News roundup - so much to read!

* The dog whisperer? Or the child whisperer. Some parents are taking some of tv's "Dog Whisperer" Cesar Millian's lessons to their parenting. Read for yourself here.

* I never knew there were so many children's musicians out there until the NAEYC conference. Here is a local band rockin' it for the kids.

* White Houses pushes science and math education, including through public broadcasting, this article reports.

* How do we teach the civil rights movement to kids? It matters, even in early childhood. Is it something that a few bold people did? Or is it something that lots of people did over years? Read about Claudette Colvin, whose actions spurred the chain of events that led to the Montgomery Bus Boycott.

* I'm going to show this story to the physical therapists at my school, fairly amazing story about the possibilities. Read more here

* Early Intervention is extremely effective for infants/toddlers with autism. Read more about this encouraging study here

* One more article about how Disney is not for kids, sometimes. Read here

PreK News Roundup

* Will Kindergarten test admission "test prep" become the norm? For a sliver of Manhattan's families who want to get into gifted and talented programs, it is. Bad news for 1. the validity of testing 2. richer families always getting ahead of poorer and 3. anyone who cares about childhood Check out the article here.

* Slate.com says that "Yo Gabba Gabba" is the new cool preschooler show, featuring such artists as The Shins with "edutainment" for parents and kids alike. This article has some silly and unnecessary hating on "Sesame Street", but otherwise of interest. I hope to check it out, you can read the article here.

* Teachers are selling their work to other teachers--lesson plans, resourcs, etc. Some teachers in this article are making some serious cash, but some feel it isn't something that should be bought and sold. Read it here.

* How is research conducted by rats for humans? Read from Slate.com here.

Are you a welcoming school?

Check out the Human Rights Campaign (HRC)'s Welcoming School campaign here. It has great resources for schools and teachers to support all children and families, particularly the LGBTQ community. There are ideas for books for grades PreK-6 on defying gender stereotypes, anti-bullying, gay and lesbian families/parents and many more. There is a longer user pdf with more information and advice. Also, I love that Todd Parr made a special graphic just for the campaign!

You'll never look at 'silent e' the same way again!

At NAEYC, I heard from PBS about children's programming aimed at preschoolers. Currently, there are several shows that are aimed at preschoolers, with a focus on print and the meaning of words. There is a also a new "Electric Company" aimed at 6-9 year olds with possibly the coolest "silent e" song ever! Check it out here. I had a great conversation with another teacher regarding television: we don't ever want to encourage parents or families to watch more tv. However, if children are going to watch tv, we would prefer that they watch pbs shows. While other kids programming may still be better than other choices, PBS conducts actual educational research to make decisions. My advice to families, then, is mixed "If you must watch tv, watch PBS. Otherwise, turn it off!" To other teachers, for more information click here.

NAEYC !

This week, I've spent three days at the National Association for the Education of Young Children. It's been both a gift I've given myself--time to learn, time to grow, time to reflect without the demands of my classroom--and entirely overwhelming! Some of the take-aways from the conference for me were more motivational, otherws were more specific. I feel excited and energized to do more science and math that is authentic and inquiry-based. My co-teacher is gifted at sensory play and we have plants and animals, but we can (and will!) do more! Many of my following posts will be some of the ideas and resources I found at the NAEYC conference.

I'm Too Sexy For My Onesie

This article isn't surprising to those of us experiencing the way media affects young children, but some of the details are shocking. The 'tween' focused Disney shows, the onesies --all introducing and reinforcing the idea that girls should be sexy and boys should want sex. This is a must-read article if you are teacher, a parent or a feminist. I am thinking of what many little girl's print tees have read over the years--"sexy" on a three year old, for instance, or the vamped-out 'Bratz' dolls. Don't get me started on the way Miley Cyrus is marketed to three and four year olds. I like Miley fine, but selling her tween sex symbol shirts to two-and-half-year-olds? Creepy, yes, but also detrimental. I think it's important to note the ways the authors make clear--today's 6 or 10 or 16 year-old kids aren't more interested in sex, but more sex is being marketed at them.

Rising to the challenge

Ellis Cose is one of my favorite commentators in general, but check out his recent article here. He talks about something that rarely came up in the discussion of the 40th year anniversary of Sesame Street --the idea that television could do a better job of educating children. In the end, Cose ends with a powerful argument for universal, high-quality preschool.

Packrat and PreK

Is being a packrat compatible with being a PreK teacher? I say yes--I can always use virtually EVERYTHING. Yes, I can use that empty coffee can, and the egg crate, and that old telephone book! Case in point: this week, we were encouraging students to keep acting out "Humpty Dumpty." Luckily, a friend who teaches at my school had plastic Easter eggs (where else could I have found Easter eggs in November?) and a brick for the 'wall'! My husband, who disagrees with my philosophy, sent me this article. I literally laughed out loud, as I fall into each one of these 'myths'. I'll clean up when I get organized, I get another container, I find the perfect new owner, I convince myself I still might find a use. Compulsive saver? Yes, I am. I try not to. But does it make me a better PreK teacher? Much to my husband's chagrin, I think it does!

Debunking of "educational" resources

I found this excellent series from the Early Ed Watch blog. The Washington Post features Daniel Willingham debunking the "science" around an educational product, 'eyeQ'. It's actually being tested in a school system right now, but not based on much. This is a bit of a follow-up to the Baby Einstein --if what they are promising is too good, it probably is.

Eliminating Asperger's from the DSM?

This article explores the possibility Asperger's syndrome will be eliminated from the DSM, leaving just autism. The author argues we don't enough about the causes yet to really determine if that's appropriate. Also, he mentions the families who've waited for a diagnosis who will be frustrated, which is fair. Interesting debate over catagorizing differences and/or disability.

Scary chemcials

BPA may be to blame for early onsets of puberty in girls, problems in pregnancy, among other scary possibilities, Nicholas Kristof summarizes here. Scary stuff.