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. 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. For the last six months, I have been thinking and writing about critical friendships in anticipation of new book on the topic for Redleaf Press. The experience has been transformational as I think back and think forward about professional friendships and children’s peer-to-peer relationships. The construct of friendship implies a … Continue reading
By: Diane Kashin, Ed.D., RECE. Do you like being silly? For me, one of the greatest joys in life is being silly with children. It is also a common trait that I have with many of my professional friends. Being silly is being playful. Reflecting on the playfulness of children while thinking about our own … Continue reading
By: Diane Kashin, Ed.D, RECE. One of the greatest joys of my life has been sharing my favourite children’s books with my grandchildren. Inspired many years ago, by the amazing duo of Margie Carter and Deb Curtis, I have been using children’s literature as prompts for reflection with early childhood education students and teachers. In … Continue reading
By: Diane Kashin, Ed.D, RECE. The 21st century began on January 1st, 2001. Today’s children deserve learning experiences grounded in practices that are in keeping with a new era of play and learning. Now is the time to critically reflect on the practices that linger on from the previous century. I am a child of … Continue reading
By: Diane Kashin, Ed.D, RECE. and Rosalba Bortolotti, RECE. It was twenty-five years ago when our story began. We were brought together by a mutual interest in early childhood education and the Reggio Emilia Approach. When we met, Rosalba was working at a child care centre and I had just begun to teach early childhood … Continue reading
By: Diane Kashin, Ed.D, RECE. What worlds to discover does wood hold for children? Made by nature, wood has so many benefits when offered to children. During the time of COVID, in group settings, there may be restrictions on the use of wooden toys and blocks, but I am confident in a post-COVID world that … Continue reading
By: Diane Kashin, Ed.D, RECE. I think I have always been fascinated by small world play. As a child and as an adult. I have fond memories of creating miniature worlds especially outdoors. I used rocks, mud, grass, straw and sticks to form a world that I could play inside of. I was in control. … Continue reading
Technology Rich Inquiry Based Research 