Category Archives: self esteem

A Story of Bravery – The Piano, and the Pianist, and Me

Posted on January 12, 2023 by Jennie

The scene: It’s the holiday party for teachers and staff.  We’re at the lovely home of a fellow teacher, who is an accomplished pianist.  Actually, that’s an understatement. Everyone is in the kitchen, eating and laughing.  The big family room … Continue reading →

Posted in behavior, Early Education, Expressing words and feelings, Inspiration, self esteem, Teaching young children | Tagged , , , , , , | 69 Comments

The True Story of Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer

Posted on December 23, 2022 by Jennie

As the holiday season of 1938 came to Chicago, Bob May wasn’t feeling much comfort or joy. A 34-year-old ad writer for Montgomery Ward, May was exhausted and nearly broke. His wife, Evelyn, was bedridden, on the losing end of … Continue reading →

Posted in Expressing words and feelings, Family, Inspiration, Kindness, Love, picture books, self esteem, wonder | Tagged , , | 67 Comments

Meeting a Blogger: The Letter, The Book, and the Otter

Posted on May 22, 2022 by Jennie

Do you often think how wonderful it would be to meet a favorite blogger – in person – and spend the day with them?  I certainly do.  And it happened!  Well, in order to tell the wonderful story, I must … Continue reading →

Posted in books, children's books, Diversity, Early Education, Expressing words and feelings, Gloria, Inspiration, literacy, picture books, reading aloud, self esteem, Teaching young children | Tagged , , , | 137 Comments

Book Bears and Making Wishes

Posted on May 20, 2022 by Jennie

Today was the last library Book Bears meeting for the year.  It was also the last Read-Aloud meeting for the year.  Here’s what happened, or I should say, It happened like this… Both books for the two groups were about wishes, … Continue reading →

Posted in Book Review, books, children's books, Early Education, Expressing words and feelings, Imagination, Inspiration, literacy, Love, reading, reading aloud, reading aloud, self esteem, Teaching young children, wonder | Tagged , , , , | 74 Comments

Norway and the Olympics

Posted on February 20, 2022 by Jennie

Norway has dominated the winter Olympics.  Yet, the story behind how their athletes got there is fascinating.  Is it rooted in childhood?  You bet! A recent article by Reuters, “Fun and Friendship Fuel Norway’s Gold Rush” hits the nail on … Continue reading →

Posted in Early Education, Inspiration, self esteem, Teaching young children | Tagged , , , | 47 Comments

Olympics and Children

Posted on February 11, 2022 by Jennie

Today I showed children Nathan Chen’s Gold Medal Olympic performance.  Children need to be inspired by the Olympic athletes.  Why?  Because they need to see regular people who were just like them, and worked hard.  They need to cheer success.  … Continue reading →

Posted in Expressing words and feelings, Inspiration, self esteem, Teaching young children | Tagged , , , | 48 Comments

India

Posted on February 11, 2022 by Jennie

Whenever my preschool curriculum is focused on a country, it always explodes in the best of ways.  Children are captivated as soon as we open our Big Book Atlas and view our satellite map.  We sing the ‘Days of the … Continue reading →

Posted in children's books, Diversity, Early Education, geography, Inspiration, Learning About the World, picture books, play performances, preschool, self esteem, Teaching young children | Tagged , , , , , , | 70 Comments

Perseverance + Kindness = My New Hero

Posted on November 30, 2021 by Jennie

You never know when you’ll meet a hero.  On our Thanksgiving trip to see family, we stopped at an Applebee’s for dinner.  The server was delightful.  Her name is Heaven (really), and she certainly lives up to that name.  But, … Continue reading →

Posted in Expressing words and feelings, Inspiration, Kindness, self esteem | Tagged , , , | 67 Comments

The Most Important Things in Life

Posted on September 22, 2021 by Jennie

Bottom line = times have changed, but children have not.  What they need and want is the same as it has always been.  Academics are one thing, but in order to get there, children have to be grounded in the … Continue reading →

Posted in Book Review, books, Early Education, Expressing words and feelings, Inspiration, self esteem, teaching, Teaching young children | Tagged , , , , | 115 Comments

Humpty Dumpty – What Happened After His Fall?

Posted on March 15, 2021 by Jennie

“All the king’s horses and all the king’s men couldn’t put Humpty together again.” So, what  really happened to Humpty after his fall? “After the Fall” by Dan Santat tells the story.  It is one of the most innovative children’s … Continue reading →

Posted in Book Review, children's books, Early Education, Expressing words and feelings, Inspiration, picture books, preschool, reading aloud, reading aloud, self esteem | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 65 Comments