BAKER DEMONSTRATION SCHOOL BLOG
Black Lives Matter at Baker Demonstration School
It is important to know that learning about diversity, equity and inclusion is not something that happens at specific times of the year - it happens all year! Though we are taking special time to emphasize Black Lives Matter Week in Schools and Black History Month,...
Three Ways that Independent Schools Contribute to the Common Good
“Schools with the most freedom to act and the greatest power to affect change must not be fortresses and silos. They must be laboratories and lighthouses. And all of us, wherever we send our children, must begin to see ourselves as caretakers of all that the light can...
Wandering Wednesday #17
On Wandering Wednesday #17, the Kindergarten class was so excited to tour behind the scenes at the Wilmette Post Office. It was a great place to tour because the people were exceptionally wonderful with the kids. This Post Office was relatively small, making it clear...
Wandering Wednesday #16
Today, we were joined by a group of middle school students working to make a movie about Wandering Wednesdays. That’s pretty cool, so we were planning for a memorable day. And, if you’ve talked to your kindergartner, I’m guessing you’ve heard about the big event of...
January Musings: Habits of Mind for the Future
“Allow for the possibility that the best stuff is still ahead of you, waiting to reveal itself. Prepare the way, bit by bit.” -Lin-Manuel Miranda The habits of mind common to January is best embodied in the figure of its namesake, Janus, the two-headed figure of...
Wandering Wednesday #15
Today, we had our first experience taking the “el” together as a class. More than half of the children said that Wandering Wednesday #15 was their first time ever on the train (or at least that they could remember). They were very excited to look out the window and...
Wandering Wednesday #14
It struck me today as we were outside in the frigid (new vocabulary word) weather, that the experience of braving the cold to get outdoors is an incredibly valuable one. Sadly, in regions of the world that go through many months of winter, the majority of people...
We Are Community Minded Second Graders
From sign making to policy making, second graders have been community minded activists this week. Our week began with a walk to a historical marker on Ridge Road, about a five-minute walk from school. The marker explains that this area (where our school is...
Wandering Wednesday #13
Today’s Wandering Wednesday was shorter than usual (thank you Chicago weather), but we were still able to pack in some wonderful moments. Before heading out this morning, we read two books about animal homes: Mama Dug a Little Den and Over and Under the Snow. These...
Executive Function & Young Children
“Executive function and self-regulation skills are the mental processes that enable us to plan, focus attention, remember instructions, and juggle multiple tasks successfully. Just as an air traffic control system at a busy airport safely manages the arrivals and...
