The “teachable moment” – this is the foundation for early childhood learning.    It is the fleeting moment when a child expresses curiosity and interest in a topic. Teachers are constantly on the look out for it because it is a prime opportunity for teaching and learning. A teachable moment is when a child brings you the feather they found.  It is when they point out the line of ants on the sidewalk.  When toddlers pull up their pants leg to show you their boo-boo, this is the teachable moment.  This is the chance for the adult to impart factual information. It is also an opportunity for the adult to verbalize and model their values.  What the child learns depends on how the adult responds to these overtures.  What does a child learn if the adult dismissively throws the feather in the trash or drags the child past the ants without responding?  What does the child learn when the adult doesn’t even glance at their boo-boo?  These children learn that their interests are not valued by adults.  They learn that their attempts at communication are a nuisance to the adult.  They learn that things in nature don’t matter.  They think, “If nobody cares about my boo-boo, why should I care about anybody else’s?”  On the other hand, if the adult squats down, looks at, and talks about the ants, the child’s curiosity is rewarded and he will continue to diligently observe his surroundings.  When the adult blows the feather in the air with the child and helps him find bird books, the child learns that things in nature are to be studied and treasured.  When the adult acknowledges the boo-boo, offers sympathy and talks about their own mishaps, the child learns empathy.  Every interaction with a child is full of opportunities.  It is up to the adult to take advantage of them.

My reason for going into so much detail about the teachable moment is to explain why the 1’s & 2’s teachers hot-glued 101 plastic gallon milk jugs together to form an igloo. Their classmate, Samantha, recently moved to Fairbanks, Alaska.  Samantha misses Little Folks and has been sending pictures of all of the snow.  The children miss Samantha and want to know more about where she lives.  I’m assuming that the teachers have made clear that Samantha does not live in an igloo. I’d better check to make sure.

Mark your calendars for these upcoming events at Little Folks:

·       The month of MARCH - LFF families - ENROLL for the coming Summer and Fall sessions.

·       RUMMAGE SALE donation drop off – March 14 & 15.

·       RUMMAGE SALE – March 16 & 17.

·       We’ll be CLOSED Mon., Feb. 20 in observance of Presidents’ Day.

·       We’ll be CLOSED Friday March 9 and Monday March 12.

Sally