We have come to a point in the preschool class where most of the children are listening and beginning to follow directions. Before yesterday, it was a bit like herding cats! There is always a jump between wild and free and listen and learn. Wild and free is what a lot of early educators think is the best possible environment for very young children.
I think true freedom comes with knowledge and direction. Because if you can't "do" anything but throw toys and scream, what kind of freedom is that? It's primitive and antisocial. Real freedom is neither license nor is it unmanaged. It does not manifest itself in chaos.
Yesterday we began to learn to write our names using Mr. Line. Mr. Line is a character I developed to help young children over the immense hurdle of understaning the beginning point and the ending point of writing. You will see Mr. Line every day for a while. We will make circles and lines until we understand that our writing ALWAYS begins at the top. This is one of the hardest things young children have to learn. If we begin now, the hurdle is easy.
If you are going to help with this project at home, please don't teach children to write their names in all caps. This has to be untaught, and it's twice the effort. First letter is upper case; second letter is lower case.
We will be teaching the children to recognize their names as well. It's a hand in hand process.
Please take a look at the letters your child knows already. It's posted as a train in the little doll house section of the big playroom. Look for your child's name on the train. Every letter that follows is one he knows by "story." We teach the children letters by story, and the key word is what he will tell you the letter is, like dog house; x marks the spot; underwear; butterfly; etc.
When the child makes the transition to A,B,C, etc., we will color the letters.
It's all in a day's play.
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