The Housatonic Community College Early Childhood Inclusive Education Program students can Stay Close but Go Far. Two HCC ECIE graduates just returned from 6 months in China where they taught in an bilingual, bicultural preschool. Two more students have just arrived in Beijing to work at the same preschool for a year. We will follow their journey here. Then later this semester, several professors, students, teachers and directors will be going to Scandinavia to learn about the preschool systems in place in Finland and Sweden. Please come back often and let us know what you think about our quest to learn more about early care and education globally.

Questions

Read this article about the decline of play and comment below.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/rweb/wildcard/the-decline-of-play-in-preschoolers--and-the-rise-in-sensory-issues/2015/09/01/f9c8900f3bc452faa62abaf009cfe4ff_story.html

What do you think about children's need for Outdoor Play? Click on the Outdoor Play link and see what one person has to say.

Check out the blog of HCC ECIE student, Suzannah Lim. She and another HCC ECIE graduate are spending a year in China teaching at a bi-lingual, bi-cultural preschool in Beijing. Is this something you might want to do? Contact me at LNoe@hcc.commnet.edu for more information.

Click on this link to see if you agree that we need to stop-trying-to-make-everything-educational. Then come back and tell us what you think. 

Kindergarten environment

Come with us to Scandinavia

Forest schools in Scandinavia provide young children with all day, outdoor, activities and experiences regardless of the time of year or the weather.

Click here for a video about another Scaninavian model.

At Housatonic Community College we are starting to plan a study abroad trip to go visit some of these schools in person. Want to come? Contact me at LNoe@Housatonic.edu

Learn more about the word gap….for teachers?  Then tell us what you think. Click here.

Slow Down to Real Time has shown to improve children's brains. Read the article  by clicking the underlined link and think about the implications for preschool education.

Watch the video at this link and talk about what you have observed or experienced with loose parts.