There is no denying that Amanda Gorman is the light of the 2021. She is the first ever US youth poet laureate and the youngest poet in U.S. history to recite on Inaguration Day. To honor her beautiful words not only for #BlackHistoryMonth, but for the hope she ignited into our country setting a STEM invitation to build 'The Hill We Climb' is a great way to celebrate the poet. While you may think exposing or reciting poem with so much depth will go past young children, think again. My favorite children's author and illustrator Christian Robinson has a great video with Amanda Gorman where they talk about what being a poet, author and illustrator means. He expresses that they use creativity through words and pictures to imagine the worlds they want to visualize. Continuing to teach children the significance of this poem and who Amanda Gorman is will inspire them to be the light. Therefore setting an invitation to build 'the hill' with tree blocks and printing out an image of Amanda (this one is by Christian Robinson) to place on that hill, will instill inspiration in children from a young age. They will be able to build and visualize the world they want us all to live in. Her first book Change Sings: A Children's Anthem will be released in September. Christian Robinson has many books, his newest one Milo Imagines the World written by Matt de la Peña.

With the Lunar New Year approaching reading the story Amy Wu and the Patchwork Dragon followed by creating a dragon through art is a great way to celebrate the upcoming holiday. In the story written by Kat Zhang & illustrated by Charlene Chua which is a follow up to Amy Wu and the Perfect Bao , she is asked to make a dragon during school. She gets stuck in a rut but her family comes to her rescue to create the perfect dragon. To create this all you need is paper and Colorations Tempera Paint . If your child is old enough they can fold the paper in half, squeeze paint drops or designs on one side, fold the paper again, rub the paint around with their hands, and slowly open the paper. As they open the paper they are able to see the paint transform which enhances their understanding of cause and effect. After the paint dries you can decorate the dragon with glitter , pipe cleaners , tissue paper , or loose parts . Turn on some dragon music and dance around! Introducing children to the Lunar New Year Dragon through art is a great way to learn even more in detail about the significance of them. Performing the dragon dance during festivals and celebrations drives away evil spirits and ushers in good luck and blessings for the community. Exposure to other cultures brings personal meaning and awareness to the classroom or home. While children’s books open children’s eyes to differences, actual experiences such as creating art have the most profound influence on what children think and believe. By helping children understand, respect similarities and differences they understand who they are in context of race, ethnic group, culture, religion, language and familial history. This provides your child with personally meaningful information and also introduce concepts from anthropology, history, religion, geography, etc.

When Discount School Supply #gifted these neon-bright Sensory Silicone Shapes I just had to put them on Guidecraft Light Table for this #invitaitontoexplore. Adding the sensory shapes to the light table provides for an excellent resource for sensory input. Children are often calmed by the glow of the table and the visual stimulation enhances their experience as they explore. There are eight flexible shapes that are visually and tactically stimulating. Perfect for infants and toddlers as they are bendable, twistable, and teethable. Sensory experiences are important throughout all of early childhood and a great way to learn through play. "If it hasn’t been in the hand and the body, then it can’t be in the brain." Bev Boss When a child is exposed to sensory materials such as these, it makes them focus and pay attention to detail way more than a flashcard. While this invitation focuses on shapes, it can also be a fun way to match colors, shapes, make patterns, and build their recognition/language of the symbols. Learning shapes, numbers, and is a skill a child will learn when they are developmentally ready. Whatever age your child is (infants-six), take a deep breath if they don't know how to say or recognize every symbol. Susie from Busy Toddler has a great article about the pressure we put on children knowing their letters, shapes, and numbers.

Birds have always had a special place in my heart since they have significantly been the spirit animal that have shown up when loved ones have passed. When author Hillary Daecher reached out to highlight her new book SOAR , it was a no brainer. The colorful book is about a hummingbird leaving their nest for the first time and how his anxiety and fear make him doubt that he will not be able to fly. With the support of his mother walking through his feelings and emotions, he observes his friends flying, and realizes that he is capable to overcome his fear. This book is so beneficial for any transition a child may ever experience or any adult or child who struggles with anxiety. Whether it is the first day of school, going to the doctors, loss in the family, or simply trying something new. Providing not only the language but connection to these types of feelings being normal, will only instill better tools and coping skills early on. While also becoming more understanding and empathetic to those who experience anxiety. Emotional awareness is a vital building block of emotional intelligence. Reading books such as Soar develops that awareness. To further extend the literacy experience and deepen the connection, inviting a child to recreate the images in the book with loose parts opens up discussion to better comprehend what happens within the book.

