INTERACTIVE, FUN WORKSHOPS
If you can imagine it, CBS can create it!
READING
"Read It Again, Please" After creatively merging phonics and whole language, participants will be introduced to a creative-twist to their classroom letter charts, while playing interactive reading games using silly glasses, a magical magnifier, and an imaginative fly swatter. Brett, the Bear, and his family will join us as we take journey on a special reading carpet, play a game with Elmo and a large ball, interact with story wands, and some of our favorite children's stories. Music and movement will help fill our workshop, as we learn some new songs that will instantly teach reading to our children!
"Look Mommy, I'm an Author" After discussing the importance of bookmaking in the classroom, participants will design individual and classroom books, all of which can immediately be utilized in their classroom. Together, with a few bends and folds, we will put a CBS twist to the traditional All About Me books... we will design a creative and fun Pop-Up book... and we'll make our very own Poofer Book. We will join together to hang-up the laundry, read a pizza box, and interact with a special story sock, all of which certainly bring the excitement of reading directly into your classroom. Before ending, we will design a Continue the Story book to be used in our classroom on Monday, guaranteed to help parents share reading with their children. Join us, as you encourage your children to become authors and illustrators!
"Do You Hear What I Hear?" With all of the chit-chat on importance of phonological awareness, this workshop topic was the obvious. So, join us into the world of phonological awareness, as we start by distinguishing between phonemic awarness and phonological awarness. OR... are they the same thing? AND... why is phonological awareness important to our young children? The phonological players known as rhymes, alliteration, sentence segmenting, syllable awareness, onsets, and rimes will introduce us to super-dooper fun activities to help children learn the "sounds" of our language. During this totally hands-on workshop, participants will "Draw a Rhyme," become Word and a Rhyme Detective, design a Sound Necklace, interact with a Rhyming Ball, and before the end of the workshop, we will write a song, create a rhyme, and dance to the beat of varying rhythms. The icing on the cake will be the new songs that you will be able to share, all of which help children ease on down the phonological awareness road.
OPEN-ENDED ART
Squish Squash Open-Ended Art: After discussing open-ended art and the value of the process over the end product, we will join together to think of imaginative objects to create with, encouraging us to leave the paintbrush in the closet. We will interact with various sponges, lots of cool kitchen gadgets, squishy balls, and even a silly plungers. Participants will have the opporunity to get up-close and personal with art, while creating plastic art and painting on paper towels. Before reciting Miss Lois' Open-Ended Art Creed, we will learn some additional tricks of the trade, while framing our masterpieces in a CBS surprise manner! Lots of messy, interactive FUN!
S-More Squish Squashing Open-Ended Art: Due to your requests and since ideas for open-ended art are unlimited, Creative Beginning Steps has developed a NEW workshop, with oodles of fun activities. Our creativity will be pushed to new heights as we watch salt crystalize on coffee filters that we painted rainbows on, and we will create a scratch-art story, unique to each individual workshops. We'll design masterpieces using kitchen strainers, magnets, and whatever else we can imagine together. Just remember, if we can imagine it, we can create it! Join us as we continue our Open-Ended Art Journey and encourage our children to have fun creating!
 SCIENCE AND MATH
As Easy as 1, 2, 3: Let's spend some time thinking "outside of the box," as we view math through the excitement of our children. Rather than plan "specific" math times, participants will be encouraged to incorporate developmentally appropriate FUN math activitivies interspersed throughout their day... begininning with morning circle! While discussing the areas of mathematics, we will share ideas that work in our classroom, and Miss Lois will introduce you to NEW ideas to make learning math as easy as 1, 2, 3. On this journey, we will sing and compose our own math songs [!], play LOTS of math games, and giggle a bit, as we start our children down the math road in a positive, exciting, and creative manner.
Squish Squash Science: Science will come to life in our classrooms, as we encourage children to become scientists. Children will be encouraged to "experience" science as they ride a nutrition train, paint with magnets, and create x-ray prints. Small groups will each create their very own science alphabet and experience oomplah, direct from the creation of Dr. Seuss. We will turn our classroom into a Winter Wonderland, as children play with ice in fun ways that encourage learning. We will sing songs, mix some cool stuff together, and have fun experimenting... because afterall, children learn best by doing, and through science, we can give them unlimited opportunities to "do" and experiment.
BLOCK PLAY
Doing a Double Take with Blocks: There is definitely lots of learning happening in the block area of our classroom. Join us as we "play" with blocks, while learning language, math, and science, and social studies skills. In the midst of our block building conversations, we will developing socially and emotionally, as our small and large motor skills are challenged. After discussing the stages of block building that our children go through, we'll take a few minutes to discuss our block area... Is it a welcoming area? Is it safe? Are the rules easily understood by all? Are there enough blocks? How many children can play in the block area? And... How can we bring block art to this area? What, then, is block art? The importance of assessing children in the block area and parent involvement will, also, be addressed. BUT... the real fun is in the "doing," so we will learn some FUN, CREATIVE block activities such as "Surprise Building with a Friend," "Block Measurement with a Twist," "Tunnel Fun," "Sponge Surprises," "Masking Tape Madness," and more. Our workshop will end with a group discussion of our role, as teachers, in the children's block area.
DRAMA & STORYTELLING
Let the Hullabaloo Begin: From the time you walk into this workshop until its end, you will find yourself an active participant in the world of storytime. BUT... how do we encourage children to join us in this magical, wonderful world called Let's Pretend? We will close our eyes, take 4 deep breaths [not 2 or 3... only 4 works], giggle a lot, and within seconds, we will be transformed into a snow covered world... or into a lollipop swamp where we look for bears... or into a pond where a wide-mouthed bullfrog lives! As we "experience" stories and music, we will develop a greater understanding of the importance and value that creative drama brings to our children by teaching them math, language, science, and social studies skills in a FUN atmosphere. Together, we will sing songs and develop props that will make stories and learning come to life... we will learn the importance of puppets, as we design a few of our own... and we'll share stories, some familiar, with a CBS twist, and some new, but all will add to children's learning... but to our children, they will just be having fun!
 CHALLENGING BEHAVIORS
Taking the "Difficult" OUT of Behavior: With a bit of CBS pixie-dust, you, too, will learn how to turn a challenging behavior into an opportunity for learning and growth. It's almost so simple that you leave wondering, "why didn't I think of that?" Miss Lois will share some creative and certainly thought provoking ideas on discipline, many of which are, as she puts it, "way out of the box, but they work!" In this interactive workshops, participants will learn the power of music when dealing with classroom challenges and the importance of 4 amazing, and yet so very simple, charts. We will work together to design an age-appropriate rules chart that works for ALL pre-school and Kindergarten classrooms, design a tear bucket, and better understand the importance of a classroom INTERACTIVE schedule chart. In other words, within a short period of time, participants will learn, without a doubt, to take the challenge OUT of behavior.
PARENT COMMUNICATION
Dealing with Difficult Parent: Without a doubt, as educators of young children, we understand the importance of parent communication. In addition, we are all familar with ONE parent who brings added challenges to our daily communications. Miss Lois will share some out-of-the-box ideas on how to deal with these parent challenges, while remaining professional, calm, and stress-free. You will be introduced to Creative Beginning Steps' Parenting Do's and Don'ts, and hopefully, these ideas will shed a bright light and new perspective on parent confrontations. BUT... since like our children, we learn best by doing, we will spend time taking on the roles of our parents, as we role play real-life parent interactions. Through these skits, we will look at parents from a positive perspective, understanding that, without a doubt, we both want the same thing... what's best for the child. |
