At the end of our school year for the past few years, our preschool has a Field Day where the children rotate through a variety of gross motor activities and spend most of the morning outside playing and working together. It is a great day, but definitely requires planning to make sure it goes smoothly. This is definitely different than a Field Day for
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Ever see a child shake a snow globe … and notice the soothing affect it has? There’s something about watching all the white flakes settle to the bottom that can be so relaxing. The same idea can be accomplished by making your own relaxation jar, with supplies readily available in almost any preschool … water, glue, food coloring and glitter! Oh yea .. and
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Just like we have done the past couple of years, we enjoy seeing what our top posts were from 2013! It is fun to take a look on Google Analytics from this perspective and see which posts generated the most interest. So here we go, our TOP 5 posts, starting with #1 …. #1: Counting and literacy with PETE THE CAT This was no surprise to
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I am delving into murky waters, but there seems to be an ‘elephant’ in the educational theorist’s classroom. There is a tremendous amount of literature about what makes a great teacher. However, there is a surprising dearth of research on the affect good students have on teacher performance. Come to think of it, that is understandable. The influence that a good student has on
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During the Fall in New England, there is much to-do about PUMPKINS! This adorable pumpkin-inspired craft is also a great fine-motor muscle workout for preschoolers who like to cut, rip and stuff things into small spaces! And to top it off, it’s a great way to use recycled materials! Pumpkin faces Collect a bunch of clean, plastic water or soda bottles (one per child), and
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The Story A fun way to explore feelings with preschoolers is through stories and interactive play. One of my favorite books for this topic is “Glad Monster, Sad Monster” by Ed Emberley and Anne Miranda. The book illustrations are vibrant and fun, and it’s a good learning opportunity to have the children guess the feeling of each monster as you read (based on the expression
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Parents, teachers and caregivers of young children, I am recommending a new book for you to add to your library! Ready for Kindergarten!: From Recognizing Colors to Making Friends, Your Essential Guide to Kindergarten Prep by Deborah J. Stewart, MEd is the perfect resource for those wanting practical insight into preparing children for success in kindergarten. Deborah shares information about things children should know and how
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We are continuing with the summer book study of “The Read-Aloud Handbook: Seventh Edition” by Jim Trelease with a review of Chapter 8: Television and Audio: Hurting or Helping Literacy? Television Talking about how much TV children watch can be a hot topic. And with the introduction of more and more “screens” in our lives (computers, electronic games, iPads, etc.) – monitoring a child’s screen-time can become a
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I am thoroughly enjoying the summer book study of “The Read-Aloud Handbook: Seventh Edition” by Jim Trelease. It hits me as both a parent and a teacher. I can relate to some of the questions that parents ask of Mr. Trelease about reading aloud to children … AND it reaffirms that all the reading aloud that I have done in the classroom and with Book
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This summer myself and my daughter participated in a cool activity called the “Summer Book Exchange” (hosted by –The Educators’ Spin On It) – where we were paired up with another blogger to exchange a book and activities with each other to promote Summer reading. We then read the book and do the activities that were sent to us and blog about it. It’s
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