Workshop Wednesday

Today will be the last post for 2010. Wishing all of you a very Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

Christmas Trees
Materials: red construction paper (full sheets cut in half), tray with green strips cut into graduated lengths (1 inch wide strips in lengths ranging from 1 to 5 inches), basket of brown "trunks", basket of yellow stars and glue

Directions: Have children take a red piece of paper and one of each of the green strips. Have them arrange their green strips on the red paper (oriented vertically by length) and have an adult check before they glue.  Add the tree trunk and star.  You can have the children add sequins or other shiny materials for ornaments or draw their own. Beautiful trees!

Transition Tuesday

 Each Mitten Has a Mate…

(Tune: If You’re Happy and You Know It)

Each mitten has a mate, has a mate.

 Each mitten has a mate, has a mate.

Can (child’s name) find the pair?

(He/She) is looking here and there.

Can (child’s name) find the mate?

Find the mate?

Use real mittens or mitten cutouts. Give each child a mitten.

Pairs can transition together to the next activity.

Make & Take Monday

Snowflake Counting

Materials: 10 felt mittens numbers 1-10 using fabric paint and a silver bowl with 55 plastic snowflakes (iridescent snowflakes are the best!); "snowflake-like" beads can be used as a substitute.

Directions: Place the mittens in order from 1 - 10. Then count the correct number of snowflakes on each mitten.



Taken from My Montessori Journey



Feature Friday

Thoughtful Thursday

Navigating the holidays can be tricky in this diverse society we live in.  As teachers we need to make sure we are very careful to be inclusive instead of exclusive as we celebrate the holidays in our classrooms. Consider how you can include all of your children. For example, sparkly snowflakes as gifts for the parents can be used as ornaments on the trees for families who celebrate Christmas, and as refrigerator magnets for holding papers for those who do not celebrate.  By simply adding a magnet to the back of the snowflake you have ensured ALL parents can use the gift. We need to embrace the beliefs and traditions of all the students in our classroom.  Ask yourself, "How can I make this activity or idea meet the needs of all of my children - not only developmental but cultural as well." 

What are some things you do during the month of December to include all of your children?

Workshop Wednesday

Christmas Sort and Count

This is a simple counting activity with some Christmas erasers. 

Materials: a sorting tray (muffin tins make great sorting trays), a basket of number cards, tongs, and a bowl of erasers. 

Directions: To do this work the child uses the tongs (strawberry huller) to sort the objects into the compartments.  Once they are sorted the child counts them and places the appropriate number card next to the set.  Then they have a teacher check their work before putting it away.

This is what it looks like when finished.

Taken from My Montessori Journey

Transition Tuesday

Christmas Bow Partners

Materials: variety of Christmas bows (colors, textures, etc.) and a basket or bag to hold the bows

Directions: Pass the bag or basket and have each child take a bow. Choose a child and have him come to the font of the group. Have him show his bow. Ask the person who has the matching bow to come join his partner. Once the matching bows are found, the partners may go to the next activity (line up, centers, wash hands, etc.).  Continue until all children have found a partner. If you do not have enough children for every child to have a partner, you or the assistant can join in the fun. Not only is this a great visual discrimination activity but also a great friendship activity.

Make & Take Monday

Recycled Ornaments

This past weekend I went to the Christmas tree lighting at Marion Square in downtown Charleston. There were many, many trees decorated by schools and businesses. I kept going back to this one tree decorated  by the Montessori School in Charleston. They decorated their tree with recycled plastic bottles and cans. AMAZING! What a neat way to involve children in making ornaments as well as  teaching them about recycling.

Lids: Use lids (plastic, metal, Mason Jars) from various containers and decorate with glitter, foam shapes, sparkles, etc.

Bottle Caps: Collect bottle caps (various sizes and colors). Drill a hole in the bottle cap and string on yarn for perfect garland.

Plastic bottles: Cut the plastic bottle and make swirls for the tree. Or use the bottom of the bottle and decorate using glitter for an ornament. Cut the neck and top off the bottle. Cut 1/2 inch strips.



Workshop Wednesday

Bow Matching

Try this simple, inexpensive activity during centers or in small groups.

