Yoga for Early Childhood Development
In this request, the teacher spoke very eloquently about the inner-workings of her early childhood classroom and what use yoga mats would hold in her classroom. She touched on the diversity within a kindergarten classroom as far as development. This included an example of some students being ready to read and write while other students are just learning to hold a paintbrush. She noted that while all students may be varying in development, all of them seek the opportunity to move. The portion of her request that I liked the most was her specific reasoning for requesting the yoga mats. The teacher wrote that yoga mats would be a much better alternative than the bath towels that the students had used last year. These towels were a safety issue on the gym floor and had to be washed and dried by the teacher at her own home. I thought this was an important piece to include in the request.
In early childhood, self-regulation and mindfulness are vital in all aspects of development. There are countless studies that show the benefits of young children engaging in yoga to assist their cognitive and emotional needs. I feel that incorporating a bit of research on this topic or some information on how beneficial yoga is for young children, the teacher could possibly gain even more support to fund the yoga mats. By simply listing yoga as a PE requirement fulfillment, she teacher loses an opportunity to explain the true benefits of yoga in early childhood.
Unstructured Play for Healthy Early Childhood Development
In this donors choose request, the teacher is asking for dramatic play materials for her low-income pre-k students. I love the teacher’s inclusion of quotations of the students like, “I want to be a doctor!”, and “I want to be a veterinarian!” For these students who come from low-income households, this teacher wants to encourage these dreams and allow his/her students to achieve these goals on their own. The support from this teacher for their students is what makes this request feel sincere and genuine. The teacher notes her students’ curiosity, resourcefulness, and their ever-growing development that must be supported by the classroom environment. In early childhood classrooms, the dramatic play area is where a massive amount of development occurs. I love seeing requests to improve this center to promote development through play.
I found the title of this request to be slightly misleading. While the request is for materials to improve a dramatic play center, the title makes it seem as though it’s asking for a difference in maybe an outside play area. In early childhood, dramatic play is critical in social-emotional, literacy, language, and physical development. I feel that by noting these benefits of a rich dramatic play center, the true need of improved materials would be more clear.
The Building Blocks of Early Childhood
This request is excellently worded and written. I loved the teacher’s in-depth explanations of Maria Montessori’s practices and how she seeks to implement this in her classroom. In early childhood, Montessori practices are used in nearly every classroom. This approach focuses on teaching the “whole child”, and this teacher made this point perfectly explained and announced. By including quotations from Montessori herself, explaining the focus on reality before play, and promoting learning in her classroom through imagination and creativity is what makes this request so strong. It is evident throughout the request that this educator cares deeply about her students while being passionate about her practice.
Building blocks serve as an excellent element in gross and fine motor development. By including a piece about this, the need for building blocks may be made more relevant. Additionally, blocks come in a wide array of materials, sizes, and weights. In Montessori practice, there is an emphasis on using natural materials in the environment. By specifying the type of blocks being purchased, such as wooden blocks (a Montessori preference), the teacher could have further solidified her commitment to Montessori practices by specifically purchasing natural blocks with the donations.
In this request, the teacher spoke very eloquently about the inner-workings of her early childhood classroom and what use yoga mats would hold in her classroom. She touched on the diversity within a kindergarten classroom as far as development. This included an example of some students being ready to read and write while other students are just learning to hold a paintbrush. She noted that while all students may be varying in development, all of them seek the opportunity to move. The portion of her request that I liked the most was her specific reasoning for requesting the yoga mats. The teacher wrote that yoga mats would be a much better alternative than the bath towels that the students had used last year. These towels were a safety issue on the gym floor and had to be washed and dried by the teacher at her own home. I thought this was an important piece to include in the request.
In early childhood, self-regulation and mindfulness are vital in all aspects of development. There are countless studies that show the benefits of young children engaging in yoga to assist their cognitive and emotional needs. I feel that incorporating a bit of research on this topic or some information on how beneficial yoga is for young children, the teacher could possibly gain even more support to fund the yoga mats. By simply listing yoga as a PE requirement fulfillment, she teacher loses an opportunity to explain the true benefits of yoga in early childhood.
Unstructured Play for Healthy Early Childhood Development
In this donors choose request, the teacher is asking for dramatic play materials for her low-income pre-k students. I love the teacher’s inclusion of quotations of the students like, “I want to be a doctor!”, and “I want to be a veterinarian!” For these students who come from low-income households, this teacher wants to encourage these dreams and allow his/her students to achieve these goals on their own. The support from this teacher for their students is what makes this request feel sincere and genuine. The teacher notes her students’ curiosity, resourcefulness, and their ever-growing development that must be supported by the classroom environment. In early childhood classrooms, the dramatic play area is where a massive amount of development occurs. I love seeing requests to improve this center to promote development through play.
I found the title of this request to be slightly misleading. While the request is for materials to improve a dramatic play center, the title makes it seem as though it’s asking for a difference in maybe an outside play area. In early childhood, dramatic play is critical in social-emotional, literacy, language, and physical development. I feel that by noting these benefits of a rich dramatic play center, the true need of improved materials would be more clear.
The Building Blocks of Early Childhood
This request is excellently worded and written. I loved the teacher’s in-depth explanations of Maria Montessori’s practices and how she seeks to implement this in her classroom. In early childhood, Montessori practices are used in nearly every classroom. This approach focuses on teaching the “whole child”, and this teacher made this point perfectly explained and announced. By including quotations from Montessori herself, explaining the focus on reality before play, and promoting learning in her classroom through imagination and creativity is what makes this request so strong. It is evident throughout the request that this educator cares deeply about her students while being passionate about her practice.
Building blocks serve as an excellent element in gross and fine motor development. By including a piece about this, the need for building blocks may be made more relevant. Additionally, blocks come in a wide array of materials, sizes, and weights. In Montessori practice, there is an emphasis on using natural materials in the environment. By specifying the type of blocks being purchased, such as wooden blocks (a Montessori preference), the teacher could have further solidified her commitment to Montessori practices by specifically purchasing natural blocks with the donations.