If you are employed in a state that uses a registry to track professional development hours, you will be able to provide your registry ID (Stars, MOPID, Registry or other ECE ID#) after you have completed the quiz for the course. If you pass the quiz we will report your course completion to the state registry using the registry ID that you provide.
Circle time and small group time should be fun and flexible while having a routine that the children can predict and count on. There are many possible elements and it’s important to include the ones that are right for your age group. Don’t feel required to include anything that isn’t right for you and don’t be afraid to include things that may not seem traditional. Let’s explore! Course length – 2.0 hours.
The course answers the following questions:
Should every classroom do circle time every day?
What elements need to be included in circle time?
Should circle time be the same each day?
How can I be flexible and yet keep with my routine?
What are some ways to keep the children’s attention during circle time?
How do I transition into circle time?
When is the best time of day for circle time?
Should I introduce a foreign language in circle time?
Do I have to do weather and calendar in circle time?
Participants who successfully complete this course will be able to:
Demonstrate an understanding of the importance of small group times for children.
Utilize the knowledge of multiple possibilities for components that can make their circle times more effective.
Create a new method or preparing for circle time in order to achieve better results.
If you are employed in a state that uses a registry to track professional development hours, you will be able to provide your registry ID (Stars, MOPID, Registry or other ECE ID#) after you have completed the quiz for the course. If you pass the quiz we will report your course completion to the state registry using the registry ID that you provide.
There are always little periods of time when the children need an activity, but you don’t have time for free play in centers. What do you do with those times? Consider making a stash of busy boxes to bring out so each child has their own individual box or bag with quiet, independent activities that are easy to get out and easy to clean up. This course offers the what, why and how of making busy boxes for your age group and lots of great ideas to get you started. Course length – 1.5 hours.
The course answers the following questions:
What is a busy box?
Why would I want to make busy boxes?
How do you make busy boxes?
I have a very low budget. Can I afford to make busy boxes?
How can busy boxes be used for children of all ages?
How do I package them?
I don’t have a lot of storage space. Where will I put them?
When will I use them?
How can I use busy boxes to make transitions easier?
How can I use busy boxes to keep those last few children happy and engaged at the end of the day?
How can I use busy boxes to keep my children that don’t nap happy and engaged while the others are sleeping?
Participants who successfully complete this course will:
Be able to analyze their daily needs and determine if busy boxes would be a positive addition.
Understand how and when busy boxes can be added to the learning environment.
Possess the skills and knowledge to build a supply of busy boxes for their students.
If you are employed in a state that uses a registry to track professional development hours, you will be able to provide your registry ID (Stars, MOPID, Registry or other ECE ID#) after you have completed the quiz for the course. If you pass the quiz we will report your course completion to the state registry using the registry ID that you provide.
Teaching five year old’s and twelve year old’s at the same time is a huge challenge. This course addresses the challenge and describes multiple ways to unite the children in relationships with each other. It offers multiple ideas for activities and games that will teach them important lessons while giving them hours of fun and every one of them can be adjusted to include the youngest and the oldest in your group. Want to play a game that is fair for multiple ages and abilities? This is the course for you! Course length – 2.0 hours.
The course answers the following questions:
How can I teach a five year old and a twelve year old at the same time?
What games are adaptable to both the youngest and oldest in my group at the same time?
How can I help establish healthy relationships between the various age groups in the classroom?
How can I help the older children feel heard and respected?
What is the best way to handle technology that children bring into the classroom?
What is the best way to handle competition among the children?
What science experiments work for this age range?
What are some fun drama or theatrical art activities that the children can practice and then perform together?
Participants who successfully complete this course will:
Learn how to encourage relationships between the age groups in the schoolers group.
Learn how to set up a mentoring system in the schoolers classroom.
Learn activities that are fair and yet challenging for the entire range of ages.
If you are employed in a state that uses a registry to track professional development hours, you will be able to provide your registry ID (Stars, MOPID, Registry or other ECE ID#) after you have completed the quiz for the course. If you pass the quiz we will report your course completion to the state registry using the registry ID that you provide.
