Journal

At Kodo Kids, we’ve always believed in the transformative power of play. Not just any play, but play that is intentional, inclusive, and designed to celebrate the uniqueness of every child. That’s why our partnership with The Third Place for Kids feels like such a natural fit. The Third Place is reimagining what community looks like for neurodivergent and disabled children and their families. Their mission is bold yet beautifully simple: to create welcoming, sensory-friendly spaces where kids can be themselves, parents feel supported, and everyone belongs. When we first connected with their team, we were immediately inspired by their vision and eager to support it in a hands-on way. Our shared commitment to meeting children where they are—and supporting their growth through open-ended play and sensory exploration—perfectly aligns with the foundation of The Third Place’s approach. If you're in Colorado, we encourage you to stop by and experience it for yourself. Inside their thoughtfully designed space, you’ll find Kodo materials like the Chalk Spinner, Flight Lab, and Wooden Gears—tools that invite curiosity, experimentation, and joyful discovery. “We are thrilled to have our doors officially open and to be welcoming in families of all kinds! Thanks to our partnership with Kodo Kids, we’re able to provide our families with open-ended, sensory-focused play that empowers neurodivergent and disabled kiddos to explore and just be themselves in a space built especially for them. No judgement or crazy, overstimulating environments. Just community and connection.”— Casey Brown, The Third Place for Kids But this partnership is about more than materials. It’s about shared values. Together, we’re committed to thoughtful design, honoring diverse learning styles, and expanding what’s possible for inclusive childhood experiences. We’re excited to continue supporting The Third Place and the families they serve—through collaboration, creativity, and a shared belief that every child deserves a place to play, connect, and thrive. Learn more about The Third Place: thethirdplaceforkids.org

At Kodo Kids, we believe children are natural problem solvers. Whether they’re stacking blocks, arranging loose parts, or telling stories in sequence, early play is filled with moments that mirror computational thinking. What is Computational Thinking?  Computational thinking begins with big ideas made accessible through play. In early childhood, this includes foundational concepts like:  Patterning: The ability to recognize, predict, and create repeating sequences. Patterning supports early math and logic development and helps children build a sense of order in the world around them. Representation: Using symbols, objects, or drawings to stand in for something else. This allows children to make sense of abstract ideas—like using a block to represent a button or arranging objects to stand for binary code. Coding: At its simplest, coding is creating a sequence of instructions to complete a task. In early learning, this might look like giving directions to a friend, following steps in a song, or laying out a path for a marble. Number Systems: Understanding quantity, order, and the relationships between numbers. Exploring number systems helps children develop early computational fluency—especially when paired with tactile materials like counters, grids, or pixel boards. A Beautiful Way to Learn We’re thrilled to announce our partnership with Learning Beautiful, offering a new collection of screen-free, Montessori-aligned materials designed to bring computational thinking to life in early learning environments. These thoughtfully designed tools crafted from sustainable materials introduce concepts like coding, abstraction, patterning, and number systems using natural materials designed by experts at the MIT Media Lab.  The Learning Beautiful Classroom Set is ideal for educators looking to introduce computational thinking into their classrooms utilizing the designed materials for small group work and centers. This set supports teachers with a complete book of activity plans that support playful learning for children to explore patterning, representation, coding, and number systems.  The Learning Beautiful Learning at Home Set offers families a way to bring a screen-free, playful, and fun way to introduce computational thinking at home with a guide with over 30 lessons for children ages 3-9.  Play as a Pathway Computational thinking isn’t about technology-it’s about the way children think. By nurturing curiosity, encouraging experimentation, and supporting resilience through hands-on materials, educators lay the foundation for lifelong problem solving.  Learn More Want to dig deeper into Learning Beautiful? Join us on June 18, 2025 as we chat with Kim Smith Claudel, Learning Beautiful Co-Founder, to learn more about computational thinking, the materials, and computer science in early childhood.   

At Kodo Kids, we believe in creating hands-on experiences that inspire curiosity, problem-solving, and a love of learning. One of our favorite ways to integrate literacy with STEM exploration is by pairing engaging stories with open-ended materials. By integrating ramps, children can experiment with force and motion, fostering creativity and engineering skills while strengthening early literacy connections. Mighty, Mighty Construction Site by Sherri Duskey Rinker is a perfect book to spark conversations about teamwork, perseverance, and the power of machines. By combining this beloved story with ramp exploration, children can bring the book’s themes to life while building foundational STEM skills. Ramps: The Ultimate Construction Tool In the book, each construction vehicle has a special job—digging, lifting, and hauling materials to get the job done. Ramps play a similar role in real-world construction, making work easier by allowing heavy loads to roll smoothly from one place to another. Using ramps, children can experiment with concepts like:  Incline and speed - How does a steeper ramp change how fast objects roll?  Force and motion - What happens when you add weight to a vehicle?  Problem solving - Can you build a ramp that helps a truck deliver “materials” more efficiently?  Exploring Different Types of Ramps Ramps can be found everywhere! Consider using a variety of ramps to extend children’s understanding of material properties:  Discovery Ramps - Classic Wooden Ramps for Exploration: The Discovery Ramps provide a sturdy surface for endless construction-based challenges. Children can use them to create pathways for rolling objects, test different inclines, and combine with other materials to simulate real-world construction problems.  Great for: Creating multi-level ramps, testing force and motion Rubber Ramps - Flexible and Bendable: Rubber Ramps are an exciting way to explore curves and slopes. Unlike traditional rigid ramps, these allow children to experiment with bends and waves, helping them visualize the effects of different ramp slopes and shapes.  Great for: Experimenting with rolling vs. sliding, adjusting curves for different speeds Clear Ramps - See Movement in Action: Clear Ramps bring an added layer of discovery by letting children observe movement from every angle. They can see how objects roll underneath, providing a visual connection to concepts like gravity and momentum.  Great for: Observing cause and effect, understanding how motion works DIY Ramps - Recycled and Natural Materials: Find your own materials to extend the understanding of material properties by using cardboard tubes, flattened cardboard, gutters, or even tree logs.  Use the following questions to enhance exploration and discovery of the different types of ramp materials:  How do different ramp surfaces (smooth, rough, flexible) affect movement?  What happens when we change the angle of the ramp?  Can we design a ramp system like the ones we see on construction sites?  Bringing the Story to Life through Play After reading Mighty, Mighty Construction Site, set up an exploration area using Kodo ramps, blocks, and loose parts to encourage hands-on learning:  Can you build a worksite where trucks must use ramps to deliver materials?  How would the construction crew in the book solve a problem using ramps?  Big Ideas Through Play At Kodo, we know that children learn best through hands-on exploration. By pairing Mighty, Mighty Construction Site with ramp-based investigations, we create opportunities for literacy, STEM, and problem-solving-all essential for early learning skills.  Roll into learning with ramps, loose parts, recyclable materials, and other block materials to inspire creative construction play! __________________________________________________________________________ We want to see the way you play! Join or log-in to the Kodo Community to share your experiences learning with ramps!

This month on Kodo Community we are discussing outdoor play-based learning in winter conditions which makes, Making a Friend by Allison McGhee, a great pick for our Book of the Month.    In this story, our main character recognizes the signs of fall changing into winter anticipating the arrival of snow and the friend that snow will bring. Our character lovingly creates their snowman friend, paying attention to their features and even what they wear, a gifted red hat. We can intermingle information about earth and space science with the social story of making a friend.  Creating a Snowman: The Beauty of Earth’s Seasons and Science Beyond the social story of making a friend, this narrative offers an opportunity to weave in fascinating earth and space science concepts. The changes in the seasons, as experienced by our character, are caused by the Earth’s tilt and orbit around the sun. Our geographical location on earth gives us information about when we experience the changes of the seasons. This tilt is what causes the seasons to change, and it’s why winter feels so much colder than summer. As winter approaches, the character anticipates the arrival of snow, which is created when the temperature drops below freezing, allowing water vapor in the clouds to freeze into snowflakes. Each snowflake that falls is unique, and the process of snow formation is a perfect example of the beauty and complexity of nature. The more we understand the science behind snow, the more we can appreciate the magic of it. When we build a snowman, we’re participating in the seasons, the temperature changes, and the nature of snowflakes. A Friend in the Snow: The Story of Connection and Creativity But it’s not just about the science. Our story reminds us of the value of connection. By creating a snowman, our character is engaging in an act of creativity and companionship. The snowman, though made of snow and ice, takes on life through the thoughtful actions of the creator—just like how friendships are often built with care and attention. When children reach out to others, whether through a smile, a kind gesture, or a shared experience, children are developing crucial gains in their social and emotional development. This idea of building a friend out of snow could also be seen as a metaphor for the way relationships are formed. Just as the snowman has a solid base of snow to give it structure, a friendship needs a foundation of trust and shared experiences. Adding the red hat and carefully shaping the snowman’s features reflects the little things we do to nurture a relationship—thoughtfulness, understanding, and care. Check out some materials you might pair with this book to extend the learning! Environment:  The environmental setup is simple, snow and loose parts! Our education team had a snowstorm that produced 16 inches of snow that we played in for almost the entire month of January. How much snow have you had in your area?  Materials:  Choose materials that will get children exploring new ways to 'make a friend' with the snow. At Kodo, we love open-ended loose parts for this very purpose. Here are some of our recommendations for snowy conditions:  Rainbow Pegs Sensory Play Stones Kindness Hearts Natural Sorting Stones Korxx Building Forms Color Mix Earth and Space Vocabulary:  Seasons - Spring, Summer, Fall, and Winter Cycle  Weather Snow  Ice  Temperature  Social and Emotional Vocabulary:  Friend  Emotion  Facial Features  Miss Presence       Share images of how your program builds in the snow on the Community Launch Pad.    

In our increasingly digital world, the fundamental importance of outdoor play cannot be understated. Children who engage in outdoor activities develop advanced motor skills, improved physical health, and enhanced social relationships. Outdoor play provides children with opportunities for big movements like running, jumping, and throwing, which are essential for physical development. But beyond the obvious physical benefits, spending time outdoors helps children relax and maintain better mental health. Research shows that exposure to green spaces can reduce stress, anxiety, and symptoms of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. Educational Innovation Through Outdoor Play Outdoor play materials can transform any outdoor space into an educational playground. The Outdoor Ramps, for example, allow children to explore concepts of force and motion through hands-on experimentation with water, slurry, and balls. Similarly, the Outdoor Funnel Stand introduces children to physics principles of mass and gravity through playful exploration.Rainbow Pegs and Discovery Boards provide opportunities for combining artistic expression with scientific observation. These translucent materials allow children to explore light, color, and construction while developing fine motor skills. Outdoor play environments also foster essential social skills and cognitive development. Children learn to: Assess risks and develop resilience Navigate physical challenges Build self-confidence Enhance problem-solving abilities Creating Engaging Outdoor Spaces To maximize the benefits of outdoor play, we suggest incorporating versatile materials that encourage exploration. The Water Canvas and Sensory Play Stones offer opportunities for creative expression and sensory exploration that can seamlessly transition between indoor and outdoor environments. Build Long Lasting Outcomes The habits formed during childhood outdoor play tend to persist into adulthood. Children who regularly engage in outdoor activities are more likely to develop: Stronger physical fitness Better cognitive functions Enhanced academic performance Greater environmental awareness By prioritizing outdoor play, no matter the weather or temperature, and providing children with engaging, educational materials, we invest in their holistic development and set the foundation for lifelong learning and well-being. ___________________________________________________________________________ We’d love to see the ways you play! If you’re so willing, join us in the Kodo Community and upload photos so we can learn with you.   

Our latest innovations bring exciting new dimensions to learning, promoting STEM exploration and discovery. “Through intentional design we have built products that not only teach children fundamental core academic knowledge, but also enhance their emotional intelligence and interaction with peers and teachers.”– Chris Hume, Founder Behind these innovative products are a team of engineers and designers who are passionate about changing the way that children learn, by building products that empower them to build confidence and core physical and emotional growth. Clear Ramps: Visibility Meets Learning The new Clear Ramps transform traditional slope play by offering complete visibility, allowing children to observe motion and trajectories from every angle. This transparency enhances understanding of physical science concepts like gravity, force, and motion. Whether used indoors or outdoors, these versatile ramps support the development of prediction and hypothesis-testing skills, understanding of cause and effect relationships, enhancement of spatial awareness and physics concepts, and promotion of collaborative problem-solving. Stacking Tunnels: Engineering at New Heights The innovative Stacking Tunnels feature a secure clip-together design that enables stable vertical construction while maintaining flexibility for dynamic play. This system allows children to create multi-level structures with varying slopes, experiment with different angles and heights, develop engineering and spatial reasoning skills, and practice persistence and problem-solving. Enhanced Ball Holder: Versatility in Motion The new Ball Holder design accommodates various sizes and textures of objects, making it an ideal tool for comparative play and scientific investigation. Whether mounted on walls or adhered to magnetic surfaces, it supports classification and sorting skills, fine motor development, scientific observation, and mathematical concept development. Impact on Learning These products align with Kodo's commitment to providing authentic, inquiry-based learning opportunities. The open-ended nature of these materials ensures that children can: Engage in self-directed exploration Develop critical thinking skills Practice communication and collaboration Build persistence and problem-solving abilities When integrated into early learning environments, these tools support multiple learning objectives while maintaining the joy of discovery through play. They exemplify Kodo's dedication to creating durable, versatile materials that grow with children's developing skills and interests.___________________________________________________________________________ Share how you’re using Kodo materials by joining the conversation in Kodo Community.  

This month on Kodo Community and on our social channels, we have been highlighting uses with our Light Innovations, which inspired our Book of the Month, GLOW by Kayla Diamond.  In this story, our characters are a group of glow sticks who are all able to glow during an event together. Unexpectedly our main character finds that he is broken and cracked, unable to create a glow. He watches other glow sticks fulfill their purpose, wondering where and how he might be able to find his glow. He takes inspiration from many spaces and ultimately finds a way to create his glow in his very own way.  Glow leaves a strong social-emotional message about where our 'glow' or self-worth comes from. As our character looks at other objects that glow we are making direct comparisons to what is the same and what is different. When I thought about how to increase opportunities to share, retell, and reimagine the story I came up with a science-based environmental provocation that would support those goals.  Environment:  In the environmental setup, I considered several pieces. I placed the Shelf Top Light Panel on a low shelf that is accessible from a seated or standing position for the children. Under the shelf are baskets with additional materials. Over the top of the setup, I hung a mirror to tie in the social message of self worth and finding the glow within. The illumination provided by the Light Panel will change what they see in their reflection.  Materials:  The material choice was inspired by the size, shape, and translucent effect of glow sticks. I intentionally picked contrasting elements that would draw children's eye to these characteristics.  Rainbow Pegs Lumi Frosted Blocks and Luxi Transparent Blocks Spools Wooden Stacking Trunks When pairing these materials with the Shelf Top Light Panel, I set out different combinations to compare attributes utilizing light vocabulary.  Light Vocabulary:  Translucent vs. Transparent vs. Opaque  This might sound like "Solid vs. See Through"  Frosted vs. Clear Illuminated vs. Dim  The beauty of open ended materials is that this example is only one way to connect to GLOW, there are many different angles that would allow for long term investigation. To build on the story's message of adding and creating things that represent your glow, we could move into the art area. To focus in on friendship and encouragement, we may move the materials into dramatic play or a small world story telling area for collaboration. Having a clear learning goal and literacy connection helps to produce new and engaging play that bring stories to life!      Get engaged in more educational conversations by joining us in Kodo Community.

Play-based learning with light creates a captivating environment where children naturally develop crucial skills through exploration and discovery. When children interact with light, they engage in a multi-sensory experience that sparks curiosity and fosters deep learning. The Power of Light Manipulation Children's natural curiosity about light becomes a gateway to scientific thinking. By manipulating color, hue, and intensity through hands-on exploration, children develop an intuitive understanding of fundamental scientific concepts. This type of play allows them to form and test theories about color mixing and light properties, building their scientific reasoning skills from an early age. STEM Learning Through Creative Expression Physical Development Light-based play environments support both fine and gross motor development. Toddlers can safely explore by crawling and sitting on illuminated surfaces, while preschoolers engage in more sophisticated activities like tracing, drawing, and pattern creation. Cognitive Growth When children experiment with light-based learning materials such as the Light Lab, Spectrum Light Lab or Sand Tray Light Panel, they naturally engage in: Problem-solving through experimentation Pattern recognition and creation Mathematical thinking through spatial awareness Scientific observation and hypothesis testing The Role of Sensory Integration Light-based learning tools transform ordinary activities into magical experiences. When combined with tactile elements such as sand, children experience an enhanced sensory journey that makes learning numbers, letters, and shapes more engaging and memorable. This multi-sensory approach helps cement learning through physical experience. Supporting Natural Development The beauty of light-based play lies in its ability to grow with the child. While younger children might simply delight in cause-and-effect discoveries, older children can engage in more complex activities like: Dramatic play and storytelling Construction and design Scientific investigation Artistic expression Our Shelf Top Light Panel allows for exploration in all of these areas.  Creating an Enriched Learning Environment In early development settings, light-based tools serve as versatile STEM learning stations. Whether used independently or combined with other materials like translucent blocks or sand, these tools create opportunities for open-ended exploration and discovery. This flexibility allows educators to adapt activities to different learning styles and developmental stages while maintaining engagement through the natural appeal of illuminated play. Kodo is committed to helping educators discover a multitude of ways to learn with our open ended materials, whether it be with the Light Lab or another innovation. Receive educational and professional development support by joining the Kodo Community or exploring Professional Development opportunities.

The Kodo Magnet Wall, available in indoor, outdoor, and mobile versions, enables children to directly engage with scientific concepts, supporting deep and lasting understanding. The Power of Hands-On Learning Hands-on learning is essential for building a strong foundation in STEM. The Magnet Wall enables children to experiment with magnets, ramps, and marbles, allowing them to observe real-time results and making abstract concepts concrete and understandable. How the Magnet Wall Supports Learning Exploring Scientific Concepts with Immediate Feedback:Children investigate systems, physics, and mechanisms through direct manipulation. For example, when a marble travels down a rubber ramp and stops or changes speed, students observe gravity and motion in action. Engineering Skills Through Prototyping:Young learners can quickly modify their designs and immediately see the effects. This process fosters understanding of structural and mechanical engineering principles, as students identify what works and what needs improvement. Development of 21st Century Skills The Magnet Wall and Ramp Sets not only support STEM learning but also help develop essential 21st-Century Learning & Innovation skills: Creativity:Open-ended design tasks encourage children to develop and test their own ideas, supporting innovative thinking and problem-solving. Communication:As students work together, they practice explaining their ideas and describing their observations, building important language and communication skills. Critical Thinking:The process of designing, testing, and revising helps children learn to analyze outcomes, identify issues, and develop solutions. Collaboration:Group activities with the Magnet Wall encourage teamwork, as children share ideas and adjust their designs based on feedback from peers. STEM Learning in Practice Using the Magnet Wall and Ramp Sets, students gain practical experience with key STEM concepts: Physics:Students experience force, motion, and energy through direct interaction, helping them understand these principles in a tangible way. Mathematics:Activities involving angles, paths, and spatial reasoning make mathematical concepts concrete and accessible. Engineering Design Process:Children engage in iterative design, testing, and refinement, building essential engineering habits of mind. Alignment with Educational Standards These tools are designed to meet key educational standards: Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS):Activities align with NGSS for grades Pre-K through 5, supporting a range of science and engineering practices. Crosscutting Concepts:Students investigate cause and effect, patterns, and systems, supporting deeper understanding across scientific disciplines. Integrating the Magnet Wall and Ramp Sets into learning environments provides students with meaningful, standards-aligned STEM experiences, supporting both academic growth and the development of critical 21st-century skills.

The launch of our new website brings exciting improvements to enhance your Kodo experience, making it easier and more secure to explore our educational tools.  Some tips and updates to help you as you explore the site for the first time: Enhanced Login & Security Features Our new sign-in process prioritizes your account security through two-factor authentication. Instead of just using a password, you'll now receive a verification code via email when logging in. This additional layer of protection ensures your account remains secure while maintaining a straightforward login experience. Streamlined Tax Exemption Process For Tax-Exempt Organizations: If you notice sales tax being applied to your order and your organization is tax-exempt, please reach out to our Customer Service team before completing your purchase. Once we verify and update your account status, all future orders will automatically process tax-free. Improved Payment Options We've simplified the payment process for quotes. You can now conveniently pay for your quotes online through your account dashboard. If you need assistance, our Customer Service team can provide a direct payment link. Updated Resources Our FAQ section has been updated to address common questions about the new website features. You'll find detailed guidance on navigating the new interface, managing your account, and utilizing our enhanced functionality. We're committed to continuously improving your experience with Kodo. Our team remains available to assist you with any questions as you explore the new website. Remember, we're teachers too, and we understand the importance of making these tools accessible to support your educational journey

Introducing Our New Journal: A Space for Growth and Discovery A Fresh Perspective on Learning The Kodo Journal brings our play-based learning philosophy to life through thoughtfully curated content that speaks directly to educators and caregivers. This new section of our website serves as a vibrant hub where teaching insights meet practical application. Monthly Features Book Recommendations Each month, we spotlight carefully selected books that align with our educational philosophy. Our current featured read, "Leif and the Fall," exemplifies how literature can inspire meaningful classroom discussions and activities. Professional Development We understand the importance of educator growth. Our Journal includes articles focused on personal development, helping teachers find joy and purpose in their professional journey. Hands-On Learning Ideas Enhanced Sensory Experiences The Journal provides innovative ways to elevate classroom activities, such as creative applications of our tools like the Funnel Stand, demonstrating how simple materials can create rich learning opportunities. Community Connection This space reflects our commitment to authentic education, sharing real experiences and practical insights from fellow educators. It's more than just a blog – it's a growing resource that celebrates the wonder of discovery through play.   Looking Forward The Journal will continue to evolve with fresh content, teaching strategies, and inspiration to support your educational journey. We invite you to explore, learn, and grow alongside us as we share stories and ideas that make learning an adventure.

As the summer continues to heat up, cool down with water play! Water play is not only a fun hands-on exploratory sensory experience, but it also sparks tons of learning. When children engage with water they instantly transform into scientists as they wonder, experiment, and explore the natural world. Water play prompts children to use their senses while they examine math and science concepts and use their language and dramatic play skills to narrate their experiences. Water is naturally intriguing and instantly captures children’s attention, and luckily it can be integrated in many ways throughout the classroom and outside during outdoor play.   Here are some ideas for water play... Pouring, Measuring, and Mixing Add water to the sensory table and offer children various cups, funnels, and different size containers to practice pouring, measuring, and mixing. As students pour and fill all different containers they will explore the concept of volume. Moving Water Explore how water travels through funnels! Use The Kodo Funnel Stand to observe water as it twists and turns through the narrow holes. Add water to ramp play! If you’re using ramps that can get wet like Kodo's Toddler Ramp Set or Kodo's Outdoor Magnet Wall & Ramps, add water to explore how it moves and flows. Make ice cubes using Kodo Ice Molds that can slide down the ramps or combine water with solids to explore how different items roll through water. Add Bubbles Children love bubbles! Add bubbles to the sensory table. Stir up some bubbles using The Kodo Whisk! Children can explore how the more they mix and stir, the more bubbles they can create! Read more about water play on the Kodo Community!

Social-emotional learning (SEL) often authentically occurs throughout the learning environment during all sorts of learning experiences. It can be explicitly taught during its own focus lesson, but more meaningfully, it can be supported while children are naturally engaged in exploring and playing. If SEL is only taught in isolation, SEL concepts can seem very abstract, and young children may have a difficult time actually applying what is taught to them. Instead, when SEL is supported in more authentic ways it gives children an opportunity to actually exercise their SEL skills and further develop important SEL competencies in real-time, during real-life experiences. Let’s take a closer look at the connection between STEM & SEL When young children interact with STEM materials they naturally exercise a wide range of social-emotional skills. These types of interactions help to further develop children’s social-emotional competencies and serve as meaningful social-emotional learning (SEL) opportunities. Given this connection, it is important that as educators we introduce STEM materials with intention and planned support so that children have ample opportunity to engage in positive SEL while they interact with new materials. Before introducing new STEM materials EDUCATORS should... Play wih the materials Examine material attributes Experiment with different ways the materials can be used Explore what materials pair well together Before introducing students to new materials, it is important that as educators we set aside our own time to play and interact with the materials. By taking the time to play and interact with materials before introducing them to students, it provides an opportunity to reframe how we think about each material. Instead of initially worrying about how students may react to a given material or use the material in an undesired way, we can shift our focus to the usefulness of the material. This helps us gain insight into how our students may test, trial, and experiment with the many ways the material(s) can be used. This insight can inform how we introduce new materials, the questions we pose, and the way we react to students’ initial interactions. For example, with our focus on how the material functions as a tool, we can be more intentional about posing questions related to the material’s form and function.   The Introduction Phase: Making the Connection between STEM & SEL A child’s social-emotional development can impact their willingness to try new things and influence how they interact with new materials. Additionally, young children are often still developing a better understanding of their likes and dislikes, and their strengths and weaknesses, and when they interact with new STEM materials they are faced with these new realizations. Additionally, as they tinker and explore they naturally encounter challenges that require them to tune into their social-emotional development and persevere through challenges. As educators, it’s our responsibility to anticipate this part of the learning process and provide scaffolding and support to ensure these new experiences spark positive SEL development and serve as a stepping stone for future growth. Our goal is to balance the level of support we provide so students have an opportunity to authentically explore and encounter challenges, while still remaining interested in interacting with the STEM materials. Given the important role SEL in plays in how we introduce new STEM materials in the classroom, it is important to consider children’s current social-emotional development before and during the introduction phase, especially in relationship to CASEL’s 5 SEL competencies. Self-Awareness A child’s self-awareness relates to their ‘understanding of self’. This includes their ability to identify their likes and dislikes, acknowledge their strengths, weakness, and limitation, and recognize their emotions. A child’s self-awareness also serves an important role in the development of a growth mindset and the mentality that current weaknesses or struggles are not fixed or permanent, but rather malleable and changeable, and that with practice and perseverance weaknesses and struggles can indeed turn into strengths and success. Self-Management A child’s self-management relates to their ability to regulate and respond to their emotions and impulses. New and intriguing STEM materials actually serve as a great tool to help children exercise and develop their self-management skills. When they show initiative and curiosity, they are exhibiting self-management. As they share and collaborate with their peers, they are developing the ability to regulate impulses and cooperate with others. As they preserve through challenges they are exercising their ability to manage frustration and exhibit self-motivation. Responsible Decision Making When a child tinkers and explores new materials they encounter problems that require them to think critically and creatively. This type of problem-solving helps children to practice responsible decision-making. Children have the opportunity to make connections between cause and effect based on the choices and decisions they choose to make and this level of understanding about the impacts their choices have helps children develop the ability to more productively plan and prepare. Relationship Skills Relationships skills relate to children’s ability to work cooperatively and collaboratively with others. When new STEM materials are introduced children will have ample opportunities to practice sharing, turn-taking, and communicating with others. They will naturally observe how their peers choose to interact with materials and learn from those observations. They may also become more comfortable sharing their own thoughts and ideas with the children and adults in the learning space and advance their own listening skills to gain insight and perspective from others. Social Awareness Building social awareness enables children to interact positively with others. The more children can relate to others, recognize the emotions of others, exhibit empathy, accept help, as well as offer help, the more likely they are to build meaningful relationships with peers and adults. As children develop social awareness skills they become more effective communicators and better team players. Ways to Support Positive SEL during STEM As educators, we want the children we work with to succeed. This often means providing just enough support and guidance without hindering children’s ability to think independently and authentically explore, experiment, and evolve. When we introduce new STEM materials we must ensure that we do so in a way that sets our students up for success but also ensures they encounter a productive level of challenge that requires them to think critically, be creative, and exercise important SEL skills, all while remaining interested and engaged! Here are some tips... Intentionally design learning environments so that children have enough space to move around, spread out, and share the space and materials within the space. Intentionally choose materials that pair well with one another to increase the likelihood that children can find and design effective solutions when they encounter problems. Discuss material attributes with children so they better understand how each material can be used as a tool. During these discussions make connections to other materials that share similar properties so that students feel more acquainted with the new materials. Provide ample opportunities for children to explore and experiment with minimal teacher-directed instruction or influence so children can develop their own unique ideas, and experiment with the diverse ways materials can be used. This authentic exploration will help children gain a better understanding of their own likes and dislikes, and help them to better understand each new material. Purposefully limit the number of materials available so students can hone in on fewer new items at once, think more creatively about how to use materials as tools, and provide plenty of opportunities for sharing and turn-taking. Keep SEL support materials close by. Instead of keeping SEL tools like emotion cards, or calm-down toys in their own separate space, have them available to students for when they actually need them. For example, while a child is building with new STEM materials and they perhaps begin to exhibit frustration, it's a perfect time to help them work through their frustration. Don’t judge how the child is feeling or encourage them to not feel the way they do, but instead, provide some strategies they can use to more productively regulate and respond to that given emotion. Cultivate a classroom climate that encourages children to try new things without the fear of failure or judgment. Embrace failure as an opportunity to learn so that children understand that mistakes or failed attempts are simply the stepping stones to success! SEL is naturally occurring throughout your learning space, during all times of the day! Don’t feel overwhelmed about how you plan on adequately teaching SEL just within short windows of SEL-designated learning times. Instead, reframe how you think about SEL so you can truly support this important type of learning during all types of learning experiences!Join our Kodo Community and check out our recorded webinar titled: Introducing STEM Materials through a Social-Emotional Lens. Save the date! Our next webinar titled: Loving Problems in the Classroom: Reframing Challenges to Reduce Stress for Children and Adults is scheduled for July 20, 2023.

There is a lot on the plate of educators. Your time is valuable. Your growth is valuable. Allow your brain the space to consider all of who you are by taking a moment to take stock of how you’ve grown and placing value into the ways you desire to grow. Consider your interactions, likes, dislikes, interests, goals, and hobbies in both a personal and professional capacity. Take note of the ways that you have fostered that growth in the past and the support that may be needed to rekindle or meet those areas of growth.  One of the biggest challenges to support personal growth is time. It can seem like there is never enough time with competing demands. Let’s walk through the first steps of finding time for your own growth together.  As we think about how we can utilize our time for growth it’s important to recognize a few truths about time. Time is neutral. It exists outside a moral code, meaning there is no assigning of bad or good to days that are filled to the brim with meetings or days that are filled with rest. Time has movement. As much fun as it might be to freeze or reverse time, the movement of time is forward bringing us to our last truth. Time is new. Each moment that passes brings a newness of emotions, connections, or experiences. As we hold the knowledge of time we can consider the varying ways we can access opportunities for growth.  Growth can happen experientially. In this example, our time is serving a dual function in work and learning as we observe, assess, and reflect on direct experiences with others.  Chats with Friends Reflective Supervision Reflective Journaling Daily Work/Life Experiences Therapy Growth can happen through intentional planning. This involves setting up a particular or consistent time to learn and gain skills.  Webinars Online Courses Community Classes Formal Education through Universities and Colleges Professional Development Growth can happen through connection. Finding people with similar interests, professions, and goals to share in joy together.  Professional Learning Communities Socials Community Events As you read through the list, pick opportunities that fit well with who you are, the ways you learn best, and what you need to reach your next goal. The more meaningfully experiences are chosen the greater the likelihood of follow through. As we form habits that help us to show up for ourselves we connect more deeply to who we are. We can find joy in knowing ourselves more fully through making time to grow.

Let’s get real, classroom spaces as of late are filled with new faces; sometimes there is a notification of these staff changes or it may be new information as they walk in the door. It is difficult to feel empowered and find joy when the conditions that you may be working in feel unstable. Everyday we are modeling warm welcoming to young children when they enter our spaces with their families. How can we invite these new faces in? Here are a few experiences that help both staff and children acclimate to their time together: Who’s in the mirror? - Name Experience Use a mirror in your classroom in a new place to invite the experience of viewing together. Ask questions that help children learn names. (e.g. How many faces can fit in the mirror? Name who you see in the mirror?)   ”Hot Potato” - Name game In a large group sit in a circle. Find a ball or other materials to pass around the circle. Start with name introductions, have children repeat the names they hear. Going slow at first practice passing to the person next to you as you all say the name together all the way around the circle. To add challenge, increase speed, add music, or change the direction of passing.  The Things We Like - Relationship Building Experience The purpose of this activity is for new staff to make individual connections with children in the class. Place a sorting tray in the middle of the table. Have children and new faces collect some collage materials from the art shelf to sort into the tray. In front of each person, place the first letter of their name in front of them through sensory letters or write it on a paper. Take turns choosing the materials each individual likes and placing it on their letter.  New Perspectives - Relationship Building Experience In this experience, invite children to view themselves and others through a variety of different physical perspectives and tools. Prompt children by asking “I wonder what it looks like when…?”  Climb up on the loft or go to the other side of the room. Utilize binoculars, shape viewers, or magnifying glasses. Discuss your observations together and encourage everyone to come up with their own perspective to take. New staff get to know the layout of the classroom, children’s personalities, and accessible materials for the week. Use what you have! Materials that provoke children to see things from varied perspectives like mirrored blocks or viewers with various shapes, colors, and magnification add to the experience of learning who this new person is.  Reflect on the ways introduction has been a part of the school year. Download the attached reflection journal to take a moment to consider how to implement welcoming new staff into a unique space and classroom community.  Through these experiences of play, connection , and reflection we provide a consistency in introduction so that children trust that when there is a new face in their space that person will be welcomed and known. We can create a routine of joy through getting to know new faces.  Reflection Journal

Kodo’s Funnel Stand has become a staple in programs around the globe since 2012. Originally designed to elevate funnels in the sensory table, this preschooler top pick has instant appeal. Children love using the stand as intended and in no time at all they’ll find many other tools to use with it. We hear about these ideas from programs all the time and thought we’d share a few favorite ideas with all!  Try These Items Under The Funnels…. Measuring Cups Graduated Cylinders Clean Empty Tea Tins Small Pitchers and Pails Small Watering Cans Another Funnel Stand! (We loved how these children propped up the Funnel Stand and placed a Toddler Funnel Stand under it!)  Children Also Like To Remove the Funnels & Add .... Turkey Basters (with bulb removed) Pop Tubes  Small Mesh Strainers or Flat Plastic Drain Strainers Pipe Sections and Pipe Fittings Test Tubes Over the years we’ve learned that children love to explore a variety of materials with the funnel stand. It’s not surprising that sand tops the list. Here are some others… Goop/Gak/Slime Jurassic Sand that’s been mixed with cool water  - ooh that’s fun! Snow and Shaved Ice Water (especially with a little soap or bubble solution mixed in!)    That’s Not a Funnel Stand, It’s A… When children are able to move tools and materials throughout the classroom their imaginations often take flight. Here are some unique ways we’ve seen and heard about over the years…. “We scrubbed our funnel stand and used it during an ice cream social to fill actual ice cream cones. It was so fun and worked great! Then the kids played with it in the housekeeping area for weeks after as they acted out the roles of their own ice cream shop. They pretended the funnels were the cones and when more children wanted cones they made some out of construction paper and tape. Thanks for the inspiration!”   “The Kodo Funnel Stand has become so much more than a tool for the sensory table. Our class takes it outside and regularly uses it as a big fountain in their block play just like the fountain in our local park. Lately they’ve turned it into a prop for holding bouquets in our class flower shop. Thanks for creating such a wonderful tool!”   If you have a story of how your young explorers use your classroom Funnel Stand or Toddler Funnel Stand, we’d love to hear from you!     

Leif, a young oak leaf, is worried. He knows that as autumn comes, all leaves fall from their tree. With the help of a friend, Leif works to develop different tools that could help soften his landing, and, hopefully, conquer his fear of falling.  “I don’t want to bump my head,’ Leif says to his friend Laurel. ‘I don’t want to skin my knee. I do not want to fall!”  To combat his fears, the pair of leaves construct a net, a rope, a kite, a swing, a trampoline, and a parachute, none of which work.  “We told you,’ taunt the other leaves. ‘You were just wasting your time. All leaves fall in the fall.”  As Leif’s days grow closer to autumn, he begins to feel defeated. Sadly, his ideas hadn’t worked as he thought they would. Then, just as he began to accept his fate, he is blown right off the oak tree! Will Leif’s fears become true? Or will he find the gentle landing that he’s worked so hard for? Leif and the Fall is a wonderful story of courage, resilience, engineering, and friendship. Throughout the course of the book, each design that the pair of leaves create is flawed: Their net made from twigs has too many holes, their moss and bark kite gets tangled upon descent, and so on. It’s often that many of us can feel like Leif, disgruntled by even the smallest imperfections. As the story continues, Leif’s time to fall finally comes. With no tools having been successful, that feeling of fear creeps back up inside him. However, once the fateful gust of wind pushes the young oak leaf from his tree, Leif lands on the pile of inventions that previously had been discarded (providing him with a perfectly soft landing).  Leif’s journey is a fantastic reminder that flaws don’t always equal failure; each error is an important step in finding your success. Throughout the story, Leif was feeling worried, both about falling and failing. I invite you to chat with your children about any anxiety and stress they may currently be feeling; with such a tumultuous world buzzing around us, worry can sneak in at any moment. Empowering your children with strategies to relieve their stress is a wonderful way to ensure that when those emotions do come, big or small, they have the tools to take charge. In Kansas, children and adults are truly experiencing the leaves changing colors, whirling leaves outside, and the cooler temperatures in the morning. With the changing seasons, we recognize that not all regions of our country will experience weather changes similar to those in this book. However, the onset of each season reminds us to think about new materials to enrich the environment and various ways to enhance curriculum through Earth and Space Science. Additionally, we chose children’s books that might foster ideas, questions, problems to solve, and discussions with children during play. Some of our favorite materials from Kodo to extend the learning in relation to weather and seasonal changes are the:  Sensory Leaf Matching Tiles Natural Shape Viewers Wool Creekside Story Props Light Lab Drawing Board and Glass Crayons Wind Tunnel  Children’s books* that might spark some interest and conversations around Earth and Space Science: All Things Change: Nature’s rhythms, from sprouting seeds to shining stars by Anna Claybourne and Illustrated by Sarah Edmonds (New Release!) Bear Snores On by Karma Wilson and Illustrated by Jane Chapman The Roll-Away Pumpkin by Junia Wonders and Illustrated by Daniela Volpari Noah Chases the Wind by Michelle Worthington and Illustrated by Joseph Cowman As you explore and engage in discussions about Earth and Space Science, let us know your ideas or favorite books! Especially for those of you that may not delight in the dramatic change of seasons as we do in the midwest.  *Kodo is not affiliated with any publishing companies and does not receive any compensation for book mentions. We’re simply fans of well written children’s books!

