It’s a bittersweet time of year…..

Posted on September 10, 2015 by kiehlk

By Kim Kiehl, Executive Director of the Smithsonian Early Enrichment Center

All across the country it is a bittersweet time of year…back to school time. This time of year inevitably brings transition. It doesn’t matter if you are bringing your child to a new classroom here at SEEC, sending your child off to Kindergarten, or sending him off to college, the rituals and the feelings are the same. Transitions are tough. Transitions mean change. Transitions bring emotions. As I watch the start of the new school year here at SEEC I often wonder who the transition is more difficult for…the parents or the children. Sure, the children are crying and calling for mommy and daddy as they move to a new room with new friends. But I promise you that the crying stops soon after you leave as they become involved in the wonder of learning and the excitement of first friends. But for us parents that feeling often lingers over our morning coffee, into that first meeting of the day and through that long team meeting after lunch. While my own children are adults, now 30 and 26, as I watch parents as they drop off here at SEEC I can still feel that pull of leaving your child and not being sure it will be OK. Whether we are bringing our child to a new early childhood classroom or dropping them off at college it’s all the same. At both ends we have to give up our children in some way. we have to let them go the become who they are going to be…often without us.

Still, I love this time of year. I love the planning and the school supply shopping. I love the promise of the days being more organized and ordered. Don’t get me wrong…I totally love summer, but autumn is like the first day of the new year to me. It is a new start and a new beginning. I make resolutions in the the fall. I start new calendars and develop new ways of keeping things organized. I resolve to follow a schedule this year. I resolve to be slower and not to rush from thing to thing this year. These resolutions often last about five days and then reality sets in (although I am determined this year to make them stick!). So for me this is a magical time of year. To me there is nothing more exciting than the promise of learning new things, nothing more exciting than the opportunity to discover a new idea, test a new skill, and make a new friend.

At the same time, this time of transition can bring sadness. Where did the years go? How can they be this old? Where did the summer go, along with all my grand plans for how to spend it? What will they do without me all day…or maybe what will I do without them all day? But there is joy too…the crying stops (for both adults and children), the stories of the wonder of learning start to pile up, and we all become comfortable with the transition. We made it.

It’s a new year and a time of new beginnings. Savor every moment of learning with your child just like we do here at SEEC. Drown yourself in their questions and their wonder and start looking at the world through curious eyes again. It’s true that transitions can be tough, but they can also be filled with growth, wonder and joy. Savor every moment—the rough and the joyful— it is through transition that we grow.

A Fresh Take: Back-to-School Books

Posted on September 3, 2015 by Cynthia Raso

It’s that time again! Many of our nation’s teachers are preparing their classrooms for the first day of school and so we wanted to share with you what some of our SEEC teachers are planning to include on their bookshelves this coming fall. Before school ended this past week, I interviewed several of our teachers to get their perspective on back-to-school books and here’s what I learned.

HOMEMADE BOOKS

Many of our infant and toddler teachers lamented that there weren’t a lot of options for their young students. They were opting for making homemade books like the one featured to the right that documents a trip to their new classroom. This group of toddlers will be going to a new center, so the teacher thought it was especially important to have something to ease into a new location. I liked that the book highlighted the children’s feelings and pointed out some exciting new components of the classroom. I guess you could call it an end-of-the-year book, but since it will be with them in their new classroom too it still bridges their experiences and offers them continuity.

Many of our teachers also like to create individual books for their students that include photos of family, special events or things the child likes. These types of books can be a great source of comfort at any time of the year when they need a little extra soothing. They also help classmates learn about each other.

FAMILIAR FRIENDS

At least four teachers said to me that they weren’t necessarily looking for back-to-school books for September. Rather they wanted books with which the children were familiar. Having these books were important because they built in a familiar component that would help their students feel safe and more easily transition to their new teachers and routines. This was especially true of the teachers in our toddler and twos classes. Here were some of their top recommendations.

Chicka, Chicka, Boom, Boom by Bill Martin, Jr. and John Archambault
Good Night Moon by Margaret Wise Brown
Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What do You See by Bill Martin Jr.
The Napping House by Audrey Wood
The Very Hungry Caterpillar by Eric Carle

MAKE IT A PROJECT

Our current Kindergarten teacher shared that when she was teaching in Europe she stumbled across the book, Mommy in My Pocket by Carol Hunt Sendarak. She said she fell in love with the book and its story of a little girl who imagines shrinking her mother so she can accompany her to school. In the end, she realizes that she will be fine on her own as she carries the memory of her mother’s hug and kiss.

