Day NineteenThe art of observational drawings is for children to observe and reflect upon what they see. It provides use with useful information and shows us what children notice. When children observe something:
As children become active observes of the world around them, they will begin to ask questions and share observations. As they see it will provide topic for discussion and help us to dig a little deeper into the learning process. How to begin observational drawings with children. Set out an object during group meeting and look at it together. Have the children tell you everything that you see about the object. Make a list to review what others saw. Explain to the children that we are going to do an observational drawing on the object. We are going to draw exactly what we see and add as much detail as we can. Start with a simple object with few details. This will allow the children to be successful on their first drawing and make for a happy artist. As they begin to finish up their drawings ask them if they see any details they haven’t drawn yet. Always encourage and praise children’s drawings, by pointing out what you have noticed about their drawing. “I like how you added all the hair that you saw on the spider.” Observing living and growing things. Encourage children to observer the process of growing things. Don’t limit yourself or the children to just observational drawings, children can also use their observational skills with painting and clay. Children retain more of what they learn in an observation when they draw vs. when they do not (Fox & Lee, 2013) Task: Include a observational drawing in your plans this week. ![]()
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Day EighteenIt has been a long standing requirement in early childhood education programs to observe and document children’s learning. But… We need to get beyond more than just work samples, portfolios and random observations. Think about this…
What is documentation of children’s learning? Documentation provides a picture of children’s experiences, development and learning. It helps to support planning that is meaningful to each child and demonstrates that teachers are thinking carefully about children’s learning. Documentation should…
Through documentation, we can show the ordinary to be extraordinary. – Shater 2002 There are different ways that we can document children’s learning. We can use…
Documentation that is present in the classroom can be as varied as the creators mind permits. Task: Create an area that is designated for classroom documentation. Start documenting children’s learning process as they explore and learn together about one of their interest. ![]() Day SeventeenWe live in a fast-paced and pressure packed world. It could be a pretty daunting undertaking raising a family for some. But if we create a classroom community with traditions and rituals it turns daunting into a community of supporting friends and meaningful relationships. Rituals and traditions are a way of connecting to our students and their families on a deeper level. They create bonds and build relationships that can…
When we take the time to incorporate rituals into our daily and weekly routines it fosters the development of loving, caring, and emotionally healthy children. Here is a sample of a ritual that you can use with children throughout the day. ![]() Find more I Love Ritual by Becky A. Baily in her book I Love You Rituals. Then throw in a splash of traditions throughout the year and you have the glue that holds all of the mosaic pieces of love together. Yearly traditions to consider
Task: Think of part of your day and try to fit in at least two rituals or I love you rituals to your schedule. ![]() |
Welcome!I'm Tami Sanders creator of Learning and Teaching with Preschoolers, a blog to help teachers create magical moments for the young. Follow MeArchives
May 2024
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