The Dot by Peter H. Reynolds became one of my favorite children’s books many years ago. Children’s books normally capture my heart pretty easily, but there is something extra special about this one. At times I personally struggle with creativity. Being in a position and field in which creativity is important, this book is a great support for me, as an educator. I believe The Dot is a must-have for every classroom and every early childhood educator. When I learned about International Dot Day, I simply had to share it with my colleagues and with the children! I’m sure you’ll love it, too. International Dot Day International Dot Day, a global celebration of creativity, courage, and collaboration began when teacher Terry Shay introduced his classroom to Peter H. Reynolds’ book, The Dot, on September 15th. I encourage you to take a look at the International Dot Day website to learn more about this special day and how this beloved children’s book has impacted millions worldwide. Children at our facility, MHK Play Studio, used The Dot as inspiration over several weeks in their play, collaboration, and creativity. [gallery columns="2" size="full" ids="13182,13183"] The teaching staff encouraged children to recognize opportunities to create ‘dots’ using materials within the environment. This process naturally led them to think about sculpture and form and utilize materials they may or may not normally engage with in their play. Further, it allowed them to view and combine materials in new ways. [gallery columns="2" size="full" ids="13184,13185"]   With a focus on STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, the Arts, and Math), we love celebrating International Dot Day. It sparks creativity in a unique way and allows everyone, including the educators, to get creative. I hope you and everyone in your program enjoy celebrating International Dot Day. And if you happen to know Peter H. Reynolds, please wish him well from me!  

There is excitement, nerves, butterflies in the stomach, wonder, curiosity, and anticipation. The enormous potential of what is to come with the group of children coming together in a learning community is an amazing opportunity. I always find myself asking the following questions: How far will these children come?  What gifts does each child bring to the classroom?  What can I offer as an educator to these families and children? The weight of facilitating a child’s development can be scary, but the power of the profession and what educators provide to children is incredible and one to be proud of! Setting the pace, the expectations, and the mood for the year ahead is an important first step to a successful start-up. First impressions to children matter. They need to feel safe, secure, and that they belong. Without these positive elements considered, behaviors, emotions, and uncertainty spiral in a classroom, making reaching a child’s full potential difficult. There are some ways beyond the classroom setup and prep that will help facilitate a positive experience and a great start to your year. Routines and Schedules Following the child’s lead in programming is an important element to quality early childhood experiences. However, there is a fine line between uncontrolled chaos and that of a well managed, productive program, that honors the child and their development. Letting children do whatever they please, whenever they want may in the short term appear to work as the children are happy and you are not fighting to gain their attention and direct them. However, given a few days and weeks, this method turns a classroom to chaos and the educator becomes the referee trying to manage behaviors and redirect children. While the children may appear happy in the short-term, the long-term impact of this structure does not allow for a positive learning experience.  Routines and schedules can exist in a program that honors the child and follows the lead of the child. Children thrive with developmentally appropriate structures, routines, and expectations. It takes the uncertainty out of what comes next and allows children to know the rhythm of their day. The important part of this is keeping in mind a developmentally appropriate structure. This does not mean a 20-minute whole group time for 3-year-olds for example. Instead, focus on the rhythm of the day. For example, the day may start with quiet centers or activity bags, proceed into a morning meeting for 5 minutes, lead into free exploration time and then into a whole group learning activity. The balance between child-led exploration and teacher-directed exploration is important. Small increments of teacher-led time balanced with longer child-led activity time or exploration allows for a rhythm to form in the classroom.  While the length of each portion of your schedule may change during the year as children grow and mature, the routine and rhythm of the day will stay consistent. At the start of the year, you may read a book at morning meeting. However, at the start of the year this may last for 2 pages of the book whereas later in the year you can get through a whole book with the children in one sitting. The importance is that the educator is tuned into the children’s development and attention span, while continuing in this structure and routine. The day becomes predictable, and the children know that they can sit on the carpet for 5 minutes because after that they get to play, explore, or be hands-on once again. This control and rhythm allow children to feel confident, secure, and comfortable within the classroom so that they are set up for success to learn.  Introducing Loose Parts If you are a program that utilizes loose parts in your space, this is an area that is worth considering as new children enter the space. Loose parts are not the typical toys and games that children are used to experiencing and interacting with at home. Therefore, this too is a new experience for them. While some children will take to the loose parts without a pause, others will wander the room pondering what to do with this “stuff” and where the toys are. This learning phase is one that is worth the short period of time it takes to adjust, as the benefits for the child’s creativity and critical thinking that comes from exploring loose parts is tenfold.  Consider starting small with the number of items you have offered on shelving. Too many loose parts can be overwhelming when starting out. A few well-placed baskets of loose parts on some shelving, a small variety of loose parts set next to a book the provokes the interest of children, and some items like a wind tunnel with scarves or ramps and balls are usually enough to get the children interested in something and give a good base. Items can then be introduced as the children feel more settled and comfortable in the room.  The limited quantity in the room also helps the all too common problem of the dump and runners. You know, the children that take a basket out, play with it for 10 seconds, dump the entire thing, and then are off to the next basket to do the same thing? With limited items out, this gives the educator the time to set boundaries and expectations for the children. Another way of encouraging children in this time to slow down and engage with an item rather than dumping and running is to ask them, “What is your plan?” Before releasing children to explore and play, ask them this question. By doing this, children slow down and consider what their plan is, which often results in them staying at a space for a longer length of time. If a child continues to buzz from one activity to the next, slow them down and coach them through making a plan and how to follow through with that plan before releasing them on their own to follow through with this deeper level of play. One hesitation that educators often have is to leave a few familiar toys in the mix like small cars, plastic people toys, and other familiar toys to children. I encourage you to take these out of the room right from the start. By leaving these items in, they are the items that children will be drawn to immediately as they are predictable, known, and safe; they act as a crutch to the child. By taking these items away, children are guided towards playing and engaging with the loose parts, which allows the process of interacting with these items to happen much faster and more naturally. Focus on Social-Emotional While you may be eager to teach and expose the children to every learning opportunity possible, as quickly as possible in the year, I caution you to slow down. Especially this year when we are trying to find our footing during this pandemic, children need to feel safe and secure outside of their home before you can push the academics. This method of going slow to go fast can cause educators to become antsy because they feel as though nothing is being accomplished and the children are not learning anything. By slowing down, spending time getting to know them, giving them time to learn about the people around them, and learning how to navigate this new space, you will be able to teach the academic skills that much faster. The academic knowledge ends up being comparable in the end, but with the slower approach, you have honored the children in your program.  There is always the push-down effect that educators feel from where the child is going next. What if they are not ready for First Grade? What if they don’t know all of their letters and sounds by the time they go to Kindergarten? The questions and doubts are endless. What you must remember is that the school year is 10 months long. 10 months is a long period of time for development and growth. Year-end goals are not meant to be accomplished in the first month of programming, and that child even at the end of the year, is not meant to be able to complete and accomplish the next years goals of development. Slow down and honor the time that these children are in. I always ask educators to think about a First Grade class. As the teacher of that classroom, would you rather receive a class full of children that are social-emotionally competent and know how to critically think and work collectively; or would you rather receive a class full of children that have a sprinkle of base-level academic skills but constantly fight and behavior management takes up all of your time? Almost 100% of the time, a teacher will answer that they would rather have a class full of children that are well-adjusted and can critically think because they can teach the academic skills so much faster with that group. So take the time to go slow with these children and honor who they are in that moment, not who they will be next month or next year.

Welcoming families, whether new or returning to a childcare or school environment, is an important first step any year. However, as we embark on this year following uncertainty with the global pandemic, making a safe, welcoming, and trusting environment for children and their families is more important than ever before. While some children continued to attend childcare throughout the pandemic, others have lived most of their life within the confines of their own home with their own families, not being exposed to others. Entering an early childhood environment may seem overwhelming for them and their parents, however we as educators can help ease this transition without compromising the quality of education and experiences.    Creating Familiar Spaces When setting up a space I always encourage educators to take a step back and get to a child’s level. The space you are creating is big to these little people. Seeing it from an adult level is vastly different from a child’s perspective. Get on your knees and take a true look around your room while asking the following questions: Does it seem welcoming?  Can I tell what I am supposed to do in each area of the room?  Is there a safe space for me to go?  Do I feel like I belong here?  If your answer to any of these is no, or if any cause you to hesitate, I encourage you to rework the area. When children feel safe, like they belong, and that they have purpose in the space, their ability to learn and engage increases vastly while negative behaviors dramatically decrease. The initial work to change the space will repay itself tenfold in the long run.  One way to create an environment that feels safe and secure to children, is to make it feel like home. Home offers a sense of comfort and familiarity to children and offering this little piece of security to children gives them a place to settle into the new space. Bold colors with an overwhelming amount of choices, materials, and stimulation put a child’s sensory input into overdrive before they even begin to learn. Keeping the environment neutral and being intentional with room design and materials is an important first step in a successful program. While the spaces highlighted below are not exhaustive, they are some key areas to focus and begin with in transforming your space.     Dramatic Play The area when setting up a classroom I always start with is the Dramatic Play center. This is the hub of a classroom space and offers a familiar space to children. When you think of a home, where do most people gather? The answer is usually the kitchen. Take this thought as guidance when setting up your classroom. Rather than putting the center in a corner, I encourage you to place it in the middle of your room, if your room allows. This placement allows the kitchen in dramatic play to be the hub of your classroom and usually allows for more children to access the area.  Ensure that there are familiar items such as plates, cups, bowls, utensils, pots, and food, but limit the number of items so that it does not become overwhelming. Limiting the quantity also encourages sharing, language development between peers, and reduces the famous dump and run phenomenon that always occurs at the start of the year. Other items you may want to consider in this space are items such as baby dolls with clothes, a table to sit and eat, and a clipboard with a pencil to take orders or make a shopping list.      Reading Corner Once the Dramatic Play area is set up, it becomes easier to begin to think through the other areas of your room. Naturally, the Dramatic Play space is going to have a constant hum of noise and hustle and bustle to it, this is important to consider when thinking through what should be set up surrounding it. Setting up a Reading Corner off to the side of Dramatic Play, preferably by natural light, allows for the flow of the home environment to continue, as this area acts like the living room for the home. Placing these two centers within close proximity allows for children to flow from one space to the next allowing for more creativity, collaboration, and inspiration.  When setting up your Reading Corner it is important to consider comfortable seating, and home like touches such as lamps, pillows, or throws, if health regulations allow. These are all touches that add to the home type feeling of the space. While books are fantastic, limit their number so that they are displayed neatly and are easy to access. Too many books make this space cluttered, and the choices seem overwhelming and almost daunting to children. In addition, consider having a shelf in this area that has loose parts, puzzles, or small manipulatives that encourage quiet play and engagement. Not all children know how to read or enjoy reading, so providing these types of materials in this space welcomes all children and gives them a purpose for being in the space. These small manipulatives and loose parts also allow children to re-enact scenes from a story providing you and your colleagues a means to get a better sense of their level of understanding.     Whole Group One important area in a room that takes up considerable space is the Whole Group area. While this is not used as a space where whole group teaching occurs for long periods of time in younger classrooms, it is an important area as it allows for gathering as a community. Consider placing your Whole Group area in a corner or where shelving can help to partition the area off. This allows the space to have a begin and end point so that the big space does not seem as vast to children. This area should have a carpet or softer flooring to allow for blocks, ramps, and other building materials to be located and engaged with. The carpeting or soft flooring allows for crashing blocks to fall without quite as much noise and disruption. This softer flooring or carpeting also increases the comfort for children. I always encourage adults to sit on the floor with the children as when their bum begins to go numb or they are uncomfortable, it means the children are uncomfortable too. They have been held too long at carpet time, and it’s time to get them moving again.  Adding in a few pictures of buildings as a provocation, measuring tapes, or clipboards in this area add to the educational value of this area. In addition, consider how loose parts such as wooden balls, wooden rings, gems, or items such as cork or cardboard can add to the creations. These items are all easy to introduce to the area and take a child’s building with blocks to the next level.     Hide Away As much fun as an early childhood classroom can be, children need safe spaces to retreat to. Providing a cozy cube, tent, or space that is designed to be quiet and comforting is important. This acts much like a child’s bedroom at home. They know that it is there, it is safe, and they can retreat to it when they need to. This space should be located away from noisy areas so that it allows for an opportunity of escape. Placing this in a space that is next to a table, an easel, or in a corner, usually provides some protection for this area. While it is a space to retreat to, providing quiet items such as loose fabric pieces, small wooden log pieces, or other open-ended loose parts allow for the child to tinker in various ways while they are in this quiet space and encourage the re-entry into play when they are ready. Offering these types of materials also makes it a welcoming space rather than a cold and isolated space that feels more like a space of punishment.    Overall Special Touches Small touches in a classroom are just as important as the bigger details. These small details are what takes a classroom from a sterile environment to a welcoming one.  Start with lighting in your room. Consider how much natural light you have. Florescent lighting is harsh and overwhelming for most adults, let alone children. If you have the option to use natural light, lamps, or dimmable lighting, consider turning off the fluorescent lights. This lighting change can take a room that is operating in a heightened state, immediately into a state that is calmer and ready to engage and learn. If you do not have any option other than fluorescent lighting, try turning off half or sections of the lighting. Adding inexpensive picture frames to your classroom with pictures of the child and their family gives an instant sense that they belong. Try and ask parents to send you a picture of their child or family before the first day of school and have this in a frame within the classroom. There are no words to express the joy on the child’s face when they discover their family in the room. They instantly feel they belong in this space and that this space is theirs. Greenery is another addition, whether artificial or real, that adds to the visual appeal of the room. While you want to be careful not to overwhelm the room so that it becomes a jungle, a few small plants intentionally placed can make a big impact.   Conclusion Overall, setting up a classroom space is one of the key pieces to starting your program off on the right foot. It is one that takes time but is worth it. I encourage you to be intentional with all the things that you place in your room, little or big. If it does not serve a purpose, do not have it in your room. If you keep the child’s perspective in mind while creating your space and build the space from their viewpoint, you will be left with a child-friendly space that is welcoming, warm, and inviting.

“Art is the queen of all sciences communicating knowledge to all the generations of the world. ”- Leonardo DaVinci Walking into my kitchen early one morning, all I see is a mass (and mess) of curly brown leaning over a small table. Upon closer inspection, my 3-year-old daughter is feverishly drawing something magical. My daughter looks up at me, smiles and tells me this is her “new invention-art-masterpiece-blueprint.”  She is wearing a shirt that reads “Forget princess, I want to be an astrophysicist.” My daughter is now 7-years-old and still wears that shirt. At first glance, it is supposed to make people smile and cheer, “Yes! You go girl!” When my daughter gets asked, “What do you want to be when you grow up?” She replies: artist, singer, dancer, scientist, inventor. Some people respond to her by saying, “You can’t be all of those things, they are nothing alike." We respond to the naysayers  “those professionals are intimately related and as a scientist and inventor my daughter is also an artist.” The skills need to thrive in both the STEM and Arts fields are very similar. These include being a risk-taker, brave, curious, filled with a sense of wonder, having a passion for discovering the unknown, and creating something new.  In early childhood education educators support children in growing their skills and confidence to become independent problem solvers. We encourage them to ask meaningful questions about the world around them, all while taking appropriate risks. These are skills used in the STEM fields as well as the arts. There is a significant intersection between art and STEM, and educators can create spaces in which they are not seen as separate endeavors. Consider the role of engineers. They are tasked with discovering and creating solutions for real world problems. At the heart of the solution, the engineer must also consider the human element, including the aesthetic component. No one wants to live in a city where all the buildings and structures are ugly. Think of the Rialto Bridge in Venice. It solves a problem, connecting two pieces of land across a waterway, and yet is beautiful and visually stunning. A great example of art and engineering working together in harmony. Using ramps with cars and paint can be a way to visually support young children in learning about physics. I wrote a blog post about this example on my website.   Taking a closer look at nature can highlight the intersectionality of STEM and art. Butterflies are a perfect illustration of concepts used both in art and math: symmetry, patterns, and shapes. Educators can reframe and shift their thinking about STEM and art to create environments that hold space for both to work together seamlessly. Here are a few strategies to get you started on your journey: Scientific Inquiry Questions Scientific inquiry questions are a great way to encourage children to “think further”. Challenge yourself in all types of situations (art and STEM) to ask children questions such as:  I wonder what will happen if/when we do...?  What do you think will happen when…?  How do you think…?  These types of questions can be used when experimenting with art, “What do you think will happen when we mix the yellow and blue paint together? Do you have a hypothesis?” Exposing children to scientific inquiry questions from an early age will not only encourage them to ask those questions, but will also increase their comfort level with a scientific process way of thinking.   Vocabulary Make a point of using technical terms relating to STEM and art in the classroom everyday. Try using one new term every week or every other week. Put the word and the definition on the wall to remind yourself to use it.  Examples velocity, incline, speed, compare, contrast, estimate, gravity, perspective, shade (related to colors), sort, classify, visualization, medium (types of materials being used), rapid, vigorous, parallel, symmetry, symmetrical, pattern Using technical vocabulary with scientific inquiry questions: I see you are using vigorous, rapid brush strokes to paint your picture, I wonder what would happen if you used soft slow brush strokes? Keep in mind not to interrupt a child’s thinking or learning. Wait for an appropriate time to question, observe and have a conversation with children. Changing our mindset of looking at art and STEM as an “and” instead of “or” can help support children in early childhood education to develop the 21st century skills needed to succeed.  Join Natalie and Kodo Kids this Fall to explore intersectionality of STEM and Art.

My young neighbor, Lily, is certain to become an entomologist. Without fail this determined 5 year old is in her front yard every morning moving rocks and digging around the roots of a large tree. She keeps a variety of tools nearby, an old coffee mug missing the handle, a variety of plastic and glass jars, a tiny spatula from a pretend cooking set, and a rather large magnifying glass. She reminds me of the precocious and curious Harriet, a character from Louise Fitzhough’s beloved book, Harriet the Spy. Lily does not spy on people but she does spy on insects. She carefully collects them and examines them. Her nose or the magnifying glass is often pressed right up against the walls of the jar as she turns it gently so as not to hurt her little captives. She does this every day and every evening she releases whatever she’s managed to capture back into the wild.   To anyone who’s ever cared for young children, the fact that many of them absolutely love insects and spiders should come as no surprise. Even if you don’t particularly care for the little crawling and flying creatures yourself, it’s very easy to support curiosity and inspire children to make new discoveries.    Here are a few things to keep in mind as you and those in your care leap into spur-of-the-moment projects or research investigations similar to the ones Lily embarks on daily.  Model Respect for all Living Things. If insects are temporarily collected for observation, make it a point to work closely with children to return them to their natural habitat within a few hours or a few days at the most. If children wish to keep them longer, set up a terrarium for observation.      Spiders vs. Insects.  Many of us learned the difference between insects and spiders when we were in elementary school. If you’ve forgotten the lesson just remember that insects have 6 legs and three types of main body parts; a head, thorax, and abdomen. While spiders have 8 legs and two main body parts.   Some Sting or Bite! As you well know, some insects sting or bite, so be prepared for the occasional owie to happen. It is absolutely true that bees can negatively react to humans who are fearful. When we’re afraid we emit pheromones which bees detect as a threat. Explain this simply and coach children to be calm as they encounter all types of insects.   Books on Books! Support the process of investigating bugs with books, books, and more books! Include both fiction and non-fiction. Download the list of some of our favorite and popular children’s books about insects. You’ll be surprised at how many children develop a love for non-fiction picture books during a study of bugs. Take it further and arrange a field trip to the local library as part of your scientific inquiry and discovery process.    Insect Interpretations. Encourage children to represent insects and spiders in many ways. Naturally, arts and crafts materials come to mind, but think of the many types of loose parts and natural materials available to children in early childhood and family care learning settings. Try making representations of bugs with manipulatives, blocks, clay, fabric, light table materials, and more.     Extend the Learning Experience.  Fill up a basket or bin full of photos and Fun Facts in your Library or cozy space to extend the learning experience. Download our Mini Investigation Bugs Starter Pack, or begin each day with a Daily Discovery prompt. Prompts to get children thinking, making observations, and investigating can be:  A simple question, such as, “What is eating this leaf?”    A  challenge, such as, “Today your Daily Discovery Challenge is to find 7 different types of bugs in the playground without disturbing them.”   A  visual clue to follow, such as placing empty cups or jars and small nets into a basket. “Our Daily Discovery is in this basket. At the end of the day we’ll all share what we discovered by using them.”           Whether your investigation of insects or bugs only lasts a day or spans over the entire summer, you’ll find that children are learning so much about nature as they do things like lifting rocks, digging, and turning over leaves. They may count, compare, or categorize the insects they find. Insects could inspire them to create physical games of jumping, leaping, and scooting across the floor or playground. You will definitely have the opportunity to introduce new vocabulary, incorporate new tools into the classroom or playground, and inspire symbolic writing and drawing throughout the exploration. If I had to make an educated guess, I’d say that it’s very likely there is more than one Lily in your midst. In the unlikely case that you run out of ideas, just follow them.    

  I absolutely adore summertime. It is by far my favorite season. The green grass, blue skies, the smell of a thunderstorm, and the emerging of all the bugs and animals make my inquisitive nature come to life. I’m sure growing up on a farm is one of the main reasons this is my favorite time of year. As a child, summers were spent: Riding horses through pastures Long summer nights through harvest  Cooking for meals to take to the fields with my great aunt Hunting for tadpoles Running through irrigation systems Assisting with the family garden    As a classroom teacher, I brought my love for animals, insects, and growing materials into the environment to explore with children. During the summer, all programs tend to have a more relaxed environment. There are water days, extended time outdoors, and a new curiosity with the change in weather. The sweet summer months are some that I thoroughly enjoy for this reason.    When thinking of outdoor engagement or investigation, I always think about what materials and opportunities are available to extend children’s learning or even enhance their thinking about existing materials. Here are a few simple ideas:     1. Take existing materials outside. Some materials are easy to take outside and can endure outdoor weather, whereas others are solely meant for indoors. It is important to know what materials need extra attention when using them outdoors so they do not get left out and ruined. Our partner program, ieDiscoveries, took their rubber and outdoor ramps with tubes and tunnels to a nearby park. The children chose to build their ramp system using the picnic tables instead of building on the grass. This brought lots of connection challenges, as well as, discussions about the steep incline(s).      2. Exploring insects, worms, and other outdoor creatures. Allowing children to step back to observe and document is one way to increase their inquiry skills. Documentation can be done by drawings, photographs, and/or videos. Additionally, consider magnifying materials to get a closer look or treasure tubes to observe items closer for those children that may not want to touch something.      3. Create a classroom or program garden. Children love to help when given the opportunity. When given the right materials, like child-size garden tools, they are able to be successful in their work. In my experience, children that participate in growing vegetables and fruits are more likely to try them during mealtime, as well.     4. Mud Kitchens. I love mud kitchens, especially those that have kitchen tools that children are familiar with. As a young girl, I would spend hours in the kitchen with my Great Aunt Eileen. One afternoon she let me choose what dessert we should make for the evening dinner in the harvest field. I chose to make a mud pie. Well, as my Aunt went to the restroom real quick, I quickly gathered all of her kitchen materials and headed out back with the hose. Thankfully, my aunt made the real mud pie for my grandpa to eat for dinner that night.    When thinking of your outdoor environment, consider and think about the things that you loved as a child during the summer. In our last webinar, Engaging Investigation and Learning Outdoors, many participants mentioned things that they remembered as a child. How could you incorporate your childhood memories into your outdoor or investigation opportunities?  The recording to the webinar is available at kodo.learnupon.com to view.     Kodo Kids Materials Mentioned in this Blog:   https://kodokids.com/product/outdoor-ramps/ https://kodokids.com/product/rubber-ramp/ https://kodokids.com/product/garden-tools/ https://kodokids.com/product/magnifying-blocks/ https://kodokids.com/product/tunnel-set/ https://kodokids.com/product/tube-set/ https://kodokids.com/product/treasure-tubes-clear/

Refreshing your outdoor spaces by rearranging materials and adding something new is often just as exciting for the adults for your program as it is for the children. It offers entry points to have conversations with children, make observations, and introduce new concepts and vocabulary. The following Kodo materials can be easily washed and contribute to active outdoor learning! Put a little Kodo in your Outdoor Classroom: Outdoor Balance Sand Shapers Farm Canisters Outdoor Sifter Scoops Outdoor Mobile Magnet Wall As you get ready to be outdoors more, re-familiarize yourself with some old-fashioned outdoor group games. Remember playing Kitty in the Corner? Simon Says? Red Light Green Light? Most outdoor group games only require a ball or rope, and many do not require tools or equipment at all! All you need is a wee bit of planning and an enthusiastic leader. With the sun shining and those Spring snow showers a thing of the past, we are so grateful to be heading back outdoors and wish the same for each of you.    Enjoy our downloadable Outdoor Group Games perfect for your pocket!   Join Kodo Kids for our "Engaging Investigation and Learning Outdoors" webinar to explore how nature and inquiry can foster learning. Encourage bringing the outside in and taking the inside out to further children's engagement and interest in materials, inquiry questions, and new ideas.  This is a live webinar hosted on Tuesday, June 22nd at 2:30 pm Central Time Zone. A certificate will be available for those that attend the live session and a recording will be made available for those that cannot attend. 

Many indoor materials get a “new life” by bringing them outdoors for a few hours or a few days. Moving materials from indoors to out, even temporarily, helps children recognize possibilities for grouping materials in new ways, increases options for problem-solving and encourages children to incorporate natural materials as they play and discover. Take Indoor Materials Outdoors For The Day: Magnifying glasses, tongs, and other observation tools can be collected in a bin, used outdoors, and returned to your indoor spaces after cleaning. Consider the Discovery Boards (that come with mini magnifiers) as a great new resource to use outdoors.  Musical instruments - plan for an outdoor music-making session once a week and include a parade or dancing to encourage large motor play. Rubber Ramps - take outdoors for experimentation. Use rocks, tree stumps, Korxx Big blocks, or sandbags to elevate the ramps to form hills and valleys. Consider placing a couple of sections of the ramps on a grassy slope for some comparative ball races.  Sorting Stones, Sensory Stones, Calming Stones, Count and Thread Stones, and your own collection of natural rocks, beach pebbles, or polished stones are all easily washable and make wonderful loose parts for creating giant mandalas or patterns on playgrounds and grassy areas.    Stackable Pans and kitchen materials make great additions to the outdoor mud kitchen or sand area. These are great containers to add variety to storage on shelves, but are durable and easy to clean for outdoor use. Add in play stones,  sensory sound eggs and sorting eggs to encourage dramatic play outside with additional natural materials.   As you begin bringing indoor materials outside, ensure that you have a process for getting materials back inside. Not all materials are intended for extended outdoor use due to weather. Encourage children to assist with the process and create a ‘check-in and check-out’ system as a visual for both children and adults

With warm weather here, children and adults are wanting to get back outdoors. Even with limitations currently in place, active play and learning is still vital! Most programs are in the process of assessing the tools and equipment that are easy to clean and support children’s physical and cognitive development.  As Kodo thinks about outdoor materials, loose parts, and additions to any playground without large structures, our team put together a list for consideration.  Keep children actively learning through play with the following materials that are easy to clean and sanitize:  Balls, balls, and more balls - choose the types of balls that can be easily submerged in soapy water.  Outdoor Ramps - Consider your own collection of gutters or tubes that can be easily washed. Some programs may have policies that do not allow for recyclable materials for safety purposes. If that is the case for your program, don’t hesitate to take a look at our outdoor ramps, tubes, teeter totter ramps, and more! Korxx Big Building Blocks - Korxx blocks and your own plastic or outdoor wooden building blocks can be submerged in soapy water or surface washed.  Insect Observation Jars - A favorite of children and easy to submerge in soapy water after insects have been returned to their natural habitats under rocks or on leafy surfaces.  Discovery Boards - Simple clear acrylic boards about the size of a piece of paper make fabulous viewing platforms for insects too.  Plastic golf, bowling, and hula hoop sets - easily wash with soapy water and hose off after giving children a reason to move from head to toe.  Trikes and other riding toys - clean with disinfectant wipes between riders. Tip: Create a trike parking space or gas station with sidewalk chalk. Color code the spots for children to easily recognize what is ready for use and what needs to be cleaned.  Garden pots, beds, and tools - all garden tools can be washed up or cleaned with disinfectant wipes. Children can wear garden gloves or wash their hands frequently when caring for the plants in the garden spaces.Tip: Did you know that our fabric bags are made out of recyclable materials and can be used as flower pots? Take a look at our sensory materials (buckwheat or canary seed) that can be planted inside for a quick sprout or use them as a sensory experience.  Children find joy in what may seem like the smallest things, however, they are normally ones that if we slow down are easy to incorporate into learning. When outdoors, consider what your environment holds for further investigation. For example, the patterns in brick or limestone paths, ants crawling in line, or even various textures on plants and trees. There are so many learning opportunities available when the weather warms up! Let us know about some of your favorite warm weather activities in the comments!

Many questions that we hear involving Loose Parts have to do with how we organize and display the Loose Parts.  A simple concept to consider when organizing materials is “less is more”.  When there is a combination of too many types of Loose Parts, children may find it difficult to choose or make decisions on the different ways they can use them. It is important, though, to consider having more than one of the same type of Loose Parts to assist children in organizing their ideas and increasing their creativity.  To get started, consider the following: 1. Establish Loose Parts Categories:  As you begin collecting Loose Parts for your environment, it might be helpful to categorize them. Through this process, it will assist in ensuring that you have a variety of Loose Parts to further children’s innovative capacities. Some examples of categories include: Metal Plastic Natural Textiles Paper Ceramics Wood Miscellaneous 2. Plan Time to Organize Organization takes time. It is important to create time in your schedule to organize and sort the various Loose Parts that you are incorporating into the environment. To prevent yourself from getting overwhelmed, it might be beneficial to segment short amounts of time or have a friend or teaching partner assist in this organization process. 3. Select the Containers: This is an important aspect of organizing Loose Parts. As you consider the containers to display the Loose Parts, do not forget about the existing shelves you already have in your environment. This will help you decide the size and shape of the containers. When selecting the containers, consider the following: Baskets can add culture and interest to the environment. For example, many baskets from Africa are handwoven, easy to clean, are soft, and do not have rough edges. These beautifully made baskets can be great additions to the Infant/Toddler environment.  Wooden boxes come in a variety of shapes and sizes that can be easily sealed for durability.  Acrylic and plastic containers can be considered, but keep simplicity in mind when making your selections. Look for those that are neutral in color or transparent. Containers that are too colorful or garish may distract from the Loose Parts and make the display too overwhelming.  Metal trays and baking sheets make wonderful containers to store Loose Parts. Combining metal Loose Parts with metal containers can create a cohesive message.  Fabric or felt bowls are another option that can be used to store Loose Parts. These types of containers bring a variation to the display and storage available.  Photo credits: Ray Lewchuk 4. Consider Accessibility and Availability Consider the space that you have available in your environment. If you have a large classroom, then have the opportunity to utilize Loose Parts in all areas of the environment. However, if your space is smaller, it might be beneficial to rotate the Loose Parts to add complexity to children’s play. When rotating materials it is important to observe, document, and make considerations to children’s interests and ideas. Additionally, make Loose Parts accessible to children by placing them on shelves that allow them to independently use them in their play.   If you are interested in learning more about Loose Parts, join our online Professional Learning Community.

On January 27th, Miriam Beloglovsky and Kodo had the wonderful opportunity to present the webinar, Provoking Inquiry with Loose Parts, in collaboration with Early Childhood Investigations. With that, we received such thoughtful and meaningful questions around Loose Parts. Throughout the next several weeks, we will continue the conversation with you by answering some of the questions that were presented to us.    Disclaimer: The information provided by Kodo Kids and Playful Transformation within this blog is for general information only. All information within the blog is for informational purposes only. For further information on sanitation protocols, please refer to the Center for Disease Control, State Health Guidelines, and program specific policies and procedures. We recommend looking at the state licensing standards, the CDC and local health professionals to provide guidelines and recommendations for cleaning and sanitation methods.    Thank you for your questions regarding using Loose Parts by age group. We’re excited to continue the conversation. Let’s begin by addressing some of your questions about toddlers.   You asked: Is play with loose parts appropriate for toddlers? Is there a list of acceptable parts for infants and toddlers? Where do I get loose parts that are safe? Is it possible to have loose parts in a classroom full of toddlers with only 2 caregivers?   Infants and Toddlers are natural explorers. They love to test the limits of their own skills, their surroundings, and all manner of objects within reach. When it comes to objects, infants and toddlers enjoy and benefit from having a wide variety of textures, colors, shapes, and sizes. Getting started can be as simple as collecting some pot lids or a variety of sturdy napkin rings.  We suggest you and your colleagues make a list of Loose Parts that are acceptable within your program’s guidelines and invite families to participate in the collection process. It is often helpful to have a basket with a photo of the Loose Part you want. Families will be able to focus their interest and energy in helping you collect specific items.  Include materials that can be easily found or purchased giving consideration to the affordances of each type of part. Look for parts that might be easy to grasp, have interesting colors, can be mouthed safely, and inspire you and your education teams to organize and offer them in interesting combinations.    Educators are the best form of safety. When Loose Parts are curated for safety and engagement it facilitates the process of supervision. Toddlers will be motivated to freely explore and their creativity will lead them to stay focused. We would certainly all agree that when children are focused adults have more opportunity for facilitation and observation. The book Loose Parts 2: Inspiring Play for Young Children offers a variety of Loose Parts that are safe and easily collectable. Kodo has worked with Miriam Beloglosky to curate Loose Parts that are safe for Infants and Toddlers, we hope they inspire you as you create your own collections.   You asked: What kinds of loose parts are appropriate for preschoolers? Is there a liability concern with loose parts materials (other than obvious hazards) since they are not evaluated or approved by ANSI or CPSC?    Any questions you have regarding liability must be addressed by your program’s administration or State Licensing Agency. Children’s safety comes first and foremost. We do recommend that you exercise caution when selecting found Loose Parts. Begin with items typically safety tested for their original use, such as the plastic lids of food storage containers, canning jar rings, acrylic gift boxes that are food safe, and so on. Most programs, virtually all curricula, and classroom rating scales suggest or mention the inclusion of natural materials within your learning space. You most likely already have a number of natural Loose Parts such as pebbles, sticks, and seashells. Think about increasing their quantity or variety. Many programs opt to use manufactured Loose Parts that have been safety tested. At Kodo, we have been working hard to satisfy this need by creating and curating some wonderful parts with our trusted colleague, Miriam Belovglosky!  Preschoolers are just as curious and capable as toddlers when it comes to exploring their surroundings and the materials within it. As they acquire language, hone 21st Century Learning skills, and share space and materials, open-ended Loose Parts give preschoolers opportunity for meaning making, problem-solving, and creative expression.  There are countless Loose Parts that you could introduce to preschoolers. In fact, a list would be almost impossible to make. Let the children’s interests guide the process. Observe and listen to their ideas, stories, and theories. We’d like to remind you that when thinking about selecting materials keep in mind that Loose Parts is an educational philosophy that requires reflection and intentionality. Think about how a material can further or deepen children’s understanding. The more affordances that a Loose Part offers, the more opportunities children have to explore freely. For instance children can perceive a block as a car, a brick for a wall, a telephone, or anything else they imagine. What is important is for educators to be open minded about a material’s use and to refrain from defining the purpose or meaning of a particular part. When you are selecting and collecting the Loose Parts, always consider their affordances. ( Learn more about Affordance Theory by visiting Playful Transformation.com)    You asked: Do school-age children like using loose parts? What kinds of parts are appropriate for school-age?   School-age children love loose parts. They’re especially fond of using them when it comes to creating models, storytelling, designing, mapping, and tinkering. Using concrete materials to explain their thinking and try out new ideas is very valuable! In general terms school-age children use Loose Parts in symbolic, architectural, and mechanical ways. They often apply practices similar to structural engineers and will inevitably use them to explore many art forms, such as sculpture and composition. Loose parts also support school-age children to meet educational standards. School age children will also develop critical thinking, problem solving skills,  creativity, love for learning, and a global perspective, which are skills outlined by 21st Century Learning. As they become familiar with the properties and affordances of each type of part, children’s creations and  explorations can become quite complex.  Each of us have personally observed school-age children using Loose Parts in many ways. A few examples are as follows:  To explain how water travels from the mountains down to the ocean To test and compare the stability of various types of structural materials  To create models of community gardens, parks, cities, subway systems, and space stations To design and create large mandalas on a basketball court To act out a collaborative story with roles of farmer, grocer, clerk, and customers To demonstrate the physics of gravity To compute how many glasses of water would fill a classroom To explore force and trajectory of objects  To experience cause and effect as they manipulate objects to achieve a goal To engage in collaboration and team building as they work together to create a transient art mural using loose parts  We could fill volumes with examples.  By the time children reach primary school they have a sensibility about space. If you wish to offer Loose Parts experiences in, for example, a large outdoor space, gymnasium, or atrium, choose large scale parts. These could include things such as tree stumps, pails, pipe fittings, traffic cones, cardboard boxes and tubes, gutters, and large rocks. Conversely in small spaces or for tabletop exploration, choose small parts such as wooden spools, cones, fabric scraps, drink coasters, and one of our collective personal favorites, a button collection.  There are so many wonderful natural, found, and manufactured Loose Parts for children to explore at home, in family child care settings, in preschool, and school-age programs. The wonderful thing about Loose Parts is that it helps children know who they are so that they may go forward into adulthood with the confidence they need to thrive. In a world where knowledge is changing so swiftly, it’s critical that children have the knowledge, abilities, character traits, and work behaviors that are believed to be critical for navigating in the unknown future of the 21st century.  We’re positive that as you begin to incorporate the Loose Parts educational philosophy you will recognize just how valuable open-ended Loose Parts can be! Jump to last weeks blog post, Loose Parts & COVID. Missed registering and attending the Webinar? View a recorded version by registering here. Download directions for making a paper small parts tester: Kodo-Kids-Choke-TesterDownload  

On January 27th, Miriam Beloglovsky and Kodo had the wonderful opportunity to present the webinar, Provoking Inquiry with Loose Parts, in collaboration with Early Childhood Investigations. With that, we received such thoughtful and meaningful questions around Loose Parts. Throughout the next several weeks, we will continue the conversation with you by answering some of the questions that were presented to us.    Disclaimer: The information provided by Kodo Kids and Playful Transformation within this blog is for general information only. All information within the blog is for informational purposes only. For further information on sanitation protocols, please refer to the Center for Disease Control, State Health Guidelines, and program specific policies and procedures. We recommend looking at the state licensing standards, the CDC and local health professionals to provide guidelines and recommendations for cleaning and sanitation methods.    Diane Spahn: It really depends on the kind of material, such as plastic, metal, fabric and so on. Each category should be cleaned in a different way.  Consider using a mesh bag with a bunch of easy to clean materials, swish them in a sink full of hot soapy water, hang to dry overnight, and then use your sanitizing spray the next day.     Miriam Beloglovsky: Using water play can also help with keeping Loose Parts clean. Children enjoy washing rocks, and tiles. The process is soothing and engaging.  At the end of the water play, the Loose Parts can be spread out to dry.  In agreement with Kasey and Diane, I would also recommend aving a cleaning and disinfecting plan in place that is created in collaboration. A plan can unify the cleaning system across the program and make it more efficient.  Kasey Kile, Director of Professional Development  - Kodo Kids: I would reiterate what Diane said. The type of materials that you are cleaning/sanitizing would change the way that I approach sanitizing. For example, when considering a  plastic or silicone based materials, it is really easy to utilize a bucket of soapy water to start with, rinsing them in another container, and then laying them out to dry and spraying them down with your sanitizing solution. Consider looking for more information at a blog I wrote previously: Making Cleaning Simple During Challenging Times.  Some materials are dishwasher safe and make for easy cleaning by placing them on the top rack to clean. Additionally, I have used lingerie bags and put a variety of materials in the washing machine. Now, would I do that with beautiful wooden materials? Absolutely not! I am much more gentle with the wooden materials, but have still continued to use them in programs during COVID. We do not submerge them in water, but rather spray each piece with a Green Cleaner and damp cloth and allow them to thoroughly dry.   Diane Spahn: I would encourage a new list of acceptable loose parts is developed in collaboration with those in the program. Consider materials that can easily be found and collected by the program and families.  Also, look at what types  of materials you are using in your program right now: Are they ones that have been tested for safety? For example, silicone items are safety tested for handling and cooking. Additionally, consider materials that can be easily cleaned and sanitized. Materials like colorful plastic bowls, silicone cupcake liners, metal or plastic rings, stainless steel drinking straws, ceramic tiles, and squeezable applesauce caps come to mind. Think of ‘found materials’ or recyclable materials that can easily be collected. Also, look at materials that you might already have in your classroom or environment. A collection of marker caps, a group of empty juice or milk bottles, a stack of coasters, a bin full of elbow and other pipe connectors will afford children the opportunity to explore interesting shapes and textures.  Miriam Beloglovsky: I would encourage you to research the factual regulations. Find out what is available at the community, state, and federal levels that provide guidance for the types of materials that are acceptable.  Kasey Kile: With COVID, there were and still are a lot of unknowns. Many programs I work closely with continue to receive so many different guidelines making it difficult to decide what materials they should or should not have available. Throughout this challenging time, I go back to what is best for you and the children in your program. If quality materials are not available, then our learning environments suffer. There are many programs that have chosen to follow a more eco-sustainable approach and have been sanitizing their Loose Parts following the required guidelines.  I encourage you to consider the whole child and what is truly best for them. Additionally, consider materials that are easy to come by and easy to part with (recyclable materials). Many families have assisted me throughout the years in collecting and gathering a variety of recyclable materials. Further, what natural materials (rocks, sea shells, pine cones) could be brought inside and used as Loose Parts? Some natural materials are just as easy to clean as manufactured materials.  Many wood pieces can be easily cleaned, and we have added them into infant toddler programs successfully. 

