how it looks. tion with materials.
EX AMPL E S
Children are given a variety of Children make stuffed paper-bag All children work at the same natural collage materials, glue, pumpkins but can choose what time, each following step-by-step tape, staplers and other items to color they want to paint it. instructions for making stuffed explore and experiment with pumpkins, painted orange with when creating an art project. green pipe cleaner vines.
Supporting Active Learning 47 Art Supporting Active Learning patterns and repetition encourage child partici pation and hold attention. However, young Story Time children are just grasping differences between what is real and what is imaginary. This pro vides a challenge in finding books that are engaging but also contain factual information. Even books with pertinent factual information often anthropomorphize animals. Use this as an opportunity to discuss various possibilities. Do you think bunnies talk to each other the same way people do? How do you think they com municate? It is also possible to adapt more complicated non-fiction books by using pertinent informa What does it mean? tion and quality illustrations or photos while Gathering together with a relevant book can be changing the delivery. Try doing a “picture a great way to either generate interest or bring walk” where the pictures are shown but the text closure to a session with young children. It can is paraphrased in a more kid-friendly style. In be as simple as reading a picture book aloud, or small groups, showing the pictures and asking as elaborate as acting out a favorite fairy tale. for predictions from the children about what Many children who may not be at all familiar will happen next is engaging and allows you to with the environment of a nature center are impart some information while keeping it with familiar with books and stories. Story time is in their level of understanding. also very flexible. A book can be shared to a few children during gathering or free choice time, What are the benefits to a well thought along the trail or during snack. Story time is engaging for many children and has a high out story time? chance of being successful. Most children love to be read to. Why is it important? Because most children are familiar with story time, it can be a calming and rewarding expe The single most important activity for building rience. the understandings and skills essential for read ings success is reading aloud to children Good way to introduce subject. (Newman, et. al. ). And the early child Activates prior knowledge or summarizes key hood years—from birth through age eight—are concepts. the most important period for literacy develop ment. It aids in language development, builds Why don’t educators use story time more knowledge and comprehension, fosters familiar often? ity with letters and words and builds communi ty. It can be frustrating. If story time is unsuccessful re-examine your Fiction or nonfiction? technique. Choose appropriate books with large Young children are more likely to be familiar illustrations, that encourage participation, and with the story structure of fiction books and keep it short. engaged by the characters. The predictable
Natural Wonders 48 a Guide to Early Childhood Environmental Education Common roadblocks to a successful story group response and choice. This can happen time. in simple ways by asking children to predict with a thumbs up or thumbs down, asking Reading books that cover abstract concepts or are them to show the emotions of a character in not age appropriate. the book, or through actions that match the The availability of books covering science words (such as making the noise of a bear in topics can create the temptation to give more the woods by stomping feet or pretending to information than is needed or can be look through binoculars). Choosing books absorbed. Young children learning about the with a pattern and repetition allows for choral food chain can grasp the basic ideas but don’t response and engagement. need to hear details about how energy is cre Not everyone is interested in story time. ated and stored in cells. Try to have other quiet options for children Expecting young children to sit quietly and listen. to do if they are not interested in listening to Educators can become frustrated when a story. A puzzle or play dough often works. prompting questions and comments especially when several children start talking at once Want to know more? about what seems to us to be unrelated issues. Conlon, A. . Giving Mrs. Jones a hand: Choose stories that children can actively par Making Group Storytime More Pleasurable and ticipate in to alleviate this issue. Meaningful for Young Children. Young Children (): -. What are the possible behavior issues Fox, Mem. . Reading Magic: Why Reading related to story time? Aloud to Your Children will Change Their Lives Is it really a problem? Forever. Orlando, FL, Harcourt: : --- Behaviors that are seen as problems are less Neuman, S., Copple, C., Bredekamp, S. . likely to occur when the educator adapts the Learning to Read and Write: Developmentally structure to fit the group. With a small group, Appropriate Practices for Young Children. gathering in a circle and using props to pro Washington, D.C.: National Association for vide active involvement can extend the the Education of Young Children. amount of time children will be engaged. ---. With any group, use an easel, big book or chart and take care to limit the amount of time children are expected to sit. Children seem bored and start acting-up. One way to avoid this is to create ways for the children to be actively involved. With a larger group, individual response and action is sometimes impossible. A well-orchestrated story time will provide opportunities for
Supporting Active Learning 49 Story Time Developmentally Appropriate Practice: Story Time
A well-chosen book is read using A book is chosen that is appro- An inappropriate book is chosen props or puppets to actively priate and some attempt is made and the expectations for children engage children and allows for a to engage children in action, are unrealistic; sitting quietly and variety of ways to participate. some variety is allowed in partici passively for long periods of time; pation. not responding, using props as visuals that children aren’t allowed to touch.
