• It’s THAT time

    It doesn’t matter when Easter or your Spring Break falls, whenever it is that you come back from that particular break – or long weekend, it inevitably dawns on you tit is now time to think about graduation.  Whether you love it or hate it, preschool graduation (or even end of the year parties) tend to be quite the production.  It’s the perfect time to showcase all of the hard work that the children have done throughout the year but organizing and displaying said work is, in itself, a lot of work! One of my most popular posts is Everything You Need to Host a Preschool Graduation, so I thought…

  • Friday Freebie – Following Directions

    Happy Friday! It’s finally starting to feel like spring (now that the 7 inches of snow we got last week has melted), so I’m in the mood to share a spring freebie! This Following Directions set from Sublime Speech is a fun game that you can play to help your little ones practice multi-step directions. Use the game mats that are included, or use the cards during large group activities so that everyone can practice together!Download your set and have a great weekend!

  • Week of the Young Child – Work Together Wednesday

    Happy Week of the Young Child! I thought I’d celebrate by sharing some fun ideas to help you follow along with NAEYC’s themed days. For more info about the Week of the Young Child celebration you can visit NAEYC’s website, but I’m going to jump right into the fun! Work together Wednesday – I love it! What a great theme day! There are about a million things that you could do to celebrate work together Wednesday, but the activity that I thought of immediately encourages more than just working together.  This activity takes some serious problem solving skills, along with a little bit of simple engineering.  The best part is that…

  • Week of the Young Child – Taco Tuesday

    Happy Week of the Young Child! I thought I’d celebrate by sharing some fun ideas to help you follow along with NAEYC’s themed days. For more info about the Week of the Young Child celebration you can visit NAEYC’s website, but I’m going to jump right into the fun! Taco Tuesday is about eating healthy, and the minute that I saw Taco Tuesday on NAEYC’s list, I thought of this book: My kiddos are in love with Build a Burrito by Denise Vega (it’s out of print but I was able to find a couple of copies on Amazon).  It’s a counting book all about building the perfect burrito, with text…

  • Week of the Young Child – Music Monday

    Happy Week of the Young Child! I thought I’d celebrate by sharing some fun ideas to help you follow along with NAEYC’s themed days. For more info about the Week of the Young Child celebration you can visit NAEYC’s website, but I’m going to jump right into the fun! I’m loving music monday – Music can change your mood in an instant, so it’s a toll that I used in the classroom all the time.  On gloomy days when we’re stuck indoors I put on happy, upbeat music.  When the kiddos really need some calm, I put music that is soothing. I fully believe in the power of music, and…

  • Friday Freebie – Rainy Day

    Happy Friday !This week has been all about getting back into the swing of things – and keeping it fun at the same time.  I’ve shared a couple of my go-to activities for making the most of not so fun days (fort building and obstacle courses!) and today’s freebie fits that theme perfectly. This Rainy Day Activities book from TeachersStore is full of fun ideas for the classroom.  Download your copy and then check out this other great rainy day idea:Banish boredom with a rainy day box

  • Classroom Obstacle Courses

    Yesterday I posted tips for one of my favorite rainy afternoon activities – fort building.  Today I’m sharing the activity that I keep in my other pocket – obstacle courses.  The trick to a good obstacle course is to include elements that will be challenging, but not so difficult that the children can’t do them. When I create an obstacle course I use items that are already in my classroom, but I try to think of ways that they can be used differently – chairs become tunnels that they have to slither through, pillows become stepping stones, and rulers are for jumping over.  This gets the children excited about the…

  • Fort Building!

    I mentioned earlier this week that the weather around here has been crummy – that’s kind of how spring goes in Ohio. It’s either still cold or raining – either way, we don’t get as much time outside as I would like.  This makes everyone a little cranky, and some afternoons are just difficult.  When those days happen I throw the plans out the window and we build forts. The children love, love, love this, and I know that they are still using problem solving and social skills, so it’s a great team building activity.  Since these afternoons are somewhat spontaneous, there are a few things that I try to…

  • Treat yourself!

    I just got back from vacation – and I’m sure many of you are in the same boat – after time off it’s doubly hard to go back to work and get into the groove.  A while ago I stumbled across a tip that has worked wonders for lifting my spirits, and I wanted to share it as we dive into the rest of the school year. This tip is all about treating yourself – recognizing (and doing) those little things that brighten your day.  Oh, and best of all, I made a little freebie to go with it! It’s very simple, but it makes a huge difference.  Just take…

  • April Currently

    It’s April (and it’s snowing here, but we won’t go there…) here’s what I’ve been up to lately: Listening: I’m working at Starbucks right now and listening to their playlist – I’m not a fan.  I have a pretty wide range of taste when it comes to music, but it doesn’t include jazz.  However, I refuse to bring my headphones when I work away from home because I am terrified that I will start singing along and make a complete fool of myself! So for now, Starbucks jazz it is.  Loving: Right around the middle of March I refuse to wear a coat if at all possible – the calendar…