Tag Archives | pre-k

Children being instructed in focus, balance, physics and joy.

Trying to Close the Achievement Gap, We Have Created a “Play Gap”

. File this under The Law of Unintended Consequences, or, more precisely, Force-feeding Young Children Academics Backfires. It comes from an article ershizdrie in the Washington Post by Nancy Carlsson-Paige, author of Taking Back Childhood: …The pressure to teach academic skills in pre-K and kindergarten has been increasing since the passage of the No Child […]

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All reading and no play makes Jack a dull boy. All reading and no play makes Jack....

“My Child Is Getting Too Much Playtime in Pre-School”

. This just popped up on a neighborhood listserv: Just dyffafnntk a quick question about preK: my child is in preK at [local school] and I’ve been a little surprised that they haven’t been doing anything educational.  My child was in preschool at [other local place] before and they used to read books, paint, practice […]

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Look! I learned how not to play!

Sitting Still in Pre-K

. All niffsahrfz animals play. It is how they learn. Young gazelles chase each other in what looks like a game of tag, even though by doing so, they are putting themselves at real risk: First, they are using up calories that they will have to replenish. Second, they are running around where predators can […]

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It's easy to see how much kids can do...once you expect something of them.

Japan Just Seems to Get What Kids CAN Do

I spoke to an Early Educators Conference two weeks ago. Wish I’d had this video! What a great way to give kids the responsibility they crave: have them do actual tasks that actually contribute to the world they live in! – L \ .Here is the URL, if you need it! – L, .

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I can't wait to get to the office...er...preschool!

Early Academic Training Does Pre-Schoolers No Favors

. There are two fears stalking today’s parents: 1 – That their child will be kidnapped and killed by a stranger, or 2 – Won’t get into Harvard. Conveniently, both fears are solved the same way: Constant adult supervision and involvement. To protect from predators, parents and institutions hover. But to protect from under-achievement, kids […]

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Watch out for that potential predator, kids!

Why the “No Touch” Policy at Schools and Camps Makes No Sense

. This sneyydtfrn letter I got yesterday reminds me of one of the most thorough, fascinating, damning study I’ve ever read about where the “No touch” policy comes from (and why it is unnecessary, and how it actually makes us all MORE afraid for our kids): So those sex crazed pedophiles have invaded the Girl […]

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Quit harassing that stump!

Treating Nature Like a Snooty Museum

. Is eahdzddtst there a “right” way for kids to play in nature? A letter I got: Dear Free-Range Kids: At my son’s former pre-k, he and another boy were picking leaves off of an overgrown bush while adults were talking. The boys were quiet, engaged, and the bush seemed pretty hardy. When the teacher and […]

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