Ohio’s Early Childhood Training Program

Introductions! Name Where you work An outdoor experience with this age group

Growing Up WILD 27 activities –Many include direct outdoor experiences –All include a Take Me Outdoors section Each activity presents a wide range of options to be tailored to the individual child’s developmental needs. –Includes small group, whole group, stations, individual and pair work, as well as teachable moments.

Growing Up WILD cont. Activities are developmentally appropriate for 3-7 year olds. –Learn primarily thru senses and direct experiences –Develop an understanding of their world thru: Play Exploration Creative Activities Watching and imitating adults and other children

Growing Up WILD cont. All activities interweave content: –Literacy –Math –Science –Art All activities involve areas to develop the following areas: –Social –Emotional –Physical –Language –Cognitive

Activity Layout Title: brief description of activity is found underneath Quick Facts: similar to the Background section in regular WILD. WILD Wonderful Words: key terms Materials and Prep

Activity Layout cont. Warm Up: activity to capture children’s attention and interest while helping the educator determine children’s current understanding of the topic/concept of the overall activity; usually involves questioning. It’s the Objectives. Procedure: step-by-step instructions; can overlap with other sections of the overall activity. Wrap Up: suggested questions or directives to bring closure to the activity, helps reinforce learning and helps educator assess learning—the evaluation.

Activity Layout cont. Take Me Outside!—additional procedures, extensions or field investigations that can be done in the schoolyard, nearby park, sidewalks or zoo. Home Connections —fun things families can do to extend learning at home. Home connections cards in English and Spanish to copy and send home with children.

Activity Layout cont. Art Projects: includes projects related to the overall activity. Can be free expression or results- oriented. Healthy Me!—suggestions to encourage healthy habits; involves physical exercise, nutrition, hygiene and safety. Mighty Math—provides suggestions for learning math concepts and practicing math skills. Connects math to everyday life.

Activity Layout cont. Music and Movement: –Music—jumpstarts vocabulary skills by providing lyrics related to each activity’s topic/concept and set to common childhood tunes. Helps children remember content and improves ability to learn and pronounce new words. –Movement—suggests movement related to activity’s theme; could include dancing, actions to reinforce lyrics or imitating animal movements.

Activity Layout cont. Helping Hands —suggest specific, practical ways to promote respect and appreciation for the outdoors, i.e. not destroying spider webs, respectfully observing wildlife, etc. Standards and Correlations —list of numerical codes to identify national standards, including Head Start Domains and NAEYC Accreditation Criteria.

Activity Layout cont. Resources —includes fiction and non-fiction books and other materials. Age Level —where the activity was field tested, can be modified up or down. Centers and Extensions —suggestions of related activities to be set up as stand-alone stations where students can do independent study; also suggestions additional extensions to reinforce activity’s concept/topic.

Activity Layout Snack!!—saved the best for last! –Suggestions of a healthful snack related to the activity’s theme. Fruits, veggies and whole grains are used whenever possible. Some are done as edible projects by the children.

Skip Thru the Guide!

Practice a Couple Activities! Think about what will work in a classroom setting. Modify them to fit. Pick parts of the activities to highlight extensions, etc. Think about what supplies you’ll need. –Food! Definitely do the snacks! –Art projects, outside activities, reading, math could all be touched on. –Sing if you want!

Questions?