Deserts: Expand your learning oasis

“What was your favorite animal at the zoo?” Ms. Johnson asks 4-year-old Trent, climbing into the van after the field trip. “The Gila monster,” says Trent. “Tell me about that,” Ms. Johnson says. “What did you like about this lizard?” > Read

Using small groups and workstations: From chaotic to constructive

By Yusra Abou-Sayed
If you walk into my second grade classroom at any given moment, you might think it rather chaotic. You would see three or four students reciting poetry to each other at the back of the room, while others spell words orally into PVC pipes shaped like telephones. > Read

Free and easy sock crafts

In our throw-away culture, we often discard socks with holes and frayed tops. Why not teach children about recycling and have fun by making the old socks into something new? > Read

Woodworking: A constructive learning center

By Cathy Abraham
Woodworking: The mere word strikes fear in the hearts of many of the most competent early education teachers. Painfully, it conjures up images of a crying child with a bleeding finger, or one child hitting another on the head with a hammer. > Read

Which character traits help children succeed?

By Barbara Langham
“There are two things I want for my students,” a teacher says to a friend over coffee. “I want them to be curious and fearless.” “Curious, I understand,” the friend replies. “But fearless—like motorcycle racing?” “No, I don’t mean wild risk taking or poor impulse control,” the teacher says. > Read