EX AMPL E S
During a book on animal noises, During a book on animal noises, During a book on animal noises, children are encouraged to make children are encouraged to make children are expected to sit quiet the animal voice at the appropri the animal voice at the appropri ly without speaking. The educa ate time in the story. The reader ate time in the story but are not tor makes all the noises herself. has several animal puppets for allowed to ask questions or com Another book has small, abstract the children to use during the ment until the story is finished. drawings and makes no use of story. Comments and questions rhyme or humor. from children are welcome throughout the story.
Natural Wonders 50 a Guide to Early Childhood Environmental Education Notes
Supporting Active Learning 51 Outdoor Exploration Supporting Active Learning busy family schedules, there is less time even for backyard play. Outdoor Exploration It contributes to children’s physical, emotional and social development. Because the natural world is rich and dynamic, free outdoor exploration can increase children’s confidence, comfort level and coordination. Why don’t educators explore the outdoors more? Fear. It takes a lot of skill and confidence to lead a group of children on a nature hike. Helping other educators become comfortable in the What does it mean? outdoors by modeling appropriate techniques For environmental educators, time outdoors can be an indirect benefit of outdoor explo means exploring all the nooks and crannies of ration. forests, fields and ponds. There is a constant possibility for new discoveries and unfolding What are the possible behavior issues mysteries. Unfortunately, this type of explo with exploring the outdoors? ration is not available to many young children Children may act inappropriately. especially those in formal daycare or preschool Children who are inexperienced or uncom situations. Outdoor time for them may be lim fortable in the outdoors may act out in a vari ited to a few minutes a day in a fenced-in ety of ways—pestering others, running ahead, playground with a pea gravel surface and very whining or throwing sticks. Help children little, if any, opportunities for interacting with feel secure by letting them know what to nature. expect ahead of time, giving them a job or a Why is it important? role along the trail and by telling them it’s the adult’s job to keep them safe and unharmed. Because young children learn through active participation with their surroundings, the natu Tips. ral environment provides an inexhaustible sup ply of learning opportunities. Frequent, positive Keep track of your kids. and direct experience in the outdoors is essen • Do frequent head counts. This is especially tial to developing positive attitudes toward the important after moving from inside to out environment—attitudes that are formed very side and vice versa, after passing another early in life. group on the trail and after each activity. Remember, it is your responsibility to keep What are the benefits to outdoor track of them, not the other way around. exploration? Never blame a child for getting lost. • Always have one adult in front and one in This may be children’s only chance. back. As long as there are children, there Although you don’t have to have a wilderness will be stragglers and rushers. Honor their experience to appreciate nature, it does help pace as much as possible while still keeping to have direct experience. As children’s lives them safe. are increasingly structured to accommodate
Natural Wonders 52 a Guide to Early Childhood Environmental Education • State the rules in language children under • Bring along pieces of clay to press into bark stand. For instance, if one of the rules is to and discover the impression. Making rub stay behind the leader, say, “If you can see bings with tracing paper and crayons works my backpack, you’re in the right place!” well. instead of “Stay behind the leader.” The Keep it comfortable. more concrete your language is, the easier it • Keep extra clothes on hand. You never is for children to understand the bound know what accidents are waiting to happen. aries. Keep rules to a minimum, give rea Keep a full set of clothing on hand— sons, stay positive and make rule making underwear, socks, shoes, pants, shirts, coats, into a game whenever possible. hats, mittens and so forth. Keep it active. • Anticipate their needs. Remember, they’re • Use focusing tools. It is much easier and egocentric. If they are uncomfortable in any enjoyable to give children tools to help way, shape or form, they’ll let you know. them focus on certain tasks while on the Generally, they have less tolerance than trail. Use toilet-paper tube binoculars in I older children. Therefore, bring a quilt to spy games, bring along paper bags, egg car sit on instead of the grass, be aware of the tons or other containers for collecting valu temperature and the need for sun or shade, ables and of course, magnifying lenses. bring water or snack if you’re going to be Avoid handouts or check-off activities— on the trail for a long time. they are not hands-on! • Avoid Walk and Talks. This is a time for Want to know more? personal discovery not lecturing. Take the Rivkin, M. . The Great Outdoors: Restoring children’s lead and let discussions flow. Ask Children’s Right to Play Outside. Washington open-ended questions (those where there DC: National Association for the Education are no right answers). Find places with nat of Young Children. ---. ural boundaries where children can play—a Wilson, Ruth. . Environmental Education at rock or log pile, a fire ring in the forest or the Early Childhood Level. Troy, OH: North the edge of the pond. Encourage dramatic American Association for Environmental play. Stop on or near a stump and pretend Education. --- to be squirrels building a nest or gathering food.
