In the Mother Goose on the Loose April newsletter, I mentioned attending a conference for the Society for Research in Child Development and listening to Dr. Clancy Blair talk about his research on “Tools of the Mind.” Shortly after sending out the newsletter, I received the following email from a colleague and obtained her permission to reprint it below:
I read about your chat with Clancy Blair in the newsletter. My sons attended a “Tools of the Mind” preschool here in MA. I have “borrowed” so many Tools ideas for my storytimes and other programs. It is a great curriculum and educational theory that can really help support much of what we do in library programs for children. I especially love their games that help with executive functioning skills like impulse control. My sons’ preschool is our town’s inclusive special ed school, and having both a typically developing and a developmentally disabled child, I saw first hand how Tools of the Mind can scaffold kids at every stage and ability. I’m so glad you got the chance to attend that conference and learn about the research being done. -Ashley
The newsletter just started in January due to the urging of my Workshop Outreach Coordinator (who is also my son, Alon). It is a pleasure to see that it is being read and inspiring others to comment. I love hearing from my colleagues! Please, keep your comments coming!
I am now on a whirlwind tour of Pennsylvania presenting “Nurturing the Brain through Storytime” for the Pennsylvania Department of Education. Pennsylvania has Early Learning Standards that fit perfectly into Every Child Ready To Read’s “Talk, Sing, Read, Write and Play” practices. They also emphasize that the youngest children learn through play, and that healthy development in the earliest years should include social, emotional, and cognitive development. This fits in perfectly the MGOL concept of the WHOLE child.
Today, Alon and I are at the Civil War Museum in Harrisburg, PA. On behalf of Pennsylvania OneBook, I will be presenting to childcare providers, museum professionals, children’s librarians, early literacy personnel, teachers, university professors and teachers. We arrived early and I took the opportunity to peruse the exhibits. And now, it’s time to stop writing and listen to a presentation by author/illustrator Lindsay Barrett-George.