by Ellen Cogan | Oct 26, 2023 | Teaching and Learning
When you look online or in stores for toys for young children, many toys are offered for lots of money where they make noises, have lights, music, and other such things. None of them are necessary. Empty plastic containers, with and without lids and empty boxes are...
by Ellen Cogan | Oct 26, 2023 | Teaching and Learning
You don’t need a book to tell stories. Story telling happens in all cultures, and has been going on far longer than the written word. Any time you describe something that happened already, you are telling the story of what happened. The more you do...
by Ellen Cogan | Oct 26, 2023 | Teaching and Learning
Someone asked how to introduce loose parts in an early childhood center where the teachers were not familiar with them. It would have been better to introduce the idea at a staff meeting first. But it’s too late for that now. So I suggested what I did when...
by Ellen Cogan | Oct 26, 2023 | Teaching and Learning
Most often, children who make things, especially pictures, collages, block or rock or other structures, have no idea before-hand about a finished product. They just make things. Sometimes, after they are finished, they look at it and notice it looks like...
by Ellen Cogan | Oct 26, 2023 | Teaching and Learning
Sometimes, I ask questions and get strange answers. In a recent workshop series I asked what I thought was a simple question. Some didn’t answer and others told me things that seemed unrelated to my question. The problem, as it usually is when the answer...
by Ellen Cogan | Oct 26, 2023 | Teaching and Learning
Preparing for a workshop on science for infants and toddlers, I asked some colleagues for input. Some suggested I bring special items to teach how to teach about certain aspects of science. MY point is that special lessons are unnecessary and interfere...
