Brookes Publishing
COVID-19 Resources
Brookes is a well-known independent premier publishing company of research-based resources from leading-edge experts in early childhood, K-12, special education, and higher education. These books and assessment tools, such as the Ages and Stages Questionnaire (ASQ) and the Social-Emotional Assessment/Evaluation Measure (SEAM), support preschool children’s healthy development and expands teacher knowledge. Brookes is not only about publishing books, but they also stay current on real-world problems in the field of early childhood. For example, with COVID-19, they share an abundance of resources and the nice thing is many are available for free. This specific resource has four extensions based on the teacher’s needs of special education, early childhood, communication and language, or ASQ, where they provide materials from Brookes Publishing and other sources and also free download options. Brookes has made it convenient for teachers to stay current on the early childhood field and to gather resources with live links all in one place. To learn more about Brookes Publishing and their COVID-19 Resources, click the link below.
WeAreTeachers
34 Awesome Free (or Low-Cost) Websites for Practicing Reading by Kimberly Moran
As a teacher, I sometimes struggle to find new ideas to spark a student’s interest, but where is a good place to look? WeAreTeachers is an online media brand for educators. They strive to inspire teachers and help them succeed by sharing practical classroom ideas, printables, and teacher-to-teacher advice. WeAreTeachers publishes daily articles, videos, and giveaways on their website and social media channels on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and Pinterest. Looking over the site, I found it easy to find preschool resources as their collection can be tailored by age and topic. Through my research, I found an article, 34 Awesome Free (or Low-Cost) Websites for Practicing Reading, Written by Kimberly Moran, that would be an excellent resource to share with families. This list provides many quality literacy sources, such as Epic, Khan Academy, Starfall, Storyline Online, and many more geared for preschool and beyond. The article also provides a short description of each website on the list and is hyperlinked, making it easy to look at each site to see which one fits your or the family’s needs. I think WeAreTeachers is a resource teachers need to explore and bookmark for future inquiries. Click on the button below to explore the WeAreTeachers' website and resources.
Wide Open School
Student Activities
Distance learning has pushed many teachers out of their comfort zones and relies more on their preschoolers' family engagement than ever before. If you are looking for new ideas to support families arranged in an organized manner, Wide Open School has you covered. It is a curation developed by Common Sense Media with various quality resources under their Student Activities page. Activities are chosen by grade starting at preschool continuing through high school and are sorted by learning domains or focused areas such as Offline-Friendly, Virtual Field Trips, and Life Skills. I find their daily preschool plans beneficial for families because they offer seven different learning areas developmentally appropriate based on being hands-on, open-ended, and age-appropriate. Many activities also foster creativity, support critical thinking, and use materials from their home environment. Each resource has a direct link to instructions for the family or the activity site. Wide Open School also provides a tab for resources in Spanish, but the whole website does offer Google Translate in various languages to support all your family's home languages. Click on the button below to explore the Wide Open School's student activities.
Development and Research in Early Mathematics Education
Early Math Toolkit for Professionals Serving Families
Development and Research in Early Mathematics Education (DREME) is a network of scholars from across the country collaborating to advance math teaching and learning for children from birth to eight years old through Family Math activities. DREME has a specific tab for educators providing you an Early Math Toolkit for Professionals Serving Families. The purpose of this toolkit is to boost your confidence and knowledge about early math topics. They offer strategies to promote positive math attitudes in young children and engaging families around early math, setting a solid foundation that will support future mathematical skills.
Additionally, DREME’s Family Math activities are a great free resource for families. The activities are research-based early math materials that are playful and engaging that do not require any special skills or materials because they take everyday household routines, such as cooking or chores, and transforms them into math learning opportunities. Click on the button below to explore the DREME's Early Math Toolkit.
Brookes Publishing
The Inclusion Lab
The Inclusion Lab from Brookes Publishing is a blog inspired to help all kids reach their full potential. It is a space for anyone who believes in and works toward a fair, high-quality education for every child, from preschool through high school and beyond. They share ideas and practical strategies by offering many tips and takeaway resources for teachers for free. These resources are sorted into fourteen different categories, each one offering an array of topics. As I explored the Inclusion Lab on the homepage, one article stood out to me called Math All Day: 14 Ways to Teach Young Children Math Skills During Daily Routines and these easy, no-cost ideas are great for sharing with parents of young children. This article was adapted from Let’s Talk About Math by Donna Kotsopoulos and Joanne Lee and at the end of the page was the book information for you to explore further if you wanted. I continued to take a closer look at the Inclusion Lab under the Language and Literacy tab, where I found an interesting article, 10 Free Resources for Teachers of Young English Language Learners. The free resources were made up of books, webinars, videos, tip sheets, quizzes, authors' Q&A, newsletter articles, checklists, and infographics. I recommend every preschool teacher bookmark the Inclusion Lab to stay current in the field of early childhood and be knowledgeable on how to include all students creating an inclusive classroom and mindset.
National Association for the Education of Young Children
DAP in the Time of COVID: Questions to Consider
The National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC) is a professional organization that promotes high-quality early learning for all young children, birth through age 8, by connecting early childhood practice, policy, and research. NAEYC offers resources such as articles, books, blogs, magazines, peer-reviewed journals, and professional development opportunities that will keep preschool teachers current on research and methods in the field of early learning. Their free resources are limited, but they also provide more materials with a paid membership. As I searched through the materials in the accreditation resources and support, I found DAP in the Time of COVID: Questions to Consider. I also found an article, Singing and Moving in the Time of COVID-19, by Karen Salvador and Kerry B. Renzoni. I think both of these resources are beneficial for preschool teachers working during a pandemic. To learn more about what NAEYC has to offer, click the button below.