Covid, Covid Go Away! Little Ones Want to Play!

 

"The basket"

"Loose parts"
Read on for more information!

It's been awhile but I'm back!

First let me start with sending out my heartfelt thanks to teachers working their way through

this pandemic. Also, parents that are trying to cope with all of this and let's don't

forget the children. They also have a challenge with all of this.

Before I give some advice on helping preschool age children learn at home, I want to address

the "concern" of some people that without children going to a brick and mortar building to learn, they are 

"falling behind."  

 I need to ask those people, exactly what/who are they "falling behind?"

Themselves? each other? children in other countries?

Well, folks, it's my humble opinion that they are not "falling behind" anything or anybody.

They are just where they are, academically, emotionally, and socially.

Do not panic! 

They will continue to learn and grow through experiences provided by parents, grandparents, and teachers

as we work through this time of turmoil!

Okay, I got that out of my system, I'll continue.

I recently saw an  advertisement for a box of learning materials for little guys. For only 19.95 ( I just

made that up) you can receive a box every month with things like craft activities, manipulatives, and 

horrors of all horrors, flash cards to teach preschoolers everything they need to know.

All fine and good, except for the flash card part, but also not really necessary if you have a box, a basket,

or even a large stainless steel mixing bowl and a bunch of "loose parts" gathered from the house and

the yard.

Let me explain.

I have a basket of stuff that I keep just in case any preschooler happens to stop by for a visit.

In this basket there are the following items:

1. A smaller basket filled with rocks of different textures, sizes, and colors.

2. A box of 64 crayons.

3. Dominoes

4.  Deck of cards

5.  3 seashells, small, medium, and large

6.  A miniature Noah's arc with tiny wooden animals

7.  A bag of figures (people, a frog prince, a miniature baseball helmet, animals, a van, and a nodding

flower.) 

I also have some books and plain white paper.

So, in the event I have a visitor in the preschool age range, we can read, draw, sort, match, count objects,

learn the names of the corresponding numeral (I can write that on the white paper), learn about and compare 

sizes, shapes, textures, use dominoes to build houses or boats or robots, line up dominoes and knock

them down (physics involved here!), and tell stories about a frog prince, a flower, a baseball playing

rabbit, and an old sailor.

I'm thinking of adding a tray of water colors and some markers to provide a little more variety for

free style art ( I did not say crafts, make note!). 

Easy to do and if I had young children every day I would change out materials occasionally

and collect more. You would be surprised what you can find in the kitchen cabinets, drawers,

closets, and outside your own house.

I hope this post will reassure and encourage parents and teachers of young children  that

learning and growing can and will occur even during this weird and unsettling time.

Bottom line:

Provide materials and opportunities for learning and let them be themselves no matter where they are!

That's it for now.

Check back later!