Nature and Social Studies for Preschool
- Type
- Course
- Date of Publication
- November 14, 2023
- Price
- See Agrilife Learn
Overview
Course Information
Children are born curious about the world in which they live. In this course, we discuss how to use a variety of dresearch-based learning materials to promote and enhance their natural curiosity, reasoning, and problem-solving in the areas of social studies and nature.
After completing this 2-hour course, the learner will be able to describe how social studies and using nature support children's cognitive development. Social studies experiences should reflect the range of the children's cultural groups. The learner will be able to give activity examples from these two areas.
After completing this training, participants should be able to:
- Identify the benefits of nature for young children's growth and development;
- Create learner-centered activities that reflect the natural world;
- Describe elements of social studies and how those are reflected in the preschool learning environment; and
- Develop and implement learning activities related to social studies topics.
The development of this online course was 100% funded by federal Child Care and Development Funds from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, as part of an $8,000,000 grant from the Texas Workforce Commission.
Looking for solutions in your county? Contact your local extension experts
More choices in Aging & Caregiving
- Course
Intentionality is one of the hallmarks of a high-quality learning program. This involves not only using a curriculum that aligns with child development and guidelines, but also ensuring instruction is targeted to the needs of each child in your classroom.
This 4-hour course for early learning educators discusses how to use the cycle of curriculum learning to plan whole group, small group, and individual level to appropriately meet the needs of all learners. - Course
Engaging families to become involved in their child’s early care and education sets the foundation for that involvement to continue throughout the child’s schooling. Helping families understand the importance of this involvement is critical. Families may not always understand how important they are in the education process, from early care onwards.
In this two-hour course, the learner will describe strategies for conducting orientations, holding formal meetings with families, discussing ways to support child development at home, encouraging parent involvement, and determining community resources available to help families and their children. - Course
Knowing what children can do and what they know is powerful information that can guide early learning teachers to create appropriate learning experiences for their children. The purposes and types of assessments are examined.
This 4-hour course for early learning educators is designed to review the purposes of assessment, how to evaluate and interpret the results, and create a plan to share results with families. - Course
Supporting the development of language skills is a crucial undertaking for all early childhood teachers. Language is the foundation for verbal language to occur and can be developed throughout every minute of the day!
In this 4-hour course, the learner will be able to explain strategies to use in the classroom to support children’s language development, describe how to create a language-rich environment and how this supports children’s growth and development, and explain how dual language learners are supported through ECE best practices and why this support is essential. - Course
Each of us comes from a unique place in the world. No one else has shared the same experiences in the same way. These unique experiences and where we come from have an impact on how we teach and how we interact with our children. It is critical to be aware of how these experiences impact us. Awareness of its influence and ensuring we are providing opportunities for children to gain a positive sense of self and pro-social skill development is crucial.
After completing this 2.5-hour course, the learner will be able to describe the importance of adults modeling prosocial behaviors, describe the importance of self-esteem and self-regulation, and explain the impact of our cultural identity on our actions and interactions. - Course
Math is FUN! It is one of the few times you can see the wheels turning as children engage in the exploration of number and number operations, geometry and spatial sense, classification, and pattern skills! Learning happens right before your eyes!