President's Day Training Workshop Recap!

We hope all of our teachers had a great experience at our President's Day training this year! To help keep our staff abreast of the ongoing research in ECE and child development, and as a way of helping them meet the state of Oregon's 18-hour training quota, we regularly offer teachers a wide array of informative, relevant and interactive workshops. This year, teachers, office staff, and Regional Supervisors explored subjects such as movement & "crossing the midline", ways to encourage children to adopt sustainable practices, character trait development, and exercising the brain with legos -- to name just a few. Below, we've provided a short summary of some of these workshops, for teachers who would like to refresh their memories, and for parents who would like to take a peek into some of the things we spend our time learning!

Mental stretching with Legos, Site Coordinator and VHFLC Store Manager Jeff Martin
 

For his workshop, Jeff highlighted the vast benefits of having children play with legos and other miniature, personally relatable figurines -- aka "mini figures". Studies have shown that under particular circumstances, people can mentally place themselves into (what they perceive to be) the perspective of a mini figure, thus allowing for the development of behaviors that may otherwise be curbed by inhibition. For example, a child who struggles with social anxiety might comfortably talk "through" the toy, thus allowing for enhanced communication with teachers and for the potential elimination of the fear. This has been demonstrated to work in several instances with adults who are struggling as well.

But this is far from the only value of legos and mini figures; children can also learn a multitude of STEM-related and creative skills by doing simple exercises like creating lego mazes and puzzles, sitting back-to-back with another child and trying to verbally coach each other into replicating designs, keeping stored legos organized by shape, part, or color, searching for particular pieces in a sensory tub, and tracing the outline of a lego cluster to later try to fit pieces back into. These are just some examples, as in a sense, the possibilities of what can be done with legos are endless. But, the crux of the concept is that legos promote "problem-solving with their constructional aspect while involving [children] in a world of self-directed pretense at the same time," according to psychologist David Whitebread.

In other words, through legos, children can benefit in a wide variety of ways that span enhanced logic, reasoning ability, direction-following skills, hand-eye coordination, geometry, creativity, and much more.

Movement and Crossing the Midline, with University of Portland ECE Director Cala Richman

"Crossing the midline", or practicing movements and activities that prompt the left and right hemispheres of the brain to communicate with each other, is vital for strengthening multiple neural networks that contribute to coordination and dexterity. Oftentimes, young children will (either consciously or unconsciously) position themselves so that they can avoid crossing the midline, which places educators and parents into the crucial role of fostering these behaviors through active practice and exercise. 

During Cala's workshop, she talked about multiple ways that teachers can seamlessly incorporate midline-crossing exercises into their daily class routines. Here are some of the activities she mentioned:  

1. Acting out a different 'ing' word (aka 'gerund') during transition periods. This could be something like crab walk(ing) or danc(ing). Also, acting out alliterative phrases, such as 'green goats go', or 'blue boats balance' can be really fun and active.
2. Putting music on and freeze dancing during transitions.
3. Setting up a maze for the children to follow with masking tape or construction paper. You may also try a game of tag in which the tape/paper (or possibly hoops, as you can see in the sample video) serve as 'safe zones'.
4. Orchestrating a DIY 'Dance Dance Revolution' session using construction paper to represent the various movements. 
5. For infants: exercises like eye tracking and crossing limbs to touch each other.

After expounding on these ideas (and after acting some of them out as a group!), Cala opened the session up to discussion and an exchange of thoughts and anecdotes about what teachers had found to be personally successful in their classrooms. Here are some of the midline-crossing exercises they chose:

Infants:

1. Playing "Head, shoulders, knees and toes"
2. Acting out the movements in "A farmer went trotting", or similar renditions
3. Playing "Where is" (the dog, sheep, monkey, etc - anything visible in the room) 
4. Aim and toss a ball or bean bag into a(n empty!) kiddie pool, bucket, etc.

Toddlers:

1. Practicing yoga
2. Flashlight dance parties
3. Playing "Hokey Pokey"
4. "Popcorn on a Train" 
5. "Down by the Roller Coaster"
6. Dancing phalanges (fingers and toes)

Preschool: 

1. Yoga (great for all ages!)
2. "Sleeping Lions" also known as "Sleep, Lions Sleep" 
3. Animal relays
4. Wall sits and knee pats/claps 

Exploring children's character traits, with HR and PR Coordinator Ashley Kersey

For this workshop, Ashley highlighted the importance of setting an example for emotional honesty and open communication in the classroom, and of allowing children to hold their teachers accountable for this too. She passed out an emotional intelligence quiz to workshop attendees, which helped them take a closer look at their own empathic abilities and their general awareness surrounding the emotions they outwardly express to their students.

