Number Stories

Cross Posted from innovatingplay.worldWritten By Christine Pinto and Jessica Twomey Development of mathematical thinking in young children happens in three important stages: concrete, pictorial, abstract. In order to develop a firm foundation in mathematics, children must have the opportunity to manipulate objects, show their thinking in pictures, and finally represent their ideas Continue Reading →

Character Studies

Cross Posted from innovatingplay.worldWritten By Christine Pinto and Jessica Twomey As we nurture emergent readers and writers we take time explore the craft of the author and illustrator, and the role of each in telling a story. During this three week Character Study, children had the opportunity to connect deeply with a Continue Reading →

Creating a Kindness Promise Through Collaborative Literacy

Cross Posted from innovatingplay.worldWritten By Christine Pinto and Jessica Twomey This year we have been exploring idea of extended reading and having children make meaningful connections beyond the book. (Check out our Extended Reading category on our blog to see some experiences we have offered so far.) We brought our classes together Continue Reading →

Jan Brett Author Study – An Extended Reading Experience

Cross Posted from innovatingplay.world Written By Christine Pinto and Jessica Twomey As we explored the concept of winter, we used books by Jan Brett to build connections to literature and her craft as an author and illustrator. In this Extended Reading experience, children were given the opportunities to make connections to the Continue Reading →

Customizing Your Own Kmail

Cross Posted from innovatingplay.world Written By Christine Pinto and Jessica Twomey As educators, the creation of meaningful literacy experiences for students is a constant work in progress.  In order to evolve in our practice, we must continuously reassess the world in which we live, and take note of the ways in which Continue Reading →

Sharing a Field Trip Experience Through Kmail

Cross Posted from innovatingplay.world Written By Christine Pinto and Jessica Twomey Connect In our previous post we talked about an Extended Reading Experience by involving the kids with playing with characters (of themselves!) and settings. We shared how when we extend reading beyond the book, we help children to see and feel Continue Reading →

A Summer of Discoveries and New Connections – #InnovatingPlay

Cross Posted from innovatingplay.world Written By Christine Pinto and Jessica Twomey Discovering the Country Miss Pinto and her California kiddos had a three week lead on summer vacation, but it wasn’t the end of the communication with Mrs. Twomey and her New Jersey kids! As mentioned in Our Year Long Memory String Continue Reading →

Playing at the Farm: A SHARED Creation Experience for Students AND Teachers – #InnovatingPlay

 Cross Posted from innovatingplay.world Written By Christine Pinto and Jessica Twomey Our kids got to EXPLORE, PLAY, and CREATE at the farm and guess what….SO DID WE!!! It started out with us (Jessica and Christine) recalling connections and discoveries with the kids from their previous experiences at the garden. We moved Continue Reading →

Meeting in the Garden – #InnovatingPlay

Cross Posted from innovatingplay.world Written By Christine Pinto and Jessica Twomey Connections From Previous Discoveries Innovating Play revolves around the cycle of connecting, wondering, playing, and discovering. It is not a checklist of events that need to happen, but rather a process in how one cycle can lead into the next experience. Continue Reading →