Songs and Finger Plays

Here are 10 songs and finger plays to do during transition and music time

Five Fat Peas
A counting fingerplay especially
useful in the spring and summer.
Five fat peas in a pea pod pressed
(children hold hand in a fist)
One grew, two grew, so did all the rest.
(put thumb and fingers up one by one)
They grew and grew
 (raise hand in the air very slowly)
And did not stop,
Until one day
The pod went POP!
(children clap hands together)



One Potato, Two Potato
An activity for this counting
rhyme is in the Counting and Number Theme One potato, two potato,
Three potato, four,
Five potato, six potato,
Seven potato, more!

One Little Flower,
One Little Bee
One little flower, one little bee.
One little blue bird, high in the tree.
One little brown bear smiling at me.
One is the number I like,
you see.


Five Cookies
Action poem Five little cookies in the bakery shop.
Shinning bright with the sugar on top.
Along comes (child's name) with a nickel to pay.
He/she buys a cookie and takes it away.
(continue with four, three, two and one).

 

 

  Turtles
Poem One baby turtle alone and new.
Finds a friend, and then there are two.
Two baby turtles crawl down to the sea.
They find another, and then there are three.
Three baby turtles crawl along the shore.
They find another, and then there are four.
Four baby turtles go for a dive.
Up swims another, and then there are five. 

  Birds
Poem There was one little bird in a little tree,
He was all alone, and he didn't want to be.
So he flew far away, over the sea,
And brought back a friend to live in the tree. Substitute two, three, etc. for one as you finish the verse.


 

Dinosaurs
Subtracting Numbers
Five enormous dinosaurs
Letting out a roar--
One went away, and
Then there were four.

Four enormous dinosaurs
Crashing down a tree--
One went away, and 
Then there were three.
Three enormous dinosaurs
Eating tiger stew--
One went away, and 
Then there were two.
Two enormous dinosaurs
Trying to run--
One ran away, and then there was one.
One enormous dinosaur, 
Afraid to be a hero--
He went away, and
Then there was zero.

Counting  Apples
A fingerplay

Five red apples
Hanging on a tree    five fingers held up
The juiciest apples you ever did see!
The wind came past
And gave an angry frown     shake head and look angry
And one little apple came tumbling down.
Four red apples, etc. 

Monkeys 
In A Tree 
Action poem
Five little monkeys
Sitting in a tree
Teasing Mr. Crocodile--
"You can't catch me."
"You can't catch me."
 Along comes Mr. Crocodile
As quiet as can be--
SNAP!!!
Continue until all monkeys
are gone

Away swims Mr. Crocodile
As full as he can be!!!

Ten In A Bed
Action poem

There were ten in a bed and the little one said, 
"Roll over, roll over."   rolling motion
So they all rolled over and one fell out.
There were nine in the bed and the little one said, 
"Roll over, roll over."
So they all rolled over and one fell out....

  This is repeated until you get to the number one.  Each time "roll over" is said, rolling motion is dramatized.

There was one in the bed and the little one said,  "Good night!"

Disabilities

Ok, so do to a misunderstanding in scheduling, I missed the in class activity with being in a disabled persons shoes. I did however try it at home with my own children which they thought was oh so funny to make it as hard on me as they could. "It has to be real to you mom", an excuse but one I took for the learning experience. We stayed in the house and went outside with the blindfold. It was much easier in the house because of familiar items, but outside was scarier because of the unknown. Being deaf was also a struggle because trying to read lips is hard to do and trying to read with someone who talks fast is almost impossible. There was a lot of being laughed at and hand gestures but it was frustrating and a little belittling.
 Here is a website I found with simple modifications that can be made in the classroom to help visually impaired students.
http://www.teachingvisuallyimpaired.com/accommodations.html
Some are are easy as just vocalizing assignments or giving more time on tests. Making accommodations for students with special needs is not hard and just takes a little more effort to help that student succeed.