This year for Giving Tuesday Kodo Kids decided to do things a little differently. We had our employees split up into two teams and pick their own charities to donate to. Instead of raising money just on Giving Tuesday, we are having a social media competition where the teams will document how they're supporting their charities. On the final day of our competition, we will let our followers vote on Instagram to decide which team they think Kodo should donate $1000 to. The second place team will receive a donation of $500 from Kodo too!     Team Information   Team 1 Non Profit: Cultivate Our president, Lauren Barthen, is captain of team 1. Many seniors are struggling with the isolating challenges of aging in their own homes and communities, or if someone is not yet a senior, they have loved ones who are facing those challenges. At Cultivate we help those seniors flourish by connecting them—as recipients and contributors—with their surrounding communities. Her team will be making artwork and raising money to donate to Cultivate. For more information on Cultivate: https://cultivate.ngo/   Team 2 Non Profit: Food for Thought Denver & Food Bank of the Rockies Our marketing manager, Michael Steffy, is captain of team 2. Food for Thought strives to eliminate weekend hunger for children in the Denver Metro Area by providing food PowerSacks for the weekend, because we believe that no child should go hungry. Each PowerSack has 10-15 items, enough to feed a family of four two meals. Each week, hundreds of volunteers help pack and deliver PowerSacks to the schools we serve across Denver. The schools we serve are where 90% or more of the student population is eligible for free and reduced lunch programs. These schools are known as “Title One,” which means an annual income for a family of four is less than $29,000 per year. Because we give every student a PowerSack, many of the barriers that traditionally interfere with distribution are removed. To make sure no PowerSacks go unused, we encourage community tables and food pantries in the schools we serve have access to extra or unwanted items. We provide PowerSacks for 10,668 elementary kids at 53 schools, as well as discreet food pantries in eight high schools. We are a 100% volunteer program. We have no employees and pay no salaries. Never have, never will! Our generous Board of Directors cover all admin and fundraising costs. 100% of your donations are used to buy food for our program. Michaels team will be having a food drive to donate to Food Bank of the Rockies and will be raising money to donate to Food for Thought Denver. For more information on Food for Thought Denver: https://foodforthoughtdenver.org/our-impact/ Donation Updates: Team 1: December 9th: Our employees and their children have gotten together to create some cute crafts that they will be delivering to Frasier Meadows Retirement Community. December 15th: Team 1 got very creative this week! Our president, Lauren Barthen, and her daughters made holiday wreaths that will be also delivered to Frasier Meadows Retirement Community. Team 2: December 9th: The Kodo Kids food drive kicked off in the office, employees are bringing in their non-perishable food items to later be donated! December 15th: Team 2's food drive is underway, employees around the office have pitched in to donate over two boxes full of non-perishable food items for Food Bank of the Rockies. Follow us on Instagram to keep up with our competition and cast your vote! We will be updating our blog throughout the competition so stay tuned for more.  

Do you cringe when you hear online learning, e-learning, online training, or even just online? Many educators visibly shudder when hearing those words and for good reason. It has become the main way that many of us are learning right now, whether that be children or through professional development opportunities.      So many of us are used to professional development being a day of learning new ideas, interacting with others, and getting rejuvenated. Last week virtually attending the NAEYC Annual Conference was a great experience and very well done, but it just wasn’t the same! I missed seeing friends, colleagues, and making new friends! The week prior, I had the thrill of attending a Leadercast Event. It was hosted in the local movie theatre, where we were all socially distanced, wore masks, and viewed a variety of amazing speakers. What made this so different? Well, for one, we got popcorn, candy, drinks, sat in comfortable chairs, and got to interact with others. I’m still reflecting on my notes and how much joy that day brought me!    As an individual that thrives on attending professional development events throughout the year, I recognize the challenges of creating thoughtful opportunities for all educators. Kodo Certified Trainers may not be traveling this year (or anytime soon it seems), but we are working to adapt and adjust our training opportunities. When offering professional development for your program, consider the following:  Utilize our Virtual Learning asynchronous sessions to work around everyone’s schedule. These provide educators the opportunity to explore a variety of topics at their own pace. Take the learning to another level through scheduling times to discuss the topics and activities that are part of the sessions.  Consider the Professional Development Bundles to receive a kit of materials to utilize during a live training session. These bundles are curated with a specific training session and utilize the materials for hands-on application to provide educators with immediate tools, ideas, and learning opportunities to implement in the environment.    Contact us about a customized option! Kodo has worked with many programs this fall to create a customized kit and live virtual professional development session. This allows each educator to have a kit of materials to utilize during the virtual session! This allows us to assimilate a hands-on learning experience similar to what is found during our in-person training events.   If any of these options are of interest to you, don’t hesitate to contact our Director of Professional Development to discuss what option would work best for you and/or your program. Additionally, the opportunity to discuss how to make a virtual professional development opportunity engaging, fun, and inspiring!        

Fostering STEM skills in young children, often starts with the materials you have available in your environment. However, it is more than the materials, but rather, how the Educator facilitates learning with materials and how the children utilize the material. The right materials often enhance the learning that can take place in any environment. For example, utilizing the natural shape viewers (inside or outside), encourage children to naturally investigate. It limits the ‘view’ of an object and allows children to look closer. As an Educator, using the following inquiry statements and questions support STEM learning:  Wow, that is a large leaf! It is so big it is larger than your shape viewer.  What do you notice about that leaf?  Is it the same as… Is it different than… Does it look different when you use the shape viewer? Why or why not?  What if you ‘zoomed’ in with your shape viewer?  Does the leaf look the same all over?      Invite Curiosity   As Kodo’s Educators began considering materials for children to develop scientific disposition focused around play and self-directed investigation, it was important to consider The Creative Curriculum® classroom Discovery area. With many of our curated kits of materials, the consideration to invite curiosity and close examination to assist children in developing important processing skills was at the forefront of our minds. Additionally, the thinking that these materials would be available to enhance what you already have. When considering The Creative Curriculum® classroom Discovery area, Kodo took into consideration the need to enhance the ‘S’ in STEM - Science! Specifically, the need to increase interest and discovery with physical science. The materials within each kit offer the ability for children to be creative, think outside of the box, and engage in learning.     Set Up Your Space   For The Creative Curriculum® classroom Discovery area, Kodo wanted to support educators in setting up their space. No matter the size, the area can be centered around a shelf, a table, or on the floor. The biggest component you will find in all of the kits is the activity tray. This is an important piece as it allows you to provide a set of materials to investigate and interact with, all while providing a defined space for children. For example, if utilizing the marble rubber ramps to explore motion, incline, force, and other physics terminology, the activity tray can act as a marble catcher! This tray works great on the floor or on a table. Again, make considerations to what works best for your environment and children.      Explore Outdoors   When looking at Science and STEM, Kodo always likes to take the learning outside! There are so many opportunities for exploring science outside, and what better way to engage learners when the weather is nice than taking the learning outside. When the materials are rotated or even taken outside, children are naturally curious about what they can do with them. Further, the children will think of new materials to incorporate into their play. As you look to incorporate Kodo’s materials into the Discovery Area, don’t hesitate to contact our Educators for additional support.

I am sitting here holding a wooden pebble in my hand as I reflect on how Kodo Kids and I met.  This wooden pebble is just one of the many beautiful materials created for children by Kodo Kids.  Here is what I remember about that day at NAEYC: In 2018, my book titled:  Inspiring Wonder, Awe, and Empathy – Spiritual Development in Young Children (2018) had just been published and made available at the NAEYC Annual Conference. It was displayed in the Convention Hall along with hundreds of booths and products. One of those booths belonged to Kodo Kids.  Being a fan of Kodo Kids from the start, I made my yearly visit to see what was new and to touch the beautifully made wooden toys and ramps. As I was engaged with these materials it occurred to me that these toys; these learning materials are beautiful! The care and thought that goes into the design and process of making them actually parallel what I write about in my book. In other words, I clearly saw a link between Kodo Kids' philosophy and my research and work in spiritual development. When children play with beautiful, stimulating materials, their spirits are awakened and nurtured.  They experience wonder, awe, joy, and inner peace…words that come directly from my own research.  In 2018, I purchased the new wooden pebbles from the Kodo Kids booth and shared my thoughts with Kasey Kile, Director of Professional Development. To this day, when I hold one of the wooden pebbles in my hand, I am reminded of that day. I am also reminded of the close tie between spiritual development and nature.   For more information on Spiritual Development consider the following: View Deborah’s Previous Blog: Introduction to Spiritual Development with Young Children Take Deb’s online course: Inspiring Wonder, Awe, and Empathy: Spiritual Development and Spiritual Moments Purchase her book from RedLeaf Press Wishing you much joy, Deborah Schein.

Kodo Partner - Deborah Schein I started my career in 1972 as an educator and later as a Director of a Jewish early childhood program. I then moved to a low-income urban setting, where I created a classroom-based upon the Reggio Emilia philosophy of the hundred languages. Even with this beautiful program that included art, self-expression, dialogue, projects, and lots of natural materials, I felt like something important was missing. So, I began studying Spiritual Development in 2002.  One might ask, what prompted you on this journey to go back to school and study a topic such as spiritual development. Well, let me tell you about a day many years ago that prompted this inquiry.  One day, one of my young students came to me with a worm in his hand. He was quite excited and my own response did not support what he was feeling. I actually froze, offering him no words of support or encouragement.  Can you imagine freezing and not being able to support a child in their excitement?!    Acknowledging Spiritual Development in Young Children From that moment on I have been thinking about and researching children’s spiritual development. When I look back at that scenario, I now realize that this little boy was in the midst of a spiritual moment. Sadly, the idea of spiritual development has been tabooed in secular educational settings. It didn’t occur to me that I could have and should have done something to acknowledge this special moment for him.   Words of gratitude Thoughts of praise Appreciation for diversity and beauty    Everyday Activities These are all examples that come to mind as ways of introducing spirituality into our everyday work with children. We might also think about ways to provide children with daily doses of wonder, awe, and joy to awaken in them, their own uniqueness, an awareness of self, along with the multitude of ways to connect their amazing selves with the rest of the world. Below are some examples of daily doses to support children’s spiritual development: Watch an ant creep across the grass Enjoy time with a friend, or even, allow children time to be alone to allow their sense of self to emerge Watch the sunrise or the sunset together  Join Kodo and Deb Schein over the next several weeks as she shares her ongoing thoughts and reflections on early childhood education and spiritual development.    For more information on Spiritual Development consider the following: Take Deb’s online course: Inspiring Wonder, Awe, and Empathy: Spiritual Development and Spiritual Moments Read Deb's blog on Fostering Spiritual Moments in Time Purchase her book from RedLeaf Press Wishing you all much joy, Deborah Schein  

How many times have you played peek-a-boo with a child? Too many to count, I would assume. Children naturally engage in games starting at a very early age, hiding themselves with their hands or with a blanket draped over them. As children grow older, they utilize various materials that they find.  Reflecting back on my days in the classroom, there were many times that children gave me a role to play in their games or play. When considering materials for the classroom, specifically if you are using The Creative Curriculum®, our team worked to curate a collection of materials that support children’s natural curiosity and desire to problem-solve. These materials offer an opportunity for children to work independently, with a teacher, or with peers. Imagine your manipulative area with materials that stimulate children’s senses, encourage exploration, and complement the existing materials in the Toys and Games area. When providing new materials, we often consider how to present materials to children. As with many things, a common response from our Educators is, “It depends.”  As the teacher, you know much more about the children within your classroom than we might. However, there are many ways that we might present new materials to children. Here are some suggestions when adding new materials to your environment.  There have been many times that I have had a class meeting to discuss a new material in the environment. It might be as a large group or even as a small group meeting. With this type of meeting, children and teachers are able to discuss the material(s) as a whole and think collectively about how the material(s) might be used.  Another option is to display it on a shelf. Many children are quick to notice a change in available materials. Further, it is a chance to see how they will initially interact with the material and use it in a way that we may not have even noticed! This is a great time to observe children’s cognitive skills as they experiment with construction, invention, fine motor skills, and social-emotional skills.  Other times, I have displayed materials on a table with other supporting materials to provide an environmental prompt to children. Additionally, the option for children to bring other materials from the environment to support their play and learning.  With these three options, there are always pros and cons. It depends on the material, the children, and the goals behind adding in the material(s). As the Teacher, you will find some ways work better for your group of children. Either way, the learning opportunities are endless when providing a wide range of complex developmentally appropriate toys and games. 

Cleaning and sanitizing have always been an important part of the early childhood classroom, but now, it is the ‘hot topic’ when discussing Back to School. How are we going to clean and sanitize everything every hour of the day?  How are we going to ensure that children are playing with clean materials all day long?  What materials can and should remain accessible?  How should the materials be cleaned and sanitized?  Kodo has many materials that can be easily cleaned and sanitized to ensure children are still able to engage with quality materials that support learning. Some that immediately come to mind:    No need to eliminate block play. All of our Korxx Blocks sets can be washed with soap and water! In fact, we’ve always encouraged incorporating Korxx Blocks into your sensory experiences.    There are many materials that are specifically designed for outdoors (or indoors too)! Consider our Rubber Ramps and Black & White Balls for easy to clean materials.   Even though they are labeled as Toddler Ramps, we often use them in our sensory bins with various age groups. These all-purpose ramps are great for any environment due to their smaller size (think storage) and are easy to clean with soap and water!   Did you know that even the Jurassic Sand can be cleaned and sanitized?! Crazy, I know! We have several options to choose from. Take a look at the Care tab on the website for more information.   So, let’s take a look at how easy it is to clean some of Kodo’s materials.   Grab a large container (bucket or storage bin), some soap (Kodo is not affiliated with Palmolive soap, it just was handy), and fill up the bin with water and soap.   Start the ‘spin’ cycle by dumping items like rubber ramps, tunnels, and tubes into the container.   Lastly, lay the materials out to dry and spray with a disinfectant solution. I chose to spray mine down and let them air dry outdoors. Did you know that sunlight is also a natural combatant against many germs?   This school year is going to bring its own challenges, but don’t let cleaning take away from your true passion...teaching! Don’t hesitate to contact us to assist with any cleaning and sanitizing questions. 

Irresistible Materials Most young children love squishy, messy, slimy, and gooey things. Very few can resist a stomp through a puddle, or the satisfaction of mixing up a really nice mud pie. There’s something compelling about the feel of soft warm sand, sudsy water, or cool crisp leaves. It’s no wonder sensory play and exploration are a staple in early childhood programs. And it’s no surprise that natural sensory materials like sand and water can be both calming and energizing, resulting in focused sustained engagement.  Arranging Your Sand and Water Space Keep in mind that in a sand and water space a little can go a long way. If space is an issue, sturdy shallow bins can substitute nicely for a sand and water table. Materials only need to be a couple of inches deep for children to have engaging experiences. Tools are key for children to uncover math and earth science concepts. Cups, bowls, pitchers, funnels, and utensils for mixing and measuring top the list.  A good supply of these will ensure enough for several children, support them to practice mathematical language, and “play” with concepts such as more, less, full, empty, thick, thin, and so much more.  When children use tools for pouring, sifting, shaping, and scooping, they practice fine motor movement and hand-to-eye coordination, both prerequisites for writing and drawing.  Less Is More Though tools are essential for enriching sand and water exploration, a common mistake is to fill up the table or material bins with too many. Place just two or three tools in with the sensory materials. Arrange the rest nearby on a shelf or in buckets close to the actual sensory lab, table, or bins. This way children are offered opportunities to make choices and think critically about the tools they wish to use.  As an added benefit, you’ll be afforded the opportunity to observe those choices, and model and introduce tools over time as interests change and children mature developmentally.  Sensory Play Every Day Sand, water, and sensory exploration can and should be offered each day indoors or out. Each environment will have a certain degree of influence on how children behave and interact with one another. Spaces arranged indoors may yield negotiation and cooperative play while outdoor spaces naturally invite children to fill the space with their voices and movements. Regardless of where you set up a sand and water exploration space, these areas are particularly important for social development, spontaneous investigations, inquiry, and focused engagement. Every day is a day for sensory play. Learn about Kodo’s curated collections for sand, water, and sensory explorations here.

Playground Memories I recently came across a few old photos of my kindergarten playground. The space was basically a concrete pad that featured monkey bars made of pipe, a slide, a painted hopscotch court, and a bench. It didn’t have any vegetable gardens, trees, flowers, sand pits, sensory tables, or natural spaces. It did, however, have a big cart full of balls which were loved by all. I remember getting in trouble for climbing up the ladder of the slide while clutching a playground ball. My plan to send it careening down to see if it would reach the far end of the space was squashed by a well-meaning adult.  Today’s Playground Designs Unlike those days when outside time was nothing more than recess, today’s early childhood programs recognize that outdoor learning spaces are incredibly valuable for children’s overall well being and development. Spaces for leaping, running, climbing, and chasing balls are now mingled with natural spaces filled with sand, soil, rocks, plants, and trees that offer texture, shade, beauty, and invite exploration of the natural world. The old fashioned pipeworks monkey bars have been replaced with multi-leveled log structures, tree stumps, and rope bridges.  Playground designs today include active learning spaces such as outdoor science labs, art studios, farm to table gardens, mud kitchens, grassy hillsides, and materials that invite imagination, collaboration, and problem-solving.  Easy To Implement Ideas If your program is lacking in natural spaces or cannot undergo a major transformation consider adding planting boxes and potted trees. Arbors and pergolas made of natural timbers or willow branches often provide shade and are perfect for creating focused areas for exploration. Even adding shade sails can set the stage for you to develop a covered area for physics or earth science experiences.  If your space does not have access to water, give several children the responsibility of filling up small buckets from indoors to fill shallow bins or sensory tables outdoors.  Chain link fences shared with other classrooms can be used for weaving fabric strips or long grasses, hanging potted plants, or attaching pipes. Fences are also perfect for installing Magnet Walls or water course systems using plastic tubing and funnels. Attach open picture frames to chain link fences or cut peep holes into wooden fences to offer children a specified viewing space for observing animals, people, or vehicles that pass by.  Create bird feeding platforms or mini bird baths using plastic food trays and attach those to your fence. Simple additions like these offer children a starting point to explore and investigate, ask questions, and seek out the answers.  The formula is pretty simple; for every man-made item you have, add something natural. For every material you have, add tools to explore the material.  Whole Child Learning Outdoor learning settings naturally provide children with opportunities for social and emotional growth, conversation, vocabulary development and fine and gross motor practice. They can also be spaces in which earth and physical science concepts are explored, where math is integrated in play, and where process skills such as prediction, observation, and problem-solving are central to exploration. Keep in mind that a rich sensory experience should be present in each of your program’s learning spaces, including  those you create outdoors.  If your space is or under development or even fully developed, our Enhancing Outdoors curated collections provide a diverse assortment of tools and accessories. I’m proud to be a part of the education and design team behind these terrific products. After all, I was the child who wanted to test how balls would travel down a slide and I’m still experimenting today! In recent months we’ve all been indoors a little too much. It’s time to get outside, refresh our spaces, and recognize all the learning taking place outdoors.

My heart is breaking….my brain is swimming…my emotions are raw… How do you put on paper what you are feeling during this time? As an educator and one that worked diligently to provide a safe learning space for all children, I am struggling to find the words to explain, provide assistance, or even hope in this challenging time. When your brain and emotions are in turmoil (flight or fight), even as an adult, it is difficult to process, articulate, and convey how you are feeling in a helpful way.  One thing that assists me in times of distress is reaching for a book. I have always loved to read and am often found with ‘my nose in a book’. Most books for me are a retreat from the everyday hustle and bustle. However, in challenging times like these, a children’s book brings light, inspiration, openness, and sometimes some understanding. The authors that have the awareness, creativity, and ability to create books to assist in teaching children about ‘big’ topics are truly awe-inspiring.  Here is a list of children’s books that might assist you or your children to reflect, discuss, and learn how to help others during this time: I Am Human: A Book of Empathy– By Susan Verde ● Art by Peter H. Reynolds A is for Activist and Counting on Community– Written and Illustrated by Innosanto Nagara Peaceful Fights for Equal Rights– By Rob Sanders ● Illustrated by Jared Andrew Schorr Same, Same But Different– Written and Illustrated by Jenny Sue Kostecki-Shaw The Day You Begin– By Jacqueline Woodson ● Illustrated by Rafael Lȯpez I Am Enough– By Grace Byers ● Illustrated by Keturah A. Bobo People – by Peter Spier Love Makes a Family– By Sophie Beer Although these books were written for children, their messages speak to all of us, no matter our ages. 

The unit block has been a staple material in American kindergarten and preschool classrooms for well over one hundred years.  In fact, educators from as early as the late 1700’s suggested that play with blocks was valuable for children to experience gravity, geometry, and physics. Today’s teachers know that block play also yields opportunities for social emotional development, communication , and process skills development. Additionally, we know that providing various types of textured blocks and block accessories and materials that offer children opportunities to build complex structures and create play scripts support concept development and systems thinking. Kodo’s Enhancing Block Play Collections are designed to provide that complexity. Sets of loose construction materials, including ramps, wooden platforms, natural cork blocks, and play props invite children to think deeply and explore how parts can be combined to create imaginary structures and elaborate systems. Parts from each of the collections can also be used to set up entirely new learning areas or can be added to nearby spaces such as the sensory table or math manipulatives area. Additionally, many of the components, for example wooden Discovery Ramps and cork blocks can be made available in a STEM lab, library, or other common space.   Enhancing Block Play III Collection Because many of the materials we develop here at Kodo are unique, (they certainly have not been around for more than 100 years), we’re often asked how to use them. The simplest answer is this, “Unbox them with the children, and they’ll know what to do.” It’s true that children view the materials much like they do unit blocks, they’re for combining them with other construction parts to build just about anything they can dream up. They’re for testing their ideas and applying the knowledge they have about how things work to something new. They’re for constructing models of cool new machines, detailed landscapes,  make-believe stories, representations of places and things they know about, and most of all they’re for learning.

Like chocolate and peanut butter, some pairings are undeniably wonderful. We are so pleased to announce that Kodo and Teaching Strategies® have partnered together! Our teams have collaborated to create unique packages of high-quality materials to support high-quality instruction. Over the years, Kodo has become the leader in innovative products in the early education field. Our truly open-ended materials offer teachers and children flexibility in the classroom.That, however, can also lead to confusion! For years, we’ve heard, “I love Kodo products, but how do I use them in our program?” Our answer, of course, is “There are endless possibilities! Use them to support your curriculum!” It’s always been important to us to help teachers connect open-ended materials with multiple learning objectives. Thus, our partnership with Teaching Strategies® came to be. By aligning our products with flexible frameworks for learning and assessment, educators are empowered to recognize the possibilities for how, why, and where children will benefit from them most.  Each of the collections is organized by learning area. If your classroom environment is arranged in centers, these materials are well suited to support your children’s daily explorations! If you use the Creative Curriculum®, all of the materials will compliment your implementation and support many of the studies. If you practice an emergent or play-based curriculum, use the materials to support children’s interests and investigations throughout the classroom.  Your program might be in need of new materials to rejuvenate classroom spaces or develop new learning centers. The nature of Kodo’s open-ended classroom tools ensures that children will use and combine them in ways that help them actively explore integrated concepts and ideas, support them to think critically and problem-solve, and may just surprise you with how creatively they invent ways to use them. When children have high quality materials that offer them choices, it’s not surprising that teachers notice a marked increase in engagement and communication.  All in all, use these collections to enhance your learning areas, fuel inquiry and investigation, support children’s emerging interests, and authentically assess children’s learning and skill development.  Learn more about our curated collections here. There are four collections in each interest area, and range from a basic kit (Level I) and build up to our most robust and substantial kit (Level IV). And as always, contact us with questions! We’re always here to help!

Maintaining interest and engagement in the math area can be challenging. But we want to help! Let’s take a quick look at how to re-set your Math area!  1. Start Fresh - Setting up a new space or even refreshing a space starts with a clean slate. Allow yourself the time to clear the space, wipe and clean the shelves, and sanitize all of the materials. Remove anything with missing or damaged parts. 2. Identify and Organize - This is a great time to identify what materials you have available and get organized! Some materials might be hiding in plain sight in another part of your environment. Think about your art area (pom poms, pipe cleaners), natural elements from your science or discovery space (seashells, pine cones) or a colleague’s materials that you can borrow. 3. Use Now or Use Later - Once you have collected all of the math materials based on objectives and/or categories, think about which ones should be displayed now and/or saved to rotate out at another time. 4. Display Materials - Arrange items on the shelves with intention. Consider the following as you group materials:  Curriculum Connections  Interests of the Children  Assessment Tools Math Objectives (Sorting, Patterning, Number Sense, Spatial Relationships, etc.) 5. Connect to Curriculum - Include other materials that are connected to other areas of the curriculum. This can be accomplished by displaying literacy books that support math and/or having notepads and pencils available.      Now, let’s take a deeper dive into the ‘Why’ of the materials you are selecting for your area.       1. Interests of the Children - What have the children shown an interest in lately? Making considerations to the materials available that meet the children’s interests is a great start! For example, if they have shown interest in vehicles, consider the following as fun math accessories: Wheels Pack (or something similar!) Various Keys - ask parents to bring in old keys!  Literacy Books  2. Curriculum or Topics of Interest - Make consideration of the curriculum that you are using. Are there supplemental materials or studies that can correlate with the new math area? Further, what topics of interest might assist you in making the connection to refreshing your math area? 3. Extend the Learning - What other materials could be placed in the area to extend the learning in the math area? Make consideration of adding paper and pencil to encourage children to use their fine motor skills to document what they are doing while engaging in the space. Also, consider the various developmental ages of the children you have in your environment. How might you scaffold the learning? 4. Environmental Rating Scales - If your program uses the environmental rating scales, ensure that you are incorporating materials that are listed in the math subscales and that you have ‘many’ available for a ‘good to excellent’ score. 5. Assessments - Last but not least, don’t forget to make consideration of any other assessment tools you are using.  Take a glance through the standards Consider any child assessments and look through any observation records.  Follow Kodo on social media for more ideas and resources, and tag us on social #kodokids #kodokidsusa  

Are you interested in the book but not sure what it's about? Do you have an investigation book from Kodo but not really sure how to get started?   Let’s dive into our Ramp Investigation Book! The Investigation Books were developed in-house by our Education Team exclusively for our Kodo Original Materials. They are a collection of inquiry-based activity books that describe everything you need to set the stage for investigation play in your program. Each book has an introduction to get an educator started to setting up an investigation based on the specific material(s): Discovery Ramps, Rubber Ramps, magnet wall, wind tunnel, and outdoor ramps! Additionally, there is a list of materials to assist in extending the exploration and investigation of the materials. Some of these materials are specific to Kodo, while others are ones that you might have in your existing play space. Keep in mind, you don’t need all of the materials listed, but rather, it is just a suggestion!  Each book has several hands-on learning and discovery activities to launch into an investigation. These activities are set up for beginners to masters (ages 3-12) and arranged from easiest (Level 1) to more complex (Level 3). One thing to remember, though, if you are introducing ramps for the first time to any age group, Kodo recommends starting them at Level 1.  Example of one Activity from the Discovery Ramp Investigation Book When taking a closer look at one activity, there is a section for the materials that you will need to have available and the vocabulary to consider using with the children. On one page you will find the following: Adults’ Focus Children’s Focus Description  On the other page, some additional resources to extend the learning. These include: Children’s Books to support the investigation Teaching Tips Open-Ended Questions Extension to expand the learning  Look and Listen for Learning Kodo Partner, ieDiscoveries in Manhattan, Ks, utilized the resources in the Investigation Book to assist their curriculum for a unique camp experience. Their camps are one day offerings for children ages 4-12. So, they don’t have the ability to extend an investigation over weeks or months, but they were successful in creating a one-day experience!  To start the camp day, children were provided the opportunity to explore the space with the various materials available. ieDiscoveries views play and the opportunity to explore the materials as an important part of the day, just as Kodo does!  For the first activity of the day, the educators set up “We’re Going on a Ramp Hunt”. They started with one of the suggested books and then had a discussion with the children using a dry erase board to document their responses.  What ways are ramps used for play? For work? For transportation?  What do you know about ramps? Where are ramps used?  What do you want to know about ramps? What kind of ramps do you think we will find on our walk?  With a beautiful sunny day, the children gathered paper, pencils, and clipboards to go on a walk around the block to view various ramps. Once a ramp was noticed by a child, the educator facilitated a discussion about the ramp use utilizing inquiry questions.  After the discussion, the children then were instructed to draw the ramp that they observed. Some of the ramps discussed and investigated on the walk were: The stairs and slide on a play structure Handicap ramp  Drain gutter When they arrived back at ieDiscoveries, the children were to choose one of the ramps they observed on the walk to use any materials to build and design. Two pictures indicate the various designs to create the stairs and slide. This is this child’s depiction of the handicap ramp to the building. Since the children had just met each other and it was the first time for them to explore ramps, the children designed and built their own structure to depict what they saw on the walk. The educators spent time with each child discussing and documenting with pictures what and how they created the ramp. As seen in the photos, some children used various materials and did not just use the Discovery Ramps. One child used recyclable materials to create the stairs and slide, which he took home at the end of the day.  To ensure plenty of free play, time for meals, a short rest, and the interest of the children, the educators set up the following activities for the camp day from the Ramp Investigation Book: “Go and Stop Challenge”, “Newton’s First Law”, and “The Longest Ramp Road Ever”.  With the extensive materials available from Kodo at ieDiscoveries, the children incorporated many other items in their play as seen in the pictures below: Go and Stop Challenge --  The children were encouraged to work in partners for this challenge. Some children due to their age and developmental abilities started with a small group but gravitated to working individually.  Exploring Newton’s First Law -- This child was very intrigued by this concept and spent a lot of time pushing the ball down the ramps toward another ball.  The Longest Road Ever --  Since this was their first-day using ramps, many children kept the ramps flat on the floor and did not use any elevation elements to build their road. These children, ages 6 and 7, worked diligently and had many conversations about how hard they needed to push the ball to travel to the end of the ‘road’.  Although the intent or hope of the Investigation Books is to offer ideas to jump-start a long term investigation, ieDiscoveries used them in a different way. We loved getting to hear first-hand experience of our Investigation Book. Kodo’s mission is to act as a resource and support the work that educators are doing in the field. With that, developing the Investigation Books is just one way that we thought we could help.  Thank you ieDiscoveries for sharing your success with investigating ramps. If you have our Investigation Books and have used them to jump-start an investigation or used them for activity ideas, we would love to hear from you!  Tag us on social #kodokids #kodokidsusa  

Imaginative social play occurs in many places within the classroom. We love to encourage social play everywhere both indoors and out! With this project however, we wanted to create a focused space that supports a child's imagination as they build worlds and landscapes. We focused on flexibility and providing options so the play environment would follow the child's play. The idea that materials should follow childrens play vs dictating their play was fundamental in our design. So much of a child's world is determined for them especially their environment. With the Playscape Platforms we looked to change this by providing "ground planes" that are arranged by the child. Instead of just building on a single plane of a floor or table, these platforms can be elevated and arranged to create dynamic worlds leading to more complex and involved play. We chose elegant organic shapes as the design language so there would be no front or back, but instead equally approachable from all sides. This encourages community, enhancing social play. The white laminate was an intentional choice to downplay the pieces and create a "generic" foundation upon which children will build their story. Combine with everyday classroom materials like blocks and characters the play possibilities are endless. The Playscape Platforms are intended to serve children in their play and from what has been observed in many classrooms, we have succeeded! As with many Kodo materials, there are multiple ways in which to use the Playscapes Platforms. Just view the photos to see it put together in multiple ways: Integrating STEM and 21st Century Skills 21st Century Skills CREATIVITY: Children develop play scripts, engage in imaginative role-play, and use materials to create characters and settings. COMMUNICATIONExpressive Language Receptive Language Vocabulary CRITICAL THINKING: Children assign meaning and purpose to block play materials. Problem-solving opportunities arise as structures and story settings are built. COLLABORATION: Incorporating other’s ideas and negotiating roles and actions encourages collaboration. Integrated STEM Concepts SCIENCEMaterial Properties Balance Cause and Effect TECHNOLOGY: Children use low-tech tools during construction play such as blocks and builders, writing tools, and drawing materials. ENGINEERING: Building and constructing with blocks and loose parts invites exploration of balance, structure, and stability. MATHSpatial Relationships Geometry One-to-One Correspondence In this interaction, the Playscapes Platform became a musical instrument! Connecting to the Standards So, what’s the big deal? Yes, it’s a beautiful material to have in the environment, but why is this important to children’s learning? One might think this is an unnecessary accessory to have in the environment, but at Kodo, we see the numerous curriculum possibilities and believe it should be a staple material that supports learning. The ability to expand not only children’s thinking and problem-solving within the block area, but the ability to connect to storytelling, dramatic play, social and emotional development, and even physical development! Imagine one tool or resource in the classroom that fosters the whole child?! Teaching Strategies Objectives Social and Emotional Establishes and sustains positive relationships Participates cooperatively and constructively Physical Demonstrates gross-motor manipulative skills Demonstrates fine-motor strength and coordination Language Uses language to express thoughts and needs Uses appropriate conversational and other communication skills Cognitive Demonstrates positive approaches to learning Remembers and connects experiences Uses classification skills Uses symbols and images to represent something not present Literacy Comprehends and responds to books and other texts Mathematics Explores and describes spatial relationships and shapes Demonstrates knowledge of patterns Science and Technology Uses scientific inquiry skills Uses tools and other technology to perform tasks Social Studies Demonstrates knowledge about self The Arts Explores drama through actions and language Head Start Alignment Approaches to Learning – Cognitive Self-Regulation Goal P-ATL 6. Child maintains focus and sustains attention with minimal adult support. Goal P-ATL 7. Child persists in tasks. Goal P-ATL 8. Child holds information in mind and manipulates it to perform tasks. Goal P-ATL 9. Child demonstrates flexibility in thinking and behavior. Approaches to Learning – Initiative and Curiosity Goal P-ATL 10. Child demonstrates initiative and independence. Goal P-ATL 11. Child shows interest in and curiosity about the world around them. Approaches to Learning – Creativity Goal P-ATL 12. Child expresses creativity in thinking and communication. Goal P-ATL 13. Child uses imagination in play and interactions with others. Social and Emotional Development – Relationships with Adults and Other Children Goal P-SE 1. Child engages in and maintains positive relationships and interactions with adults. Goal P-SE 2. Child engages in prosocial and cooperative behavior with adults. Goal P-SE 3. Child engages in and maintains positive interactions and relationships with other children. Goal P-SE 4. Child engages in cooperative play with other children. Language and Communication – Vocabulary Goal P-LC 6. Child understands and uses a wide variety of words for a variety of purposes. Language and Communication – Comprehension and Text Structure Goal P-LIT 4. Child demonstrates an understanding of narrative structure through storytelling/re-telling. Mathematics – Geometry and Spatial Sense Goal P-MATH 10. Child explores the positions of objects in space. Scientific Reasoning – Reasoning and Problem Solving Goal P-SCI 6. Child analyzes results, draws conclusions, and communicates results. Perceptual, Motor, and Physical Development – Gross Motor Goal P-PMP 1. Child demonstrates control, strength, and coordination of large muscles. Perceptual, Motor, and Physical Development – Fine Motor Goal P-PMP 3. Child demonstrates increasing control, strength, and coordination of small muscles.  Follow Along Do you follow us on Social Media? In the month of December 2019, Kodo will be taking a closer look at the Wind Tunnel and the materials, tools, and accessories to enhance the play and learning for children. Follow along using #kodoplayscapesplatform

I attended my first National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC) in 2004. My first year attending, I was able to go with a group of college friends that all had different aspirations of how we would pursue our career. I will never forget walking into the convention center in Anaheim, California and seeing the masses of early childhood professionals. It was an amazing sight to see and one that I don’t think I will ever forget.  Over the years, I have had the opportunity to attend in various capacities. Many as a participant, as a State Affiliate Representative, and the past several years as an Exhibitor with Kodo Kids. Although the reasons for attending may have been different, the thrill, excitement, enthusiasm, and opportunity to learn has remained the same. Having the opportunity to attend NAEYC is absolutely one of my favorite things about being in the field. Here is a simple list of why attending the NAEYC Annual Conference is so important to me:  Ability to connect with friends and colleagues  Discuss what we learned in the sessions we attended  Think and collaborate about opportunities to partner  Consider and take action on what is happening at the national level (either through advocacy efforts or feedback on the work of NAEYC) Inspiration from new friends and educators from around the world Explore the host city of the conference Time to laugh with others and further engage with the Kodo Team The other exciting part of NAEYC has always been the Exhibit Hall. I remember walking in the very first time and being astounded by the amount of vendors. It was an incredible and overwhelming experience the first time! However, as the years have gone by, it is one of my absolute favorite parts of NAEYC. Getting to walk through and see the new materials to inspire learning in the environment. Most generally, the Annual Conference is the time to showcase all of the new materials that are available. As part of the Kodo Team, I have had the opportunity to hold Kodo’s new materials for the very first time, as well. One of my favorites from this year had to be the new Empathy Dolls, which I was often seen holding while walking around. You truly don’t get the effect of the doll until you put one in your arms! There are so many things I adore about these new dolls: The weight of the doll  The softness of the hands  The variations in hair texture  The differences in clothing There were many times that I was handing off a doll to someone walking into or by the Kodo booth. For someone that has never attended, many days you are tired from learning, walking, and engaging. The minute an Empathy Doll was placed in their arms their facial expressions completely softened and a smile would spread across their face. If given the opportunity, I would highly recommend getting one delivered to your classroom or home today!  From left to right: Denise Scahill, Ed Bell, Michael Steffey, Kasey Kile, Lauren Barthen,  Chris Hume, and Diane Spahn When thinking about my time in Nashville this year, I really wanted to hear from the Kodo Team to see what they thought of attending NAEYC. Part of the team had attended NAEYC for many years, while others, attended the conference for the first time. When approaching the team, I wanted to hear what they found inspirational or what was something that stood out to them in their conversations this year.  “It's GREAT to feel the excitement of our customers as they stroll through our booth, and to experience the joy of newbies to Kodo.”  Denise Scahill, Director of Sales “A teacher shared her way of calming an overstimulated child. Smell my imaginary flower (deep inhale) now blow the pedals off (deep exhale) repeat.” Ed Bell, Account Executive “I loved hearing from attendees about the new ideas and approaches they are using in their classrooms and schools. There is certainly innovation in the ECE community and I enjoyed collaborating on how to move the field forward!” Chris Hume, Founder As an educator, I truly am grateful for the times I have been able to attend the NAEYC Annual Conference. It is an opportunity that is so valuable and provides so many different benefits no matter where you are in your career in early childhood. 

