All of Me

All of Me, a Book of Thanks, by Molly Bang is another book with great illustrations and a book which will help children build self awareness and an appreciation of themselves and their bodies. A great book to use with an All About Me theme, you could easily have children follow up with a book about themselves. Take time to make a page or two each day. You could work on this for two weeks or so, especially if take time to provide different art materials for illustrations.

The back of the book even has a section on how the book was made. I like this because, as the children hear you read the text about creating books, the children will learn about being more intentional in their work. The author talks about using red crayons. Use that to have the children think about what color (s) they will use, before starting to draw. Teaching children to stop and think before taking action is a skill that has many applications.

How Do Dinosaurs Say I Love You?

Most adults who read to children are familar with the work of Jane Yolen and Mark Teague, but How Do Dinosaurs Say I Love You? may well be my favorite. The dinosaurs in the story do some common child behaviors, but the simple message is that they are still loved. It is a great book for every child to hear. For a follow up, give each child a great big hug! If you want to do someething more, have the children make a book of how they say they love people.

Quiet Bunny

Quiet Bunny by Lisa McCue would be worth picking up, if only for the beautiful illustrations. But there is much more to it, as a small rabbit tries to find his voice. He listens to the other animals and tries to makes sounds as they do. Eventually he discovers how he too can join in the with the "night sound" song. The story conveys the advantages of being still and listening, as well as the the value and uniqueness of individuals. It is a feel good story with a pleasing ending.

After reading the story have children talk about the things they can do. Drawing self portraits would also be a good follow up. It might also be valuable to have the children go outdoors and simply be quiet, using their senses to observe the environment. Many children need to be taught to slow down and observe. It just doesn't come naturally to them, but they may find pleasure and comfort in the experience. Just as many adults find sitting quietly in the outdoors or listening to a water feature refreshing, with practice some children may learn to use this as a calming technique.

While the text is a little long for the youngest children, the story line is perfect for them and could easily be shorten. Helping these young children pretend to be a quiet bunny, even if only for a few minutes, is worth the time and it just might be the quiet break you need too!

Lessons from the Best Teachers

Happy New Year!

Since starting my new position, I have not kept up with my writing, as I had hoped I would. If all works out, I will be sharing some good new books with you soon. What I have been able to do is gain an even greater respect for all of you who are in the classroom day after day dealing with the challenging behaviors of the children in your class. What a great learning experience this has been. While I spend some days observing, I spend other days working with teachers and children.

So what have the best teachers taught me?

Have realistic expectations. Think about the child’s previous environment and his current home environment. My grandson, who is days from being 2, spent much of the holiday with me. His daily routine is so different from the routines in our classrooms. He has one on one attention almost all day long. He is almost constantly engaged with an adult or his brother. Someone always responds to his words, always cheers his successes and helps him when things don’t work out quite right. He takes as long as he wants to eat and if he is hungry an hour later, he gets more food. He goes from toy to toy and we accept that as being ok. We expect him to get a little grouchy when he is tired and plan accordingly. And yes, he is only two, but some of the children in our classrooms are only three and their needs are not that different.

Have positive expectations. Don’t underestimate the children and don’t expect the worst from them. Give children many chances to show what they can do. Find ways to help them be successful. Remember success breeds success.

Engage the children. Don’t worry about all the things you think you need to teach. It will not matter if the children in your class don’t know the days of the week It is much better that they are all engaged in the activity or the story. When children are engaged they are learning about more than just the topic. They are learning how to function appropriately in a group. When they are not engaged they are learning about getting attention from the teacher for their “misbehavior.” They are learning to associate a negative feeling with school and group times. Again, successful, correct behaviors will build more positive behaviors.

Pick your priorities and along with that say what you mean and mean what you say. Figure out what is important to you and then if you say it, follow through, otherwise your words becoming meaningless. Take time to see that the child does as you ask.

So give yourself a pat on the back, the job you have is far from easy. You need to be constantly aware, constantly thinking ahead, and always positive. You are remarkable individuals whose work is so very important.