Apple Seeds Pre-K Tutoring

If you have been to any of my SEVEN (can’t believe it!) Art & Play Club meetings, please leave a review on my page! It would be greatly appreciated. This is seriously a dream come true and I want other kids to have this opportunity to create as well! Let’s get the word out! Thank you for trusting me with your kiddos!! ❤️🍎

Let’s cherish and celebrate childhood! We only get one!! 🥰🥰

So hey... Interesting thing about favoring and pushing academics over play in early childhood is that it leads to less success in academic achievement down the line...

The Early Training Project:
Overview: Initiated in the 1960s, this study compared the effects of early academic instruction with developmental play-based learning.
Findings: By age 18, participants who had received play-based learning showed better social-emotional skills and fewer behavioral problems. They had an average IQ score of 10 points higher than those in academically intensive programs. Long-term follow-up showed that participants had higher adaptability and better academic performance in later years.
Source: Gray, P. (2015). Free to Learn: Why Unleashing the Instinct to Play Will Make Our Children Happier, More Self-Reliant, and Better Students for Life. Basic Books.

The Pre-Kindergarten Longitudinal Study (PKLS):
Overview: This study, conducted from the early 2000s, examined various pre-kindergarten programs and their long-term impacts.
Findings: The study found that children in play-based, flexible curricula had a 15-20% higher rate of improved problem-solving abilities and creativity scores compared to those in structured, academically intensive programs. Long-term outcomes showed better academic achievement and social skills for children in play-based programs.
Source: Zigler, E., & Styfco, S. J. (2004). The Head Start debacle: Are we ready to quit our most successful anti-poverty program? In Early Childhood Education Journal.

The Chicago Longitudinal Study:
Overview: Begun in the 1980s, this study followed children in the Chicago Child-Parent Centers program, which included a play-based curriculum and family support.
Findings: By age 24, participants had a 25% higher high school graduation rate and a 20% lower rate of arrests compared to the control group. Additionally, the participants had 10% higher earnings and 50% lower rates of special education placement.
Source: Reynolds, A. J., et al. (2011). Long-term effects of an early childhood intervention on educational attainment and juvenile arrest: A 15-year follow-up of low-income families. JAMA Network Open, 1(1), e140091.

Today we wrapped up our shape unit with an introduction to the concept of 2D and 3D shapes. We read a book where some shapes get caught in a jungle gym and their 3D friends helped them get out with some engineering. We replicated the catapult afterwards! It has been a fantastic summer of learning, friendship and building confidence! Thankful I got this time with these sweet kiddos! 🍎

The boys have wanted to read “The Three Little Pigs” every single day we have class. So today I surprised them with the materials to retell the story! We worked on identifying shapes and on our collaborative art piece! One more day of summer school!

Just look at the concentration today! We made some 3D sculptures and art with circles and triangles! The boys were very proud of their tower that was taller than them! Those little hands and big minds were working hard today!

We started our discussion on shapes today! We began with our one sided shapes, circles and ovals! The kids loved exploring our new felt board and creating images out of shapes. We also made chocolate chip cookies from scratch per request of our special birthday boy! 🔵🔴🟢🟡🟣

I’m so excited for this one!! I love a good theme! 🐠🐬🦀

Next Saturday join us for some Ocean Themed Art and Play! We have 5 spots left!

We will be:
*Painting driftwood
*Creating Coral Reefs with clay
*Finding hidden gems on the ocean floor
*Exploring colored sea foam
*Experimenting with water

And so much more!! Don’t miss out! 🐠🦀🐬

Sign up here!

https://site.corsizio.com/portal/65b56dc946d8f256859860c5

Next Saturday join us for some Ocean Themed Art and Play! We have 5 spots left!

We will be:
*Painting driftwood
*Creating Coral Reefs with clay
*Finding hidden gems on the ocean floor
*Exploring colored sea foam
*Experimenting with water

And so much more!! Don’t miss out! 🐠🦀🐬

Sign up here!

https://site.corsizio.com/portal/65b56dc946d8f256859860c5

It was a nice and cool morning this morning, so we took a walk to see our animal friends! We completed our color unit and will start our shape unit next week! These kiddos played so well together today. ❤️

This week I added a new play experience to our classroom! Introducing: our grocery store! They enjoyed taking turns, role playing, counting money, restocking items in the correct spot, etc.! We also experimented with ramps at different degrees, with different sized balls and cars. We talked about variants of colors, how colors can be light/dark and did some sorting! Can’t wait for Thursday!

