Let’s enter this beautiful season of warmer weather with intentional ways of supporting our children as they learn through fun and engaging activities. As spring sets in motion colorful blooms, we can Rootle with our children, digging for knowledge and solutions to everyday challenges together.
As a mother to three children close in age, we share similar feelings with characters from the PBS KIDS series Work It Out Wombats! We’re familiar with losing favorite items, things not going as planned, how to take time for ourselves and helping others.
The episode “Amazing Adventure” shares ideas we can try with our little “wombats.” Ellie, the babysitter, starts the episode by reading a bedtime story to the wombats. The story leaves them wanting to hear more. The next morning the wombats wake up to find a homemade treasure hunt created by Ellie. They work together to solve each clue until they find the treasure box where the second book is hidden.
In the spirit of Work It Out Wombats!, let’s create space and opportunities for our children to explore and problem solve, knowing that it’s okay to make mistakes. Often times, we think of creating our child’s next adventure when we can support theireveryday adventures in meaningful ways.
Family activities can be simple and created right where you are. Reading to a child is important for so many aspects of their development. Books allow us to “visit” many places, ideas and emotions without having to travel. At home or at a local park, you can create your own treasure hunt or map for your children to complete.
Grab your “wombats” and create space for an amazing adventure—an opportunity for you to support them as they practice their critical thinking and problem-solving skills.
Children create a set of steps for the Wombats to make a sandwich, build a sandcastle, serve a snack, and get ready to swim.
Explore a lesson plan to help introduce the computational thinking skill of sequencing from watching "Cafe Chaos" from Work It Out Wombats!
Introduce students to computational thinking skills like identifying, copying, and creating patterns through songs.
Jenna Caldwell is a mother of three smart and beautiful boys. The title “mom” has been the most rewarding and fulfilling role of her life. Jenna knew in 5th grade that she wanted to be a teacher. When her middle child was born with a birth defect and had developmental delays, her passion for early care and education ignited. Jenna's role as a public educator shifted to supporting her son's educational, physical and social needs which were trending differently than her typically developing first child. When she returned to the workforce, she found the Smart Start network and couldn’t wait to get to work supporting children and families prepare for public school opportunities. Jenna believes that the most important work we do is for children.