IELDS Standard: 1.E.ECc
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Supporting Children with Limited Verbal Skills
These strategies are helpful to all children but are particularly helpful for those with limited verbal skills.
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Lots of Dandelions
Nature play presents opportunities for teachers to introduce scientific concepts. In this video, we see a teacher join Fawn and Edwin, both age 4, as they blow the seeds from dandelions growing on the playground.
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Parallel Talk: A Simple Way to Provide English Vocabulary
Children’s families are a strong source of support for promoting the home language in classrooms and other caregiving settings.
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Tools People Use
Karen McFadin and Kim HackPershing Early Learning CenterDecatur, Illinois Our project on tools took place in a half-day prekindergarten classroom at Pershing Early Learning Center in Decatur, Illinois. Children attend for 2.5 hours in the morning or afternoon, 5 days a week. Thirty-three children participated in this project. The morning class included 5 children with…
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Up Up and Away: The Airplane Project
Kimberly CurialeIrving SchoolMaywood, Illinois Irving School is located 13 miles west of Chicago in Maywood, Illinois. We are part of School District 89, which includes Maywood, Melrose Park, and Broadview. The 3-, 4-, and 5-year-old children of Irving’s prekindergarten classes reside throughout the district. The district has four preschool classes, both with a morning class…
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The Worm Project
Kim Burd and Laura De LucaJ. L. Hensey Elementary SchoolWashington, IL District #50 The Worm Project took place in morning and afternoon sessions of two self-contained ECE classrooms in the J. L. Hensey Elementary School in Washington, Illinois, a community of about 15,000 near Peoria. Head teachers in the classrooms were Mrs. Kim Burd and…
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All About Gardens
Projects are the part of the curriculum that involves children in investigating objects and events around them that are worth knowing more about. Project work is a way of uncovering a subject rather than just covering it. A project focusing on gardens has the potential to involve the entire class, the children’s families, and community…
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From Door to Door: A Project about Doors and Gates
Projects are the part of the curriculum that involves children in investigating objects and events around them that are worth knowing more about. Project work is a way of uncovering a subject rather than just covering it. Doors are so much a part of our daily lives that we tend to take them for granted.…
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Changes in the Trees around Us
Projects are the part of the curriculum that involves children in investigating objects and events around them that are worth knowing more about. Project work is a way of uncovering a subject rather than just covering it. Most young children growing up in Illinois have opportunities to observe and study the dramatic seasonal changes that…
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Investigating Wheels
A project is a part of the curriculum that involves children in investigating objects and events around them that are worth knowing more about. Project work is a way of uncovering a subject rather than just covering it. A project on wheels has the potential to involve the entire class, the children’s families, and community…
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Sara Measures
The teacher placed several car parts in the sensory table for the children to explore. Paper, pencils, tape measures, and screwdrivers were provided as tools that the children could choose to use in their explorations.
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Oats, Peas, Beans and Barley: Learning Through an Action Song
In this video, we see a group of children singing the folksong, “Oats, Peas, Beans, and Barley Grow” during a large group activity.
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Learning about a Stethoscope
This video clip depicts interaction between some preschool-age children and a guest expert. The class has been investigating measurement. One small group of children has focused on measurement at the doctor’s office.
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Investigate Together
Encouraging your child’s exploration and wonder helps build a strong foundation for early learning.
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Make Room for Blocks!
Countless toys talk or beep or flash. But don’t forget to make time and room for blocks!
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Get Growing: Learning about Seeds
Preschoolers can find out many things about seeds before planting them. Here are some teacher-tested activities to help children investigate seeds.
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Encouraging Scientific Thinking: Rain or Shine
Everyone talks about the weather—including curious preschool children.
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Time for Preschoolers: In Sequence!
Here are some activities that can help children find out more about sequences.
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Say Yes to the Mess! Water Works
Playing with materials such as water can be an important outdoor experience for preschoolers.
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Say Yes to the Mess! Snow Time
Playing with snow can be an important winter-time experience for preschoolers.
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Say Yes to the Mess! Play with Rocks
Materials such as rocks can be important additions to a preschool’s outdoor play area.
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Natural Illinois: Butterflies and Moths
You don’t have to go to exotic places to find interesting plants and animals to study at home or in the classroom!
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Natural Illinois: Leaves Are All Around
Preschoolers can learn a lot about plants by studying leaves.
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A Project on Trees: Suggestions for Teachers
Here are some of our suggestions for ways to get young children started on what could become a lifelong interest in things that grow around them.