NOW OPEN: EFC SOUTHWEST MINNEAPOLIS!
by Angie Williams A growth mindset is one characterized by the view that intelligence and skill can be obtained and increased through effort. In a growth mindset, the brain is rightly understood to be malleable, and mistakes and challenges are a natural and healthy part of...
by Alli Zomer It doesn’t seem to matter whether you have school age kids, the rhythm of the school calendar is ingrained in all of us. September always feels like a time that we are supposed to regroup. It may be arbitrary, but it is hard...
by Angie Williams “Even though they don’t realize it, kids need us to make the space for them to be drawn in by the world around them. If we never let them get bored, they never discover how interesting the world really is.” -- Suzanne Bouffard I...
by Angie Williams “We can encourage mathematical exploration and knowing in kids when we allow them to merge with the physical world and immerse their full selves in it.” -- Wendy L. Ostroff, Exchange Magazine You have likely seen the recent headlines regarding learning loss among elementary...
by Angie Williams On Earth Day, EFC’s administrative team had the opportunity to attend a training at Dodge Nature Preschool. The purpose of the training was to explore the ways in which the program at Dodge engages children (no matter what the weather!) in learning through...
by Angie Williams Dr. Carla Gull, an expert on outdoor classrooms and nature play, hosts a podcast called Loose Parts Nature Play (https://loosepartsnatureplay.libsyn.com/) in which she discusses how loose parts play fosters creativity, curiosity, and fun! With spring upon us and April being the month of...
by Angie Williams One of the main emotional developmental goals we support at Especially for Children is self-regulation, or the ability for children to understand and manage their own behavior and reactions to feelings and experiences taking place around them. We recently shared the article Regulation...
by Alli Zomer This summer our family had the amazing opportunity to travel to Denver and reconnect with dear friends. It involved a long road trip, some roadside rest stops, and lots of audiobooks. Luckily, the drive was easier than we feared, and the end result...
by Angie Williams As we begin the fall program at Especially for Children, we wanted to share with families some of the guiding principles for our classrooms and interactions. The Six Positive Messages below come from Teaching Strategies, author of The Creative Curriculum®, and for the...
We'd like to share with you a few highlights from our spring in-service training. In our first session, Marna Canterbury, Director of Community Health at the Lakeview Health Foundation, discussed some of the hesitations children have about trying new foods (e.g. How will it feel in my...
Learn more about executive function in this video from the Center on the Developing Child at Harvard University: Get resources on how you can support executive function/self-regulation in your child here. ...
"Children may be born with the predisposition for learning how to have positive relationships with others. But if and how that predisposition is developed depends on their experience with others...
Spring is a time for observing and enjoying the budding life around us. Gardening is a wonderful way for children to learn new skills, develop an appreciation for the environment and even expand their food horizons. Check out the video and the links below for...
In our Especially for Parents article this month, we discussed the importance of building resilience in children. Dr. Kenneth Ginsburg, M.D., M.S. Ed, is a pediatrician at The Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia and a Professor of Pediatrics at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine. He...
Learn more about phonological awareness and how to promote it in your child by watching the video below. Check out these resources for more information: Phonological and Phonemic Awareness: Introduction, Reading Rockets Phonological Awareness Activities, Free Reading...