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(Taken From “Does God Have A Big Toe” by Marc Gellman and Oscar de Mejo)

By: Karen B. Goldstein, Director of Early Childhood Education

Before there was anything, there was God, a few angels, and a huge swirling glob of rocks and water with no place to go. The angels asked God, “Why don’t you clean up this mess?”

Teaching Children About Privacy

By: Karen B. Goldstein, Director of Early Childhood Education

Last week, a parent stopped me in the hallway to ask me a question. She told me that her child was hosting a play date at their home the previous weekend and seemed to have a very hard time sharing all of his toys. This Mom asked me if he was a “good sharer” at the Gan. I replied that he was but, the toys at the Gan do not belong to him, they belong to all the children. This is why
we do not allow children to bring in toys from home: they are simply too hard to share. Toys from home are “private”.

The Less is More Meal Plan for Picky Toddlers

Karen B. Goldstein, Director of Early Childhood Education

Somehow, Passover seems to intensify all of our natural jewishly motivated inclinations to worry about the eating habits of our children. My phone starts to ring as soon as the email goes out about what your child may and may not bring in for lunch during Passover. So, the following information may help to ease your minds while you try to fill your child’s belly during what may be a challenging time.

Making a Case for Play

Karen B. Goldstein, Director of Early Childhood Education

Our nations’ recent emphasis on accountability in schools, as underscored by the local newspapers’ release of the names of schools who were unable to meet the No Child Left Behind standards this year, seems to have led to an unfortunate decline in the general understanding of the importance of play to a child’s over-all development. Piaget, the granddaddy of the constructivist theory of education, believed that children (between the ages of 2-7 who are in the pre-operational stage) learned through discovery and play about their world and developed language with or without the assistance of adults. He introduced the idea that play was a window that reflected what was going on in the life of the child. Vygotsky countered that children are social learners and construct knowledge best with the help of adults who can define, focus and extend learning through play (called scaffolding), as well as determine the readiness of children to learn by observing play (looking for what is called the zone of proximal development).

May Cause Excitability, Especially in Small Children

Karen B. Goldstein, Director of Early Childhood Education

We tend to judge the tiredness of children based upon our own experiences with being tired. This poses a problem since typically, when adults are tired they feel lethargic but children often become antsy or jumpy. Sleep deprivation may cause excitability, especially in small children! Our young children are often unable to articulate to us that they are exhausted (or they may not want to, if they are toddlers!). Here are common symptoms of sleep deprivation in children:

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Teaching Children About Privacy

The Less is More Meal Plan for Picky Toddlers

Making a Case for Play

May Cause Excitability, Especially in Small Children

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