Typically, exploring the phenomenon of wind can only be done outside on windy days. Thankfully, Kodo designed and created the only wind tunnel that makes exploring wind ideal in the early childhood classroom.  Endless Possibilities and Learning When introducing the wind tunnel, Kodo likes to remind educators of the intense fun that tends to ensue. The joy of shooting as many items as possible, like the playsilks or the paper cone cups, and seeing them travel across the room is sure to bring numerous giggles and abundant laughter. Here at Kodo, we strongly encourage that playful learning! As you allow children to explore this type of engagement over several days or even weeks, know that the opportunity will arise to begin taking a deeper look at the endless possibilities of learning and exploration. To engage inquiry thinking, we like to encourage asking the children their ideas of what should be tested in the wind tunnel. Or, measure and chart the distance that various objects flew! Of course, it doesn’t have to end there. Encourage a maker mentality of having them create flying thing-a-ma-jigs to test, make, refine, and test again!  On National ‘Swap Ideas’ Day, we had numerous followers on social media send us some of their fun and unique ideas for the wind tunnel:  “At Discovery Early Learning Center we have had ours for a while, but this year we made a permanent spot for it within our environment. It has proven to be a wonderful choice because it offers the children more opportunity to grow their relationship with the tunnel through experience and experimenting. Today the children decided to connect several scarves threading the long trail through the tube and controlling it in the wind much like you would a kite. Another experiment the children tried was paper. First they tried a piece of folded paper then they tried a balled up piece, next a child had the idea of trying a paper airplane.” Kisha Reid, Discovery Learning Center, Poolesville, Maryland “We love to use artificial flowers/ leaves with butterfly nets. We also use coffee filter, feathers, packing peanuts.” Melissa Bowles, Happy Hearts Daycare, Manhattan, KS  “We also use it with a fitted sheet to make a fort and we love using it to blow bubbles.” Tammy Lockwood, Umbrella House, Lansing, Michigan “We conducted a meeting with our preschoolers and these are some of their ideas..... water balloons, feathers, a roll of toilet paper 😂, clean socks, dirty socks, package peanuts, cotton candy, m&m’s, ribbons, bouncy balls. Teacher’s suggestions: autumn leaves and a money flying machine to buy all your Kodo products.” Rosie Pena De Licata, Little Shapes Preschool, Lincoln, California “Today the children tried flip flops, art palettes, Christmas ornaments, red solo cups—miniature style. We also like scarves, ping pong and other balls, and those orange lightweight soccer cones. We have a variety of materials and allow children to make things like fairies, wind-born seeds, etc.”Carla Gull, Loose Parts Play, Goshen, Indiana Integrating STEM and 21st Century Skills 21st Century Skills CREATIVITY: Children design and decorate wind mobiles using multiple materials and tools. COMMUNICATION Expressive Language Receptive Language Vocabulary CRITICAL THINKING: Children cycle through the scientific process by hypothesizing and testing their ideas. COLLABORATION: Constructing with tools and materials in the Makerspace results in sharing ideas, considering the solutions of others, and working together. Integrated STEM Concepts SCIENCE Air and Wind Cause and Effect Data Collection and Analysis TECHNOLOGY: Children use low-tech tools such as scissors to make and modify mobile flyers. Children explore machines. ENGINEERING: Children design, build, and refine prototypes to test their ideas. MATH Size and Surface Area Order and Patterning Shape Follow Along Do you follow us on Social Media? The month of November 2019, Kodo will be taking a closer look at the Wind Tunnel and the materials, tools, and accessories to enhance the play and learning for children. Follow along using #kodowindtunnel

Kodo's Light Panel is the only light panel available that allows the direct physical control of color mixing - children are able to adjust amounts of red, blue, and green for infinite color combinations. "So what?!" some might say.... Well, it's actually a pretty big deal..... At Kodo, everything starts with "WHY?" If there's not a good "WHY", then we don't do it. Period. Chris Hume, Founder of Kodo and Inventor of the Light Lab, tells us the WHY behind the Light Laboratory... "Light is a fascinating element that is often overlooked. Thankfully children are intrigued to explore even the most common elements when presented in a way which can be manipulated and explored. Kodo was the first to bring a full color light table to ECE and the Kodo Light Lab is still by far the best light table on the market (despite the cheap copies)! Our objective was to provide children with a hands-on way to manipulate the colors of light. Children add and subtract color by changing the intensity of red, green, and blue; the building blocks of white light! In this playful process, children learn: additive color mixing: all the colors together make white subtractive color mixing: all the colors mixed together make black (as happens with paint)  This simple experience provides a foundational understanding of color mixing and light that even most adults don’t have! Through teacher interaction and extension activities, teachers can speak to the science behind light and color. (Don’t worry, we help you with this in the product guide.) Helping children build this type of foundational understanding of a scientific subject (which Kodo products are designed to do) intersect measurable outcomes, NGSS cross cutting concepts, 21st century learning skills and -let’s face it- hands on knowledge of the world. This foundational understanding will help children excel in future schooling and in life!  The science of Light is an incredibly deep and complex subject. For instance, White light is not a color, but rather a combination of all the visible colors we see. In the play based preschool classroom, children have the opportunity to experience science in a way those in higher academic years do not. With the Light Lab, Kodo looks to use this opportunity and empower children through play to take control of the light and build a foundational understanding of the additive and subtractive properties of light.  While we always have the child in mind as the ultimate end-user, we also design our products for the caregiver. Teachers are a top priority when looking at a product's versatility for creating lesson plans and engagement opportunities for children. We design each product to include a wide range of uses and ways to extend children's engagement over time. The Light Lab is no exception. With the wide variety of accessories and the many manipulatives available from Kodo and other vendors, the Light Lab can extend exploration throughout the year." Connecting to the Standards  So, what’s the big deal? Yes, it’s a beautiful material to have in the environment, but why is this important to children’s learning? Let’s take a closer look at just a few of the standards.  As children explore the Kodo Light Lab, they make inferences about what happens when a color knob is changed and predict the color(s) that emerge right before their eyes. Head Start Alignment – Cognition – Scientific Reasoning  Goal P-SCI 4. Child asks a question, gathers information, and makes predictions.        Goal P-SCI 6. Child analyzes results, draws conclusions, and communicates results.   Teaching Strategies Objectives - Cognition 11. Demonstrates positive approaches to learning d. Shows curiosity and motivation Teaching Strategies Objectives – Science and Technology 24. Uses scientific inquiry skills When children engage in play together (or with a teacher), they communicate common goals or ideas, analyze what might happen to the surface or changes of color when they add additional materials, like the Lumi and Luxi blocks. Head Start Alignment - Social and Emotional Development  Goal P-SE 4. Child engages in cooperative play with other children.      Teaching Strategies Objectives – Social – Emotional  1. Establishes and sustains positive relationships  a. Forms relationships with adults c. Interacts with peers Children expand building and construction when additional materials and loose parts are included. The light lab can immediately become a space to foster and promote creativity. Head Start Alignment - Approaches to Learning Goal P-ATL 12. Child expresses creativity in thinking and communication.  Teaching Strategies Objectives – Physical 7. Demonstrates fine-motor strength and coordination Teaching Strategies Objectives - The Arts 33. Explores visual art Integrating STEM and 21st Century Skills Kodo’s foundation is based on STEM play and fostering 21st Century Skills. Let’s take a closer look at how the light lab fosters these: Follow Along Do you follow us on Social Media? The month of October 2019, Kodo will be taking a closer look at the Light Lab and the materials, tools, and accessories to enhance the play and learning for children. Follow along using #KodoLightLab

Teaching Journal Notes Throughout the summer, water play has a big role in the Outdoor Studio. One of the ways I’ve found to defeat the heat and help children stay happy while outdoors is to use water in many, many ways. Over the past several weeks, the children learned that water is a main source of life and were all thrilled to help nurture our beautiful garden. They filled watering cans, watered the plants daily, and made the connection that water is not just for the plants but also for their own health and well-being. They came to understand the value of preserving water but also had opportunities to use it as a play element. Water became an integral ingredient for mud pies and pinecone soups. It was essential for artistic works created with watercolors.  It became a sought after element for cooling down when it spurted from the hose and sprinkler. I know that water play is captivating for young children and observing the learning in the play is fascinating to me. No matter the age, children love to fill and pour. Their reactions and expressions often reveal what they’re thinking. Knowing this I decided to set up a provocation. My intent was to arrange some familiar things with some tools that were new. I gathered some clean bottles that the children are used to using. I wanted to introduce Kodo’s Funnel Stand and this was a good opportunity to observe how the children would use the new tool. I was also looking for a new way to present color mixing, so I arranged the stand with colored water, clear empty bottles, and a water dispenser. This provocation immediately drew interest. The children ran straight to the table to explore it. They were drawn to the familiar; the water and were also intrigued by the new funnels and bottles filled with color.  The arrangement of the old and new materials coupled with the children’s recent experience and knowledge fueled conversations about color mixing, degrees of color, and the quantities required to mix them. Children were happy to create their own new colors, using bottles, cups, and funnels. One group’s favorite was named RED VELVET because it was “just like the cupcakes”. Their enthusiasm was contagious and the teachers happily joined the play.  After a few days of writing notes and listening to their words, I realized that the color mixing provocation was a catalyst for other equally meaningful learning. It was a platform for rich social-emotional development. All were engaged in play that supported negotiation and cooperation.  I often heard them say things such as, “ I need some help”, and “I need someone to hold it.” The children relied on each other while transferring water from one bottle to another. Many times they worked in pairs with one child pouring while the other stabilized the funnel or another bottle. They also used language and verbal cues to help complete their mission. “I will tell you when it’s full....a little bit more...STOP!”  So much learning happened in a few short days. One team challenged themselves to fill up the bottle without spilling any water. Their process is a story in itself, one of understanding the power of planning, persistence, and teamwork. Another day several children practiced many problem-solving strategies as they chose to work together as one big group, around a small table with a limited number of tools and shared resources. Each took on a role, contributed to the common goal, and communicated with the others during the investigation.  Individual opinions became shared ideas and the simple act of transferring water excitedly grew into the dangerous but all-important job of pouring lava!   Water is one of those elemental materials that all the children find engaging. Offering it as a material, and arranging it with compelling tools lead to many days of investigating color, flow, measurement, and more. It was exciting to observe how and why their skills and knowledge developed and changed over just a few days. As the Outdoor Studio Educator, it was especially satisfying that during those days I never heard the words, “I want to go inside”. Elinor Rifkin has been teaching for 12 years. She enjoys exploring with children and is constantly in awe of their endless sense of wonder. Currently Elinor is working as an Outdoor Studio Coordinator at the Rabbi Foster ELC at Temple Emanuel in Denver, CO.   

Teaching Journal Notes  This past week I’ve really enjoyed observing the children and their learning adventure with open-ended materials. I’ve noted the following: scientific reasoning for choosing the materials growing construction/engineering skills  problem-solving and social skills As the week wrapped up I was still curious to see them play with the long cardboard paper roll boxes, which was my original intention. A few of the girls were in between explorations so I invited them to join me. I introduced the basic concepts of the Jenga game and asked if they had played it before with small blocks. They recognized the game but didn’t look interested. I learned throughout the years not to take disinterest personally, but I still believed in the learning potential with these found materials so I tried once again to get them involved. Coincidentally some of the children accidentally jumped on the boxes. I asked them to please avoid jumping on the boxes because they would break.   One of the girls took this all in and moved several boxes so they were spaced apart at the end of the latest obstacle course. Her idea was very successful! All the children joined in and enjoyed galloping and jumping over the boxes. This new challenge delighted everyone, including me!   I was gently reminded that as a facilitator I need to come prepared, ready to give and receive, and to always be flexible. My intention for using the boxes did come to fruition, albeit in a way I did foresee. As I inspire the children, they inspire me, and that I believe, is the key to true learning.    Elinor Rifkin has been teaching for 12 years. She enjoys exploring with children and is constantly in awe of their endless sense of wonder. Currently Elinor is working as an Outdoor Studio Coordinator at the Rabbi Foster ELC at Temple Emanuel in Denver, CO.

Teaching Journal Notes  The oldest children in our school, who are five, love to create and test complex obstacle courses on the lawn area. The butcher paper roll boxes would make a great addition to these materials. After gathering up the boxes I set up several large parts to form a simple obstacle course. I also arranged bins full of additional materials as an invitation for the children to add to the construction.       The children arrived and ran straight to the bins to embellish the obstacle course. They dubbed it, “The Ultimate BeastMaster”.  The scaffolding process evolved throughout the week.  Day 1: I made a very simple obstacle course and observed how the children added just a few parts to it.  Day 2: I placed only one type of material (the pipes) and the children extended the course on their own adding tires, wood circles, sticks, and tunnels. Day 3:  The children made a complex obstacle course completely on their own - adding a water element and a bridge!  As they jumped and balanced they also solved problems which arose from differing opinions by making some rules that everyone agreed upon: “You do what other people do.” “ If you touch the grass you need to start over.” “You must touch the wall in the end.” “You ‘gotta go speedy.” “You can use the white pipes to balance.” Creative. Capable. Competent. As an educator I strive to view children through these lenses. I was thrilled for the opportunity to capture this complex process as it unfolded. Elinor Rifkin has been teaching for 12 years. She enjoys exploring with children and is constantly in awe of their endless sense of wonder. Currently Elinor is working as an Outdoor Studio Coordinator at the Rabbi Foster ELC at Temple Emanuel in Denver, CO.  

Teaching Journal Notes I arrived at school, thinking of the flow of the day. I went to the resource room and stared at the shelves full of loose parts and art materials. My mind filled with questions: “ What material should we manipulate today? What will intrigue the children’s imagination?” I stood there, as if waiting for something to call my name, something to catch my eye, light a spark.  After a few moments my eyes came to rest on the butcher paper rolls in the corner of the room. I was supposed to take the rolls out of the boxes and organize them on the rack.  I decided that there was no better time than the present to do so. As I worked, the long rectangular boxes piled up next to me. My brain’s light bulb flashed, there it was, I found what I was looking for! I began thinking of the different ways the boxes could be used in the Outdoor Classroom. I thought of different schemas and gross motor activities. I remembered seeing another educator’s idea of using soft drink boxes as large Jenga-type blocks. So I dragged the boxes outdoors to set up the “Jenga” provocation.  Educators, like children, are always on the lookout for new materials, new ideas, new excitement. Recycled and odds-and-ends materials are the most popular items in many resource rooms. These simple items are inexpensive, often right at hand, and encourage open-ended experiences. Educators aren’t the only ones who identify the value and potential of these materials;  children’s book authors are writing about the power of imagination and compelling children to activate their creative potential using sticks, boxes, and the bits and pieces they have around them. They say, “One man’s trash is another man’s treasure”. For me and the children in my care, a pile of empty boxes can only mean one thing - adventure! Elinor Rifkin has been teaching for 12 years. She enjoys exploring with children and is constantly in awe of their endless sense of wonder. Currently Elinor is working as an Outdoor Studio Coordinator at the Rabbi Foster ELC at Temple Emanuel in Denver, CO.

Spiritual moments sometimes happen by chance, but more often, they need to be created.  A Spiritual moment can happen in time, space, nature, in relationship to others, or through big questions.  What they all have in common is that they provide for spiritual engagement that nourish and nurture children’s spiritual development.  Here are a few tips on how to support a child’s spiritual development through spiritual moments in time: Create time in the day to simply be with a child. Encourage quiet time. Offer children time to play alone or with other children without any interruptions. Do not interfere. Do not show the child what to do. Do not suggest to the child to do something different then what they have chosen to do. Do not talk. See a shooting star, watch the moon, sunrise or sunset. Show appreciation and respect when a child repeats something over and over again. Stop and smell the roses. Support a child’s right to have open time to play. Take time to answer children’s questions. Together, look at the shadows cast by the sun. Walk together Deborah Schein is an experienced and passionate early childhood educator who envisions young children as competent and capable. She holds a bachelor’s degree in Psychology, a Master’s in Education and a doctorate with a focus on spiritual development of young children. Deborah is a trained and certified Montessori Educator, steeped in Reggio Emilia philosophy and has taught young children, college students, and educators since 1972. She has authored and co-authored several books. She currently teachers for Champlain College and continues to write and consultant. Explore Deborah's book here. Kodo is pleased to highlight this book in our summer reading club!Don't miss Deborah's upcoming virtual course: Inspiring Wonder, Awe, and Empathy: Spiritual DevelopmentComing this fall to Kodo's Virtual Learning Platform. Stay tuned!

Preschool of the Arts At Preschool of the Arts, a Reggio Emilia-inspired early childhood program in Madison, Wisconsin, we often speak of the environment as “a third teacher.” We know that parents or guardians are the child’s first teacher and that early childhood educators are often the next teaching adults to make an impact on a young child’s life. To think of the learning environment as a “third teacher” means we acknowledge the significance of the materials, space, and mood of the classroom (or other places designated for learning) in the child’s education. Louise Boyd Cadwell, in her book Bringing Reggio Emilia Home, beautifully describes the environment as the third teacher. She writes, “The design and use of space encourage encounters, communication, and relationships. There is an underlying order and beauty in the design and organization of all the space in a school and the equipment and materials in it. Every corner of every space has an identity and a purpose, is rich in potential to engage and to communicate, and is valued and cared for by children and adults.” At Preschool of the Arts, we strive to create order and beauty in the ways we intentionally prepare the classrooms for the children. For example, we maximize the use of natural light and we incorporate natural materials, living plants, and muted, calming colors throughout our school. Preschool of the Arts has partnered with Kodo Virtual Learning to offer an online workshop titled “An Introduction to Reggio Emilia.” This course explores many of the core ideas behind a Reggio-inspired approach including the concept of the environment as the third teacher, the image of the child, making learning visible, and the hundred languages of children. Click here for more information

At the end of our parking lot here at Kodo headquarters, there’s a little yellow sign. It reads, 'Sidewalk Ends'.  I drive past it daily and without fail, I smile as I recall a poem, drawing, or song created by Shel Silverstein. One of my favorites is “Invitation”. Invitation by Shel SilversteinIf you are a dreamer, come in.If you are a dreamer, a wisher, a liar,A hope-er, a pray-er, a magic bean buyer.If you’re a pretender, come sit by my fire,For we have some flax golden tales to spin. Come in! Come in! Many years ago I used to recite this poem to my class of preschoolers as a way of signaling that we had a new book to add to our library collection. It only took a few weeks to establish this ritual and I found that no matter when I spoke the words of the first line, all the children would pause their play and eagerly gather on the carpet. I introduced wordless books, poems, fairy tales, stories, and chapter books this way. Sometimes the literature supported the classroom interests and other times proved as catalysts for new ideas, pursuits, and investigations. My goal was clear but simple, to inspire a love of words, books, and reading. Last week I was at a local market and the cashier, a young woman, said, “This may be odd to say, but your voice sounds familiar.” After a few minutes of puzzling together why that was, we uncovered that years ago I was one of the teachers in the preschool she attended. “You’re the story lady!”, she exclaimed. “I loved those silly poems you read to us and I still do.” The sidewalk certainly continued for this young woman. No matter what type of program you’re in, literacy matters. We’d like to acknowledge and thank all of you who share your love of books with children. You make a lasting difference!  

Growing up, I spent my summers outside hunting for tadpoles, finding bugs, and riding horses. With my love of nature, my first science experiment involved hatching praying mantises in the middle of winter. Prior to hatching them, I knew a few things about them: The local nursery had several that I could purchase to use in my experiment. They only hatch when the temperature has been consistently 72 degrees or higher for at least two weeks before hatching. Doing this experiment in Kansas during February, I knew that I would have to place the egg in the hot water heater closet that was a balmy 83 degrees. Praying mantises normally die in the fall at the first hard freeze. The egg mass, called an ootheca, is not very big, approximately an inch long, but will have anywhere from 130-200 nymphs. The nymphs look very similar to adults but are wingless. To prepare for my experiment, I purchased some cheesecloth to place over a glass jar. I then placed the jar with the praying mantis egg inside the hot water closet. For the next two weeks, I diligently monitored the temperature in the closet to see if any changes had taken place. After about two weeks, I opened the closet to see a jar full of baby praying mantises crawling frantically inside the jar. As much as I prepared for the experiment, I didn’t think through how I would care for over 150 baby praying mantises. Since it was still the middle of winter, I couldn’t necessarily release them outside. So, I frantically contacted friends and family to borrow aquariums to begin creating habitats to care for the praying mantises. It was an eventful three months trying to find food for them! I enjoyed doing this so much, that I continued to hatch them out every Spring until I went to college and started again when I became a preschool teacher. Sharing my love of the praying mantis was infectious and the children excitedly came in every day to check to see if the egg had hatched. Thankfully, this experiment with the children took place during the Spring and the children were able to release the praying mantises onto the playground. That summer was full of joy when children would see a praying mantis on the playground. They were sure it was one of ours and it very possibly could have been! For more information about the Praying Mantis, visit Wikipedia. Kasey Kile, M.S.,  Kodo Director of Professional Development Kasey Kile brings her extensive experience in the early childhood field and her excellent engaging adult education strategies to Kodo’s Professional Development Team. Learn more at www.kodokids.com/pd

When we think of technology, tools, and machines, we often think in terms of computers and electric or gas powered machines. Many tools we use in everyday life are low-tech tools called simple machines. Humans have used simple machines for thousands of years! They allow humans to achieve tasks that would otherwise be impossible with only human strength. Having a foundation of how simple machines work and their uses will support children as they create their “problem-solving” toolboxes. Providing experiences for children to ideate and test solutions supports the application of their knowledge about simple machines. How can you create physical spaces and a classroom culture in your classroom that promote prototyping, testing, and problem-solving with simple machines? Below are some examples of simple machines in everyday life: Wheel and Axle - Cars use two sets of double wheel and axles to move. Bicycles use two single wheel and axles. Ramps - Ramps are used on roadways, highways, and parking garages to allow cars to access multiple levels. Ramps are also used to help people who use wheelchairs or strollers access buildings or areas that would otherwise only be accessible by stairs. Pulleys - Pulley allow an object to be lifted with minimal effort or force. They are used in elevator lift systems and construction sites. Levers - A lever is a bar that moves at a pivot point. A lever allows someone to move an object that is heavy or fixed. One example of a lever is a pair of scissors. The two pieces operate at pivot point and allow the paper to be held in place as force is placed on the blades; allowing a cut to be made. Wedge - A wedge is generally used to separate a material when applied with force. Wedges materials that are wide at one end and come to a point on the other. One example of a wedge is an axe. An axe consists of a wedge typically attached to a pole. When a person swing the axe and comes incontact with a material like a wooden log, the point of the wedge creates force in two directions and splits the piece of wood. Our teeth are also an example of a wedge! Screws - A screw is twisted inclined plane that can act to hold things together. Screws are used to secure materials together during building. Another way we use screws in daily life is screw-on lids for jars and containers. A screw on lid is generally much more secure than a snap on lid because it requires a twisting motion to undo. _______________________________________________________________________ Once children are familiar with simple machines, they will notice them everywhere! Here are some fun ways to extend the interest and study of simple machines in your classroom: Simple Machine Scavenger Hunt - go on a scavenger hunt around your school and invite children to identify all the simple machines they can find. You can even bring along clipboards, paper, and drawing utensils so they can draw what they find. This would make a great sorting activity once you’re back in the classroom. Invite children to sort their found simple machines by type, i.e. lever, ramp, screw, wedge, etc. Build a Roadway - Invite children to build a roadway and cars with two simple machines - wheel and axles and ramps! Gather recycled materials and encourage children to apply their knowledge of simple machines as they design their own roadway system. Lever as a Balance - Explore math terms such as more, less, heavy, light, and equal by creating a balance. You can use any flat and sturdy material such as a board, lid, or ramp. Place another item as the fulcrum such as a rock or water bottle on its side. Invite children to use place materials on each end to explore to math terms mentioned above.

Winter weather is in full effect here in Colorado. We have days of heavy snow, followed by milder days where the skies are clear, sunny, and blue. Thinking back to teaching Pre-K, it was always interesting how the sun, or the lack of it, could have an impact on the children’s overall demeanor and activity for the day. Light is an abstract and whimsical subject. It can be explored in infinite ways. Winter is the perfect time to invite children to experiment with lightness and darkness. No other season shows us such a stark contrast between the two. Between holiday lights around town, the early sunsets, and gloomy skies, there are plenty of opportunities to explore the juxtaposition of the two.  Lightness and darkness are often explored through shadow and light play. Other ways to explore the subject bare through color, shade, tone, and tint. Paint mixing is an open-ended and engaging way to observe the varied ways color can be interpreted and represented. Experience Lightness and Darkness Through Color Mixing Paint mixing opens up the opportunity to talk about colors with “expert” vocabulary.  Here are some terms to incorporate into paint mixing: Hue: color. Includes Yellow, Orange, Red, Violet, Blue and Green. Never includes Black, White, or Grey. Tint: any hue with White added to it. Tone: any color plus Grey (or both Black and White). Shade: any hue with Black added to it. Some questions to ponder while mixing hues, tints, tones, and shades: How does changing the shade or tint change the color? What feelings or messages do colors convey? How does this color make you feel? How can you change the feeling of a color by adding more black or white? How can we use them to communicate a feeling, time, place, or idea? After the color mixing experience, facilitate a discussion about color and what it can communicate. Use this lens while you view illustrations in children’s books. Pose questions such as: -why do you think the illustrator or photographer chose to use these colors? -how do the illustrations make you feel? -if the colors were different, would it change the story?

When it comes to product design, Kodo is recognized worldwide as a leader in innovative thinking. Earlier this month we premiered our new Playscape Platforms to an international audience at NAEYC. The response was overwhelmingly positive and many, many educators stopped to ask us how we design and create such wonderful products. We thought everyone would like a peek into our process. Rethinking a Classroom Staple: The Block Platform Virtually all products begin with an idea. Sometimes during the design and prototyping process the development of one one product can inform and influence the design of another. Such was the case with Kodo’s new Playscape Platforms. While creating a new product to replace the ordinary block platform in classrooms, Grey Waletich, Kodo’s lead designer, had an “aha” moment. What is a block platform? It is an elevated “landscape” to build on. Why are most block platforms square or rectangular? The landscape we see outside is not square or rectangular, it is organic. The tools and materials we create for students should draw inspiration from everyday life.      The stunning result of Grey’s insight is our innovative system of circular platforms and arches which support children to create their own landscapes for play with blocks, ramps, and story play accessories.   Learn more about Kodo Playscapes Platforms >>  

Funny the moments you recall from days gone by in the classroom. Each winter, with the onset of piped-in holiday music in shops, stores, and local businesses, I am reminded of Mindy, a spritely four-year-old, who loved to sing her way through the day. From arrival to pick-up she filled our class with song, rhythm, and music. One afternoon during an icy cold December my class of fours were stuck inside and full of winter mischief.  Who could blame them, we were all suffering from cabin fever. Snack time rolled around and Mindy broke out in full voice while washing her hands. The tune was unmistakably Winter Wonderland, but her lyrics went something like this…. Gone away is a bluebird Here today is a few birds They sing a dove song And bee bo along Walking out with Mister Lunderland, Oh walking out with Mister Lunderland! Everyone clapped and started to sing along. Mindy’s rendition of Winter Wonderland inspired an afternoon of impromptu musical performances.  Even today I can’t help but giggle when I hear it. Over the next couple weeks  your classroom may be abuzz with children eagerly anticipating all sorts of winter celebrations. Energy levels will undoubtedly be elevated and should your nerves become frazzled, just hum a little tune or take a deep breath and sing right out in full voice! Try changing up the lyrics to an old favorite or take everyone outside for a walk to find Mister Lunderland. There’s sure to be a child like Mindy in your classroom - take a cue from her or him and sing! Diane Spahn, Kodo Education Director

We are all a part of many systems, large and small. Larger systems can be neighborhoods, schools, or our  own bodies. Small systems can be found right in your own classroom, such as the block area. Systems help us organize and connect information and experiences. They are integral to our daily lives and recognizing how systems work can help children function more effectively within them. Systems Thinking is the way we understand how multiple materials, concepts, or principles work together. Systems Thinking incorporates many skills including social, emotional, and critical thinking. Offering opportunities that challenge children to think systematically is extremely beneficial because they work on developing many skills at one time.   So, what does Systems Thinking look like in an early childhood classroom? Let’s look at this through an example of ramp and construction play. A group of children are playing with ramps and blocks in the construction area. They want to make the ball go fast and decide they need to add elevation. They find a material that will allow them to place one end of the ramp at a higher point, creating an incline. This small moment has many things happening.  First, the children had to make a plan for how they wanted the ball to travel down the ramp. They decided they needed to create some kind of force on the ball to get it to move faster. To create that force on the ball, they made the choice to incorporate an element of elevation on one side. Then they had to assess the materials available and make a choice about which would work best. They incorporated the chosen material and tested its functionality. All of these steps happen within a few moments but important skills are being developed. Children are formulating ideas and hypotheses about what materials will fit into the designs they are creating in their minds. They have to assess how the materials will work together with one another. They also have to communicate these ideas to one another and come up with an agreed upon plan. This is Systems Thinking! It’s important to point out that the process of System Thinking takes practice, like any other skill! Give children time incorporating other materials and ideas into their play and complexity will increase over time.   Teaching Tips to Promote Systems Thinking: Offer diverse open-ended materials that have various textures, sizes, colors, or scale. Materials that have multiple purposes encourage children to determine purpose and assign meaning themselves. These kinds of materials also spark communication because they often require discussion and planning. Offer literature in construction and library areas, and read aloud during group meetings. You may already have one or more of the following books in your classroom:    The Most Magnificent Thing by Ashley Spires If You Give a...series by Laura Numeroff Stuck by Oliver Jeffers A Little Bug Went Kachoo by Dr. Suess The Napping House by Audrey Wood and Don Wood Help children recognize that when one part of a system changes, the entire system is affected. For instance if you replaced a large bicycle wheel with a small one, how would that change the system? With your colleagues develop opportunities that promote Systems Thinking throughout your indoor and outdoor learning spaces.   How can you create opportunities and spaces that support the concept of Systems Thinking in your classroom?

Unconventional Measurement Before using conventional units of measure such as inches or feet, children use unconventional units of measure to organize the world around them. There are many ways to support this in the classroom and experimenting with various unconventional units of measurement can be so fun! There’s lots of measurement and observation when using ramps. When children roll a ball down a ramp, whether they realize it or not, they are make unconventional measurements about how far something rolled and comparing it to the ball that has rolled before it. This is the perfect opportunity to support children in becoming aware of the measurement and comparison happening. The next step is supporting them in creating a system of measurement. Almost any collection of materials in your classroom can be used as a system of measurement. We decided to create some of our own systems around Kodo Headquarters. Here are the fun and interesting ways we found to measure the distance the ball traveled. Blocks Blocks are the perfect material for unconventional measurement and are readily available in most early childhood classrooms. Pair these with post its and invite the children to assign numbers to the blocks. Shapes Use various shaped objects such a Tangrams, blocks, ect. To create a measurement system. Children will begin making a connection to the shapes and the ball’s traveled distance. Colors Colors are a visual cue to track how far the ball has traveled. We use small colored transparent blocks. And spaced them apart along the path of the ball.   Size Size is a wonderful tool to assign meaning to distance. We used small, medium, and large half-sphere blocks.       Jordan Kaseeska is the Education Specialist at Kodo Kids. She received her undergraduate degree from Colombia College Chicago in Early Childhood Education and went on to earn her masters degree from University of Colorado- at Denver in Education and Human Development with a focus in Early Literacy. She has used her passion for constructionist style teaching in public and private early childhood and elementary classrooms. 

The Growhaus, in Denver’s Elyria-Swansea neighborhood is changing Denver’s food system. Their mission, as stated on their website: “The GrowHaus is a nonprofit indoor farm, marketplace and educational center in Denver's Elyria-Swansea neighborhood.  Our vision is a world where all communities have the means to nourish themselves, and our mission is to create a community-driven, neighborhood-based food system by serving as a hub for food distribution, production, education, and economic opportunity.” The Growhaus offers the BEEs (Building Early Experiences) program for local children during the summer months. This free program offers opportunities for children to become familiar with food production and cooking. They have a wonderful outdoor play space with chickens, a garden, and a beehive. Each day the children help make lunch. They pick, cut, and prepare fresh food grown right there at the Growhaus. The families of the children that attend the program always have an open invitation to join them for a fresh lunch each day. After learning about this program and the amazing benefits to the community, Kodo jumped at the chance to donate an Outdoor Magnet Wall. After working the the BEEs program director, Lori Ryan, to find the perfect space, two Kodo employees loaded up their cars with materials and headed down to Denver to install the Magnet Wall. The BEEs program was in full swing during the installation. The children were naturally curious about what these new materials were. They observed the installation process and were contagiously excited to begin using the Magnet Wall. Jordan, Education Specialist, and Grey, Product Designer, stand with the installed Magnet Wall. Hooray! The Outdoor Magnet Wall is the perfect place for water play during the hot and sunny days of Colorado summer. We included a Aqua Circuits pack to allow for exploration with water, tubes, and suction. We are so pleased to support a wonderful resource in our local community. Thank you to Growhaus for letting us be a part of the amazing things you do for the community of Elyria-Swansea every day Click here if you would like to learn more about how to support this wonderful program.

P.H. Miller Elementary School, a diverse Pre-K through 1st grade school in Plano, IL, is making big changes. The school’s principal, Laurel Mateyka, has engaged the teachers in reflective practice. They are looking at how their philosophy shapes the school environment and how those spaces impact children’s learning. To kick off this journey, they decided to incorporate more open-ended materials (enter, Kodo Kids) into their classrooms and build a STEM lab in a portion of their library. Kodo’s education department had the privilege of working with the Pre-K teachers earlier this month. We were inspired by the teachers’ enthusiastic thirst for new knowledge and concepts. They were seeking the “why” behind the value of incorporating the Kodo materials they had purchased into their classrooms. Through our 4 days of professional development, we discussed the importance of STEM, incorporating quality materials, and supporting engineering play behaviors. Hands On Learning - For Teachers, Too! Just like children, the best way for adults to learn something new is through hands-on experience. Kodo’s professional development incorporates plenty of opportunities for teachers to become familiar with the products and materials they are bringing into their classrooms. This enables the teachers to be comfortable observing the learning that takes place, while being an active facilitator in the child’s experience. We supported teachers in practicing open-ended questioning and understanding when and why to let a child work through a challenge. Rethinking Learning Environments Part of our time with the teachers was spent talking through each of their classrooms and talking about how to redesign the space to facilitate investigation and curiosity. We discussed color theory, layout, and the quality and quantity of materials. We were impressed with how supportive and engaged the teachers were while we walked through each space. They were always making suggestions or offers to help with the changes that were discussed. By the end of our week in Plano, the teachers had an strong understanding of what engineering play looks like and how to support that in their classrooms. They also had a framework for how to go about designing their learning spaces to facilitate this STEM learning. Change at such a large scale can be overwhelming and challenging. The teachers at P.H. Miller stayed positive and engaged throughout the time we spent with them and we have no doubt that their motivation will carry on over the next months and years. We are so inspired by the challenge they have taken on and are looking forward to continuing to support them in their journey! Jordan Kaseeska is the Education Specialist at Kodo Kids. She received her undergraduate degree from Colombia College Chicago in Early Childhood Education and went on to earn her masters degree from University of Colorado- at Denver in Education and Human Development with a focus in Early Literacy. She has used her passion for constructionist style teaching in public and private early childhood and elementary classrooms. 

mak·er·space a place in which people with shared interests can gather to work on projects while sharing ideas, equipment, and knowledge. Spaces for making, tinkering, and exploring passions and interests are nothing new to an early childhood classroom. Makerspaces have been a hot topic in education and a large part of bringing this concept into your classroom is the mindset teachers and children have around growth and exploration. By shifting the way challenge and failure is viewed, you can incorporate the maker mindset into every area of your classroom. Interested in learning more about what makes a makerspace? Check out this blog by maker expert John Spencer! Embracing a Growth Mindset Growth mindset refers to the idea that a person's knowledge and intelligence can grow and change when exposed to new or challenging experiences. This mindset embraces trying new things, and with that comes failure. An important part of embodying the growth mindset is meeting failure with persistence and patience. This is often easier said than done and takes practice. Re-framing the thinking about failure can help children use these experiences as learning moments. Failure means: You’ve tried something new! Hooray! You have more knowledge about how something does (or does not) work or function You can reflect on what has happened and use that to make a new plan or action Model: A great way to start to incorporate this culture of embracing failure is to model it for the children in your class. When something doesn’t go the way you had planned or offers a surprising result, narrate your feelings and thoughts for the children to hear. Here is an example: “Wow, that didn’t go how I expected it to. Now I understand ________ and can make a new plan to try again.” Model taking creative risks (like creating a makerspace in your classroom!) The Environment Re-organizing your space to support the maker mindset can have an impact on how children can interact and use the space. Here are some factors to keep in mind: Curiosity: The classroom environment should support wonder and investigation. There should be space for children to explore openly and interact with materials that interest them. Possibility: The classroom environment can illicit possibility by offering open-ended materials that allow children to assign meaning and purpose. This gives children a challenge to design ways to use materials that support their ideas. Accessibility: To be able to spark curiosity and possibility, children need to be able to access materials and have hands-on experiences to better understand how materials can be used in their ideas and designs. Offering spaces for children to connect and collaborate with one another is an integral part of fostering the maker mindset. Children are natural collaborators. Promoting brainstorming and building off one another’s ideas will support children in practicing teamwork and will push their ideas further than if they were designed in isolation. Setting Expectations Setting clear expectations and agreements about how the space will be used and taken care of will keep everyone on the same page. Use of materials: Children are capable of using materials in respectful and intentional ways. Helping children create expectations and agreements about how the materials will be used and cared for, and then following through on upholding those expectations is valuable for the teacher and the child. This will take time and practice to form these habits and lots of modeling will help children have a visual of how to interact with the space. Saving the process: Often, the creative process does not feel complete for a child even when it is time to transition to the next part of the day. We can honor this by creating a system to save works in progress. Trays, a designated shelf, or save tags are all great options to signal to the child and others that the creations in that area will be revisited. Reflection Creating a culture that embraces the maker mindset also includes incorporating reflection into everyday conversations and processes. In an early childhood classroom, this can look like a more familiar framework of Think, Pair, Share. Encourage children to utilize this framework before, during, and after the creative process to work through challenges and redesign. Reflection is a powerful tool and can help children take time to pause and zoom out to the larger picture when they feel stuck and challenged by a task or design. Pair reflection is also helpful because it lends another perspective and voice to the conversation. Embracing a maker mindset in your classroom can empower your children to take risks and welcome challenge in a more positive way. Fostering the skills needed to successfully collaborate and reflect enable children to work through the creative process and problem solve autonomously. Jordan Kaseeska is the Education Specialist at Kodo Kids. She received her undergraduate degree from Colombia College Chicago in Early Childhood Education and went on to earn her masters degree from University of Colorado- at Denver in Education and Human Development with a focus in Early Literacy. She has used her passion for constructionist style teaching in public and private early childhood and elementary classrooms. 