Materials: Variety of Christmas bows; container to hold bows (will need more than one if using for small group); sorting mats or containers (if using a sorting activity)

Directions: Provide a container of Christmas bows and have the children find the 2 bows that match. (If you use a variety of bows they will need to look closely at the shade and texture.) You could extend this activity by having the children sort the bows and then tell you how they sorted them. They could count the bows (number of matches, number of red bows, number of small bows, etc.) You could provide different sizes and they could match or sort by size. There is so much to do with bows. Your kids will LOVE this activity!

Transition Tuesday

Try this song as you transition from one activity to another.

Where is Santa?

Tune: Where is Thumbkin

Where is Santa?  Where is Santa?

(Put hands behind back.)

Here I am!  Here I am!

(Make a big belly with arms.)

Merry, Merry Christmas!

(Sing in Santa voice.)

Merry, Merry Christmas!

Ho-ho-ho!  Ho-ho-ho!

(Put hands behind back.)

by Debbie Heller

 

Make & Take Monday

Sponge Printed Lights

Materials: a kitchen sponge, washable markers, scissors, white paper, paint, tape or glue and black construction paper.

Directions:

1. Draw a bulb shape on the sponge. Cut out shape and wash the marker off.

2. Stamp the sponge into paint. Use bright colorsand glitter for your paint. Teach the children to slap the sponge on the paper and FREEZE. This will help get nice prints for the effect.  Do another color…and repeat. (You could have a different sponge for each color of paint or teach children to blot the sponge between uses.)

3. Let the bulbs dry.4.  Add squiggly circles at the neck of each bulb. 5. Connect the bulbs with a marker “wire” 6. Trim and tape or glue to a black piece of paper.  WOW! What a beatiful display of lights!

Idea taken from No Time for Flashcards

Happy Thanksgiving

Due to the Thanksgiving Holidays I will not be posting this week.
I hope all of you have a blesssed Thanksgiving. Be safe.

Feature Friday

Happy Christmas, Gemma by Sarah Hayes is a hidden gem. The book is narrated by a preschooler, the older brother to little baby Gemma. Throughout this family’s preperations for and celebration of Christmas he notes how he does what he is supposed to and his baby sister does not.  She makes messes,  pulls the ornaments off the tree, has terrible table manners during Christmas dinner and so much more! What makes this a gem in my mind is that no one ever corrects her, these are all age appropriate behaviors and the family is loving and accepting. 

How Santa Got His Job by Stephen Krensky is a fun and surprisingly practical story about Santa and how he developed the skills needed for his one of a kind job.  It starts with Santa as a young man and as he keeps bouncing from job to job he acquires skills like going in and out of chimneys as a chimney sweep with ease and without getting dirty,  develops a relationship with reindeer as a zoo worker and gets chubby eating all the food at a all night diner gig!  Great book. Fun too!

Bear Stays Up for Christmas by Karma Wilson is such a heartwarming story about friendship. Bear is hibernating but his friends wake him up to celebrate Christmas. It’s not easy at first , Bear is super sleepy and wants nothing more than to cuddle back up and fall back to sleep.  They get a tree, decorate it, hang their stockings and sing carols. When all the other animals snuggle in and go to sleep Bear stays up. He is busily making gifts for all his friends, he is so busy he doesn’t even notice Santa coming and filling the stockings. He delights in the friendship and when his friends present him with a lovely quilt, he snuggles under and goes back to sleep happy and filled with friendship. This is such a wonderful book on friendship and the excitement of giving gifts!

Thoughtful Thursday

In the last class of a semester, Lilian Katz closes with a list of (continually growing) points to keep in mind in working with young children.  For the first time she has made this list available in her new book, Intellectual Emergencies.  Here are just a few of her "notes:"

#1.  Remember that adults know more about almost everything than a small child does -- except what it feels like to be that child, and how the world makes sense to him or her.  Those things are the child's expertise which a teacher must learn in order to be able to reach and teach the child.

#3.  Take care not to confuse what is exciting, amusing and fun with what is educative.  Excitement is appropriate for entertainment and special occasions; it is short-lived pleasure -- easy come, easy go.  But what is educative requires sustained effort and involvement, often includes many routine elements, and offers long term deep satisfaction rather than momentary fun and excitement.