Our teacher, Cathryn, took the book a step further and had her students bring in a photo of their moms/caretakers and adhered it to the shape of a person. The children were invited to “dress” the body by coloring in clothes. When they were finished, she attached it to a heart, which was then glued on top of a cut-out pocket shape. Finally, she attached yarn to the pocket so the children could wear their “caretaker pockets” like a necklace.

After their project was done, the class sat together and talked. She recounts that she would ask about their feelings or other objects that they might want to bring to school with them.

CELEBRATING INDIVIDUALITY

Many of our PreK teachers said they like to use the beginning of the year to teach about what makes their students special or unique. One PreK-4 teacher praised Tacky the Penguin by Helen Lester for not only honoring everyone’s differences, but also just being silly. Another teacher suggested Ian Falconer’s Olivia because of how it embraces the character’s unique spirit – plus, it doesn’t hurt that the book showcases a visit to the museum where Olivia encounters paintings by Degas and Pollock – a very SEEC moment.

OTHER FAVORITES

Lilly’s Purple Plastic Purse by David Henkes

Though not really about back-to-school, this book features the relationship between student and teacher and introduces children to the concept of having different perspectives.

2. The Night Before Kindergarten by Natasha Wing

This one is for the parents out there! It is a personal favorite that helped both my children transition to Kindergarten.

2. Splat the Cat by Rob Scotton

3. If You Take a Mouse to School by Laura Numeroff

4. Franklin Goes to School by Paulette Bourgeois

DON’T FORGET THE SPACE

Creating a cozy corner, can be as important as the books. Have fun creating a space that is quiet by sectioning it off from the classroom buzz. Use inviting colors, comfortable furniture and include soft, soothing objects. Such a space will undoubtedly help with those first day transitions as well as difficult moments throughout the year.

Hope these give you some fresh ideas! Happy back-to-school.

It’s been quite a year!: Teacher Feature Highlights

Posted on August 20, 2015 by francisag

Written by Alex Francis (Liaison and Curriculum Development Specialist @ SEEC):

What a year it has been here at SEEC! It has been a privilege to bring you Teacher Feature each week and offer a peek into the magical experiences our teachers provide their students. As our school year comes to a close I wanted to take the opportunity to share some of my favorite moments caught on camera during Teacher Feature. Being able to regularly join the classes has only confirmed how AMAZING these teachers are at creating age appropriate and exciting learning opportunities for their students! Here is visual proof of some of the things I believe they are especially great at doing! If you want to read more about the lessons be sure to look back at our archived Teacher Features and to stay tuned in to the blog in the Fall for the triumphant return of Teacher Feature.

Teacher Feature 2014-2015 Greatest Hits:

1. Use of Authentic Objects in Museum and Classroom Experiences.

Three year olds checking out memorabilia during a unit on Elvis.

Infants playing a real piano during a unit on music.

Mobile infants meeting a real caterpillar while reading The Very Hungry Caterpillar by Eric Carle

2.Lesson Introductions

Two year olds learning about how the human body grows and changes through the use of models, dolls, literature, and an actual baby.

Toddlers learning about symbiotic relationships through the use of puppets and songs about the relationship between anemones and clown fish.

Two year olds learning about echolocation during a game of bug and bat . Here the bat sends out sounds by rolling a ball to the bug. When the sound/ball reaches the bug, it is rolled back to the bat which represents the sound bouncing off the objects to tell the bat where to find it’s supper.

Three year olds meet Gus the Gardener to learn about the tools needed to do his job!

3. Sensory Experiences

Infants learning about flowers explore painting with silk flowers. The sensation of touching and tasting is just as exciting as the experience of squishing the painted flowers onto the paper.

Toddlers learning about pandas explore dirt and real bamboo in the sensory table.

Toddlers learning about ocean animals go beyond water play by adding long lasting bubbles to the sensory table.

4. Classroom Lesson Extensions

Four year olds learning about Camelot give the Sword in the Stone a big tug.

Four year olds create crowns after learning about the royal court during a unit on Don Quixote.

Two year olds learning about Frozen took time to get to know about the country on which it is meant to be based. Here they are painting their own Norwegian flag before reading a Norwegian folk tale and learning about the animals that inhabit that region.

