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10 Things ECE Teachers are Studying Today
What are early childhood teachers studying today? Curriculum for ECE teachers is constantly evolving to keep up with the latest topical trends and innovations. Young children live in a world where computers, tablets, smartphones, music players and gaming devices are readily available, including in their classrooms. Anyone studying to become an ECE Teacher needs to keep up with these trends in technology. The best way to do that is to get your ECE training online and we highly recommend getting your professional development training at ChildCare Education Institute (CCEI.)
Personally, I’ve taken many courses online and offline receiving certificates and credits toward my ECE (Early Childhood Education Certification) and CCEI is the best! ChildCare Education Institute offers certificate programs and coursework that meets the requirement for national credentials including the CDA. CCEI also has online certification programs for Director and Early Childhood Credentials. CCEI, a Council for Professional Recognition CDA Gold Standard™ comprehensive training provider, is nationally accredited by the Distance Education Accrediting Commission (DEAC) and is accredited as an Authorized Provider by the International Association for Continuing Education and Training (IACET.)
Below, is a list of the most popular things ECE teachers are studying. What are you most interested in studying? After you’ve taken a look at the list, let us know your thoughts in the comments below the post.
10 Things ECE Teachers Should Study
Here’s a list of TOP 10 trending topics that ECE teachers are studying today (that teachers wouldn’t have studied 10 years ago), according to CCEI:
- Children on Devices: CCEI’s CHD103: The Child’s Digital Universe: Technology and Digital Media in Early Childhood online course shares the latest research and recommendations regarding children's use of technology and digital media and ways in which digital devices are reshaping childhood and early childhood education.
- STEM and Robotics: Children are growing up in an increasingly digital world, and technology, coding and robotics in schools are getting a lot of attention. CCEI’s courses CUR113- STEAM: Enhancing STEM Education with the Arts and CUR123: Robotics in Early Childhood Education: Hands-On and Playful Approaches helps teachers explain robotics to children.
- Trauma Informed Care: ECE providers work with diverse groups of students from all walks of life. Statistics show that 26% of children living in America will experience some sort of trauma in their life prior to the age of four. CCEI offers SOC108: Establishing Trauma Informed Practices in Early Learning Environments which focuses on ways to incorporate trauma informed practices into the environment and interactions with children.
- Mindfulness: Mindfulness practices can prevent instances of undesired behavior, increase focus and engagement and promote a feeling of ownership and empowerment for children. As an additional benefit, classroom communities tend to be more empathetic and kind. CCEI offers SOC106: The Value of Mindfulness in Early Childhood which explores calming and reflective approaches when working with young children.
- Spirituality: CCEI’s CHD109: Supporting Spiritual Development in Early Learning Environments is based upon the work of Deborah Schein, author of the book titled Inspiring Wonder, Awe and Empathy – Spiritual Development in Young Children. The course explores what spiritual development is and why it is important to overall development. Participants will also learn how to create moments within their learning environments that promote spiritual development in young children.
- Caring for Allergies: Child food allergies are on the rise in the United States and continue to be a public health concern. CCEI’s CCEI119: Food Allergies in the Early Care Setting online course provides an overview of food allergies and basic safety principles to employ in the early care setting. Upon completion of this course, teachers will be able to provide a safe environment for children and staff who suffer from food allergies, identify the eight major food allergens, list the theories associated with the rise in food allergies and identify the importance of food labeling and packaging.
- Dual-Language Learning: In some areas, non-native English speakers may make up the majority of a classroom. It is important for all early childhood educators to be prepared to meet the challenges of guiding a child toward English fluency while maintaining fluency in (and respect for) their home languages and cultures. CCEI offers CHD102: Dual Language Learning in the Early Childhood Environment to provide early childhood professionals with strategies and tools for helping young children develop language and literacy skills in English.
