One thing I love about the McKay School is how tight-nit the program members are. We are a pretty small group and you sometimes have the same teacher more than once. I love this little community because we all share common interests and get to know each other through our classes.
This year the Early Childhood Education Major (ECE) started a new monthly activity called Maker-Space. This is where pre- and full majors get together to do an activity related to Early Childhood growth and development. Both students and professors in the program are invited and attend these. These activities are both fun and useful as they help prepare you for your future as a teacher.
Last month we had our first activity where we made felt puppets for our future classroom. This was super fun but also useful as I learned how simple and easy it can be to make these puppets. Puppets are extremely helpful to use in the classroom because they engage students in the learning process and can help with demonstrations. They are not only a fun and cute activity but something that actually helps students develop important skills. Puppets help develop listening skills, teaching kids how to pay attention, a form of expression, and an outlet for creativity. Students can create their own stories to then show them by using puppets. For younger students, they help develop cognitive skills like hand-eye coordination and more. They also are great tools for developing social, emotional, and language development. Bonus--now I have this useful tool to use for my future classroom!
This is another reason why I love this program! The Early Childhood Education Faculty is always setting us up for success and ensuring that we have access to the best tools and strategies to set our future students up for success.
Don't miss out on another Maker-Space activity! Our next one will be Thursday, February 24 from 11:45 am - 12:45 pm in MCKB 26, which is in the basement of the MCKB. We hope to see you all there!!!