#12.  I believe we cannot have optimal environments for children in preschools, child care centers, and schools unless the environments are optimal for the adults who work in them.  Certainly on some days what is optimal for the children will be obtained at the expense of adults (like Halloween parties), and on other days visa versa.  But on the average, on a day-to-day basis, both the children and the adults must find their lives together satisfying, interesting, and worth living.

Workshop Wednesday

Turkey Math

Use turkey stickers and stick them onto a square of brown paper in a grid pattern.  Add little red triangles to the corners to fancy it up and laminate the game boards.  To make a die, use a wooden block and write the numbers 1, 2, or 3 on the faces.  With only 9 turkeys you do not want to go above 3 or the game will end very quickly!  To play each child takes a game board.  They take turns rolling the die and "feeding" the corresponding number of turkeys a kernel of corn.  The first player to cover their turkeys on an exact roll is the "winner". 

This would be a quick and easy game for children to make and take to Grandma's house for Thanksgiving. 


Taken from My Montessori Journey



Transition Tuesday

Thanksgiving Transition: Turkey Says

Put a seasonal twist on the traditional game Simon Says by putting a turkey in charge! Change the game to Turkey Says and give commands for turkey-related movements. If one of your little turkeys forgets to move only when Turkey says, give him a gentle reminder to wait for the turkey's command before strutting his stuff!

Possible movements include the following: flap your wings; scratch the ground; run away from the farmer; peck some corn; strut and say, "Gobble, gobble!"

You could adapt this transition activity by having the "Turkey" help your little ones line up. For example, Turkey says if your name begins with the letter "b" go wash your hands. You could even have the children move to the next activity "strutting like a turkey".

Make & Take Monday

Hanging Fall Corn

Materials Needed: Corn pattern... construction paper ... cereal (we used fruity pebbles) ... glue ... hole punch ... yarn or ribbon ... gold glitter glue.
Instructions: Have children trace the corn pattern and cut out. Apply glue on corn cob and press cereal on glue. Let dry. Punch hole at top and attach yarn or ribbon. Apply gold glitter glue and blot off extra.

Taken from Childcareland .com

Feature Friday

Today's feature is a website from Mailbox Magazine. If you love the magazine you will definitely you enjoy the website. The website is http://www.themailbox.com/. Membership is FREE and you will have access to many resources such as learning center activities, forms, bulletin board ideas, etc. Also as a member you can sign up for the Little Learners Daily email. Each day you will receive an idea to use in your classroom. Many of the activities I have shared on this blog came from the Little Learners Daily email. You can unsubscribe to the daily email at any time. I think you will be pleased at the variety of ideas you will find.
So visit TheMailbox.com today.

Thoughtful Thursday

People who have accomplished great things in this world often cite someone early in their lives who had a major influence on what they became (a message which should be heartening to all early childhood teachers and providers).  One example is the story of Thomas Edison as related in Mental Floss (September 2010)."In 1862, at the age of 15, Edison got his first job as a newspaper boy at a train station in Mount Clemens, Michigan.  One day, while hawking newspapers, Edison noticed a 3-year-old boy playing on the tracks, right in the path of a runaway freight train....  The quick-thinking Edison jumped on the track, swooped up the boy in the nick of time, and then dove away from the speeding train.

"The action not only saved the boy's life, but it changed Edison's as well.  The boy's father happened to be the station's telegraph operator.  He was so grateful to Edison that he took him under his wing and trained him in telegraphy, sparking the inventor's lifelong love affair with all things electric."

Who inspired you to become who you are today?

Workshop Wednesday

Marshmallow Indian Corn

Materials: Stale mini marshmallows, yellow and brown construction paper, markers, glue, scissors

Directions:

1. Start by coloring one end (or more) of the marshmallows with various colors. The marshmallows need to be stale so the children can color them, without marshmallow bits getting on your markers, or being too squishy to color.