While evaluating a child's negative behavior, it is crucial to try and gain clues surrounding any underlying emotional motives or attitudes that may be present. Rather than treating a rowdy child like he/she is intentionally trying to cause problems, perhaps it is the case that they are simply having a bad day. When you yourself are having a bad day, don't hesitate to communicate this in a healthy manner to your classroom, as children who see you being transparent about your feelings will likely begin to follow your lead.

10 Character Traits to Develop with your Students:
(the following information supplied by Ashley Kersey)

Dependability
“I can count on you”, “Thanks for always helping out” 

• Always make sure to follow through when students ask for something. Apologize if you get distracted or forget. Show that you are accountable for your actions.
• Thank students when they follow directions. Tell them you appreciate how dependable they are, knowing that if you ask them to do something that they will.
• Start with small things and then grow into larger ones, thanking them each time they complete a task. If you start with a task too large or complex you are setting them up to fail.

Activities

• As a class, list as many things as possible that we depend on. Divide the class into two teams and play Pictionary with the words. Talk about how the team depends on the artist to present the unknown word and thus score a point. 
• Have students do a relay such as pushing a ping pong ball with a yard stick. Talk about the importance of dependably trying hard during one’s turn. How important is dependability in other games and team sports?

Books on the topic

·      Horton Hatches the Egg by Dr. Seuss    ·      The Little Engine that Could

·      The Little Hero of Holland

Cooperation

    “You guys are working together really well”, “Can you help your friend?”

1. Play a cooperation game outside or inside. These can be simple and fast. 
2. Assign buddies to help with tasks. Older kids with younger is an option, or just working in teams to get things done. This can be as simple as moving something heavier than one person's share. 
3. Make a list of tasks that need to be done each day or week and having it posted. Rotating through the children and assigning more than one can increase the group’s cooperation.

Activities

·      Outline a large square on the floor with either masking tape or chalk. This area is the safe island and the area surrounding the square is the ocean. When the music begins, children "swim" around the island. Stopping the music indicates that sharks are coming and all players must retreat to the safety of the island. With each round, the lines are altered making the island increasingly smaller. Players must work together to make sure everyone has a safe place to get away from the sharks.

·      Divide the group into teams of 5 people, each with pencil and paper. Call out a word which has four or more letters. Each team writes the word vertically down the left side of the paper, and on the right side, writes the word vertically backwards. They then have to fill in between the letters to form new words.

Books on the topic

·      Would I ever Lie to You

·      Big Brave Brian

·      The 3 Silly Billies

Gratitude

      “Thank you X for doing Y”, “I appreciate it when you X"

1    Make sure to smile and acknowledge when a student has done something extra or helped a friend with a task.

2   Be specific when thanking students. Being vague can come across as not paying attention or giving out blanketed thank yous that have no substance.

3   Reward the students when they are doing extra well. Show them you appreciate that clean-up only took 2 minutes by giving them an extra 10 minutes of recess. It should NOT come in the form or bribery or material reward.

Activities

·      Everyone in the circle needs 2 small pieces of paper and a sheet of paper. Simply write one thing that you are grateful for on each slip of paper. Put them all in the bowl. Pass the bowl around and have each person pick one piece of paper out of the bowl and read it out loud. Everyone then writes on their sheet of paper each statement of gratitude and who they think put it in the bowl. Keep going until all the papers are gone, then see who got the most right.

·      Fold a sheet of card stock paper into half, and cut along the crease. Fold the paper in half again to form a blank card. Create a thank you card.

Books on the topic

·      Bear Says Thanks

·      It Could Always be Worse

·      All the World

Generosity

      “Would you like to use my X?”, “If we use all the Y there will not be any left”

1.     Whenever a grade-schooler does share, tell them how happy it makes you feel. "I'm so proud of you for sharing X with Y," you can tell them. "That's a great way to make a new friend." They will feel good about earning your respect and making someone else happy, and generous behavior will begin to come more naturally.

2.    If being generous remains a major obstacle for your grade-schooler, take a look at other issues in their life. Are they one of several siblings and not used to having their own things? Has their family just moved? Or other major event?  Sometimes a child will react to tough transitions by clinging more tightly to a beloved possession or selfish behavior.

3.    Show appreciation for any gift they give you! Your reaction will teach them to feel encouraged, discouraged or indifferent about giving.

Activities

·      Go Fish card game. If you have a large class, you might want to use two decks of cards and divide the class into two groups so that it's more active and easier to manage.

·      Children will sit in a circle and pass the parcel around the circle until the music stops. When it stops, the child who is holding the parcel gets to open a layer (if possible, have enough layers for all children to participate. When the child opens the layer of the parcel, they will receive a lolly (sticker, or other small token) and instructions on what to do with the lolly. Make sure that you add enough to include all those in your group. Some examples of instructions are as follows: Give the lolly to a person who is really good at singing, a person who is a really good friend, a person who is really funny, a person who is always smiling, a person who is very helpful, a person who is encouraging of others, etc.

