Intellectual skills include reasoning, hypothesizing, predicting, and the development of ideas. Intellectual skill development does not focus on memorization and right or wrong answers; instead, it reflects a quest for deeper understanding. Renowned early childhood educator Lilian Katz notes that our intellectual lives begin at birth as infants work to understand the world around them and the effects of their actions. The best curriculum in the early years values these intellectual skills and supports children to use them to pursue deeper learning. Children are encouraged to master basic academic skills in service of their intellectual pursuits.

My uncle Jerry taught me how to climb a tree. I was about four years old, maybe a little younger, and a big willow stood near my grandmother’s house. It had to have been over a hundred years old. My uncle and his siblings had climbed it themselves when they were my age. He showed me where all the footholds were on the trunk and which branches were sturdy enough for me to use to pull myself up into the tree. I remember feeling confident and proud of myself.

Too often, when working to interact with the seniors at school, we teachers overthink it. We worry we might be interrupting or messing up a schedule; we wonder if they’d even care about the visit or activity, or if we’ve given them enough time to prepare. Sometimes we, as educators, would be much better off adopting my daughter’s thought process: “Would this be fun? Is this exciting? Let’s do it now!”

Teachers know how critical the first weeks of school are. A class of young children is a brand new, never-before-seen community coming together for the first time. Even when up to half of the children are returning to All Seasons, the class with its new members is an entity that has never existed before.

September evokes all sorts of emotions in teachers. The emotional void left in a teacher’s heart is never felt more strongly than at the beginning of the following school year.

Of course it is natural to feel sadness as a beautiful time comes to an end, but as with many sad moments, there is a beauty to be celebrated as well…Instead of focusing on the unknown future, I am trying to focus on the present moment, and look at the beauty that was theirs and ours in the last few years. Please indulge me this moment of reflection and gratitude.

An art class tailored for the senior residents of Inver Glen happens monthly within the preschool studio. Without fail, a grandma enters the room and asks, "Where are the children?" Despite class descriptions emphasizing an adult-focused experience, (which we thought would be a draw), they want the kids!

…What Mr. Rogers lacked in thrill, he made up for in depth and substance. Not only am I (and many of our teachers) now a proud and vocal supporter, Mr. Rogers’ Neighborhood is what All Seasons Preschool aspires to be: a place that values and epitomizes what young children need.

This year, the children in my classroom became interested in law enforcement and started playing games like "police" and "bad guys." The games were pretty simple, with some children playing the role of the good guys or the police and others playing the role of the bad guys. They would chase each other around and capture each other. Then they would bring the bad guys to “jail” where usually the bad guys would escape and the game would start all over again.

For many years there has been a debate within the early childhood field about whether we should use the word “care” when describing our profession – calling ourselves “caregivers” or calling preschools “childcare centers.” There is a sense that when a teacher’s role is seen as that of a caregiver, it diminishes them. We may be regarded as less skilled or professional than if we insist on being called “educators.”

Three preschoolers are attempting to climb a boulder. One decides to try running and jumping onto the boulder. Success! They are on! Now, two others are feeling disappointed. They want to get on the boulder, too, but are having a hard time using the same method as their friend. The preschooler on the boulder immediately looks at the friend having a tough time and says, “Can I offer you a helping hand?”

“I sincerely believe that for the child, and for the parent seeking to guide him, it is not half so important to know as to feel. If facts are the seeds that later produce knowledge and wisdom, then the emotions and the impressions of the senses are the fertile soil in which the seeds must grow.”

-Rachel Carson, The Sense of Wonder