Families
Being Developmentally Appropriate in Our Work with Families
The principles of being individually appropriate and age appropriate with children are generally considered crucial to our work with children, why not families? Our attitudes toward parents and other family members will be explored during this interactive workshop while we examine techniques for dealing with the unique parents of the unique children that we educate and care for everyday. This interactive workshop features research-based theory and practical, affordable ideas.  |
| Slop, Glop, & Mop |
Daddy, Development, & the Well-Being of Young Children*
Research clearly shows that when children have men in their lives that children are better off. This interactive workshop looks at the characteristics and roles of fathers and other men play with young children. Attention is paid to stereotypes and the unsaid and unwritten views of men. Includes discussion of involving fathers in early childhood programs.
Supporting Family-Child Attachments (When You Spend 8-Hours a Day with Their Kid)
Do your families question whether their baby or toddler “loves you more”? Perhaps, the most important responsibility of the educarer in infant and toddler programs is to support the mother-child and father-child relationship. Prepare for concrete strategies based upon solid research.  |
| Slop, Glop, & Mop |
Professionalism & Teams
The Nitty Gritty of a High-Morale Workplace
When educarers are working well-together the children and families benefit. This follow-up to Working Toward a High Morale Workplace revisits the importance of being aware of one another's moods, values, skills, and personalities and emphasizes personal responsibility for creating a climate of respect. This workshop will focus on the process of developing individual plans for improving the social emotional climate of the program and making a verbal and written commitment to implement the plan.
Professional Ethics in Early Childhood Education
Meet the needs of the parent? the child? the co-worker? Early childhood professionals are often faced with the dilemma of meeting the conflicting needs of the children and adults with whom they interact with on a daily basis. In this interactive workshop, participants will be introduced to the NAEYC Code of Ethics and problem solve various provided scenarios as well as specific scenarios from their own experience.
Team Building: Working Toward a High Morale Workplace
Like a well-choreographed dance, when educarers are working well together, it looks easy and natural. The reality is quite different: effective teamwork requires awareness of one another's moods, values, skills, and personalities. Effective educaring requires that the adults are self-aware, respectful of one another, and willing to honestly and constructively resolve conflicts. This workshop will focus on the basic skills needed for a high-morale program and allow participants an opportunity to begin practicing those skills.
Observation & Discipline
Practical Discipline for Infants, Toddlers, & Young Children
The young child is learning about both self and the world including which behaviors are acceptable and which behaviors are effective. The participant in this workshop will improve his or her understanding of why children act in certain ways, the purposes of discipline, and an understanding of the impact that adult attitudes and confidence have on child behavior. Participants will have an opportunity to select a behavior they are concerned about and develop strategies for resolving that behavior. |
| Exploring & Creating Math & Science |
School-Age Kids in Control!
School-Age children who spend their days in school book-ended by your program often feel a lack of control of their own lives. This can turn into challenges for you as you strive to provide appropriate experiences and discipline for young children. This interactive workshop focuses on who the school-age child is, assisting the school-age child to learn self control, and build a sense of community in your before and after school program.
What Do You See? Early Childhood Observation & Assessment
The early childhood curriculum is effective when it is built upon the stone of solid facts about children's learning needs, development, and interests. Different kinds of tools for observation and assessment serve different purposes. This workshop looks at the role of assessment within the curriculum and early childhood program, looks at a wide variety of specific tools and their specific purposes, and allows the participant to practice using the tools. The focus is less on standardized assessment than the ongoing hourly, daily, weekly, and monthly assessment that is crucial to effective classroom teaching.
Curriculum
Being Sensitive to Differing Values & Choices Made by Families
Early childhood professionals sometimes find the values of families and the differing ways in which the families care for their children difficult to respect and support. The first step in building an anti-bias program is to reflect on your own values followed by understanding where the values of others come from. In this interactive workshop, participants will reflect on their own values and culture and discuss the many influences that impact how families care for their children.