Supporting Active Learning 53 Story Time Developmentally Appropriate Practice: Outdoor Explorations
Children are encouraged to dis The group moves at a steady pace Children are taken on a walk cover things along the trail. The along the trail and is told to look and talk. They walk along the group travels short distances, for specific things at occasional trail and are expected to keep up stopping frequently to regroup stops. Information is conveyed and listen. and provide time for free explo about things they see along the ration and play. Discoveries are way. made by the children and discus sions are open-ended. There is always at least one adult in front and one in back.
EX AMPL E S
A small group of three and four- A naturalist leads the group A naturalist stays in front and year-olds and their teachers take along the trail at a quick pace. leads the children down the trail. a short walk to the field. They He stops occasionally and They stop occasionally and he find a group of hay bales to climb encourages the children to look tells them interesting things and jump on. They then walk for things under rocks and logs. about forest ecology before mov along the trail to a pond where He tells the children the names ing on. they look for sunfish and make of things they find. They move pretend fishing poles. Some chil quickly to the nearby field to dren play school bus on a nearby identify prairie flowers. log. Some children count earth worm castings found in the mid dle of the trail.
Natural Wonders 54 a Guide to Early Childhood Environmental Education Section V Possible Program Formats Possible Program Formats • Stay within a few yards of children at all times. Infant and Toddler Programs • Encourage clothing that protects children from sun, cold, rough and sharp natural objects. • Provide program supplies in low containers or on the floor or ground. • Choose supplies that cannot be swallowed. • Safety proof the indoor space so things cannot be unplugged, pulled or pushed over and cover sharp edges and corners. • Use strollers, wagons or sleds for longer distances allowing children to choose when to walk or ride. • Remove anything you don’t want toddlers Definition of the group. to touch from their reach. Infants and toddlers are children between the • Plan for diapering. ages of and months, accompanied by an Tips adult attending an organized program. Infants and toddlers need something to do Why should we teach infants when outdoors. If they can’t pick up flowers and and toddlers? leaves, they’ll need some alternatives. • Bring along a small stuffed animal or sprin The whole world is new and wonderful to one- kling can with water. year-olds, who have generally just begun to • Redirect them to safe things that can be walk. Things in nature move on their own and picked up and carried. change. Colors, textures and sounds are real. • Show them how to touch gently. This is the best time to introduce natural envi How to involve adults ronments to toddlers as they begin to enjoy the freedom to move, experience the freshness of • For outings beyond the building’s yard, make sure there is one adult for every the outdoors and become comfortable in the mobile child. natural environment. • Send a letter to participants prior to class Since most children this age are accompanied indicating philosophy and expectations. by an adult, this is a unique opportunity for • Remind or instruct adults to talk to the encouraging and fostering behaviors in adults toddler about the things they do, see, hear that will allow them to encourage discovery, and touch. learning and respect for nature in their children. • Remind adults to encourage children to Special considerations when teaching explore with their senses. • Encourage adults to show appreciation and infants and toddlers. respect for nature. • Be sure to check outdoor areas carefully, • Instruct adults to be prepared with extra know harmful plants and keep children clothing after getting wet and dirty. away from them. Know harmful animals in • Encourage adults to not obsess about chil your area. dren getting wet or dirty. • Keep hands and fingers out of holes. • Encourage adults to adjust to toddler’s • Supervise the children closely for things interests and pace indoors and out. going into their mouths.