- Attention Disorders: CCEI offers courses like SPN102: Attention Deficit Disorders to help child care providers understand the symptoms, subtypes and common treatment strategies associated with attention disorders.
- Diversity and Inclusion: CCEI’s CCEI640: Creating a Multicultural Environment online training course helps teachers define the goals of multiculturalism, plan and implement an anti-biased classroom, incorporate multiculturalism into learning centers and other classroom activities and promote cooperative social skills in diverse classrooms.
- Bullying in the Classroom: Although bullying has been around for years, today’s teachers are more proactive about reducing bullying. CCEI’s GUI100: Bullying in the Preschool Environment online course helps teachers bring empathy and compassion to the classroom as a way of reducing bullying behaviors.
Becoming a preschool teacher or caregiver is a rewarding experience, but it takes patience and perseverance. Not everyone is cut out for such an important career choice. When this is your calling in life, you want to be the best teacher possible for your students. Keeping up on educational trends is key to providing your preschool class a positive experience that will pave the way for their future educational endeavors. It's important to find a balance between fun activities and the solid building blocks of education. We always try to make learning fun.
For more preschool and early childhood activities, follow us on Pinterest.
Teach about the Country of China in Non-Traditional Ways with your Homeschool Lessons
Culture: First, we ate a local Chinese restaurant where we saw some very inspiring pieces of wall art including these pandas and a Chinese Dragon.
We had to make one! There's your Art Lesson. Email lora@theplayconnection.com for free printable panda templates.
Chinese Wall Art with Pandas.
The pandas were a big hit! We bought all of our supplies at Dollar Tree. A beige placemat makes two backdrops when cut in half lengthwise. Just add felt and a twig to complete the look. See our template to trace and copy your panda and leaf shapes. I love how awesome our panda wall hanging turned out; it is giftable :)
You might also like: What Year is it for Chinese New Year? You can also purchase our Panda Wall Art Kit for $2.50 plus postage and handling. The kit comes with felt, placemat, cardboard, and traceable templates. Want one? Drop a note to lora@theplayconnection.com we bill through Paypal only. |
Then, we researched the Chinese flag and made our own out of construction paper. What does the Chinese flag look like? The Chinese flag is red with 5 yellow stars. Red is for the Communist Revolution and the yellow stars represent the unity of the Chinese people as a communist nation.
Netflix Companion Movies
These Terracotta guys are coming to the Indianapolis Children's Museum in 2014. It is the only U.S. appearance, so plan your trip starting May 10. |
An Idiot Abroad Okay, this one isn't for everyone, it is rated TV 14, but we got a kick out of the visit to China, and it was actually educational. We learned a lot about Chinese culture. Definitely not for the classroom, I guess. Idiot isn't very politically correct, but the one episode I watched was just silly.
We also like to add a word of the day for each country we study. Learn the proper pronunciation, write it out, and share the meaning.
Country Study Homeschool Lesson on Afghanistan
Grandma Panda's China Storybook: Legends, Traditions and Fun
Children Around the World
Flags of the World
These 5 Fun Fishing Activities and Kids' Aquarium Crafts make nice Companion Projects for Preschool Books or Homeschool Microbiology Lessons
Aquarium ActivitiesL Fishing Crafts for Science Lesson Homeschool. |
Paper plate fish aquarium activity. Visit Make and Takes for details. |
These Mason jar Aquariums by Hello Wonderful are ideal for children of all ages. |
The Mason Jar. In Indiana, we are partial to Ball Jars, but either way the jars are so versatile! I recently purchased a set of 1/2 gallon Ball jars*.
Half Gallon Ball jars are perfect for aquarium crafts and mini terrariums. Get yours here. |
This little fishing theme activity from Hello Wonderful is great for a birthday party or a lesson in microbiology. Imagine the possibilities. Use it as an attractive way to display a Beta fish, study snails in the round, or even make a terrarium.
