BuildingBlocksPresch

Despite credible research to support a #constructivist approach in #earlychildhood, policymakers cont. to push for a more academics in an effort to reach stand. testing goals. Heidi Harris a PhD student from Walden U research benefits of #reggioinspired vimeo.com/528598056

Let them play outside! open.substack.com/pub/kevinstine…

“I wonder if we confuse strength and other words--like aggression and even violence. Real strength is neither male nor female; but is, quite simply, one of the finest characteristics that any human being can possess." “Real strength has to do with helping others.”

@DrMayaAngelou Still I rise!

💛 Today we celebrate the life and legacy of Dr. Maya Angelou, who would have turned 98. A poet, author, activist, and global voice for justice — her words continue to inspire the world. “Still I rise.” ✨What is your favorite Dr. Maya Angelou quote? #MayaAngelou #Birthday

Learning about tulip bulbuls. #tulip #observationaldrawing #reggioinspired #greenschool

@AustinHatch30 Beautiful!

A few more. Such a special experience to share with my family.

Learning about compost! 🌱💚#michigangreenschool #compost #gooutside #garden #inquirybasedlearning

Curiosity is the key to success.

When We Love Ourselves Our Children Learn Self-Love #parenting

“You may write me down in history… But still, like dust, I’ll rise.” — Dr. Maya Angelou For Dr. Angelou, poetry was protest, prayer, and healing. Drop your favorite line of poetry below. 🫶🏾 💬 #WorldPoetryDay

12 years ago, Chloe had NO IDEA she'd become the internet's most iconic reaction

Great advice! 🙌 🌐 teachergoals.com

We have overprotected our children in the real world and underprotected them online. This is not just about phones and iPads; it's about childhood. Let them have adventurous play, with small risks. It's safer and healthier in the long run.

What If We Let Kindergarten Be Kindergarten Again? I do not think five-year-olds should be taking standardized tests. I do not think there should be any formal testing before they even know how to tie their shoes. In fact, when we look at many high-performing countries around the world, formal academic testing does not begin in Kindergarten. Early years focus on development only! What if our Kindergarten classrooms were built around: • Play as real learning • Projects instead of packets • Stories instead of screens • Outdoor time every single day • Movement woven into the day • Teaching kids how to handle frustration • Teaching them how to share, speak up, and solve problems What if we cared less about how fast they can read and more about whether they love learning? Here is what the research shows. Children who build strong self-regulation early on are more likely to succeed later academically. They focus longer. They manage stress better. They bounce back from mistakes. They persist when work gets hard. Those skills predict long-term outcomes more consistently than early decoding speed. You can teach reading in first grade. It is much harder to teach resilience, curiosity, and confidence once a child starts believing they are not good at school. Five-year-olds do not need acceleration. They need foundation. Kindergarten should not feel like preparation for a test. It should feel like preparation for life. And that begins with joy, belonging, and roots deep enough to support everything they will become.

This is the most comforting thing ever! It debuted 60 years ago on the very date December 9, 1965.

📚In 1962, ‘The Snowy Day’ by Ezra Jack Keats was first published

For generations, kids had three worlds: 1. Home 2. School 3. A third place; the park, the field, the neighborhood, the church gym, the rec center. That third place is where kids learned: • how to solve problems without an adult • how to read emotions and faces • how to handle conflict • how to lose • how to make friends • how to negotiate and compromise • how to sit with frustration • how to just be a kid But today? Most kids' third place is a screen. A screen doesn’t teach boundaries. A screen doesn’t teach emotional regulation. A screen doesn’t teach cooperation or conflict skills. A screen doesn’t teach patience or self-control. So all the social and emotional skills kids used to practice before they walked into school… they have to learn inside school now. And that’s why: behavior feels different attention feels different emotions feel bigger classroom management is tougher. This isn’t a “kids these days” problem. It’s a cultural shift. When the third place disappears, childhood changes. And schools end up carrying what the community used to teach. Until kids get their third place back, we’re going to keep seeing the fallout

Here's my #OneSmallThing! Create and share yours: share.teacher2teacher.education/onesmallthing?… #T2T

I and a growing number of professors ban all devices during class--even our grad students fall into distraction. How can K-12 students handle it? @jean_twenge shows that they can't. Get laptops and tablets out of classrooms now: nytimes.com/2025/11/16/opi…