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Shirlene Law   What do you think of when you hear the phrase “writing in preschool?”  For some, the word “writing” conjures up visions of dotted worksheets with repetitive alphabet letters.  Others may think of the squiggles and lines and circles drawn on notepads and chalkboards throughout their classrooms.  For many teachers, the bigger question becomes, “Is teaching writing developmentally appropriate in preschool and, if so, how?”  Just like reading great books, engaging in rich conversations, understanding the concepts of the alphabet, and strong foundational language skills matter, writing is a critical component of the early childhood Language Arts curriculum.  The National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC) has described appropriate writing practices in early childhood in the book, D evelopmentally Appropriate Practice, 3rd Edition . 1  The following focus areas provide guidelines and suggestions from NAEYC for supporting writing development in th

By Will Bollwerk Imagine a group of three to five year olds running around a playground while teachers sit idly by, monitoring yet engaging each other in conversation or taking the time to check their text messages. The playground is a reasonably safe place. It is clean and sterile. The equipment composed of hard plastic and brightly colored metal pieces. The children running around on the black rubber matting. Nearby, a field as large as a football stadium, lays unused. The grass is soft and inviting. The trees sway in the autumn breeze. Countless insects are waiting to be found by curious eyes. Why is the field going unused? Are the teachers unaware that is exists? Perhaps they aren’t allowed by the agency to take children anywhere but the playground. Maybe they have no idea what treasures a field of grass and trees might hold. More likely than not, the teachers are afraid. This situation is all too common in the early childhood field. Early childhood educators are over