Thoughtful Thursday

Are there moments in your job where you have to take a deep breath and remind yourself that this too shall pass.  Working with little people can be overwhelming at times........especially when there are 20+ little ones and 2 adults and it seems like 19 of them are saying "Teacher......." simultaneously.  It can be tiring to continually remind them of  group time behavior.  It requires infinite patience when someone raises their hand to tell an unrelated "story" in response to a question posed.  However, these moments of craziness are few and far between, truly.  Most of your days together in the classroom are busy, productive, fun, and wonderful.  You laugh together, sing together, learn together and discover together.  And it is so purposeful and engaging that the time really flies.  Before you know it, it's time to go home. Think of the beautiful little gestures that are bestowed upon you so frequently and generously during your days at school.  Could anyone ask for a more fulfilling job?

Taken from My Montessori Journey

Workshop Wednesday

Farmer's Market

Enhance a harvest theme by inviting your young farmers to pretend they are running a farmer's market in your dramatic play area. Provide bushel baskets of plastic fruits and vegetables, a balance scale, a toy cash register, shopping baskets, and a supply of paper bags. Add some plaid shirts and bandanas for dress-up, along with empty purses and wallets. Model how to play the parts of the farmer selling her produce and the customer choosing and buying. Then have youngsters start harvesting the fun!

Taken from Mailbox Magazine

Transition Tuesday

CATCH A STAR 

Pretend to throw stars to children who are doing the correct thing. Children pretend to “catch the stars” and put them in their pocket. The other students will “catch on” and model that behavior.

Here’s a poem to say as you throw stars:

You’re just great.
You’re so fine.
Catch a star and let it shine!

Make & Take Monday

Homemade Rolling Pins

Gather a variety of clean, empty plastic water bottles and remove the labels. Half-fill each bottle with items such as colored sand, colored rice, or water and colored beads. Secure the caps with hot glue. Invite students to roll the bottles over play dough. Your children will quickly notice the interesting activity occurring inside the bottles.

Feature Friday

Today's feature is a product I saw in a classroom recently. The product is a Magnetic Maze by Melissa & Doug. This activity is great for young students who are working on fine motor skills and cognitive skills like counting, colors, etc. The example below is a Color Maze. The student moves the colored balls (better known as food) to the matching animals using the attached magnetic wand. Here's the task: "The animals are hungry and need to be fed. But they can only eat the food that matches their own color. Please feed the animals the food that match their own color. Use the wand to move the food to the animals' tummies." The tummies are round circles inside the animals with the correct color word printed inside. The activity is securely covered in a clear plastic so no colored balls can escape! But why do we love this activity so much? The food is moved by a magnetic wand that is held in the tripod position. This is a perfect example of  fine motor skills being used while working on cognitive skills. The tasks involved to complete this activity cross curriculums and that is efficient and smart teaching!

Thoughtful Thursday

Continuing with the thought from last week, ask yourself, "Am I an encourager or discourager?"
Do you say:

This                                                               
• “Why did you do that – you know better than that!”
• “Trees aren’t supposed to be purple – now go back and color it the right way.”
• “You are not going to get a star because you are not a good listener.”
• “I wish you would stop yelling – I am standing right next to you.”
• “You need to stop being a tattle tale.”

or

That
• “Let’s try that again only this time I am going to do it with you so we can both do it better.”
• “A purple tree would look lovely in my yard. I have never seen such a beautiful purple tree before.”
• “I just love it when you take the time to listen. It helps me be a better teacher.”
• “Oh my, my! Where did you put your quiet voice?”
• “Thank you for sharing your concern with me, I will be sure to think about it.”

Workshop Wednesday

Okay. I admit it. I am crazy about apples. But I could not pass up this small group idea.

Class Apple Trees

Tear off four sheets of white bulletin board paper and draw tree trunks and branches on them.  Let groups of children work on the trees.  One group paints the trunks, another paints the branches, one group sponges the blossoms, leaves, and apples.  Put them up and label them spring, summer, fall, and winter. Or you could assign a group to each season. Group 1 could paint the trunk, branches, leaves and blossoms for the spring tree, group 2 the summer tree, and so on. This becomes a great display and illustrates not only the seasons of an apple tree but the cooperative spirit of young children.





