Check out this TED talk by Tim Brown about Creativity and Play.
Bev Bos and What a Preschool Should Be
This is a great interview with Bev Bos, one of the nation’s foremost experts on preschool learning. The principles she discusses–wonder, self-discovery, and tangible experience–are the basics we encourage at In a Child’s Path.
Last Child in the Woods
Last Child in the Woods: Saving our Children from Nature Deficit Disorder is a book that will change the way you think about the relationship between education and nature. In it, Richard Louv talks about how direct exposure to the natural environment is necessary for healthy development in children and for the physical and emotional health of both children and adults.
Our Philosophy
At In a Child’s Path, we fully embrace the philosophy that healthy kids learn outside. At our farm preschool, children interact with animals, play in the fields, plant gardens, and taste the food they grow.
In our forest school, children really embrace the outdoors by tromping through the woods and interacting with the naturally occurring flora and fauna. We build forest out of the sticks we find on the ground. We catch frogs in our pond and watch the development of frog eggs in the streams. We jump in the rain puddles and thoroughly enjoy every inch of our forested campus.
If you’d like to learn more about how our children need nature to grow, grab a copy of The Last Child in the Woods.
Reasons for Recess
While our society develops, spending more time on computers and indoors meeting math and reading standards, our children still have the need for sun and wind, and outside play. There are so many reasons for outdoor play, including:
- Children learn at young ages when their whole body is involved, which is best accomplished through play
- Play allows children the opportunity to relax without interruptions from from adults
- Children work out emotions through unstructured play
- Children develop skills from empathetic play, including cooperation, helping, sharing, and problem solving
- Outdoor play encourages the use of all senses, not just touch and site, like books and computers do
- Children learn to navigate safely through their environment when they are allowed outdoor play
Recess and the Importance of Play
National Association of Early Childhood Specialists in State Departments of Education
Recess and the Importance of Play highlights the significance of play in development.
Don’t Let Them Take Away Play
Don’t Let Them Take Away Play
Jeff and Tasha Johnson
“Play is the foundation of all early learning; children learn by playing with their environment. Their fingers, toes, and mouths are their first playthings. As knowledge of the world grows, so does the list of items integrated into their play: stacking cups, blocks, paint, crayons, dolls, pots, pans, and cardboard boxes. They also learn by playing with ideas, feelings, and language. Play is an amazing and natural process.”
On Play and Learning
At In a Child’s Path, we base our educational philosophy on the power of play. Watch this great video about children explaining the power of play in their own words.
Great Blogs for Kids
If you’re looking for fun activities to do with your kids, look no farther than the internet. There are so many GREAT ideas out there on family-friendly blogs that can get your creative juices flowing. Here are some favorites:
- Inner Child Fun – Written by a mother of two, you will find great, inexpensive ideas for hours of entertainment with your little one. Most use supplies you already have around your house, like this chalk splatter painting.
- Melissa and Doug – Many of us already use and love Melissa and Doug toys for their great construction and educational nature. Well, their blog has a ton of great information about activities to do with your little one. They also do giveaways where you can win free toys. Score!
- wordplayhouse – You’ll find lots of ideas for simple play that encourage some of our favorite principles at In a Child’s Path, including ideas about sharing, caring, love, and imagination. Check out these fun ideas for bath play too.
- Little House in the Suburbs – We all love the farm life that our kids experience at In a Child’s Path. If you’d like to continue those lessons (even in you live in the Suburbs), this blog is a great resource.
So, parents, do you have any favorite blogs you like to read for resources for your little ones? Share them in the comments!
Natural Play in School
This is an excellent video about natural play in school in Europe. It speaks well to the philosophy we embrace at In a Child’s Path.
In a Child’s Path in the Sandy Post
The Sandy Post wrote a lovely article about In a Child’s Path Farm Preschool in today’s paper.
Please, go read it and share it with your friends and family, so they can be as proud of our beautiful Boring preschool as we are!
Special Thanks to Lisa Anderson at the Sandy Post for conducting the interviews and writing up such a great piece! We appreciate all the time you put into sharing our happy, nurturing preschool with families around Sandy.
Play is Powerful
You know how we feel about the Power of Play at In a Child’s Path. An article in the Missourian, says “Play helps your child develop physically, learn about the world, learn to express emotions, develop conversation skills, develop creativity and learn how to be sociable.” It also says, “The lessons children learn through playing are really more profound than anything you could teach them.”
So, how do we embrace this philosophy at In a Child’s Path?
1. We make an effort to be aware of our own feelings and are sensitive to others. When we play, we consider how our actions affect others.
2. The children are in charge of their own activities, seeing tasks through to completion. They can play any number of activities and determine when they have had enough of any activity and when they’d like to move on to the next activity.
3.We encourage self-regulation, controlling oneself. When children play, they learn how to play fairly and interact well with others.
Play is your child’s work, and we’re here to encourage them to play hard.
Read more from the Missourian and learn more about The Power of Play.