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Ready to Learn Workshops
(90 minute workshops)
WILL presents 30 to 40 workshops each year for parents, teachers and child care providers. If you are interested in scheduling a workshop, please contact Molly Delaney at 217-333-1070.
Getting Along (series to encourage social skills) NEW!
It Takes Two: Sharing isn't easy (even for adults), yet we often expect young children to be able to share without adult guidance and support. Through this workshop you will learn how to create an environment that encourages cooperation and sharing. Find out how to use children's books and PBS Kids shows like Clifford and Sesame Street to generate discussion with the children in your care. Explore fun activities that help children see the value of sharing and cooperating with others. (toddlers and preschoolers)
Words are NOT for Hurting: Words can be helpful or hurtful. This workshop uses puppets, role play, and PBS Kids shows to explore how words make us feel. Leave this workshop better equipped to help the children in your care use words in positive ways. (preschool through school-age)
You Can't Be My Friend Anymore: Friendship has its ups and downs. Children frequently need help to resolve conflicts-even with their friends. Learn how to help children negotiate through arguments and misunderstandings. Use PBS Kids shows like It's a Big, Big World and Sesame Street to help you model peaceful conflict resolution. (toddler through preschool)
Emerging Literacy
Encouraging Children to Make a Mark: Did you know when children color, draw, scribble, paint, or make pictures in the dirt with a stick they are developing writing skills? Find out how to encourage young children to "make their mark" with fun, hands-on activities that combine reading, writing, and educational television. (toddlers and preschoolers)
Singing, Rocking and Rhyming: Discover how playing with words and sounds helps young children build the skills they need to read. This workshop explores how to use educational television, music, movement, and books to create a "literacy rich" environment for the children in your care. (infants through school-age)
Reading Between the Lions: Developed with the help of literacy experts and educators around the country, Between the Lions helps kids learn how to read and develop a love for books. Find out how to use this award-winning television series to enhance literacy skills at home and in the classroom. (pre-school through first grade)
Health and Wellness
Stress and Children: The world can be a stressful place. This workshop looks at some of the causes of stress for young children and explores practical strategies for helping children (and adults) manage stress. Elmo and Mister Rogers provide insight while participants learn new ways to relax. Come away from this workshop refreshed and better equipped to help children sort through their feelings. (infants through school-age)
Healthy Habits for Life: Learn how to nurture healthy habits in children using activities, books, and the Sesame Street show. This interactive workshop explores topics like healthy food, physical activity, hygiene, rest and relaxation. You'll leave this workshop with new ideas and some great Sesame Street resources.
What Do You Do with the Mad That You Feel?: Learn how to help children identify anger and find health ways to express it. Fred Rogers (from Mister Roger's Neighborhood) provides wonderful advice for parents and caregivers in this workshop.(toddlers through school-age)
Parenting Counts
Testing 1, 2, 3: Infants and toddlers have an innate curiosity about the world around them. Find out how to take advantage of this curiosity by creating an environment that encourages children to explore. Use ideas inspired by Parenting Counts and PBS Kids to stimulate young minds while keeping their bodies safe. (infants and toddlers)
NEW! Emotion Coaching: Emotions are a big part of being human. Learning to deal with feelings is one of life's most important lessons. That's the idea behind Emotion Coaching-a five-step approach that can prepare children to cope with the powerful world of emotions they face everyday. Learn how to use the steps of Emotion Coaching to enhance your care giving skills. (toddlers through school-age)
NEW! Just Keep Talking--Building Words and Language: Learning to talk is harder than it seems. If you want to help children learn words, remember this simple rule: the more you talk, the more they learn. This workshop explores how to use everyday events like bathing, diapering, going for a walk, or feeding to build vocabulary and language skills. (infants and toddlers)
Copycats: Babies are amazing students. They're so good at learning, they do it even when we don't know we are teaching them. Young children are natural copycats who watch what we do and try to do it themselves. Learn how to make the most of a child's ability to imitate and discuss tips for making sure infants and toddlers are imitating things we WANT them to learn. (infants and toddlers)
Getting In Tune: Even before they can talk, babies try to tell us what they want or need. Sometimes we just need to know what to look for. Getting to know how a baby communicates is fun, but it can also be difficult. Learn tips to help you read a baby's body language and "get in tune" with their needs. (infants and toddlers)
Media Literacy
Smart TV: We hear a lot about the negative effects of television with children. But when paired with books and hands-on activities, television can be a powerful teaching tool. Learn how to make the most of television viewing in this fun, interactive workshop. (toddlers through school-age)
School-Age
Celebrate Diversity: Help children learn to appreciate their own culture as well as the culture of others. Join Buster Baxter as he meets children from a wide variety of backgrounds across the United States. Find out how to use the PBS Kids series, Postcards from Buster, to introduce geography, support English Language Learners, and celebrate family traditions. (kindergarten and school-age)
Math in Everyday Life: Looking for ways to build math activities into your daily routine? Reading Rainbow shows us that there is more to math than counting and numbers. Come away from this workshop with some news ways to look at math. (kindergarten and school-age)
Science
Exploring Nature: Nature is a wonderful classroom. This workshop uses the PBS Learning Triangle--read, view, do--to make the most out of outdoor play. Turn a walk around the block into a nature scavenger hunt, observe animal habits like a real scientist, and document your adventures in a nature journal. Hands on activities make this workshop fun and engaging. (toddlers through school-age)
NEW! Zoom Into Space with Zula: Want to do more science and technology activities with the children in your care but not sure how to do it? Learn how to use the children's television series, The Zula Patrol, to introduce concepts like weather, gravity, and states of matter with very young children. Hands-on activities and engaging children's books bring these complex topics "down to earth" through this fun-filled workshop.
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