Happy New Year 2015!

Going to SECA in New Orleans?   What a great place for a conference with wonderful sessions planned.

Jan 15-18, 2015

If you are there, come visit me and attend my sessions!

I will be doing a Preconference session on Thursday Jan. 15, at 3:45-4:45 in Toulouse A and B. The session will be ”Creating Amazing Environments that inspire learning and literacy in the early childhood classrooms.”

Dr. Shirley Raines and I will be doing a featured session on Friday afternoon, Jan 16 from 4:00-5:00.  “Spellbinding Songs and Stories from our Front Porch to Yours”.   This will be an opportunity for us to reconnect and for you to collect some new songs and stories that can be used in your early childhood classroom.

After the featured session, we will be in the Gryphon/Kaplan booth in the exhibit hall.  Here we can talk, respond to your questions and sign books.

Hope to see you in 2015 at SECA!  Get the New Year off to a Fabulous Learning Start.

SECAlogo

This Saturday, I had the amazing opportunity to work with my creative “Think Tank”. For more than three hours our heads buzzed with ideas as we talked at amazing speed. This small group is composed of early childhood educators who are helping me think about the content for a new project that will inspire creativity in young children and their teachers.

On this day I am again reminded why I love being a part of our profession, filled with insightful and creative women and a few brave men. Our morning was filled with possibilities, observations, support, and “what ifs”. We all left challenged and inspired to think about new opportunities for young children and early childhood professionals.

At this Thanksgiving time, I want to thank all the wonderful early childhood professionals who have touched my life, shared their stories, and laughed out loud with me.  I am blessed to have these relationships and meaningful experiences in my life.

Thank you everyone!

Take a moment to thank someone who has inspired you, mentored you, or supported your ideas!

Isbell & Isbell

Isbell & Isbell

What a great conference in Dallas – and what fun to share it with my daughter Christy Isbell!  As many of you know we share a professional interest in “Environments That Work for All Children” and have written several books on this topic.

We are so busy, but it was very special to have time to talk about appropriate environments, share stories, and meet new friends.

The meeting with consulting editors for NAEYC was a highlight and was lead by two amazing early childhood professionals, Kathy Charner and Derry Koralek. In addition, we made new friends from Denmark and found that we shared many design ideas and principles for creating wonderful environments for young children. The Danish connection has been such a positive experience for me and helped me grow as an early childhood educator.

We did take some time for eating Tex Mex and seeing one tourist site in our hotel: the Tower.

Plan to attend the NAEYC Conference next year in Orlando Florida on November 18-21, 2015. Let’s plan to meet at this wonderful conference next year!

 

Welcome to my new friends from Columbia, SC Richland One School District.  Last week I had the wonderful opportunity to work with PreK through 2nd grade teachers in this large district.  What dedicated and caring teachers they were, and they were active participates with me in my Keynote session and breakout sessions too! Our interactions were joyful and filled with shared experiences of the amazing potentials of young children.  Thank you for your work!

Off to Dallas and the National Association for the Education of Young Children Conference.  It is always great to be a part of this enormous group of professionals who all share an interest in the critical early years of children’s lives.

This conference always inspires me as I connect to longtime friends, meet new folks, and see what books, materials, and ideas are on the cutting edge in our field.

If you are at NAEYC in Dallas, I hope to see you and have a moment to talk!

I just got back from McAllen, TX, where I did training with some wonderful early childhood educators.

The world over, I find that early childhood educators are positive and caring people. This was certainly true in TX!

In McAllen, the special people who attended my sessions were engaged and active participates. We shared stories, sang songs, and moved our bodies!

My favorite time with them was during my session, “Learning from Hilarious Moments in the Early Childhood Classroom”. We shared so many funny stories from our experiences with young children that we laughed together many times!

Working with the teachers brings me joy and a great appreciation for those who work with young children during these critical early years.

 

Note: Sorry the pictures of this great group did not transfer to my computer for you to enjoy.

Storytelling-Shirley-and-Becky

What a great festival this has been, and I hope all of you will have the opportunity to attend next year on Oct 2-4, 2015.

Today I heard some tellers I had not heard before: Kate Campbell with songs and stories from Sledge Mississippi, Regis Carpenter who told about the power of the human spirit, and Carmen Deedy with stories from Cuba.

I always enjoy the resource tent, seeing the new resource books and children’s books too. Guess whose books were in the Storytelling Center Store? You guessed it! Shirley and my two volume collection of stories to tell to young children: Tell It Again and Tell It Again 2.

You can be a storyteller too. Start small with a simple story like “The Little Red Hen” , “The Gigantic Turnip” or “The Turtle and the Rabbit”. Use the story cards in the back of book to help you remember in your first tellings. Tell it to a few children and then larger groups. Use sounds, repeated phrases, and gesture to invite participate. This captures the active learning style of young children.

You will soon hear the familiar phrase “Tell it Again”. Then you will know you have captured their interest, your voice and sounds have focused their listening, and they will remember the story forever!

The first full day of the “International Storytelling Festival”

Now the tough decisions must be made, like which tent should I go to so see some of the storytellers?  Some tellers are very familiar like: Donald Davis, Carol Birch, and Bill Harley.  While others are “new voices” – the first time they have told at this festival.

I finally decide to go to the Courthouse Tent where there are many different tellers rotating into the area for the first day.  You have to get to the tent early to get a choice set.  The audience is a patch work of people: old, young, all colors, sizes, and shapes.  Each with their own story to tell. Many are teachers, librarians, preachers, counselors, but they all share a love for stories told.