A Maker Story: The Giant Squid To kick off National Maker Week, we wanted to share a story about a maker moment that happened right here at Kodo headquarters. Often young children jump right into making. They don’t stop to make a plan or a drawing but rather they let the materials inspire them. This is exactly what happened when Shawn, the son of one of our Kodo team members, was inspired to combine materials he found available to him on the Kodo Makerspace Slat Wall.   When I asked him what he was making, his response was, “ I don’t know until I’m done. Then I’ll tell you, okay, Diane?” True to his word, Shawn told me all about his wonderful creation and went on to describe in great detail his ideas for making many, many more things. Before leaving, he gifted me with the giant squid. “This is a squid. Well, actually, it’s a giant squid with five eyes. It is my idea to have five.” Shawn, Age 4.9 We proudly display it here in our company headquarters makerspace and tell Shawn’s story to all of the educators who tour our space. We thought you’d like to hear about it, too as we’re sure your children are currently making their own fantastical things, immersed in the creative process, embracing a maker mindset, as they combine materials in marvelous ways. “Creativity is contagious. Pass it on.” — Albert Einstein   Share maker moments from your classroom in the comments below!

P21, a leading organization in promoting 21st century skills in education, describes 4 foundational skills for worker success: Collaboration Communication Critical thinking Creativity In January of this year, the Washington Post wrote a great article on Google’s research into what skills make the most successful employees. The Post writes: “Sergey Brin and Larry Page, both brilliant computer scientists, founded their company on the conviction that only technologists can understand technology. Google originally set its hiring algorithms to sort for computer science students with top grades from elite science universities. In 2013, Google decided to test its hiring hypothesis by crunching every bit and byte of hiring, firing, and promotion data accumulated since the company’s incorporation in 1998… The seven top characteristics of success at Google are all soft skills: being a good coach; communicating and listening well; possessing insights into others (including other’s different values and points of view); having empathy toward and being supportive of one’s colleagues; being a good critical thinker and problem solver; and being able to make connections across complex ideas.” Open-Ended Materials Support Development of "Soft Skills" Open-ended materials support children in developing "soft skills" like the ones discussed in the article above. When materials can be used in more than one way, children assign meaning and purpose which often requires communication with one another. Ramps are a perfect example of these skills in action. When children are playing with ramps, they naturally bump into problems and come upon many design decisions that need to be made. They discover the need to communicate their thoughts with one another to form a cohesive plan. During this design and planning process, children are exercising: Language skills Social skills Listening Turn-taking Flexibility Perseverance Design flaws and complications are inevitably going to arise when children work with ramps and other open-ended engineering materials. Solving problems requires many social and emotional skills. Problem solving may lead to testing out more than one solution.  Some will work and some will fail. These failures are important opportunities for children to practice flexibility, compromise, understanding multiple perspectives, and being supportive of others. All of these skills are essential to support children in becoming well-rounded collaborative people. How can you offer challenges in collaborative experiences to promote the development of the "soft skills" mentioned above? Jordan Kaseeska is the Education Specialist at Kodo Kids. She received her undergraduate degree from Colombia College Chicago in Early Childhood Education and went on to earn her masters degree from University of Colorado- at Denver in Education and Human Development with a focus in Early Literacy. She has used her passion for constructionist style teaching in both public and private early childhood and elementary schools. 

Kodo Virtual Learning Has Launched It’s an exciting time for Kodo Kids since launching our Virtual Learning Program the beginning of March. As part of our overall vision and commitment to supporting continuous quality improvement, it became evident that we needed the ability to connect virtually. Staying true to our in-person professional development opportunities, we have incorporated play sessions, observation opportunities, and reflections! Let’s take a closer look at Kodo Kid’s Virtual Learning: Investigation Based Teaching Practices >At the core of our professional development opportunities are the Investigation Based Teaching Practices. This is our guide to and basis in supporting children in a play based learning environment. The following courses were launched and available as a bundle: Learning Approaches to Foster Engineering Adult and Child Interactions to Foster Engineering Enhancing the Environment to Foster Engineering How does Kodo Virtual Learning work? After registering for any course with Kodo Kids at www.kodo.learnupon.com, you will receive an email with information specific to that course. All courses are asynchronous, in which you have the ability to login as many times as you need to complete the course work. After completing the requirements of the course, you will be emailed your certificate. Further, you can login to your dashboard to retrieve your previous course information. How is Kodo Virtual Learning different? There are several items that set us apart from other virtual learning opportunities: Since it is our belief that all individuals learn through experience (including play!), courses have provocations associated with them. Some involve gathering materials to have a play experience, while others might involve providing a provocation for children and observing their play. After you are finished with the provocation, it is important to come back online to the course and post your reflection. All of our courses have a Trainer associated with the course. The Trainer is available to provide assistance to all learners, as well as, interact within the discussion board. Interactive courses allow for learners to not only be engaged through the course work but to also involve research-based content and video’s, where applicable. Further, interaction is available with the learner and trainer through private message boards, the discussion forum, and follow-up as needed. What is next for Kodo Virtual Learning? As part of the learning process, Kodo will be launching Professional Learning Communities (PLC). These Virtual PLCs will be open discussion forums for those with common interests. These interests can expand beyond just STEM! Further, discussion forums will be facilitated by a professional that will be available to answer questions, post photo and video provocations, and stimulate learning among the members. Virtual Coaching will be available for programs that do not have access to a Kodo Trainer, or for programs that need an education opportunity specific to their needs. Kodo Virtual Learning Video Take a look at our Kodo Virtual Learning video on the Kodo Kids YouTube channel! Kodo Virtual Learning Contact Information Kodo Virtual Learning Website - https://kodo.learnupon.com Kodo Virtual Learning Email - vl@kodokids.com

Competent and Capable Children Kodo Kids Celebrates NAEYC The Week of the Young Child™ Children are natural researchers. They are continuously observing, reflecting, and making connections to the world around them. As educators, we create opportunities and experiences for them to explore their interests and questions. During this three part series we will explore what a long term inquiry can look like in an early childhood classroom and how following the children’s lead can lead to incredible and lasting changes. A pre-kindergarten class at the Boulder JCC was enjoying their first year in a new school building. After noticing the children didn’t seem to be very engaged in the outdoor space, the teachers, Aimee and Jordan, brought these observations back to the children. The adults asked for their impressions on the new outdoor space. The children quickly created a list of likes, dislikes, and a wishlist of things they thought would make the space more engaging. The teachers channeled the children’s enthusiasm and suggested they research other outdoor spaces to guide their planning. Children used the computer to look up photos of various playground areas or materials they were interested in adding. They also referenced other outdoor spaces they had visited such as parks or school playground and described the spaces to their peers. After this research, the children chose products and areas of the playground they would like to add to their own outdoor space. The teachers suggested they construct a block model to visualize their ideas in the outdoor space. The children worked on the block model for weeks. They continuously added new ideas and even created a color-coded key so they were able to keep track of which areas were which. They used the block model as a guide and expanded their planning to create blueprints, clay models, and various drawings of their ideas for the space. During this inquiry, the teachers were supporting the children in their research and asking questions to propel their thinking forward. Some of the questions asked were: - Was it actually going to be realistic to add a rocketship or a pool? Or would it be more realistic to add a mud pit or water pump? - How will we raise the funds to buy these new items for the outdoor space? - Who do we need to ask for help in order to make some of our ideas happen? - Are there any experts in our community that would help us know more about planning an outdoor space? - How can we make sure these new items or areas will fit in our outdoor space? A community member who was involved in the planning and construction of the new building brought in architectural drawings and plans to share with the children. There were plans for the playground that included pricing for each item. We used this information to compare prices and began to narrow down their ideas into realistic goals. The two items the children settled on wanting to add to the outdoor space were the Pump Works water pump and Outdoor Magnet Wall from Kodo Kids. Since they were a local company in the area, Aimee and Jordan reached out to Diane Spahn, Kodo Kids’ Director of Education, to see if it would be possible to share the children’s work they had done throughout the long term inquiry. Diane set up a visit for the children to share their designs and drawings with the Kodo design and engineering team and even tour the workshop! The children were so proud to share their ideas and plans with real designers. At the end of the tour, the children used money they had collected from their bake sale to purchase the water pump and magnet wall. Their ideas and planning had come to fruition! The value of a long term inquiry comes in the form and depth of the knowledge and understanding the children have around a topic and not a product at the end. Children are some of the most valuable members in our community. They are valuable not simply for their future worth, but what they offer us in the present. They are capable of incredible things and can leave lasting changes in their path if we harness their innate curiosity and support them in being active researchers. Spark Inquiry-Based Learning in Your Classroom: What interests do you observe in your own classroom that can be expanded upon? In what ways can you ask support children in deepening their understanding of a topic or interest? Are there any members in your community that can support children in their exploration of these topics or interests? Jordan Kaseeska is the Education Specialist at Kodo Kids. She received her undergraduate degree from Colombia College Chicago in Early Childhood Education and went on to earn her masters degree from University of Colorado- at Denver in Education and Human Development with a focus in Early Literacy. She has used her passion for constructionist style teaching in both public and private early childhood and elementary schools. 

The foundation for a strong pencil grip is developed well before a child may pick up a pencil for the first time. Developing strength in the hand muscles, or fine motor skills, is the first step in going onto successfully maneuver a writing utensil. There are over 30 muscles in each hand and giving children opportunities to exercise and strengthen those muscles every day is an integral part of pre-writing readiness in early childhood. Children also need practice in visually tracking their hand movements. This means they need experiences that challenge them to create a strong connection between the visual target and the intention of their hand movements. When choosing materials to offer in the classroom environment, it is important to keep the development of these fine motor skills in mind. Open ended materials and loose parts offer endless opportunities for children to practice skills they will need to grip and navigate a pencil in the future. Of course, it is important to make various art materials available such as colored pencils, markers, and paint brushes. Over time, the use of these materials will support children as they grow comfortable holding a writing or drawing utensil. Also, offer other materials that activate the small muscles of the hand and wrist. Here are some great examples that keep this important skill development fun and engaging: Weaving - Weaving string or natural materials through a loom requires small and precise hand movements to push and pull the materials through.   Beading with Threading Pebbles - This is a great opportunity for children to exercise their visual motor skills by placing the string or ribbon through the hole of the Threading Pebbles. Sculpting and exploring Kinetic Sand - Pinching, squeezing, and using tools such as a garlic press or spoon to work with the sand activates those small hand muscles. Manipulating Bendy Builders - These flexible sticks require children to bend and twist them into shapes and designs, making them a fun and interactive way to work those fine motor muscles.  Incorporate them into your building area and offer children opportunity to create their own animals or people to interact with their structures! Working with Clay - Making coils, rolling balls, and kneading clay all require a great deal of muscle movement in the hands.  Add some wire for poking and bending to make it even better for fine motor work! Using Wire and Wire Cutters - Offering wire of various thicknesses and wire cutters is a wonderful way to encourage strong hand movements to cut and bend. Sorting materials with tweezers or tongs - Create a sorting tray with various materials that are able to be picked up with tongs or tweezers.  This pinching motion is a great way to build hand strength! Developing fine motor skills is important work in early childhood.  Making it enjoyable and engaging will ensure children keep coming back to these activities and continue strengthening those hand muscles. Visit Kodo for unique tools and accessories perfect for promoting pre-writing skills. Wood Play Clips Bendy Builders Laguna Clay Kinetic Sand Kinetic Sand Molds Mad Mattr Sand Pencils Sorting Trays Threading Pebbles Weaving Wall Wooden Loose Parts Kit

If you work with preschoolers you know their fascination with machines! They’re quick to point out construction equipment, love visiting the copy machine with you, and often pretend to man the controls of everything from rocket ships to cappuccino makers. This fascination doesn’t end when we reach adulthood. In fact, I experienced something like it just last week when Kodo founder, Chris Hume and I were graciously invited to One Touch Point to see our catalog being printed. The printing plant was full of large mechanical objects. We saw magazines, business cards, posters, booklets, and menus all coming to life before our eyes. A long row of old fashioned industrial printing presses stopped us in our tracks and was one of the highlights of our field trip. Each had been re purposed from paper printers into foil stamping units and were happily humming as they put the finishing touch on our local, much beloved Chocolove chocolate bar wrappers. Throughout the plant, clattering arms, giant wheels, and shiny conveyors whisked paper along by hundreds of pages per second. We were delighted to see the large scale machinery in action and learned how the each individual unit was essential to the overall function of the system. After being stacked, inked, pushed, turned, pressed, dried, cut, and collated, ordinary paper took the form of our very own Kodo Winter 2018 catalog. It was great fun and really exciting to see! Thank you to Mary Ann and all the wonderful employees at One Touch Point for taking time to teach us something new! Tips To Support Preschoolers’ Fascination with Machinery: Visit the internet for terrific videos of industrial machinery in action - there are many newspaper printing process video clips that are under 5 minutes and feature impressive machinery and mechanisms. Use this as an opportunity to launch a class newspaper project. Build your own wacky machine using loose parts from Kodo and your classroom. Use your Makerspace to deconstruct old machines like toasters, hair dryers, and boom boxes - then use the parts to make a sculpture or a new machine! Kodo products which inspire machine fascination: Kodo Makerspace Wheel and Axle Kit Links> Conveyor Outdoor Ramps Magnet Wall Wooden Gears Marble Rubber Ramp (Check out the video of the old fashioned press!)

Happy National STEM Day!  You may know that here at Kodo we have a particular fondness for all things STEM and in particular, Engineering. Our own team of designers and engineers are enthusiastic problem solvers, who are self motivated team players. When you think about it, that’s exactly what we’re all hoping our students will be. You may think that the traits and skills listed below are taken from your own assessment scale or benchmark system, as they look and sound very familiar: Inquisitive Team Player Effective Communicator Problem-solver Applies and Seeks Knowledge Detailed Systems Thinker Creative Analytical Thinks Logically Collaborates In fact these are some of the top traits and skills that STEM focused companies are looking for when they hire. Whether or not our children enter STEM fields as adults, these characteristics are certainly desirable and applicable to virtually any profession or industry. More importantly, they are developed at a young age and, as educators, we support that development. Happy National STEM day!

Fall In Love With Fall  Some of my earliest and greatest memories are of walking with my grandmother on a crisp fall day; we would collect leaves, talk, and laugh. I would ask 1000 “why” questions and she would answer every single one of them with thoughtfulness. After we had collected our precious and beautiful autumn leaves, pinecones, acorns, and pine-needles, she would help me categorize them, laying each object down with its “friends.” I remember sitting with my treasures - usually in front of her large sunroom windows - and thinking “I am in love with Fall.” I felt inspired by nature to be creative, to think big, and never to be afraid to ask why. To this day I turn to nature to calm my mind and to ignite my imagination. I turn to nature to be reminded that beauty and knowledge are not only found in the classroom. Knowledge is found in the noises that our shoes make walking on the nearly frozen ground. It's in the subtle, yet distinctive, way the air smells when we know the seasons have shifted, and in how the colors of the leaves trigger that feeling that magic and science are intertwined. This month, go on walks with the intention of collecting memories and making a nature wreath. Have the children select baskets or bags to carry during your neighborhood walks. Let the children set the pace, and let them stop as much as they want - they will remind you to slow down. During a recent walk with a group of two and three year olds, a child said to me, “There are no cars coming at us, so why are we walking so fast?"  I said, “You are so right, let’s take our time.” She smiled and sat down to explore the rocks underfoot.   Help the children categorize the treasures. If you have ever taken a walk with a child, you know that indeed everything they find is a treasure! Make a cardboard wreath or purchase one from a local craft store. Offer lots of glue and a place to keep the in-progress work. Invite the the children to add more items after each walk. During the process of placing and gluing the items, have a conversation about what they noticed that day - how did they feel, what did they smell? As an extension, collect images of your children out in nature. Hang the photos from the wreath or post them on a community board to inspire conversation with families about all the learning that took place while falling in love with fall. Note - we were inspired to write this based on a passage we read from “Rethinking the Classroom Landscape - Creating Environments that Connect Young Children, Families, and Communities” by Sandra Duncan, EdD, Jody Martin, Rebecca Kreth https://www.amazon.com/Rethinking-Classroom-Landscape-Environments-Communities/dp/0876595638

This investigation was inspired by the old fashioned Soap Box Derby races we enjoyed as children ourselves! Today, your children will experiment with gravity by changing one variable - weight - as they test how balls of the same size roll differently down two identical ramp courses. They will come to recognize and understand that in a race between two or more identical balls, the heaviest one will always travel the fastest when all other factors remain equal. To Prepare for This Investigation: Prepare a collection of balls of the same size but of varied weights. Examples; wooden balls, rubber balls, steel balls, and plastic. Then, invite children to set up two identical ramp courses. An easy way to do this would be to use two ramp pieces of the same length and prop them both up on the same tool to create an incline. For example, you can prop them both on the same sized block, chair, or box. Lead a discussion using the following prompts to fuel inquiry and action. Prompts for Guided Exploration: Try measuring the weight of the different balls using only your hands. How do their weights compare? Which is heaviest? Which is lightest? Which ball do you think will travel fastest? Why? Let's find out the answers to our questions using the ramps - we can compare two balls at a time. How can we tell for sure that one ball is traveling faster than another? What did you find out? Did anything surprise you? Vocabulary: Force Gravity Weight Speed  Distance Children's Books: Forces Make Things Move by Kimberly Brubaker Bradley Newton and Me by Lynne Mayer and Sherry Rogers What Is A Scientist? by Barbara Lehn

Goal for Adults: Introduce the concept of friction and how it affects motion Goal for Children: Gain hands-on experience with the concept of friction Directions for Facilitation: Introduce the term, friction, to the children, adjusting language to suit their age. Use literature to reinforce the concept. (see Teaching Tips and Children’s Book Recommendations below) Provide pieces of varying textured materials for children to use, such as printer paper, wax paper, sand paper, or other materials that have different textures. Cover the planks with these. Teams of children take turns sliding blocks down the texture-covered planks. Lift one end of the plank to test how the blocks slide. Notice how different materials will start sliding at different angles, and how their sliding speeds might differ from each other. For additional exploration, cover the surface of some (but not all) of the blocks with the textured materials. Take turns testing how these differently textured blocks react on differently textured surfaces. Compare how the various materials affected the block's motion, and discuss how to identify when there is more or less friction. Suggested Materials: Planks: For example, Kodo's Construction Planks Blocks: Unit blocks or another item that will slide without tumbling or rolling Textured Materials: for example, printer paper, wax paper, sand paper, carpet remnants, silk, non-slip shelf liner, vinyl, corrugated cardboard, velvet, etc. Kodo’s Activity Tray (optional tool to contain materials at the end of the ramp) Vocabulary: Force, Friction, Smooth, Rough, Motion, Angle, Texture Children’s Books: What Is Friction? by Lisa Trumbauer And Everyone Shouted, "Pull!": A First Look at Forces and Motion by Claire Llewellyn Oscar and the Cricket: A Book About Moving and Rolling by Geoff Waring   Teaching Tips: Friction is the force required to move one object over another. Friction is what holds objects in place until another force is strong enough to overcome the friction and move the object (for example: gravity). Two main causes of friction are surface roughness and surface adhesion. Roughness can be demonstrated using smooth and rough surfaces (for example, printer paper as opposed to sandpaper), and adhesion can be demonstrated with different “tacky” materials, for example, tape or non-slip shelf liner. Remember, you can feel friction! Encourage children to touch the different planks and blocks to feel the difference in friction. Open-Ended Questions: What did you think was going to happen? Why? What other materials have lots of friction? What materials have very little friction? How do you know? How does friction affect the way things move? Extension: Take the experiment outdoors and get messy! What kind of lubricants can you use to change the amount of friction? Water, soapy water, cooking oil, cornstarch or flour, Crisco, ice cubes… Feel the different liquids between your fingers, some are slipperier than others. What you feel with your fingers is the difference in friction! Hypothesize how each liquid will change the amount of friction the most, and use with your plank set-up to test and record the results. Observation/Assessment Areas: ✔ Scientific Inquiry ✔ Cause and Effect ✔ Reasoning

The weather is warming, the sun is shining, and we are spending more and more time in our outdoor classrooms! Today we'd like to share with you a DIY Rain Bottle tool that is easy to make and introduce to your outdoor water tables. Children find this Rain Bottle incredibly intriguing - when filled with water and then sealed, all the water stays in the bottle - despite holes cut into the bottom! Open the lid, however, and the rain pours out. Your curious children will play and explore, trying to work out the reason why the water behaves the way it does, all while investigating new physics concepts! Just follow the three easy steps below to create this neat Rain Bottle for your water table. Creating Your DIY Rain Bottle Collect your materials This project requires very few tools to create. You'll need a bottle with a cap - preferably one on hinges or, even better, one of the push-pull caps you often find on water bottles or dish detergent. Next, you'll need either scissors, a screwdriver, or another sharp object for creating holes in the bottom of your bottle. Clean your bottle Make sure your bottle is clean and free of residue from the materials it formerly held. We used a honey bottle, so we make sure to wash it thoroughly with warm water to get rid of any lingering stickiness.  Make holes in the bottom of your bottle We used scissors, but as mentioned, you can poke with a screwdriver, auger, nails - anything easy to handle and sharp enough to perforate your bottle. Be very careful during that step not to slip and cut yourself!  Using Your Rain Bottle Fill your bottle by removing the cap, and submerging it in water. Once your bottle is as full as you like, cap it shut before lifting it out of the water. The water should stay in the bottle when removed from the sink, despite the holes in the bottom. If the water spills out, check that your cap has a tight seal. Now that your bottle is full and you've trapped water inside, see what happens when you open the lid! Water "rains" out of the bottom as the air pressure from above pushes water downward. Check out these other fun outdoor STEM classroom materials from Kodo Kids! Pump Works Outdoor Funnel Stand Ice Molds Outdoor Balance

I was recently reflecting on my son’s first year in Kindergarten. Back then, I’d been nervous for my 4-year-old, as he was being placed in a mixed-age class with kindergarteners through second graders all together. He really likes older children, but he was going be one of the youngsters. The opening night family picnic was a wonderful opportunity for the children to get to know each other and play together before the first day. As I watched the children interact and play on the large brand new playset, the interaction between them was “normal”. That is to say, they were taking turns going down the slide, climbing up the bars, speaking to each other when necessary. It seemed to me that the children were getting to know each other until my son approached me and said: “can you push me on the swings”? My thought was, “What! But you should be playing with the kids and getting to know some of them!” Yes, swings are great, but they are a solitary activity. It was at that point when I looked around and noticed that “normal” interaction was really quite lonely looking. How can children interact when only one child can fit on a slide or climb a ladder at a time? The play structure set the stage for social interaction, but not social engagement. For adults, a social party is great. We stand around for hours talking away, happy as clams. But for children, social engagement comes from in-depth play. “Let’s go to the sandbox," I said to my son. I was quite familiar with the sandbox, having constructed it myself a few weeks prior. Knowing the importance of slope, I had mounded the sand on one side of the sandbox (a very large area about 30ft by 30ft) and placed a large tree trunk on its side to hold the sand, along with several large stumps. That morning I had also brought over sections of our outdoor ramps, which were also placed in the sandbox. My son began to play. There were children of all ages in the sand, about 25 kids at any one time from 4 years old to 10. When we arrived the ramps were being fully utilized. Covered in sand and arranged in a long twisting line, the children had designed a beautifully constructed pathway for the lone soccer ball to roll along. All the children were intensely working away creating jumps, fixing broken connections, and transferring the ball from the bottom of the path back to the top. Now, I thought, these children are communicating! The difference in interaction between the children at the play set and the children in the sandbox was stunning! The sandbox children were working together, they were debating, problem-solving, predicting, and they were truly interacting. There was no need for turn-taking or sharing when everyone could participate at once. Not a single parent had to command their child to “play nice” or “don’t throw sand”, and there was no way my son was going come over and ask to be pushed on the swings. And then came the water! Someone found a hose and all of the sudden those cute little party dresses and little dress shirts were covered in dirty wet sand! Some parents cringed, but to my delight, no one stopped the play for worry of mud. Suddenly the sand-covered ball ramp became a flowing river with waterfalls, dams, and boats! A whole new dynamic broke out as the older kids started to rearrange the ramps for optimal water flow. Again, they all worked as a team talking about the different sections. “Fix right there!” “We need more sand along the side!” “Turn off the water, we have to fix this.” “Okay, turn it back on!” The hose runner would swiftly make his way to the spigot and wait for on/off water commands. The eldest, biggest child manned the hose and aimed the flow. The small children worked away at the construction of the ramp flume. I was entranced watching the kids interact with one another. The sandbox provided the opportunity for children to truly get to know each other - it provided a priceless introduction. On the way home I asked, “so do you think you will like your new school?” With conviction in his voice, he responded like many 4-year-olds with “Yeah! I made lots of new friends!”

This blog is part 3 in a series by Nancy Brown, retired early childhood educator and friend of Kodo. Read Part 1 here: Questions About the Changing Roles of Teachers In Lively Minds, Academic vs. Intellectual Development, Lillian Katz offers, “an appropriate curriculum in the early years is one that includes the encouragement and motivation of the children to seek mastery of basic academic skills, e.g. beginning writing skills, in the service of their intellectual pursuits." She suggests: “… the issue here is not whether academic skills matter; rather it is about when they matter and what proportion of the curriculum they warrant, especially during the early years.” In The Great Disconnect (2015), Michael Gramling observes “Preschool teachers, in in order to “close the achievement gap,” have begun to equate instruction with assessment, confuse child development with early learning, and substitute early information for early experience.” He reminds us, “Early intelligence grows through choices and complexity and self-esteem and negotiating with others—not through memorizing prescribed lists of facts.” We have to watch out with all these well-crafted learning standards that we don’t lose track of the joy as we listen to the ideas and thinking of young children. We need to be vigilant that in the struggle to maintain a balance between teacher-directed activity and child-centered, open-ended play, we don’t fall into a habit of over-engaging in instruction under-valuing the child’s curiosities and discoveries. All children should have access to open-ended play as the heart of daily experiences. When play takes a backseat to meeting standards, those children never catch up because memorizing facts doesn’t lead to success. Children who are successful in school need to engage with others in negotiation, examination, wonder and discovery. Play is not a privilege. Children learn best through authentic interactions with adults and meaningful experiences with their world. To that end, a teacher: prepares the environment for exploration provokes curiosity, exploration, and further study engages the children in conversations with others and herself about ideas and thinking A teacher is a player herself, curious, purposeful and takes delight in children. She is confident in using observations, wondering with other teachers and families. She values and records their learning journeys. She is a facilitator, a researcher, an investigator, and player at the heart of her work. She knows that her insights and voice are a precious part of the learning community’s success. She presents children with relevant information, asks good questions and wonders with them while encouraging children to seek new skills and abilities, “in the service of their intellectual pursuits.” This blog was written by Nancy Brown, Early Childhood Educator Nancy brown is a retired Early Childhood educator and co-creator of Highrise Building Sets. After having taught ECE at Cabrillo College in Aptos, CA, she directed programs and taught first grade and preschool since 1972. She recently developed a site for teacher reflection and individualized professional development for the California Department of Education, Early Education Division and makes toys and writes books for her six grandchildren.

What is a deflector, and what does it do? Deflectors are one of our customers' favorite ramp accessories, but once in a while a teacher comes into possession of a Deflector they didn't originally order, and they call us to ask what is it? what does it do? why do I have this? If you've found yourself wondering lately what your Deflector is, or how to best put it to use in your classroom, then you've come to the right place! To the unfamiliar eye, a Deflector might look like a typical loose part for your construction area, and while it is that, it is also so much more! The Deflector was designed originally to support your ramp systems - it's even an included component in our Discovery Ramp Deluxe Kit! The idea behind the deflector is that the rubber band "walls" provide a bouncy surface that can be used to change the path of a moving object (most often balls that are being rolled along ramps). Children can experiment with the angle of incidence to adjust the direction their balls roll after bouncing off the Deflector Walls. The open-ended nature of the Deflector's design also makes it a wonderful tool for children to use as tunnels, structural supports, or for other purposes to suit their creative needs. The Inspiration Behind the Deflector's Creation Chris Hume, Kodo's founder, was inspired one day while watching his son playing "Angry Birds". His son was good at the game but was having difficulty when it came to bouncing his birds off of walls to direct them to hit certain parts of the towers he was trying to knock down. So, recognizing that the issue was with comprehending angles of incidence, Chris fashioned a prototype Deflector for his son to experiment with in real life. After a few attempts at adjusting the angle to make rolling balls change course, the concept was understood. This real life, father-son moment led to the creation of our popular Deflector Kit! Deflector Assembly Deflectors are very easy and very quick to assemble. Each kit comes with components for four deflectors - 8 wooden arms and 12 rubber bands. Two arms slot together to form a cross, and then three rubber bands are stretched around the arms to form a square box with rubber band walls. We recommend evenly spacing the rubber bands out to provide a nice, large surface area for deflection.  Related Products Adding accessories to your ramp systems increases the opportunity for children to exercise design thinking skills. The more parts you have, the more combinations there are for creating complex structures! We recommend these following loose parts to add to your ramps systems: Swiss Ramps Stands Wooden Arch Set Tunnel Kit Discovery Ramps

On March 8th, Kodo founder Chris Hume presented at SXSWedu alongside National Head Start Executive Director Yasmina Vinci, Divisional Director Head Start and Early Head Start Wassy Tesfa, and Lisa Brahms, the Director of Learning and Research at the Children's Museum of Pittsburgh. The distinguished panel addressed Fostering the Maker Movement in Early Childhood Education. Says Hume, "The audience questions and participation were great, and included incredible discussion on how to facilitate the tinker mindset in both children and teachers. The insight the other panelists brought to the room was inspiring - Brahms delved into makerspaces for multiple ages, while Tesfa brought wisdom on implementing makerspaces into your program." At Kodo, we wholeheartedly support the maker movement in education, especially early education. We look forward to being a driving force in this movement in the years to come. We encourage you to watch some of the clips from our presentation below to learn more about the future of Makerspaces in early childhood education! The panel responds to "what does makerspace mean to you?"     Addressing Technology in the Classroom

Flexnest Recognized as Best in Category for "Design As Idea" It is with pride and excitement that we announce that the Interior Design Educators Council (IDEC) National Conference recently gave national recognition to Flexnest, a project collaboration between South Dakota State University Alumni Vanny Cahyadi and Grey Waletich (now a Kodo employee!)  and Kodo Founder Chris Hume. The Flexnest is an innovative piece of furniture that functions not only as a place for adults and children to sit, but which also doubles as a collection of loose parts and trays for storage. Flexnest was given the distinction of "Best in Category: Design as Idea". Projects in this category explore the entire spectrum of design. Submissions can either be conceptual in character and/or completed projects, furniture design, lighting, product design, stage/set design, textile design, exhibition design, etc. The judging process is blind-reviewed by nationally and internationally recognized jurors who are interior designers, architects, artists, or curators. Juror's comments on the project included: “This project was very well presented and coordinated. The idea is very intriguing, and the details of the project are simple yet sophisticated,” and “this design applies the concept of Loose Parts very effectively. The approach to which the loose parts within the design are put together in a multitude of uses enables a challenging experience and ability for children imaginations to explore. It was well executed." On behalf of the Kodo team, congrats to Grey and Chris! To view the PDF of the portfolio submission, click here.

This blog is part 2 in a series by Nancy Brown, retired early childhood educator and friend of Kodo. Read Part 1 here: Questions About the Changing Roles of Teachers Learning Through Play in Preschool Preschool teachers are fortunate. We don’t have to tell children to do their work before they can play. We know that through spontaneous and extended play, curiosity and creativity will blossom and that children will learn. In fact, in preschool, children begin to acquire all the skills listed below as they prepare to meet the demands of the twenty-first century. Designing a program around these as goals might make for a pretty impressive program. Skills for the twenty-first century can be grouped in three categories: Learning Skills: Critical Thinking, Creative Thinking, Collaboration, and Communication Literacy Skills: Information Literacy, Media Literacy, and Technology Literacy Life Skills: Flexibility, Initiative, Social Skills, Productivity, and Leadership Have you found in your program that play gets squeezed between teacher-directed time and direct instruction? Perhaps play has become more like an elementary school recess, a time to expend some energy, or blow off some steam. That’s what can happen when we focus on academic learning only and stop trusting that play opens children up to new ways of thinking and knowing. Do you wonder together with children, engage in studies and projects to examine their world discoveries in depth? Wondering together supports the development of a learning community, one based on inquiry and exploration. As you participate and wonder along with children, the value of their ideas and emerging understandings will increase. Can early learning occur without direct instruction? Probably not. But teacher involvement has many faces. It encompasses direct instruction but also includes every way we support children’s growth and learning. Teachers observe, think with the children, listen to them and reflect back their thinking with a little teacher-thinking mixed in. How much time do you dedicate to teacher-directed inquiry? It’s a negotiation, isn’t it? Maybe we explore in the sandbox topics like plumbing, about pipes underground, and get the local plumber out for a visit. Maybe we bring in a paleontologist in to dig for bones or bring in a dowser to walk around the playground with a stick, searching for water. Maybe a child’s mother could come in to repair the leak. We do those things if the children’s wonderings take us in those directions. We pay attention, listening and watching for key questions and the direction of their interest. What about academic learning? Are your walls already full? The environment print rich? Or do you have space for the next project, the next documentation panel? When we take out the scales and weigh the sand extracted from the holes, we could keep track of the weights. We could use the words “ounces” and “pounds” in context, rather than posting them on a word wall. When we measure the depth of those holes, we could use traditional measuring tools like rulers but can also leave space for children’s invented tools, like shoelaces and paperclips. We might have the children sit and witness real-time writing, as we print numerals on paper at group time. Why not? We can make space and time for that. If you’ve allotted time for that, then spend a little more time. Use it for recording children’s ideas and questions; maybe make a chart, a mind-map, get out the camera, write a learning story. As stated earlier, we know that through spontaneous and extended play, curiosity and creativity will blossom and that children will learn. So, leave plenty of time for play, weave readiness activities into the children’s experience, spend time wondering with them, and make space on your walls for the stories of their learning to be told. This blog was written by Nancy Brown, Early Childhood Educator Nancy brown is a retired Early Childhood educator and co-creator of Highrise Building Sets. After having taught ECE at Cabrillo College in Aptos, CA, she directed programs and taught first grade and preschool since 1972. She recently developed a site for teacher reflection and individualized professional development for the California Department of Education, Early Education Division and makes toys and writes books for her six grandchildren.

  Kodo's Wind Tunnel Appears on Episode "Nature's Super HQ" If you were watching Animal Planet last Friday night, you may have noticed an exciting surprise - Kodo's Wind Tunnel made its TV debut on Treehouse Masters! The episode was titled "Nature's Super HQ" and told the story of For Mar Nature Preserve in Flint, Michigan. The treehouse serves as a classroom in the sky for visitors of all ages, and provides an educational and entertaining resource for a community still reeling from the water crisis that began in 2014. To date, the treehouse has already received over 28,000 visitors and hosts educational programs, field trips, schools, scout groups, the local community, and more. The Wind Tunnel Appears on Treehouse Masters During the episode, we follow Pete Nelson as he walks us through the design process and construction of the treehouse. Then, towards the end, Pete brings in his interior designer to turn the empty treehouse into an exciting classroom space. At one point, she enters the treehouse carrying the Wind Tunnel, or, as she lovingly put it, the "little wind turbine thing", explaining to viewers how children will use it to learn about aerodynamics. The Wind Tunnel finds its home in a corner of the treehouse where it's positioned to shoot Play Silks and other fun materials through a 'Y' shaped trunk of tree that grows through the middle of the room. Watch Again on Animal Planet If you missed the show, you can catch reruns on Animal Planet! The next airings will be on Friday January 27th and Saturday January 28th - check your local listings for more details. You can also sign in with your TV provider to watch the episode anytime online! To learn more about the For-Mar Nature Preserve and Arboretum, visit facebook.com/Formarnaturepreserve.

This blog is part 1 in a series by Nancy Brown, retired early childhood educator and friend of Kodo Young children joyfully learn through play. We see it in action every day in our programs. So what is the role of the teacher today? How often do teachers step in, or engage in direct instruction? The answer to this question may bring up some big feelings for teachers - questions about the changing role of teachers of young children, about assessment-driven instruction, about mandated curriculum, and about the very nature of our work. Four-year-old Monica digs in the sandbox. She calls out to her nearby friends, “Get shovels, hurry! It’s water. I found water!” Several children pick up a hand trowel and a garden shovel and join her in making holes. They work side-by-side, intent on making a discovery too. Holes appear all over the sandbox, some very deep. One child stops when his shovel hits hard packed soil, another finds pebbles the teacher had painted with gold paint and buried months back, one child pulls up a length of filter cloth and another, digging close to the girl who’d discovered the water, claps with delight as her hole floods with water, too. What a fabulous moment. Active, open-ended play that became focused, that engaged several children, and which opened up an opportunity for wondering together, using their imaginations, and making discoveries. What did the teacher see? What did the teachers do in that moment? In the next few hours? What will they talk about at the end of the day or plan for the next days, weeks, and months in response? Is a little water in the sandbox worthy of all that attention? Yes, it is. Play scenes like these occur throughout the day in inquiry-based programs. Good teachers take note and talk together about what kind of questions were provoked among the players. In a learning community that embraces a constructivist approach, these moments are gems. The result of this play might engage families, children, and teachers for months in research and exploration of related experiences. This is the curriculum in a play-based environment. The role of the teacher is to support learning, develop relationships, and become co-learners with the players. When it works, everyone is ignited with the joy of learning. But sometimes it doesn’t. Why is that? I wonder if there less agreement today about what young children need? Have we gotten so focused on the acquisition of skills and abilities that we’ve forgotten about creativity, thinking skills, and relationships? What about joy? Joy for the teachers, children, and their families? What do you think? This blog was written by Nancy Brown, Early Childhood Educator Nancy brown is a retired Early Childhood educator and co-creator of Highrise Building Sets. After having taught ECE at Cabrillo College in Aptos, CA, she directed programs and taught first grade and preschool since 1972. She recently developed a site for teacher reflection and individualized professional development for the California Department of Education, Early Education Division and makes toys and writes books for her six grandchildren.