Why We hold a Crying Baby

We hold children when they cry for a number of reasons. To make them be quiet, to build trust, to maintain or start a relationship with the child, but the most important reason is very rarely the one we think about. Holding a crying child/baby promotes self esteem and and positive self image. It shows a baby that they can trust, that it is okay to accept their feelings, and that we accept them and will be there to support their needs. Starting children out with this knowledge sets them up for a lifetime of positive thought that can be built on, or if something negative should occur will help with their resilience. We owe each child this as much as we owe them food and shelter. It is not just love that they get from comfort, but a building block that they carry for life. Babies can not be hand-spoiled, they can be taught to be self confident and develop trust that will follow them always.

Media Violence in Children's Lives

There is so much violence in our society each and every day, it seems to me that we only make it worse by promoting it in the T.V. and movies that we occupy our time with. We have control over what children do or do not watch so why are we allowing this violent behavior into their lives. They see many things we have no control over, but this we can control. I do believe that children's television should be more closely monitored by parents, but broadcasters also have a say on what goes on the air. They have a responsibility that they are lacking at. We as a society need to start standing up for what is right and not just what is popular. Stop thinking only for yourself and think about the future of  our country.

Music Experiences

During a transition time, lining up to go outside, I had the children sing songs to keep them occupied while all the children were getting their coats on. We sang The Itsy Bitsy Spider. I changed the words at the end of the first verse and the children all stopped what they were doing to look at me. They were surprised that I sang it wrong and were quick to correct me. So we started over and this time we all got it right. I did this for each verse, starting the entire song over each time. By the time we got to the end of the song correctly all the children were ready to go and it had kept their attention so completely that for the first time there was no shoving or hitting in the line. I will be doing this more often with different songs to see if it works all the time or if this was a fluke.

Respecting and Responding to Diversity

Children who are bilingual are very intelligent and should be treated as such. Supporting the home language while teaching a second language is in the best interest of not only the child but also of the family. Children need to know that they are accepted as they are and celebrated for their differences. Teachers should be eager to support all their students in whatever way they can and this includes going out of their own comfort zone. Learning about another person's culture and language shows respect and understanding. Even if you are only able to learn a few words or phrases, this shows effort which can make all the difference. Strive for success of the children in your life no matter where they may be. We can each make a difference if we only try.

Violence in the Lives of Children

After reading "Violence in the Lives of Children", a position statement of the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC), I am truly scared for the future of not just our children in our country but also for the adults. This paper was written in July of 1993, and 22 years later I know that things have gotten worse not better. To read these numbers is so shocking in its self, to know how outdated it is makes it scary. Violence in our country is out of control and we as adults SHOULD be outraged and do something about it as the article suggests. These are our children, if not physically than emotionally, and we need to protect them as a whole. The things we do to each other is horrible, and to know that children are watching and learning that it is acceptable behavior is not okay. Teachers are here to help both children and the family but parents are the first line of defense. Stand up and be heard. This is not okay and we as a family, as a community, as a town, a city, and a society will no longer just accept it as a norm.

Professional Development

I believe that all employees should have professional development that includes learning a second language even if one is not present in their current classroom, this would include sign language. I also think that trainings on the newest research for special needs children and helping families find resources should also be a must. It is required to update background checks and basic trainings but keeping up on the latest findings is very important. Too many teachers start in the classroom and then fall behind in the times because they fall into only doing the bare minimum for their own education.

Anti-discrimination

NAEYC's position on anti-discrimination is for the best interest of the children, there is to be no discrimination of any kind toward anyone. Teachers are hired and let go based on qualification and competence. Teachers are also not to discriminate against any child or family and are to be understanding and accepting of all cultures. This is clearly stated in both the NAEYC position statement and policy.

My early math experiences

When asked about my memories of math, thoughts of difficult classes and negligent teachers filled my head. Of course these were thoughts from junior and senior high school where math becomes less fun and more about remembering formulas and facts. To dig deeper in my memory banks took a little more work but I was surprised of my own findings. There was a time when I truly loved math and looked forward to it. Of no surprise was that these memories were connected to my favorite teacher. I was lucky enough to spend my very early years in a small town. As with small towns the class sizes were small as a result. In my kindergarten class there were only eight of us, I know this because I still have a class photo that my grandmother saved. I can remember counting everything we did, saw and touched. Baking cookies in the school kitchen and each of us getting to measure and set timers. Shapes were in everything we saw. During art we used shape stamps to make pictures as well as looking at paintings and finding the shapes within them before trying to recreate them our selves. Math was fun because there was no "math time', it was all the time. We learned math with out realizing we were learning. Children learn through fun and play and the minuet we stop the fun we truly slow the learning process.