Natural Wonders 56 a Guide to Early Childhood Environmental Education Possible Program Formats do not need a destination, focus on a quali ty experience. When using strollers, wagons Adult-Child Programs or sleds for longer distances, allow the chil dren to choose when to walk or ride. • Plan dressing time before and after going outside. If going outside, plan this portion of the program to be either at the begin ning or end so the children only have to take off rain or cold weather clothing once. • Remove all untouchable items from the program area so that children are encour aged to touch everything in the area, and “don’t touch” isn’t an issue. • Safety proof the indoor space so things cannot be unplugged, pulled or pushed over Definition of the group and cover sharp edges and corners. Classes are composed of an adult partner with How to involve the adults in your program. one or two children, and activities are designed for adults and children to do together. • Remind and or instruct the adults to talk to the children about the things that they do, Why should we provide adult-child see, hear and touch. Make sure they programs? understand they are to follow their child’s interests and the child does not have to do Children, when in the company of a caring each and every activity offered. adult, are in the best possible setting for gaining • Remind the adults that touching, getting a life-long reverence for the natural world. And dirty and getting wet is in this class. it is a delight for an adult to see the world once • Adults can encourage the children to touch again through the eyes of a child. gently and explore safe natural things with For the naturalist it is an opportunity to reach their senses. both the children and the adults with them, • Stories, books, puzzles and puppets can be though of course, the primary focus is children. provided for adults to share. For the children having an adult with them • Activities that require the child and adult gives them the confidence to try new things, to to participate together are encouraged. interact with the adult and to experience inter actions with other children. For many children Want to know more? these classes are one of their first experiences with learning outside of the home. Taylor, Katharine Whiteside. . Parents and Children Learn Together. New York: Teachers Special considerations for teaching College Press. --- adult-child programs. Stone, Jeannette Galambos. . Teacher-Parent Relationships. Washington D.C.: National • Frequently an additional older child or Association for the Education of Young infant is also present. Children. ---. • Give an older child a helping role or job. Dodge, Diane Trister, et al. . The Creative • Offer to hold the infant while the parent Curriculum for Infants and Toddlers. participates with their other child. Washington D.C.: Teaching Strategies. • Trail hikes need to be stroller friendly. ---. Distance is not important. Walks and hikes
Possible Program Formats 57 Possible Program Formats to be aware of the drop-off and pick-up procedures. Use a check-in and sign-out Drop-Off and Camp Programs system and get written permission from the parent if anyone other than them is to pick up their child. Tips
• Give each child a place of his or her own. This makes sorting out projects at the end of the day much easier and gives children a feeling that this is their space. • Have books, puzzles, paper, crayons and toys available for early arrivals. • Have children bring their own snacks. Definition of the Group This keeps camp costs down and children Children are dropped off for programs and will usually eat what they bring. You can parents or guardians are generally not present also avoid food allergy problems. for the program. Programs are usually • Keep “safe snacks” raisins, pretzels, between ½and three hours long. Cheerios and graham crackers on hand for children who may not have a snack. Why should we teach drop-off programs? • When planning camp, allow plenty of Foster independence in young children. For time for play. Even though as an adult it many, it may be their first experience in being may seem “like a waste of time,” children in a group setting. It is a chance to encourage are processing information through play peer relationships and exploration of natural (see Learning through Play). world in a safe and secure setting. • Try to schedule some time during camp, a Special considerations for teaching drop-off few minutes on the last day for example, programs. for parents or guardians to visit the camp • Children may be fearful of new surround and take part in some of the activities. ings and there may be separation anxiety on Children are thrilled to show off what the part of the child or adult. It is essential they have learned and done. to have enough staff at drop-off time to be able to distract the children with activities Adapting the environment to lesson the stress of separation from their • Use child-size chairs and tables or set up adults. on the floor or ground. • Plan to have a major portion of the pro • Childproof the room and outdoor envi gram be child driven with plenty of ronments for possible safety concerns. choices. • Set clear physical boundaries for children • Communicate to parents that children in the outdoors. will be going outside in nearly all weather • Provide for space for large motor activities. conditions, insect repellent and sun • Use a lesson plan that provides for many screens should be applied before the chil different types of learning, large and small dren come to the program. Children need to be dressed for the weather. muscle, science and discovery, sensory, art, • Adults delivering children to camp need math and manipulatives, reading, music, dramatic play and even cooking.
