Unit Studies for Preschool

Unit Studies is a hot topic among "homeschoolers" and I just learned at a recent child care conference the the term in early childhood circles is "project curriculum". In the "old days" we called them "themes". The teacher introduces information and materials related to the subject and then child(ren) lead they way in how the topic will be explored. (The teacher selects the theme based on interests of the children that have been observed in the children's play or questions the children have asked. There are some great FREE online resources to help you get started with unit studies. I'm getting "spring fever" and I bet some kids are too... so wouldn't this be the perfect time for a unit study on Plants . I'm sure that you will be talking to the kids about the grass turning green and the tulips coming up and the trees starting to bud....now just expand those conversations into the whole specturm of your learning activities. (That's unit studies!)

Go deeper by documenting your unit studies with photos and drawings and stories by the kids (dictated) and make it into a class book....(Essentially a scrapbook made with a 3 ring binder and page protectors). The kids will love looking at and reading about things that they participated in. And what a great tool to share with parents and others who support your program!

I'd love to hear about your ideas for "unit studies".

A couple more links to help you with unit study resources:

http://www.squidoo.com/takehomebags#module5969132

http://www.easyfunschool.com/

My Considered Opinion

Thought I might start adding my "considered opinion" to the information that I share with you.

Many of you may know that I'm somewhat of an "educational renagade" and I'm sure some of my opinions will be controversial and hopefully make for stimulating conversations.

In my considered opinion early childhood education programs should be more like "home school" than like public school. However, if you meet a homeschooler who is trying to do "public school" at home (and there are many) know that they have missed the point!

Some Learning Resources that you can use.

Nature Education: http://kindernature.storycounty.com This is really cool.

http://www.highscope.org/ A developmentally appropriate curriculum

http://www.rie.org/ infant & toddler resources
http://www.zerotothree.org/ more infant toddler resources

Life Long Learners

Are you one? I'm so glad I am! It makes life so much more interesting. In the past week I've had 3 learning opportunities that have sparked my interests in a number of different areas.

The first was at a group I facilitate for Center Directors. I always learn new things when I gather with people who are doing important work like improving programs for young children. Second, I attended a training on NAEYC accreditation. This is a topic I haven't really spent a lot of time on but the training gave me a good picture of the documentation needed to show that a child care program is on a path that pursues the highest quality standards! A huge undertaking but necessary if we want to walk our talk about valuing the growth and development of young children. And finally I attended the Kaleidoscope Conference in Omaha. I enjoyed the keynote speaker, award winning illustrator and author, Brian Pinkney. I love how his art conveys physical movement and evokes emotions too. Check out his books and art at http://www.brianpinkney.net/. My favorite book was "Max Found Two Sticks". Kids would love it too! My breakout session at the conference was about Using Observations to meet the needs of children in our programs. This is something that I did naturally in my head when I was in the classroom. In my observations of teachers and caregivers I find that they don't pay enough attention to what each individual child is saying and doing. Only through observation (just plain paying attention) can we begin to understand a child's unique personality, way of thinking and viewing the world. We need to listen, laugh,sing,play and live with children not just do custodial care. It's about relationships and conversations so that we can guide and encourage children to feel confident and competent to be themselves in the world. I believe this is the foundation needed to be able to live life happily and successfully.

My final session at Kaleidoscope was on the revised Developmentally Appropriate Practice from NAEYC. I am a "developmentalist" 110%. It's the only way that true learning takes place. And in my opinion until we make the whole educational system developmentally appropriate from "birth to career" we're going to be losing many of the best minds and ideas that we need to get the world back on track.