GREDC

Our Image of Childhood

The GREDC Blog

Recent Study: Mushrooms

Tom Dodd

It fascinates me how attentive young children can be while out in nature. A study of mushrooms is not what I would have predicted. But, at the same time, why am I surprised by children’s natural curiosity and desire to learn about these strange little things that pop up out of the ground!?

As they explore the diversity of shapes, colors, textures, and smells of different types of mushrooms, the kids are also engaging in hands-on projects that allow them to express themselves in various ways, such as drawing, painting and sculpting.

The children are fascinated to match the mushrooms they find with those in their books.
Investigating a mushroom.
Student photo of a mushroom found a walk around the neighborhood.
A print art piece of mushroom spore.
A spore print of a mushroom found a walk.

Other Recent Posts...
Tom Dodd

Recent Study: Boats

While the Vita Mia students have been following an interest in boats they have been exploring the properties of water, buoyancy, flow and motion. This study can also foster children’s social and emotional development, as they have been interacting with each other to share ideas, opinions, listen to different perspectives,

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Tom Dodd

Recent Study: Risky Play

Risky play in early childhood is an important way of encouraging children’s development of self-confidence, resilience, executive function abilities as well as risk management. It is something that changes with each child and their own unique ability. Standing for the first time is risk taking at some point in life,

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Infant plays with giraffe toy amidst rope lights.
Andrew DeJong

Recent Study: Lights

Tesoro has been playing around with a variety of lights. The children have been experimenting how different toys change color in the presence of the rope lights. They even experimented with their hands and legs, touching where the rope lights were illuminating their skin. In the dark, and with a

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Lauren Huyck

Mentor Teacher

B.S in psychology and writing
A.A. in early childhood education
Teaching since 2010

My name is Lauren Huyck and I am the afternoon lead for the Scoperta classroom. I started as a teaching assistant when the center was still part of Aquinas in 2010. When we became the GREDC in 2012, I stayed on. In 2014, I was excited to accept the role of lead teacher.

I have a Bachelors in psychology and writing, and an associates in early childhood education. I am currently working on getting a Masters in psychology with a concentration in child development.

I love seeing the children grow and learn. There are so many developmental milestones that I get to see and experience. I fell in love with the Reggio approach and work to incorporate it in all my experiences with children. It has definitely taught me to treat children as citizens of the world.

I honestly could go on about how much I love the work I do and how passionate I feel about every child having quality care but that would take eons. So I will end with these two quotes:

“To take children seriously is to value them for who they are right now rather than adults-in-the-making.”

Alfie Kohn

If you trust play, you will not have to control your child’s development as much. Play will raise the child in ways you can never imagine.

Vince Gowmon