Books on the topic

·      My Friend Fred

·      The Giving Tree

·      One of Each

Kindness

        “That X you made looks really nice, I like the Y.” “You are getting better at X.”

1.    Be encouraging and motivate students to do the same. This boosts self-esteem and helps forge bonds with students. 

2.    Devise an activity where your family or classroom records one act of kindness or one pleasant activity per day. You might call it your “Kindness Project” or “Happiness Diary.”

3.    It may not be practical to keep up a routine where you are sharing from a diary on a regular basis. Reinforcement of the kindness habit comes with practice, but once children get into the habit, it becomes far easier.

Activities

·      Divide the children into teams and give each team a tube of toothpaste, plate, and spoon. They will take turns squeezing the toothpaste out all over the plate and then attempt to put the toothpaste back into the tube. The point is that this is an impossible task, and it's the same with words. Once said, they cannot be taken back. Thus, it is crucial to be kind. 

·      "Kindness cootie catcher". They will fold a cootie catcher and write nice things to do to their friends as the end options, such as giving them a high five, complimenting them, or telling them a joke.

Books on the topic

·      The Lion and the Mouse

·      How Kind

·      A Home for Bird

Helpfulness

         “Would you like help with X?”  “Can you help Y with X?”  “Can you help me?”

1.    Children naturally repeat the words and actions of everyone they admire, hence the best way to teach kids is to be helpful by example. In this vein of thought, a parent or caregiver who reaches out to those around them winds up indirectly teaching their children the value of being helpful.

2.     Give children opportunities to help each other with tasks. This can be as simple as picking up blocks with their friends, or reading a book together.

3.     When praising a child about being helpful, be specific. Let him/her know exactly what is was that was helpful so that they know what to repeat again in the future.

Activities

·      The following is a role-playing activity in which children act out scenes with people who help others in stores, restaurants, and other service settings. This activity can be done in separate groups, or as one group of children who play out the scene in front of the whole class.  

·    Through this exercise, children can practice using 'helping words' and having a helpful attitude by improvising scenes in familiar business settings. Explain to the children that there are many stores and places of business where the employees ask the customers, “May I help you?”, and ask the children to think of the stores or other places of business where they have visited and experienced this (example: grocery store, post office, restaurants, and other stores.) Make a list of these, and tell the children that when a store or restaurant employee asks, “May I help you?,” a polite customer will say, “Yes, thank you” before saying what s/he wants. Ask the children to choose from the list of stores or businesses, and using a table or large cardboard box as a counter, let them take turns practicing being a store/restaurant employee who asks, “May I help you?” and then giving the appropriate customer response.

     Blind mazes. Have the students create a maze out of chairs, or even just tape on the ground. They will then be blindfolded and their team mates will have to help them through the maze either by using words or by guiding them physically, depending on the age. 

Books on the topic

·      The Cats in Krasinski Square

·      Angelo

·      The Lady in the Box

Trust & Honesty

     “I appreciate you telling me the truth”, “I don’t really like/ do like X”

1.    Try not to ask questions that encourage lying. If you saw them do the behavior, let them know that. Start out by asking questions to discover the truth, but let them know you know what happened if you do.

2.    Praise honesty when the opportunity presents itself. Provide consequences for lying.

3.    Being confrontational with the children or exhibiting anger or threats is not the correct approach. If you're harsh and punitive, they'll be afraid to tell you the truth. If you make it a safe, open space for them, they will be honest, so be firm with honesty while being gentle on the students.

Activities

·      Have the kids stand in a circle. Ask them to hold out their hands parallel to the ground. They also have to stick out their index fingers. Gently place an object on their index collective fingers, like a hula hoop or a stick. Now ask them to lower the object to the ground but make sure that their fingers do not lose contact with the object. Your kid and friends may find it difficult at first. The idea is that they have to formulate a strategy by which they can collectively work and place the object on the ground while ensuring their fingers are in contact.

·      Try taking your preschool class on a simple nature hunt with a twist! Before the activity, prepare picture books with several different things you may see while on a nature hunt on the school playground or surrounding area, such as leaves, acorns, pine needles or other natural items. Tell the class that if they find each item in the picture book, there will be a special treat, such as Popsicles for a snack. Give each child one or two items to find while they are outside on the nature hunt. Explain to the class that they must trust that their fellow classmates will find their items so that they can all participate in the Popsicle party. Encourage the children to work together while outdoors, hunting for their objects.

Books on the topic

·      The Empty Pot

·      Sam Tells Stories

·      Scapegoat

Responsiblity

     “Can you pick up your things before you go?”, “What did you take outside?”

