New Stuff

So, to get back to my "new procedures"...
I really haven't had to do very much to make some good changes. I researched a bit and really found nothing to be that super helpful. So, I did some evaluating of my own...tried to put myself in the children's shoes, and realized that they were getting bored with the old routine. AND, because I have a large number of young ones right now, having to sit in their seat for any length of time is going to be a challange. For now, these are the changes I've made (and they seem to be working):

1. I found new, more exciting songs to go with every part of my circle time. A welcome song, an attendance song, a days of the week song, a date song, and a weather song. Each one is a bit more peppy than my old songs, and I can either add actions or get volunteers to help with each.

2. I am making a conscious effort to pick a "helper" for everything! Keeps them paying attention to who is going to be able to help next.

3. I am keeping things short and sweet. If they are seeming too squirly for something, I hit it quickly and move on.

4. I follow the same routine every single day! Kids ALWAYS do better when they have a routine.

5. I have also changed my curriculum time to include some more interesting and engaging centers, so the kids have something to look forward to.

I am not perfect, and I'm sure as the next few weeks go by, I will again need to tweak things. But, for now it has helped tremendously.

Need for New Management

Recently I have completed a very LARGE family assignment, which is a great relief! I now have a little ...(I stress the word little because I have a 2 year old and a 4 month old), a little more time I can spend on my preschool planning for this upcoming year. And by "this upcoming year" I really mean in a few weeks! Yikes! Has summer really sped by that quickly? Anyway, I am wanting to change the way I do things at school. Things have felt a bit unorganized and chaotic lately, and I am on a mission to implement as many procedures as I possibly can! No...but really, much change could take place for the better, and I want to make it happen! So my next few posts will be devoted to classroom management. How do we manage the classroom so that we don't go home at night begging for a backrub, a Pepsi, and a Tylenol? (I'd like to have enough energy when I go home that I can deal with and enjoy my children, without even thinking about touching the remote control!)So...tonight I research. Tomorrow, in between canning green beans, I hope to post some fabulous borrowed (stolen) ideas. Good night!