Archive for August 2001

By Jeanne W. Lepper, Director The world is so full of a number of things, I’m sure we should all be as happy as kings. —Robert Louis Stevenson hat a beautiful child!” the parents exclaim over their new baby. Thus begins a life-long relationship of unconditional love and support that is esse... [ Read More ]

By Christine VanDeVelde Luskin, writer and former Bing parent How much do parents matter? How powerfully are children influenced by their parents? What role do genetics play? These compelling questions were the subject of a presentation by Professor Eleanor E. Maccoby at the 2001 Bing Nursery School... [ Read More ]

By Adrienne Gelpi Lomangino, Head Teacher Worms can’t have babies. They’re worms, not animals!” We’ve all heard young children make observations about the natural world that to adult ears sound wrong. But are they wrong, or do they perhaps reflect different theories about how the world works... [ Read More ]

By Jane Farish, Teacher When I lose perspective, I’m going to put on my jeans and come and hang out at Bing!” So exclaimed Dr. Deborah Stipek, the recently appointed dean of the School of Education, on one of her two visits to Bing during the spring quarter, beginning what she hopes will be a co... [ Read More ]

By Rinna Sanchez-Baluyut, Teacher Children at Bing come from culturally diverse backgrounds, and increas-ingly they speak a language other than English in their homes. On October 9, 2000, Bing teachers had the opportunity to reflect on their role as educators in a culturally diverse setting and on t... [ Read More ]

By Adrienne Gelpi Lomangino, Head Teacher and Research Coordinator hate to admit it, but I love children most for what they give me. Mark Twain said that a person could live two weeks on one compliment. A child who says that they like you, the child who puts his or her hand in yours or wants to play... [ Read More ]

By Mary Munday, Teacher, and Nancy Howe, Head Teacher During the winter quarter this year, the children in Tuesday/Thursday AM Twos explored clay. Most of the children were already quite familiar with the more malleable playdough, but clay’s resistive qualities presented new challenges. Hand-sized... [ Read More ]

By Sue Gore, Teacher Caps for sale, caps for sale, fifty cents a cap,” sang the children, balancing towers of hats on their heads, playing gleefully in the autumn grass. The idea for East AM’s fall project emerged from the children’s interest in the story Caps for Sale by Esphyr Slobodkina. Th... [ Read More ]

By Nancy Howe, Head Teacher I have a collection of crab shells and rocks. I got the crab shells at the beach and the rocks next to a tree. And one of the rocks is all white and shaped like a triangle. And whenever I look at it, it reminds me of treasure.—Pablo Young children have an inherent capac... [ Read More ]

By Adrienne Gelpi Lomangino, Head Teacher Teacher: Brigid thinks that people go down [the ramp] slower than the ball because balls have air in them. Zachary H.: They don’t because balls are round and wheels are round, but people are heavier than balls so they can also go faster because they’re k... [ Read More ]

By Maggie Monge, Assistant Teacher Investigating metamorphosis, the children in MWF AM Twos spent the spring quarter observing painted lady caterpillars go through all the stages of transformation. When the beautifully colored butterflies emerged at last, the children watched fascinated as Teacher K... [ Read More ]

By Tom Limbert, Head Teacher By late September of the school year, most of the children had settled into Center PM and could say good-bye to loved ones for the afternoon. But some children were still entering reluctantly, tears on their faces and adamantly opposing any attempts by their parents to l... [ Read More ]

By Carolee Fucigna, Head Teacher Rachel B.: Mommy had Nicole in her tummy. I couldn’t sit on her lap. She was in the hospital. I had to sit on Daddy’s lap. Mom was not there in the night. Chloe: Does Jordan mind if the baby cries? Jordan: Not at night, but in the day I check on him. William: Bab... [ Read More ]

By the West AM Team Hey! The longer it is, the higher it goes!” yells Zack as he excitedly launches another foam ball skyward above the sand pool with his plank and hollow-block catapult. Or, put another way: “Given a constant downward force applied to one end of a lever, the amount of upward fo... [ Read More ]

By Tom Limbert, Head Teacher Even before our plane landed on Italian soil, we felt grateful and fortunate. We knew that not everyone involved in early childhood education works for a school that values professional development enough and has the resources to send three staff members to northern Ital... [ Read More ]

By Courtni Holst, Teacher This past March more than twenty Bing staff members traveled to San Diego for the annual conference of the California Association for the Educa-tion of Young Children. In three days we attended sessions on topics as diverse as discipline and play, and several Bing teachers ... [ Read More ]

By Pamela Crisostomo, Teacher In November 2000, I and five other staff attended the annual conference of the National Association for the Education of Young Children held in Atlanta, Georgia. On returning to Bing, I fielded many questions from parents and colleagues about the conference events and a... [ Read More ]

By Peckie Peters, Teacher How do I know whether my child is ready for kindergarten? Should I give him or her an extra year to have more time to mature? What characteristics do I look for in a “good” kindergarten program? These kinds of questions fill the minds of parents who are about to send a ... [ Read More ]

By Beverley Hartman, Assistant Director The lady who read us a story,” as one child called her, is Mrs. Helen Bing, a longtime friend of the Bing Nursery School community. Bing’s children had an opportunity to meet Helen Bing as she kindly read a story to an overflowing crowd of families on Sept... [ Read More ]

By Beverley Hartman, Assistant Director Dragon Kite of the Autumn Moon by Valerie Reddix is the book that inspired this year’s spectacular Harvest Moon Auction. The festive transformation of the entire school into a magical environment, the entertainment, and the incredible dim sum set a party sta... [ Read More ]