My dear friend, Dr. Shirley Raines, is sharing the festival with me this year.  After attending the Festival several years ago, we were concerned that many of the stories we were hearing would not work with young children.  So, we began collecting stories that were appropriate to tell to young children.  Ultimately we had two volumes Tell it Again and Tell it Again 2 with over 32 complete stories so busy teachers didn’t have to search for the story.

Included are story cards to help when you first tell the story, and activities to extend the storytelling.   Some stories in the set are familiar and very easy to tell.  The first story I told to young children was “Three Billy Goats Gruff”.  It has a simple sequence to the story line, distinct voices for each goat, and of course the Monstrous Troll. Included in our collection are stories that might be new for you, or help you gain understanding of different cultures, and all have a moral that is worth sharing.

As a celebration of the Festival, we are offering the two volume collection (Tell it Again and Tell it Again 2) for the much reduced price of $20 for both – plus shipping.  This will provide you the stories that your children will love and want to hear “ Again, and Again”.  (Buy now).

Now you might say, “But I’m not a storyteller.”  But you are! Every time you share a personal story about a child in your class, or a funny event that occurred, or a family story at holidays you are telling a story.  Children appreciate your stories, find joy in the telling and it builds personal connections.

One of the T-shirts at the festival said “The shortest distance between two people is a story”. Once you tell a story to young children you will catch the bug.  The excitement in their eyes, their focused listening, and their participation in the telling will capture you the storyteller!

Welcome to Jonesborough TN!

Today is the opening of the International Storytelling Festival. I am so lucky to be living in such a wonderful place and enjoying the festival that has been happening for over 25 years.

This is the place where storytelling was “reborn” and the spark that ignited the growing international interest in stories told. Oh, how I wish each of you could be here to see the beautiful small town, hear the diverse tellers, see the colorful tents filled with people, and experience the power of a story told.

Each year it reminds me how important oral language is and how it can positively impact your lives. For three days, we will listen to storytellers from around the world and from rural mountains. They will tell folk tales, personal stories, and describe fascinating characters. Many will have morals and truths to be learned.

Storytelling CircleFor many years, I have being doing research on the development of oral language and the foundation for reading and writing. My dissertation was on “Comparing the Effects of Story Reading and Storytelling on the Oral Language Development of Young Children”. About 5 years ago, I replicated the study with 6-8 year old children. As you know, there is a great deal of research that shows the positive impact reading stories to young children has: expanding their vocabulary, refine their listening skills, and building a love for books. But, my research showed that storytelling had many additional benefits for young children as they visualize the story as it was told.

The children who were in the storytelling group remembered the story better, identified the sequence and characters better, and were more fluent in their retelling of the story. So my conclusion is: both storytelling and story reading are wonderful tools for building language abilities. But, it is essential that storytelling be added to young children’s literacy experiences. This method captures children’s interest, engages them in story, and guides them to becoming tellers of stories too.

Read a story every day to your children but remember to tell them stories too. It provides a powerful and engaging way to draw your children into a shared experience with you!

Watch this weekend for more information on my blog about storytelling and suggestions for you to sharpen your storytelling skills.

alexander calder

 

Last week I was in Salem MA. for a wonderful visit with a friend and colleague. Since I am beginning a new writing project, I needed to get my creative juices flowing.

alexander calderShe selected the perfect place to get my ideas going, a wonderful museum with a new exhibit of the works of Alexander Calder. Although I had enjoyed the results of his work for many years, I had no idea that he invented mobiles — abstract paintings in motion.

His work was beautifully displayed in white areas with just the right amount of spot light so you could see the tiniest movement of his works of art. Often the shadows, created by the light on the mobile, were the first place you saw the movement.

Some of his work using sheet metal is huge and displayed in public places, allowing many people to appreciate his modern art and his unique forms.

 

As I looked at Calder’s work, I was reminded that being creative requires taking chances and doing things in different ways.

 

When I left the exhibit my creative juices were churning ready for my new project! Next time you feel your ideas are waning, take a moment to experience the beauty, art, and sculptures in your world.

 

 

Little Mermaid Statue in Copenhagen
Little Mermaid Statue in Copenhagen

Hans Christian Andersen wrote his famous fairy tales in Denmark including: “Little Mermaid”, “Ugly Duckling”, and ” The Nightingale”.

 

What a wonderful experience I have had teaching graduate students in Denmark.  My students were so bright, responsive, and enthusiastic.   They are working hard to find ways to develop environments that are both nurturing and appropriate for their young children.

What is their secret to happiness? I believe the answer is “fewer things to worry about”.

  • A major portion of the cost of childcare is covered and viewed as supporting families.
  • Health care, including dentistry, is provided at no cost to anyone.
  • College education is free and a supplement is paid to students to cover their expenses while attending.
  • Seniors are provided care, when needed, with money paid through taxes.
  • People do not have to worry what will happen to them if they cannot care for themselves.

When these important services are provided to everyone there is little to worry about!

One important attitude that I observed while in Denmark is a real concern for other people. Rather than worrying about oneself there is great empathy for others and helping those who need help.  This attitude and practice helps build a supportive network that is beneficial for all who live in Denmark.

Perhaps we can gain from each other as we share information, formulate policies, and discover the possibilities of learning together.

It was a joyful experience to visit in Copenhagen. I hope to return again and again!