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An Amazing Celebration!
My friend Jamie from Play to Learn Preschool is celebrating her Teachers Pay Teachers Anniversary in a huge way! She’s put together a giant bundle full of resources (30 resources to be exact) from some awesome TPT sellers. The bundle is only going to be available this week, and every single cent that Jamie makes is going to be donated to charity. Take a minute to check out all of the great products in this bundle, along with the charities that will benefit, and then head over to download Jamie’s Pay it Forward Bundle!
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Friday Freebie – Halloween Safety Book
Happy Friday! I am so excited about today’s freebie that I want to shout it from the rooftops – I am going to personally share this activity book with every single student, teacher, and parent that I know because the information is important, and the delivery is oh so developmentally appropriate. Today’s freebie is a Halloween Safety booklet from Miss Kindergarten Love (LOVE HER!). The booklet includes great reminders for students and parents, such as making sure to check candy before it gets eaten, use a flashlight or reflective tape so that you can be seen, think about using makeup instead of wearing a mask so that you are able…
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Halloween Decorations for the Classroom
I love to change up my decorations at home to go with the seasons, but I’ve never really done it at school, mostly because I can’t afford to buy decorations for home and school – and because I don’t have a place to store those decorations. BUT that’s all about to change. I really wanted to do something cute for Halloween, so I created a super cute set of matching classroom decorations – bunting for the wall, cupcake toppers (or stickers), treat bag toppers, name tags, a door decoration, and instructions for a class Halloween wreath. Not only will my classroom look cute, but for the first time ever, I…
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Preschool Activities that Meet Social Emotional Standards
It’s Wednesday, which means it’s time for some activities aligned to a specific standard. This is the seventh week of this feature, and we’re still on social emotional standards. (The Standards that I use every day, and am most comfortable with are Ohio’s Early Learning Development Standards – you can review them here, however I’ve found that even if your State’s standards differ, many of these activities can still be aligned similarly). I’ve rounded up some great ideas today!Domain: Social Emotional DevelopmentStrand: RelationshipsTopic: Peer Interactions and RelationshipsPeer interactions involve so much more than just playing together. Children learn cooperative behaviors, negotiation skills, teamwork, and conflict resolution through repeated interaction and by watching…
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Book Talk Tuesday
I’m linking up with Mrs. Jump’s Class for Book Talk Tuesday. I love Halloween books, but my favorites are all pretty well known – The Little Old Lady Who Was not Afraid of Anything, It’s Pumpkin Time, and Room on the Broom are all great books, but I really want to share new books with you. Spooky is a board book from Roger Priddy, and while you may not recognize his name, his books are staples in infant, toddler, and preschool classrooms. Spooky is a touch and feel picture book that includes both simple illustrations and lifelike photographs. It is a great way to introduce very young children to Halloween, and…
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Holiday Shopping on a Teacher’s Budget
I accomplished a major task this weekend – I finished all of my Christmas shopping (I know, yes, it’s October). I love getting it all out of the way early because then I get to enjoy the holidays and do fun stuff like baking and watching holiday movies without worrying about when I’m going to pick up those last couple of gifts. I usually have to spread out the gift-buying, waiting for my next pay check to pick up the rest of the presents on my list, but I tried something new this year and it worked so well that I had to share – I’ll definitely be doing this…
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Friday Freebie – Tech Ebook
It’s Friday! The freebie that I’m sharing with you today is one that I’m really excited about, mostly because I’ve put a ton of hours into it. I created this Tech Resources E-book for my upcoming NAEYC Conference Presentation, and I want to share it with the entire world. This book is full of clickable links and icons that will lead you to websites that I promise will make your job easier. There are sites where you can create a class blog, share info and photos with families, and collaborate with other teachers. I’ve also included links to my favorite blogs, Pinterest boards, and websites for creating amazing displays and…
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DIY Metallic Magnet Letters
I use magnet letters for all kinds of activities in my classroom so they are almost always on my shelves. While I find them invaluable, I’m not so fond of the bright colors. I found a way to make my magnet letters a little more aesthetically appealing, and I can’t believe how easy it was. I have three words for you: Metallic Spray Paint. Seriously, why did I not think of this before?! All I did was spray my plastic magnet letters with three coats of chrome spray paint (I let each coat dry before spraying on another coat). The final result is stunning, and my students couldn’t wait to…
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Preschool Activities that meet Social Emotional Standards
It’s Wednesday, which means it’s time for some activities aligned to a specific standard. This is the sixth week of this feature, and we’re still on social emotional standards. (The Standards that I use every day, and am most comfortable with are Ohio’s Early Learning Development Standards – you can review them here, however I’ve found that even if your State’s standards differ, many of these activities can still be aligned similarly). Let’s see what great ideas we can find today!Domain: Social Emotional DevelopmentStrand: RelationshipsTopic: Interactions with AdultsAll children should be able to make a list of adults that they trust and feel comfortable with. The key to meeting this particular standard…
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Book Talk Tuesday – Big Pumpkin
It’s Tuesday, so I’m linking up with Mrs. Jump’s Class for Book Talk Tuesday. I know it isn’t quite time for Halloween yet, but I have to share this book with you now so that you have time to track it down and share it with your class for a couple of weeks before Halloween. Big Pumpkin by Erica Silverman has been my favorite Halloween book ever since I was introduced to it my first year teaching. It tells the story of a witch who planted a pumpkin seed, which grows a pumpkin so big that she can’t move it by herself. One by one Halloween creatures attempt to move…
