I found this sensory box idea here, and wanted to be sure I remembered it for mext year!
Tuesday, August 30, 2011
Monday, August 29, 2011
Weather Bear
Darling idea for the little ones to help choose what to wear during different types of weather! I chose the black and white version and pasted them into the paint program first, so I could choose my own colors.
Monthly Themes-Dramatic Play
Here are my monthly themes and my plans for dramatic play:
January (weather) rain coat, rain boots, umbrella, coat, snow pants, scarf, winter hat, winter boots, sun screen bottle (cleaned out and lid glued on), and sunglasses.
February (transportation) uniforms, steering wheel, train out of boxes ad cunductor hat/ overalls, pilot wings, bus driver hat, and bike helmet.
March (Dr. Seuss) red and white tall hats (Cat in the Hat), elephant trunk (Horton), fish hat (One Fish..), other crazy items to dress up like characters from books.
April (animals) masks from oriental trading
May (plants) overalls, hoe, shovel, flower pots, fake flowers/ plants, farmer hat, and gloves.
June (insects) butterflies/ nets, rubber insects, beehive/ bees, and rubber spiders.
July (camping/ safety) small tent, sleeping bag, hats, boots, hiking gear, flashlights, wood for a "fire", and marshmallows.
August and September (back to school) back packs, school supplies, school clothes, toothbrush, comb, shampoo bottle, wash cloth, coat, and clock.
October (all about me) phone, wigs, dress-up clothes like mom and dad, play make-up, mirror, and stuffed animals for pets with leashes.
November and December (neighborhoods and community helpers) set up a grocery store with play food and money, post office with paper/ envelopes/ stamps with home-made glue, restaurant with play food and money, bank with play money and play checks, car wash, farm, veterenarian, police, and fire fighter.
January (weather) rain coat, rain boots, umbrella, coat, snow pants, scarf, winter hat, winter boots, sun screen bottle (cleaned out and lid glued on), and sunglasses.
February (transportation) uniforms, steering wheel, train out of boxes ad cunductor hat/ overalls, pilot wings, bus driver hat, and bike helmet.
March (Dr. Seuss) red and white tall hats (Cat in the Hat), elephant trunk (Horton), fish hat (One Fish..), other crazy items to dress up like characters from books.
April (animals) masks from oriental trading
May (plants) overalls, hoe, shovel, flower pots, fake flowers/ plants, farmer hat, and gloves.
June (insects) butterflies/ nets, rubber insects, beehive/ bees, and rubber spiders.
July (camping/ safety) small tent, sleeping bag, hats, boots, hiking gear, flashlights, wood for a "fire", and marshmallows.
August and September (back to school) back packs, school supplies, school clothes, toothbrush, comb, shampoo bottle, wash cloth, coat, and clock.
October (all about me) phone, wigs, dress-up clothes like mom and dad, play make-up, mirror, and stuffed animals for pets with leashes.
November and December (neighborhoods and community helpers) set up a grocery store with play food and money, post office with paper/ envelopes/ stamps with home-made glue, restaurant with play food and money, bank with play money and play checks, car wash, farm, veterenarian, police, and fire fighter.
Friday, August 26, 2011
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.
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.
Wednesday, August 24, 2011
Preschool Packs
I am obsessed with this website! I love these packs for my centers, and SUPER love the clip art!
Saturday, August 13, 2011
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!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