Goldfish Aquarium Craft from In Design Art and Craft. I suggest filling yours with Goldfish Crackers for an edible snack craft on the go. |
This Goldfish is another recycled bottle craft. This is a fun, easy aquarium craft for preschoolers or after school activities. The children can learn to recycle and reuse too!
Why oh why is this filled with beads? Yeah, you know I like to focus on edible crafts for preschoolers. Let's fill ours with Goldfish Crackers and then the kids can use them as a fun snack on the go.
This is our aquarium craft for kids. Make a pretend aquarium in a Ziploc baggie. |
Aquarium Crafts for Middle or High Science
Giant Stuffed Paper Activity from Teaching in Room 6. What, these aren't fish crafts? I know, I know just continue reading. |
To Make a Giant Fish Aquarium or Sea Life Craft:
Recommended Reading:
Pretend to go Fishing Creative Play Activity
Easy Recycled Paper Rainbow Fish Craft
The Simple Guide to Freshwater Aquariums *
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*We also use affiliate links, if you make a purchase we get a tiny commission. Kids Creative Chaos participates in the Amazon LLC Associates Program*, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a mean for blogs to earn advertising fees by linking to Amazon properties, including, but not limited to, amazon.com, endless.com, myhabit.com, smallparts.com, or amazonwireless.com. We also offer Tapinfluence, Google Adsense, SoFab, and Izea ads here. Thanks so much for helping us keep the lights on! :)
Central Library's Learning Curve in Downtown Indianapolis, Indiana has Free Things to do that are Fun for Kids
Central Library Funnel in Reading Nook. It plays a little movie. |
The Learning Curve: A Children's Area at the Central Library, Downtown Indy. |
Study Pods, Think Tank, Kid's Activity Wall for Preschoolers, Pacer's Rent a Bike Program, and See-a-story spinning seats at The Learning Curve, Downtown Indianapolis, Indiana in the Central Library. |
Gut Health and Autism
It is true that autism is generally not curable, but in most cases, people try different therapies to improve autism spectrum disorders. Therapies like occupational therapy, speech therapy, and applied behavioral analysis are the most common ways to treat autism and reduce the effects of autism, but treating the gut can help too!
This GUEST POST contains Amazon and other affiliate links. The information in this post is not written by a medical doctor, be sure to contact your physician before starting any new treatments.
Is anything more important for autism than brain foods? Yes, some foods like fatty fish, milk, egg, nuts, chocolates, and others may help the brain develop and increase its functionality. However, that is also challenging as many autistic children have weakened digestive health and may suffer from irritable bowel syndrome.
Why do many children with autism suffer from weakened gut conditions? Our brains have strong correlations with the gut. Autism can impair brain and gut development. Improving the gut can improve brain development, meaning alleviation from some of the symptoms of autistic spectrum disorder and other sensory processing disorders.
Gut Treatments for Autism
There are many suggested treatments for improving gut function. Below are some popular options for autism that you may want to try.
1. Use of Probiotics and Prebiotics
Probiotics are good bacteria that aid our digestion and improve the immune system. Some of the common beneficial bacteria include bifidobacteria, lactobacilli, and saccharomycetes. Autism probiotics are an effective treatment since the good bacteria kills the bad ones and helps provide more helpful benefits for the gut.
On the other hand, prebiotics are food components that boost growth to these beneficial bacterias in the gut. Probiotics are common in food items like kimchi, kefir, miso, and yogurt, while prebiotics is common in items like garlic, onions, bananas, asparagus, leeks, and more.
Regular use of probiotics and prebiotics may improve leaky gut and prepare the body to accept all different kinds of foods. Studies have found improved gut condition increases neurotransmitter production and helps boost brain functions.
2. Focus on Diets
Because of impaired guts, children suffering from ASD often face mineral and vitamin deficiencies. Also, the lack of fiber can worsen gut imbalance and often contributes to leaky gut symptoms. Many children on the spectrum are sensitive to proteins like gluten and casein in their diet.