Including preschool books in every day play is beneficial for both the associated literary skills and as a supplemental resource to many important teaching topics. At Kodo, we use books to help reinforce learning and promote children's daily investigations! Some of these preschool books may be familiar while some may not be, and each will inspire young engineers, scientists, artists, and inventors! This book list was curated by Diane Spahn, Kodo’s Early Childhood Education Specialist. Preschool Books We Recommend that Support Construction and Engineering Ten Birds by Cybele Young Ten Birds Meet A Monster by Cybele Young The Most Magnificent Thing by Ashley Spires These books support play with: Discovery Ramps HighRise Loose Parts Preschool Books we Recommend to Support Problem-Solving and Systems Thinking What Do You Do With A Problem? by Kobi Yamada These books support play with: Magnet Walls Outdoor Ramps Puzzle Keys Big Shadows Puzzle Set Preschool Books we Recommend to Support Play with Science and Physics Ada Twist, Scientist by Andrea Beaty Magnet Max by Monica Lozano-Hughes I Use Science Tools by Kelli Hicks Du Iz Tak? by Carson Ellis These books support play with: Wind Tunnel Rubber Ramp Preschool Books we Recommend to Support Light and Shadow Play Sky Color by Peter Reynolds These books support play with: Light Lab Luxi Transparent Blocks Harlekino Discovery Boards Preschool Books we Recommend to Support Studio Art Beautiful Oops by Barney Saltzberg The Line by Paula Bossio These books support play with: Chalk Spinner Water Paper Slate Tablet Preschool Books we Recommend to Support Math and Language This Plus That by Amy Krouse Rosenthal Which is Round, Which Is Bigger by Mineko Mamada You Are (Not) Small by Anna Kang My Map Book by Sara Fanelli A Squiggly Story by Andrew Larson Rocket Writes a Story by Tad Hills These books support play with: Groovie Math & Patterning Blocks Lowercase Sensory Letters Gem Blocks

STEM is here to stay, and more early childhood educators than ever are introducing integrated science, technology, engineering, and math concepts in their classrooms. Children are wired to learn these concepts and the associated language best through hands-on play and experimentation. We’ve come up with our top STEM words that we feel every preschooler should be learning, and have given examples of how to introduce these words in a developmentally appropriate way. These terms are particularly useful when working on engineering with ramps, blocks, balls and other accessories. To introduce these words, we encourage you to use them in context during children’s play. By identifying when these STEM concepts are happening in action, you can begin to incorporate this vocabulary into a natural dialogue with your children. You’ll see that the more often you use these words in context, the less often you will need to explain what you mean. In a short time, children will use the words on their own as they begin to understand their meanings. Click here to download a printable version of this list Top 15 STEM Vocabulary Words for Preschoolers: Definitions and Example Sentences Hypothesis Definition: a proposed explanation made on the basis of limited evidence as a starting point for further investigation. Example: “What is your hypothesis for what will happen after we put the ball at the top of the ramp?” Theory Definition: a supposition or a system of ideas intended to explain something, especially one based on general principles independent of the thing to be explained Example: “You think the ball will go up the ramp when we let go of it? That’s an interesting theory. Why do you think that?” Elevation: Definition: the height to which something is rises Example: “What do you think will happen if we change the elevation? What will happen to the ball if you lift the ramp higher or lower it’s elevation?” Speed Definition: the rate at which someone or something is able to move or operate Example: “How do you think the ramp’s elevation will affect the ball’s speed?” Experiment Definition: a scientific procedure undertaken to make a discovery, test a hypothesis, or demonstrate a known fact. Example: “Now that we’ve created our hypothesis, what experiment can we create to test it?” Pattern Definition: a repeated decorative design. Example: “I see that in your ramp system, there is one long, then one short, one long, and another short. What size ramp is next in this pattern?” Balance Definition: a condition in which different elements are equally proportioned Example: “It looks like the teeter totter is off balance. Which side do you think needs more weight to in order to make both sides equal?” Friction Definition: the resistance that one surface or object encounters when moving over another. Example: “What do you think would happen if we moved our ramp system to the smooth, wooden floor that has less friction than the carpet?” Predict Definition: say or estimate that (a specified thing) will happen in the future or will be a consequence of something. Example: “If I use the heavy ball instead of the light one, what do you predict will happen differently?” Observation Definition: the action or process of observing something or someone carefully or in order to gain information Example: “Tommy is going to test his hypothesis. Sara, why don’t you and I make observations, so we can take notes and drawings of what happens!” Force Definition: any interaction that, when unopposed, changes motion of an object Example: “When you applied more force to the ball by pushing it, I noticed it went faster.” Data Definition: facts and statistics collected together for reference or analysis Example: “Let’s collect some data so we can compare how far the ball travels on different ramp systems.” Design Definition: purpose, planning, or intention that exists or is thought to exist behind an action, fact, or material object. Example: “Let’s try something new. Before making a ramp system, we’ll make a design on paper, then follow it as we build.” Cause Definition: something that gives rise to an action, phenomenon, or condition. Example: “The ball fell off here - what do you think was the cause for that?” Effect Definition: a change that is a result or consequence of an action or other cause. Example: “I noticed  when you moved this ramp, a little gap formed between it and the next one. I wonder what the effect will be on the ball when we try again?”

What are loose parts, and how do they elevate learning? You may have noticed that Kodo products don’t include a set of directions on how to use them. There are uses implied through product design, but nothing is dictated on how the end user, the child, should assign meaning to the individual parts. This is, as you may have guessed, entirely intentional. All Kodo products are designed to be open-ended and compatible with Loose Parts. Simon Nicholson was the first to coin the phrase in his article “How to NOT Cheat Children: The Theory of Loose Parts”. He explained, “in any environment, both the degree of inventiveness and creativity, and the possibility of discovery, are directly proportional to the number of variables in it.” Many of us are familiar with the common phrase “less is more.” In the case of Loose Parts, the opposite is true - the more open-ended materials you have, the greater the opportunities are for learning. The more variables you offer children, the more choices you present to them for building, problem solving, and creative thinking. The ideal combination of Loose Parts includes open-ended materials that vary in texture, shape, and size. Loose Parts are valuable for supporting STEM concepts in your program, such as those inherent to engineering. They also encourage dramatic play and socialization as children share in meaning making when incorporating open-ended materials in their play. One of the greatest things about Loose Parts is that they are very easy to curate. Many of our products are designed as systems, comprised of Loose Parts and open-ended materials. They can be supplemented with an assortment of items easily found at your local dollar store, thrift store, even items from your recycling bin! Try collecting egg cartons, bottle tops, cardboard boxes, fabric squares, and other easily available open-ended materials - you’ll be amazed at what those items can become in the imagination of a child! Recommended reading: How to Make Open-Ended Play Not be Overwhelming - from the Kodo Blog Loose Parts: Inspiring Play in Young Children by Lisa Daly and Miriam Beloglovsky Loose Parts 2: Inspiring Play with Infants and Toddlers by Lisa Daly and Miriam Beloglovsky Five Essentials of Meaningful Play - from NAEYC

This post was contributed by Diane Spahn, Education Specialist, and Constant Hine, Director of Professional Development Upon first glance we might overlook the moment captured in the above photo. Something similar to it is most likely occurring in your school or early education program as you read this page. An adult’s assistance is sought after by a child. Often, our instinct is to take the lead and handle it, fix it for them, or supply a direct answer. As adults we do this partly because we think we’re being helpful, and we care. We want children to learn and experience success. But when we supply all the answers or all the help, what message are we communicating? Situations like the one pictured are opportunities for us to be mindful of our facilitation styles. Do we use non-verbal forms of communication when helping children? Do we give them too much information or intervene too often? Do we choose an informal or formal style of instruction?  Do we choose leadership or followership? Both have their place. In this example, the adult practices the art of followership. She is attentive, listens, and follows. She waits for the child’s instruction and then acts. Should this interaction go awry or yield unwanted results, the adult might then shift into gentle leadership with the child; taking the lead momentarily, and perhaps making a suggestion. Striking a balance between leadership and followership models reciprocate interdependence between people, no matter their age or status. As the ideas, actions, and suggestions are passed back and forth between children and adults, so are the artful skills of communicating, sharing, initiating, and listening. Leadership and followership skills can be learned, modeled, and masterfully practiced by both adults and children. We encourage you to spark a deep conversation about the value placed on Adult-Child Interactions in your program. The following reflective questions from Kodo's Investigation Based Teaching PracticesTM can jump start many conversations. What is your image of the child? What is your image of the teacher? How are respect and regard for children’s ideas alive and evident in your center? What are your definitions of independence and interdependence? How do they impact your practice? What is the program’s or your view of followership and leadership? How do you exemplify them in your practice? What are some of the benefits you think practicing followership can offer to the entire community of learners, both children and adults? What would you like to change in order to deepen your relationships and increase the frequency of meaningful interactions you share with children?

While it may feel like Summer has just begun, many teachers are already shifting their focus to next school year’s classroom. Over the coming weeks, you’ll be cleaning, sorting, organizing, choosing new materials and furniture, and arranging spaces to welcome your incoming families and children. Creating an ideal learning environment while working with the architectural style of your building and the existing furniture and materials you have is important and can pose challenges. We’d like to offer up the ten questions we think every teacher needs to ask when thinking about new classroom designs. 10 Questions to Ask Yourself When Designing Your Classroom: 1. Have I included a variety of spaces for different numbers of children? The ideal classroom has a space where everyone can be together, as well as spaces for smaller groups and pairs. An area for an individual to reflect and reset is just as important as areas that support collaboration. Does the furniture arrangement and classroom design support different size groups in the various areas of my classroom? 2. Can my children easily transition between different areas of the classroom? Does my classroom layout support children moving seamlessly from one area to another, therefore enabling them to combine materials and concepts for a greater depth of learning? If not, what is preventing the flow, and how can I fix this? 3. Are tools and materials easily able to be transported by children? Your classroom organization should support the ability for children to access, transport, and cleanup materials easily. Does the organization and presentation of materials offer this? Consider baskets, bags, and bins that are easily manipulated by young children. 4. Do I offer unconventional or unique storage options? While still achieving the objectives of question #3, are some of the materials stored in innovative ways? Is there space for me to offer materials in containers that might hang vertically on a wall? What can I replace the standard plastic bin with that would peak children’s interests? Offering unconventional storage options might just spark imaginations and supports everyone to think about combining materials in interesting ways. 5. How can I capitalize on natural lighting? Can I improve aesthetics and reduce the harsh overhead lighting and glare by taking advantage of my natural lighting? Is there a window I can use to bring attention to the natural world? Draw attention to the outdoors, including the buildings, and land beyond the classroom walls. Use lightweight curtains to frame the windows, plants, stained glass sun catchers, or other decorations that emphasize the natural lighting. Window ledges offer a tiny space to place beautiful objects from nature such as geodes, shells, and other materials that are best shown in natural lighting. 6. Am I showcasing living things in my classroom space? Plants are not only a wonderful way to model the natural world, but they freshen our air and add to the aesthetics of our environments. Studies show that plants add an element of serenity to a space, making them perfect as classroom decor. They also add the opportunity to learn about life cycles and responsibility as children share in the task of watering and caring for plants and other living classroom creatures. A local nursery should be able to help you choose child-safe indoor plants for your classroom design. We also recommend checking with your school board to find out if hermit crabs, guinea pigs, and other small animals are welcome in your classroom. 7. How do my indoor and outdoor spaces speak to one another? How can I connect the natural world outside with my indoor space? What tools and materials do I have in the indoor classroom that are appropriate for use in the outdoor classroom and playground, and vice versa? Will the children be able to transport all of these materials easily? 8. Am I listening to the architecture of my space? Consider what materials and furniture are best given the space you’ve been provided. It is tempting to force furniture we love into spaces where it doesn’t belong. As the saying goes, a round peg won’t fit in a square hole. Consider the architecture and seek out appropriate furniture to make the best use out of a corner, a pillar, or an oddly placed cabinet. Expert tip: you never know what a fellow teacher might have to discard, that would be perfect in your space - go shopping within your school! 9. Am I creating visual interest in my space? There is a common misconception that all wall hangings should be at eye level for children. However, varying the height of your wall decor creates visual interest and encourages children to change their perspectives. We recommend a balance of wall hangings and shelving at various heights on the wall from floor to ceiling. Question 7 can help guide your decisions. 10. Am I using color effectively in my decor? Studies show too many colors on a large scale, such as with interior design, can be overstimulating and cause cognitive shut-down. Experts recommend sticking with neutral shades and fewer than 3 distinct colors in larger spaces. Here’s an expert tip for you: many paint companies now provide “color family” guides for free. Check with your local hardware store to get ideas for corresponding pallets to help you shape the color story of your classroom. Feeling inspired? Try these Kodo materials to help you with your classroom designs! Fabric Bags Mobile Magnet Wall

National Trends in Professional Development for Teachers We recently returned from NAEYC’s National Institute for Early Childhood Professional Development in Baltimore, and are so excited to see and hear of the ways in which the field is growing! We spent time at this show not only connecting to educators, but also gathering very valuable information to share with our team. We are so pleased to see a national shift in attention towards developing quality initiatives and programs to coach teachers on incorporating and identifying STEM and STEAM in their classrooms. With investments in professional development for teachers, more and more educators are able to comfortably and effectively introduce complex STEM topics to their early learners in relevant, developmentally appropriate ways. At the Institute we took time to discuss with attendees some of the major benefits of an investment in professional development, including: The support of Continuous Quality Improvement An increase in teacher confidence and competencies A boost to your school’s reputation as a leader in innovative teaching strategies An increase in CLASS scores An increase in collaboration (among teachers and children!) Perspectives re-energized, recharged, and refreshed The gain of new skills and growth of your collective practice Opportunity to practice methodologies for implementing open-ended teaching tools At Kodo, we design products that build on children’s natural proclivity to play and investigate. When placed in learning environments, these materials open the door to learning about science, technology, engineering, art, math. We believe the effectiveness of our educational products can be multiplied when you invest in Professional Development to support your teachers in translating concrete ways for children to experience STEM learning. We offer a variety of Professional Development services, and all of them are founded in Investigation Based Teaching Practices ™, which are aligned with and strengthen Classroom Organization and Instructional Support strategies addressed in the CLASS™. These practical strategies support the thoughtful facilitation of children’s learning through investigative open-ended play. Kodo’s Investigation-Based Teaching Practices™ help educators recognize and establish habits of thoughtful responsive facilitation. To learn more about our professional development for teachers, visit www.kodokids.com/professional-development-for-teachers

As many of you know, I travel a great deal consulting, delivering trainings and addressing large groups of Early Childhood Education teachers all over the country. I find myself in many airports, restaurants, and hotels and no matter where I go, there are always young children close by. Late one evening a few weeks ago I dragged my suitcase full of ramps into the lobby of a hotel, parked it against a wall and got in line to check in. A family of wedding party guests was in front of me , the mother with heels in hand and a bit of lace trailing from her gown, the father was holding a wee tot who was playing with his loosened tie. “Down, down”, the toddler squealed as she peered behind her father and me. The lobby had a large wheelchair ramp to serve as a means of getting from the street level down to the garden level dining space. As soon as her feet hit the floor, she was off! She ran up and down the ramp, repeatedly. Her mother called out a warning for her to stop because she was in her “fancy clothes”. I chuckled to myself as I thought, when have clothes ever stopped a toddler from exploring? Then I heard the child add sound to her movement. As she went up the ramp her pitch ascended with her. “Weeeeee”, she sang. Running back down, she added, “Woooooo”, with a matching descending pitch. The happy wee’s and woo’s resounded through the lobby. The mother and father looked at me apologetically, “Sorry she’s so noisy”, said the dad. “She always finds places to run”, added the mom. I smiled and offered, “She’s doing exactly what the space is telling her do. She’s reading the environment and it doesn’t bother me at all, in fact, I’m delighted to see it.” Space does inform us. It tells what to do and in some cases how to behave. For example, children and adults are usually very animated and loud in a gymnasium because the space encourages big actions and big voices. The park tells us to run and climb and yell, while the dentist office waiting room says be calm and patient,. Space design, colors, materials, lighting, traffic noise and air quality all impact the learning process. Space “speaks” to us. What does your space say to you and to your children?

Kodo is honored to be partnering with a progressive new school, the Center of Gravity, in their mission to redefine early childhood education! About Center of Gravity The Center of Gravity is a unique lab school in Pleasant Hill, California, focused on bringing diversity, community, investigation based learning, and STEM concepts to young children. “Our premise is that all children are born researchers. We’re going to be using play as the highest form of research, and using technology strategically to help children engage in scientific research and design for 21st century learning,” Executive Director Michelle Grant Groves recently told the Martinez News Gazette. The Center of Gravity will encourage and cultivate children’s natural curiosity and instinct to research by exploring the relationships between hands-on play, cooperation and negotiation, exploration, experimentation, and prototypes and design. Their core values include Diversity and Inclusion, Democracy and Civil Debate, and Projects and Presentation. Kodo and The Center of Gravity The Center of Gravity will be pushing the limits and testing new teaching methodologies, and is embarking on this journey with several amazing partner organizations. We are honored that Kodo is a company they have been adamant about working with, and we have made a donation to support their research and contributions to early childhood education. The Center of Gravity will be using our materials in complex combinations, and we are excited to see the outcomes of this fresh perspective of and experimentation with our products. As this new program progresses we will share videos, stories, and photos with all of you. These authentic observations of children using our materials will help us better serve our customers and help all of us better serve children and our communities. We Want to See Your Classroom Show us your educational spaces! How are you using Kodo products in your classroom? Submit your photos for a chance for your school to be featured on our blog or social media sites!

The Role of Intensity In Play in Early Childhood Education As early childhood educators who work within a Constructivist Perspective, we often struggle with when to intervene in play with our questions and when to stay silent, putting ourselves into the role of documenter and observer.  What are the indicators that can inform us about this issue? As seen in the video, the children are immersed in deep exploration of the Magnet Wall and its many components.  They appear to have had previous experience with these materials as we watch them moving the component parts to their liking.  They work around each other and add and remove parts of the wall frequently.  Many children are utilizing the wall components simultaneously and it appears that they are all experimenting with how the ball trajectory will result in the ball dropping into the wooden crate situated below, each in their own way.  No conflict occurs in using the materials and space simultaneously, and they seem largely to be working relatively independently of each other. At one point the Teacher begins to insert questions: “What happened now?” And after a few moments… “What is happening?” Receiving no response from the child or either of his peers, the teacher wisely understands that the child, judging by his lack of response and lack of eye contact with the teacher, is not taking in the questioning. So what is happening here?  How is the teacher’s role impacting the play? In order for children to effectively construct and co-construct their own knowledge there are a number of components that support the young child: Quality, enriching materials that allow independent exploration and revisiting of theories over time. Ample time for exploration at the child’s pace. A collaborative spirit in the classroom that allows children to work together for common causes, often sharing and collaborating with materials. Intuitive, reflective teachers who support the work of young children. Teachers trained to listen deeply to the play and theory-building that children are engaging in come to understand when their questioning scaffolds a child’s learning and supports the thinking process moving forward, and when to pull back from questioning, allowing the deep thought which moves the child forward to construct his own understanding and let the child explore uninterrupted.  The questions can come later as the child returns to the play.This blog was written by Andrea Knudsen, an official Kodo Collaborator! Early Childhood Instructor and Consultant inspired by the Educators of Reggio Emilia Italy. Nature-based education is also a passion, as is Design and Implementation of indoor and outdoor environments for young children. I currently consult and work with Fullerton College CDES Lab School as well as Community Seedlings Preschool in Southern California.    Product featured in video is Kodo Magnet Wall

At Kodo, we think a lot about design. We know that an aesthetically pleasing environment contributes to well-being, mood, performance, and attention span. Environments can make us feel welcomed or uncomfortable. They can invite play and investigation or thwart it. Room arrangement, furniture style, color palette, lighting, and material selection all play a part in how children learn and play. As a close to the Week Of The Child, we’d like pose this question: Is your classroom learning environment optimally arranged and designed for provoking child-initiated exploration, investigation, and play? We could all spend weeks discussing and answering that question, as our environments should always be evolving and changing in response to individual and group interests and needs. Here are a few simple points for you to use as discussion starters with your colleagues. Children need plenty of space in order to feel comfortable with others, seek out quiet if needed, engage in complex construction projects, spread materials out, fill/dump/pour, build elaborate dramatic play settings, explore alone or with others, and more. What can I do to increase open space, even a little? Living things represent our connection to the natural world and should be present in the learning environment. Plants produce oxygen, add a homey touch, and support the concept of caring for the planet. Insects, small animals, and fish invite observation and fuel investigations. How does our classroom help children connect to the natural world? A rich “sensory diet” and varied tools to explore sensory materials increases cognition, such as understanding cause and effect and spatial relationships. It also often promotes autonomy and engenders collaboration with peers. When was the last time I was innovative with the sensory materials? Materials and loose parts offered to children in open bins and baskets on accessible shelving, as opposed to closed bins or tucked away behind closed cabinet doors, sends the message that they are free to choose and play with what interests them. Further, it signals that it is okay to combine materials in new ways. Where and how will we implement this idea into every learning center/area? Responsive classrooms that promote child-initiated play and exploration are arranged in accordance to children’s interests and passions, and materials within those spaces reflect the ideas and concepts children are focused on. Do I know what interests each child, and further, how is that reflected in the learning environment? Spring always signals a time for us to give our classrooms spaces a thorough cleaning and a bit of recharge. By this point in the school year children are more than ready for us to literally give them more room to grow. Think about your learning environment with the intention of provoking children to play, explore, and investigate on their own. It will benefit not only them, but you, as you’ll find that the more engaging the space, the more time you’ll have to make authentic observations. Happy Week of The Young Child! Learning Environment Photo Gallery

Who will grow up to be the leaders and innovators in 20 years? Will it be the children who graduate with the highest test scores? The ones who can perform a requested task just as they were instructed? Or will it be the child empowered to inquire and problem solve? Innovative leaders rarely follow a predefined path because the answers they are searching for have not been predetermined. The answers must be discovered through tenacity, perseverance, and critical thinking. Therefore, to create innovative leaders, we must instill leadership skills and provide opportunities for children to initiate learning. Shifting from a style of teaching that offers only predefined answers to a style that allows children to make their own choices and apply their own reasoning is essential. If we always ask “is the answer a, b, or c?” children will never get the opportunity to reason through myriad other potential answers. What if the best answer is one we haven’t considered but the child has? Or, conversely, if a is the best answer, wouldn’t an understanding of that be reinforced through testing options b, c, d, e, f etc. until a was discovered authentically? Then, not only would a child truly understand why a is best, they’d also understand why the other answers failed. If a child answers the question why with “that’s what my teacher told me” then we are failing in our efforts to foster critical thinking skills, essential to create future leaders and innovators. So, how do we enable a child to lead their own learning? We find a balance between direct instruction and child-initiated learning. We speak less and observe more. We embrace flexibility in our daily routines to afford time for figuring, tinkering, and discovering. We incorporate a reflective and responsive practice. We need to ask ourselves: are we creating a generation of children that simply know how to answer questions, or who know how to think?

If you read Monday’s post or are familiar with Kodo, then you know how committed we are as advocates for play in early childhood education. We write a great deal about experiences which take place indoors and would like to take this opportunity to speak about the unique benefits of outdoor play. Besides, it’s spring and we’ve got our windows open here along Colorado’s front range! Both indoor and outdoor play share the benefits of encouraging problem solving, critical thinking, and child-led investigation. However, outdoor play brings with it many other benefits. For example, a study by the American Academy of Pediatrics shows that children are far more likely to engage in active play when outdoors than when indoors. This difference in activity can have monumental impact on a child’s health, reducing likeliness for obesity and the health problems that come with it, such as diabetes, bone and joint problems, and sleep apnea, among others. The study sadly also showed that most 3-5 year olds aren’t getting the two hours per day of recommended physical activity, and encourages increased outdoor play to help children meet the requirements. As well as improvements in health, outdoor play helps students focus better in the classroom. In fact, a study conducted by the University of Illinois showed that just 20 minutes in a park-like setting helped children with ADHD concentrate in the classroom and increased overall focus. The key to unlocking these benefits is unstructured, free play. While participating in a teacher led activity, game, or sport does reap the benefits provided by fresh air and sunshine, free outdoor play allows children to explore their natural world and their place in it, and to exercise critical thinking, problem solving, and creativity skills while pursuing their own unique interests. When facilitating outdoor free play, we can apply the principles we discussed in Monday’s article, Make Time for Play, as well as Tuesday’s article, Ask Open Ended Questions. If you are able to be more flexible in your routine and increase the amount of time your children are afforded to engage in free, open, outdoor play, you will observe benefits not just in health, but in classroom behavior and performance as well. Children who are healthier, content, can focus, and are more apt to collaborate - all from a few more minutes of fresh air, activity, and free choice. We say give it a try - you’ll benefit as well!

Open Ended Questions in Early Childhood Education Promotes Critical Thinking Skills Too often we find ourselves solving problems on behalf of our children. We direct them when to add more glue, where to put the ramp, how to stabilize the tower. We do this because we sincerely care and want to help - it’s often difficult and uncomfortable to see our children struggle or fail. Our reasoning is that if we show them the “right” way to do something, we will help them more quickly understand what to do when confronted with the same task or problem in the future. This mentality is common in early childhood education. The troubles with this kind of thinking are numerous. First, we very rarely encounter the exact same problem or task twice, meaning that we rarely have identical solutions, so problem solving is a critical skill that doesn’t get developed when we solve problems for children. Second, we take away the opportunity for children to understand why something is done a certain way. If the answer to “why do we do this” is always “because that’s what I was told”, we will never be able to encourage the critical thought process necessary for problem solving and evaluating. This idea goes hand in hand with the concept of providing opportunities for play. When children play, they enter a world of imagination and discovery. They decide how and when to create, build, and design the scenarios of their musings. If we step into their play to tell them what to do, we take away their control, and inadvertently take away their learning opportunities. It is challenging to condition yourself to stand back when you see a child about to encounter a problem. It is in our nature to want to provide the solution when we know, per se, that the ball won’t roll down the path “unless we do this instead”. However, if we are able to remove ourselves from the situation and play the role of observer, we will see that a child is capable of hypothesizing, testing, and making adjustments to problem solve. The idea is this: if children aren’t afforded the chance to fail, they will may not get the opportunity to persevere and develop creative problem solving skills. Perseverance develops resilience, which is essential for children to create their own successes both now and years in the future. In the face of failure, children who can think critically without always depending on adults for answers will grow to be independent, thoughtful, and creative problem solvers. One way we can enhance opportunities for learning in early childhood education is to ask open-ended questions. Instead of providing solutions for children, try questions like these instead: What are you trying to make/do? What materials might you need? What is working? What isn’t? How will you know if the problem is solved? What information would help you? Did you want to test that out? How did your tests go? The transition from providing the answers to facilitating play and investigation is a challenging one, as it requires shifting our mindsets, breaking old habits and developing new ones. To help you, we’ve created a printable list of even more open ended questions and strategies that you can hang somewhere visible in your classroom as a reminder and useful tool. What do you think? Do you currently use or plan on implementing open-ended questions into your teaching strategies? Let us know in the comments below!

Play in Early Childhood Education Develops Essential Skills More than ever, it is important to make time for play in the daily routine of the child. Providing time for open-ended play in early childhood education gives children the opportunity to use their imaginations, strengthen social skills, and practice problem solving. When a child is invited to explore and discover, they naturally are able to build these skills in a developmentally appropriate way. As young children play, they think freely and openly about what they want to do with that time. Some will engage in dramatic play scripts rich with connections to both real and imaginary worlds. Reading, painting, making music, and playing physical games will occupy many. Other children have a natural proclivity to try, test, and try again as they construct and tinker. They may identify a goal - say, getting a ball to follow a path from point A to B - and set about problem solving how to achieve their desired result. This naturally leads to hypothesizing, testing, making adjustments, and trying again. Allowing children to choose how, with what , and where they will play sends a message that they are competent, creative, and part of a trusted community of learners. The greatest benefits from play in early childhood education can be realized when we shift from structuring our day around fixed schedules to flexible routines. When we replace the word “schedule” with “routine” we are more apt to vary timing to accommodate children's ideas, allowing them to lead the learning process in that moment. Shifting our mindsets is the first step to being more flexible with our daily happenings. Routines change and are adapted to meet needs all the time, but schedules are, in general, harder to change. By consciously substituting the word “routine” for “schedule,” adults tend to be more open, less rigid, look for children's cues, and better encourage learning through the discovery processes of play. In conclusion, we encourage you to kick off this year’s Week of the Young child by making time today for play, and by incorporating more of it into your daily routine! Summary: What can children learn when allowed time to play in early childhood education? Social skills and relationship building Problem solving Working through failure Creativity and role playing Engineering by building and testing Question: How do you incorporate play into your everyday routines? Let us know in the comments!

There are so many ways to use a light table! Kids light table products exist for every budget, and DIYers can easily make their own accessories with minimal cost and effort. Here are five of our favorite light table STEM investigations that are easy to source or create yourself. These work on any light table, though we recommend the Kodo Light Lab! $1 Children's Light Table Accessories So many materials can be found at the dollar store, and for $1 a piece it’s hard to argue that any budget-friendlier light table accessories exist! We explored our local store and found feathers, shells, confetti, and a cool elastic tube. We then used petri dishes, also found at the dollar store, to contain the items and create different material “lenses”. Children enjoy comparing how the materials react differently from each other and hypothesizing which properties of materials lead to which kinds of light and color reactions. Messy Tray Every Kodo Light Lab includes a Messy Materials Tray that secures in place for sensory explorations and messy investigations. The tray can be filled with sand, seeds, and other materials that cover the light. Then, children can reveal patterns and images by manipulating the sensory materials. We also recommend mixing other objects with the sensory tray - add marbles and blocks for dimension! To DIY your own sensory tray for your light table, you can use a clear plastic serving dish or large Tupperware. Take care - without a way to secure a DIY messy tray to your light table, you may find yourself with a tray upside-down on the floor, its contents dumped out with it. The Messy Materials Tray that comes with the Kodo Light Lab fixes in place to prevent this problem and to keep the messiness contained. Nature Exploration This is a fun light table accessory to gather with your children! Lead them to an appropriate place where they can collect leaves, flower petals, grasses, and whatever natural materials their hearts desire and bring back the findings to your light table. Then, let your children take time to observe the materials as their colors change - suddenly, veins and other plant features are visible, and children can identify properties of plants that allow light to shine through, be blocked, change color, and more. Laminates Laminates are a very fun and easy way to create long lasting, durable kids light table accessories. If you have access to a laminator, nearly any flat, thin material can become a permanent light table accessory in your classroom. Cellophane, which on its own can tear easily and crumple, can be cut into shapes, flattened and made sturdier with some strategic lamination. Dried leaves, flower petals, tissue paper, and other items can also easily be preserved by lamination for use at your kids light table center. Marble Board Finally, the Marble Board is one of our favorite ways to observe color mixing. Different colored marbles react differently to the changes in light table colors. Watch the blues dim and the reds pop as the light table changes to a red glow. Watch shades of green go from evergreen to turquoise as the amount of blue is increased. The Marble Board is an amazing way to compare and contrast how colors react differently when mixed. What else do you use on your kids light table? Share with us by leaving a comment below!

We are honored to announce that the Kodo Balance has earned the Global Educator Institute Seal of Endorsement, placing it among the best educational products available today! GEI recognizes the very best in classroom-tested, teacher-approved educational products using a vigorous assessment process. Products that earn the GEI Seal of Endorsement have been subjected to an in-depth rubric that evaluates effectiveness, durability, value, and ease of use. Global Educator Institiute’s Teacher Reviewers submit their qualitative and quantitative feedback for analysis by the GEI Executive Team, which then determines whether or not the product is to be awarded a GEI Seal of Endorsement. The GEI Executive Team has more than 100 years combined teaching and administrative experience, and includes a PhD, numerous state certifications, and a nationally recognized educational consultant. Here’s what the teacher reviewers had to say about the Kodo Balance: “The product is easy to assemble, appealing, and extremely durable. It has exceeded my expectations and is one of the only educational products I have ever come across that has endured and kept the attention of curious preschoolers… I have seen plenty of decent classroom tools but they tend to cost way more than the noted price of the Kodo Kids Balance. The design, durability and quality of the scale surpasses most products on the market today. If you like to get creative, the scale’s multi-functional design can help illustrate several other learning lessons as well.” — Selah K., TX, GEI Reviewer and Teacher “As soon as I got the balance out of the box, I put it in our STEM lab. I had kids asking if they could use it right away. They had a great time exploring with the washers and with other materials. They had deep conversations as to what would make the sides balance and their reasoning behind it.” — Sara C., MN, GEI Reviewer and Teacher “When we started the unit on measurement I put it in the middle of the room and it generated a great deal of discussion. Students discussed what they thought it could be used for and how they thought it was used. I used it in a whole group setting for a couple of days and then I put it in a center. Students used it and then would discuss what they learned. Students began to realize that you could move the cups and that it would change the outcome. It was a great starting point and I was able to scaffold the learning and deepen their knowledge of weight and the use of the scale. We used the scale everyday during our unit on measurement. Using this product allowed me to be more effective in teaching measurement to my students and allowed my students to deepen their knowledge of the material.” — Aurea J., FL, GEI Reviewer and Teacher Getting Started with the Kodo Balance in Your Classroom: Suggest to children that they try the balance using different items. Try placing a golf ball in the outside cup and a ping pong ball in the outside cup on the other side. What happens? Why is it so unbalanced? What does that have to do with the objects? The pegs on the balance have a relation to one another. One washer (unit) on the outside peg equals 2 washers (units) on the middle peg or four washers (units) on the inside peg. This is due to their relative distance to the center pivot point. Try it out. Yes, this is a deep concept for a four year old. Through play they will learn the basics of this relationship and will build on that knowledge with further experimentation. Note: There is a difference between balanced and level. When the balance arm comes to rest, the weight has been evenly distributed. The balance arm may not, however, be level. Think of a teeter-totter coming to rest with one side higher than other. The teeter-totter is balanced but not level. We have developed the Balance as a tool for children to play with and experience a concrete model of these concepts.