This invitation to explore encourages and exposes children to several elements of learning. To set this up print out images of Amy Sherald's art, laminate them, and provide blocks or loose parts to match. We used our Rock Blocks . First things first the concept is to have the child match the colored blocks to the image.This helps build visual perception and thinking skills when they are sorting the objects to match the colors. Children can sort colors before naming them, so this aides in enhancing their color recognition skills. As mentioned in previous post, when children learn about famous artists the more well rounded and creative they become. Art is a fundamental component of early childhood. Exposure leads to seeing the beauty around them and in others. If your child has zero interest in color matching or they simply want to explore through building with the blocks or adorning the images with loose parts, then so be it. There is so much learning within that as well. Now about the artist! Amy Sherald is an American Painter who does portraits depicting African Americans in everyday settings. Her unique vibrant colors and subjects are timeless. Her best known work to date is the famous portrait of former first lady Michelle Obama. This invitation is another way to celebrate #BlackHistoryMonth. There is no right or wrong way to do it. It is all about honoring beautiful art, developing language, enhancing skills, spreading culture, and even some STEM through building with the blocks.

Love written by Corrine Averiss and Illustrated by Kirsti Beautyman is a beautiful story about understanding emotions when separating to go to school for the first time. Through the power of love we are connected like a string even when we are not physically together. This is the third trio book by the Author, Hope and Joy are the first of the series. Books that provide the language and real life scenarios to express emotions they are experiencing or one day may go through, give children the tools to process and overcome what they are dealing with. To further extend the story, inviting a child do play out the book will deepen the connection to the concepts/themes within book, comprehend the storyline, enhance their language, and open up great dialogue. To set this invitation provide your child with blocks to build or a doll house . The ones we used were from Target . Provide figurines to be the characters within the story. And to add a fun element to resemble the string within the story we used fairy lights and rhinestone hearts . You can also just use string or battery operated tea lights. Let your child #learnthroughplay and you will be amazed with the magic they re-create from the story.

Most of us know that art is important for children. But beyond why it is important for them to create art it is just vital to expose children to famous artists. Art connects us all. It can take us through history, introduce us to other cultures, the world around us, and to ourselves. Therefore the more a child is exposed to the arts, the more techniques they are aware of, the more they can problem solve to think critically, the more they can creatively express themselves, the more accepting they are, and the more beauty they can see in the world around them. Art is one of the fudamental components of what makes us ALL uniquely human. To kick off Black History Month learning about Kehinde Wiley the African-American painter is a great way to invite children to become familiar with his art. He is best known for portraits that feature African Americans in the traditional settings of old paintings with naturalistic brightly colored flowery backgrounds. To set this invitation you can print out images of his paintings, laminate it, provide wood cut outs/fake grass squares, and whole bunch of loose parts ( pom poms , translucent shapes , rhinestones , bright buttons , and flat marbles) in tinker trays. The child can create frames to adorn the paintings with the open ended materials. While they create this, a perfect opportunity to open a discussion about their observations of the paintings and talk about the artist.

Let’s talk feet. Why you ask on an Early Childhood Education platform? For two reasons 1) In child development we focus so much on how the child utilizes their hands but forget that their feet are just as important. 2) After countless years in the field I have seen SO MANY shoes. Not only are Ten Little shoes healthy for children’s feet, they are so easy to put on and take off. With that ease they foster independence in life skills and should a child need help, these are fuss free for the adult. Everyday Original in Steel Gray Bare feet are important to optimal nervous system and brain development. There are two other sensory systems that are rarely talked about-the proprioceptive system and the vestibular system. Proprioception gives us the ability to perceive the motion and position of our bodies in space, while the vestibular system is responsible for balance and coordination. The development of both of these senses relies heavily on sensory input we receive through bare feet, especially during infancy and childhood. When activated by pressure and movement, nerve endings in the feet called proprioceptors send signals to the brain telling it how the body is oriented. When a child is allowed to be barefoot, their tactile pathways feel the surface of the ground, proprioceptors respond to pressure, and the terrain creates slight imbalances that create neuromuscular strength, spatial orientation, balance, and coordination. This is why when it is time to pick shoes for your little ones getting healthy shoes for your child’s development is important. Even with letting your child be barefoot as much as possible, there are still places and times where putting on shoes for safety and peace of mind is necessary. These shoes were created by two mamas who happen to be a podiatrist and pediatrician who wanted functional healthy movement for children’s feet. Once Cy started walking around 12 months we bought these and never looked back. We are on our third set and they have become a staple. Everyday Original in Space Black Check out their website as they go above and beyond to find a perfect fit. They provide you with a printable to measure your child's fit accurately. The shoes also come with stickers for your child to get creative and put their own spin on their shoes.