Kindergartners learning about murals took inspiration from Sol Lewitt and tried out his techniques on a smaller scale.

Three year olds learning about architecture create their own dream home models complete with stairs, roves, and anything else they could think up.

Two year olds learning about the letter R through rain and rainbows took time to make it rain in their classroom with just a little tissue paper and glue.

Kindergartners learning about insects had an exhibition complete with models, information displays, and opportunities to speak with the junior entomologists.

5. Use of Technology

Mobile infants bring the bird hall to life with a simple app and a game of matching stuffed animals to the ones housed in the exhibit.

Kindergartners learn about the variety of mosquitoes through images and sounds.

6. Community Visits

Four year olds meet Magic the horse at the Park Police Stables during their study of Dr. Doolittle. They asked great questions about animal communication and how it compared to the talking horse in the book.

Three year olds concluded their pirate unit with a hunt for treasure. Their clues took them to all the place they had visited during their exploration including the Washington Monument.

Mobile infants take a trip to the post office to mail a letter during their unit on communication.

7. Museum Visits

Toddlers learning about holiday traditions at the U.S. Botanic Gardens.

Three year olds examining Michelangelo’s Flying Man at the National Air and Space Museum as part of their study of the real artists that inspired the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles.

Four year olds visit skeletons at the National Museum of Natural History during a study of the human body in their Invisible Man Unit.

The SEE program examining a helmet at the National Gallery of Art as a way to learn about the strength of the head of a Cape Buffalo.

Toddlers closely examining the moon at the National Museum of the American Indian.

Two year olds learn about the shape of a baseball by comparing it to the sculptures at the Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden.

Toddlers use binoculars to take a closer look during a safari at the National Museum of Natural History.

Three year olds testing out using their tongues to smell just like a snake at the Bone Hall in the National Museum of Natural History.

Toddlers learning about states of matter, used the fountain at Smithsonian American Art/ National Portrait Gallery during a lesson on liquid water.

Two year olds learning about trains took a trip to The Smithsonian American Art Museum to see a red caboose.

Thank you teachers for a great year! We can’t wait to see what’s in store next!

Shared Curiosity with the Smithsonian Early Explorers

Posted on August 17, 2015 by betsybowersseec

Not many of us remember when we were two years old, but imagine if two mornings a week your day had started out in the Natural History Museum’s Q?rius Jr. Discovery Room space! And, what if those two mornings were spent exploring interesting things with somebody that you cared about – maybe a grandma or a parent, special caregiver or nanny? Wait, though, it gets even better. What if those opportunities for adventure took place in the Smithsonian museums and surrounding DC community? Last year, just such an experience got off the ground!

In September 2014, SEEC launched its brand new Smithsonian Early Explorer program where two mornings a week, children and their adults came together to learn about the world around them through hands-on experiences designed for active and growing toddlers. Activities took place in the discovery room space, SEEC’s art studio, museum galleries, surrounding community, and outdoors on the playground. In collaboration with Smithsonian Early Explorer facilitators, this small multi-generational learning community explored topics ranging from safari animals and the strength of bones, to dance traditions of Bollywood and shelters from around the world.

It is now one year later and we have learned a lot. The second SEE cohort will soon get together for another year of growing and learning together. Children and adults will share moments of curiosity, awe and wonder as we encounter the amazing and authentic artifacts, objects and masterpieces that make up the vast collections of our Smithsonian. Imaginations will be sparked and creativity encouraged. We are excited for what’s in store and look forward to reconnecting with returning families and welcoming new ones. For more information about the Smithsonian Early Explorer’s program visit seecstories.com/see

Teacher Feature: Toddlers Explore Oceans

Posted on August 13, 2015 by francisag

It’s Teacher Feature Thursday!

This week we are featuring Laura Bonilla. Her toddler classroom was learning about oceans and Laura decided to create a sensory bin full of bubbles and ocean animals. Below you will find a reflection from Laura and images from her lesson.

What were your topics of exploration?

We were learning about the ocean as a habitat.

What were your learning objectives? (What did you want your children to take away from the lesson?)

I wanted to provide an ocean inspired sensory experience.

What was most successful about your lesson?

The kids loved the experience and the bubbles nicely replicated sea foam. I was also amazed at how long the bubbles lasted.

What could you have done differently? What recommendations would you have for another teacher trying out this lesson?

I recommend teachers use a powerful mixer to create a large pile of bubbles. I would have also included more objects for the children to use in the sensory table.

