SEL Ideas for Home
June 29, 2020

SEL Ideas for Home

[et_pb_section fb_built=”1″ admin_label=”section” _builder_version=”3.22″][et_pb_row admin_label=”row” _builder_version=”3.25″ background_size=”initial” background_position=”top_left” background_repeat=”repeat” make_fullwidth=”off” use_custom_width=”off” width_unit=”on”][et_pb_column type=”4_4″ _builder_version=”3.25″ custom_padding=”|||” custom_padding__hover=”|||”][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.4.7″ background_size=”initial” background_position=”top_left” background_repeat=”repeat” hover_enabled=”0″ use_border_color=”off”] 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.   […]

Institute Blog 0 6 min read
When Kids Become the Teachers
June 15, 2020

When Kids Become the Teachers

[et_pb_section fb_built=”1″ _builder_version=”3.22″][et_pb_row _builder_version=”3.25″ background_size=”initial” background_position=”top_left” background_repeat=”repeat”][et_pb_column type=”4_4″ _builder_version=”3.25″ custom_padding=”|||” custom_padding__hover=”|||”][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.4.7″ hover_enabled=”0″] 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 they try to find and […]

Institute Blog 0 13 min read
Talking to Toddlers During a Time of Crisis
May 18, 2020

Talking to Toddlers During a Time of Crisis

[et_pb_section fb_built=”1″ _builder_version=”3.22″][et_pb_row _builder_version=”3.25″ background_size=”initial” background_position=”top_left” background_repeat=”repeat”][et_pb_column type=”4_4″ _builder_version=”3.25″ custom_padding=”|||” custom_padding__hover=”|||”][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.4.2″] 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 up and wash their hands, cover […]

Institute Blog 0 7 min read
Supporting Self-Directed Play
April 27, 2020

Supporting Self-Directed Play

[et_pb_section fb_built=”1″ _builder_version=”3.22″][et_pb_row _builder_version=”3.25″ background_size=”initial” background_position=”top_left” background_repeat=”repeat”][et_pb_column type=”4_4″ _builder_version=”3.25″ custom_padding=”|||” custom_padding__hover=”|||”][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.4.2″] 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 are suddenly growing our […]

Institute Blog 0 7 min read
Creating Community Remotely
April 1, 2020

Creating Community Remotely

[et_pb_section fb_built=”1″ _builder_version=”4.4.2″][et_pb_row _builder_version=”4.4.2″ background_size=”initial” background_position=”top_left” background_repeat=”repeat”][et_pb_column type=”4_4″ _builder_version=”3.25″ custom_padding=”|||” custom_padding__hover=”|||”][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.4.2″]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 serves 120 children starting as young as age 2, our building […]

Institute Blog 0 4 min read
Toddler Scientist
December 3, 2019

Toddler Scientist

This is science, and these children are practicing their scientific thinking. I smiled and asked myself: Where are these ideas coming from? What experiences do these children have that support their theories?

Institute Blog 0 4 min read
Food for Thought
November 11, 2019

Food for Thought

[et_pb_section fb_built=”1″ _builder_version=”3.22″][et_pb_row _builder_version=”3.25″ background_size=”initial” background_position=”top_left” background_repeat=”repeat”][et_pb_column type=”4_4″ _builder_version=”3.25″ custom_padding=”|||” custom_padding__hover=”|||”][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.0.2″ hover_enabled=”0″] How does food create meaningful interactions? I eat lunch and snack with the children in my class of 3-5 year olds every day, and have been thinking a lot about our relationship with food, as well as the connection between food and our relationships with each other. […]

Institute Blog 0 6 min read
Inspirations from Italy – Reggio Emilia
July 2, 2019

Inspirations from Italy – Reggio Emilia

[et_pb_section fb_built=”1″ _builder_version=”3.25.3″][et_pb_row _builder_version=”3.25.3″][et_pb_column type=”4_4″ _builder_version=”3.25.3″][et_pb_text _builder_version=”3.25.3″] This spring I had the opportunity to travel, with a group of colleagues from my graduate  program at Portland State University, to Reggio Emilia, Italy to tour the schools. While I have many thoughts to share about my trip, I want to focus on teacher preparation in a community that features emergent curriculum, […]

Institute Blog 0 7 min read