2. Next have the children trace the ear of corn on yellow paper and the husk on brown. Cut out ear and husk.

3. Third, glue the colored marshmallows to the ear of corn.

4. Now, glue the husk to the top of the ear of corn.

5. Finally, let dry and voila! Indian Corn



Taken from No Time for Flashcards



Transition Tuesday

Scarecrow Song

(sung to the tune of "Up on the Housetop")

Out in the field in a row of corn
Stands a scarecrow so forlorn.
Crows on its head and crows at its feet,
It's the saddest scarecrow you'll ever meet.
Can't scare the crows,
Oh, no, no!
Can't scare the crows,
Oh, no, no!
Out in the field in a row of corn
Stands a scarecrow so forlorn.

Taken from Mailbox Magazine

Make & Take Monday

French Fry Math
Taken from Dr. Jean

Materials: yellow kitchen sponge, french fry containers (regular size box not large), markers

Directions: Cut sponges into 1/2 " strips resembling french fries. Write numerals 1 - 10 on the french fry containers (or use whatever numbers you are working on in your class). Children make appropriate sets of french fries in the container

More Ideas: Children roll 2 dice and place that amount in the french fry container. Write number words on the containers. Use for place value. The posiiblilities are endless and kids LOVE it!

Feature Friday

Reading Magic by Mem Fox

We all hope and expect our children will learn to read, but how many of us realize we can get our kids on the road to reading simply by reading aloud to them every day? Mem Fox in her book, Reading Magic, explains why reading aloud to young children has such an impact on their ability to read - and on their entire lives. Filled with practical advice, activities, and inspiring true read-aloud miracles, this book is a must read for anyone working with children.

"...experts tell us that children need to hear a thousand stories read aloud before they begin to learn to read for themselves. A thousand! That sounds daunting. But when we do the sums, it isn't as bad as we might think. Three stories a day will deliver us a thousand stories in one year alone, let alone in the four or five years prior to school. We can do it!"

Thoughtful Thursday

What do you teach four-year-olds?

When you tell someone you teach preschool have you ever been asked, "What in the world do you teach four year olds?" Carol Hillman in her book, Teaching Four-Year-Olds: A Personal Journey responds by saying: "Many years ago, I would have answered by describing some of the science projects or the work with art materials I did with children.  Now it is different. I feel more secure in my own position.  I tell them what I really do.  I teach children about the world they live in, about themselves, and their peers.  And I teach children about adults, trust, and love.  I work with attitudes.  I hope to inspire a love of learning.  This is what I teach."

What do YOU teach four-year-olds?

Workshop Wednesday

Leaf Turkey

Take your children on a leaf walk. Have them collect 6 - 10 leaves. Place in a bag. After sorting and talking about their leaves, use the leaves to make a Thanksgiving turkey.

Materials Needed: real Leaves (6-10)... construction paper ... glue .... and scissors.

Instructions: Glue leaves on construction paper. Cut a turkey body out of brown construction paper and glue on to leaves and construction paper (so that the leaves form the turkey feathers). Cut legs ... eyes ... nose ... and turkey gobbler out of construction paper and glue on turkey. (Children can free cut or you can you have a pattern for them to trace and cut.)

Taken from Childcareland.com

Transition Tuesday

A, B, C-That's Me!

This letter-perfect idea provides a tuneful transition when youngsters leave circle time! When it's time for children to change activities, slowly sing the alphabet song. Each child moves to the new task when he hears the first letter in his name. (Provide assistance as needed.) Little ones learn letters and move to the next activity quickly and quietly!

Taken from Mailbox Magazine

Make & Take Monday

Classroom Pointers
Pointers are great to use in the classroom. You could use them for pointing to pocket charts ... words on the word wall ... at circle time .... as a "magic wand" during transitions ... the possibilities are endless.They are really easy and inexpensive to make and look really cute when they are finished.

To make them you will need ... foam shapes (or other items) ... wood dowels ... a hot glue gun and glue sticks ... paint and paint brushes ... and collage materials.

Paint the wood dowels and let them dry. Next glue on the foam shape (or other item) using a hot glue gun and let set. Add other collage materials as desired.

You can make pointers for each season, to go with your unit of study, or alphabet or number pointers. You can use pencil toppers, wooded objects, large foam shapes, etc. What fun! And simple too!