Just like adults, children have powerful emotions and are not always equipped to deal with them. It can leave them feeling helpless and lead to behavior issues in the classroom. We can help them understand the emotion they are experiencing, why they are feeling it and how to express and resolve the emotion in a healthy manner. Helping them put words to those emotions and giving them knowledge of how to deal with them can bring peace to everyone involved. As influential adults in their lives, it is vital that we be equipped with appropriate knowledge and methods to help them identify and process those emotions. This course provides many approaches that you can utilize to help children put words to their emotions and process those emotions in a healthy way. Course length – 2.0 hours.
This course helps answer the following questions:
Why do children have such powerful emotions?
Why are there times when they don’t seem to know why they are sad?
Why are there times when they don’t know why they are angry?
How can I help a withdrawn child open up?
How can I help a child put their feelings into words?
What are some ways I can help a child process their emotions in a healthy way?
How can I help the children feel more in control of their own emotions?
Participants who successfully complete this course will:
Be able to apply the tips on dealing with emotions in individuals differently depending on the child.
Possess the skills and knowledge to implement activities to help children identify their emotions and put words to them.
Have the information needed to prepare a calm down spot for the children who are experiencing overwhelming times.
If you are employed in a state that uses a registry to track professional development hours, you will be able to provide your registry ID (Stars, MOPID, Registry or other ECE ID#) after you have completed the quiz for the course. If you pass the quiz we will report your course completion to the state registry using the registry ID that you provide.
Music can, and should, be incorporated into many centers and many times of day. Music can be a part of art, circle time, dramatic play, library and so much more. It needs to include dance and it is so important to include all kinds of music. If you have a stash of “kid” music, that’s great. But get ready to add country and jazz and every other kind. Let’s help them explore with music! Not only will we play the instruments in the music center, we will make our own instruments and learn how they work and how to play them! Great for infant through school age. Course length – 2.0 hours.
The course answers the following questions:
What is known about how music promotes the development of non-musical intelligence in children?
Why should music be utilized in more ways than in the music center and during circle time?
Why should I use multiple genres in the classroom?
Why should music be more than just singing nursery rhymes?
How can I add music to my art activities?
What accessories can I add to dance to make it more fun?
What kinds of instruments can we make ourselves?
Can I make my own instruments with a low budget?
Participants who successfully complete this course will be able to:
Create a music center that will include everything needed that is developmentally appropriate for their class.
Explain exactly why music education is important for children so that they will be motivated to incorporate it.
Create lesson plans that will include the children making their own instruments out of materials that are already in the classroom.
If you are employed in a state that uses a registry to track professional development hours, you will be able to provide your registry ID (Stars, MOPID, Registry or other ECE ID#) after you have completed the quiz for the course. If you pass the quiz we will report your course completion to the state registry using the registry ID that you provide.
Dramatic play centers are a favorite among many children. This course explores how to make it more than just a “home center”. With the right tools, every child’s personality, character and imagination can be stretched in ways they never dreamed of. Theme boxes are one of the best tools to use with dramatic play. This course includes many ideas for theme boxes with details to help get you started developing your own. Course length – 2.5 hours.
The course answers the following questions:
What types of things should be in the dramatic play center?
How does pretending to be someone else help a child?
How can I encourage shy children to overcome shyness and grow creatively, intellectually and emotionally using this center?
How can I encourage all of the children to spend time in dramatic play?
What are theme boxes?
How can theme boxes help my classroom and center?
Can I put together theme boxes with a small budget?
What are some ideas for a variety of theme boxes?
Participants who successfully complete this course will be able to:
Demonstrate an understanding that the dramatic play center is not just a home center but rather a land of imagination.
Plan lessons that will help students release thoughts, feelings and emotions through dramatic play.
Analyze the possible uses of theme boxes in dramatic play and how they can be used to teach in a variety of ways.
If you are employed in a state that uses a registry to track professional development hours, you will be able to provide your registry ID (Stars, MOPID, Registry or other ECE ID#) after you have completed the quiz for the course. If you pass the quiz we will report your course completion to the state registry using the registry ID that you provide.
Art and Writing can be about so much more than crayons and pencils. This course explores how to choose great materials that are appropriate for your age group. We cover how to teach the children proper use of art materials and we provide great tips and ideas for activities. Learn about the importance of the pincher grasp, process vs product art and much more! This course is great for infants through school age! Course length – 1.5 hours.
