-
Halloween books!
Did you know that October is national book month?! I thought that i would celebrate by sharing my favorite books to read to my class this month. Most of these are Halloween books, and I love them because they make what can be a pretty frightening holiday a little less scary, and a little more whimsical. Make sure to scroll all the way to the bottom to see my all-time-favorite pick! All of the following links are Amazon affiliates. Room on the Broom is an adorable story and the perfect book for talking about rhyming words! The Little Old Lady Who Was Not Afraid of Anything is a teeny tiny…
-
Friday Freebie – Trick or Treat Sequencing
Happy Friday! I’ve given in to the Halloween chaos (even though we still have a couple of weeks) but I’m trying to stay away from the candy! Today’s freebie is a Trick or Treat Sequencing poster from Preschool Wonders. You can use it to teach preschoolers practice the steps involved in Trick or Treating, and to help them become more comfortable with the entire process. Halloween can be scary for little ones, so giving them as much information about the day can ease some of those fears. Have a wonderful weekend, and make sure to check out the rest of this week’s Halloween-themed posts for more great activities! Treats to…
-
EASY Halloween Sensory Bin
I was going through my Instagram feed earlier and I came across this photo from a couple of years ago – the timing couldn’t be better so I thought I’d share it here. This is honestly the easiest sensory bin ever, I just took some Halloween colored paper and ran it through the shredder. I finished it off by turning make-up remover pads into eyeballs with markers, that’s it. This would be perfect for your spooky Halloween party!
-
My Favorite Halloween Activity
I can’t let Halloween fly by without sharing my all-time favorite Halloween activity! This Jack-o-Lantern shape set can be used in so many different ways, so it is easy to use with children of varying ages and abilities. Children can use the shapes to make any face they wish, or they can recreate the inspiration cards by recognizing the shapes that have been used, finding them, and placing them in the proper locations on the Jack-o-Lantern. The set also includes matching cards, which children can use to play memory, or to match to the larger Jack-o-Lantern inspiration cards. Finally, there are “find me” cards. Children can work together to find…
-
Treats to watch out for
Halloween is quickly approaching, so this week I’m going to share some of my favorite activities, but I also want to share some safety tips that are helpful for teachers, parents, and anyone that will be spending this holiday with young children. Halloween is all about sweet treats, so candy and snacks tend to appear out of thin air. One thing to remember when celebrating with the youngest children is that many common Halloween snacks can also be choking hazards. So whether you are indulging in sweets or trying to stay healthy, here are some foods to watch out for; Popcorn Jolly Ranchers Jawbreakers Hard Candy Gum and Gumballs Nuts…
-
Friday Freebie – Election Day
Happy Friday! I know that we’ve still got time before election day, but this freebie fits really well with the other posts that I’ve shared this week, so I thought I’d point it out today so you can plan ahead. This Future Voter Ribbon craft from For Such Time is a great way to involve even the youngest children in election day. I love it because it’s also a great reminder to all of the adults in their lives that these little ones are watching us, and one day it will be their turn to make these big decisions.
-
Advocating for Early Childhood Education
Yesterday I shared some info to help you inform yourself about child care policy and the upcoming elections. Here are some graphics that you can share as you advocate for our profession and our children. From Sesame Workshop From The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation From the Center for American Progress The easiest way to advocate for a cause you believe in is to vote, the next best step is to contact your legislator. Arm yourself with the facts and make your message heard!
-
A cause worth believing in
Other than advocating for my favorite teaching philosophies, I don’t generally get political here – don’t worry I’m not about to. I just wanted to take a quick minute to recognize that election day is coming up and I for one am most interested in what all of the candidates have to say about Early Childhood Education Policy and Funding. While the presidential election is important, don’t forget about local races too, state representatives and senators have a lot of influence on state budgets, and local school levies impact our children too. While I’m not advocating for any specific candidate (I promise I will never ever do that here), I…
-
Halloween Play Dough Activities
Play Dough is one of those preschool supplies that some teachers love and other teachers hate. I can certainly see both perspectives, but I love it. I’m a huge fan of homemade play dough, for a couple of reasons; A batch of homemade play dough can be shared among more children than one container of store bought play dough. When you make your own play dough you can create any color that you want, so it can be used for endless themes and seasons. If you’re careful you can make the play dough in the classroom, extending the learning experience and helping the children appreciate the play dough even more…
-
Preschool on Instagram
I follow a ton of great preschool teachers on Instagram, and their photos are a huge source of inspiration for me, so I thought I would take some time to share my favorites with you! playtolearnps: Jamie is always sharing photos from her classroom and all of the activities that she does are simple and easy to re-create. pocketofpreschool: Jackie has the best dramatic play centers, I Love her ideas and the way she includes the children in the work. teachingpreschoolers: Tami’s instagram is the perfect mix of classroom ideas and personal photos, I love when I get to see what my favorite teachers do outside of school teachpreschool: If…