Feature Friday

I have to share my latest purchase - Xyron 500 Create-a-Sticker Machine. I featured this product in August. It is the coolest! The Xyron 5" create-a-sticker turns almost anything into a sticker by applying an even layer of adhesive to the back of all kinds of materials, including paper, photos, fabric, leather and more. Simply feed the item in, turn the handle and trim. An even layer of Acid-Free Permanent or Acid-Free Repositionable adhesive will adhere to items up to 5" wide. I purchased the Xyron at Wal-Mart for $20. The refillable cartridges were $10 a piece. (I bought the repositional adhesive and the permanent adhesive.) I am so excited. I cannot wait to try it out. The possibilities are endless - labeling cubbies & mats, making games, labeling containers, etc. I will keep you posted.


Xyron 500 Create-A-Sticker



Thoughtful Thursday

Last night I listened to the news for a recap of the final gubernatorial debate. An education major at a local university who attended the debate came away feeling more confused than ever as to whom to cast her vote. The student said the biggest problem with the debate was that it was "childish and catty" and neither candidate won her vote with the way they interacted with each other. She went on to say they argued about how many jobs were in the  department of education as opposed to talking about the real issues and how they were going to create  better education for the children of South Carolina. At this point she questions if that is how they are going to act in trying to be bi-partisan in the government.

As we approach election day on November 2, my advice is to read and study the issues for each candidate and make an informed decision. Go out and VOTE!

Workshop Wednesday

Halloween Transfer Activities (The Last Halloween Idea!)

Pumpkin Transfer: An egg tray with little pumpkins to transfer.  Pumpkins and tray are from Hobby Lobby.


Spider Tweezing: This is a fun little transfer activity. The pumpkin tray is from the Dollar Tree.  The little fake spiders are from Dollar General.  The tweezers are perfect for grabbing their little legs!


Spider Sifting: Use a slotted spoon to sift Halloween spiders out of a bowl of rice and transfer to another bowl. The spiders are plastic spider rings with the ring part cut off. Swapping the white rice for black or orange rice would be delightfully eerie!


Ideas taken from My Montessori Journey

Transition Tuesday

Need a quick tranistion activity to get the wiggles out. Try this idea.

Hands on Hips

Hands on hips: now turn around.

Plant your feet here in the ground.

Twist your hips, now stretch and bend.

Turn around. Smile at a friend.

Bend your body; sway and sway,

That is all we’ll do today!

(Read slowly so that children will have sufficient time to perform each activity.)

Make & Take Monday

One more Halloween Treat!

(Okay maybe not. )

Halloween Play Dough
Make 2 types of play dough for Halloween to add to your play dough center: black with lots of purple glitter and orange.  Both are unscented. Add Wilton gels, instead of food coloring,  to make the play dough brighter. (Be careful when making the black. Your hands will be stained a purplish/reddish color). Add  purple glitter to the black play dough and then add some pipe cleaners and wiggly eyes for spiders. Put out some Halloween cookie cutters with black beans for Jack O' Lanterns.

This make & take activity is sure to be a treat not a trick!

Feature Friday

More Halloween books for your classroom library.

Inside a House that is Haunted by Alyssa Satin Capucilli is a rebus read along, so it is repetitive and it builds upon itself. This is great for children who are eager to “read along” before they are able to read words. The repetitiveness allows them to anticipate what is next and feel included. Very cute even after reading it hundreds of times.

There was an Old Lady Who Swallowed a Bat! by Lucille Colandro will be a huge hit! It’s a reworking of the classic song "There was an old lady who swallowed a fly" only this one swallows a whole bunch of Halloween creatures, like a goblin, ghost and of course a bat.  She continues to swallow bigger and bigger things until at the end the old lady belches. Children will laugh hysterically.

Dem Bones by Bob Barner is sort of two books in one. The superficial layer uses the words of the ever popular old time spiritual with fun Halloween inspired skelleton illustrations. There is also a second layer that has longer text for older children that goes into the anatomy of the bones the song sings about. Great way to keep a Halloween theme strong while teaching about the human body!

