Workshop Descriptions

NAEYC Developmentally Appropriate Practice
Early childhood educators often talk about using developmentally appropriate practice (DAP), but often don’t really understand what it is-and is not. Using a variety of activities and discussions, this workshop will help participants understand the guidelines for DAP, identify the teacher’s role in promoting children’s learning and development, and apply DAP principles and guidelines in work with young children and families.  This topic can be introduced as a 3 hour workshop or covered more fully in multiple workshops for a total of up to 10 hours.

Using Five Frames during Counting and  Number Sense

Counting and Number Sense
Learning to count involves more than just saying numbers.  This workshop will explore the many different counting and number sense concepts that children ages 3-6 must master to form a firm understanding of numbers.  Participants will engage in hands-on activities they can take back to their own classrooms to teach these important concepts.

Geometry: More than Just Circles and Squares
Geometry has been identified as a critical area of preschoolers math development.  Using hands-on activities and discussions, participants will explore the many components that make up early geometry learning.  They will analyze and generate meaningful and effective strategies for intentionally scaffolding geometry thinking with the children in their program.  

Write From the Start
This workshop explores the stages of writing that children move through from the first scribbles to proficient writing.  Participants learn to identify which stage children are working in and provides developmentally appropriate activities to support preschool writers in each stage.

Great Pre-reading Activities for the Preschool Classroom
Getting children ready to read is an important goal of preschool.  This workshops explores the phonological awareness skills  included in the Texas Early Learning Guidelines for 3 to 5 year olds.  Participants will learn about the 4 components of phonological awareness, sentence segmenting, syllable segmenting and blending, onset-rime segmenting and blending, phoneme segmenting, blending and manipulation.  Activities for each component will also be presented.  Then our focus will shift to shared reading.  Participants will learn the importance of including shared reading in the preschool day, the concepts that can be taught using shared reading, and how to identify materials that can be used for a shared reading lesson.

Using Pocket Charts
Pocket charts are a great way to involve preschool children in a variety of learning activities.  This workshop presents a wide array of language arts, math, and science pocket chart activities that can be used in preschool classroom.

Mirror Talk activity during Intentional Interactions

Intentional Interactions
Interactions between the teacher and student has a powerful effect on the child’s emotional, social, and academic progress.  This workshop will demonstrate the three steps teachers can use during, some teacher-student interactions to develop a positive relationship and foster learning.   Through discussion and activities, participants will learn strategies to quiet the static, make a connection with the child, and extend learning.  The benefits and use of short, simple rituals with individual children will also be presented.

Promoting Play with Loose Parts
Children love to manipulate and play with loose parts.  This workshop introduces the many benefits of giving children opportunities to play with loose parts and how teachers can effectively include loose parts in their classroom and outdoor play times.  By participating in a variety of hands-on activities and discussions, participants will be able to name different kinds of play children might engage in when using loose parts, model how loose parts can be introduced into a classroom, and identify some loose parts their school already has or they would like to obtain.

Beyond the Playground: Adding Physical Activity to Preschool Programs
There has been much talk recently about the need to add more physical activity to preschool programs. How do you do that given limited space, time, and monetary resources?  This session will explore why physical activity is important and how moderate to vigorous physical activity can be added to a program without spending additional time on the playground. 

The Peaceful Classroom
Classrooms should be peaceful places where children learn to get along with others.  Sometimes, however, it is difficult for a teacher or parent to identify specifically why a child is struggling with this basic concept.  Using the themes of friendship, compassion, cooperation, and kindness, a variety of skills in each area are introduced along with simple games and activities that can be used in a preschool setting.  Based on the book The Peaceful Classroom.

Teaching Exceptionally Bright Preschoolers
Occasionally preschool teachers have in their classroom a child who has already mastered most or all of the learning objectives for the year.  This workshop will explore how to identify exceptionally bright children and different methods for keeping them challenged and engaged including differentiation of the curriculum, teaching practices, and learning environment and how to use conversations to challenge them.  Bloom’s Revised Taxonomy and how it can be used by preschool teachers will also be explored.

Building Relationships with Young Children Through Rituals
Children need to know the adults around them think they are special and valued.  This workshop explores how teachers can use simple, short rituals to connect with individual children.  The goals and benefits of using rituals and how they can improve student behavior will be presented.  Participants will have the opportunity to learn a wide variety of rituals and how they can be used effectively during the school day.   Based on the book I Love You Rituals by Becky Bailey.

Powerful Interactions Book Study
This workshop begins with each participant reading Powerful Interactions by Dombro, Jablon, and Stetson on their own.  Then we all get together to discuss the book and practice using interactions to extend a child’s learning.  Participants will receive 4 hours of self-study and 2 hours of in person training.

Science Skills
Observing, measuring, comparing, and predicting are all skills that lend themselves well to the preschool classroom.  This workshop introduces these key science process skills and gives example activities appropriate for children ages 3-6.  Ideas for invigorating the science center will also be presented.

Inquiry Science
Preschoolers can do inquiry science too!  In this workshop we will present how children ages 3-6 can participate in inquiry science.  The different stages of inquiry science including asking questions, predicting, investigating, and experimenting, will be introduced and demonstrated.

Preventing and Reporting of Child Abuse and Neglect
Caregivers have an important role in preventing and reporting child abuse.  This workshop explores the unique role teachers and school administrators have in preventing child abuse.  It also looks at identifying children who may be victims of child abuse or neglect and the steps caregivers are required to take to report their suspicions.

Marble activity from Team Building workshop

Team Building
Teachers are part of many different teams and success depends on their ability to work together.  This workshop explores ten qualities of a team player through discussion and games.  A great way to start off the year and get to know one another a little better.