It’s summertime, and that usually means more outdoor time. But I keep thinking about Last Child in the Woods by Richard Louv, and I wonder if “outdoor time” today has come to mean “playground time” with swings, monkey bars and slides. I’ve been thinking about how much different that is from outdoor time with nature. In his book, Louv reminds us...
Read MoreEver since I started presenting workshops on Fred’s approach to STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, the Arts and Math), I’ve kept my ears open for stories of children’s questions about the world around them -- and for the way their teachers respond. So I was especially delighted with what I heard when I was observing my scientist friend Elaine offer her...
Read MoreI heard a teacher offer a reassuring note -- and a math lesson -- when she told a three-year-old that it was time for her group to go to the bathroom. She said that she’d put the stuffed animal the child was holding “up high on the shelf so no one would get it.” The teacher told me no one would...
Read MoreI’ve always thought of the March newsletter as special because March 20 was Fred’s birthday. This year, because it’s the 50th anniversary of Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood on PBS, the U.S. Post Office is making his birthday even more memorable by releasing a Commemorative Forever postage stamp featuring a portrait of Fred in his signature red sweater with his royal puppet,...
Read MoreYou’ll probably be hearing a lot about Fred Rogers this month – and this year. That’s because February 19 marks the 50th anniversary of the first national PBS broadcast of Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood. As part of the celebration, during the week of February 26 PBS is pairing episodes of Daniel Tiger’s Neighborhood (inspired by Fred Rogers’ legacy) with Mister Rogers’...
Read MoreA gazillion times! Is that how many times you’ve sung “Itsy, Bitsy Spider” and Wheels on the Bus”? I know it's not easy to keep finding the energy and enthusiasm to sing the same songs over and over again, but I hope you know what an important teaching tool they can be. Those simple traditional children’s songs are giving you a...
Read MoreA colleague of mine told me she’s already feeling the stressful effects of the holiday season in her child care. There seems to be more anxiety, tension, irritability and conflicts -- and a lot more noise -- from both the children and the adults. I wonder if you’re feeling the stress, too, whatever the holidays mean to you. Reducing the...
Read MoreWith all the emphasis on food at Thanksgiving, I thought you’d appreciate seeing one of our favorite moments when Fred talked about nourishment. He began with a focus on food, but then he went on to talk about other different kinds of nourishment -- the kind that we all need. I wonder if you ever thought about your work in...
Read MoreLast month I gave you some helpful hints for “getting to know” the children at the beginning of the school year. But I hear over and over again that it’s even more challenging to get to know their families. (I usually write about “parents,” but there are so many grandparents or other relatives raising young children today that I think...
Read MoreA teacher once told me that September has always been a challenging month for her. It’s a few weeks into the beginning of the school year, and she’s just starting to get to know the children and their families, and they’re starting to get to know her. She told me that while she’s excited to work with her new group of...
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