back to school
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Start your portfolios now!
It’s not conference time yet, but it will be soon enough. Start putting together your student portfolios now, if you do it little by little you won’t have nearly as much prepping to do when it is time for conferences. Here are some of my previous posts on putting together student portfolios; Preparing for Preschool Conferences What’s in my Student Portfolios Space Saving Portfolios Check these out as you start compiling your student portfolios!
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Using a picture schedule
A picture schedule is a great way to help all of your students anticipate what is coming next, which makes transitions from activity to activity a lot easier. I created a set of schedule cards that include pictures. These cards are designed for the preschool classroom, but they also include common activities for elementary school classrooms, so they are great for inclusion classrooms and students who need a little extra support when it comes to the daily schedule. My favorite thing about this set is that it also includes smaller schedule cards that you can put on a ring for students to carry with them. They can match the pictures…
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Scheduling your preschool day
As a preschool teacher, one of the most important things that I had to consider each year was my daily schedule. I am the kind of person who follows a schedule closely – there are always exceptions, but most days the schedule kept the day from dragging o, and ensured that I was able to get everything done. My kiddos needed that schedule too. After the first couple of weeks they were able to anticipate what was coming next, and when certain important activities (like lunch, nap, and outside time) were. While preschool teachers everywhere recognize that having a schedule is important, making your schedule is not necessarily easy.…
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Family Photo Paper Bag Albums
When I was in the classroom, family photos were a huge part of our classroom decor. I wanted my students to be able to share them with each other, and use them to help transition in the morning. I also love that they make the children feel like their families are always a part of the classroom, and are welcome at school anytime. This is an easy (and economical) photo album project that you can send home at the beginning of the year. Each family can help their child put the album together and then you can do a special show and tell so that the children can share them with…
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My lesson plans for the first week of preschool
I’m not in the classroom every day anymore, and one of the things that I miss the most is lesson planning (I know, I’m kind of a nerd), so I thought I’d put together some plans anyway and share them with you! I try to keep things simple for the first week, instead of planned activities we spend a lot of time exploring classroom centers, and I might pull one or two items from each center for the children to explore at the table. I also incorporate classroom routines into activities so that I can give the children more opportunities to practice these throughout the day. Here is my lesson…
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First Day of Preschool Freebie
The first days of school can be a little difficult for everyone. Children are nervous, parents want your attention, and you desperately want to start your routines off right. I’m hoping I’ve got something that will make you end that first day just a little less exhausted! I put together a freebie to help make the first day run a little more smoothly. It is designed so that parents can complete the simple activities with their child, giving them something to do while they wait for an opportunity to talk to you one-on-one. The freebie includes: A sign and keepsake photo mat. Parents can take a photo of their child…
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Back to School Products for the Preschool Classroom
It’s the end of July, I know, how did that happen?! I swear summer gets shorter every year! Many of you are preparing to head back to school (and if you haven’t started prepping, you’ve probably started thinking about it) so I thought I would share some of the things that I’ve created that might help you out this year – make sure to read the entire post because there are freebies throughout! Inspire Emergent Curriculum: This standards-based curriculum is perfect for programs that implement the Reggio Philosophy or the Project Approach. Circle Time Mega Pack: Start the year off right by implementing successful, developmentally appropriate circle time from…
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Friday Freebie – Classroom Planning
Happy Friday! Whether you like it or not, many of you are probably realizing that summer has flown by – we’re halfway through July people! According to my teacher friends and all of the photos on my Instagram feed, many of you are thinking about back to school already, so I thought I’d share a freebie that might help get you back in the game. This classroom planning set is from Teacher Treasure Hunter, who clearly speaks my language (checklists and to-do lists of course). It’s geared towards elementary teachers, but seeing as it’s a freebie preschool teachers won’t mind if they don’t need all of the components – because…
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Back to School Boost
I’m not quite sure what it is this year, but I’m not really feeling like it’s time for Back to School quite yet. Yes, the weather is quite a bit cooler, I’ve definitely picked up a few school supplies (who doesn’t love brand new Sharpies?!), and I’m itching for college football season and some high school football games, but there seems to be something missing. Maybe I’ll get my Back to School boost tomorrow, because Teachers Pay Teachers is having a special one day Back to School sale. This is super special because TPT already had their annual Back to School sale, but being smart like they are, they totally…
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Off to Kindergarten (update)
My big kids are all starting kindergarten this week. These are kiddos that have been in my class since they were 2 years old, so this is a bittersweet week for all of us. I wanted to do something special for them as they started a new chapter, and I shared some of my ideas a couple of weeks ago, but I wanted to take some time to share the final product! This is the cute kit that I put together for each family to use on the first day of kindergarten. Each kit has a small pack of tissues (for Mom and Dad’s tears), chocolate hugs for a little…
