THE TIDE IS TURNING - I HOPE!!!

There are two recent articles that are giving me hope for “kindergarten” as it was meant to be and should be!

https://www.artsy.net/article/artsy-editorial-learned-kindergarten-boost-creativity

The first article is about a book by Mitchel Resnick (MIT) called LIFELONG KINDERGARTEN: CULTIVATING CREATIVITY THROUGH PROJECTS, PASSION, PEERS, AND PLAY. He is passionate about kindergarten and calls it the “greatest invention of the previous thousand years.” He’s troubled like many of us and urges a return to Froebel’s model.

“When [children] build a tower with blocks, they learn about structure and stability.…When they create pictures with finger paint, they learn how colors mix together…But most important, is that they’re learning about the creative process—how to start with an idea and turn it into a project. How to imagine something new, play with the idea, share it with others, and keep refining it based on those experiences.”

                               
I just ordered the book and can’t wait to read it and tell you more about it.

The second article comes from New Hampshire where a state representative is trying to reform kindergarten standards. 

http://www.wmur.com/article/state-rep-calls-for-play-based-kindergarten-standards/15393362#ampshare=http://www.wmur.com/article/state-rep-calls-for-play-based-kindergarten-standards/15393362

State Rep. Victoria Sullivan suggests “that rigorous standards have smothered the best parts of what kindergarten used to be.” She’s introduced a bill mandating a play-based curriculum for kindergarten. "We're giving them a love of education," she said. "We're teaching them to explore and discover things on their own, and that's really what education should be about for children that age."

Amen and amen!!!!