The Pumpkin Experiment

So I guess I've been having a little too much fun in my classroom to think about blogging lately, and I feel pretty good about that. It's been a really great year so far. There's something about the second time around that makes it feel so much easier.

This is a little experiment that we tried in my classroom as we were talking about plants in the fall. I had seen this idea floating around the internet in several different places, and decided to give it a try.

After we talked about the life cycle of a pumpkin, we opened up my pumpkin to take a look at all the seeds and meat inside. I asked my class to make a prediction (or a hypothesis) about whether or not the seeds inside the pumpkin could grow if we just added dirt and water. Most of my class was pretty skeptical, and thought that the seeds would not grow inside the pumpkin. I'll admit, I was unsure myself of how successful this experiment would be.

But we came back after a long weekend to a fun surprise...

Pumpkin sprouts! The class was ecstatic- they were so excited. Every day this week they run over to check on it first thing in the morning to see how much taller the sprouts are getting.

The pumpkin itself is getting pretty rotten, so I don't know how much longer I'll let the sprouts grow in my classroom. But it has been fun for everyone to watch it grow this week!

Behavior Tools: Motivators Part 1

Developing impulse control and patience can be difficult for young children. When they want something, they usually want it NOW. That is definitely something to keep in mind when working with kids, because most often the kids who struggle with appropriate behavior are especially impulsive, and have difficulty delaying gratification.  Just think about how hard it is for these kids to wait before eating a marshmallow...

The kids in this video were motivated by the promise of receiving a second marshmallow, if they waited to eat the first one. Most kids were successful, some faltered a little bit, and one or two simply could not wait at all. In the same way, a classroom full of students will have similar dynamics: most of them have the basic skills that they need to behave successfully, even if they might make mistakes every once in awhile. But there will always be a small percentage of kids who need additional behavior support, and one reason for that might be exactly what is illustrated in this video: some kids can't wait and control their impulses.

This knowledge should guide the way that we implement positive reinforcement, motivators, and rewards with young children, especially in a classroom. For the majority of a class, working to earn a big class reward over a period of time will be mostly effective. But that kind of motivator doesn't work for that small percentage of kids that need more behavioral support- the delay of gratification is too long and therefore their motivation to control their impulses for such a reward is very small.

Although it can be a bit time consuming in a classroom, these students can greatly benefit from personalized motivators or interventions that have shorter intervals with small rewards that eventually build up to a big reward. Next time, I will share some motivation ideas that I am trying in my classroom this year that exemplify this concept. (I am looking at this idea from a classroom standpoint, but this idea can also be applied to helping an individual child at home!)

Behavior Tools is a series about understanding and managing behavior with young children. The more we understand children and their behavior, the better we are able to teach them how to make good choices and build a solid foundation of self worth and confidence. There is no one-size-fits-all answer to helping a child learn appropriate behavior, which is why we need a lot of different tools and strategies to draw upon when we work with young children. 

Kindergarten Super Hero

B (for boy) at recess: Can I go change?
Me: Change? Do you need to go to the bathroom? (Thinking, please don't say you had an accident)
B: No. I need to change into my Spiderman costume. I'm really Peter Parker.
Me: Oh, is it in your backpack?
B: No.
Me: Well, you could pretend to change then.
B: I can't do that! Then the kids will know I'm Spiderman!!
Me: Oh, right. Why didn't I think of that...so, maybe you could change behind the corner so they can't see you?
B: Yeah, I could do that.

B runs off making super hero noises, and returns as Spiderman, ready to defend our Kindergarten playground.

I think I'm a lucky teacher to have a super hero in my class. He later asked if I would change his nametag to say Peter Parker, since that is his real name. Sadly, I had to say no to that one.

But I have the feeling this won't be the last super hero encounter I have this year. My class is really boy heavy...as in there is basically a 3:1 boy/girl ratio. I have the feeling there might be more super heroes waiting to reveal themselves. I can already tell it is going to be a fun- and energetic- year!

Back to School Busy-ness

We are officially one week into this new school year and I am exhausted!
These past two weeks have been so busy with meetings, prep work, parent nights, and of course, teaching.
I have been working full-time hours even though I am a part-time teacher, and my to-do list still feels endless.

But I am so excited for this year. My class is already a lot of fun.

We started off the year with some of my favorite books:

and I'm planning to try out some new favorites during the next few weeks:

To help the kids explore the school a little bit during the first week, my Kindergarten team does a fun treasure hunt activity using this book:

(My team mate has been using this idea for a few years...
I'm sure it came from somewhere, but I'm not sure where.)

After reading the book, we tell the kids that we brought some cookies for them to celebrate their first week of Kindergarten, but when we go to pull them out, we find a note from The Mouse in its place explaining that he stole our cookies. So we follow the clues to different places around the school until we find them in the Principal's office. The Principal is so great to meet all the kids and play along with our little game. 

The kids love this because its a treasure hunt and they get cookies at the end.

 I love it because it is a great way to introduce how we walk in the hall...(we need to walk quietly so we don't scare the mouse away!) Plus, it doesn't hurt to earn some brownie points from the kiddos because I brought them cookies. :) 

Other than that we have been learning and practicing our rules and routines again and again and again. 

