Sharing Article On Play Based EEC Programs

[MG&Lsmom]

From my 1st grader's Special Ed teacher

Marshall Memo #385 Does Play Belong in Early-Childhood Classrooms?
In this article in The Chronicle Review, Tom Bartlett attacks what he believes is a misguided trend toward emphasizing basic skills and virtually eliminating play in early childhood classrooms. Lev Vygotsky is the guru of those who believe play is
developmentally essential. He believes that play, especially pretend play, is an essential part of childhood – something that makes children “stand a head taller” than they would be without it.
Researchers say that three things develop when young children play:
• Abstract thinking – When children ride a broomstick as a pretend horse, they are separating the object from what it symbolizes – an act of abstraction that represents a huge mental leap forward. This happens frequently when children play.
• Vocabulary – When children pretend, they often use grown-up words. If they’re playing doctor, they might talk about an injection and a thermometer. If they’re pretending to be TSA inspectors, they might tell another child that she’s carrying a bottle larger than the permitted three ounces.
• Executive function – A study found that children in play-based early childhood classrooms seem to have better cognitive flexibility, self-control, and working memory – attributes of “executive function” that have been linked to higher academic achievement.
If this research is accurate, we may be raising a generation of children with less selfcontrol, shorter attention spans, and poorer memory skills, says Bartlett. How free should play be? Kathy Hirsch-Pasek, believes in a middle ground. She’s
not enamored of commercial products that do all the work for children, but she thinks completely unstructured play has problems as well. Hirsh-Pasek conducted a study in which guided play – adults providing materials and making suggestions – produced the most imaginative and sophisticated language and the most creative play. In addition, Bartlett cites evidence that guided play (as opposed to free play) produces learning gains.
“The Case for Play: How a Handful of Researchers Are Trying to Save Childhood” by Tom Bartlett in The
Chronicle Review, Feb. 25, 2011 (Vol. LVII, #25, p. BB6-B9)

And I've not read this whole online article, but more for your naptime reading pleasure....http://www.thinkfun.com/content/case...save-childhood

My state regs says that I have a curriculum that includes 30 mins of science a day for each age group. Yep, a 6 week old baby has to have a 30 min science lesson daily. I have a curriculum listed, but given the age of my kids, I practice learn through play. In another thread I discussed a lack of basic social and living skills I see in so many kids. My personal opinion, these are so much more important to teach and learn than a curriculum focused on numbers/colors/ABCs in the population I serve.

Discuss

[Cat Herder]

I have the Science curriculum requirement as well.

With babies I make it fun and simple. Just the stuff we are surrounded with. I am so into the natural science aspect with infants, it is a blast and free.

Warm water/cold water splashing
Rough rock/squishy river silt sensory tray
Sand/Water to form mountains with our toes in a wading pool
We rub tree trunks then brush the grass with our fingers
We hold pebbles from the stream and feathers from the field
We look in frog holes to see it's resident come shooting out when the sprinkler comes on
We drop different sized rocks in a big plastic bowl of water to make waves (and a mess )

Really it all counts as Science (and math if you count the objects). And we just thought we were playing as kids outside...::

Thanks for the share!!! Great article.

[MG&Lsmom]

This is exactly what I do as well. I find teachable moments in our every day play. Count the red cars that pass, can you find the flag?, Why is the ice dripping? But my licensor requires written curriculum to be available on her visits. She wants to see an actual lesson plan for every single day. Totally inappropriate for a small family daycare imo.

[Cat Herder]

This is exactly what I do as well. I find teachable moments in our every day play. Count the red cars that pass, can you find the flag?, Why is the ice dripping? But my licensor requires written curriculum to be available on her visits. She wants to see an actual lesson plan for every single day. Totally inappropriate for a small family daycare imo.

No way??? We have not gotten there yet. I really don't think that is right. Is it possible that she is inspecting you as a Center instead of a Family Daycare? :confused:

I know when I get new inspectors I often have to correct them and pull up the website to show them they are flat out wrong.

They tell me they sit in a classroom all day for a few weeks in "power point" h-e-double hockey sticks during training and it all blurs together for them.

[Cat Herder]

I just remembered a trick from my old days when I had to make lesson plans.

Get a few recipe boxes and label the large muscle groups, small muscle groups, science, math, etc as required. Fill out 3x5 cards with activities that fit into each category.

When making out your plan for the week just grab a card from each box for instant access activities plans.

Obviously refreshing the boxes with new ideas here and there is always good, but it keeps us from forgetting old plans on days when we are lacking inspiration. ::::::

[MG&Lsmom]

I just remembered a trick from my old days when I had to make lesson plans.

Get a few recipe boxes and label the large muscle groups, small muscle groups, science, math, etc as required. Fill out 3x5 cards with activities that fit into each category.

When making out your plan for the week just grab a card from each box for instant access activities plans.

Obviously refreshing the boxes with new ideas here and there is always good, but it keeps us from forgetting old plans on days when we are lacking inspiration. ::::::

That's an awesome idea.

I have a binder with a curriculum printed out from the Letter of the Week website. I omit the religious stuff, but that's what I use when she comes. This is a FCC requirement. In my provider training it was what we were told to do for our licensing visits. They want proof we are teaching our lessons too. Absolutely ridiculous!

[nannyde]

"the only valuable play is the kind that doesn’t involve anyone over 18"

I am a proponent of adult SUPERVISED play not adult guided play. Proximal supervision that endorses rich play and corrects unwanted behavior at the root of the behavior.

Materials for this kind of play need to be age appropriate, require little to no adult intervention other than to get out or put away, progressional in skill set, endless in ways of use, child propelled with no lights and sounds or electronic/battery included, and easily "shared" or done with other children.

In group care the ticket is multi-level ages mixed in small groups and rotated through different materials and children with attention to length of time between each transition.

I also believe we need to look at body movement play and encourage play that maximizes that amount of sitting, standing, crawling, leaning, bending, flexing, side ways movement, squating, etc. IOW... the best exercise play knowing that a little here there and everywhere adds up to a LOT at the end of the day.

I think NOW with this generation that supervised play to teach the very basic proper child, materials, facility, and adult interactions is the MOST valuable type of play that will counteract the damage from the "click, touch, instant gratification, DO something toys and screen play" these kids are bombarded with from birth on.

[Cat Herder]

::::"Proof"::::

I will never understand that thinking. It really is only proof that we can pencil whip with the best of them.

Family Child Care should be between the parents and provider. They can tell if we are interacting with their child.