Our Lucky Red Envelope activity was a beautiful way to celebrate Lunar New Year while building real skills through hands on learning. The children colored their own envelopes red, carefully assembled them using glue sticks, and proudly decorated them with gold dot stickers. As they added each dot, they counted out loud, compared quantities, and noticed patterns forming on their envelopes. Inside the envelopes, the children used tweezers to pick up and place gold coins. This strengthened fine motor control, hand eye coordination, and focus. At the same time, they were practicing counting, number recognition, and one to one correspondence in a meaningful way. We heard so much joyful math language: “I counted 8 gold dots. Lucky 8!” “Look, I have 20 coins!” “It’s like lucky money!” This experience connected directly to How Does Learning Happen through belonging, engagement, expression, and well being. The children felt proud creating something of their own. They were deeply engaged, expressing excitement, and supporting one another as they counted and built their envelopes. As an extension, we are planning a gold coin relay race outside. The children will run, collect coins, and work together to fill a class lucky envelope or bucket! Since the Olympics are happening during the same week, this relay race will naturally transition us into our Olympic activities. We will begin exploring teamwork, movement, perseverance, and friendly competition in a developmentally appropriate way. Intentional cultural learning. Strong math connections. Purposeful transitions in programming.

This is what intentional documentation looks like in real time. A simple spring painting activity can easily become just an art experience. But when we slow down and document with purpose, we begin to see so much more. What is the child thinking? How does this connect to previous learning? What strengths are showing up? What support might extend the experience? Strong documentation is not about using fancy language. It is about observing deeply, connecting meaningfully, and reflecting honestly. When we move beyond describing what happened and begin analyzing why it matters, our documentation becomes powerful. It tells a story about the child, not just the activity. This is the heart of Pedagogy Captured. Helping educators feel confident writing documentation that reflects real learning, real growth, and real intention. I would love to know your thoughts. What part of documentation feels most challenging for you right now?

✨ Welcome to Our Community ✨ I am so excited to officially welcome our very first member! — all the way from the United Kingdom @Fatima Abdullahi Thank you for taking the time to thoughtfully answer the joining questions. That already tells me you are reflective and invested in your practice — and that is exactly the kind of educator this space is for. For anyone new here, I’m Shanna — an early childhood educator who is passionate about documentation, reflective practice, strong programming, and building healthier systems for educators. I created this space to be collaborative, supportive, and real. This is not a “perfect educator” page, it's a professional growth space. I would love for this community to be interactive, not just me posting. If you have something you’re proud of in your classroom, share it. If you have photos of your table setup, your provocation, your invitation to play layout — post them. Tell us:• What was your provocation?• Why did you choose that activity?• What learning were you targeting?• What did the children actually do or discover?• What did you document?• What will your extension be? If you have documentation samples or classroom photos you’re comfortable sharing, we want to see them. Let’s build a space where educators:• Share real programming• Back ideas with documentation• Learn from each other’s setups and reflections• Grow professionally together• Support, not compete Your voice matters here. Your experience matters here. We’re building this community together 🤍

This is what intentional programming looks like 🧧✨ Before we created our Lucky Envelopes, we read a story from my Lunar New Year book, a book I created specifically for this activity. Yes. I wrote the book to match the learning. (You can find my book in an earlier ig post!) The children learned why envelopes are red, what gold symbolizes, how families gift lucky money, and why these traditions matter. Then we brought the story to life. They decorated their envelopes using red and yellow markers, connecting colour to cultural meaning. They placed gold bead stickers carefully on the front, strengthening fine motor control. If they chose six stickers, they counted six coins. If they chose four, they counted four, building one-to-one correspondence and number recognition. They glued their envelopes independently, building confidence and hand strength. This was not just an art activity. This was literacy layered with math. Culture layered with symbolism. Fine motor layered with independence. Story → Discussion → Creation → Reflection. When we move beyond “cute crafts,” learning becomes deeper. Learning becomes intentional. Learning becomes meaningful. Shanna L - Founder of Pedagogy Captured

Welcome to Pedagogy Captured 🎥📚 If you're here, you care deeply about early childhood education. This community was created for educators who want to: • Strengthen their documentation • Write meaningful learning stories • Align with How Does Learning Happen • Move beyond “cute crafts” and into real pedagogy • Feel confident in their professional voice Pedagogy Captured is about turning everyday classroom moments into powerful documentation. Not fluff. Not filler. Not copying Pinterest captions. Real observation. Real reflection. Real growth. Inside this community, we will: • Break down documentation step by step • Improve writing skills in simple, clear language • Share programming ideas that are intentional and strong • Talk honestly about the realities of being an educator • Build confidence in our professional identity You do not need to be perfect here. You just need to be willing to grow. Introduce yourself below: • Where are you located? • What age group do you work with? • What do you struggle with most, documentation, programming, confidence, time management? I am so glad you are here. Let’s elevate early childhood education together. 🫶 Shan L. Founder, Pedagogy Captured