Science in the Air

After reading the article "Science in the Air", I now believe that introducing science in my own classroom will be easier than I originally thought it would be. Science has always been an overwhelming area for me, never quite understanding all the terms and reasoning. I now realize that science in the classroom is really just an appreciation of the world around us. Noticing the weather and the changing seasons. How things feel and all the different textures. Shapes of things and all the different shapes that make up an object when looking through a magnifying glass or microscope. The key to getting a child's attention is to make it interesting to them by asking questions or finding things they want to understand. Following their lead can be more of a learning experience than trying to teach them a specific planned lesson. Making predictions and doing experiments helps them build knowledge in a fun way. Having pictures as a reference is great but taking pictures to remember actual experiences helps them remember and relate it to their everyday lives better. Creating experiments and documenting findings is not only a science activity but crosses over into areas of math and language as well. It helps with creativity and self esteem as well. In an age where math and language are pushed so hard in standard school settings we need to remember the importance of science and not over look it at this young age. Science can be fun, and fun helps in all areas of learning.

Serve and Return

After watching the three videos in the titled series

Three Core Concepts in Early Development

at http://developingchild.harvard.edu/resources/three-core-concepts-in-early-development/, I have come to the following conclusion.
Although all experiences and interactions shape the person we become, the ones we have in early childhood are of extreme importance. These are the ones that help the brain develop and grow and prune off the connections we don't use. It is important to have enriching experiences to help all areas grow. To limit these not only stifles growth but can stop the brain from ever developing these healthy connections. Interacting with children in a positive way helps make these initial connections and continue to strengthen them over time. Talking to them right from birth helps with language, cognition and building relationships that will last their life time. To deny children emotional and physical support causes toxic stress on their developing brain and body. Short term effects can be hard on a child but can be mended over time. Long term effects or neglect and abuse are heart breaking and can never be fully healed. We can not help build the foundation of a strong house after the walls and windows are already in place. Small patches can be made over time but it is so important to help children right from the start. We, as teachers, have to be the contractors that help the parents build their children to their full potential. They are the future of our society and getting it right from the beginning is so much easier and fulfilling than trying to fix it later.

Pixar's 'Inside Out'

After watching Pixar's 'Inside Out' and reading a couple of articles on other people's views on the subject of feelings and how they were depicted in this movie, I have made some conclusions of my own. Although everyone has the five different emotions of fear, sadness, disgust, anger and joy within themselves, each individual is different because of which emotion controls them the most or has the most impact on their actions. The entire movie impacted the way I think about not only how I handle my own feeling but also how I react to the feelings of others, especially children. An adult has years of practice on how they handle and react to different situations, but with a child every situation is a first and the outcome is unknown. Setting a standard for how they are supposed to react is unfair. They must acknowledge how they are feeling and be guided on how to work through it, not just ignore and move forward. Suppressing one's emotions only makes them build until they are no longer manageable. I believe the underlying message of the movie is to accept all of your emotions because they all have a place within you, and as much as you may want them to- "emotions can't quit".

History of Early Childhood Education

The history of early childhood education goes back hundreds of years. If you want a specific history you must be specific on the area to which you want to know about. Each geographic area, country and neighboring town has had a different path that has led us to where we are today. Starting with childcare for the royal and wealthy to necessity for the working family’s during the Industrial Revolution in our own country. War has played a huge part as to how and who educated children. Fathers were going off to war and leaving mothers to work to keep the family in food. This created a need for outside care. The age at which children were taught by others outside of the family has greatly changed over the years as well. Official schooling was not started till age 7 or 8 for boys and not at all for girls if you were at a lower income level. Never having a formal education was common for poor families because everyone worked to help out. Richer families had nannies and tutors for their children from birth. As time has passed we have seen the need to educate all children. Still there is a gap in the quality of care and education depending on how much you can afford to pay. Free programs are full of under staffed and uneducated teachers. This is not to say that all state and federal programs are bad. Some are lucky to have truly committed teachers who care for the future of their students. We have come a long way from where early childhood education was started but we still have a long way to go. Not all changes have been for the best, but change on a large scale is good because it shows that ideas are always changing and willing to learn from past mistakes.

