The pendulum swings in the education every twenty years or so they say.  They, the POLICY MAKERS, tell us, the EDUCATORS, what is the best thing for our students and we comply. Yes, sometimes dragging our heels, spitting nails, or just complain to our colleagues about the changes.

I don't always love change, but I understand it is necessary. I am more than happy to listen and try something new IF I believe it will benefit my students.  However,  I won't throw out what I know works!  Just like the old saying goes, "Don't throw the baby out with the bath water!" I believe you need to balance the two extremes for optimal results with your students.
LET'S TAKE A LOOK...

Teachers have debated teaching "letter of the week" for years! One side argues that it is ineffective to teach letters this way as children learn letters that are meaningful to them such as the letters in their names and they won't retain letters taught in a week by week basis.  The other side of the pendulum believes in this systematic approach as they are sure to cover all the letters through thematic teaching incorporating the letter through the majority of activities during the week. 
Truth be told, I am somewhere in the middle! I introduce a new letter each week based on the scope and sequence that my county puts out for our Voluntary Pre-Kindergarten program.  I introduce the letter and the sound through Interactive Alphabet Activities. We practice writing it and we even make an alphabet flip book that my pre-kinders read and then take home to practice.  However, every book we read does not begin with that particular letter and I do not make a craft to go along with each letter. Does this make sense?

Teachers are so passionate about this topic.  Process art gives children the freedom to create and express themselves through a variety or art mediums.  The materials are available as children use their imaginations to design their art. Product art consists of teacher led projects where children follow a set of directions or patterns to make a similar product.  
So I am here to ask, what is wrong with a little of both? I give children ample opportunities at the art center daily to create.  Some days it is process driven projects where children need to cut and glue pieces to make a something in particular like a snowman and other days I put out a variety of materials and my pre-kinders are free to create what ever their little hearts desire! Just as children have different learning styles, some children love the process where they can express their creativity while others want direction and want it to look like a particular object when completed.  Its a win-win as children are able to practice lots of fine motor activities such as cutting, tearing, drawing and gluing all while engaging in the art process.

I have been reading the book, Play: The Foundation that Supports the House of Higher Learning by Lisa Murphy and agree with a LOT of what Lisa  has to say. I agree that children in preschool, pre-kindergarten and even kindergarten need ample time to play as they build social skills, language and have time to manipulate their environment.  That being said, I am intentional about the skills and standards I need to teach.  The blending of play and skills needs to be done with hands on, engaging manipulatives, games and activities to create optimal engagement with these little people! In my classroom, we accomplish this through small group activities as well as during center time.  
There are many different ways to structure our programs, but we as the educators need to know what the current research says, meet the children where they are and then incorporate the social and academic skills that will prepare these children for life as well as school! So please, won't you meet me Somewhere in the Middle?

I have finally come up for a breath as "back to school" is upon us! Full day pre-k is fast paced, fun  and you always have to be one step ahead of your munchkins!  It is so refreshing to see children learning through play! Through LOTS of planning and modeling, the students are learning in developmentally appropriate ways.  I have found my passion once again.

                                   Children love learn to play with a variety of materials.  Some are more popular than others!  It is our job as educators to encourage play by MODELING activities! Foam shapes sat at the math table during centers this week.  I sat down next to a child who just seemed to be sitting there.  We talked about what we could make and started moving the shapes around.  We had a great dialogue including shape names and before long, the table was crowded and everyone wanted to play!
Puzzles were at one of the rotations during small group activities this week.  It is a "quiet" center,,, My students work on puzzles with up to 10 pieces with individual pieces.  I started to walk over to the child in the bottom pictures because he was "playing" with the puzzle pieces and making plane noises (GASP!) . REALLY?!? This is pre-k!! I quickly caught myself and sat with him for a minute to chat about the space shuttle he was launching! Perhaps he will travel to space someday...
Games are such a great learning opportunity.  In a time where the only games kids know about are video games, I believe this is the PERFECT activity during small group.  It give students a time to practice skills, learn how to take turns, follow directions and yes,  sometimes there is a winner and a loser.  Lots of life lessons and it is my job to help students with these social skills.  Thanks to my friend Anna for introducing me to the game of CRASH!  I just added the CRASH cards to a set of Lakeshore shapes for instant engagement.  CRASH cards can be added to any cards to add a bit of fun to any skill:).
The sensory bin is such a great place to combine science, math, fine motor practice, language and free exploration!  We added pine cones, acorns (which not one little friend knew what they were prior to this)  and little pumpkins along with pumpkin ice cube trays for counting!  Don't worry about the two little "worms" that crawled out of the acorns... I saved them and relocated them outside!
The block center encourages cooperation, spacial awareness, fine motor, language, naming shapes, and sorting them at clean up!  The conversations students have evolve and the challenge is to add additional materials such as animals, cars and wooden people to foster imaginative play and keep things fresh and inviting.  

 I am always looking for new ways to expand our program and resources.   If you would like to read more about how Donors Choose works, you can click HERE.  If you would like to see how I "theme" my projects, you can check out my current project HERE.
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