1.    Set firm expectations and hold students accountable for them. If they know there is nothing to gain by doing what they are responsible for doing, they will not do it.  Example: if the room is not picked up, we cannot start the next activity.

2.    Conversing about character traits while engaging in hands-on activities and exploring themes via storytelling are powerful ways for children to understand and eventually exhibit these traits.

3.    Have students help to remind each other about the things that need to be done and that they are responsible for. Daily or weekly charts showing what various students are in charge of can accomplish this task.

Activities

·      Have a discussion about classroom responsibility. What are the kids' responsibilities, and what are the teacher's responsibilities? Make a chart of these responsibilities on the board. What are the consequences of being irresponsible? What are the rewards of being responsible?

·      Divide the class into two groups: one native to the rain forest and the other needing rain forest land to make a living. Groups debate the use of the forest, then discuss the wants and needs that affect people's decisions. Next, students can survey their parents and neighbors concerning local environmental issues. As a class, discuss the range of opinions and how this affects the ability to resolve problems.

Books on the topic

·      Can I Keep Him?

·      Salt Boy

·      The Carrot Seed

Respect

     “Next time you will do better, here is how” “I appreciate you asking so nicely”

1.    Enforce unpopular decisions. It is time to clean up now, or it's homework time.  Bending to children's whim may make them seem like best friends and would sometimes be the easier choice, but this will not lead to respect in the end. 

2.     Saying please and thank you to them when they do things for you, and recognizing this/pointing out when student do it for others.

3.    Instead of saying, “Don’t you say that to me, it’s disrespectful!” calmly respond to their misbehavior. “You know, we don’t talk to each other like that in here. We treat each other with respect.”

4.    Avoid causing guilt and shame when children are not respectful. They are learning and mistakes will happen. It can cause resentment toward you and towards themselves. Instead, try phrases that communicate how the situation is, versus how they should feel about it.

Activities

·      Make a campaign poster about respect. Make sure that you include the word “Respect” and two reasons why someone would want to vote for having respect at your school. You could use construction paper, felt pens, crayons, magazine cut-outs and templates. 

·      Put a bowl of oranges (or lemons or grapefruits) in front of a child. Ask him to pick one to be his own special orange. Have all children pick an orange and the direct them to, “Hold your orange, smell your orange, and examine your orange very, very carefully. Look at it with the magnifying glass, and see if yours has any marks that will help you pick it out of the bowl later when it gets mixed up with the others. Get to know your orange! Remember, later on (or tomorrow), you'll need to pick out your orange from the rest.” After getting acquainted with his or her orange, put the selected orange back in the bowl with the others. After a few hours or the following day, peel all the oranges in the bowl. Line them up and challenge them to find theirs. Inevitably, they will not be able to tell.  Relate that all people, just like the oranges, are the same on the inside and we should respect them for the people they are.

Books on the topic

·      The Sidewalk Patrol

·      I Like Myself!

·      Prince Cinder

Justice and Fairness

     “Thanks for letting me know how this situation looks to you”

1.     Remember that white lies are still lies. If the students trust what you say and you use white lies or small lies, it devalues everything you have told or taught them.

2.     You are the referee in most things that happen throughout the day.  Make sure to always play by the rules, explain actions when they differ, be open minded and consistent. Do not play favorites.

3.    Students may respond negatively to criticism and punishment by sulking or being rude. You can help by explaining to children why certain behaviors are necessary, instead of simply expecting these behaviors from them.

4.    Encourage students by playing games with them and positively encouraging them to learn the rules and stick with them. This kind of positive reinforcement can be communicated by comments like “Good move!” or “You’re playing really well”, as opposed to comments like “Stop cheating.”

Activities

·      The students sit in a circle on the rug, close their eyes, and imagine that they had an injury somewhere on their body. You can also distribute “injury cards” to students (index cards with various injuries listed one per card). Ask students, one at a time, to share their injury, giving each student a Band-Aid (regardless of the injury). If anyone complains or questions the Band-Aid, simply say that it would not be fair if everyone did not get the same thing. **Variation: Give all but the last student a Band-Aid. Add in a discussion of how it felt to be the only one without a band aid.

·      Have students make a balance from a coat hanger. They will then go around the room and try to find things or items to use in the scale to make it balanced.

Books on the topic

·      Stone Soup

·      The Lorax

·      The Tale of Peter Rabbit


     We hope you found these recaps illuminating! Teachers, you can always write in if you would like to receive more info on any workshop you attended (or didn't get a chance to attend!). Many printed materials and digital files that are supplied during VHFLC trainings can be sent upon request. Coming soon, Spring Break Camp! From March 21-25, we'll be Wildlife Detectives, exploring the urban jungle around us and learning lots about animals, plants, their importance and our invaluable connection to them! Thanks for reading.

-The VHFLC Team