© 2011 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved. 2-1 Nutrition, Health, and Safety for Young Children: Promoting Wellness, 1e Sorte, Daeschel, Amador Chapter Two Teaching Wellness Concepts

© 2011 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved. 2-2 Nutrition, Health, and Safety for Young Children: Promoting Wellness, 1e Sorte, Daeschel, Amador How Children Learn How did you learn best as a child? What is your view of the best way for most children to learn?

© 2011 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved. 2-3 Nutrition, Health, and Safety for Young Children: Promoting Wellness, 1e Sorte, Daeschel, Amador How Children Learn Children construct knowledge when they experience new ideas and gain new information that is added to what they know. Play Through their interests Firsthand experiences using their senses Achievable Challenges Interacting with other children and adults

© 2011 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved. 2-4 Nutrition, Health, and Safety for Young Children: Promoting Wellness, 1e Sorte, Daeschel, Amador How Children Learn Through assimilation children take in and fit new experiences into their existing mental structures. Children modify what they know to include new ideas and information through accommodation. Children balance discomfort with new ideas and experiences (disequilibrium) and their comfort with familiar knowledge and events (equilibrium).

© 2011 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved. 2-5 Nutrition, Health, and Safety for Young Children: Promoting Wellness, 1e Sorte, Daeschel, Amador Teachers Support Brain Development Encourage sensory activities and exploration to build foundation for future learning (rich network of neuron connections). Allow children to practice new skills to reinforce brain cell connections. Provide and build loving relationships. Provide interactive communication—talk, offer new vocabulary, ask questions, be observant of children’s needs.

© 2011 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved. 2-6 Nutrition, Health, and Safety for Young Children: Promoting Wellness, 1e Sorte, Daeschel, Amador Scaffold Children’s Learning Can you explain scaffolding? What is an example of how a teacher scaffolds a young child’s learning or development?

© 2011 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved. 2-7 Nutrition, Health, and Safety for Young Children: Promoting Wellness, 1e Sorte, Daeschel, Amador Scaffolding: What Teachers Do Teachers guide learning by structuring familiar and interesting experiences that offer challenges just beyond the child’s current level of understanding and ability. Scaffolding involves observation, being engaged, verbalizing child’s activities, letting children lead, reducing participation, observing again, introducing another more challenging activity.

© 2011 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved. 2-8 Nutrition, Health, and Safety for Young Children: Promoting Wellness, 1e Sorte, Daeschel, Amador What if… …you had to explain how to scaffold: Handwashing to a preschooler? Crossing the street to a first-grader? Putting away toys to a toddler? Setting the lunch table to a preschooler?

© 2011 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved. 2-9 Nutrition, Health, and Safety for Young Children: Promoting Wellness, 1e Sorte, Daeschel, Amador Brain Development “The Early Years are the Learning Years” Rich experiences = greater neuron development Deprivation of rich learning experiences = lower neuron development Stress, toxic environments = lower neuron development

© 2011 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved Nutrition, Health, and Safety for Young Children: Promoting Wellness, 1e Sorte, Daeschel, Amador Domains of Learning Four developmental domains of learning: Cognitive development Language development Physical development Social-Emotional development

© 2011 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved Nutrition, Health, and Safety for Young Children: Promoting Wellness, 1e Sorte, Daeschel, Amador Hands-on and Experiential Learning Why are hands-on or experiential learning experiences an important way for young children to learn?

© 2011 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved Nutrition, Health, and Safety for Young Children: Promoting Wellness, 1e Sorte, Daeschel, Amador Planned and Incidental Learning What is the difference between planned and incidental learning? Why is it important to observe, listen, and provide incidental learning to young children?

© 2011 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved Nutrition, Health, and Safety for Young Children: Promoting Wellness, 1e Sorte, Daeschel, Amador Teaching Infants Wellness Concepts Provide safe and appropriate opportunities to explore using their sensory and motor skills. crawling, high-quality materials, etc. Introduce healthful routines. Napping, eating, cuddling, safe exposure outdoors Model safe interactions with other children and adults.

© 2011 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved Nutrition, Health, and Safety for Young Children: Promoting Wellness, 1e Sorte, Daeschel, Amador Teaching Toddlers and Preschoolers Wellness Concepts Provide ample opportunity for children to explore their ideas by manipulating materials. Offer planned activities that guide children to learn nutrition, health, and safety rules. Guide children by offering language that supports understanding of wellness concepts.

