On Easter my 15 month old daughter toddled into the kitchen to find an Easter basket waiting for her. Nestled inside the small wicker basket were the usual suspects: a few plastic eggs filled with small toys, a board book, and a cuddly brown bunny. I had chosen each item especially for her and knew she’d be thrilled to see each new trinket. And she was… for the first five minutes. My daughter spent the majority of Easter morning methodically exploring the paper grass that l

“So what do you do all day...play?” As an early childhood teacher, I’ve heard this question hundreds of times.  I smile knowingly as I respond because, to be honest, I understand. Glance over at a group of children at play and how could you think otherwise? These children are chatting and laughing, completely engrossed in their materials, and having a blast. How could this be considered anything except pure fun? To understand what’s really happening here, we have to look a bi

With the addition of a brand new set of unit blocks for each studio, I thought it was important to write a little something about play block, and why it is so important for young children. Caroline Pratt, the inventor of the unit block, observed and wrote extensively about block play and its importance for the young child. She often wrote about how experiences with blocks help to develop higher level thought. Though they look like nothing more than some cut and sanded piec