For Your Binder
Michael Mendizza (website)
If you have not heard of him I encourage you to spend some time investigating his website for more resources, courses you can take, interviews, articles... #DAP #play #learning #teaching #relationships #care
Let the Playing Commence! A Tribute to Bev Bos
The author shares 14 key "Bev" phrases that will forever be burned in her brain! #play #teaching #learning
The Death of Recess in America
Some claim we are in the middle of an ADHD epidemic.... do the kids need more drugs? Or more recess? #recess #play #teaching #learning #outside #movement
The Science of Early Childhood Development: Closing the Gap Between What We Know and What We Do
I fell down this amazing rabbit hole after hearing Jack Shonkoff, MD speak at a conference many years ago. Read this (albeit dated) report and then, seriously, carve out a few hours and spend some time exploring the rest of this site - super user friendly, wonderfully up to date and filled with a treasure trove of resources. #DAP #teaching #learning #play
Why kids build forts
Children all over the world organize these “special places.” #dens #forts #nature #outside #play
Life After Nature Preschool: Exploring the long term effects of nature-based education
Spoiler alert - nature based preschool is a positive thing! What we need now are researchers who can test this hypothesis in ways that look beyond test scores! #play #outside #teaching #learning #forestschools #nature
Seriously Considering Play
First off, regardless of your position on screen based tech please shelve it for this read as, seriously, the article is from 1996 and I am quite sure anyone currently involved in designing interactive media would laugh at how dated and old the language is ("the popular analogy of an office desktop to help a user understand the operation of a microcomputer")
Also, I reread it a couple times before posting and I really think we can take the message, which might initially seem specific to gaming/interactive media, lift it up and take from it a reminder of the value and importance of play, discovery, intrinsic motivation & self-regulation. #play #teaching #learning #technology #screens
The Importance of Play in Promoting Healthy Child Development and Maintaining Strong Parent-Child Bonds
This was the first American Academy of Pediatrics article (well, that caught everyone's attention anyway) that mentioned the importance of play. 11 years later they released another statement but ramped up the language saying that play was crucial to a child's healthy development. I often wonder if they sat around saying to each other, really? we gotta say this again? #DAP #play #parenting #teaching #learning
When the risk is worth it: The inclusion of children with disabilities in free risky play
We know the many benefits of risky play for young children - but are all children being afforded opportunities to engage in this kind of play? Disabled children tend to be over-protected and have their abilities underestimated. Additionally, "accessibility" is not in itself sufficient to ensure the quality of the play experience. #inclusion #equity #outside #movement #recess
Getting Pre-K Right: The Iceberg Model for Early Developmental Competencies
This article was written by the lead researcher in what is simply referred to now as "The #Vanderbilt Study" - in it she reminds us that greater focus on academics for three and four year olds is not the solution. Her metaphor of an iceberg is a powerful visual; the tip of the iceberg are things we can see (read: measure) like ABCs and 123s, but what is below the surface? What has actually made these other things visible? Curiosity, persistence, self-control... and when are those skills developed? When children #play !!!!! #Tennessee #DAP #teaching #learning #environment #pushdown
The Benefits of the Mix
Children aren't born in litters, but we insist they be cared for in them! #DAP #mixedages #play #teaching #learning