© 2011 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved Nutrition, Health, and Safety for Young Children: Promoting Wellness, 1e Sorte, Daeschel, Amador Teaching Children in Primary Grades about Wellness Concepts Offer individualized activities, such as having children keep a diary of all the foods they have eaten for the day. Guide small group activities. Provide concrete experiences so children can explore ideas in real and tangible ways (e.g., projects).

© 2011 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved Nutrition, Health, and Safety for Young Children: Promoting Wellness, 1e Sorte, Daeschel, Amador Teacher Older Children Wellness Concepts Provide information that explains the positive outcomes associated with healthful behaviors. Identify healthful alternatives to less healthful activities. Allow opportunities to describe ideas and compare and contrast intangible solutions.

© 2011 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved Nutrition, Health, and Safety for Young Children: Promoting Wellness, 1e Sorte, Daeschel, Amador Developmentally Appropriate Activities Process-oriented activities that focus on the process rather than the product or answer. Child-selected and teacher-directed activities. Project learning, or activities that grow and evolve across a period of time. Wellness activities that cross into all centers and learning areas.

© 2011 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved Nutrition, Health, and Safety for Young Children: Promoting Wellness, 1e Sorte, Daeschel, Amador Evidence Based Practice Information guiding the wellness curriculum should be founded on research. Teachers should stay informed about best practices supported by professionals, and avoid approaches based on opinion and personal preference. Wellness activities should be relevant and respectful to different cultures.

© 2011 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved Nutrition, Health, and Safety for Young Children: Promoting Wellness, 1e Sorte, Daeschel, Amador Planning for Safety All aspects of the wellness curriculum must be safe. Review details of each activity and lesson to ensure safety. Supervise children for safety at all times.

© 2011 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved Nutrition, Health, and Safety for Young Children: Promoting Wellness, 1e Sorte, Daeschel, Amador Promoting Physical Activity Schools should integrate physical activity into their wellness goals and daily routines using the following guidelines: Recognize that all activities that involve movement are beneficial. Provide choices for safe physical activities. Support children to feel comfortable and confident. Make activities fun. Ensure safety.

© 2011 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved Nutrition, Health, and Safety for Young Children: Promoting Wellness, 1e Sorte, Daeschel, Amador Components of Wellness Activities Concept (Broad idea, typically based on standards) Activity name Activity goal (What do we want kids to learn?) Materials list (What’s needed?) Activity plan (What teacher does, what children do) Adjustments and differentiations (for special needs) Evaluation (assessment)

© 2011 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved Nutrition, Health, and Safety for Young Children: Promoting Wellness, 1e Sorte, Daeschel, Amador Including All Children The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) has four main objectives: 1. To ensure a free and appropriate public education for all children with disabilities. 2. To protect the rights of children with disabilities. 3. To support states provide special education services. 4. To ensure that early intervention programs are effective.

© 2011 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved Nutrition, Health, and Safety for Young Children: Promoting Wellness, 1e Sorte, Daeschel, Amador What If… …you created a wellness activity and, while presenting it to a group of 4-year-olds, discovered that the children wanted to play with the materials and did NOT want to proceed through the steps of the activity? Will you adapt the lesson? If so, how?

© 2011 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved Nutrition, Health, and Safety for Young Children: Promoting Wellness, 1e Sorte, Daeschel, Amador Supports for Teachers Curriculum books and Internet resources Community health professionals such as pediatric nurses or community health providers, or health service advisory committees Professional development and in-service training Membership in professional organizations such as National Association for the Education of Young Children

© 2011 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved Nutrition, Health, and Safety for Young Children: Promoting Wellness, 1e Sorte, Daeschel, Amador Wellness Concepts for Families Providing nutritious meals Ensuring children get sufficient sleep Identifying a regular medical provider Obtaining recommended immunizations Keeping children home when they are sick Encouraging physical activity Protecting children from harm

© 2011 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved Nutrition, Health, and Safety for Young Children: Promoting Wellness, 1e Sorte, Daeschel, Amador Modeling Wellness Concepts Teachers and families set examples for children in the following ways: Eating well and stay active Ensuring positive experiences with food and eating, such as family style eating Participating in physical activities with children Practicing healthful activities in front of children

© 2011 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved Nutrition, Health, and Safety for Young Children: Promoting Wellness, 1e Sorte, Daeschel, Amador What if… You recognized that a child was coming to school or your center hungry? How would you approach the family members? What local resources would you tell them about?