The course answers the following questions:
What are the best materials to go into the art center for my age group?
What are the best materials to into the writing center for my age group?
When is it good to combine the centers or keep them separate?
At what age should scissors be introduced?
Does it matter what kind of scissors I use?
How can you teach the pincer grasp?
What does product vs process mean?
What are some educational and engaging activities in these centers for my age group?
Participants who successfully complete this course will be able to:
Create art and writing centers that will include developmentally appropriate materials that are useful for those centers.
Compare different items such as scissors with understanding of what is important to make them safe and appropriate for each age group.
Utilize the materials in the art and writing centers in creative and fun ways that will teach cognitive skills.
If you are employed in a state that uses a registry to track professional development hours, you will be able to provide your registry ID (Stars, MOPID, Registry or other ECE ID#) after you have completed the quiz for the course. If you pass the quiz we will report your course completion to the state registry using the registry ID that you provide.
Blocks, math and manipulatives are sometimes three separate centers but often combined in a variety of ways. This course explores the materials that may be included in all three centers. What are the differences? What are the similarities? Included are tips and activities for various ages to make the most of all three areas. Course length – 1.0 hour.
The course answers the following questions:
What materials should be in the blocks center?
What materials should be in the math center?
What materials should be in the manipulatives center?
What is the difference between a block and a manipulative?
How can I get more girls to enjoy the block center?
Should the centers be combined and if so, in what ways will that work?
What are some great activities for these centers for MY age group?
Participants who successfully complete this course will be able to:
Create centers for blocks math and manipulatives with age appropriate materials.
Demonstrate knowledge of how to write lesson plans using these centers in ways to draw out every teaching opportunity.
Explain the importance of using math in all kinds of ways and not just in the math center.
If you are employed in a state that uses a registry to track professional development hours, you will be able to provide your registry ID (Stars, MOPID, Registry or other ECE ID#) after you have completed the quiz for the course. If you pass the quiz we will report your course completion to the state registry using the registry ID that you provide.
Challenging behaviors can derail a perfectly planned day. This course explores ways to discover the underlying causes of the behavior. It lays out a plan based on understanding, leading to prevention. Utilizing the practical tips and suggestions result in smoother days for children and teachers alike. Course length – 1.5 hours.
This course helps answer the following questions:
How can I plan to ACT before the challenging behavior rather than REACT to it?
Why is it okay not to treat every child the same?
Should I have a standard set of rules for the classroom?
How can I better interpret what the child is trying to communicate through the behavior?
How can I make time to assess each child’s behavior with everything else I am doing?
What are some common reasons behind a child’s challenging behaviors?
What are some ways to connect with family members and learn more about the children?
What are some reasonable consequences to challenging behavior?
Participants who successfully complete this course will be able to:
Create ways to assess students’ behaviors and analyze the results of those assessments.
Prepare a plan, using their assessment results, to handle challenging behaviors in more productive ways.
Prepare lesson plans that include whatever is necessary to aide in feeding the children’s emotional needs to help avoid challenging behaviors.
If you are employed in a state that uses a registry to track professional development hours, you will be able to provide your registry ID (Stars, MOPID, Registry or other ECE ID#) after you have completed the quiz for the course. If you pass the quiz we will report your course completion to the state registry using the registry ID that you provide.
This course explores the development of gross motor skills and fine motor skills in children. When finished, you will understand what they are, why they are important and what milestones to watch for in your children. Multiple activities for each age group are shared along with many practical tips on building and strengthening these skills. Course length – 3.0 hours.
The course answers the following questions:
What is the difference between fine motor and gross motor?
What is the relationship between muscle strength and motor skill development?
How does the development of motor skills affect learning in young children?
What are typical milestones for MY children’s age group?
What should I do if my children aren’t meeting these milestones?
What are some activities I can do with MY age group to help build these skills?
Participants who successfully complete this course will be able to:
Analyze the students motor skills and assess their progress to help determine where they can help strengthen them.
Select developmentally appropriate materials for their students to use in strengthening gross and fine motor skills.
Apply their knowledge of the importance of muscle strength in the development of motor skills.