Blocks: A Tool for an Integrated Early Childhood Curriculum*
If only one piece of equipment is purchased, it should be blocks because of their versatility in teaching multiple concepts in all areas of the early childhood curriculum. The participant will have experiences with multiple types of blocks and leave the session with a homemade set of blocks to use the next day.
Emergent Curriculum and Lesson Plans: You Can Have Both!
Teachers sometimes feel that the requirements for lesson plans eliminate responsiveness to children's emerging interests and needs. This interactive workshop focuses on how to listen sensitively to children, how to incorporate those interests into written planning, how to include children in planning their own learning, and how to successfully monitor whether the children are meeting developmental and learning expectations in the classroom. Participants in this workshop will interact with each other and the instructor, practice some of the skills taught, and develop a plan for implementing ideas learned in their own classroom.
Exploring & Creating Math & Science with Young Children
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| More than Diapers: Activities for Infants and Toddlers |
Exploring & Creating Math with Young Children
Opportunities abound—often in the most unlikely places—to explore and create math learning with young children. This interactive workshop features research-based theory and practical, affordable activities. Both the inexperienced and experienced teacher will come away from this active workshop with a stronger understanding of how to integrate math into young children’s routines and a folder full of resources, recipes, and activities for success.
Exploring & Creating Science with Young Children
Opportunities abound—often in the most unlikely places—to explore and create science learning with young children. This interactive workshop features research-based theory and practical, affordable activities. Both the inexperienced and experienced teacher will come away from this active workshop with a stronger understanding of how to integrate science into young children’s routines and a folder full of resources, recipes, and activities for success. |
| Tim Graves |
The First Five Years: The Roots of Democracy
More than Diapers: Activities for Infants & Toddlers
Babies and toddlers need more than just diaper changes but they don’t need downsized preschool activities. Participants in this interactive, hands-on workshop will explore appropriate activities and inexpensive materials that meet the cognitive, social, and physical needs of the under three-year-old. The participant will leave knowing what is appropriate, why it is appropriate, and with specific strategies for preparing fun-filled days with babies and toddlers. This interactive workshop features research-based theory and practical, affordable activities.
More than Recess: Planning for Movement
The epidemic of obesity among young children underscores the importance of planning movement activities in early childhood classrooms. This workshop will articulate the rationale for both child- and teacher-initiated movement education. The participant will be actively involved in demonstrated activities for the mobile infant, active toddler, and preschooler. Using presented criteria for planning for movement, the participant will plan and share locomotor, stability, and manipulative activities for children in his or her own classroom.
Putting Emergent Curriculum Into Practice in Your Classroom
Teachers sometimes feel that the requirements for lesson plans eliminate responsiveness to children's emerging interests and needs. In this interactive workshop, the differences between responding to developmental needs and responding to children's emergent interests will be discussed. The participants will practice incorporating emerging interests into written planning and develop a plan to successfully monitor curriculum progress through the use of videos of children from their own classrooms.
School-Age Kids in Control!
School-Age children who spend their days in school book-ended by your program often feel a lack of control of their own lives. This can turn into challenges for you as you strive to provide appropriate experiences and discipline for young children. This interactive workshop focuses on who the school-age child is, assisting the school-age child to learn self control, and build a sense of community in your before and after school program.
Slop, Glop, & Mop: Creative Activities for Young Children
Get your creative juices flowing and get ready to make a mess. Creative activities with twos, threes, and fours are often quite messy and this hands-on workshop is no exception. Learn about and experience ways to encourage music, the visual arts, and the creative process with young children. This interactive workshop features research-based theory and practical, affordable activities.  |
| Putting Emergent Curriculum Into Practice |
Supporting Family-Child Attachments (When You Spend 8-Hours a Day with Their Kid)
Do your families question whether their baby or toddler “loves you more”? Perhaps, the most important responsibility of the educarer in infant and toddler programs is to support the mother-child and father-child relationship. Prepare for concrete strategies based upon solid research.
Workshops are also adaptable for meeting the needs of your program. If you don't see your interest in the list, email or call Tim to discuss the creation of a workshop to meet your needs.
