by Randi Albertsen | Dec 7, 2025 | Uncategorized
Why your classroom looks nothing like what you say you believe The Santa Claus Question “Mommy, do you believe in Santa Claus?” my 9-year-old asked. Even though we don’t celebrate Christmas, I had to respond in a way that would keep her believing, at least for the...
by Randi Albertsen | Sep 30, 2025 | Environment
Who’s afraid of a little noise? What does the noise level in your program say about you, your children, and the learning taking place? A lot! When I first started teaching, make-and-take workshops were all the rage. I know, I’m dating myself. One of the hot...
by Randi Albertsen | Sep 10, 2025 | Joyful learning, Play-based learning
Why educators struggle with this and what to do about it When I first started teaching, I thought I needed to know everything. I thought I had to be in control of everything. I had to make all the decisions and manage every little thing in my classroom. After all, I...
by Randi Albertsen | Aug 25, 2025 | Curriculum, Developmentally Appropriate Practice, Emergent curriculum, Environment, Joyful learning, Play-based learning
I often ask teachers to describe emergent curriculum or play-based learning. Most teachers will tell me it’s about following the lead of the child, or some version of this. When I ask how do you do this, or what does it look like, I get blank stares. Most people like...
by Randi Albertsen | Aug 9, 2025 | Environment, Joyful learning
Sometimes we overthink things when it comes to the design aesthetic of learning environments. We see these beautifully curated photos of spotless early childhood classrooms. We get these fabulous school supply catalogs in the mail and see a gazillion options for...
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