76th Annual SECA Conference

This session will invite participants to identify social-emotional triggers in themselves which impact their own development and the development of those they teach or supervise. A variety of interactive and hands-on activities will be used to personalize the experience for each participant and to help them realize "what pushes their buttons".

Making sure that families have their own voice in activities planned just for them is, first of all, respectful and second, the best way to encourage participation and host successful events. Using a specially designed template, participants will use the ideas presented to plan an event for implementation when they return home. Together we will share our best ideas and learn from one another to create some great take-home strategies. The free template and a curated resource list will be available after the session.

What makes a natural scientist? Wonder, curiosity, a sense of purpose, and PLAY! We know that children learn best through a hands-on playful environment, but isn't that too much work to set up? When there is so much on teachers' plates, how can we connect science, STEM, literacy, and executive function in a playful, seamless way? In this workshop, participants will learn how to take a playful approach to integrating experiences across the curriculum -- while maintaining their own joy and ease. Join us as we develop a toolbox of practical ideas for connecting storytime STEM curriculum experiences that organically harness play to create opportunities for reading, writing, math, science, and executive function throughout the day. The workshop experience is hands-on and encourages active and engaged participation throughout.

Participants will learn the fundamentals of advocacy, its importance and several ways they can help. Participants will take part in a fun and educational role play activity helping to reinforce key concepts from the session. A concluding open discussion will focus on the question "Now that you know more about advocacy, how do you plan to make a difference in our field of early childhood?"