Natural Wonders 58 a Guide to Early Childhood Environmental Education Possible Program Formats Tips. School Groups • Learning stations should include some activities that can be easily accomplished by students without adult assistance when the adult to child ratio is not one to one. • Have enough supplies so that each child has access to them. • Include pre- and postvisit activities that teachers can use in the classroom. • Allow for bathroom breaks if program is ½ hours or longer. How to involve adults. Use teachers, aides and volunteers in program Definition of the group. ming to keep the adult-to-student ratio low, but plan ahead with the adults so that they have set Preschool, daycare and kindergarten classes roles (for example, give them instructions on within the established public and private educa how to work with their children at each station tional system. or during activities). Why should we teach school groups? Adapting the environment. One of the most obvious reasons to work with • Set tables and chairs to lowest height if this group is because there is a strong demand possible or sit on ground. for programming. Teachers want their students • Put visuals at children’s eye level. to have unique, hands-on educational experi • Define areas for learning stations (e.g. can ences that nature centers can provide. use masking tape on the floor to make sta Naturalists can provide expertise and materials tion boundaries, use carpet squares for chil that often classroom teachers do not have. In dren to sit on). addition, naturalists are able to help prepare • Have enough materials so each student has students to learn about the natural world and one of whatever’s being handled. lay the foundation for them to become environ • Make sure learning stations are set up mentally aware citizens. appropriately. Special considerations for teaching • Provide a variety of manipulatives. school groups • Provide open-ended activities that accom modate multiple levels. • Have a sufficient number of adults working • Allow for a variety of learning styles and with the group (one adult to eight children appeal to a variety of senses. or lower is ideal). • Remove all untouchable items from area. • Children in a formal school group are a • If doing a hiking program, select trails that captive audience and cannot choose to leave are short distances, level and as free as pos the center, but they need the option not to sible from hazards such as poison ivy. participate in all activities (see Choice). • Hikes should not be destination-oriented. • If parents aren’t present and providing a The experience of being outdoors is more certain comfort level, naturalists may have important than finishing the hike. to deal with children’s fears or concerns.
Possible Program Formats 59 Natural Wonders 60 a Guide to Early Childhood Environmental Education Section VI: Developing and Evaluating Your Program Developing and Evaluating Your Program
Program Components This is a list of possible program components and sample activities you can use when planning programs. Mix and match them according to your program area and timeline.
Gathering or Free Choice Sensory tables Set up five or six learning stations around Blocks an indoor or outdoor meeting space. Puzzles Provide at least fifteen or twenty minutes Play dough for children to explore the activities at Collage materials their own pace. Painting
Sensory Tables Water with real or rubber pond animals, Large tubs filled with various materials buckets, nets and similar items. for sensory exploration Sand with buried beach treasures, scoops, animals and so forth. Bird seed Soil with trowels, vegetables, worms, flowers, pots and related items.
Songs and Finger Plays Itsy Bitsy Spider Sing songs with simple or familiar Five Green and Speckled Frogs melodies and lots of motion. Two Little Blackbirds
Story Time Picture books Choose short storybooks with clear, large Story telling illustrations and appropriate story lines. Flannel board stories Big books
Dramatic Play How a seed grows Narrate short plays for children to act How spiderlings disperse out. Provide costumes and props for chil Box turtles searching for strawberries dren to act out their own stories.
Large Motor Games Join hands and make a snake Make games instant and simple with very Duck, duck, goose (gray duck) few directions and rules. Everyone should Fly like geese be able, but not required, to participate.
Natural Wonders 62 a Guide to Early Childhood Environmental Education
Small Group Games Salamander concentration A hands-on activity that everyone can do Magnetic fishing for pond life all at once or one at a time.
Art Paint with feathers Create projects that offer lots of choice Finger paint with clay or mud with no particular end product and few, if Make mud pies any directions.
Outdoor Explorations and Trail Activities Toilet paper tube binoculars Alternate between structured and Egg carton collecting boxes unstructured activities. Use focusing tech Hunt for worms niques or games. Climb on a fallen tree
Developing and Evaluating Your Program 63 Program Components Developmentally Appropriate Practice at a Glance Emphasizing and supporting the individual and collective abilities of young children.
What Children Child-Centered Teacher-Directed are Approach Approach Learning and Doing
Observational Skills Have attention spans largely • Programs are one to three • Programs are limited to determined by the activity, hours in length, providing minutes or less because the interest level and the adequate time for free children have short atten individual. exploration of classroom tion spans. materials, social interaction and large motor activities. Learning to focus and main • Transitions are kept to a • Teachers quickly move tain attention and how to minimum. Songs, games, from one activity to anoth shift focus from one thing rhymes and so forth are er, never spending more to another. used to ease transitions. than a few minutes on one thing at a time. Disruptions are common during transi tion times. • Knowing that children need • Teachers give little or no time to become engaged warning before going to with materials or each other, another activity. Lectures teachers allow adequate and instructions used to amounts of time for each move children from one section of the program. area to another.