Raising chickens and ducks in classrooms is not a new trend - in fact, raising poultry in preschools has been going on for ages, as far as we can tell. A new state health rule in Colorado, however, bans poultry from classrooms with preschool aged children based on fear of communicable diseases, specifically salmonella. Just how legitimate is that fear, though? Kodo has always been a fan of chickens - several of our employees even raise them at home with their families! We also believe in letting children get dirty and hands-on with our natural world and its creatures great and small. While we think that bumps, bruises, and scraped knees are a regular part of childhood, we do take the safety and health of our children seriously. So, we decided to do some research around the issue of chickens in classrooms to find out if there truly is a legitimate reason to ban our youngest learners from some of nature’s greatest teachers. The Benefits to Raising Chickens at Preschools: Let’s begin by exploring why this is something we all should even care about - what differences are chickens making in your child’s educational experience? First, there’s the opportunity for children to make connections with our natural world. Many children in urban and suburban settings aren’t exposed to nature on this level. It also helps children understand where our food comes from. A few months back we explored the importance of teaching children where food comes from, a post that was inspired by a child’s answer of “the supermarket” when asked where apples come from. Outside of the practical means of understanding where our food comes from, children can also learn about the following from their feathered friends: Our relationship with our planet and all its inhabitants Respect for other living creatures Empathy through caring for another living thing The connections in our natural world between plants, animals, and people Practice overcoming anxieties, especially animal-related anxieties Responsibility - feeding schedules, collecting eggs, keeping chickens safe Animal kindness and the ability to identify and stop animal cruelty The life cycle; observations from egg to chick to chicken Now the question to answer is whether the benefits outweigh the risks, and to do so we need to define what the risks are.   Identifying the Risks: The primary concern of the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment is related to communicable diseases spread by chickens, primarily salmonella. While it’s true that children under 5 are more at risk to contract salmonella than older children are, the only way to get salmonella (short from eating contaminated foods, unrelated to the question at hand), is from contaminated hands contacting mouths. Of course, we all know that young children love putting their hands near their faces, so it is easy to see how one might jump to the conclusion that we need to keep children away from chickens for safety reasons. These facts, however, might make you think twice about the weight of these risks: Since 1990, there have only been 53 outbreaks of salmonella nationally (~2 per year), resulting in only 5 deaths, or, 0.002% of illnesses leading to death. Further, an American’s current odds of getting sick due to salmonella contracted from interactions with live poultry is 0.000054%. Their risk of being hospitalized or suffering a fatality as a result is even less. Other animals prone to carrying salmonella have not been deemed unsafe for classrooms, including gerbils, hamsters, mice, other birds, and even fish. Many foods are also capable of spreading salmonella and are still served in children’s classrooms, including fruits, peppers, nuts, and, of course, chicken (of the eating variety).   Risk Mitigation: So yes, there is risk associated with raising chickens around children, but the risk is quite small and simple to mitigate. As the only way a child would contact salmonella from a live chicken would be directly ingesting feces that got onto their hands (gross, but technically true), being diligent about hand-washing, careful chicken handling, and separating chickens from areas where you eat should suffice in keeping salmonella at bay. Here are some simple steps that can be taken to eliminate risk of salmonella: Establish classroom rules before introducing children to chickens, and have the rules posted in visible areas throughout your preschool. Make sure children understand they must wash their hands with soap after any contact with chickens, chicken related items (coop, eggs, feeders, toys, etc.), and that they must not kiss chickens or nuzzle chickens close to their faces. For extra precaution, gloves can be required when handling chickens and/or fresh eggs Eggs used for cooking should be thoroughly washed before children use them in a cooking project, as eggshells may carry salmonella as well Keep chickens away from any eating spaces, such as outdoor picnic tables. Supervise children with chickens at all times. Do not allow access to chickens when no adult is present. Have an adult supervise post-chicken hand washing until you are confident that children are using soap and water and doing a thorough job.   Conclusion: Given the evidence and the ease of risk mitigation, Kodo supports raising chickens in preschools and settings with young children, given proper safety procedures are in place. We have chosen to sign a petition on change.org to add our voice to the growing number of individuals looking to revoke the ban on poultry in Colorado preschools. If you’d like to sign the petition, or to find even further resources about the issue, you can do so at the change.org petition page. So, what do you think? Would you be concerned about chickens in your child’s preschool? Let us know in the comments section below. Every opinion is valued and thoughtfully considered, and we’d like to hear yours!   Sources and More Information: Classroom Embryology Projects: Health Risk Myths and Facts Change.org Poultry Petition Center for Disease Control Article: Chickens Face Eviction from Colorado Preschools Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment 6 CCR 1010-7

At Kodo, we believe the best learning happens through exploration and investigation. We also understand and value the importance of STEM in early childhood curriculum in order to build a future where today's children become tomorrow's leaders and problem-solvers.  These fifteen museums (with a bonus #16!) embrace both of these concepts by promoting playful, investigation-based learning and STEM for preschool. It's time to start planning your field trips! Photo from Childrens Museum of Pittsburgh Children's Museum of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA With a serious emphasis on the Maker Movement and Makerspaces, the Children's Museum of Pittsburgh is an incredibly educational, unique, and fun experience for learners of all ages. The museum boasts an extensive list of exhibits that also encompass art, outdoor play, measurement, motorcycles, and more, ensuring each individual in your group will find an exhibit that speaks to their interests and passions. Visit website Photo provided courtesy of San Diego Children’s Discovery Museum San Diego Children’s Discovery Museum, San Diego, CA If you visit the Exhibits webpage for San Diego Children’s Discovery Museum, you will find one of our favorite Fred Rogers quotes: “Play is often talked about as if it were a relief from serious learning. But for children play is serious learning. Play is really the work of childhood.” Exhibit themes include Discover, Experiment, Imagine, and Explore - a wonderful approach to STEM for preschoolers. Visit website Photo by Fabrice Florin from Mill Valley, USA - Flickr, CC BY-SA 2.0 Exploratorium, San Francisco, CA Exploratorium: The museum of science, art and human perception! With galleries around tinkering, living systems, seeing and listening, and more, there’s something to learn for visitors of all ages. Not in San Francisco to make the trip? You can still experience the joys of learning through Exploratorium’s online activity database - full of at-home science experiments and STEM exploration! Visit website Photo by ZoeO at en.wikipedia [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons Children’s Museum of Denver, Denver, CO The Children’s Museum of Denver believes in kid-powered learning! This establishment serves children from 0 to 8 years old, and focuses on hands-on exploration and discovery. With four major exhibits (Explore, Imagine, Investigate, and Create), children discover each STEM focus area as well as art and social/emotional wellbeing. Visit website Photo provided courtesy of DuPage Children's Museum DuPage Children’s Museum, Naperville, IL DuPage’s regular exhibits and programs are already rich in STEM, but did you know that they also offer STEM themed Spring Break and Summer Camps for preschool and elementary school aged children?  On top of that, they can come directly to your school with their Learning Lab, or you can combine a museum field trip with a Learning Lab experience! Visit website Photo provided courtesy of Boston Children's Museum Boston Children’s Museum, Boston, MA Founded in 1913, the Boston Children’s Museum is the second oldest children’s museum in the world, and since its beginning has encouraged learning through discovery and play as a “tool to spark creativity, curiosity, and imagination of children.” Visit website Photo provided courtesy of Discovery Place Kids Discovery Place Kids, Rockingham and Huntsville, NC With locations in both Rockingham and Huntsville, North Carolinians have twice as much opportunity for exploration and investigation at Discovery Place Kids! Here, children learn through play and hands-on experiences and discover what they CAN do, from building a castle, fixing a car, to inventing and experimenting. Visit website Photo by Carlos Burnside - Flickr, CC BY 2.0 Liberty Science Center, Jersey City, NJ Liberty Science Center serves children from infants to 10+, and segments many of their stations towards different age groups. For ages 2-5, young learners can discover the world around them in the I Explore gallery, which includes free programs and self guided tours. There are also group classes and workshops for your preschooler located in the Young Learner Lab on the first floor. Visit website Photo provided courtesy of Mid Hudson Children's Museum Mid Hudson Children’s Museum, Poughkeepsie, NY Catering to children aged 0-6, the Mid Hudson Children’s Museum  focuses on getting kids moving, exploring, building, pretending, creating, and discovering. New to the museum is the Science Center, which is dedicated exclusively to early STEM education! Visit website Photo By Dave Buchhofer - Flickr, CC BY-ND 2.0 Please Touch Museum, Philadelphia, PA Please touch museum creates learning opportunities through play and hands-on exhibits, and incites thoughtful, open-ended questioning to encourage investigations. For children ages 7 and younger, opportunities for learning and discovery abound at Please Touch Museum. Visit website Photo property of Play Street Museum Play Street Museum, Frisco, Plano, and McKinney, TX Founded by a mother and former early childhood educator looking for answers to some of parenting’s most persistent questions, Play Street Museum was established on the principle that “one of the most important things we must provide for our children to help them develop is the opportunity to use their imaginations and play creatively.” Play Street has expanded to three locations throughout Texas, all of which inspire imagination and exploration! Visit website Photo provided courtesy of Sarah Ruiz Galveston Children’s Museum, Galveston TX The Galveston Children's Museum mission is to provide a unique, hands-on environment where children explore, investigate, create, and discover. Serving ages 2-10, Galveston supports all areas of education, including STEM, art, and social and emotional wellness. Visit website Photo provided courtesy of Children's Museum of Houston Children’s Museum of Houston, Houston, TX Serving children from birth to age 12, the Children’s Museum of Houston boasts offering a “playground for your mind”. With colorful, exciting, hands-on exhibits that tackle tech, the environment, culture, physics, and more, children are bound to get knee deep in STEM play and learning. Visit website Lisa Monet Photography, courtesy of Children’s Museum of Tacoma Children’s Museum of Tacoma, Tacoma, WA The Children’s Museum of Tacoma believes so strongly in ensuring that everyone has access to quality learning opportunities that their admission structure is a “Pay As You Will” donation of any amount! Offering programs like Tuesday Play Days, Wee Ones Weekly, and Play to Learn, opportunities abound for all of the museum’s youngest visitors! Visit website Photo provided by Above & Beyond Children's Museum Above & Beyond Children’s Museum, Sheboygan, WI Above & Beyond’s mission is to provide “A special place for children and their families, where education and fun connect through exploration & discovery”. With over 10,000 square feet of exhibit space, Above & Beyond offers an exciting learning experience for all ages. Visit website Photo provided by Wonderfeet Kids' Museum Wonderfeet Kids’ Museum, Rutland, VT As a bonus, our 16th museum supporting STEM for Preschoolers is Wonderfeet Kids' Museum in Rutland, Vermont. At Wonderfeet, Children are encouraged to “appreciate their role in local and global communities [in an environment that] fosters curiosity, inspires exploration, and engages the imagination through play.” With a Motion Commotion program for preschoolers that investigates the science of force and motion, young learners can get hands-on with STEM play that meets Next Generation Science Standards. Visit website Kodo Kids claims no credit for any images of museums in this article unless otherwise noted. Images on this blog are copyright to its respectful owners. All images have been posted with permission of respectful owners or have otherwise been labeled for reuse in accordance with relevant copyright laws.

If, in the theater, “all the world’s a stage…”, then it stands to reason that in education, “all the world’s a classroom.” For me this rings true as I travel about the country training and consulting with early childhood educators, but for less obvious reasons than one might think. I have found myself, of late, in many, many airports, having spent these last weeks hopping from city to city. There I have encountered the typical assortment of polite businesspersons, suntanned tourists, and chatty first time fliers. Then there are the children, wee tots transported via strollers, slung into backpack-style carriers, and others unleashed long enough to run exuberantly down long stretches of carpet and crawl over jungle gyms of chairs. Recently, in the Denver International Airport, I was struck by an ordinary moment. A young girl happily hummed a little tune while skipping through the concourse, one hand firmly entwined in her mother’s. She appeared to be no more than four or five years old and was lugging a bedazzled roller bag when suddenly she halted, let go of the bag, and squealed, ‘Momma, stop!” “Look, look!” She tugged on her mother’s sweater.  Her mother stopped mid stride, sighed, and crouched down to see what was the matter. With her free hand, the child pointed to a shoe shine station. Her eyes grew wide as she witnessed the captivating sight before her. A young man, dressed in western attire, was having his boots shined. He glanced up from his cell phone and winked at the girl. She didn’t notice the man’s acknowledgment but was transfixed on the array of tools set out at his feet.  “Look at all those brushes,” she gasped, barely containing her excitement, “there’s big ones and little ones and all that other stuff! I never saw those before, did you? What is this place?” She rattled off question after question, not waiting to hear the answers. The mother, having been caught a little off-guard, paused and then answered. I could see the woman take a moment or two before she spoke, perhaps to choose her words carefully, or, one could assume, was just surprised to see how her daughter reacted to such an, in her view, insignificant happening. To the child this event was new, exciting, and so unique it left her awestruck. It was certainly worthy of her study and her mother’s, too. To her credit, the mother followed her child’s initiative and took a few minutes to watch. The girl stood frozen and caught the attention of the attendant who smiled and held out a large brush for an extra second before expertly finishing his buff and polish. I imagine the child would have stayed for much longer if not for her mother’s prompting. “Momma, did you ever see anything like that before, that man used that big brush to make a dirty old boot look like a new one,’” said the girl, looking over her shoulder as she and her mother moved on, “that was so cool!” The educator in me instinctively kicked in and I imagined what I might do if this happened during a classroom field trip or had been excitedly recounted one morning by one of my preschoolers. In fact, I reached for a notepad, so as not to lose my initial observations of all of the concepts that were in play. I felt a little like a fish out of water, but to me all the world is a classroom so I jotted down a few notes as any teacher/researcher would. For me this experience was a vivid reminder of how quickly technology has been redefined in classrooms today, leaving little room for its true definition as the everyday tools people use to solve problems and accomplish tasks. I was happy to have been in the right place at the right time, to have had the opportunity to view the world through a child’s eyes. Funny how moments like this impact me. Indeed, it was ‘so cool’; the event itself, the compelling environment, the respect and attention paid to the child by her parent and the adults around her, and the opportunity to witness extraordinary early learning unfold during an ordinary experience.

If you’re living in the United States, you are likely very aware that the middle of our country very recently got blanketed by lots and lots of snow! To be precise, 14” fell here at our office in Broomfield, Colorado just the other week. While some may see the snow as a barrier, we see it as a great canvas for educational outdoor STEM activities for kids! All this snow has inspired us to head outside for our investigations, but you can feel free to modify this for an indoor environment as well! Tools to aid your investigation: Condiment squirt bottles and/or spray bottles for outdoor play Bowls or cups and paintbrushes for indoor play Water to fill bowls, cups, condiment bottles, etc. Food dye or liquid watercolor Activity Tray to contain snow and other materials (optional) Scoops or spoons for mixing and moving snow (optional) To begin, first decide if you will be outside or inside. If you are outside, we recommend using squirt bottles and/or spray bottles as your “paint brushes”. If you are indoors, select bowls with different size and shaped paint brushes that are ideal for the size of your workspace. To begin, have your children fill the bottles or bowls with water. Next, add and mix food dye colors to the water. We strongly encourage that children lead the color mixing; invite them to choose their colors, how much to use, and which colors to mix. Be sure to provide a large variety of color options to support a color mixing investigation! If you’re going to bring snow into the classroom, we recommend using trays, like our water-tight Activity Tray, to contain the snow. Within the trays, using scoops and other common classroom items, like spoons, cups, or straws, can help create designs, piles, or a smooth surface to work on. Stones or other natural materials can be added into the snow art to create multi-media masterpieces! Children love to collect loose parts from the classroom (point out some that won’t be stained by food dye) to add into their creations. If you are able to go outside, we strongly recommend you do. Outdoor Investigations have fewer restraints - your “workspace” spans the entire area of the yard. The sun may even play a part in the creative process as melting snow will affect the children’s colorful designs. Playing outside opens up so many doors to building, sculpting, and role playing - or just creating modern art masterpieces! In either scenario, children may “paint” as they please, experimenting with how colors mix, how the snow reacts to the water, how the snow changes with manipulation, and how the color affects different densities of snow. At the end, the snow will of course melt. This is not only an opportunity for children to observe how snow behaves and how the colors move and blend as the snow melts, but also to practice mindfulness and acceptance of the change and their slowly evolving artwork. Uncover the learning: Did children use any unconventional methods of measurement when mixing colors ? Did children identify any of the physical properties of the snow, ice, or water? What challenges or constraints does snow offer, when used as a building or art material? How did you help children note the temporariness of the art and understand why it changed?

Click to download a printable PDF “Failure” - it’s the forbidden word that’s been shunned by many educators, parents, and child care providers alike. No one wants to see their children fail, of course. It is our love and concern for our children that cause us to enable their successes when they are headed on the path toward Failure.  At Kodo, however, we believe that simple Failures are essential for the development of critical 21st century skills that allow children to grow into successful adults. We also believe that play is an important tool to empower children to find challenge and experience failure where the consequences of failing are minimal. The idea is this: if children aren’t afforded the chance to fail, they will may not get the opportunity to persevere and develop creative problem solving skills. Perseverance develops resilience, which is essential for children to create their own successes both now and years in the future. In the face of failure, children who can think critically without always depending on adults for answers will grow to be independent, thoughtful, and creative problem solvers. If necessity is the mother of invention, then it is important as adults that we provide opportunities for children to problem solve out of necessity. Necessity causes us to look outward at the tools available to us and the world around us in order to fix our problems. If adults solve all the problems for children, then many opportunities to be inventive will be missed, as failures create the necessity for invention. For example when a section of a child’s ramp system fails, he or she must problem-solve, make adjustments and invent a solution that will support the desired outcome. So, how do we encourage children to invent in the face of a failure? It’s actually very straightforward in theory, but challenging in practice. When you see something go wrong, or something that a child is doing that is sure to fail, you may have to fight all your urges to step in and point out the solution for the child. Instead, stand back and observe. Write down what you want to ask or say. Once the failure occurs or the failure point becomes apparent, continue to observe silently.  This may be an opportunity to pose an open-ended question to your child – “why do you think that happened? What do you want to have happen? What needs to change to make it work the way you want it to?” These types of questions help launch creative and critical thinking, support an investigative approach toward learning, and encourage children to hypothesize and make predictions, experiment, perhaps fail again, and make improvements. Pointing out the failure point without implying negativity is also valuable. “Did you notice which piece didn’t work or failed?" Keep in mind that failure helps us to uncover information. Of course there will be times when the child may fail at multiple attempts and become frustrated. In this scenario you may opt to redirect or guide the child towards a new activity, invite them to take a little break and come back to the problem later, or ask a question that may help move the child from an impasse to a possibility – “what do you think might happen if we put it here instead?” You may find these strategies to be harder to practice than you might think – we have conditioned ourselves to step in and “save the day”, and those urges will be hard to resist. You may fail many times when you start using this method of Investigation Based Teaching ™  in your classroom – that’s okay! If you continue to practice facilitation in place of “fixing” problems, it will become second nature to you with time. We’d like to leave you with a powerful quote from psychologist Jerome Bruner: "We want children to experience success and failure not as reward and punishment, but as information." Don’t overlook failure – it may just be the key to success! Click to download a printable PDF

Colette, age 4+ yrs., has a vivid imagination and routinely creates complex block structures, intricate drawings, and has a knack for detailed storytelling. She’ll often use the contents of an entire shelf when constructing one of her ideas. When she was presented with a small bag of Building Sticks, it was natural that she raised her eyebrows, and frowned as she was facing the constraint of using only one type of item. She said, “There’s not enough for me to make stuff with.” I asked if she wouldn’t mind using just those for just a while and then after a bit it would be fine to add other things from the classroom. She agreed, mentioning that some pretty jewels might be nice, and set about examining and exploring the sticks. “Hmm,” she said turning one stick over in her hands. “They’re very smooth and strong, you know”, she said and began to identify other properties. “There’s different colors and they’re kind of flat, too.” She laid one down on the table and then stood one on end. “Cool”, she commented, “they stand up”. This discovery prompted her to stack several and she was surprised at the result. “I didn’t even know I could do this! Look what I did!” The success of her new found skill of vertical stacking gave Collette reason to continue her mini -investigation. She spent nearly thirty minutes exploring this newly added classroom material and through her process she discovered that stacking the sticks in various ways yielded much. She tinkered with making alphabet letters, noticed the hidden geometric shapes within her designs, and used the sticks to represent towers and bridges that included both horizontal and vertical components. It happened that Colette was sitting next to a window and she also “played” with the shadows created by her constructions, predicting how the positions of the sticks would affect them. Colette never did get any other materials, including the sparkly jewels. Her discovery of just how much she could do with the building sticks alone was fun. While reluctantly cleaning up before lunch she said to me, “You know what? I didn’t even need anything else to go with those sticks! That’s pretty good of me, huh?” Deciding to raise the bar and support Colette’s process of systematically examining a material, I posed, “Hmm, Colette, I wonder what other things you could play with like you did with the sticks.” Her eyes darted around the classroom. “I could do that with everything! Well almost everything. But not today!” In this case a little gentle coaxing to work with a constraint challenged and fueled Colette’s inquiry. The material’s simplicity appeared at first to pose a challenge. Colette’s willingness to work with less than the usual amount of “stuff” proved to be valuable. The constraints of having a limited quantity and only one type of building material gave her reason to become focused on identifying ways the pieces could be used. She drew on her knowledge of block building, but also embraced a scientific approach. She experimented with standing, stacking, laying, overlapping, and connecting the pieces, all the while testing whether or not the sticks behaved like unit blocks. Structural and other engineers must work with constraints in order to design real world solutions solutions to the problems they seek to solve. They spend a great deal of time working with a material in order to fully understand its properties, affordances, and limitations. This kind of thorough examination was clear in Colette’s play. Identifying ways in which children are practicing engineering skills is often elusive in the early childhood classroom. Here the “E” in STEM came to light with a unique inquiry approach to teaching. Reflective Questions for ECE Teachers Would simplifying the number or type of materials prove to be beneficial in my classroom? What areas of the environment could use a little editing or decluttering? What areas could use something new or unique? How often do children use only type of material and have our observations of their play uncovered why? or brought new questions to light? Reflective Questions for Children What other ways can you use that (those)? What happens when you use them on the floor or move them to the carpet? What’s different about them when you use them in different spaces? What ideas do have when you play with those? What did that material tell you about itself? If you could only pick one other thing in the room to use with these, what would it be? and why?

At Kodo we’re big fans of plenty of time for unstructured play, due to the many benefits for both children and teachers. It occurs daily in most, if not all, preschool programs here in the US. You might know it as, Free Choice Time, Free Play, or Children’s Choice, to name a few ways ECE educators designate it within their daily schedules. (There certainly are a number of schools and programs out there in which this free choice comprises the bulk of the day and if you’re in one of those programs, we salute you!) I also want to note that in the Kodo Classroom we do agree there is a time and place for formal instruction and group meetings, but we’ve come to regard unstructured play time as a valuable tool in which adults can make authentic observations and uncover children’s interests, knowledge, and challenges they are facing. These findings are then used to: give instruction when needed, develop topics for meaningful discussions during classroom meetings, plan events and develop learning environments within the school and classroom, assess children’s strengths, and develop future goals for them within the context of the classroom community and it’s overarching needs and interests. What we’re talking about are the endless possibilities that free, unstructured play offers not only the child, but also the educator. So in this next series of posts, we’ll look at a few of the countless examples we’ve seen firsthand and heard tell of from many of you. Our focus will be twofold; uncovering the learning within children’s play and utilizing this time as a tool for the educator. First in the series - Anders makes a discovery about motion and momentum during unstructured play. While tinkering about during free play time, Anders experiments with things that roll. He began his play by researching and categorizing things he knew had the ability to be rolled. We, adults, watched as he began to place things that rolled into a pile. (In this photo you can detect the teacher sitting just behind Anders with her clipboard full of observational notes.) He used self-talk as he played and we overheard some snippets of his metacognitive dialog. “I know blocks won’t do it (roll), but cars do”. Then later, “...that (rolling) happened before with the big tube, it goes and goes and goes if I push it harder”. As Anders played, he experimented. He placed a small toy car, which he knew rolled, inside of a large tube, which he also knew could roll. His connection between two materials which had a similar property was made, in part, by his freedom to combine and use items in the way he wished. His acts of sorting materials and calling on known information also enabled him to make a leap and combine the car with the tube. We think Anders’ research questions may have been similar to, “Will the tube and the car roll together”, and “what ways will the car move inside the tube, if any?” What do you think he may have been asking? Photo description: Anders’ at play with objects that have a common property - their ability to roll. Look at how focused he is!! More Q.’s for early childhood educators and parents. What do you think Anders was thinking? What kinds of questions would you form to help Anders deepen and broaden his learning? If this were to have occurred in your classroom, in what ways would you record Anders’ learning, make it visible to other children and adults, and build on it? Identifying the physics here might take a little research on the part of the adult. Rotational Kinetic Energy isn’t something we’d ever “teach” young children, yet here it is in action in a preschool classroom. Whether or not adults recognize and/or understand the physics certainly isn’t necessary to formulate age-appropriate questions for children, but knowing something about it can’t hurt! When the teacher eventually asked Anders why he thought his car stayed inside the tube as it rolled, he paused, thought for a moment, and then answered, “Because wheels roll.” “But why didn’t the car roll out”, prodded the teacher. Anders didn’t answer, nor was expected to give an answer. The question was an open-ended, intentional prompt, and by posing it, the teacher helped fuel a deeper investigation. the question invited Anders to think about physics in a developmentally appropriate way. Certainly we are not suggesting that each and every one of your children’s discoveries can or should be approached like this; photographed, documented, or researched. Nor are we implying that every discovery will launch an investigation, drive the curriculum, or that educators have time to research and plan for such. We know from experience that it would be virtually impossible for an adult to follow every child through every minute of their play. But just because we don’t capture all the moments, witness first hand all the wonder, or formulate myriad open-ended questions on the spot, doesn’t mean that children aren’t learning. In fact just the opposite is true! It’s doubtful any early childhood teacher would intentionally set out to plan a lesson on Rotational Kinetic Energy! The teachers in this classroom didn’t, but were thrilled when the open-ended loose parts coupled with a child’s curiosity yielded this intriguing play. When children engage in free and unstructured play, learning occurs naturally, uninhibited by the limitations of what we think a material is supposed to ‘teach’. Anders’ play with kinetic energy inspired another child to experiment with motion. Then the two young researchers met on their own to compare their discoveries. Wow - talk about the value of Free Play! Want to inspire your own discoveries on motion and momentum? Check out our tube kit to bring the experience to your classroom!

If you ask a child where an apple comes from, it’s not surprising to hear them exclaim confidently, “from the supermarket”! Hamburgers come from McDonald’s and water comes from the faucet. It makes perfect sense. When the family needs more milk, a trip to the grocery store is planned. They’ve experienced something like this since birth, peering out from the car seat strapped to the shopping cart. Juice and cookies and broccoli are all neatly stocked in rows on shelves and transported home for consumption. We may not think of this as a harmful train of thought. Quite frankly it is the reality for countless children, who would be perfectly prepared to stock their refrigerators using only this information when the time comes. But a bigger conversation is itching to be had. What are the benefits of extending the conversation further and speaking with children about food production? Identification is often easy for children. They can grasp where food comes from, because they’ve seen it with their own eyes. Explaining the process that apples come from trees, which are grown in the dirt and start as a seed (that seed actually, the one in the middle of your apple!) can be an abstract conversation requiring illustrations and redundancy for growing minds to grasp. However, if we take children to the source of this process and let them explore an apple orchard, we begin to stir the educational pot, so to speak. The next time the child spies an apple in the supermarket they may be more likely to make a connection to their experience with seeds and planting from the classroom, resulting in a greater understanding of the food cycle as a whole. Seeds are a unique tool for learning. Watching something grow not only demonstrates a natural process, but also fosters patience and nurturing. At Kodo, we like to use different kinds of seeds and beans for sensory play, sifting and sorting them according to size, type, and color as we investigate their properties. Once children become familiar with the material, feeling their weight and texture, the play can then easily transition to a discussion about food and growth. We always suggest that once seeds and beans are done being used in the sensory table, they get planted. Physically seeing the familiar seed material covered with soil and emerging as a little green shoot is, albeit a slow, but powerful experience! The child’s new conception about plant growth and a plant's life cycle can be integrated with the older information they have gleaned about similar types of produce seen on supermarket shelves. Meat, processed foods, dairy, and other food categories of the like are all important discussions and investigations to have with children. Not only are we inviting more questions about why things are the way they are, encouraging creative and scientific minds, but we’re promoting a consciousness about the basics of economy in the generation that will one day sit at it’s helm.

A few months ago, we published a blog about a recent buzz in the media about girls and boys with toys, which stemmed from discussion about the disequilibrium of women and men in scientific fields. This week, that conversation has come back around in a new form, and is spreading like wildfire through the hashtag #ilooklikeanengineer. If you haven’t tuned into this conversation yet, here is the brief backstory: a software company based out of San Francisco recently ran a recruiting campaign that included images of employees with quotes about why they enjoyed working for the company. One such ad included Isis Anchalee (left), a female software engineer who’s poster included an image of her in a t-shirt, smiling, with unbrushed hair and glasses, and the quote, “My team is great. Everyone is smart, creative and hilarious.” The words were her own, and the picture was of her exactly as she showed up to work that morning, exactly as she does every day. However, the internet quickly got carried away judging whether or not she really was an engineer or just a model, speculating that she didn’t look like an engineer and was too attractive to possibly be in that kind of career field. Lo and behold, this commentary has led us to the question again of why we have preconceived notions about who can be an engineer, and how educators can build a foundation for STEM subjects and adequately support scientific inquiry and investigation for both sexes. We strongly believe that environment is essential to engaging children of any age and any gender in STEM curricula. The physical spaces and concrete materials within them that we offer to children send messages about who can use them, why to use them, and how they might be used. At Kodo, open-endedness is a key element of our design process. Not only do we design our products to have open-ended purposes within preschool STEM activities (is it a ramp, or a lever? is it both? how can we use this material in different ways to achieve our goal?), but our products are also intentionally designed to eliminate any bias that could be abstracted from color, shape, and a presupposed purpose. For example, in today’s world, colors like pink and purple are largely considered to indicate a product for girls. Colors like blue and green are “for boys”. At Kodo, many of our products are made of natural, solid, hand-crafted wood. The wood is never painted, and therefore the product is never “assigned” to an assumed audience. Our tools are not modeled after the traditional items found in the toolbox in your garage, but rather allow a child’s mind to discover their utility and different ways of using them. The gender-neutral loose parts, simple machines, and open-ended materials we design and build invite both girls and boys to play and investigate equally. We work hard to ensure that we are developing engineering activities for kids - boys and girls alike. The introduction to STEM principles at a young age, we believe, is key to changing the future conversations about gender in the STEM fields. We believe that now is the time to design learning environments void of bias and full of equal opportunity for both boys and girls. This is one of the key and essential elements necessary to create a future where all career paths are free from stereotypes and are rife with possibilities for both women and men alike.

At Kodo, we consider the T in STEM, Technology, to refer to  the basic tools and mechanisms which enhance our lives. This includes those fundamental technologies that help humans perform the simple but important tasks of scooping, pouring, sorting, rolling, lifting, and many more! These tasks are a major part of preschool sensory activities, and can be widely explored in your outdoor classroom! Get ready to get muddy... Outdoor sensory exploration is vital to early childhood development, as it involves simple chemistry, transformation of natural materials, and explorations of viscosity, volume, and other forms of measurement. Mud kitchens often inspire dramatic play, which drives children to invent new ways of combining water, sand, pebbles, grass, pine cones, and more. Having a wide variety of tools in your outdoor classroom is a must if you want to encourage different ways of thinking about and handling natural materials. There are many places to find tools for your mud kitchen and other outdoor preschool sensory activities! Your local restaurant supplier is a great place to look for interesting gadgets. Think about the possibilities for using turkey basters, fryer baskets, cooling racks, tea balls, mortars and pestles, hand mixers, and tongs of all shapes and sizes. Second-hand stores, garage sales, and your own shed and basement are other great places to look for unused bins, boxes, plates, and other tools for your mud kitchen. Even if you begin with just a few scoops and buckets, you’ll open the door to wonder and inquiry. Expert tip: have a bit of soapy water and a few towels standing by, this is one of those messy preschool activities! At Kodo Kids, we support investigative play and the T in STEM with many great accessories. To further expand your sensory tools, we have whisks, mini mops, sand sifters, outdoor sifting diggers, and metal pails that can all contribute to a positive and inventive play session in the mud.

We just tried using ice with the Outdoor Mag Wall. It was a perfect opportunity because the kids were moving water from our water pump, along the path to "cool the concrete." The children are used to using water on the outdoor magnetic wall, so I was able to say to the kids, "I just bought some ice, I wonder what it would look like if we used it on the magnetic wall?” The kids immediately followed me, because when I have a new idea they always follow! I set the bag of ice next to the magnetic wall and opened it, posing, "I wonder how we could use this ice?" The kids all grabbed a piece and began trying to break them. Many of the kids tried to use the ice like magnets, sticking pieces to the wall and watching them quickly fall. A few tried letting go of the ice a little slower and with more precision to test if that would increase the possibility that the ice would stick. Naturally the ice fell. I said, "Hmmm...when we use balls or water on the magnet wall do they stick?" The kids didn't answer verbally but immediately began to build a ramp system for conveying the ice down the wall. Here are some of things the children said during this experience: "This is too cold!" "Get balls to push ice." "The ball will come on it, then hit the ice...like vrrrrrrr...and it goes down there then the ball pushes the ice." "That's a great idea, what you just did…. but if you put water where the ice goes it will go all the way down." "The ice is cooling the ground down." "Oh, I got this!" "It needs to be elevated." "It's too high." "Wait, Hudson maked the plan." The kids realized that ice was much harder to move than a liquid like water or a solid round object like a ball. They adapted and used materials, those that had reactions and movements they were familiar with, to move the new material. After about 45 minutes (yes, 45 minutes!) the kids moved to other things, but remained interested with ice and learning about the properties of ice in different environments. "I'm going to see if it melts." "Yeah, let's cook it in the sun." "It's going to take a while." Comments from Diane Spahn, Educational Specialist at Kodo Kids - Shanna’s introduction of ice was related to the the children’s work of cooling the concrete, which was an appropriate entry point for her to offer a new material with at at least one similar property, in this case, temperature. I wonder how many children made the connection between the temperature of the water they were using and the temperature of the ice they were about to experience. Shanna’s provoking question, “I wonder how we could use this ice on the magnetic wall”, set up a framework for using a new material in a familiar learning environment, along with familiar materials. Additionally, this question provided enough impetus that an adult did not have to give specific instruction to set the experience in motion. The open-ended opportunity for children and teachers to think in new ways about a known system was implied, leaving room for much experimentation, observation, and teacher facilitation. When the children attempted to stick the ice to the wall and did not get the results they were expecting, many could have easily given up at that point. Shanna’s reminder of previous experiences in which the children learned that that balls and water don’t stick to the magnetic surface caused them apply prior knowledge to a new situation. This moment of skillful teacher facilitation was both timely and provoking for the children. It caused them to take action, which lead to new discovery and new ways to think about tools they already use. When the children moved from the mag wall to other outdoor environments they, in fact, extended their own learning. Snippets of their conversations, captured by Shanna, offer the staff insight into the kinds of investigations the children may be interested in pursuing. What other materials could melt or be cooked in the sun? How much time does it take for ice to melt and how can that be measured? When Shanna introduced the community to ice as a new material, she fueled playful learning for everyone. The experience provided a platform, a leaping off point, for children to uncover new information, apply knowledge, ask questions, and test their theories. Avenues for adults to broaden and deepen the play can be culled from the raw field notes Shanna captured. Her documentation reveals many physical science and mathematical concepts which were naturally being discussed, questioned, and tested by the children. The NGSS (Next Generation Science Standards) or other learning guidelines could be used to support teachers as they identify and assess children’s knowledge of force and motion, material properties, as well as their growing ability to use logic, and reasoning, comparison and analysis, and more. I wish I could have witnessed, first hand, this delightfully cool (pun intended) experience! We’d like to thank Shanna White and the Discovery Point community of children and adults for being a part of the Kodo Collaborative and for sharing their story! Provocation Tip: Ice is a fantastic material with unique and intriguing properties! It certainly proved to be a fantastic medium for play with magnetic ramps on the Outdoor Mag Wall! Don’t have one? Try ice with Kodo’s Outdoor Ramps, your own homemade ramps, or rain gutter system. It’s sure to lead to a super cool, fun, and valuable summer investigation!

Spring and Summer always signal to early childhood educators, gardeners, and farmers of all sorts that planting should be underway! Gardening is one of the greatest sensory preschool activities that allows children to develop an understanding of their natural world. What do you think we’re growing here at Kodo headquarters? Hint: It’s not what your mind jumped to first! Here in Colorado we get a lot of ribbing for our local law… we’ve all had a good laugh about it, but it's definitely NOT what we are growing at Kodo in our Fabric Bags! So, what do you think we have? What are we growing here in Colorado? Smooth, round, tan, not brown. What are they? Nope, they’re not peas. What in the world could these green things be? So silky smooth and light as a feather, we’ll plant these seeds no matter the weather! These seeds are wee - what could they be? So, what do you think? What are we growing at Kodo? Let us know in the comments below, and check out our Fabric Bags for your own preschool garden!

A Little Birdie Told Me No matter our location; the city, the suburbs, the country, or oceanside, we see and hear birds. Children spot them all the time and are often curious about them. How many classroom science centers include a nest - Many!!! Our little feathered friends perch in the trees, fly overhead, cast shadows, and sing. But what are they communicating to one another? Invite your children to imaginatively interpret their lyrical conversations, use musical instruments to accompany their song notes, or draw the world from their unique perspective. These outdoor play ideas might just fuel a deeper look or an entire investigation of birds and other animals. Best part about this idea, all you need do is step outside your door. Key Content Areas: Fine Arts, Language and Literacy, Earth Science Make Your Own "Adobe" Bricks Using Kodo Clay Put your young engineers to work constructing something new! You’ll need a few materials - your own air dry clay or Kodo Clay, your own playground sand, or for a more dramatic color, use Jurassic Sand. Using your hands, mix together some air dry clay, dry playground sand, and a couple of spoonfuls of water in a bucket or bowl. Add teaspoons of water at a time, until the mixture is easy to work with. (If your mixture is too wet, your bricks may not form completely.) Mix and work with your hands until the sand is distributed evenly throughout the clay and the mixture is similar to cookie dough, ( gritty cookie dough). Spread your brick mixture evenly on a sheet of wax paper. Use a rolling pin and smooth to a height of approximately 1/2 inch. (Using a rolling pin will remove air bubbles and will help prevent cracking as the bricks dry.) To cut the dough into brick shapes, an adult should use a knife along a straight edge ruler or other tool. (Cut pieces uniformly to ensure that your mini bricks will be the same size.) Let the bricks dry on the wax paper until they harden. (Sunlight is not necessary for air dry clay to dry.) Key Content Areas: Science (Chemistry), Engineering Heart Stones Are Everywhere! Have you ever looked closely at rocks and stones in your playground, local park, or shoreline? Well children do it all the time. Without being prompted, they heed nature’s invitation to explore and take a closer look at what’s underfoot. Certainly we try to teach children to leave only footprints and take only pictures, but that shouldn’t stop them from exploring and uncovering treasures. We found these heart shaped rocks scattered in the landscaping here at Kodo headquarters. Now we keep them in a basket to fidget with during company meetings! Yes, we play, too! Think about asking every family to go hunting for heart stones and bring one or two to school….oh the stories they’ll tell and the connections they’ll make!! Key Content Areas: Relationships- Community, Earth Science, Mathematics -Shape Recognition, Symmetry/Asymmetry, Fine Arts - Abstraction What kinds of nature based fun will you have with your children over the summer weeks to come? We’d love to see your photos - post them to our Facebook or Twitter with #KodoInAction #KodoOutside

The use of the phrase, happy accident, has pretty much gone out of fashion. None the less, for Jocelyn and Logan those words aptly describe their experience. This pair of pre-k children have known one another for two years and have been playing with ramps for about a year and a half. They are helpful with one another and move in and out of cooperative and parallel play with ease. Each has adopted the practice of arranging materials to suit their individual goals while remaining respectful of one another’s designs within their ramp system. It’s June and the sunny skies are deceiving as the weather is brisk. So Jocelyn and Logan ask to stay indoors and work on ramp play. After some time of constructing a course together, the two children split up and Logan has the idea to include a ball “jump” along the course. “You know what I mean, Joc, just like those ski jump parts that go up, “ explains Logan. “So the ball is going to jump up and down,” she asks. “No, well, yes, um. Oh I’ll show you..it’s going to roll down and jump off of this triangle and go in the air and, and then go back on the ramp.” Jocelyn set the ball in motion at the start of the ramp just as Logan let go of the triangle block. To Logan’s surprise the ball not only bounced off the triangle, but the force also caused the triangular block to pivot on its point and tip over. (photo 2) >“Joc!!! Did you see that?” “That was awesome, Logan! You made a machine part.  Let’s do it again!” This happy accident (a welcomed surprise) certainly wasn’t foreseen by the adults, nor was it planned for by the children. Teachers know that while children tinker, they often encounter problems they hadn’t anticipated and while tinkering, happy surprises pop up, too!  The surprising discovery of a moving part caused Jocelyn and Logan to work together for the better part of an hour, testing balls of different sizes and perfecting their “machine part” (triangle block) which they were able to tip over many times. The happy accident of the tipping block gave this pair of learners fuel for thinking about movable parts for their ramp systems. Using open-ended, loose parts often reveal unexpected opportunities for learning and investigation and can cause children to think about using materials in innovative ways. Gotta love surprises!

It's winter in Colorado and the children are enjoying the sunny day and some much needed time outdoors. Logan invites his friends to build something with him. His plan includes using outdoor ramps, which each of the children carry out of the storage shed and into the yard. With a little bit of help from the teacher all the ramp stands and loose pieces are arranged near the fence. Then the work of construction begins. Everyone pitches in arranging the ramps. Logan has an aha moment, “Let’s use the stumps”, he shouts to the group. “Right”, chimes in another, “that will be how the road is a bridge-road!” I interpreted this to mean, like a bridge support, a stump would provide elevation and a designated space in which to span the individual ramp pieces. The children, having never used the ramps in the snow, experimented with using the snow as a support material, much like they would sand. They arranged and rearranged the sections. They changed the number and size of ramp stands as they tinkered with their design. Some adjusted the position of the stands in relation to the stumps and ramps, swiveling the ends in order to change the direction of the “bridge-road” sections. A few test runs during the course of this play lead to discussions about height, distance, and speed. The following was taken from their conversations: “Look guys, if the beginning starts high up there, then the ball will go fast! So use the big stump first.” “How high does the middle have to be?” “I don’t know, we have to figure it out.” “Do we want a straight bridge-road?” “Make it long so it goes to the sidewalk.” “Hey if the middle is too high then we won’t get a fast run….and, and it probably won’t even work.” “I know, we should test it out.” “Yeah, testing it out would be good.” The “testing ball” (the snowball to be exact) stopped along the course, Logan made a discovery, “Look, we got a problem part! See this part of the bridge-road? (refers to the position of the last ramp) It has to be under the other ramp.” “Hey, Logan, that’s so funny. We got the middle right, but not the end. That’s so funny cuz we we thought the middle was going to be the problem.” After re-positioning the last ramp which solved the problem, the group created lots of snowballs,which is another story in itself!  One after another, the snowballs tumbled down the bridge-road. Some crumbled, some slid lazily, and others went zooming down. Could these children have been inspired to invent a bridge-road if the stumps were not there? Possibly, but I think those stumps offered much inspiration and I was so very pleased to see the children incorporate these natural elements into their design. It’s what engineers do everyday! Tinker-thinking is a natural occurrence in children’s play. Listen for their questions, narrations, and watch their actions closely. You’ll soon be capturing stories of your own that can demonstrate how combining materials with the physical elements around them gives children the opportunity to tinker and think as they play.

