Better Kid Care

10/07/2026

October 8 (tomorrow!) is the 11th annual Children's Environmental Health Day, sponsored by the Children's Environmental Health Network! Celebrate with Natural Start Alliance's new resource collection! This curated list brings together recent webinars, research, and a guide for anyone working to keep young children healthy in our changing environment.

View a resource collection highlighting webinars, articles, and guides pertaining to children's environmental health and wellbeing.

09/30/2026

What makes a play environment safe for children? Find out by taking our new course “Safe Outdoor and Indoor Play Environments”! 🛝

Learn to identify hazards, supervise effectively, maintain playground safety, and apply proper sanitation practices to prevent illness and support healthy, safe areas for children. [Link] https://extension.psu.edu/programs/betterkidcare/lessons/safe-outdoor-and-indoor-play-environments

2 Clock hours / 02. CEUs
$5 for certificate of completion
Free downloadable handouts
Interactive activities and quizzes
Available as CDA elective

As always, our courses are available to view at no cost.

Get started today: https://od.bkc.psu.edu
Learn more about Better Kid Care: https://extension.psu.edu/programs/betterkidcare

For quick access to these sites, click the link in our bio!

09/28/2026

BKC loved being at the LEJ conference (Latinos Educando Juntos) in Philly. We met some really great educators who were demonstrating Action (acción), belief (creencia), strength (fortaleza), courage (valentía), focus (enfoque), resilience (resiliencia), ambition (ambición). ❤️🌻

09/26/2026

Are you looking for ways to support children’s creative process, thinking, language, and fine motor skills? Painting is a great way to allow children to explore and create! Read and share this tip page from Better Kid Care about painting with children.

[Link]https://bkc-od-media.vmhost.psu.edu/documents/TIPS0706.pdf

09/24/2026

Kindness develops when children have opportunities to be part of a caring and inclusive classroom community. Children who are offered opportunities to see, receive, and practice kind acts, grow caring and helping interactions with others. Read and share this article from Edutopia about ways to create a culture of kindness in the classroom.

Encouraging kindness in the early grades helps children develop behaviors that have value far beyond their school years.

09/22/2026

Enjoy reading Fletcher and the Falling Leaves with your preschoolers. Follow Fletcher the fox as he discovers the changes that autumn brings to his favorite tree and how he learns about the beauty of the changing seasons.

09/19/2026

What if we talked about math the same way we talk about creativity—playful, experimental, joyful, and focused on process rather than product? Could playful exploration of math concepts help children build confidence and develop positive feelings about math?

This article from the Erikson Institute’s Early Math Collaborative looks at how playful math experiences can build autonomy, deepen understanding, and make room for more joy.

09/17/2026

How are you celebrating National Literacy Month? 📚
Reading, talking, singing, and storytelling with young children help build the foundation for later language, literacy, and learning.

Whether you work with infants, toddlers, or preschoolers, our course Emergent Literacy: Supporting Children’s Development explores practical ways to support literacy development throughout the day.

All course content can be viewed for free. A completion certificate for professional development credit is $5.

[Link] https://extension.psu.edu/programs/betterkidcare/lessons/emergent-literacy-supporting-development

09/15/2026

It’s almost that time when fall leaves, seed pods, pinecones, and spent flowers are everywhere—ready for collecting, sorting, and discovery. 🍂

Looking for a fun way to display children’s nature finds? Wrap some string around a tree trunk, add a few clothespins, and invite children to clip up the interesting things they discover.

This simple idea from Learning and Exploring Through Play encourages children to slow down, look closely, compare what they find, and share their discoveries with others.

✨🍃Add some string around a tree with some pegs for children to clip in interesting finds. 🪶 🌿

Give it a go!
Love Amy x x

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09/12/2026

In the 37th episode of the Play Nature podcast, and Rachel A. Larimore challenge educators to think more deeply about changing the phrase “there’s no bad weather, there’s only bad clothing” to “For outdoor play there’s harder weather and easier weather.” Why not start with easy weather days?

Together they talk about rain as a loose part, boredom as a hidden gift, and a four-year-old who named a leaf after his own haircut.

Check it out and get some fresh inspiration for your fall programming: [Link] https://rustykeeler.com/podcast/ep-37-nature-based-learning-doesnt-need-a-forest-with-dr-rachel-larimore/

What does your forecast suggest for this coming week? Post in comments some of the fun you’re having outdoors or share a favorite strategy to make getting outside easier.