Here are a few images from their unit on oceans:

This class had been learning about oceans all month and used this lesson as a way to review the topic. Laura began by reading Smiley Shark by Ruth Galloway. They had read the book before and the children were able to help identify the different sea life depicted.
Then it was time for sensory fun. Laura had the children help create the bubble mixture. She started by adding dish soap. The children used their gross and fine motor skills to help Laura.
Next Laura added corn starch. The corn starch acted as a binder for the bubbles making them last longer.
Lastly, Laura used a hand mixer to create the frothy bubbles. The children were mesmerized and couldn’t wait to get wet.
Then the kids were off! Some of the children liked the discovery sensation when they found a sea creature under the bubbles and other focused on washing the animals in the frothy water. Laura spent time narrating their play and sharing information about the different sea creatures in the bin.

This class had a wonderful time learning about the ocean! Be sure to check back for our Teacher Feature review next week!

Teacher Feature: Two Year Old Classroom Explores Rainbows

Posted on July 16, 2015 by francisag

It’s Teacher Feature Thursday!

This week we are featuring Camille Frere. Her classroom was exploring the alphabet and spent the day learning about the letter R. The children in her class are almost all 3 years old and beginning to show great interest in their names and recognizing letters. Based on this interest, the teachers decided to guide their exploration with the alphabet, spending a day or two exploring a topic based on the first letter of the word. Providing children with the opportunity to build early literacy skills by exposing them to words and letters through books, songs, language, and storytelling is extremely important in their development. While there is no expectation that the children will be reading or writing at this point it is important to expose them to letters in a way that provides them with multiple examples of the same concept, especially as they continue to show interest. Below you will find a reflection from Camille and images from her lesson on the letter “r”.

What were your topics of exploration?

The overarching theme was the alphabet. The day of the lesson, our class was studying and exploring the letter “R”. We looked at Rain and Rainbows to build connections between letters and concepts.

What were your learning objectives? (What did you want your children to take away from the lesson?)

The basic goal was to familiarize the class with the letter “R” and offer them some words and concepts that begin with the letter so that they might recognize it in the future. Since we had been having an unusually rainy week, I thought it would be interesting to have penguins create a rain mural with tissue paper. I also wanted to explore rainbows and the different way they can be created. Since there was no chance of see a rainbow outside, we took the class to the gem hall to see some indoor “rainbows”.

What was most successful about your lesson?

I think the most successful part of the lesson was watching the kids having fun throwing tissue paper “rain” onto the mural. It was also extremely delightful to watch the class excitedly point out rainbows throughout the museum.

What could you have done differently? What recommendations would you have for another teacher trying out this lesson?

It was a busy and rainy day at SEEC. While our trip was delayed by circumstances out of my control, I believe I could have been more prepared more for the unexpected. I also would have liked to have the class create their own rainbow mural to accompany the rain collage that they made. I would recommend that a teacher create some of the materials ahead of time (pre-draw clouds and set out appropriate paints to make a smooth transition into the next art project). It also might have been a good idea to make real “rain” from colored water and have the children use this to make their mural.

Here are a few images from their unit on rainbows:

Camille began by reading the group A is for Artist by Ella Doran. The class had been reading it throughout the unit so they were able to help identify the images on the page and even remember which letter they started with. When they reached “r” Camille pointed out all the different words that start with “r” on the page.
Camille explained that today they were going to focus on rain and rainbows. She had prepared a simple cloud illustration with the word rain. Camille put small pieces of tissue paper in the cloud to show how the moisture collects and when it gets very heavy it will start to rain.
Camille then spread liquid glue onto the paper and invited the friends to come up one at a time and spread the rain out below the cloud.
Since it was a rainy day the group stayed in the National Museum of Natural History in the Gem and Mineral Hall and hunted for rainbows. They spotted one created by light passing through a prism. The group talked about the different colors in a rainbow and the ones they saw on the wall.
The children also discovered the rainbow colors on a map!

This class had a wonderful time learning about rainbows! Be sure to check back for our Teacher Feature next week!