Children do it all the time. They change, add, and rearrange classroom materials to suit their play. They remove materials, make adjustments, and combine things to support their ideas and play scripts. This happens daily, within moments, and all because something works or doesn’t work. Children do this very quickly; they modify, adapt, try things out, and start all over again. Adults can learn a great deal about children’s thinking simply by paying attention to the steps and changes that naturally occur in play. Some call it, play based learning, others say it’s messing about. At Kodo headquarters, we refer to that inspired, in-the-moment, reflective and active process as Tinker Thinking. Tinker Thinking - The Tunnel Anders is particularly fond of playing with objects that move. He often incorporates arches and tubes into his block and ramp play, creating tunnels for balls and cars to pass through. The idea that a traveling object can be visible and invisible on the same course is of particular interest to him. Here’s what I uncovered one afternoon while documenting Anders and his friends. Photo 1 - Anders and two other children are provoked by the teacher to combine rubber ramp with wooden ramps. At first Anders does not include a tunnel, but, along with his friends,  is focused on making the transition between wooden ramp and rubber ramp work. Photo 2 - After figuring out that the rubber ramp should be under the wooden ramp, the children make a few minor adjustments to their path. Anders constructs a tunnel over the rubber ramp using blocks. The balls hit the tunnel roof and bounce off the track. This was clearly not intended and they all rush to look at it. They test this several times, exchanging balls and moving the wooden ramp, but do not change the tunnel or its position along the path. Photo 3 - Anders watches the ball bounce off the track and gets another block. More tinkering…more thinking....the tunnel roof is modified. The walls are moved, but their position along the track remains the same. Could Ander’s question be, “Does making a wider tunnel allow the ball to pass through?’” We believe these actions prove that Anders knows the ball needs more space in which to pass through. In this case teachers might offer that adding height or moving the tunnel further down the path would easily solve the problem, but the adults refrain from solving the problem for the children and let the play unfold. Photo 4 - Tinkering with the tunnel design continues with another iteration and the problem is temporarily solved..the roof is removed and walls are positioned to hug the track again. (This happened so fast I only caught it after going through the photos!) Anders does have an understanding that removing roof will allow the ball to travel the path, as his original structure simply did not allow enough space. strong>Photo 5 - More tinkering, this time with a change in the shape of the roof.  Anders new design is successful in achieving his original intent of including a structure that would serve as a tunnel and allow the balls to pass through. Tah Dah We believe this series of images clearly demonstrates: the design process is often very evident in children’s play engineering concepts are present in the preschool classroom without being “taught” understanding material properties is a natural result of experience with those materials Tinker Thinking supports the desired results of supporting children’s reasoning skills and critical thinking in the classroom We’ll have more stories about this topic over the weeks to come!

Occasionally I find myself talking with teachers who are frustrated because their children don’t use our materials as they are “intended”. They tell me stories of children using ramps for making flat roads in the block area or using them upside down with trains instead of right side up with balls. I’ve heard of the child who moved the Balance into the dramatic play space and used it as a prop on which to hang doll clothes…..and so on. This might sound odd, but my response is that, Hooray! At Kodo, we don’t expect children to play and use our products in any particular way. Certainly we hope that our products do suggest ways of using them to children, but we are always pleased when they inspire children to think outside the box. That is, after all, what open-ended play and loose parts materials are intended to do - to help children think for themselves. The open-ended nature of Kodo products can be overwhelming to both teachers and children alike. For adults who are not used to the focused play which occurs with loose parts, the children’s experience can appear chaotic. They often gather pieces from all over the classroom to incorporate into their play scripts and representational work. Sometimes this can be a bit stressful for the adults who discover that children do not always use materials in the way they were intended, but rather apply ingenuity and imagination as they learn and create. Luckily this stress can be mitigated with a little teacher play time. One suggestion we always make to teachers, is that they use part of their planning time to sit down with other adults and play with the materials in the classroom, especially open-ended ones. This type of professional learning is practical. These experiences will help your team discuss in what way(s) these loose parts might be introduced. Decide how many new parts you’ll add, in what order, and in what setting or context. Teachers can use this time to predict what may happen when the parts are presented to the children and may want to set parameters for their safe and respectful use. Then put them out and see what happens. It is helpful to record or note all the ways children use the new item, including those that you did not anticipate. These observations will help you during your next planning time as you consider what parts come next and how those may become relevant within the context of the children’s play. The results of the teachers’ play time will directly affect the childrens initial reaction to the new materials. The better you understand the materials and their possible uses, the more you can initiate quality interactions. But remember to pace yourself! Keep in mind that your children have less prior knowledge than you when it comes to materials and their possible uses. It can take days of interactive exploration for a child to understand the possibilities and limitations of a new material. Give children plenty of time to explore each before offering another. When children are introduced to too much too fast, overwhelming frustration can set in! And besides, they will combine loose parts as they see fit. This brings up the comment I heard from a web designer the other day. “A little complexity is good but too much complexity is stifling”. Many Kodo product have a significant number of parts and pieces. This is wonderful for the depth it brings for learning possibilities and System Thinking, but when presented to children these pieces can offer complexity too quickly.. As teachers we must keep this in mind as we introduce materials and scale back the complexity to match the comfort and developmental levels of our children. This can be determined by their reaction and interaction with the materials. Use modeling and scaffolding. Often we find that if children have a good understanding of each component they can accept more parts at one time. The same is true with adults. Think back to when you upgraded from a flip phone to a smartphone. All of those new functions combined at one time was overwhelming! As we learned each function individually we became more comfortable with the system as a whole. Children and adults alike must have time to understand and experience a limited number of new items or concepts to keep from getting overwhelmed. They can then combine their understanding of individual parts to create the more complex system. We hope this helps you reflect on the loose parts play in your classroom! Sincerely, Chris

Many of you reading this know that I’m a parent. Every school year I attempt to pry information out of my son about his experience in school. This usually goes about as well as a novice opening a clamshell for the first time. I usually start with something like, “Anything interesting happen in school today?” or “Tell me about what happened in Math class.” This type of questioning works occasionally, but as my son gets older (7th grade now), the usual response is something more like, “ It was just normal, Mom” or the dreaded, “I don’t know.” Uggg! This year I am determined to heed the advice of Dr. Kenneth Wesson, noted neuroscientist. He suggests that rather than asking our children, “What did you learn today”, we ask, “How did you learn today?” In that way we signal their brains to recall the actions they took and the feelings, impressions and experiences they had. This process of recollection also helps the brain store that information for future application. This question usually yields many answers. How great is that! Thinking about this further I’m certain that my own reflective practice could be enhanced by posing the same type of question. Rather than asking what I taught today, I could be asking how I taught. Interesting food for thought, don’t you think?

Here we go again, another school year is in play. Play is one of the key words to our success as early childhood educators. At Kodo, we’ve been delivering play training to programs that serve infants through pre-kindergarteners. Our focus is on increasing teacher’s capacities to engage children, be more intentional with environment, and increase the quality of interactions with young children. In these trainings we spend some time at play. We are finding that most of the participants are rarely (or never) given time to play with the very materials they use daily to support their teaching. I’m not sure how a great chef could ever create something uniquely wonderful if no time were spent playing with the combinations of ingredients, temperature, time, quantities, seasonings and so on. Yet we, in the teaching profession spend virtually no time to experience, experiment and play with the materials we have in our classrooms. When we play, we learn just as our children do. When we engage in high quality play, we learn even more, just as our children do. Play gives us opportunity to practice observation, documentation and facilitation skills. So, I politely suggest that we all set aside a little time to play during our classroom set-ups or inservice days. The experience will benefit everyone’s practice- especially our children’s. To learn more about our training offerings, click here!

Sammy, age three, loves trains. He loves all the parts of trains- the wheels, stacks, engines, types of cars and, of course, their tracks. He loves a familiar tank engine whose popular name I need not mention. One summer morning Sammy found a new way to represent his beloved train tracks and more specifically the empty space between the railroad ties. Sammy’s friend Liam was playing with some slate tiles, filling up a dump truck and when he finished he offered them to Sammy. “Thanks, Liam, I like these squares,” he said, “because they’re square, like tracks.”  Sammy placed a slate tile against each of the fence pickets. “Now the fence is a train track,” squealed Sammy. “See the spaces?” Sammy’s representational play demonstrates his ability to use materials to express his ideas, which is indicative of his growing cognitive skills. His love of trains coupled with an affinity to identify shape, pattern and order was acknowledged by several of his classmates. Some children commented on how Sammy played at matching. Another liked the way he was careful. One counted the tiles, one described it as a wall track, and many complimented his really good design. Sammy’s story easily reminds us that the child’s ideas + open-ended materials + time = play, which reveals skills and knowledge. Special thanks to the children and teachers from Wildflower Preschool in Boulder, CO. Best To All

What is it about water that makes it so inviting for children? They’re driven to pour it, mix it and dump things into it. They like to carry it about in buckets and bins, use it to fill up bowls to the brim and send it coursing down ramps. We know kids can’t resist a puddle. Washing hands and toilet flushing are captivating. Do you know any child that can resist throwing a pebble or a stick into a pond? Water naturally inspires exploration. It screams out, “Play With Me!” At Kodo we know how valuable water play can be for young children. But with that said, we also know that teachers are occasionally challenged by parents who don’t share the same view or are simply uninformed. Often, explaining to parents why their child got soaking wet for the third day in a row can be difficult. So tell them this. “Your child is a natural scientist when she plays with water. When she plays, she is thinking, questioning and discovering its properties. As he fills up containers, he’s exploring spatial relationships and measurement and number concepts, which are foundational to mathematical thinking. Play with water promotes cooperation. When he sends it down the ramps and gutters, he’s gaining an awareness of gravity, flow, speed and force. When he adjusts those gutters to change the flow he’s engaged in the scientific process and is also practicing engineering skills. When she digs a hole in the sand and fills it with water, she’s exploring absorption and evaporation and is able to make theories about where the water goes, why the sand changes color when its wet and how puddles are formed. Your child’s water play is actually inquiry based learning and the fact that she/he is wet is evidence of deep engagement.” Summer’s practically here and your kids are undoubtedly going to get wet. No question. This is the time to get together with your colleagues and uncover the benefits of water play for yourselves. So we suggest an afternoon or two of play for all of you. Get out the turkey basters, egg-beaters, eyedroppers, funnels, measuring cups, hoses, buckets, boats, bowls, gutters and outdoor ramps. Play with bubbly water, icy cold water, slurry and mud. Pour it, drip it, drizzle it, sprinkle it and mix stuff with it. Find things to pour it through. Use it to send a ball or a boat down a slope. Discover the perfect recipe for mud pies. Paint with it. Examine how beads of water look in sunlight. Record your notes, questions, ideas, theories, vocabulary words, concepts and discoveries. This playful process will prepare you to engage the children, help you to anticipate their needs and give you many ways to thoughtfully and accurately respond their parents’ questions. Enjoy getting wet!

While having a snack with my young friends at Wildflower Preschool we had a conversation about helping one another. Some children were excited to tell me that they helped their teacher, Amy, get some things from her car. They were so happy to report that the back door opens down and gestured downward using their hands. (Her car is actually a pickup truck, so the back door does open down because it’s a tailgate.) Amy’s car was in the parking lot and was visible from the classroom window. Many of the children pointed toward the window as they told their stories. “It’s that way,” offered 4 year old Eme. “What direction is that way?”, I prodded also pointing toward the window. All the children looked toward Eme. She furrowed her brow, pursed her lips and thought for a moment. “Sideways,” she answered. Sam, who is a year younger, said emphatically, “No, it’s that way”. “That way is sideways Sam,” she barked back. I grabbed a piece of paper and quickly drew an arrow symbol and held it up for the children to see. ↑ “Maybe this symbol can help us,” I said. “That’s a thing that tells you the way to go,” offered Eme, “it’s going up.” “The clouds are up,” said another child, gazing skyward. I moved the arrow to point left ←, and then right →. Sam nearly jumped out of his chair. “See, see! It’s, that way,” he said. I realized Sam was using the words that way as a term to describe direction. To be sure I reversed the symbol and asked, “Sam is this a picture of that way?” “No.” Then I turned the paper so the arrow pointed back to the right. “Oh yes, you did it,” he said grinning. I couldn’t help but grin back. Sam’s smile said it all, that he was understood and that his meaning was accepted. There would be time in the future for me or another teacher to introduce other directional terms so I let it be. It was enough to have introduced a new tool. The children and I spent the next 30 minutes drawing many arrow symbols and playing with up, down, sideways and that way. Below are a couple of photos from our experience of learning directions. Best Regards, Diane, the Kodo Team and the children from Wildflower Preschool in Gunbarrel , Colorado

Not too long ago we took this photo while on a hike with a class of pre-k children. At first I prodded the children onward, intending that we stick together in our large group. Soon I overheard the rumblings of discontent and the dreaded words, “I don’t want to do this anymore, can we go back?” We stopped and I asked, “What do you want to do?” After a bit of shoulder shrugging, one of the three children suggested a rock hunt. She claimed to have found sparkly crystals once before along this trail. So we stopped hiking. (We were within earshot and sight of the rest of the group.) The sun glinted off a stone sticking out of the ground. “Here’s one!” shouted one of the girls. Then they all hit the deck. Using their hands, sticks and other rocks, they searched for the sparkly crystals. While searching they noted several things. As they dug their fingers into the dirt, it felt colder. One of the children speculated that the sun makes the “top dirt” warm. They commented on the shape and size of the rocks, how some were smooth and some bumpy or pointy. They agreed to make a collection to keep at school. But also agreed that if they found a crystal it would, naturally, belong to the “finder”. All of this happened in just a couple of minutes. We’re certain that this type of experience is very common for children. As soon as they leave the school and go on a walk, hike, bus ride, or other field trip, they are able to make new connections to what they know and have experienced. The operative word here, for me, is field. If we think of outings as field studies and ourselves as researchers or scientists in the field, our posture or disposition changes. (I would venture to say that this is true for children as well.) We’re more apt to pause along our way and find value in children’s interests. We’re more apt to view them as researchers and their play as learning. I could go through the list of what I think these girls learned while uncovering rocks along a dusty Colorado trail. But instead, I offer you this suggestion: the next time you step outside, consider it a field trip, even if it’s in your own backyard or playground. Perhaps that small change in perception will garner a great shift in our collective relationship with children. With Warm Regards, Diane and the Kodo Team

Time to start thinking about spring and revitalizing our outdoor preschool classroom. No matter your climate, changes in the seasons always seem to stir up the desire to clean, paint and build. I happened to be doing a little research on using unconventional and re-purposed building materials in children’s spaces and came across these images. How inventive, right?! In early childhood, one of the best things we have is our creativity. We see the possibilities in the ordinary. We take ideas and run with them. We understand how things fit together and we’re resourceful. But let’s face it, we don’t often have the time or tools to make these things happen. Planning and family involvement is the answer. The old saying, “many hands make light work” should guide how we get things done for the benefit of our children’s well being. We tend to want to do everything ourselves, but really the more people we involve, the richer the experience. I know what you’re going to say, that you can’t often get families to show up to help. They’re busy. But look at everything they could do without showing up….buy a bag of nails, call a local remodeling company and ask for a free door or two (or four!), pick up the weed mat to line the milk crates, drop off a big bag of garden soil one morning, ask the shipping department at their office for a used packing pallet, start some seeds on their window ledges so you’ll have starter plants, and the list goes on and on. If you can split up the tasks into off-sight and on-sight jobs, you’re bound to get further than you think without having to do it all yourself. And if they still don’t offer to help, don’t give up. Look outside the school to a youth group, a retirement center, the local temple or church. Help is out there and with a little determination, you’ll find it. Spring is almost here. It’s time to get out all those wishlist items, pick one or two, make some solid plans, then some calls and get what you want. You’ll be glad you did. And so will your kids!  

This photo was taken about eighteen months ago. It captures several toddlers who were offered something new to use with balls- tubes! We all know that the first time a new material or toy is given to a toddler several things may occur. The child chooses to interact with it or leave it be. Some watch other children or adults before making contact, carefully determining whether they will give it a go. Most bite or mouth something new, relying on the method they have had the most practice at for determining an object’s relationship to them. In a group setting, adults know that once one toddler uses the new item, most everyone else will try it. In this way we see that actions often speak louder than words; that engagement is a means of communication for toddlers. The two children most prominent in this image demonstrated that even very young children make theories. They each explored the tubes, both independently and combined with a ball, for almost ten minutes. (For toddlers this is a long time!) Teachers noted some movements which suggested they were testing as they played. For instance, one child played at dropping balls down an upright tube. She released the ball with her hand positioned inside the tube as well her hand positioned above the opening and alternated these positions. Once the tube was full of balls, she knocked it over which sent them rolling out of the bottom and into the room. (This delighted everyone!) The little boy in the plaid shorts moved one end of his tube upward and downward, changing its slope. This caused the balls inside the tube to collide with one another and tumble out at different speeds. The boy babbled as he played, perhaps commenting on his results. Occasionally, each of the children squealed and clapped for themselves, having accomplished a goal of which only they knew. All of this is evidence of the scientific thinking that teachers witness throughout toddler play daily. When we take a closer look at how very young children explore and play with materials, our findings may surprise us. With some colder days still before us, it might be the perfect time to introduce some tubes to your children’s play with that wondrous material- the ball! Happy Theorizing! Diane

There is a common misconception among early childhood teachers that Engineering is too complicated for inclusion for the young child; however, the reality is that children are natural engineers. Structural engineering, which is part of the primary school science curriculum, primarily focuses on the solutions humans create to solve problems they encounter in nature. For instance, erosion, water supply and pollution control. So what are the skills the preschooler needs to develop in order to be successful when learning these concepts in the future? The answer is simpler than we might imagine. In general, engineers are creative thinkers. They utilize current technologies, equipment and tools in order to control, manipulate and build machines, devices and structures that solve or prevent a problem. They make connections. Children do this everyday as they play on their own and within groups. They are quick to imagine scenarios in which they must “save the day”- cross over the hot lava, fortify the castle and dam the river (to name a few). Their critical thinking skills are put to the test as they use ordinary materials to construct in the block area, sand box and garden. They often unveil their inventiveness through representational drawing and storytelling. In short, they invent all the time to amuse, to inform and to imagine. Teachers have always supported traits common to the engineer. The materials we offer play a critical role as children problem solve and invent ways of combining natural things with man-made. Rocks and pebbles have thousands of applications like truck “stoppers” as we see in the photo above. We want to point out the use of rocks because they are one of the most versatile materials we all have at our disposal. But too often, they are removed from our outdoor and indoor learning spaces for fear that they will be used to cause harm. We feel, like many teachers, that time spent initially on setting expectations for safe play will result in the respectful and very inventive use of these natural construction materials. Encouraging children to use items given to them by Mother Nature can lead to an appreciation of our natural world. Opportunity for utilizing natural materials supports kids as they invent, create and think like engineers. If you haven’t got rocks in your space, go get some! Watch the natural play and learning begin!

There’s something appealing about watching water trickle down a stream bed or rocks tumble down a hillside. This action is often replicated in the classroom. At Kodo, our designers pay a great deal of attention to the ways in which materials move and are transformed in the natural and man made world. Children are fascinated by things in motion, watching balls zoom down a ramp, water spill from a gutter and train cars bounce over a bumpy track. The See-Inside Tubes were created as an open-ended accessory for the classroom, with motion, momentum and visibility in mind. Small cars and balls can easily pass through them, allowing children a unique means for watching materials in motion. They’re a natural companion to blocks, builders and ramps. They can be used with dry or wet materials and can easily be moved from indoors to out. Children naturally use them as play props; voice amplifiers, spy scopes, flag poles, mail shoots, train tunnels and pathways.When we think of ramps we usually think about long, open-topped tracks of some sort. Tubes also function as ramps. If you’ve ever been propelled down a theme park water slide, you know what we mean! If you have PVC pipes and connectors in your block/construction play area, consider setting up at least one ramp, tube and elbow joint combination. ( Most 2” pvc fittings will work. ) In this way you’ve hinted to one possible use and can step back to observe the other ways children will combine materials. With block construction, we’ve seen children use the See-Inside Tube as “crystal towers” for castles, telescopes for pirate ships and as “underground” water pipes for their block cities and gardens. We heard from one teacher, that after visiting a local park, her children used the tube, a garden hose, and some bricks to build their own representation of the fountain they found on their outing. Clear water, tinted water, and bubbly water are all made more exciting with the addition of the See-Inside Tubes in the water, sensory table or mud kitchen. We’ve found that children are especially fond of filling them with sensory materials like seeds and beans and often use the tubes much like graduated cylinders while employing unconventional ways of measuring volume. In the outdoor construction play space, we’ve seen the See-Inside Tubes used as water flume components, as a way of watching sloshy sand move back and forth and incorporated into a long system of pipes used to carry water to potted plants. Many types of flexible hose (available at hardware stores) work well as construction materials when combined with these tubes. Children naturally use the see inside tubes on the light table or light box. Offer colorful tissue paper, scarves or mylar so that children can fill them and combine them with light. What happens in a darkened space when flashlights are placed on the ends to illuminate materials inside?If you have infants and toddlers in your center, these tubes will delight them as they scoot, reach and chase after tubes sent rolling across the floor or down a gentle slope. Fill them with items that produce sound, (bells, pebbles, etc), for added interest. One of our friends, a teacher, left a small length of tube in her school garden overnight. The next morning she and the children were delighted to find some insects inside. The children were able to see these particular beetles walking about, climbing over one another and walking “upside down”. After some time of observation and sketching the shapes of insect bodies they left the tube in the garden so the beetles could “go home”. The teacher was so pleased to see how respectful her children were to these small creatures and commented on how well the tube worked as a window for viewing the tiny world of beetles. Some vocabulary you might incorporate while using the tubes: motion, momentum, opaque, cylinder, column, connection, ramp, tunnel, pathway, force. Some questionsyou might propose: What fits inside? What doesn’t? Sort them. Can we devise a way to measure those things? How does raising one end of a tube or ramp effect speed and distance? What causes a ball to travel slowly or quickly? Does the bell sound as loud inside the tube as outside? Why can some insects walk “upside down”? What would people need to do that? Where are tunnels and pipes used in the world? Can an object travel an upward path? How can this be? What does force or energy have to do with it? Where should we keep our pipes so we can take turns using them? No matter how your children use the See-Inside Tubes, we’re sure you’ll find inventiveness and creativity at the core of their explorations.

As you may know, last week here in Colorado the Heavens let loose a torrent of rain. For over 5 days Boulder and surrounding areas received 17 inches of rain, 9 of which fell in one day. Our yearly average is 20.68 inches so, needless to say, our communities have a lot a cleanup and rebuilding to do! So many children in our area were affected by this “100 year” flood. Some, of course, more than others, but everyone experienced this mass amount of rain. We heard children asking questions, posing concerns, and working through these thoughts in their play here at school. Providing children the support, space and time to play is very important in helping them understand such complex realities. Not to make light of our current situation here in Colorado, but the children here have been using the sandbags more than normal this week and we are inspired! Our Small and Large Sandbags offer children variety when creating structures while at work in the sandbox, at the water flume or gutter system, and even indoors in the block space. There are the obvious uses such as building dams, but sandbags have versatility far beyond holding water. Filling the bags with sand, gravel or other material is a dexterity challenge and often results in great teamwork. Attaching the closure ties is a challenging fine motor task while lifting the Large bags is a strength building delight. The soft malleable bag in the block area offers new challenges and your ramps have never had the support a sandbag can offer. Sandbag work contributes to understanding Engineering and Physical Science concepts. Interlocking patterns add to the strength of a wall or other structure. Bricklayers use this technique. Challenge the children to build a curved wall with the sandbags. How does interlocking help? Identify where we find patterns like this in the school, the community? Can we build similar structures with Lego bricks or standard unit blocks? Ask what ways the patterns affect the strength or flexibility of a structure. Water, we know, is a powerful force and can be difficult to control. Children can use sandbags to help change the course of water causing it to shift direction, flow slowly or quickly, and make buoyant materials spin, swirl or travel. Building dams and shores in your sandbox, water flume or gutter system are ways children play with and test their theories, designs, and suppositions about structures that affect water. With older children, you might suggest they construct plans and build models of structures that help reduce erosion or transport water for farming. Challenge them to move the water from one side of the sandbox (the mountain reservoir) to the other (the farm fields). With young children, we believe that supplying a bin full of boats, leaves or corks and a pile of Small or Large Sandbags is all you need to ignite their interest in your water play area. Real World Connections We know that one way young children learn is to make connections between the materials they use at school and real life applications of similar materials. Construction workers often use sandbags to make temporary retaining walls and to fortify structures undergoing modification. Our Small Sandbags are perfectly sized (about 6" long and 2" diameter) for use with small classroom construction materials like unit blocks and table builders. Photos and picture books of worldwide construction sites will often be enough to cause children to think about their structures in new ways. We know that adding Small Sandbags will inspire dramatic play, provide new challenging opportunities and add that touch of something special to your block area. Look to your method of Social Studies Assessment for ways children are making connections to the jobs people do and the types of structures we build in our cities, towns and rural communities. Weight and Counterweight Use the Large Sandbags (about 12" long by 5" diameter) in combination with your current playground pulley and bucket system. (We hope you have one!) This is similar to the work that stagehands use when lifting large pieces of scenery in theatrical productions and how ranchers move bales of hay from the loft to the barn floor and vise-versa. Your children may identify other contextual references with sand bags and pulley systems, for instance the local loading docks, shipyard or marina may use them. When children explore the concepts of using weights and counterweights, they’re not only thinking about cause and effect and spatial relationships but will gain understanding about direction, weight, resistance and balance. Our sandbags are perfect for this work. Questions To Ask: How are sand bags like bean bags, sleeping bags, paper bags? How are they different? Compare the look, feel and smell of wet and dry sandbags. How many scoops fit into the Smalls and the Larges? How many can we stack before they topple over? Do wet ones stack higher? Are they heavier? Why? How can we use sand bags like we use building bricks or unit blocks? Although we’re not looking for the “right” answers, we often think of the sandbags as a tool children use while adults make observations, model inquiry and ask questions that lead children to think deeper, build bigger and make connections. Some suggested vocabulary words: Levee, dam, fortify, flood Flow, drain, stream Weight, counterweight, ballast Structure, interlock, stagger We hope this sparks ideas for sandbag exploration throughout various areas of your classroom and center.

“In mathematics, the art of proposing a question must be held of higher value than solving it.” - Georg Cantor When we think of math and physics we don’t usually think of preschoolers; however, the Kodo Kids Balance is a tool that supports children’s critical thinking and supports your EC mathematics curriculum. "I designed this balance because of my child-like obsession with the basic physics associated with simple machines." - Kodo Chris A balance works from a very straightforward concept- a single pivot point and the forces associated with each arm. This concept is approachable for a child of any age. Balance the arms, place more weight on one side, and gravity will pull that side down. Combine this with leverage, the concept that weight which is closer to the center pivot point has less effect than weight further out, and many options begin to appear for children to study. These are simple concepts, but very complex when analyzed and questioned! Enter the curious child! As children play with the balance they begin to form an intuitive understanding of balance, leverage, mass and mathematical computation. Think of the Balance as a physical representation of an algebraic equation. Both sides, we know, must equal one another and the center point is neutral or has the value of zero. When the Balance is at rest with nothing on it’s pegs, the center pivot point is also at neutral or zero. We want children to figure out that in order to achieve balance whatever they put on one side must be, in some way, proportionately equal with whatever they put on the other side, causing the center point to return to it’s neutral or zero position. Children will discover that this can be done despite variances in the number of objects, sizes or weights. But it is up to them to play with configurations that make this possible. Young children playing with simple addition (1 + 1 = 2), can experience this is in physical form, giving the teacher opportunity to point out one way that numbers can be “played” with or how numbers can be grouped. One child we know told us that numbers can be “friends” with other numbers. How true and age appropriate for a four year old! Concept of Balance Activity Try placing a standard golf ball on one side and a plastic or foam golf ball on the other. The children might assume that since the golf balls are the same size and have similar physical characteristics or attributes (both are spherical and have divots), they are equal. Adults know that objects of the same size and shape can be different weights, but children require a concrete way of learning this. Ask the children to think “out loud” as you let them make their own discoveries about why this is so. Their conclusions do not have to be “correct” because, as we know, as they are thinking they are learning. Eventually they’ll come to understand that many attributes can contribute to objects or numbers “equaling” one another, but for now getting children to be excited about playing with these concepts is vital. Once the children have a working understanding of the concept of balance, extend the work further. Work with children on balancing their bodies in space by standing tall with feet together and arms extended. Place several blocks in one hand. How does it feel to be out of balance? Place the same number of blocks in the other hand. How does it feel to be in balance? How do we balance our bodies with food and exercise, playing and resting? Do we have balance in our day? Can coming to a center place or finding balance become a metaphor in your classroom for calming down? Follow up or extend your work with balance with other tools for measurement, i.e., scales, rulers, and measuring cups. Ask children to make predictions about what they think will balance, but take care not to interrupt their process with too many questions. For younger children just beginning to explore quality and quantity, use terms such as more and less than. Listen for their clues of growing understanding as they describe objects on each side of the balance with terms like big, little, too much or lots more. Look to Piaget’s work on Conservation to inspire your set-ups with the balance. Knowing about children’s developmental thinking stages can support your own thinking about young children and their understanding of mass, weight and proportion. The Balance is a tool for playing with mathematical concepts, for challenging children’s thinking and for supporting their inquiry. It was designed, in part, as a means for adults to help children reach their own conclusions! Thanks for reading.

This fall we have been thinking about how to provide depth within the realm of STEM, specifically within Engineering. In this second email of our fall email series, we will explore how to add another mathematical concept to ramp play with the use of deflectors. The Deflector Set is intended for use in the classroom as an accessory to our Discovery Ramps, their purpose is to help children develop an understanding of deflection. What makes a super bounce ball shoot off the wall at such an angle, or why does a rock skip across the water? The answer is deflection. While most children have bounced balls, few have focused their attention on really understanding what is happening. The basis of deflection is outlined in Newtons three Laws of Motion. As an object moves toward a stationary surface, the angle it deflects off that surface is equal to the angle at which it approaches the surface. The ball is deflected (bounces) off a fixed surface because the surface does not absorb all of the balls force. That energy is redirected back into the ball by the surface, thus forcing it in the opposite direction. The new direction is determined by the angle of incidence. Yes, this concept is complex; however, understanding the overarching concept is important so we may help children learn these concepts through their daily experiences. Study this diagram, then go bounce a ball. We believe the many concepts illustrated here will be understood quite simply by children through real life experience. In addition, deflection has far reaching implications in everyday life. Beyond the ping pong table (and Angry Birds!!), it can be found in many sports such as soccer and tennis. Deflection is at work in the bumper car arena, the pinball machine, hammering a nail, and many other scenarios where two objects are physically interacting. Deflection is present when you look into a mirror. The light from the object (the image) is deflecting off the mirrored surface and enters your eye. If you could take a ball and throw it from your eye to the mirror it would deflect off the mirror and hit the object which you see in the mirror. Illustrate this concept through an activity! Materials: a ramp, ball, deflector, and small mirror. Place the mirror up against the deflector so that the deflector and mirror are flush together. Set up the ramp to roll the ball into the deflector. Aim the deflector so as you look down the ramp, the goal of where you want the ball to go is reflected in the mirror. Remove the mirror and launch the ball. What happens? Deflection is at the center of many child activities at home and in the classroom. Whether you are a teacher or parent, helping your children understand basic physics will support their work as scientists and engineers. If you’re not familiar with the concept of deflection, we suggest you plan a time to experiment yourself. You’ll soon be having fun discovering new ways that you and your children can think together! Before you know it, you’ll all be bouncing ideas off one another. (Pun totally intended!) Here is some advanced vocabulary to expand the experience: bounce, deflect, angle of incidence, projectile, vector, force, slope, gravity, momentum We hope this helps to inspire your Engineering experience! Thanks for reading!

With classrooms getting organized and teachers settling into the new school year, we’ve been thinking about versatility. Materials and products that serve multiple purposes are especially beneficial as children and teachers get to know one another and “move into” their space. At Kodo, developing open-ended materials is our passion. This week we’re featuring the Activity Tray. The philosophy behind the Activity Tray was to create a focused space for children. A space which presents materials for creating and exploring with intentionality. By “framing” their work, children tend to stay within the box and create a world in that space. While we want out-of-the-box thinkers, providing a boundary helps focus a child’s thought and attention on the project at hand. Apart from philosophy, the Activity Tray offers practicality. A shallow tray with substantial side walls which will hold water and countless other materials has endless uses in the classroom. From a containment tray to a science exploration surface, this tray is a teacher's go to workspace. Activity Ideas: A Ramp space for toddlers. A few 1 foot Discovery Ramps, balls and the Activity Tray provide a controlled space with a built in ramp support and containment for the balls. Toddlers quickly understand how to place the ramps to allow the ball to roll, hit the other side and come back for another ramp launch. Elevate the tray to a toddler's level by attaching it to the Toddler Art Table using magnets. A great focused area for ramp exploration. A space for melting ice cubes. The steel interior of the Activity tray provides the perfect surface for experimentation. Melting ice cubes on the tray clearly illustrates the transformation of ice to water. The steel tray retains the cool temperature from the ice cube which can be felt both on top of and underneath by the children. Block Building. On occasion, children benefit and enjoy the challenge that comes with restrictions on their play. One challenge we use in our classroom is to restrict the space in which they are allowed to build. “We are in the middle of the city and this square is the only city lot available for the construction project.” The Activity Tray provides not only the outline of this space, but also physical walls to keep them true! By focusing attention on the defined activity space, children have a spatial purpose and are not drawn outward from the start point of their project. They are challenged to focus on building from that start point and plan ahead to stay within the space. The Literal Frame for Art. The Activity Tray lends itself beautifully to art exploration; from collage to interactive dioramas, the framed space speaks canvas. We use various colors of rice or different materials such as flax and millet and spread them in the tray using small scoops. Colored oobleck is also fascinating for children and the shallow tray with its reflective bottom adds to the experience. Simply adding flax seed or millet to the tray creates a sensory art experience. As you run fingers or tools through the seeds the reflective bottom shines through creating a dramatic visual. Change the perspective by encouraging the tray to become a window into a scene. An interactive diorama which the children create. The Mini Garden. When used as a small growing space, the Activity Tray will contain your bean sprouts, lettuce or kitty grass and can be easily moved outdoors each morning to catch a little sun. With the national trend on creating community gardens, this mini classroom version is relevant and can be used to support your social studies and science standards. In the early childhood classroom, opportunities for earth science activities are often designed for the individual child. Each gets his own baggie and cotton ball for the bean, each gets his own sun catching paper and in general the child makes observations on her own. When groups of children participate in this process they are more apt to listen to one another, tend to build off of one another’s findings, and gain the positive feelings of accomplishing a goal as a team. The Activity Tray provides an alteration for your classroom activities, transforming the everyday into the uncommon. Use it anywhere! Try it with art materials finger paint or bio paint With ramps, balls and matchbox cars As a portable sensory table Attach it to the art table Use it with clay! Transport clipboards, pencils, stacks of paper Use it wet with water, measuring cups, and mud Lego construction Use it in your science center or with the Sift and Sort Use it for clean up! Photo blocks, balls, stuffies, etc. Use it for sorting with baskets or bins with manipulatives (color) Grow grass or sprouts We hope this has provided some inspiration! Have fun!

The advertisements are everywhere, “Get Ready for School ”, luring consumers to buy bunches of plastic doodads, television character lunch boxes, and fancy notebooks. But what does school readiness really mean for the child? If they are armed with the latest school supplies, does it ensure their success? And what of the child who doesn’t have these things, does that mean they’re not ready? School readiness doesn’t come in the form of things, but rather in the child’s disposition toward learning. In the spirit of this, we offer this back to school food for thought from our resident ECE teacher, Diane... The First Day of School A few years ago when my son was eight, I woke on the first day of school a little early just to be sure we were there on time. I was so excited for him, as I was a child who loved that first day. I burst into his room, gave him a hug and asked if he was excited, too. “Mom”, he said holding back a tear, “don’t you know that the first day of school is the scariest day of your life.” I was, to say the least, astonished, as I had never felt like that. He went on to explain that his biggest fear was getting the teacher who didn’t like him or understand him and if that were the case, it would be a “more than awful” year. As a parent my heart ached, wishing that patience, respect and kindness were practiced in every classroom, but sadly knowing that wasn’t always true. As an early childhood teacher myself, I took my son’s message to heart. Those first few days in my own classroom, I looked for signals from every child that they felt welcomed, respected and appreciated and continued that practice throughout the year. My son’s honest assessment reinforced my feelings that school should be place of growing together and that caring comes above all else, no matter the program or the age of the children we serve. As for my son, he was fortunate to have a teacher who cared and nurtured each of the children in her class. Every child deserves that kind of experience, every single one. Diane Spahn We hope all teachers have a renewed sense of purpose, intention and excitement as you return to the classroom for the fall. Let's make it a great year!

Summer is in full swing and we’re all spending time outdoors. Here in the west, while enjoying hiking trails, pathways, streams and the like, children and adults often stop to leave little “gifts" for others in the form of little rock sculptures. Piles of stones and pebbles cause us to pause and play, arrange and balance, take notice and contemplate. Locals refer to these impromptu works as Eco-Art- designs and compositions that consist of the natural materials at hand. Sand castles are one form, flower crowns another. These temporary works of art will return to their natural states courtesy of nature, or may be transformed by the next artist who happens by. We feel experiences like these provide a wonderful opportunity to talk about and reinforce the process of creating art, rather than focusing on the end product. At the same time, using natural materials in their natural environments offer you and your children a way to connect with one another and the elements we all share. Questions to Ponder What do you do to “bring” your art back home or into the classroom? Are the children given cameras to use? (appropriate use of technology) Do they use paper and pencil to sketch their creations? (writing, drawing and drawing to learn) Is the work represented in new forms with other indoor materials? (connecting experiences) Are there stories that are inspired by it or the experience of creating it? (literacy and dramatic play) How are the children involved in transforming their works in new ways? (creativity) Is the indoor work just as ecologically minded as the outdoor work? (care for the planet) Something as simple as balancing stones can be extended through your suggestions and guidance. It’s summer, get out there, find a pile of pebbles and let your artistry do the rest! What kind of local nature activities do you and your children enjoy? We’d love to share your photos and stories with others and hear your thoughts about how your work leaves a minimal footprint, but a lasting impression.