Learning to follow routines and • Teachers follow a pre • Teachers decide what activ transition from one program dictable routine to help ity comes next and children component to another. children feel comfortable, are given little if any clue in control and to recognize about what comes next. limits.
Content Concrete thinkers. They like to • Activities are based on what • Themes or concepts are learn about relevant things interests children and what broad and abstract with lit- they can experience directly. is familiar to them. tle relevance to children's Like familiar activities and Concepts are concrete previous experiences or materials because of the (clouds) instead of abstract interests. For example, pre feeling of master and com (weather). senting a unit on the tropi petence. cal rainforest for children Learning concepts about young children in the mid- nature and the world. western U.S.
Natural Wonders 64 a Guide to Early Childhood Environmental Education What Children Child-Centered Teacher-Directed are Approach Approach Learning and Doing
Play Learning to become independ • The gathering site or class • The gathering site or class ent, to find and solve prob room is equipped with toys room has little or no mate lems, make comparisons and activities that are famil rials or objects for play. and experiment. iar to children: animal puz Children are discouraged Learning how to initiate and zles and puppets, play from exploring the room maintain play with others dough, blocks, animal fig and limited in their social and negotiate conflicts ures, sand or water play, and interactions with others. Learn through active manipu so forth lation of materials. • At least minutes of free • Teacher directs the children choice time is provided. to move from one activity Children are free to choose to the next as a group and from among several activi all do the same thing at the ties presented around the same time room or gathering site. • Child-sized furniture is • Children are expected to sit used whenever possible and in adult-size tables and only for suitable activities. chairs for the majority of the program. • Children are encouraged to • Materials are limited in explore and experiment amount and variety. with a wide variety of Children are instructed on materials. They have ample the “right” way to use mate opportunities to discover rials. problems and solutions. • Children freely explore • Children are taken on a tra (within safe boundaries) ditional “walk and talk” their environment. Teachers hike where natural concepts follow the children's lead, are pointed out and dis discovering along side cussed. them. The children or teacher initiates games and exploration activities. • The gathering site or class • There are few physical room has defined areas for boundaries to help children block play, messy play, quiet organize their play. reading, and so forth Outside, natural boundaries are used to guide children: trails, meadows, gardens, and similar things.
Developing and Evaluating Your Program 65 Developmentally Appropriate Practice at a Glance What Children Child-Centered Teacher-Directed are Approach Approach Learning and Doing
Self Discovery Learning to express themselves • Opportunities for creating • Everyone makes identical creatively through different open-ended art activities are craft project with the same means and imagination. offered but not required. materials, directions and Learning to be self-confident Children have easy and full end result. and self-directive. access to a wide variety of Learning that there are differ art materials. ent points of view and that • Costumes and props are • No opportunities to other people act and think available to encourage “become” something or differently than they do. spontaneous play-acting. someone else through dress-up, or dramatic play.
• Lots of time, choice and • No time, little choice, and materials to play freely. few materials to play freely.
Natural Wonders 66 a Guide to Early Childhood Environmental Education How Developmentally Appropriate is Your Program? For each category, rank your program from zero to four. Zero means it most closely resembles the descrip tion on the left and four means it most closely resembles the description on the right. At the end, total your program’s points to rate the developmental appropriateness of your activity or program.
D: D C 0 1 2 3 4 C: Focuses on cognitive or intellectual Fosters the development of the whole understandings only. child: social/emotional, cognitive, physi cal, perceptual, language and so forth.
: I E 0 1 2 3 4 A E: Only indirect learning experiences Direct learning with real and authentic (books, videos, cartoons or similar objects. Realistic, accurate toys and items) offered. Unrealistic, cartoon-like images used when the real thing is not and/or inaccurate toys and images are available or practical. used. : I T 0 1 2 3 4 A T: Abstract topics or concepts. Concrete topics or concepts. : P L 0 1 2 3 4 I-B L: Children have a passive presence with Requires active involvement of children. the activity. : L O 0 1 2 3 4 T O: Objectives are product oriented and Objectives are process oriented with emphasize factual learning only. both content and developmental goals include. : D O 0 1 2 3 4 D V: Activities represent the dominant cul- Diverse cultures and abilities represented ture and normal range of abilities only. and celebrated. - : H O 0 1 2 3 4 H-O: Lectures or demonstrations only. All objects used by children freely. : C A 0 1 2 3 4 O-E: Only one right way to do an activity. Children use materials freely and at will. : 0 1 2 3 4 C N C: Children choose from among several Children do what, when and how the activities. instructor says. 0 1 2 3 4 A: C: Process oriented. Product oriented.