Transition Tuesday

Plate Sail
(tune:  If You’re Happy and You Know It)
If your name is on the plate pick it up.
If your name is on the plate pick it up.
If your name is on the plate,
Then you’re really doing great.
If your name is on the plate pick it up.
~ Author Unknown

This song will be one of the very favorite songs/activities of your students. It’s easy to sing and easy to remember.  Write each student’s name on a small plate. (You can use their picture too.)  Stand in a circle. Throw down one plate.  Whoever’s name is on the plate has to pick it up.  Sing until all the plates are gone. 

Make & Take Monday

Today we will look at how to make Sponge Paint Brushes. You will need sponges (sponge on both sides, not scrubber materials), clothespins (wooden or plastic),  and scissors.

Cut sponge into 1 ½ x 1 ½ squares. Try to make as straight as possible so you will have a flat surface when painting. You can make them smaller or bigger depending on your children and what you want to accomplish. Clip sponge square onto clothespin. Children hold the clothespin and dip the "brush" into paint. You can use any color sponge (lots of fun colors).

This is an easy and economical way to spruce up your painting center. Enjoy!

Feature Friday

Family projects are a great way to keep the school/home connections active. One idea to involve families is to have them create a Treasure Box. Treasure Boxes are a great way to store all the PreK and Kindergarten keepsakes that can be treasured throughout the year.


Directions for Treasure Boxes

Give each family a cardboard box (xerox paper boxes work great). Ask families to decorate the boxes and find a special place at home to keep them. Boxes can be decorated with stickers, photos, drawings, etc. The children can take turns bringing their boxes to school and sharing about how they came up with the idea to decorate their boxes and talk about their families and who did what to help. You could even do this activity at Parent Orientation, Open House, or Family Night.

Thoughtful Thursday

When speaking to your young students, you need to be aware that what you say and how you say it will impact their self-confidence. Choosing your words wisely and maintaining a constant awareness of how you are speaking to your students takes a tremendous amount of skill and commitment. What you say to a young child impacts whether or not they will be confident participants in the learning process. Preschoolers need their teachers to direct them and care for them in a respectful and loving manner so they will be confident to try new ideas and enjoy the learning process. Remember that as an early childhood educator, the words you say can either be encouraging or discouraging. Your role is to always encourage. You are there to help preschoolers be successful within the world that they live. When children feel successful in the learning environment, they will also feel good about themselves.

Are you an encourager or discourager?

Workshop Wednesday

I just LOVE apples and the beginning of a new school year!
To make these fun little apple trees, gather up some red, yellow & green paint, brown construction paper , and tissue rolls or paper cups.


Start by having the children tear the brown construction paper into long and short, thin strips for the tree and branches. Letting the children tear their own paper to make the branches is a great way to work on building fine motor control.



Next, have the children glue the tree trunk, then glue branches all over the trees. Once the trunk and branches are glued down. It is time to add some apples!

Use a tissue paper roll, paper towel roll, or paper cup to dip in paint and make the apple circles. Invite the children to dip the chosen item in the paint (red, green, yellow) and make prints all over the branches.

Make sure you allow plenty of time to make all the apple prints they desire! The apple printing is what makes this super fun!

Transition Tuesday

It’s Time for Us to Go


Sing this song to the tune of “The Farmer in the Dell” to end your day:

It’s time for us to go.
It’s time for us to go.
Say good-bye to all your friends.
It’s time for us to go.

We’ve had a busy day.
We’ve learned a lot today.
Say good-bye to all your friends.
It’s time for us to go.

Children select the symbol for how they will go home and line up.

Walkers – Feet

Car Riders – Car

Bus Riders – Bus

After School – Schoolhouse

(Arlene Middendorf, FL)

Make & Take Monday

Our School/Town Blocks

Take photographs of  different places in the school - cafeteria, office, library, etc. Tape them to unit blocks so children can use them in the block center to build their school. You could add the "block people" discussed in a previous post, so the children could pretend to walk around the school. This could be a way to practice the routines and procedures for walking in the hallways.

Later on you could extend this to include community places such as the post office, police station, and other stores and places in your area.

Store blocks in a basket labled "Our School" or "Our Town".

Feature Friday

It's hard to believe fall is here. The signs are in the air - football games, cooler temperatures, and Halloween and Thanksgiving displays in stores. So I thought I would feature a couple of "fall" books. Go to your library and check them out!