Thoughtful Thursday

"Teachers and caregivers have daily opportunities to be the catalysts for spectacular developmental advances for children who otherwise seem destined to end up in a developmental wasteland.  We help provide love and attention, a healthful environment, good nutrition, and appropriate interpersonal interaction day after day.  So, whether we think of these dramatic changes as miracles or simply developmental advances, they are all around us, just waiting for a chance to happen — and waiting for us to help.  The opportunity to be part of such miracles in the lives of young children is a bonus of our professional work that should not be taken lightly."

How many lives have you touched today?

Taken from "Frankie's Story: Early Experiences Matter" by Bettye Caldwell.

Workshop Wednesday

Halloween Math

It is a Cards and Counters variation.  The children lay out the numbered cards in order and then place the appropriate amount of Halloween pencil toppers beneath the numbers.   Erasers and the little felt "bucket" can be found in the Dollar Spot at Target or at the dollar store.  What a fun way to reinforce counting!

Taken from My Montessori Journey

Transition Tuesday

Try this cute little fall action poem to transition children from one activity to another.

 Autumn is Here

Acorns drop—plop, plop, plop! Drop to the floor; pat it with your hands.
Colored leaves in the breeze. Twirl like a leaf.
Pumpkins bright, what a sight. Hold arms out to resemble a round pumpkin.
Autumn's here—give a cheer! Jump up and down in excitement.

Make & Take Monday

Want to add some pizazz to your sensory tubs, try this Halloween idea. Most of the items can be purchased at craft stores and dollar stores.

Use dried black beans, plastic spiders, bats, skeletons, and scorpions (from the dollar store), orange pom-poms, orange beads, googly eyes, orange pipe cleaners, and orange feathers. Add in a scoop, cups, tunnels,  and tongs for even more fun! The possibilities are endless. Enjoy!



Taken from Counting Coconuts



Feature Friday

Halloween Books

Halloween will be here before we know it and all the good Halloween books will be gobbled up at the library soon too.  I thought I’d share my favorites now so you have time to grab them before someone else does. Remember preschoolers love to relive special days after they happen so don’t put the books away with your decorations, leave them out a little longer.

"Big Pumpkin" by Erica Silverman is a staple in most preschool classrooms. It’s a cute story about a witch who is desperate for pumpkin pie but her giant pumpkin is too big for her to pick up! Luckily she enlists the help of a ghost, vampire, mummy and bat and with a little teamwork they save the night! The rhyming text is almost like a song and kids love it!

"10 Trick – or Treaters" by Janet Schulman has the most adorable pictures and in every page there is an owl hidden somewhere, which is a great trick to keep reluctant readers involved. The story counts down from 10 to no trick or treaters with fun rhyming text and a fun array of trick or treaters in cute costumes.

"Wobble the Witch Cat" by Mary Calhoun is a vintage story that is charming and much loved by young children. Wobble is a cat who belongs to Maggie a kind old witch , but Wobble hates riding on Maggie’s slippery broom. The other cats tease him and with Halloween coming up he decides to get rid of Maggie’s broom. When Maggie can’t find her magic broom, all she finds is a vacuum cleaner, but will it fly? 

Thoughtful Thursday

I still get wildly enthusiastic about little things…

I play with leaves.

I skip down the street

and run against the wind. 

Leo F. Buscaglia

 

Everything about this time of year makes me feel like I’m six again.  The colors jump off the trees in all their glory. The weather is getting cooler. The crunch of the leaves as we walk outside. And the smellsl - pumpkin, nutmeg, cinnamon. I sure do love this time of year.   



Photography by Katherine Marie



Workshop Wednesday

Paper Bag Pumpkins

Taken from Teach Preschool

What you will need:

• Paper lunch bag
• Craft stick
• Green and orange paint
• Green yarn
• Newspaper

What your child will do

• Paint the paper bag orange
• Paint the craft stick green
• Fill the paper bag with newspaper or other type of scrap paper.
• Stick the painted craft stick into the top of the bag
• Tie the bag closed with a piece of yarn.

Transition Tuesday

Good Morning Sunshine!

Want to a new way of taking attendance and morning message - try Good Morning Sunshine! As children enter the classroom place an easel with notes about the day, i.e. special events, activities, any visitors, etc.  Also, include the children's name tags.  When the children arrive they find their name tag and choose a spot on the morning sunshine to place their name. At morning greeting circle, sing Good Morning Sunshine and have the children greet one another. Then read the message.