Key 31-40 Congratulations! Your program is developmentally appropriate! 21-30 Has potential but needs improvement. 11-20 Re-examine your approaches. 0-10 Modify or eliminate the program
Developing and Evaluating Your Program 67 How Developmentally Appropriate is Your Program? Epilogue: Reed Returns painted, read, built animal homes from the blocks and made bird nests out of play dough. Children greeted the fish in the aquarium and talked about why fish live in water and why they don’t have legs. Reed brought out a real hornet’s nest and taught the children how to carefully touch the papery walls. Jose recalled getting stung by a bee and Martha said her dog had fleas. Everyone gathered for a story and songs, except Justin, who preferred to listen as he played with the play dough. Reed told a story about the different animals of the forest and where they make their homes. She passed After attending a workshop on how to design around a basketful of pictures of different ani programs for preschoolers, Reed knew what she mals and let the children select the one they had to do to improve her animal home program wanted. As she read the story, each child could for three-year-olds and their parents. Knowing place their picture on a mural of the forest. that young children think differently than After clean up and a bathroom break, the adults, tend to be egocentric, construct their group headed out on the trail. Everyone was own meanings and are learning about every busy counting all the animal homes they could thing all the time, Reed modified the program. find. To help them keep track, Reed gave every She expanded the time from to minutes pair a hole punch and told them to find a leaf and set up the classroom with six learning sta on the ground. Every time they found an ani tions including blocks, puzzles, a sensory table, mal home, they could punch a hole in their leaf. painting, play dough and book area. She Half way down the trail they came upon a planned a short story time, a bathroom break, a small lean-to shelter someone had made from hike through the woods with some time for free tree branches. Children and adults began to play outdoor exploration and dramatic play. house and pretend to be animals in the forest. The program was a huge success from the Before long it was time to go. As Reed said outset. When the children and adults arrived in goodbye, she heard Meta exclaim to her grand the classroom, they knew exactly what to do. father, “Next time we come, I’m going to find For almost minutes, adults and children nature!”
Natural Wonders 68 a Guide to Early Childhood Invironmental Education Section VII Resources Resources Feeney, Stephanie. . Who Am I in the Lives of Children: An Introduction to Teaching Young Berk, L. E. & A. Winsler. . Scaffolding Children (th ed.). Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Children’s Learning: Vygotsky and Early Hall. ---. Childhood Education. Washington, D.C.: Felton-Collins, V. & R. Peterson. . Piaget National Association for the Education of Handbook for Teachers and Parents: Children in Young Children. ---. the Age of Discovery, Preschool-Third Grade. Bos, Bev. . Before the Basics: Creating New York: Teachers College Press Conversations with Children. Roseville, CA: --- --- Publication. . Turn-The-Page Press. . Forman, G. & D. S. Kuschner. . The Child’s Bos, Bev. Don’t Move the Muffin Tins: A Hands- Construction of Knowledge: Piaget for Teaching off Guide to Art for the Young Child. Roseville, Children. Washington D.C.: National CA.: Turn-The-Page Press, . Association for the Education of Young --- . Children. ---. Bos, Bev. Together We’re Better: Establishing a Fraiberg, Selma H. .The Magic Years.New Coactive Learning Environment. Roseville, York: Simon & Schuster. ---. CA.: Turn-The-Page Press, . Helm, J. H. & L. Katz. . Young . Investigators: The Project Approach in the Early Brazelton, T. B. . Toddlers and Parents.New Years. New York: Teachers College Press. York: Bantam Doubleday Publishers. : ---. --- . Holt, Bess-Gene. . Science with Young Bredekamp, S. & C. Copple, eds. Children. Washington D.C.: National Developmentally Appropriate Practice in Early Association for the Education of Young Childhood Programs. Washington, D.C.: Children. : ---. National Association for the Education of Jalongo, M. R. . Young Children and Picture . --- Young Children, . Books: Literature from Infancy to Six. Bredekamp, S. & T. Rosegrant. . Reaching Washington D.C.: National Association for Potentials: Appropriate Curriculum and the Education of Young Children. Assessment for Young Children. Washington, ---. D.C.: National Association for the Education Jones, E. & G. Reynolds. . The Play’s the of Young Children. ---. Thing: Teachers’ Roles in Children’s Play.New Campbell, B., L. Campbell & D. Dickinson. York: Teachers College Press. 1999. Teaching and Learning through Multiple ---. Intelligences. Upper Saddle River, New Jersey: Kamii, C. & R. DeVries. . Group Games in Prentice Hall. ---. Early Education: Implications of Piaget’s Chard, S. C. & L. Katz. . Engaging Theory. Washington D.C.: National Children’s Minds: The Project Approach. Association for the Education of Young Westport, CT.: Greenwood Publishing Children. ---. Group. ---. Katz , L. & S. Chard. . Engaging Children’s Edwards, C. P. . Promoting Social and Moral Minds: The Project Approach (nd ed.). Development in Young Children: Creative Greenwhich, CT: Ablex Publishing. Approaches for the Classroom.New York: ---. Teachers College Press. ---. Kohl, M. F. & D. K. Whelan. . Preschool Elkind, D. & J. H. Flawell. . Studies in Art: It’s the Process not the Product. Beltsville, Cognitive Development: Essays in Honor of Jean Maryland: Gryphon House. Piaget. Oxford: Oxford University Press. ---. ---.