Today we experimented with colors in a variety of ways! We read the book “Mouse Paint” and mixed paint colors as we read to predict what would happen next in the story. We also celebrated a special birthday by making homemade cookies! I love watching them brainstorm and discover! What a great day!

Back into summer tutoring today! We had a blast experimenting with water and creating zoo enclosures. We read a book about colors and practiced sorting by color! There was parachute fun and we created our own flags since we just celebrated July 4th with our families! Glad to be back in the classroom!

New Art & Play Club date links are now live on my website! Join us for one of these fun-filled Saturdays! 🎨🖌️

Register here:
https://site.corsizio.com/portal/65b56dc946d8f256859860c5

Update: Just to be clear, I don’t interpret this quote as being about praise. Young children “feel good” about themselves not because of an adult’s praise but in a loving, caring, safe space where they are free to express themselves, be heard, and lead their own play.

Update Update: Just a reminder that this fb page is intended for early childhood professionals. For our context, our own childhood experiences are not as relevant to our practice as current research and theory. Praise - and its harms - is a topic we study in order to best serve young children in a group care setting.

For those lay people responding to this post, rather than just disagreeing, I invite you to get curious about the topic and educate yourselves further.

For ECE professionals, how do you “make a kid feel good about themself”? (I cringe at the word “make” and the oversimplification of “feel good” but I appreciate Derengowski’s point).

This Saturday’s Art & Play Club is now full! 🇺🇸

There are still spots for July 27th!

Register here:

https://site.corsizio.com/portal/65b56dc946d8f256859860c5

Our June Art & Play Club is already full! I decided to add a second date in July in case you missed out on signing up for June! Links are live now for July 6th and July 27th!

Sign up here: appleseedsprek.com

Today we experimented with our sense of touch with water and “dirt” play. Our sense of taste with sweet, sour, salty, spicy and bitter snacks. And our sense of smell with cinnamon, vanilla, pumpkin, and ginger infused paintings! We are now on our summer vacation break and will return to class in 2 weeks! Until then…☀️

Last week we talked about how our ears can help us learn. Today we practiced using our eyes to learn! If we stop and really take the time to look around us, we can learn that way too. We made binoculars and used magnifying glasses to be super observant today. We also made some super colorful “potions” today. It was a hot one, but a fun one! 👀

What a wonderful day of working together with friends. These sweet boys are already creating bonds and learning how to be a caring friend. We discussed different ways we can choose to listen, starting with our ears of course! We went on a “Listening Walk” after reading the story and then drew the sounds we heard when we got back. Kids are so quick to be friendly without any judgement. We can learn a lot from them. ❤️

We were hard at work today for summer tutoring! Just look at this concentration! I am so proud of these boys for being brave on their first day. They really gave it their best and I cannot wait to see them again on Thursday!

Only one spot left for my summer tutoring program! Message me to snag it before we start this Tuesday!

If your child starts preschool or Kindergarten this fall and needs a low-key jumpstart to socialization and being away from their caregiver, give my summer school tutoring program a try! Starts next week! 2.5 hours, 2 days a week full of learning opportunities and creative expression! DM for details and to sign up!

**1 spot left!**

If your child starts preschool or Kindergarten this fall and needs a low-key jumpstart to socialization and being away from their caregiver, give my summer school tutoring program a try! Starts next week! 2.5 hours, 2 days a week full of learning opportunities and creative expression! DM for details and to sign up!

**1 spot left!**

Yesterday evening our families came together to celebrate these 6 special, talented artists and their academic achievements this past year. It was a beautiful event full of love and support. I could feel the pride and confidence radiating off of the kids. That’s what it’s all about! I will forever be grateful for this first group and will miss them dearly. I have no doubt they will go on to do great things with their big hearts and thoughtful minds. ❤️🍎

Last day of school means WATER DAY! 💦 We had a blast hanging out with our friends and playing. We created stepping stones for the school to always remember this year of kiddos. We will celebrate this group on Friday!