What's New With Mother Goose Time?

Every month we get a School Bus Box from Mother Goose Time.  In the box is an amazing curriculum that teaches and entertains my little boy.  Each package has a great balance between favorites that are included every month (theme posters with looking glasses, pattern sets, storytelling sets, etc.,) and new items (different kinds of manipulatives, interesting arts and craft projects, new storybooks, etc.,).

This year Mother Goose Time has made some wonderful changes to their curriculum, while still providing a familiar curriculum that is comfortable for teachers and students.

The Invitation to Create is the most significant change, in my opinion.  It is a change from product based art projects to process based art projects.  At first I was quite reluctant to embrace this change.  In just a few projects, I have changed my mind.  While I still feel that learning to follow directions is MUCH more important than expressing individuality through art, Little Guy LOVES to do the Invitations to Create.  There are many, many opportunities, both in life and Mother Goose Time that allow me to teach him to follow directions, and Invitations to Create give him a chance to explore different ways of doing things.  There are also Make and Play projects that teach him to follow directions to make a product. 

Another new addition to Mother Goose Time for the 2016/2017 school year are schedule pieces.  As you can see, I still have not cut them out.  I don't have a great schedule right now, but I am 100% certain that these would be a wonderful part of the curriculum for preschools and professional daycares.

I also got My Portfolios, which are a new way of recording assessments.  Each day there is an activity with a star next to it (10-Eyed Monster in the picture below).  There are stickers that you can print out from the Mother Goose Time website, where you record the level the child is at in that area.  For each star activity, you either take a picture or save a work sample.  These samples go into the portfolio, and at the end of the year you have a binder full of their school work.  These are another item that I think would be indispensable for preschools.  I have set up Little Guy's but I don't know how well I will do at filling it out. 

Also new in the Teacher Guide are STEAM Stations and a story of the day listed.  The STEAM stations are open ended activities that are designed to interest children in Science, Technology, Engineering, Art, and Math.  I LOVE that the story of the day is listed in the Teacher Guide now, and although I doubt it was my opinion that changed it, I did suggest that it would be nice when I started using MGT.

Something that Mother Goose Time always included, and has made SOOOO much better this year, is activities with cubes.  In the past they have been cardboard cubes that you taped together and didn't hold up well with children.  This year they have COMPLETELY upgraded this type of activity.  Now there is a 3 inch (or so) cube that has windows you can slide the cards into.  The squares fit perfectly, and it makes it so much easier to play the games.

Another thing that was always included, but has been greatly improved is the puzzles.  Prior to this year they were flimsy puzzles made of thick paper.  While I could easily assemble them, it was hard for my two year old to get them to stay together while he tried to manipulate the other pieces into the puzzle.  Now they are sturdy cardboard puzzles, much like I remember playing with as a child.

 Mother Goose Time has always been wonderful, but with these new additions, and not at an additional cost, it is even better! 

Little Guy and I get to use Mother Goose Time free of charge in exchange for sharing our experiences.  All opinions are our own!