To overcome these hurdles, parents often put their children on a ketogenic diet. It is a common belief that a keto diet gives children with austim foods that are rich with omega-3 fatty acids. Foods like sardines, tuna, salmon, flaxseed, chia seed, and walnuts are good sources of omega-3 fatty acids. Some also try dark chocolate to help enhance brain functionality.
3. Antibiotics
Under a physician's prescription, some try antibiotics like vancomycin but that is usually only for extreme cases. Antibiotics can wipe the gut of both good and bad bacteria leaving negative consequences. As children with autism have more bad bacterias over good ones, trying antibiotics can alleviate some conditions like chronic diarrhea.
Always consult a doctor for the best therapeutic dose of any medication or herbal remedy. Some people also try antibiotics and probiotics together. In such a case, try fermented products like curd, yogurt, or kefir to help balance gut bacteria.
4. Fecal Transplant
Fecal transplant sounds absolutely bizarre to anyone who is reading it for the first time, but the concept is to transplant fecal material into the GI tract of the patient. This allows a complete shift of microbiome to a recipient without hurting anyone's digestive system.
5. Microbiota Transfer Therapy
This is a new solution where patients use antibiotics to clear their gut. After clearing their gut, the patient is put on high-dose, standard human gut microbiota for several weeks. This not only improve GI symptoms, but it can also normalize gut microbiomes to that of healthy individuals.
Try Probiotics over Others
Though we have discussed some possible treatments, most of the options require a physician's help. A diet plan doesn't work well with conditions like diarrhea, and you may also need to consult a nutritionist. These days, there's a lot of focus on probiotics that you can use at home to help your child to improve their gut problems which may, in turn, help improve their autism symptoms.
For most people, probiotics have no major side effects outside of mild gas and bloating. Some of the best benefits of probiotic use include:
1. Probiotics help the body fight cold and flu viruses.
2. Probiotics can boost vitamin B12 in our body, resulting in more energy.
3. Probiotics are helpful in maintaining the ideal body weight.
4. Probiotics can boost the immune system naturally.
5. Probiotics can help eliminate bad breath.
Probiotic Strains and Autism
When it comes to probiotics, people often recommend yogurt, fruits like bananas, mangoes, papayas, and herbs like peppermint and fennel. These foods can help to grow all good bacteria in your gut. The question is which strains of bacteria are good for people with autism?
Studies have shown that two of the best probiotic strains to help in IBS and autism are bifidobacterium and lactobacillus. Using these with probiotic-rich foods can have synergistic effects to help improve gut functions.
Besides that, lactobacillus reuteri showed promising results in improving social behaviors in kids with autism. A study conducted in Texas found this strain of bacteria to release more oxytocin and improve the social behavior in children with autism. No wonder it can heal gut problems too. Using this form of probiotics also showed a wide array of health benefits including myoskeletal maintenance, improved metabolism, wound healing, and more.
Bacteroid fragilis is also beneficial for kids with autism. A study from the California Institute of Technology found this strain has the unique ability to penetrate the mucus layer and embed itself to repair the intestinal cell lining, which is a big bonus to anyone suffering from leaky guts.
Things to Avoid with Probiotics
Though probiotics have no major side effects, it's prohibited for post-cardiac surgery patients, patients with bloody stools like hematochezia or melena, patients with pancreatic disorders, and infants. Other than that, anyone with a severely weakened immune system should consult with a doctor before taking probiotics or any other over the counter remedies.
The Bottom Line
It's been proven that there's a strong correlation between our brains and our guts. If you can fix either of them, the other one will likely react to that positive feedback. When it comes to autism, this correlation is a key part of further study to lessen the effects and work toward a cure.
You'll likely see significant behavioral changes, improved social interactions, and a big margin of improvement in your child’s learning abiity with gut treatment. In short, treating the gut can result in a better lifestyle for anyone suffering from autism spectrum disorder.
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