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Frances and David Hawkins were passionate educators who were committed to the idea that in order to best serve children, teachers need to be dedicated learners as well.  In their recent Exchange article, "Reflections on Science: the development of the Hawkins Room for messing about with materials and ideas," Mary Lynch, Lauren Foster Schaffer, and Ellen Hall talk about how their Boulder Journey School has implemented this philosophy through the creation of the Hawkins Room for Messing Around with Materials and Ideas.  Here teachers can test out science ideas before they introduce them into the classroom.  In the article, the authors describe efforts at the Boulder Journey School to create intentional experiences with rolling and incline in the toddler room:

"... The ­energy in our school for rolling had already provoked them to include ramps, tubes, balls, cars, and open-ended rolling materials for the study of scientific concepts, such as gravity, motion, incline, and cause and effect. However, the teachers noticed the children’s interest waning.

"They met with a small group in the Hawkins Room, seeking new questions to explore.  Someone proposed making the ramps sticky, thus provoking a new challenge:  figuring out how to slow down or stop materials in motion with sticky surfaces, including contact paper and types of tape.  The teachers had previously spent time thinking about variations in materials for rolling, but now had tons of new ideas for the variation of surfaces for rolling.

"The teachers were excited to offer this new provocation to the children.  They predicted that the surprise of the familiar materials screeching to a halt halfway down the ramp would delight the children and cause them to ask new questions.  They reflected that without their experience in the Hawkins Room, they would not have thought to introduce the sticky element and credit it for a renewed interest among the children."

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Exchange has packaged seven of its most popular curriculum resources into a single “Curriculum Tool Kit” and is offering the entire set at a 33% discount — separately these resources would cost $166, but we are offering the entire Curriculum Tool Kit for only $112.  Resources in the kit include…

 Books:

• Beginnings Workshops Book #4 - Curriculum: Brain Research, Math, Science
• Beginnings Workshops Book #5 - Curriculum: Art, Music, Movement, Drama
• Hearing Everyone’s Voice:  Educating Young Children for Peace and Democratic Community
• Connecting:  Friendship in the Lives of Young Children
• The Wonder of It:  Exploring How the World Works
• More Than Numbers:  Mathematical Thinking in the Early Years

Out of the Box Training Kit (print):

• Recognizing the Essentials of Developmentally Appropriate Curriculum

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