Children are Citizens: A Collaboration with Project Zero (Part III)

Posted on July 14, 2015 by Cynthia Raso

Children are Citizens

On April 25, 2015 at the National Gallery of Art several DC schools, including SEEC, and Harvard’s Project Zero celebrated the launch of a book authored by over 300 students. The book was the result of a research and professional development project entitled: Children are Citizens: Children and Teachers Collaborating across Washington, D.C. The premise of this project is the belief that children are as much part of the community as their adult counterparts. They should not only be able to voice their opinions, but also participate in their community. Through their participation children will learn to see other’s points of view, work together, and understand how we are all interconnected, thus creating an informed and thoughtful citizenry who will become active participants in our democracy. To learn more about Project Zero and this collaboration visit here.

SEEC’s Role

The first phase of the project entailed some thoughtful discovery. Children and teachers had several conversations about what they thought of their city, what they would like to change, important people and places. The second phase culminated in a book where SEEC students focused on their relationship with the museums on the National Mall.

Three classes participated in this project—PreK3, PreK4 and Kindergarten. Our final installment in this series features our Kindergarten class and their teacher, Cathryn Prudencio.

What made you want to participate in this project?

I thought the idea was great—getting children thinking more deeply about how they interact with both our SEEC community and the community around them. This was a great opportunity to reinforce what we already know about the city and expand our knowledge even more.

Describe the process in your classroom.

We used several different methods for collecting the children’s ideas. I would present a topic for the children to write about in their daily journals. We would then discuss in a morning meeting what they wrote about and I would take note of their answers. We also held discussions about our DC community and I would record their answers for further use. Once the book project became clear, we started exploring the museums more and focusing on big questions like what children visiting DC should see, why the museum was important and how to locate the museums.

Outline how this project was implemented in your classroom?

We would have small class discussions, both teacher and child led. We would brainstorm what we thought was important about the museums and what additional things children should see when coming to DC. We talked about what problems DC had, for example, traffic. The children would also talk about the issues in dramatic play and I would take notes. We would also visit the museums and discuss what to put in the book for others to learn.

How did the professional development help or change your ideas of how to teach or connect children to the city in which they live.

It was great to meet other educators from various schools around DC and have discussions about how their children responded to our study of “children as citizens.” It was interesting to see that even though we taught different age groups and came from various schools, our students had similar responses to our community. It was also great to see how children and adults share similar concerns about their community including the traffic. Students were upset about how drivers don’t follow the laws and how long they have to wait. We had a discussion about what could be done to improve this problem. Being able to connect with the children on issues they feel are important was wonderful.

The project seems to emphasize collaborations and discussion, is there a conversation you had among your students that really stands out?

One that really stood out was when we were in the Smithsonian Castle talking about who the book’s audience would be. We also talked about what role the children would have in creating the book. What I found interesting was the children weren’t so much interested in being the authors or illustrators of the book, but rather more in how they could present the book to others. They wanted to make a play in the Baird Auditorium to present the book to the kids and parents. They were assigning roles and how they should also video tape the show to present to others who couldn’t come. It was also notable that they were concerned about individuals who couldn’t read or understand the book. We discussed adding pictures and translating the book into other languages, even having a braille version. It was really neat to see how they were thinking outside the box and being considerate of others.

How do you think your students views of DC changes during the course of the project?

The children’s view of DC changed as we talked more about what our DC community is and who belongs to it. We were very excited when we collaborated with School Within a School and their first grade class for a project. SEEC kids were excited to be tour guides to SWS and show them some of their “secrets” to Natural History. We showed them places you might not have the opportunity to see on a field trip. In return, SWS showed SEEC two great paintings in NGA and did a play for us. We then worked together to create our own ideas about how a museum should look and what it should have in it. This was a great collaboration and the children were asking to be able to do it again. The children really liked being able to connect with others in our community. They have also become more aware about what is going on around them and what they see on their everyday museum visits.

What was one of your more challenging moments during the process?

It took a little while to figure out that we wanted to work on a book with the schools from around DC. Until we actually chose the topic, it was a little difficult to go into the classroom and lead a discussion with the children. However, it was great to be able to talk with all the teachers and the project leaders about questions we wanted to pose to the children and about the final outcome.

What was one of the most rewarding moments during the process?

One of the most rewarding moments was our discussion in the Smithsonian Castle about who the book was for. It was great to see how the children were thinking about all children who would read the book and their general concern about how those who couldn’t read or know the language, would be able to understand the book. This discussion began with a single teacher prompt followed by almost 45 minutes of children-led discussion. The children were in the zone and excited about the book and how they were going to be a part of it. It was great to be able to share their compassion and understanding for others.

Is there anything you would like to add?