Words and Your Heart by Katy Jane Neal is book about how your heart makes you and the power of words. This book is the perfect opportunity to continue or begin laying the foundation of how words have the power to harm and heal, create and destroy or they can do amazing things and spread LOVE. Words are important and this story shows children they have the power to make the world a better place. Books are such amazing inspirations to create invitations. To extend this literacy experience, a STEAM heart sculpture seemed to be so fitting with Valentine’s Day just around the corner. Two previous invitations combined inspired this heart sculpture 1) Paper Tube Sculptures and 2) Cardboard Shape Collage . All you need is recycled cardboard, hot glue gun , tempera paint and paint brushes. Cut out various sizes of hearts, hot glue them into a abstract structure, and let them paint. Children really enjoy unusual painting surfaces. They have to be even more mindful and strategic with how they paint since it is a different element than what they are used to. They observe more, they do more, they learn more. Process art allows children to explore freely and be in control of the outcomes creatively. Letting a discover art in their own way builds their confidence, fosters their cognitive skills when they become aware of all the different ways to do art, make predictions and plan it out and problem solve. Just as their words can spread love so can their art!.

Comfy Corner// Children need a place they can retreat to when they need to think, rest, or just decompress. Comfy corners give children a safe place to calm down and relax. This is a great start to instill independent doable self regulation practices. When Discount School Supply #gifted Children’s Factory As We Grow™ Sofa, Blue , it was the perfect push to transition to create a comfy corner in his room. Typically in a comfy corner whether it is in a Early Child Hood Classroom, Bedroom, or Playroom the goal is to make it as inviting as possible. With soft materials, calming colors, books, plush items, and plants it instantly relaxes a child. My number one go to in a comfy corner is placing books in basket and on display. A couple of months ago @polishedplayhouse inspired me to get a plate holder to display books. Every couple of weeks I rotate the books in the plate holder to align with any interests, topics, celebrations, or themes. This way comfy corner serves a double duty as a reading area that encourages exposure to books and also provides a child to utilize the area as somewhere they can self regulate emotions, play, or simply decompress. When emotions are in full effect aka tantrum central, providing a safe space for a child to “come back to down earth” will empower the child to be able to regulate their emotions. This comfy corner provides children to focus and wind down, teaching them to take time in a quiet space to deal and work through their feelings, appreciate relaxation, and gives them a skill they can benefit from now and in the future.

With the pandemic so many have been creating amazing learning aids. Oui and Si founded by a French and Spanish professors, have created a unique play-based French and Spanish language boxes that celebrate learning a new language. Whether you are in a household with more than one language or learning a new language it can be difficult to provide opportunities with materials that extend the development. In our household we speak English and Farsi, but that doesn't mean we aren't open to more! Exposing children to other languages such as Spanish and French at a young age is an optimal time for them to grasp it. Whatever your goal is these are perfect for learning something new. Each box is thoughtfully curated with manipulatives and sensory materials. It also includes a QR code that is easily scanned to reveal an interactive lesson plan, created to focus on numbers, shapes, letters, phrases, and more. For every box that is purchased they will be donating to a child in need.

Small world play is simply when children explore figurines, loose parts, and sensory materials that reenact scenes from nature, books, fairytales, or a subject matter of interest. Many small worlds incorporate sensory play materials to enrich the experience and make it more realistic. To create this wintry arctic small world I first froze a whole bunch of ice in recycled fruit cups to be igloos and Tupperware as ice bergs, reused the Steve Spangler insta snow from the Little Penguins Invitation, flat marbles, arctic figurines , bottle brush trees, droppers , and beakers of water with Colorations Liquid Water Colors . All placed in a sensory bin. Small worlds are great for many areas of development, including language, imaginary play, and sensory play. This type of play can be defined as where children accept and assign roles, and then act them out. To further enhance their play adding the tactile elements creates endless possibilities with materials that heightens a new depth of sensory play. When children engage in play they break through the walls of reality, pretend to be someone or something different from themselves, and dramatize situations and actions to go along with the roles they have chosen to play. This type of play is an integral part of the developmental learning process by allowing children to develop skills in such areas as abstract thinking, literacy, math, and social studies, in a timely natural manner. They are able to play and manipulate a variety of materials and textures with stimulate their mind and body. It encourages language development, fine motor skills, hand-eye coordination, focus and concentration.