Lab School

Session 1 Workshops  

9:00-10:00am

The Benefits of Physical Play for Young children and Their Families

Pat Rumbaugh- The Play Lady, author, parent, teacher and play advocate

Let Pat Rumbaugh, The Play Lady share with you a lifetime of play experiences as an author, parent, teacher and a play advocate. Pat’s recent early reader children’s book, “Let’s Play at the Playground” with full-page photographs of children playing and short inspirational sentences is a book all parents and teachers have been waiting for, when children see the real children playing they want to show you how they climb, jump and run. Adults that choose to have daily physical play in their lives are giving themselves the opportunity to have fun, relieve stress and get daily exercise. They are being positive role models to their children. Children love to play. They have the need to play, especially free unstructured play. Adults that strive to bring children outside everyday are providing a lifetime foundation that will stay with the children for the rest of their lives. Administrators, parents and teachers give children the life they deserve to play everyday. Playing is contagious. Go out and play!

Lights, camera, action, and apps: What the science of learning research tells us about learning with traditional vs. electronic toys

Jennifer M. Zosh, Ph.D. Assistant Professor of Human Development and Family Studies at Penn State University, Brandywine; Director of The Brandywine Child Development Lab.

Jill Gillin, Brandywine Child Development Lab

Today’s children are inundated with electronics at home, in school, and even in their bedrooms.  Often, these electronic products are claimed to result in increased learning relative to non-electronic toys.  But what does the research show?  In this hands-on session, participants will engage in play with various types of toys, critically evaluate their experiences, and learn about what the latest research in cognitive development tells us about the benefits – and costs – of these electronic toys.  Participants will leave the session with concrete information about how to promote increased social skills, numeracy, literacy, and spatial knowledge via the use of both electronic and non-electronic toys and media.

Toddler Tech for Non-Techies; Using iPads with 2’s & 3’s

Debbie Torbert, Master Teacher, University of Delaware Laboratory Preschool; instructor Human Development and Family Studies

Alex Sadot, Student Teacher, University of Delaware Early Childhood Education Program

Interactive touch screens, from white boards to iPads to other mobile devices, have changed the way children interact with technology.  Bring your iPads to share or use mine, as we discuss various strategies while incorporating iPad technology in our classrooms with very young children.

Force and Motion- Learning through Playful and Purposeful Explorations

Laura Morris, M.Ed.,Master Master Teacher, University of Delaware Laboratory Preschool

Jennifer Gallo-Fox, Ph.D., Assistant Professor, Department of Human Development and Family Studies

Through playful exploration with classroom materials children can develop conceptual understanding of the world around them and extend their knowledge about scientific concepts and processes. This session draws on experiences working with children around concepts of Force and Motion. We will share student work samples and provide participants with various opportunities to extend their own knowledge, gain access to new resources for teaching these concepts in the classroom, and collaborate with other workshop participants to examine, discuss, analyze and interpret samples of children’s work in order to identify children’s emerging theories and to consider implications for future classroom planning. The workshop will be predominantly hands-on and engage participants in explorations that can be used in the classroom. Connections to both the Next Generation Science Standards, and the Common Core will be made.

When was the last time you played?

Shelley Silber, Early Education Specialist/Curriculum Coordinator

Time and again, practitioners and researchers validate the critical importance of play in the holistic development of children.  Just as children learn about their world through exposure to and manipulation of experiences and materials, so can primary caregivers and educators also benefit from self immersion into play experiences.  Through play families, providers, teachers, and any persons working and relating with children can provide, guide and enrich  the creative, intellectual and social-emotional experiences which become part of the child’s persona.  The aim of today’s session is to provide a brief opportunity to play; to reflect upon the importance of providing a variety of creative and open-ended materials to invite creative play;  to feel secure in expressing one’s thoughts and creativity; and to reflect upon how your own play can encourage and enhance the experiences you provide to your children.

 

Session 2 Workshops  

10:15-11:15am

A Playful Approach to Musical Interaction: Fostering the Musical Creative Mind

Suzanne L. Burton, Ph.D., Professor of Music Education, Director of Graduate Studies, Coordinator of Music Education, University of Delaware

Stephanie Kistler- music specialist, University of Delaware Masters Degree Candidate

In early childhood, young children’s natural proclivity for music takes flight. Through music, these young musicians develop their imaginations and creativity while gaining a better understanding of themselves, others, and the world around them. Involving children in playful, musical interactions at an early age provides a scaffold for young children to reach their musical and creative potential. Improvisation, spontaneous music making that results in new sounds, patterns or actions, is a critical musical means of expression. Improvisation is to music as conversation is to language.

A hands-on experience with musical play and improvisation, this workshop will provide participants with tools for incorporating meaningful musical interactions with young children. Through a playful musical environment that encourages improvisation, we can provide the building blocks to nurture this potential for a lifetime of musical creativity.

“Yes, and….”. Improvisational Acting Strategies and Games for the Classroom

Ruth Yamamoto, teaching artist, Sudbury Model School; doctoral student, Walden University

Computer gaming offers players the opportunities to experience being someone else, live different lives through digital role-playing games, and to repeatedly fail. With the increase of accessibility to this medium of entertainment, children seem to have forgotten that they can play “as if” without computers. While validity of play in education may be discounted by educational stakeholders, rationale for aesthetic play based learning can be found in arguments of developmental psychologists, educational philosophers, and systems theorists.  Educators need to be able to create learning environments that have foundations in the elements found in role-playing and improvisation. Educators who use role-playing and improvisation build community, raise social competency, and foster deep learning in their classrooms.

Play with Me!: High Interest and Homemade Materials for Meaningful Play with Infants and Young Toddlers

Jane Shire, M.Ed., Instructor, Human Development and Family Studies & Play & Grow Together Programs, University of Delaware Laboratory Preschool

Learning Socially: Using play to develop positive interactions 

Katie Pollock, M.Ed., Instructor of Human Development and Family Studies, University of Delaware, Social Thinking Teacher, University of Delaware Laboratory Preschool

Regan Root, M.Ed., BCBA, Clarity Service Group

Participants will learn how to naturally embed the facilitation and teaching of positive interactions through play in a variety of learning environments. Through engagement and active learning participants will feel more comfortable and confident playing purposefully in order to strengthen pro-social behaviors. At the end of this session, participants will understand the benefits of play as they relate to social skill development. 

Playing extra with children at risk in language and literacy: A case study of successful play tutoring

Neda Moinolmolki and Juana Gaviria Loaiza, doctoral students, College of Education & Human Development, University of Delaware

In today’s society we are seeing a decrease in the amount of play in early education.  This is concerning as play is a natural medium and safe environment for children’s learning processes (Roskos & Christie, 2001). In addition to other benefits, play provides children with the tools to work through language and literacy difficulties and to gain confidence in this area of development.  This presentation will give an overview of a successful play tutoring program which introduces language and literacy concepts to preschool children. The children in this program were able to learn various concepts such as, vocabulary, alphabet letter/sound recognition, and phonological awareness skills through play.  We will showcase examples of how dramatic play can aid development in language and vocabulary.  We will also discuss how our play-based tutoring program used fun activities and games to reinforce alphabet knowledge and phonological awareness, disproving the thought that these concepts must be taught through rote instruction.

 To register for the Forum on Play: click here

Back to Forum on Play main page: http://www.labpreschool.udel.edu/forum-on-play-2/