Kindergarten City

It was a fun project overall and it was nice to see what the children’s understanding of our community is. It was also fun to see how they would follow up with some of our conversations in their dramatic play, for example, making roads with big blocks and the zoo complete with roads to it and food for the animals. The children were also excited about making a tour guide book to our museum as well. Overall, the children responded well to the project and had a good time.

Children are Citizens: A Collaboration with Project Zero (Part II)

Posted on June 5, 2015 by Cynthia Raso

Children are Citizens

SEEC’s Role

Three classes participated in this project—PreK3, PreK4 and Kindergarten. Our first installment in this series featured our PreK4 class (insert link) and this installment will explore our PreK3 class, the Wallabies. Their section of the book focused on their favorite parts of the Air and Space Museum, the Hirshhorn Museum and the National Museum of American History.

This interview was conducted with, Erin Pruckno, Wallaby teacher.

Erin Pruckno with her PreK3 Wallaby Class

What made you want to participate in this project?

I wanted to participate in this project because the concept of citizenship and education is something I’m very interested in and was a major part of my master’s degree in International Education. In my studies, I encountered a lot of scholarship about citizenship education—how we educate students to be citizens, how students are citizens, the definitions of citizenship—however, not many touched upon citizenship and young children. This always irked me because, as an early childhood educator, I believe wholeheartedly that education at this age matters so much and that young children should be treated as citizens who have a vital role in our communities and our futures. So, I jumped at the opportunity to put to action these ideas.

Could you describe the process through which your class participated in the project?

We began by going on investigatory visits to the museums we were covering for our contribution to the book the project published. The Wallabies contributed pages on the Hirshhorn Museum, the National Museum of American History, and the National Air and Space Museum. During these visits, I looked for clues to what the students were interested in, as well as documenting their experiences in these spaces. Later in our classroom, we followed up with conversations on our visits; asking them about what was important about our museums, what other children should know about them, our favorite things there. I really wanted to encourage a sense of ownership from our children and to convey their passion and expertise to the book’s audience. We would then go on follow-up visits to the museums, continuing our conversations, and then later illustrating some of the things they saw or described.

Visiting the Air & Space Museum

Can you outline how this project was implemented in your classroom?

We tried to integrate the project into our already existing courses of exploration. For example, when we were learning about space, a trip to NASM was easy to do since it aligned with our topic and we could have a museum visit as well as research trip for the project. Other times, we set aside days to visit the museums and document our learning just for the purpose of the project.

How did the professional development portion of this project help or change your ideas of how to teach or connect children to the city in which they live?

As a professional development opportunity, the project really challenged me to think more about how I document student learning and also how I engage them in conversations. The method I’ve often relied upon with my class is to pose a question, then let students take turns to respond. However, when doing this, we have less of a dialogue among

the class and more of a back-and-forth between me and individual students. This project encouraged me to take a step back during classroom conversations and listen more—allowing students to talk to each other instead of directly to me.

Making maps of the museums

The project seems to emphasize collaborations and discussion, is there a conversation you had among your students that really stands out?

Some of our most interesting conversations started when I would ask the Wallabies to share the most important thing to know about the museums and the students began talking about things you can’t do in museums. As I sat back and listened, letting them guide the conversation (which was, as I said, a challenge and learning experience for me), dramas would unfold about why we couldn’t touch exhibits or the planetarium screen. They came up with elaborate stories about how touching the screen would make a hole, creating a problem, workers would have to fix it, and the president and other people coming to the museum would feel sad that it was broken.

How do you think your students views of DC changes during the course of the project?

My hope was that my students expanded their understanding of other children in D.C. They already have a strong understanding of their families’ communities (coming from neighborhoods all over D.C., Virginia, and Maryland) and of our SEEC community, but I wanted them to think more about other students in D.C. By asking them to think of what other children need to know about the museums, I think they became more aware of how there are children outside our community who do not know the museums as intimately as they do, and that these other students might have different perspectives on D.C. that we can both learn from and share our knowledge with.

What was one of your more challenging moments during the process?

As I mentioned, facilitating conversations in a way that encouraged students to have a dialogue among them was a challenge, but a good learning experience for us. Initially, some questions were difficult for students to answer such as those that asked them to think about D.C. broadly, but over the course of the project it became easier to provoke conversation as we broke down things into more manageable pieces, like discussions about individual museums.

Visiting the Hirshhorn as part of their study of light and dark.

