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Friday Freebie – Color Words
Happy Friday! I love typing those words, because I love it when Friday finally gets here, and because I love sharing freebies with you! Since this week has been all about crayons, I thought I would share one of my favorite freebies that you can use your crayons with. These color word practice sheets are easy for little ones to complete independently, and they promote color recognition and color word practice. Go download your set and enjoy using them with your class!
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Melted Crayon Activities
Melting crayons is pretty trendy right now, and while it can be a little messy for the classroom, there are still some really amazing activities that you can do with melted crayons. PLUS, these activities are a great way to explore liquids, solids, color mixing, and temperature concepts. Here are some perfect ideas for melted crayon activities; Ice Cube Tray Crayons Make your own crayons! Children are always more likely to use something that they made themselves, and it’s a well known fact that no child wants to use a broken crayon. Melting all of your broken crayons into new crayons is the perfect way to get rid of those…
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Crayon Art for Preschool
I think that crayons are one of those art supplies that we take for granted. They are always available, so we don’t necessarily use them to their fullest. There are SO MANY different things that you can do with crayons, so here are some great drawing activities for little ones to explore: Crayon resist with watercolors Draw on sandpaper Use hot glue to make rubbing plates Use multiple crayons at one time Give them plenty of space to draw Try a batik-type resist Make your own scratch art Tomorrow I’m sharing activities to try with melted crayons, so be sure to check back for more ideas!
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Fun Crayon Products
While I fully understand that preschool budgets can be tight, sometimes it’s fun to splurge (or window shop). Since this week is all about crayons I thought I’d share some fun crayon products for you all to drool over. All links are affiliates, but I really love these items and I may have already purchased a few for myself! Twistables Fun Effect Crayons Some are metallic, some are neon, some are multi-colored! Crayola Triangular Crayons 8ct Yes, they promote proper grip, but let’s be honest – the best thing about these is that they won’t roll off the table! Color Appeel Crayon How fun are these?! Not only are they…
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Crayon Storage
I’m starting something new for my little blog; the last week of each month I’m going to focus on a different art supply, and how you can use that supply with your kiddos. This week will be all about crayons, which seems really simple, but I have a promise I have a lot to say about crayons! First and foremost, it’s important to recognize that you don’t have to use a specific type of crayon when you’re working with little ones. While it may be easier for your youngest students, or those with fine motor delays, to hold on to chubby crayons we also want to make sure that we…
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Friday Freebie – Weather I Spy
Happy Friday! This week kind of got away from me, there was just a little too much going on! I haven’t posted as much this week, but I have been working on big things with some of my favorite products. Tons of them are getting updates, so If you’ve purchased any from my TPT store make sure you take a minute to see if any of your purchases have updates! Today’s freebie is an activity that I could see myself sitting down to enjoy with the kiddos, its a Weather I Spy Counting set from Life Over C’s. There are so many different ways that you could use this fun,…
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Teachers Pay Teachers SALE!
Yup, you read that right, TPT is having a sale! It’s happening today and tomorrow and it’s the perfect time to stock up on everything that you’ll need for the rest of the school year, so start planning ahead and get your shopping done now! It’s a tradition here at Preschool Ponderings for me to share my own wish list when there’s a sale, so take a few minutes to see what I’ve got my eye on, and then go pick out some fun stuff of your own. Remember to use the code START16 for extra savings. Here’s my wish list: This adorable Sharing is Caring poster set from…
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3 Things that have changed the way I teach preschool
After teaching toddlers and preschoolers for nearly 10 years, I finally took the time to put all of the things I had learned into 3 different products. These products incorporate all that I have learned from great mentors, as well as lessons that I had to learn myself. Teaching is a journey, and all of us who’ve experienced it have something to share. That’s why it was so important for me to share my insights with all of you. Here are the three products that have given my teaching purpose and direction: Preschool Portfolio Pack: I’ve used similar portfolios and checklists for years, but they’ve never been designed to work…
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Routines and behaviors
Everyone says that routines are important. When you complain about behavior issues the first suggestion is always to implement a routine or schedule. But the real question is why? What do routines have to do with behaviors? In one word; Everything. Routines help children know what to expect and prepare for changes. Understanding the daily routine lets the child feel like they are in control because, instead of like they are being shuffled around by adults. When children have a routine to follow they are better able to focus on the work they are doing. They can immerse themselves in an activity because they know that they have time to…
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A flexible schedule in the preschool classroom
The words flexible and schedule don’t really seem like they should go together. Schedules aren’t generally flexible, but in preschool they should be. So what exactly is a flexible schedule? It’s a daily routine that has a some wiggle room. This lets the teacher follow the needs and interests of the children so that the entire group gets the opportunity to take advantage of teachable moments. Have you ever had an entire group of children working together to build a magnificent city in the block area, and you had to tell them that it was time to put it all away so that they could come to circle time? As…
