OUR TIME: Milk & Cookies Week 5

FOUNDATIONS OF LEARNING:

Community: Circle dances foster a sense of community within the classroom. Historically, community has meant the overall social context in which people live out their lives…community remains central to children’s social and emotional development. (Fostering Children’s Social Competence: The Teacher’s Role, Lilian G. Katz & Diane E. McClellan)

Emotional Development: Many experts agree that the child’s emotional development is dependent upon the care received at an early age. The child who receives love, attention, and the encouragement to explore and learn is most likely to develop an “amygdala,” a part of the brain which allows a person to calm himself. “The parts of the brain that process emotion grow and mature relatively early in a child and are very sensitive to parental feedback and handling.” (Magic Trees of the Mind, Marian Diamond, PhD. And Janet Hopson)