I keep reminding myself that all of the repetition is going to pay off eventually! 

Back to Kindergarten

I've been back in my classroom this last week, 

putting up bulletin boards and assessing incoming Kindergartners. 

My cute family came to help in my classroom. Thanks guys. 

Summer has been great, but I'm excited to start another year in Kindergarten.

Only about a week and a half before school starts up again!

Behavior Tools: Toddler Aggression

Toddlers have little bodies and BIG emotions, that they don't know how to manage yet. 

That can make for a pretty dynamic combination. 

They are beginning to assert their independence, while needing attention and love to validate their sense of self. They are learning new things and growing at such a rapid rate, that sometimes we might assume that they "know better" when it comes to behavior. 

Yet, in any given moment, even if you have told them not to, they can explode into behaviors that are outwardly aggressive. Temper tantrums, hitting, biting, throwing, kicking...these are all things that can hurt other people and really drain parents and care-takers. 

Such behaviors usually stem from an inability to cope with and control the big emotions they are feeling- positive or negative. And although they may know that you get upset when they do something like that, developmentally they do not have the impulse control or the ability to truly understand how their actions can hurt and affect others.  

Helping toddlers to learn to manage their emotions and control their body's response takes time, patience, and consistency. There are a lot of great ideas and strategies explored in the articles I've included at the end of this post. I'm going to offer some general guidelines. 

Respond calmly

How we react to situations of stress and anger gives them a model of what to do. If we respond with yelling and violence, then they will learn those behaviors. A big reaction also gives them a lot of attention, which need may have been why they acted out in the first place. That attention supports the negative behavior. Responding in a calm, but firm way shows that we can handle our emotions and they can too.

Redirection and Natural Consequences

Have a plan for how you will redirect them after an incident, and what natural consequences can help them to learn. Consistency is the key here, as repetition helps them to learn new skills and builds their trust in your guidance and direction. A natural consequence can be as simple as removing the child from a situation or losing a toy for a few minutes. They don't need to be big to make a difference. 

Short and Sweet

It is important for children to learn why behaviors are not appropriate, but toddlers will not respond to a long lecture- especially in that moment when they are consumed by their feelings. (Are you very receptive to instruction and correction when you are upset about something?) Consistently using the same, short statement in response to a behavior, with a consequence, can be effective and powerful. 

Teaching Time

Giving toddlers a chance to learn about behavior and feelings can go a long way as they grow and develop. Remember, the time to teach these things is not during or immediately after a big emotional outburst. Pretend play is one of the most important ways that children explore feelings and social situations. This can be a great opportunity to model how to identify and react to your emotions. Age appropriate literature can also offer a backdrop for learning about these things. 

Keep it Positive
Toddlers live in a world of "no" and "don't." Making an effort to notice positive behavior, and to focus on what they can and should do will help make the world seem a little less restrictive and frustrating. It will also reinforce their learning of positive skills and behaviors. They are also at a tender stage of development because they are learning to feel either shame or confidence for who they are. If there is no love and positive direction to counteract the negative, then they will only learn to feel shame. But as we respond to them with patience and consistency, helping them to learn the boundaries through consequences, teaching, and positive support, their foundation of self-worth will be much more confident.


Resources:
Hitting, Biting, and Pushing? from Practical Parenting
Aggressive Toddler Behavior: What to Do from What to Expect
Understanding and Responding to Children Who Bite from NAEYC for Families
6 Peaceful Solutions for Hitting and Anger from Simple Kids
Toddlers and Challenging Behavior from Zero to Three
Helping Young Children Channel Their Aggression from Zero to Three

P.S. I recently stumbled upon this blog that gives a more humorous perspective on the life of a toddler. Enjoy! :)


Behavior Tools is a series about understanding and managing behavior with young children. The more we understand children and their behavior, the better we are able to teach them how to make good choices and build a solid foundation of self worth and confidence. There is no one-size-fits-all answer to helping a child learn appropriate behavior, which is why we need a lot of different tools and strategies to draw upon when we work with young children. 

I Can!

One of my favorite things to focus on in my classroom is helping kids to think more positively about themselves and their abilities.

I get so sad when I hear kids say "I can't do it."
And sadly, I hear negativity like that all too often.

One way that I talk about this with my students is through using learning goals. Although most have been to preschool, Kindergartners are experiencing a more structured school environment for the first time. As such, part of my job is to teach them how to learn and be a student in that environment. I use 5 "I Can" statements that are a part of what I call "High-Five Learning."  To be High-Five Learners in my classroom, we work on these things:

1. I can try hard things.

2. I can stick to my work.

3. I can make mistakes count.

4. I can help others. 

5. I can celebrate my learning.

I like to use I Can language with rules and other objectives as well to help replace negative thinking with an I Can attitude.

I love using literature to show them examples of developing an I Can attitude. 

This book, Bobbie Dazzler, is one of my favorites. We read this book at the end of the year, and then made I Can books as a way to celebrate our learning, and ourselves!

The results were so great. 

As a new year is fast approaching, I'm reminding myself to have an I Can attitude as I think about everything I need to do and accomplish. I'm looking forward to another great year of learning wonders!