The 5th Annual Art of Play and Wonderment Conference:

FOSTERING BELONGING

View all sessions in detail by navigating to the relevant tabs above (desktop) or via the dropdown menu (mobile). 

View all sessions in detail by navigating to the relevant tabs above (desktop) or via the dropdown menu (mobile). 

View all sessions in detail by navigating to the relevant tabs above (desktop) or via the dropdown menu (mobile). 

View all sessions in detail by navigating to the relevant tabs above (desktop) or via the dropdown menu (mobile). 

You may have seen children chasing a bird on the beach or staring at a worm squirming on the playground after a rainfall. Children are fascinated and often look engaged in observing things around them. These joyful childhood experiences are perfect for both the spontaneous and the intentional teaching of science. As educators, we strive to provide an environment that allows children to become more observant of the world around them. Taking a holistic, experiential approach to science education benefits critical thinking skills. We can most effectively create this study of science right in our backyard that includes problem-solving exercises and addresses nature study projects.

Through joyful exploration, we will concentrate on science in our backyards which brings children closer to nature and expands their knowledge of the world. Scientific knowledge is not just information; it’s about understanding the world that transforms us. Participants will get a hands-on experience of nature study projects relating to their immediate environment and will develop their own resources. By the conclusion of this session, participants will be able to implement and develop simple science projects from their natural surroundings.

Fostering a sense of belonging is paramount to cultivating a positive, responsive, and meaningful learning environment in early childhood education. This fundamental concept is even more crucial when exploring mathematics, a subject that has the potential to either inspire or intimidate learners of all ages. When educators begin with children’s assets, they can support and extend the unique strengths and brilliance each child brings to the mathematical learning spaces all around them. The intent of this workshop is to convey the idea that every child is a math learner and doer, equipping educators with tools to establish a culture of belonging that integrates mathematics into the fabric of children's everyday experiences.

By the end of the session, educators are expected to gain the skills necessary for implementing strategies rooted in an asset-based approach. These strategies aim to not only deepen children's mathematical understanding but also instill a lifelong love for learning, ensuring that each child feels valued and connected on their mathematical journey.

Participants in this workshop will develop a research-informed and personally meaningful pedagogical stance toward the early childhood phenomenon of rough-and-tumble play by reviewing how theorists and practitioners of early childhood education have defined rough-and-tumble play and have explained its fundamental role in a young child’s overall development and by identifying why — on both conceptual and personal levels — rough-and-tumble play remains one of the most challenging forms of early play to understand and support. The workshop will provide multiple access points to understanding and facilitating rough-and-tumble play by retracing the presenter’s own experience with conducting autoethnographic research, and visual research with children, into rough-and-tumble play. We will discuss several critical theoretical aspects of rough-and-tumble play — namely, gender socialization and intercorporeality — and connect rough-and-tumble play to the cultural forms of kinesthetic experience of dance and stage combat.

Participants will be invited to explore how rough-and-tumble play can inform the emergence of curricula that not only respond to children’s lines of inquiry and developmental needs but also unpack teachers’ biases, even unlocking their own creative interests and empowering them to want to develop their own takes on rough-and-tumble play with the help of their young students.

How do we support our youngest learners and develop their confidence in their abilities to think and communicate their ideas? In this session, we will explore six 7-to-10-minute routines that can be used to develop reasoning and communication in early childhood. In addition to sharing materials (PowerPoints and lesson write-ups), we will also use video and transcripts of children engaging in these lessons to help teachers think about how they might implement these activities with their own students. In this session, participants will have an opportunity to think about high-leverage routines that can be used to develop early childhood students’ ability to reason and communicate their thinking.

The routines shared focus on different content areas (math, literacy, movement, music) and are designed to bring joy into the early childhood classroom and foster a sense of belonging within their community. Meeting the learning needs of all students is a challenge all teachers confront on a daily basis. One way to help students thrive in our classrooms is to provide rich learning experiences that give them opportunities — no matter what their backgrounds — to think and to communicate their ideas and listen to those of others. There are lessons that have been specifically designed to help teachers accomplish this challenging goal — this session is designed to share these lessons with them.

One morning in the PreK classroom at Corlears School, three students arrived all wearing Spider-Man shirts. This wardrobe coincidence sparked excitement among all the students. A conversation kicked off that day about favorite superheroes and general knowledge about heroes, which eventually evolved into a comprehensive study. The study involved each child creating their own superhero character and comic book. Throughout this study, every child received celebration from their peers, families, and the school community, instilling a strong sense of pride and enhancing their sense of belonging within the classroom.

By sharing how this study was created, it is hoped that participants will understand the benefits observed from this superhero play. Participants will witness how superhero play nurtured creativity, cooperation, empathy, empowerment, problem-solving skills, and imaginative play. The discussion will also cover the importance of consent and safety within this context.

This workshop is based on the work of Stella Chess, Alexander Thomas, and Herbert Birch. It draws specifically from their book Your Child is a Person. Among the questions that this workship will answer are: What is temperament, and how did a theory of temperament change the way that early childhood educators think about children? How does a theory of temperament and “goodness of fit,” affect the way we think about parents and how we support them? We all know that different children have different needs, strengths, personalities, etc. But too often, as educators, we have uniform expectations for very different children. We expect all the children in the class to sit quietly for a story, for example, even though this might be a more challenging expectation for some children than for others. We may expect all the parents to leave at the same time rather than using a more individualized approach to separation.

The goal of this workshop is to use the framework of temperament to look more closely at individual differences and discuss ways of adapting the school experience so that those differences are taken into account and so that all children and families feel a sense of belonging. We will also explore how to involve parents in an understanding of “goodness of fit,” and offering support that is tailored to the child rather than one-size-fits-all.

This is an interactive workshop including self-reflection and peer conversations. Participants will have the opportunity to reflect on their own identity development, reflect on their own teaching practice, and think about ways to engage in supportive cross-cultural dialogue with colleagues, supervisors, and in the school community.