Fall Leaves Fall!

Zoe Hall

Watching the leaves fall to the ground, two children try to catch them, then stomp on them, kick them, collect them, compare their shapes, rake them into a pile, and jump into it. Brightly illustrated and infectiously cheery.

We're Going On A Leaf Hunt

Steve Metzger

There are lots of beautiful fall leaves to find! Three friends have a big adventure hiking over a mountain and through a forest to collect leaves of all kinds and colors. What will they do with all their leaves at the end of the story? Jump and play in them, of course! With easy rhyming text and fun sound effects, children will delight in this rollicking autumn story.

Thoughtful Thursday

"Make the invisible visible." I share this with teachers often. I find that those outside the world of early childhood do not always understand what they see in our classrooms. We often hear comments such as, "They are just playing." or "Isn't she cute dressed up as a princess." Our job as early childhood advocates is to make the invisible visible. What WE can see (know) is not always clear to others - administrators, colleagues, parents, etc. We have to find ways to show the outside world that children's play is their work. One way is to display photos of children in the different areas and list the standards or skills they are learning. You might designate a special board in your classroom for this purpose. You could title it, "Look at What We are Learning!" Change the photos regularly to reflect what you are studying. Another idea is to list what children learn in each of the areas. You might make a list of the developmental skills and post them in an acrylic frame and hang it on the wall or on the end of a shelf for each area. And finally include what children are learning in your newsletters. This could be a photo or a couple of sentences about a specific area. So as we reflect on our practices consider how you can make the invisible visible.

Workshop Wednesday

Today's workshop idea is an activity for your water table - Apple Bobbing!

It's easy to bob for apples with the addition of a few handy utensils! Make apple cutouts from craft foam, and place them in your water table along with a supply of small sieves and slotted spoons. Put a plastic container or mat nearby. The child uses the utensils to scoop apples and place them in the container. When he has collected all of the apples, he places them back in the water. You can extend this fun activity by having the child sort the apples by color (red, green, yellow) and/or count the apples.

Idea from The Mailbox, 2010

Transition Tuesday

Need a quick way to get the wiggles out. Try this transition activity. Use this tip any time children are in a whole group (or small group) setting and need to get up and stretch before moving into another activity. Brain research tells us that simple movement activities increase the flow of blood and oxygen to the brain thus improving short-term memory and exhibiting faster reaction time. So get up and stretch!

Reach for the Ceiling


Reach for the ceiling,

Touch the floor,

Stand up again,

Let’s do some more.

Touch your head,

Touch your knee,

Up to your shoulders,

Like this, you see?

Reach for the ceiling,

Touch the floor,

That’s all for now,

There is no more.

Feature Friday

Want to turn the back of a shelf into an instant magnetic board? Try today's feature - magnetic paint. Magnetic paint can be purchased at Wal-Mart or any home improvement store. Simply paint the surface and instantly you have a magnetic board. Use your "new" magnetic board for retelling, counting, sorting, spelling, etc. What a great trick!

Thoughtful Thursday

Today's thought comes from David Elkind, author of the book The Hurried Child.  The phrase "hurried child" was coined to mean a disregard for activities and curriculum geared to a child's developmental level. Instead children are forced to sit and pay attention far longer than their bodies or mind can tolerate; attempts are made to teach children reading and writing before children are developmentally prepared; and curriculum for 4, 5 & 6 year olds include content best suited for later years. According to Mr. Elkind:

"Children are being pushed too hard, too early and are being driven to grow up quickly, especially with regard to intellectual tasks. Children are being rushed through childhood with little time allowed for being a child and experiencing age-appropriate activities, including play."
---David Elkind, The Hurried Child (1981) and Miseducation (1987)

Examine your practices. Are you allowing your children to be children?

Workshop Wednesday

Here is a simple activity to strengthen fine motor skills. You could place this activity in your table toys area.

Materials:
Jar (I suggest plastic such as an empty mayonnaise jar)
Clothespins (plastic or wooden)

Place the jar and a small basket of clothespins on a tray and have the children squeeze the clothespins with enough strength to attach them to the rim of the jar. What a perfect game for exercising and strengthening finger muscles. You could extend the activity by having them count the number of clothespins they attach or if using colored clothespins they could sort them by color. The possibilities are endless!