Hilltop's Blog
Building on the Wonders of Childhood
Zoom University
My mother used to always say "When I was younger, we never had to be on iPads, laptops, and video games." And if you're reading this mom, I can't believe I'm saying this but... you're right! At Hilltop, we believe that the less screen time a child gets, the better. We...
SEL Ideas for Home
The most important skills we teach in the early years aren't academic. Skills such as self-regulation, sharing, kindness, and social justice are the life-long skills crucial to the overall success of our children, however you define success. "We have to be...
When Kids Become the Teachers
As any guardian knows, combining work and family life can be challenging. Educating young children while working from home during a pandemic? Now that's a pretty monumental task. While there is no shortage of articles and resources aimed at supporting families as...
STEAM Ideas for Home
Sometimes as adults, we read these blogs and articles, or in my case, recipe books and try to follow each set of directions to a tee. We face enough stress in life without the need of putting more on ourselves. "Families shouldn't feel pressured to do 'exactly' what...
Talking to Toddlers During a Time of Crisis
Covid-19 descended upon Seattle, seeping in like a fog first in small ways, then eventually in signals we couldn't ignore. Stores were empty, hours at our center were limited. A constant state of interruption became the norm. Children were being told constantly to get...
Supporting Self-Directed Play
The suggestions below were written for families in one of Hilltop’s classrooms for two- and three-year-olds. We hope this may be useful to family members and parents who unexpectedly find themselves spending lots more time at home with young children. As many of us...
Creating Community Remotely
Here in Seattle, where all public and private K-12 schools are currently closed or practicing "remote learning" for the foreseeable future, some preschools have also closed temporarily, in accordance with statewide advisories for social distancing. At Hilltop, which...
Identifying Identity
Identifying our roots of identity can help us see where we came from, and most importantly, where we wish to go.