"Catch a Bubble"

After watching a video titled "Catch a Bubble" @ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n2dLPFaehV0&feature=emshare_video_user, I am upset and even a little teary eyed. I can very much see it as offensive from a child's point of view to be told to catch a bubble in order to tell them to be quiet or zip it. It is the equivalent to telling them to shut up. We want children to learn to use their words, but then we tell them not to. Yes, we do need to have their attention at times but yelling at a child is not the way to do it. We must capture their focus with song and take the time to talk to them as another individual who deserves respect. Just because they are young does not make them less. You wouldn't tell an adult to "put a bubble in it" during a board meeting or any time you are trying to speak. Children learn by example and this is not a lesson we want to teach them.

Road to NAEYC Accreditation

NAEYC Accreditation is a long process but very worth while. There is a lot of information on their web site http://www.naeyc.org/academy/pursuing/fourstepoverview, but here is a copy of their main page just to give you an idea.

The Four Steps help programs prepare for each stage of NAEYC Accreditation, and ensure that the crucial components of program quality are in place along the way.
Programs pursuing initial accreditation must complete the Four Steps. Currently accredited programs will pursue a new term of accreditation through the renewal process.

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Step 1: Enrollment/Self-Study

Align your program with the 10 NAEYC Early Childhood Program Standards

• Submit enrollment form and fee
• Register for TORCH
• Use Self-Study tools in TORCH to evaluate program quality and to inform quality improvement efforts
• Plan your program’s accreditation timeline, considering submission deadlines for reaccreditation if applicable

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Step 2: Application/Self-Assessment

Compile evidence on how your program meets the 10 NAEYC Early Childhood Program Standards

• Submit application and fee, selecting a Candidacy due date for Step 3
• Use Self-Assessment tools in TORCH to document that your program meets the 10 NAEYC Early Childhood Program Standards
• Gather documentation that your program meets the Candidacy Requirements
• Download Candidacy Materials eight weeks prior to self-selected Candidacy due date
• Complete Candidacy Materials

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Step 3: Candidacy

Demonstrate key components of high quality programming and preparedness for site visit

• Submit Candidacy Materials and fee on or before Candidacy due date
• “Fine tune” program improvement efforts in preparation for site visit
• Receive Candidacy decision from the NAEYC Academy

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Step 4: Meeting the Standards Demonstrate how your program meets the standards by allowing an NAEYC Assessor to observe your program in action and review evidence collected in Self-Assessment. For programs accepted as Candidates for NAEYC Accreditation: Receive contact from NAEYC Asessor(s) Provide NAEYC Assessor(s) with your program’s calendar and selected exclusion dates Submit changes in staff to NAEYC Academy (if applicable) Receive notification of 15-day window in which the site visit could occur Receive notification of site visit one business day prior to the visit Receive site visit within six months of Candidacy due date Receive accreditation decision within three months of site visit Accredited Programs: Celebrate your Accreditation Decision!

Step 4: Maintaining the Standards Demonstrate continued compliance with the 10 NAEYC Early Childhood Program Standards. Submit Annual Report on first through fourth anniversaries of accreditation anniversary date Update NAEYC with new information, including major programmatic changes, licensing/regulatory updates, and incidents that did or could have compromised the essential health or safety of any child. Submit to additional verification or random unannounced visits to demonstrate continued compliance with the program standards

Our Community Resources

When opening your own center you not only have to find the most qualified people possible but also have resources for your team of educators and for the children's caregivers to learn and expand their knowledge of early childhood education. Here are a few resources that I have come across that will help in this journey with hiring, evaluations and professional development for not just teachers but also caregivers who are interested in early childhood education.

