Tag Archives: Imagination

Children’s Book Trilogy – Highly Recommended

Posted on February 10, 2020 by Jennie

At long last, the third book in this trilogy, written by Amy Krouse Rosenthal and illustrated by Scott Magoon, was published this week. The first book is Spoon, published in 2009.  I was immediately captivated by the clever story of a … Continue reading →

Posted in Author interview, Book Review, books, children's books, Early Education, Expressing words and feelings, picture books, reading, reading aloud, reading aloud, Teaching young children | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 73 Comments

“Bob” and Book Bears

Posted on January 10, 2020 by Jennie

My Book Bears reading group at the library meets every month.  We read a book, and have a discussion about the book the following month.  If that was the only thing that happened at Book Bears, it would be dreadful.  … Continue reading →

Posted in Book Review, books, chapter reading, children's books, Early Education, Imagination, reading, reading aloud, reading aloud | Tagged , , , , , | 56 Comments

“Starry Night” Continues

Posted on December 31, 2019 by Jennie

The walls in my classroom are mostly filled with children’s art, as it should be.  Gone are the flashy colors and cute teacher decorations.  I learned long ago they are more of a distraction than anything else to children.  My … Continue reading →

Posted in art, Early Education, Expressing words and feelings, Imagination, Inspiration, joy, Love, museums, Teaching young children, The Arts | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 78 Comments

The White Feather

Posted on November 20, 2019 by Jennie

Eagles, specifically the bald eagle, is our unit of study. The live video cam was on.  We watched a mother eagle in her nest taking care of two eggs. A child said, “Jennie, you have a white feather in your … Continue reading →

Posted in Early Education, Expressing words and feelings, Imagination, Inspiration, preschool, Teaching young children, wonder | Tagged , , , , | 60 Comments

Gloria Trick-or-Treating

Posted on November 5, 2019 by Jennie

Gloria went trick or-treating on Halloween night as a cow.  Imagine that!  She was accompanied by Asha, who dressed up as Elsa, and by Asha’s big brother who dressed up as Harry Potter. Gloria’s journal entry reads: “Asha had so … Continue reading →

Posted in Diversity, Early Education, Gloria, Halloween, Imagination, preschool, Teaching young children | Tagged , , , , , | 54 Comments

Telling a Halloween Story – A Classic “Jennie Story”

Posted on October 30, 2019 by Jennie

Storytelling is, and has always been, the foundation for language and learning.  I write about children, yet storytelling applies to all people.  Words and ideas are how we start to learn, and how we continue to learn. Everybody loves a … Continue reading →

Posted in Halloween, Imagination, preschool, storytelling | Tagged , , , , , | 87 Comments

The Apollo, the Eagle, and an Astronaut

Posted on October 16, 2019 by Jennie

“With courage, imagination, and the will to explore, nothing is impossible.” -Neil Armstrong- Those were the words that stuck with me when I visited the Kennedy Space Center in Florida last week.  I will make a banner of Armstrong’s quote … Continue reading →

Posted in America, Early Education, geography, history, Inspiration, Learning About the World, military, patriotism, preschool, Teaching young children | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | 68 Comments

When Teachers Tell Their Stories – Part 8

Posted on August 24, 2019 by Jennie

In Part 7, I told the story of the huge tree that almost fell over on our neighbor’s house.  The Fire Chief in his big red fire truck, and the Tree Man in his cherry picker truck added plenty of real … Continue reading →

Posted in Early Education, Expressing words and feelings, Imagination, Inspiration, preschool, storytelling, Teaching young children, wonder | Tagged , , , , , | 55 Comments

When Teachers Tell Their Stories – Part 2

Posted on July 6, 2019 by Jennie

  In Part 1, I talked about storytelling, true stories, “It happened like this” stories.  I had always read aloud to children, but telling them my stories was different.  It turned out that I had discovered another pathway to language and … Continue reading →

Posted in Early Education, Expressing words and feelings, Imagination, Inspiration, preschool, storytelling, Teaching young children, wonder | Tagged , , , , , | 59 Comments

When Teachers Tell Their Stories – Part 1

Posted on June 30, 2019 by Jennie

I remember the first story I told to children.  It happened at lunchtime.  That’s not surprising as lunchtime is perhaps our most intimate time of the day.  It is where teachers and children bond.  One day at lunch, we had … Continue reading →

Posted in Expressing words and feelings, Imagination, Inspiration, play performances, preschool, storytelling, Teaching young children, wonder | Tagged , , , , , , , | 46 Comments