Natural Wonders 70 a Guide to Early Childhood Environmental Education Lasky, L. . Art: Basic for Young Children. Wadsworth, B. J. . Piaget’s Theory of Washington D.C.: National Association for Cognitive and Affective Development: the Education of Young Children. Foundations of Constructivism. White Plains, ---. NY: Longman Publishers. Miller, K. . The Outside Play and Learning ---. Book: Activities for Young Children. Beltsville, Waite-Stupiansky, S. . Building MD: Gryphon House. ---. Understanding Together: A Constructivist Miller, K. . Ages and Stages: Developmental Approach to Early Childhood Education. Descriptions and Activities, Birth through Eight Albany, NY: Delmar Publishers. Years. Chelsea, MA.: Telshare Publishing. ---. ---. Miller, K. . Things to do with Toddlers and Web Sites Twos. Chelsea, MA.: Telshare Publishing. Early Childhood Online: --- . http://www.ume.maine.edu/-/ Nourot, P. M., B. Scales & J. Van Hoorn. . National Association for the Education of Play at the Center of the Curriculum ( nd ed.). Young Children: http://www.naeyc.org/ Saddlebrook, NJ: Prentice Hall. Early Childhood Education Web Guide: --- . http://www.ecewebguide.com/ Rivkin, M. S. . The Great Outdoors: Earlychildhood.com http://www.earlychild Restoring Children’s Right to Play Outside. hood.com/ Washington D.C.: National Association for Clearinghouse on Elementary and Early the Education of Young Children, . Childhood Education http://ericeece.org/ --- . World Wide Web Sites Sponsored by Schickendanz, J. . Much More than ABCs. / http://ericps.crc.uiuc.edu/ Washington D.C.: National Association for Zero To Three http://www.zerotothree.org/ the Education of Young Children. ---. Inclusive Materials Shefatya, L. & S. Smilansky. . Facilitating Knowledge Unlimited, www.knowledgeunlimit Play: A Medium for Promoting Cognitive, ed.com, --- Socio-Emotional and Academic Development in Minnesota International Center, www.mic Young Children. Austin, TX: Bartleby Press. globe.org, --- ---. Asia Kids Catalog www.asiaforkids.com, Shore, R. . Rethinking the Brain: New --- Insights into Early Development.New York: Redleaf Press, www.redleafpress.org, Families and Work Institute. --- ---. Stone, J. G. . Guide To Discipline. Magazines Washington D.C.: National Association for the Education of Young Children. Young Children. Journal of the National ---. Association for the Education of Young Children, 16th St., NW, Washington, Stone, J. . Teacher-Parent Relationships. - --- Washington D.C.: National Association for D.C. , . the Education of Young Children. Childhood Education. Journal of the Association --- for Childhood Education International, The . Taylor, K. . Parents and Children Learn Olney Professional Building, Georgia Ave., Suite 215, Olney, MD , Together. New York: Teachers College Press. --- ---. .
Resources 71 Early Childhood Today. Scholastic, Inc., Discount School Supply – media, art supplies, Broadway, NY, NY, , ---. dramatic play, manipulatives www.earlychildhood.com Supply Resources Acorn Naturalists-Science and EE Materials Lake Shore Learning – art supplies, dramatic www.acornnaturalists.com/ play, manipulatives, and more. Environmens, Inc., P.O. Box Beaufort, SC, - -- www.lakeshorelearning.com , .
Natural Wonders 72 a Guide to Early Childhood Environmental Education