• Merit-https://apps.del.wa.gov/merit/
• Puget Sound Educational Service District (PSESD)-www.psesd.org/
• Washington State Department of Early Learning (WSDEL or DEL)-www.del.wa.gov/
• Child Care Aware-wa.childcareaware.org/
• Early Achivers-www.del.wa.gov/care/qris/
• Child Care Check-www.del.wa.gov/check
• Local school districts:

1. Franklin Pierce Schools- fpschools.org/
2. Tacoma Public Schools- www.tacoma.k12.wa.us/
3. Bethel School District- www.bethelsd.org/
4. Clover Park School District- www.cloverpark.k12.wa.us/
5. Fife School District- www.fifeschools.com/

• Local colleges:

1.  Tacoma Community College- www.tacomacc.edu/
2. University of Washington- www.tacoma.uw.edu/
3. Clover Park Technical College- www.cptc.edu/
4. Evergreen State College- evergreen.edu/tacoma/home.htm
5. Bates Technical College- www.bates.ctc.edu/
6. Everest College- www.everest.edu/campus/tacoma
7. Pacific Lutheran University- www.plu.edu/
8. University of Puget Sound- www.pugetsound.edu/

 

Program Assessments

 Let us talk program or classroom assessments for a minute. There are four that I have taken the time to look at and they are all similar but with subtle differences.
 Infant/Toddler Environment Rating Scale (ITERS) and Early Childhood Environment Rating Scale (ECERS) are the closest in similarities because they were created by the same people and are just for different age groups. ITERS is for birth to 30 months while ECERS is for 24-60 months or 2-5 years of age. The ITERS scale consists of 39 items and the ECERS consists of 43 items both organized into 7 categories including; space and furnishings, personal care routines, listening and talking (language-reasoning for ECERS), activities, interaction, program structure, and lastly parents and staff. Each item has a rating based on what it should look like. It is a very simple scale to use and leaves little to no gray areas as to what a rating is. The scale ranges from a 1.1 which is Inadequate to a 7.4 that is Excellent.
 The Classroom Assessment Scoring System (CLASS) observational tools objectively measure the quality of teacher–student interactions. They also have different versions for infant, toddler and Pre-K age groups.The CLASS tools help pinpoint areas of strength and areas for growth, providing critical information programs and schools can use to guide improvement efforts.
 Lastly we have the Rating Observation Scale for Inspiring Environments (ROSIE). This is an observation rating scale that has teachers examine classrooms in a totally new way with an eye for what is aesthetically beautiful and inspiring.
 I personally like the ITERS and ECERS the best because I think it has a broad "cover all" things feel to it.

The Importance of Quality Educators

To provide quality care for infants and toddlers you must have quality educators in place to nurture and help these young children grow both physically and intellectually.

 In order to ensure that they are quality educators you must make sure they have both a healthy mind and body themselves. Having a teacher that is mentally unhealthy can not see to the mental needs of their students. Same goes with their body. A teacher needs to be able to get down to the eye level of their students which means up and down off the floor and bending over, as well as being able to lift and carry the little ones. A quality educator is able to find resources that will help not only the child but the child's entire family. Things like WIC, dental care, health and medical care, childcare, free or low cost food and clothing, Early Head Start and home visiting information, specialists for special needs children, and community activities like mommy and me classes, local parks and museums or swim lessons at the YMCA. Lastly a quality educator is a person who has established skills in communicating, interacting and reacting to both children and their families. You have to be able to talk, work with and solve problems on many different levels with many different types of children and their families on a daily basis.

Having quality educators is important at any level of teaching but having them in the classrooms for infants and toddlers is where they are needed the most in my opinion. This is the age that needs to be nurtured the most for future development. Parents need all the help they can get as it really does take a village to raise any child. Leaving a child at risk without proper support at this vulnerable age truly sets them up for failure. Every child deserves to have a quality teacher to help them reach their full potential.

An ECE Director's View

I recently conducted interviews with both an in-home provider and a center director at a local child care center. I have come to the conclusion that it is nearly IMPOSSIBLE to run a functioning child care center, let alone a quality center on 100% DSHS subsidy.
I ran the numbers myself to see if the providers were merely trying to increase their profits and I was amazed at the results. As income for 30 children I calculated $26,694 per month. For a staff of six at minimal wages the amount was $13,432 per month. Already you are at half your income amount without even factoring in things like facility rent, food, insurance, supplies, utilities, maintenance and possible transportation. I don't see myself being able to survive as a business this way. I want to help every child and their family succeed in learning and preparing for their future, but this can not be done on this income. As an owner/director you can not afford to maintain your personal household if all your funds are going back into your center, but your center will not survive if you do not use your personal funds to fill in the gaps that the lack of center income creates.