Taken from Montessori Mama

Make & Take Monday

Acorn Sorting Trees

Cover 4 or 5 Pringles cans with bark-like contact paper and cut a hole in the side.  Hot glue a nut on top of each can.  Place a basket of nuts next to the "trees" and sort.

Taken from the Mailbox Magazine

Feature Friday

Okay. I know I am rushing the season. But teachers prepare months in advance, so I wanted to feature a new Christmas book your children are sure to love -It's Christmas David by David Shannon. The book was released on September, 1, 2010 with plenty of time to spare for the holidays.
We already know how naughty David is; now imagine Christmas trees, cookies, candy, holiday parties, presents…and David. Is Santa watching and will David have any presents left under the tree? This one is a sure hit all children will be able to relate to. Move over Christmas Story here comes David!

Thoughtful Thursday

The Magic of Preschool

"Interestingly, the Perry Preschool didn’t lead to a lasting boost in IQ scores.  While kids exposed to preschool got an initial bump in general intelligence, this dissipated by second grade.  Instead, preschool seemed to improve performance on a variety of 'non-cognitive' abilities, such as self-control, persistence, and grit.  While society has long obsessed over raw smarts — just look at our fixation on IQ scores — Heckman and Cunha argue that these non-cognitive traits are often more important. They note, for instance, that dependability is the trait most valued by employers, while 'perseverance, dependability, and consistency are the most important predictors of grades in school.'  Of course, these valuable skills have little or anything to do with general intelligence.  And that’s probably a good thing, since our non-cognitive traits are much more malleable, at least when interventions occur at an early age, than IQ. Preschool might not make us smarter — our intelligence is strongly shaped by our genes — but it can make us a better person, and that’s even more important."

Taken from Exchange Everyday, August 20, 2010

Workshop Wednesday

My favorite season is here! I LOVE fall. I love the colors, sounds, smells, and most of all the cooler days. Today's activity, "Fall Trees", can be used as a small group activity or in centers and can easily be played by just one child or by two children.

Materials: Print the Roll A Fall Tree game from Play2LearnPrintables. Laminate the dice directions card. The tree (using the template) can be made from construction paper, poster board or brown craft foam.  The leaves can be made from the pattern, leaf die cuts, or foam leaves. Just make sure you use the correct colors. You will also need a container (tray, Ziploc bag, basket) for the game.

Directions: To play the child must roll the die and get a "6" to get the tree.  Then they add colored leaves as directed by future rolls of the die.  Place 2 of each color of leaf in a separate container.  See picture below.

Here is what the tree would look like when full of leaves. 

You could change this activity by having the children roll the die and add that number of leaves to the tree, regardless of color. There are many ways to use this activity. Adapt it to meet the needs of your children and have fun!

Transition Tuesday

  Clapping Pattern

Clap or tap in a pattern, for example, clap slowly twice and then clap fast three times. The students are to stop what they are doing and repeat the pattern. If necessary, do it again until all children have responded and are quiet.

Make & Take Monday

Brain Sprinkles

Cover a small Pringle’s can or similar container with shiny paper. Put a tablespoon of rice in the bottom of the can and glue on the lid. Make a label that says, “Brain Sprinkles.” When you have something special that you want the children to remember, pretend to shake the “brain sprinkles” on their heads.

Taken from Dr. Jean

Feature Friday

Rain Gutter Book Displays

Today's feature is an inexpensive way to display books for your classroom..
You will need the following materials:

• Plastic rain gutters from the home improvement store
• Special scissors to cut your gutters to the correct length, or a very helpful home improvement store employee who will do it for you
• End caps for the rain gutters
• Screws
• Electric screw driver or drill for attaching the gutters to the wall
• Measuring tape
• Books and stuffed characters to display

First, measure the area you will be using to display your books. Next, purchase and cut your rain gutters to size. Now, attach the end caps to the rain gutters. Finally, attach the rain gutters to the wall using your electric drill or screwdriver.

A great idea if you don’t have a lot of storage space – but have plenty of wall space.

Taken from Pre-K Today

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.