What was one of the most rewarding moments during the process?

During one conversation, a student exclaimed to the class, “Guys! I know something!” I loved her enthusiasm, eagerness, and confidence in sharing her knowledge. This moment also summed up the project for me. I wanted to help my students show that even though they are young, they know something, many things in fact, about their community and Washington, D.C and that their contributions to our understanding of our city are to be valued and heard.

Children are Citizens: A Collaboration with Project Zero (Part I)

Posted on May 29, 2015 by Cynthia Raso

Children are Citizens

Visiting the Smithsonian Castle

On April 25, 2015 at the National Gallery of Art several DC schools, including SEEC, and Harvard’s Project Zero celebrated the launch of a book authored by over 300 students. The book was the result of a research and professional development project entitled: Children are Citizens: Children and Teachers Collaborating across Washington, D.C. The premise of this project is the belief that children are as much part of the community as their adult counterparts. They should not only be able to voice their opinions, but also participate in their community. Through their participation children will learn to see other’s points of view, work together, and understand how we are all interconnected, thus creating an informed and thoughtful citizenry who will become active participants in our democracy. To learn more about Project Zero and this collaboration visit here.

SEEC’s Role
The first phase of the project entailed some thoughtful discovery. Children and teachers had several conversations about what they thought of their city, what they would like to change, important people and places. The second phase culminated in a book where SEEC students focused on their relationship with the museums on the National Mall.

Three classes participated in this project—PreK3, PreK4 and Kindergarten. We will begin with the PreK4 class, also known as the Cinnamon Bears. Their section of the book focused on their favorite parts of the National Museum of African Art and the Smithsonian Castle and some insider tips, including that the Smithsonian Castle is not a real castle! It also featured a list of their favorite objects in the museums, a story entitled The Story of How the Security Officers Own the Museums and photos of museum collections taken by the children.

Below you will find the interview with Cinnamon Bear teacher, Carrie Heflin about her experience with the Children are Citizens project.

Carrie Heflin

What made you want to participate in this project?

Project Zero is such an influential presence in the Early Childhood community and I feel so strongly about encouraging children to be active citizens that when we were asked to participate in this project, my commitment was a no-brainer. I couldn’t have dreamed up a better idea for a worthwhile endeavor than to show the DC community and my students how capable and powerful they can be.

Could you describe the process through which your class participated in the project?

We spent a lot of time talking together as a class about our ideas for this project. Much like the process for the adult facilitators, at least the first fifty percent of the project was all planning and bouncing ideas around. We didn’t get to the actual field work—researching and putting together the data for the book until around February. I loved the sense of respect and community that I felt in the classroom when we had these discussions. It was so nice to take time to just talk about our feelings and opinions and to truly listen to each other.

Can you outline how this project was implemented in your classroom?

The teachers did most of the facilitation for this project. We started out with some casual discussions about the city and about the project and then moved on to talking about the book, how books are made, and what information we wanted to contribute to the final product. A member of the coordinating team, Ben Mardell, would stop by occasionally to check in on our progress and to talk with the students about their ideas and opinions on the project thus far. The last phase was the most active. We went to all the different museums we had chosen to showcase in our portion of the book and took pictures and gathered information in small groups.

How did the professional development portion of this project help or change your ideas of how to teach or connect children to the city in which they live?

I really enjoyed getting to know and hear ideas from educators at other schools. We got together about five different times over the course of the project and it was lovely to share our experiences and learn how other classrooms explore the city. I always left our meetings feeling so inspired about all of the wonderful ways other educators were making the city accessible to their students and it helped challenge me to reexamine the way I looked at the city and how I talked about it with my class.

Bears Display at the NGA

The project seems to emphasize collaborations and discussion, is there a conversation you had among your students that really stands out?

One of my favorite conversations I had with the class happened after one of Ben Mardell’s visits. He had talked to a small group of students about the museums and they ended up starting a story about where the museums came from. Ben sent me the script of the conversation in an email and, when I read the story back to the class they all had something to add. Before long it had morphed into this origin story of how the museums came into being. I learned so much about my students and how they view our community. They had these wonderful ideas about how the security officers are the real owners of the museums and they protect them from all the “bad guys.” I was so taken with the story and the children were so invested in it that it ended up hedging out some other material that we had originally intended to include in the book and it is still my favorite part of our section.

How do you think your students views of DC changes during the course of the project?

