By: Diane Kashin, EdD, RECE. One of the joys of being an early childhood educator is that we get to look at the world through the eyes of a child, every single day. Look at everything as though you are seeing it for the first time, with eyes of a child, fresh with wonder ~ … Continue reading
By: Diane Kashin, EdD, RECE. Vintage materials are valuable play resources! There is value to vintage. They remind me about what is important. They give me pause to think deeply about values and what it means to value. Values are the regard that something is held to deserve. Values are the importance of something. To … Continue reading
By: Diane Kashin, EdD, RECE. When my grandchildren visit I am constantly curiously observing. When I observe with curiosity I wonder why they are interested in the experiences that they find engaging. Reese who is three, likes playing with small, even tiny loose parts. What does this mean? If you are thinking developmentally, and fine … Continue reading
By: Diane Kashin, Ed.D, RECE. BIG IDEAS refer to concepts that are meaningful to the lives of children. If we look beyond development to children’s emerging interests as a focus of observation there is an opportunity to consider what is really important. Everyday there are opportunities for children to explore ideas that are rich and … Continue reading
By: Diane Kashin, Ed.D, RECE. Think back to your childhood, can you recall a book that you connected with, cared for, loved and cherished? That book was your friend. You had a reciprocal relationship with the story, the pages, and pictures. Do you still have the book? A musty volume of illustrated children’s stories sits … Continue reading
By: Diane Kashin, Ed.D, RECE. Looking back on a long career as an early childhood educator, I can confidently say that professional friendships are my greatest accomplishments. I have benefited more from these relationships than any title I have had, or credential that I have earned. My belief in the value of professional friendships is … Continue reading
By: Diane Kashin, Ed.D, RECE. When I was an early childhood education student, writing objective observations for course assignments was not a task I remember fondly. When I was an ECE professor, most of my students detested the observation assignments that required an adherence towards objectivity. They needed to be purposefully detached from their feelings, … Continue reading
By: Diane Kashin, Ed. D, RECE. Vintage resources have value in early childhood education. They are readily available and affordable. I love hunting for curiosities and oddities that would appeal to children’s imagination and encourage their creativity. I can’t think of a better way to pass the time, then to share the experience of vintage … Continue reading
By: Diane Kashin, Ed.D., RECE. Taking a layered approach to our work in early childhood education can deepen the experiences offered to children and heighten awareness of pedagogy and curriculum. A layered approach asks us to consider the stories within the stories, the nests within the nests. A nest is a structure or place made … Continue reading
By: Diane Kashin, Ed.D., RECE. How do the words of Vivian Gussin Paley translate to now? When Paley listened to children their conversations inevitably focused on fantasy, fairness, and friendship. Are these the current themes in the lives of children? Will we hear them when we listen? My grandson, Griffen missed his friends during the … Continue reading
Technology Rich Inquiry Based Research 