Laura Thomas's Page

What? What would happen if the young child went forth some part of every day, forth into the nearby natural world, into the woods and meadows, along paths and streams, in rain or shine, tromping though mud and snow. Would it make a difference in her learning, her health, her happiness? YES! say teachers of nature pre-schools and forest kindergartens. After flourishing in Scandinavia, the United Kingdom, throughout Europe and even cropping up in Asia, nature pre-schools and forest kindergartens…See More

Making maps fascinates children and we should use this intrinsic desire to shape developmentally appropriate curriculum in social studies, math and language arts.This practical and participatory workshop will include:*review of research on children's neighborhood maps*drawing maps that represent the 10 year old view of the landscape*the presentation of a clear developmental model of children's geographic understanding*examples of integrated curriculum based on this developmental model*indoors…See More