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Friday Freebie – Seed Math
Happy Friday! My posts this week have been all about spending time outside; Exploring, Taking Walks, and Gardening – today’s freebie is a math activity that would be great to do while you take a break from planting the garden. This seed math set is a really cute way to help children practice sorting different seeds, counting them, and graphing them. It is also a really nice visual of what the seeds for each plant look like, one that you could refer to all summer long. Go download this freebie from Elizabeth McCarter and enjoy your weekend, we’ve almost made it to Memorial Day!
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Ideas for gardening with young children
Young children desperately want to help with everything, and gardening looks like so much fun because you get to dig in the dirt and get your hands dirty. Gardening together is a great way to teach responsibility, and to help children learn where their food comes from, plus, children are a lot more likely to try new foods when they’ve had a hand in growing them. There are a lot of things that children can help with in the garden, starting with choosing the plants. Ask children what kind of plants they would like to grow. Encourage them to think about the kinds of vegetables that they like to…
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Preschool Activities to practice shape identification
It’s Wednesday, and here at Preschool Ponderings, that means time to focus on the standards. Every Wednesday I choose an Early Learning Standard and share a number of activities that can be aligned with that particular standard. Remember, 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: MathematicsStrand: GeometryTopic: Identify and Describe ShapesThis standard is about exactly what you would think – teaching children to recognize and name different…
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The value of taking walks as a class
For as long as I have been teaching, I have been taking my toddler and preschool classes on short walks at least twice a week. These walks serve a few different purposes; we all get a little time outside to stretch our legs, we get to see how our community changes throughout the seasons, we practice safety rules, and I get to see the world from their perspective. When we start our walks at the beginning of the year they are usually pretty short, just around the block to get used to the idea of walking together. By the time summer gets here we can walk pretty far, and spend…
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Exploring the Outdoors with Preschoolers
Children are naturally curious about the outdoors, and spring is the perfect time to take advantage of their natural curiosity. The weather is beautiful, new plants are growing, bugs are crawling (and flying) all over the place! Spending time exploring outside is also a great way to meet some Science and Inquiry standards. Encourage children to explore by introducing a few fun tools that they can use. Great science tools for the outdoors include: Magnifying glasses Bug jars Binoculars Small scoops or shovels If your students need some guidance, or you want to encourage more focused exploration, here are some great ideas: Collect soil samples from different areas (or have…
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Friday Freebie – Teacher Appreciation
Happy Friday! Teacher Appreciation week might be over, but it’s always a great time to tell a teacher thank you. Today’s freebie would make a great end of the year gift for your child’s teacher, or a great thank you for the other staff members in your building. These cute coffee cup sleeves are printable, and will fit around a travel mug, or a paper cup from the coffee shop. Download them from I Should Be Mopping the Floor!
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What’s in my bag?
Yesterday I shared my favorite teacher bags, today I thought I’d give you a peek inside my school bag. I always find a few random things in there, it’s kind of a bottomless pit. Here’s a picture; Right now my bag holds My water bottle My iPad The latest issue of the Young Child Two empty zipper pouches My planner A picture that one of my students drew for me A picture that I drew An umbrella My school keys An old Michaels gift card A crumpled receipt My bag only gets cleaned out when I switch to a new one. I’ve been using this one since before Christmas, which…
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6 Great Teacher Bags
I have this problem, I love bags (way too much…). Over the years I’ve fallen in love with a number of bags that I’ve used to drag all of my stuff to school. Since it’s Teacher Appreciation week, and my favorite gift would be a new school bag, I thought I’d share my favorites with you. Vera Bradley Tic Tac ToteThis bag was my original teacher tote. It’s huge and can fit all kinds of things, plus it’s structured, so when I set it down on the floor it keeps it’s shape. Vera Bradley recently released a newer version, which has 6 interior pockets and a zip top. 31 Organizing…
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Teacher Appreciation Sale
Happy Teacher Appreciation Week! Since this week is all about celebrating teachers, Teachers Pay Teachers is having a sale! I’ve got a tradition here on Preschool Ponderings, for every TPT Sale I share my personal wish list (what I’ll be buying during the sale), along with a couple of great resources from my store that you can pick up at a discounted price. Today I’m linking up with Lisa at Pawsitively Teaching to connect you to even more amazing resources created by teachers for teachers. So first, I’ll share the best seller from my TPT store, a resource from my store that you can snag for just $1, and…
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A Pinterest Tip for Teachers and a HUGE Giveaway
I think it is awesome when teachers support each other. That is one thing that makes our jobs so much easier! For Teacher Appreciation Week I’ve teamed up with some amazing teachers to share tips that work in our classrooms, along with incredible prizes for very deserving teachers – YOU! Check out my tips, and make sure to scroll all the way to the bottom to see the prizes and enter to win! I use Pinterest all the time, and the vast majority of ideas that I pin are for school. When I first started using Pinterest for school (a few years ago!) I had one board for preschool…
