Author: carle077

Sheila Williams Ridge, co-director of the Child Development Laboratory School, has recently published the Environmental Kinship Guide and launched a corresponding website. Environmental kinship is based on the understanding that everything in the natural world is interrelated and that humans are a part of this as cohabiters. In early childhood children can learn about, in, with and… Continue reading Sheila Williams Ridge published the Environmental Kinship Guide, an international project

The Week of the Young Child will be celebrated across the country from April 2-8, 2022.  If you are interested in being a part of the planning to celebrate this unique time in human development, please email us at CDLS@umn.edu to be on the planning committee.

CDLS will be celebrating Peace and Kindness Week from February 21st – 25th, 2022. During Peace and Kindness week classrooms at CDLS will focus their curriculum plans on peace and kindness. There will be a few activities for families to participate in during the week. We will also be collecting non-perishable food and monetary donations… Continue reading Peace and Kindness week

Winter curriculum needs include: Empty spray bottles (old cleanser bottles are great) Bottle caps (plastic or metal) Spools Sleds Child-sized shovels See the full school wish list

Parent Association Group At the CDLS parent meeting in November, parents from the CDLS community came together to discuss their hopes for the future of our school.  We asked parents what we can do to make your job as a parent easier? Many parents said they’d like supports navigating screen time limits, bedtime routines, and… Continue reading Parent Engagement

Full-day: We hope to increase enrollment numbers in the Full day program over the next few months.  Sibling priority families should reach out to Troy to see if any updates are available, on projected start dates.   If you will be leaving the program, please remember to fill out the departure form.  This helps the center… Continue reading Enrollment

We have probably weathered the coldest days of the winter and are looking forward to some warmer days ahead.  With the melting snow and shift to traditionally more rainy days, we have recommendations for spring gear. Here is our recommended list of outerwear for the days between 20-40 degrees or for rainy/sloppy days.  Cold &… Continue reading Gearing Up for Wet Weather in Spring

By Magn Wakeham & Chelsey Gulsvig Documentation has the potential to serve many purposes during children’s learning experiences. When defining documentation, we must think of it as a process, “a systematic act of collecting, interpreting and reflecting on concrete traces of learning” (Gambetti). Documentation typically includes samples of the children’s work, photographs of the children… Continue reading What is Documentation and Why is it Important? 

By Katherine Wall & Anna Wells  in E10 Emergent curriculum is developed from the interests and needs of the students in the classroom, but it goes far beyond quick activities and introductions.  Building on a common interest among students can lead to extended, in-depth investigations and incorporate many elements of school readiness and executive functioning… Continue reading Emergent Curriculum – a preschool project

Thank you for your participation in our family feedback survey in December. We have carefully reviewed your responses and are happy to share a summary of the results with you. To begin, 75% of our families throughout the program participated in the survey. We appreciate the thoughtful feedback, both those that demonstrated a deep understanding… Continue reading Family Feedback Survey Results