Young children are our future! They have so much to offer and yet so much to learn. Our educational system pushes children to an academic life as early as kindergarten. Kindergarten is not a place of dress-up, exploration and pretend for these five year olds any more. It is a level of learning numbers, letters, adding, subtraction, phonics and reading. The song "What a Wonderful World" sung by Louis Armstrong has a line in it that says "they'll learn much more than I'll ever know". I feel this is true for our little ones today!
Little three and four year olds in preschool are participating in activities to prepare them for the competitive world. These wee ones engage in social, emotional, developmental and cognitive activities to prepare them for kindergarten. This is a fast pace world we live in. Little ones are learning more than ever before. Technology has made learning a daily activity and adapts for all levels and interests of the individual.
I am a teacher in my 50's and have taught young ones my whole teaching career. The computer and internet have brought a wealth of information to everyone in a split second, even to the little ones in my classes. We can find anything we want on the internet. There are games, practice activities, informational videos, books to watch and answers to any of the MANY questions preschoolers come up with daily. I find that the information, especially by educators and manufactures must be accurate. I use correct terminology with my young ones and expect it to be correct when I look for information to share with them. Here are two science videos I have found describing the metamorphosis of a caterpillar to butterfly. Why are they different? Which is accurate?