Education Commons^™

Mindfulness In Early Childhood Education, Madalyn L. Coss

Honors Projects

The following work identifies the need for mindfulness in early childhood education. It explains what mindfulness is, what the benefits of it are, and how it can be used in early childhood classrooms. A podcast episode is included with the intent of it being used to inform educators on the subject.

Social-Emotional Learning For The Classroom And Family Contexts, Courtney Bockbrader

Honors Projects

This project focused on developing a social-emotional learning workbook for use in the classroom and family contexts. Based on a review of relevant literature, emotional recognition, self-regulation, and social skills were identified as the most beneficial social-emotional skills for the personal and academic success of elementary-aged students. The resulting workbook included eleven activities aimed at promoting these three skills. Each activity was designed to be implemented in the classroom setting, with associated take-home activities for use in the home with the parent/guardian(s) for increased generalization of skills. Accessibility for schools of all income levels was taken into account, as activities …

Playground And Garden Design: Troy Christian Early Childhood Education Center, Gabriella Spatz

Honors Projects

The following project is a result of a study of the existing playground and garden at Troy Christian Early Childhood Education Center (TC ECEC) in Troy, OH. The TC ECEC Director wanted research, marketing standpoints, and a re-design for their playground and garden which led to an academic and professional collaboration that crosses into multiple project typologies. The Director consulted with the researcher, Gabriella Spatz, to create a list of necessary inclusions in both spaces which led to proposed floor plans and visuals of the playground and garden respectively. The designs sought to answer two research questions:

1. “What playground and …

A Curiosity About Links Between Adventure Playgrounds, Loose Parts, Playwork Approach, A State Of "Flow" And Children’S Wellbeing, Angus Ian Gorrie

International Journal of Playwork Practice

Over the past century there has been a documented rise in childhood anxiety and depression (Gray, 2011; Twenge, 2001). This increase largely correlates to the significant decrease in the amount of time children have to play freely (Gray, 2013). The suggested reason for this is a decrease in free time and play creating a strong external locus of control, the result of which has been shown to cause increases in childhood anxiety and depression (April, Dharani, & Peter, 2012; Gray, 2013). This paper records a practitioner’s musings on the links between aspects of playwork practice and children’s wellbeing. It considers …