professional development

Hands off in preschool

In our zest to help children “create” sometimes it is easy to forget what it means to be creative… Creativity is inspired when we give children the opportunity to explore the art process and materials without the pressure of having to do it in a specific way… In an effort to teach children, adults get [...]

O is for Octopus in preschool

A drawback to being an administrator in a preschool program is that often times I have to actually “administrate” and when I do, it pulls me away from the classroom. So when this happens, I often only get to see what the children made after they are finished rather than while they are in the process. I [...]

Really cute but not so fun in preschool

Last week, I visited a class that was making doves as part of their study of peace and MLK. As I observed this class, it was clear to both the teacher and I that this project was a cute idea on paper but pretty worthless when it came to process… That’s the tricky thing about [...]

Reflecting on the parents of preschoolers

This is Wy, my nephew, and his mommy. They were over at my house on New Year’s Day and while they read a book together, I stepped back and observed (with camera in hand). The book they were reading was one that Wy’s mommy had bought for him. Each page is illustrated with wonderful textured [...]

How to facilitate the creative art process in preschool

Allowing children to make decisions is an important aspect of their art experience. When children are constantly told where to place each piece of paper or where to put their hand print, they lose confidence in their own ability to make good choices. When we talk about Process over Product, there are many reasons why [...]