Insights & Inspirations | Kaplan Early Learning Company

INSIGHTS & INSPIRATIONS

Using Pinterest to Get Organized and Ready for the School Year

Are you struggling to find new ideas and activities for your classroom? Or are you always finding new ideas but need something to help organize them? Pinterest is a great solution for either of those issues. In the first of this month's featured Insights and Inspirations articles, we identify a few ways educators can utilize Pinterest to gain inspiration and get ready for the school year. From finding creative storage solutions to discovering new family engagement strategies, you can browse Pinterest and create numerous Pinterest boards to collect and organize your favorite ideas, activities, and resources. Read More...

Tips on Outlining Student Goals for the School Year

A new school year means that you have a new group of students to learn about and teach. Outlining goals for your students and helping them outline a few of their own personal goals should be an integral part of your classroom and teaching strategy. In the second of this month's featured Insights and Inspirations articles, we provide a list of questions you should consider when outlining student goals for the year. How curriculum influences student goals and whether or not you want to reward students for meeting goals are two examples of topics you need to think about during the process. Read More...

Challenging Behaviors

Addressing Challenging Behaviors

Prevention Techniques to Address Challenging Behaviors in the Classroom Whether a child hits others, uses ...Continue Reading...

Addressing Challenging Behaviors Dealing with Challenging Behavior During the Holiday Season Handling Biting in Infant-Toddler Environments View All ...

Classroom Setup

Choosing an Educational Carpet or Rug

Educational carpets and area rugs can help brighten your classroom or child care center and make the space more ...Continue Reading...

Choosing an Educational Carpet or Rug Choosing Appropriate Chair and Table Sizes for Students Choosing a Sand and Water Table View All ...

Current Issues

Addressing Bullying In Schools

Recent social movements resulting from teen suicides and traumatic school shootings have brought increased attention ...Continue Reading...

Addressing Bullying In Schools Help Children Cope with Death and Loss Developing Grit in the Classroom View All ...

Engineering

Engineering and Design Learning Opportunities

Whether it's a sandcastle or a miniature replica of a famous building, children love to build things. Giving ...Continue Reading...

Engineering and Design Learning Opportunities View All ...

Faith-Based Programs

Creating a Faith-Based Learning Environment for Children

Creating a calm, safe learning environment is essential to children's overall growth and development. The colors you ...Continue Reading...

Creating a Faith-Based Learning Environment for Children Faith-Based After School Programs Making Preschool Operations More Efficient View All ...

Family Engagement

Dealing with Challenging Family Members

As an educator, you are undoubtedly going to feel frustrated with the parents and family members of the children in ...Continue Reading...

Dealing with Challenging Family Members Communicating with the Families of Dual Language Learners Conducting Parent-Teacher Conferences View All ...

Furniture

Choosing an Educational Carpet or Rug

Educational carpets and area rugs can help brighten your classroom or child care center and make the space more ...Continue Reading...

Choosing an Educational Carpet or Rug Choosing Appropriate Chair and Table Sizes for Students Choosing a Sand and Water Table View All ...

Health & Safety

Responding to Child Abuse and Neglect

A recent study found ...Continue Reading...

Responding to Child Abuse and Neglect Preventing Childhood Obesity Crisis and Disaster Preparedness View All ...

Inclusive Classroom

Supporting Children with Autism

Children who are diagnosed with autism or another type of autism spectrum disorder (ASD) struggle with social ...Continue Reading...

Supporting Children with Autism Challenging Gifted Students in the Classroom Adapt Classroom Environments for Special Needs Children View All ...

Instructional Strategies

Adding Rigor to Gardening Projects

Gardening provides a variety of hands-on, project-based learning experiences for elementary students. Adding rigor ...Continue Reading...

Adding Rigor to Gardening Projects Challenging Gifted Students in the Classroom Creating an Intentional Classroom Environment View All ...

Learning Centers

Encouraging Creativity in Music and Movement Learning Centers

Music and movement are essential parts of early learning. From singing songs with children to having a variety of ...Continue Reading...

Encouraging Creativity in Music and Movement Learning Centers Designing Learning Center Spaces Enhancing the Focus on STEM in Learning Centers View All ...

Learning Tools

Blocks vs. Manipulatives

see: ...Continue Reading...

Blocks vs. Manipulatives Using Cameras and Video Cameras as Learning Tools Eight Ways to Use Magna-Tiles in the Classroom View All ...

Literacy

Designing Your Classroom Reading Area

How you set up your classroom reading area will ultimately affect how successful reading time is for your students. ...Continue Reading...

Designing Your Classroom Reading Area Helping Young Children Build Relationships with Books and Reading Helping Elementary Students with Vocabulary View All ...

Math

Explaining Daylight Saving Time to Children

Explaining why time changes two times each year in many countries and in most of the United States is a part of ...Continue Reading...

Explaining Daylight Saving Time to Children Improving Your Instructional Strategy for Elementary Math How to Set Up Your Preschool Math and Manipulatives Learning Center View All ...

Miscellaneous

Criteria for Choosing Items for Children's Use

As a teacher, picking out new items for your classroom is always exciting (and a little nerve wracking). You want to ...Continue Reading...

Criteria for Choosing Items for Children's Use Defining and Identifying Quality Child Care Embracing Change as a Leader in Early Childhood View All ...

Outdoor Spaces

Adding Rigor to Gardening Projects

Gardening provides a variety of hands-on, project-based learning experiences for elementary students. Adding rigor ...Continue Reading...

Adding Rigor to Gardening Projects Creating Outdoor Play Environments for Infants and Toddlers Developing an Outdoor Classroom View All ...

School Readiness

Helping Kids Avoid Summer Learning Loss

The word "summer" invokes images of vacations, spending time with family and friends, and outdoor ...Continue Reading...

Helping Kids Avoid Summer Learning Loss Dealing with Children's Anxiety on the First Day of School Outlining Student Goals for the School Year View All ...

Science

Educating Children About Weather and Climate

Children are often scared of thunderstorms, but they love jumping in puddles of water and looking at rainbows after ...Continue Reading...

Educating Children About Weather and Climate Exploring Astronomy with Students Exploring Science on the Playground View All ...

Social & Emotional Development

Addressing Challenging Behaviors

Prevention Techniques to Address Challenging Behaviors in the Classroom Whether a child hits others, uses ...Continue Reading...

Addressing Challenging Behaviors Addressing Bullying In Schools Understanding the Characteristics of Traumatized Children View All ...

STEM

Using Block Play to Promote STEM

Block play has long been a favorite learning center in preschool classrooms and child care centers, but it can also ...Continue Reading...

Using Block Play to Promote STEM Engineering and Design Learning Opportunities Enhancing the Focus on STEM in Learning Centers View All ...

Teaching Tools

Celebrating Birthdays in the Classroom

How do you celebrate students' birthdays in your classroom? Is there a monthly party for the children with birthdays ...Continue Reading...

Celebrating Birthdays in the Classroom Understanding the Characteristics of Traumatized Children Creating Outdoor Play Environments for Infants and Toddlers View All ...

Technology

Using Cameras and Video Cameras as Learning Tools

Do you use cameras and video cameras to facilitate learning and support family engagement in your elementary ...Continue Reading...

Using Cameras and Video Cameras as Learning Tools Choosing an Appropriate Tablet for Young Children Choosing the Best Technology for Your Individual Classroom View All ...