I don’t know that their views changed so much as my views widened to include more of theirs. I don’t have any hard evidence of any of my students budging even an iota on their original convictions, but the sense of understanding we gained from each other and from all of our conversations and collaborations in the classroom strikes me as very profound- even if it wasn’t the original intent.

What was one of your more challenging moments during the process?

I was often challenged by trying to balance working on the project and teaching lessons on our current topic of study. I know some of the other schools that participated made the project their main focus rather than trying to add it on to their curriculum. I think I might try that track if I had it to do over again.

What was one of the most rewarding moments during the process?

The absolute most rewarding moment was at the book release event at the National Gallery of Art when I saw all of the students walking around wearing big red badges that said “Author” on them. The sense of pride, accomplishment and empowerment was palpable and I think that really was the point of the whole thing.

Teacher Feature: Three Year Old Classroom Explores Gardening

Posted on May 28, 2015 by francisag

It’s Teacher Feature Thursday!

This week we are featuring Erin Pruckno. Her three year old classroom was learning about Eric Carle and Erin decided to spend a week focusing on The Tiny Seed. Below you will find a reflection from Erin and images from her lesson.

What were your topics of exploration?

In this unit, we were using the books of Eric Carle to engage with a variety of topics that our class wanted to explore, topics like animals, food, rainbows, and more. This particular lesson was from our week on plants, using The Tiny Seed to guide us. We focused on the parts of a plant, the plant life cycle, what plants need to grow, and in this lesson, how we garden to care for plants.

What were your learning objectives? (What did you want your children to take away from the lesson?)

One of my objectives for this lesson was for the students to develop a sense of their role in tending plants—many of them are interested in the plants on our playground, so I wanted to encourage their sense of responsibility in caring for the natural environment. I also wanted to foster their language development by introducing new vocabulary for the different tools we use to garden, which would also add new elements to their dramatic play. Finally, we used the lesson as an opportunity to organically build letter recognition and phonemic awareness as we named and labeled the different tools.

What was most successful about your lesson?

My students really enjoyed picking out and adding tools to our poster of “Gus the Gardener.” Making it into a game by telling them to close their eyes and pick is always a hit too! I also think that the lesson was successful in encouraging my class to think about the sounds associated with letters as they matched a label with text to the corresponding image of a gardening tool. They also were quick to pick up on the new vocabulary, using the words for tools they previously didn’t know as they played with them on the playground later that day!

What could you have done differently? What recommendations would you have for another teacher trying out this lesson?

The fun part of this lesson is that it doesn’t have to just be about gardening! I’ve also used a similar format to introduce the job of a paleontologist and all the tools he or she needs to dig. It could also work for exploring other occupations, like doctors or builders. During the museum portion of our visit, we were very lucky that there were two paintings side-by-side that allowed us to compare and contrast gardening indoors versus outdoors. Another teacher could accomplish the same thing by bringing in an image of a different kind of garden in another painting, or by comparing and contrasting two different photos or prints if they can’t make it to a museum. Visiting indoor and outdoor gardens would be another opportunity for making comparisons about the kinds of gardening and the tools we need.

Here are a few images from their unit on gardening:Erin’s class was spending time exploring the wonderful world of Eric Carle and decided to spend a week on his book, The Tiny Seed.

The group had read The Tiny Seed several times throughout the week so Erin decided to have the class work together to re-tell the major plot points.

DSCN2889 Erin then read a new book to the group: A Seed Grows by Pamela Hickman. The book introduces the different tools used in gardening.
Erin brought out some of the tools found in the book and introduced the group to her illustration: “Gus” the gardener.

“Gus” needs his tools! Erin invited each child to pick a picture of a garden tool and add it to the image. They all worked together to try and identify the different images.

Erin then had a second bag with the names of each tool and invited them to pick a word and match it to the image on the sheet.

DSCN2939 The class then headed out to the National Gallery of Art (NGA). On their way into the museum one of the NGA gardeners invited the students to check out his gardening tools.

DSCN2960 The final stop was to see Miro’s The Farm and Matisse’s Pot of Geraniums. Erin asked the group to do some close looking and describe what they saw in the two paintings. She emphasized that these paintings were both of gardens but one would be found indoors and the other outdoors. Erin then brought out “Gus” and had the group work together to identify which tools could be used to plant in either garden or both.

This class had a wonderful time learning about gardening and Eric Carle! Be sure to check back for our Teacher Feature next week!