Show and Tell and Giveaway

Have you ever felt like running away?  Kathleen from Kidpeopleclassroom has reviewed a book titled, The Day I Ran Away by Holly Niner and Isabella Ongaro.  
This is the book she is giving away this week.  Enter to win and maybe you can run away too!
Kathleen shares such wonderful ideas. 
She mentioned in last week's blog about how Indiana has passed legislation that allows "virtual reality" Preschool that children who spend 15 minutes a day will be ready for kindergarten.  It also is funded with One Million dollars from the four million budgeted for preschool in our state.
YES, I THINK I SHOULD RUN AWAY now.  As a kindergarten teacher for 37 years, I am embarrassed to say I live in Indiana.   
I have seen how our young learners are becoming so addicted to screens.  First it was television, now computers (phones, ipads, tablets).  By the time we see them in school, more need help in their social-emotional development.  They have difficulty with self-control and listening to adults.  They want to do what they want to do and have difficulty with patience.  It reminds me of the movie, "Wall-e" when humans have been stunted in their growth as they evolved through the generations.
When I began teaching, I was taught that children mature physically, mentally, emotionally and neurologically. Are we providing a full education to learn and grow?  Are we being mislead that technology will really get children READY for all the demands of kindergarten?    

Show and Tell - I include this every Friday so my students can practice speaking and listening and taking turns. We sit in a circle and all students take a turn to show something and/or just tell about something. 

They are practicing and learning:

• Speaking -controlling volume to others can hear, using full sentences, staying on topic, enunciating words clearly

• Listening - paying attention to speaker with eyes, body, ears, heart and listening all the way.

• Taking and waiting turns

• Self-confidence-  Some children may start off being hesitant but I insist EVERYONE takes a turn.  Students may need a topic starter at first.  I suggest to tell about what they like to do, what they like to eat or play.  They can tell about a pet or their family.  

Some children need help with being brief and stay on one topic.
After each child speaks, we clap as an acknowledgement that they are finished and a way to say thank you for their turn.
When everyone has had a turn, they have an 5 extra minutes that they can walk around to see something closer or ask a question.

We ask that they do not bring toys because they tend to just play with them instead of talking about it.  They can bring a picture or craft they've made, a book, a photo or something from a collection. 

Before we have our first show and tell, I read this book so the children may get an idea of what show and tell is.
You can't get this experience online!!

P.S.  One day I allowed the children to choose what to do during an inside recess.  I had a variety of blocks (legos, wood blocks, pattern blocks, parquetry blocks, tiles, etc), puzzles, coloring pages and chrome books.  SURPRISE (not) no one chose the technology!!
This made my heart sing! :)

                                           Hand-in-hand we grow!
                                 (keep it hands on)
                                          Janet