• preschool birthday

    It’s a Birthday!

    This is a big week inn our house – we’re celebrating my daughter’s 6th birthday! We just got home from a Memorial day camping trip, and are excited to party with friends and family next weekend. This means that our week is sure to be a blur of cleaning up from one trip and preparing for the next event. I’ve got so many cute things to share after her party, you know that I’ve been DIY-ing all of it. Until then, I’m making my birthday vocabulary cards FREE on TPT until next Tuesday. Go download your copy now!

  • Father's Day gift idea from kids

    Framed Art Logos

    Father’s Day has a way of sneaking up on me, but this year I’m tackling it early! It can be really easy to come up with Mother’s Day gifts that kids can make, but gifts for dads are a little tougher. This Father’s Day gift idea can be personalized for any hobby or activity that the men in your children’s lives enjoy. I grabbed a couple of Dollar Tree picture frames and printed some black and white logos and coloring pages. Then my daughter colored these in, we cut them out and glued them to a corresponding color of cardstock and popped them in the frame. They turned out so…

  • preschool lessons and activities

    June Exclusive Activities!

    I just added the month of June to my Month of Preschool sets! I’m so excited to share this one with you because it has some brand new exclusive activities that can’t be found in my store on their own – they’re exclusive to this set. Organizing all of these resources is such a labor of love because I know that they would’ve made my life so much easier when I was in the classroom everyday. It’s invaluable to be able to focus all of your attention on the kids and what they need, and not on planning or prepping new preschool lessons and activities. Every Month of Preschool set…

  • Preschool chores

    Using chores to build responsibility

    Starting a chore routine comes with so many questions – What chores are appropriate? Should I offer a reward for completing them? If so, what? It’s a little overwhelming, because we all want to get it right. Truthfully, it’ll take a bit to figure out, and there will be constant adjusting as your child ages. Here’s a list that I’ve shared previously about some chores that are developmentally appropriate for preschoolers: At home– Gathering dirty laundry– Folding t-shirts and towels– Matching clean socks– Feeding pets– Dusting– Cleaning up play spaces– Cleaning up small messes with a handheld vacuum– Use a damp mop or Swiffer on the floors– Making their own…

  • preschool summer activities

    New resources for summer!

    I’ve been busy adding so many new summer resources to the Preschool Ponderings store! If you’re looking for preschool summer activities I’ve got you covered. Here’s what’s new: Ice Cream Clipart – These are perfect for any of your summer creations! I use them for planner stickers, prize stickers, and summer activities. They’re classic shapes and colors that instantly set the mood for summer fun. Bee Unit – Bees are fascinating and so important to our ecosystem, but they can also be very scary for young children. Taking time to understand them a little better and explore them in the safety of the classroom can help remove some of that…

  • summer organization

    Summer must-haves for the car

    Are you ready for some more summer organization?! On Monday I shared everything that I’m keeping in my summer tote bag. There are some things that I know I might need, but don’t necessarily want to carry around all the time. The car is the perfect place to keep these things. Some of them are the same as the things in my tote (sunscreen, bug bands, wipes) because you can never have enough of those. Others are more geared towards adventures that we just might go on a little more spontaneously. A random trip to the beach – I’ve got a towel, wet bag, ziploc bags for all our treasures,…

  • summer organization

    Organization on the go!

    I’m the kind of teacher (and mom) that has all the things all the time. What can I say, I like to be prepared. When it comes to summer, whether I’m in the classroom or at home with my girl, I’m always on the go – this means that all of the stuff needs to go with me! I’ve got the cutest tote bag to help me with that summer organization, here’s what I’m keeping in it: *This list includes affiliate links* My bag was a TJMaxx score that I added some chenille letter patches to, but this one is a close amazon find in the same price range. I’ve…

  • summer teacher wardrobe

    Preschool Teacher Wardrobe – Summer Edition

    *This post contains affiliate links It can be really hard to find those outfits that are the perfect balance of professional, comfortable, and meet all of the needs of a preschool teacher (getting messy, sitting on the floor, lots of movement – you know what I mean). This is especially true in the summer. Summer means even more time outside, higher temperatures, and often running to other activities at the end of your work day. Every program is different, and that will of course mean you may have restrictions related to things like shorts, sleeveless tops, and dresses – but hopefully the items that I’ve been loving will give you…

  • painted vase

    DIY Mother’s Day Gift Idea

    I’ve been all about the upcycle lately, and our Mother’s Day Gift is no exception! This painted vase couldn’t be more simple, and the easy projects often pack the biggest punch. These vases can be made with any glass jar or bottle. I used the bottles from Trader Joe’s sparkling lemonade because they’re so fun and fancy. We used acrylic paint and a 1/2 inch wide paint brush to create the paint strokes. That’s it! We’ll put some flowers in them and have an easy, eco-friendly, economical gift for the important ladies in our lives.

  • DIY art supply kit

    DIY Art Supply Kit

    *This post contains affiliate links* I’ve been looking at art supply kits like this one, and this one, for months. I love the idea of them – all of those great supplies right at your fingertips! It definitely makes creativity feel easy and inviting. Plus, everything is easy to access, which means that children can use it independently and I’m not using my precious time finding and opening supplies. I haven’t been able to pull the trigger because every kit that I find includes one or two things that I don’t need or want. So I finally took matters into my own hands and put together a DIY art supply…