Do the boys in your class monopolize the block corner? Is clean up time a struggle or a teachable moment? Participants will learn about the developmental stages of building and how to set up a block corner. We will discuss techniques to integrate block building with other areas of the curriculum and provide strategies and games to make clean up a positive experience. This interactive workshop will focus on practical ways to turn your block corner into an exciting learning center that fosters independence, cognitive development, and cooperative play.

Children learn best when they are actively engaged using all of their senses to explore, discover, ask questions and make meaningful connections about their world. Come and learn how a play oriented curriculum facilitates cognitive, social, emotional, and physical development and builds the foundation for life-long learning.

"We will remember not the words of our enemies but the silence of our friends." Martin Luther King 

Is your child bullied, a bystander, or... a bully? Learn the dynamics of bullying and how you can help your child become an assertive and empathic member of a caring community. Since bullies are created, not born, parents and teachers have an obligation to create an environment of safety and tolerance for their children. We will explore developmental dynamics, the differences between tattling and telling, normal healthy conflict, aggression, and bullying. 

Do power struggles define the relationship between you and your child? How can adults teach children to gain self-control, respect the rights of others, accept responsibility for their own behavior, and learn from their mistakes? This workshop will explore discipline from a developmental perspective and focus on teaching and learning — rather than on punishing. 

Young children discover the world around them through their play. Why does a child dump his bucket of toys over and over? Why does she want to play with her food, rather than eat it? Why has he become so clingy? And why is "No" her favorite word? Come and learn about the young child's search for autonomy and independence. Respecting and understanding a toddler's unique stage of development allows adults to have appropriate expectations and makes teaching a "terrible two" a rewarding experience. 

Are you at a loss for words when a child asks a probing question and catches you off guard? Children are curious and sometimes fearful. We will discuss typical childhood curiosities, fears, and worries with a focus on helping adults answer children's questions in ways that are both effective and developmentally appropriate.

Is your child afraid of the dark or of lurking monsters? Do you use boxes of Band-Aids for reassurance? Why are some children more fearful than others? This workshop will address the common fears of young children from a developmental perspective. Parents and teachers will learn techniques to help children overcome their frightening feelings. 

How do you reach out to an angry child? Children need to learn socially appropriate ways to express their anger and frustration. This workshop will help you to understand anger from a developmental perspective and provide you with techniques to help children learn to manage their angry feelings more effectively. 

Are you concerned about the amount of super hero play at home or in the classroom? Do the children re-enact play scenes from the media rather than use their imaginations? Why are powerful super heroes so appealing to young children? This workshop will explore the meaning of power both to children and adults; it will provide techniques to transform the child's desire for power into a constructive force at home and in the classroom. 

Why does friendship come more easily to some children than to others?  Why is it so hard for some children to make, and keep, friends?  The meaning of friendship in the early childhood years grows in depth and complexity as the child develops. Let's explore what being a friend — and having a friend — means to young children. This workshop will provide suggestions for helping children to develop these important social skills. 

How do we teach children the art of reciprocal relationships? Why do some children push peers away by being too possessive while others struggle to find ways to relate? Why do some children worry about their friend's feelings after an argument, while others seem unconcerned? This workshop will provide techniques for fostering empathy, connectedness, and social competence.