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Leaf Activities
When I saw these giant leaf cut outs from Oriental Trading, I had to have them. I didn’t really have a plan for them, but I was pretty sure I’d figure something out. Let me just say, I was really impressed with what I received – the images are great quality and the set included 48 leaf cut outs, so I had a ton of leaves to work with. While I was trying to figure out the best thing to do with all of them I came up with a long list of ideas, so I decided that instead of sharing just one or two, I’d give you the whole…
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Easy Leaf Art
If you’ve been reading this blog for a while you know how hard I try to come up with art ideas that families will not only want to display, but will also keep for years to come. I found the perfect one for this fall with the help of Oriental Trading! This project could not be easier, your students will love it, and so will their families. I got the white ceramic ornaments from Oriental Trading’s Halloween collection. The “dipped” look is pretty popular, so that’s what I was going for. I put a little acrylic paint in the bottom of a plastic cup and added a little water so…
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Everything autumn
The fall bug has bitten me hard! I put out all of my autumn decor this weekend and I have been savoring my fair share of pumpkin spice lattes. If you’re anything like me you’ve already started thinking about incorporating everything fall into the classroom, so I thought I’d round up some of my favorite autumn activity posts to share with you. Happy planning! Sensory activities with autumn spices Pumpkin compare and contrast sensory activity DIY fall classroom decor Autumn manipulatives for preschool Preschool leaf activities Printable centers for autumn
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Friday Freebie – Math Center Labels
Happy Friday! Don’t you love four-day weeks?! Earlier this week I shared a new freebie for the math center, and today I have another one. These Math Manipulative Labels will make your life easier and save you tons of time. Download them and start organizing because nothing is more fun than labeling stuff (I’m not joking). Have a great weekend!
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New Stuff!
I just finished putting together two new resources for the classroom and I LOVE them! I’ve been working on these for a while and I am so excited to share them with you because they are going to add value to your classroom centers! One thing that I’ve always struggled with are the wanderers – those children who have a really hard time choosing an activity, so they just kind of wander around. I also have a hard time helping children who don’t understand how to play all by themselves, you know, the kids who need to be told what to do and when to do it. I designed these…
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Slow Down Fall!
Fall is here! It might still be 90 degrees outside, but if you’ve taken a minute to read a blog, browse pinterest, or visit a store over the weekend, you’ve definitely seen the signs; Halloween decorations, apple recipes, and sweater outfits are out in full force. This time of year can be especially confusing for little ones – there are simply too many transitions. Back to school, different clothes, new routines, new teachers, then you throw in shorter days, busy weekends, festivals, and holidays. That’s a lot for a little one to deal with! Don’t get me wrong, I LOVE fall (seriously, you should see my personal collection of pumpkin…
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Friday Freebie – Printable Paint Chips
Happy Friday! I went way back today to pull out a freebie that I haven’t featured in a very long time. This Printable Paint Chips set includes 33 different paint chips that you can print right from your computer – yes, I know that it’s probably more cost effective to go pick up the free paint chips from the store than it is to print your own BUT every time that I needed paint chips I didn’t have time to run to the store – I needed them now! So I made some that I could print in a pinch. The possibilities are endless with these, you could match color…
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Teaching Children to Use Loose Parts
When you incorporate loose parts into your classroom for the first time, there is bound to be a learning curve. You’ll have to teach the children appropriate ways to use the Marian’s, and model how to be creative with them. Many of your children may not be familiar with open-ended materials like these and they may not choose to use them simply because they aren’t sure how. Here are some tips for teaching children to use these types of materials; Incorporate them slowly – start with one or two different types of loose parts that you use for planned activities, then leave these in the classroom for children to explore.…
