The world is mud-luscious and puddle-wonderful. —E. E. Cummings
Over 190 countries observed Earth Day on April 22, recognizing the bond between humans and the planet. Connecting children to the natural world is an essential part of early childhood education. Whether working in a school garden, exploring a local greenspace, or learning in a classroom without walls, the outdoors offers learning, mental, and physical benefits to children and educators alike!
Childhood in the Garden: A Place to Encounter Natural and Social Diversity explores the important role of the garden in children’s learning. Consider using articles as part of a course or training during April to reinforce the value of nature-based learning. Promote discussion among students about how to make outdoor spaces inclusive for each and every child by exploring this resource from Green Schoolyards America. And as we celebrate Earth Day this month be sure to share Our Natural World with your students who are working in an early learning setting so they can promote children’s interests and curiosity as they explore the natural world around them: soil, rocks, water, trees, leaves, worms, and the sounds and colors of nature!
Enjoy this 5-minute video on the benefits of nature-based learning, Nature-based Learning and Development. Nature offers benefits to children’s learning, health, behavior, and creativity.
An Invitation from Mike Browne, Senior Director of Community Engagement
When we think of father and fatherhood, we fail to recognize the impact that male figures have on a child’s life. It means we ignore the contributions and life lessons being taught in the shop as our barber cuts our hair. It means we ignore the lessons we learn about brotherhood after we see the older boys in the hood stand up for you after a bully knocks you down. It means we fail to acknowledge the dual roles our mothers, both the biological ones and the ones who we view as such, have to play in order to love their child of color in a world struggling to do so.
So, the pivotal questions remain the same. Why is it that when we think about fathers and father-like figures in our world, we don’t see them as caring and loving souls? Why is it that we call it “adorable” when we see male involvement in preschool, maternity wards, dance recitals, and other places normalized for one gender over another? Why are we “surprised” when we see Black and Brown male involvement in the lives of the children in our world?
Delivered virtually at the 4th Annual Washington State Fatherhood Summit (May 24–26), Cultivate Learning and the Alliance’s Senior Director of Community Engagement Mike Browne (he/him) and his two colleagues, Nick Terrones (he/him), and Amir Gilmore, PhD (he/him), will explore the erasure of male presence in caregiving settings. Taking a unique look at what joy and healing looks like in order to dismantle the oppressive structures, perceptions, and ideologies that rob males of color of their desire to love and support society’s youngest community members. They will examine ways we can reconfigure our institutions, relationships, roles, and norms to support and expect male involvement. Join them and the other presenters of the summit as they work to shift our systems, programs, and attitudes to support the integration and involvement of fathers and father-like figures in our early learning settings.
Please note, this summit is being delivered by our partners at the Washington Interagency Fatherhood Council and while the focus is on Washington state, this three-day summit will feature presentations, forums, panel discussions and provocations that you can take back and implement in your own environment. For more info, please reach out to the Washington Interagency Fatherhood Council directly.
Faculty Finds, Opt-in!
The EarlyEdU Alliance is happy to distribute the latest issue of Faculty Finds. This free resource, developed and compiled by Camille Catlett, addresses the effective preparation of early childhood professionals. You’ll find both content and links to more professional resources. Each issue focuses on early childhood (birth to grade 3). Faculty Finds is distributed six times annually, and all the resources are free. Explore past Issues of Faculty Finds on our Discover Resources page.
Fearless Conversations Join Mike Browne, Cultivate Learning’s Senior Director of Community Engagement, and Nick Terrones, Program Director of Daybreak Star Preschool, as they share stories from Nick’s recently published book, “A Can of Worms: Fearless Conversations with Toddlers.” Toddler-initiated conversations around race, sexuality, and identity offer a unique grounding for an examination of the fearlessness required from all of us to liberate societal systems, policies, programs, and equitably serve educators’ learning needs. How can we best nurture critical thinking and challenge ourselves to normalize and enjoy uncomfortable conversations?
Register for the webinar. After registering for one or both webinars, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the webinars.
Date: Thursday, May 5, 2022
Time: 10–10:30 a.m. PT / 1–1:30 p.m. ET