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First day of School gift for parents and children
One of my all-time favorite ideas is a little gift that I put together for my preschoolers on their first day of kindergarten. It includes two little felt hearts, one for the parent and one for the child to keep with them on the first day, as well as some kleenex and Hershey’s Hugs for a little added comfort. This would also be a great gift to share with your new preschool families on meet the teacher night, or at your open house, so that they can use it on their first day of school. The tags that go with the set and explain the gift to parents are available…
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Friday Freebie – Parent Communication
Happy Friday! I don’t know about you but I consider the end of July the end of summer – at least the carefree, fun part of summer. Somehow we’ve made it to the end of July already and I’m not happy about it. So whether we like it or not, it’s time to think about getting ready for the new school year, and today’s freebie is perfect for that. This parent communication set from Teaching Treasure Box includes daily sheets, weekly summaries, first aid reports, field trip information, and a parent survey. It has everything that you need to keep parents informed. enjoy your last July weekend and make sure…
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Family Photo Albums for the Classroom
An easy way to help welcome families at the beginning of the year is to encourage them to share a little information about themselves. Using photo albums is popular because the albums also serve to help children separate from their parents a little easier in the morning. I’ve heard many teachers say that they’ve tried to create albums for the children but they haven’t been successful because families will not provide the photos that they need. This easy printable activity is something that you can send home with each student that might help combat this issue. I created this easy little paper bag album that you can send home for families to…
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Tips for welcoming new families
Whether you work for a year-round program or a program that follows a traditional school calendar there is a good chance that you will be welcoming some families that are new to your program in the fall. I am a huge believer in the importance of building relationships with parents, and those relationships start with first impressions. There are a few simple things that you can do to welcome families and make a positive impression that will lead to stronger relationships. Share information about yourself. It is common practice to share info about your program and classroom practices, but parents really want to know who you are. Consider sending home…
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Friday Freebie – Teacher Planning Pages
Happy Friday! This summer has flown by! This week is a double freebie week. On Tuesday I shared an awesome list of ideas for your monthly newsletters (download that here) and today I have a freebie for those of you who have started thinking about next year – or for those of you who know you probably should, and will eventually! I love, love, love these teacher planning pages. They have helped me stay organized for years and include 6 different idea trackers and lists to keep you on your toes. Go download your set and have a wonderful weekend!
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Ideas for sharing newsletters
It’s a fairly common problem, you print a copy of the classroom newsletter for each child and stick it in their mailbox, and then at the end of the year you clean out their mailboxes only to find all of those newsletters still in there. It’s no wonder the parents had no idea what was happening all year long! This frustrating problem is made even worse by knowing just how much time you spent writing each of those newsletters! I’ve sen this scenario play out time and time again – in my own classroom, and with a number of teachers that I work with, so unfortunately you are not alone.…
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Newsletter ideas!
I spend way too much time putting together monthly newsletters – partly because I enjoy designing something new each month, and partly because I can’t ever think of what I want to say. And it never fails, the day after I send home the newsletter, I think of something that I really should have included. I know there are a ton of newsletter templates available, but that’s not really what I’ve always needed – I need the actual content. So I put together a great big list of potential newsletter topics, this way I can scan my list and choose a few that seem especially relevant and timely. I’ve organized…
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Ways to make lesson planning easier!
I’m one of those weird teachers – you know, the ones who love lesson planning. I love every part of it – analyzing what my student needs, finding new ideas, writing the plans, prepping materials – I love it! I’ve also come up with a number of ways to make lesson planning easier. Since many of you have probably begin to think about your first few weeks of the school year, and the rest of you are probably preparing to do things a little differently in the fall, I want to share some of the things that have been most helpful for me. The one thing that has been the…
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Friday Freebie – Beach Counting
Happy Friday! I hope that you are enjoying these summer weeks, I still haven’t figured out why they seem to fly by so much faster than the rest of the weeks during the year. Today’s freebie is perfect for summer, or for your beach theme. These play dough counting mats from Over the MoonBow encourage children to practice math skills while being creative. Go download your set and have a wonderful weekend!
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Books about the Beach
I feel like summer themed books don’t always get the attention that they deserve because there are so many things to do in the summer besides read. There are a ton of beach books that will add new elements to your discussions about the beach. Here are a few of my favorites (all links are Amazon affiliates): At the Beach Good Night Beach Beach House A Day at the Beach Check these out and be sure to take some time examining the pictures, which might help you add to your list of dramatic play props to add to your own beach play!
