fall
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Exploring spices
When I think Thanksgiving there are a few scents that come to mind, specifically spices, which are perfect for helping children explore their sense of smell. Here are some great ideas for exploring spices in the classroom: Create a Spice Tray Scent your playdough Paint with Spices Make Cinnamon Salt Dough Ornaments Learn scents and vocabulary Make a gift families can enjoy together Scent your pie art Make your own scent jars Match the raw spice with the bottled spice Taste test spices in cool whip or pudding Check back tomorrow for another great spice craft!
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What Thanksgiving means to a preschooler
Now that it’s November we can talk about Thanksgiving. When teaching preschoolers about Thanksgiving the key is to make the entire concept relevant to them. They can’t understand Pilgrims and Native Americans because they don’t have a grasp on our past or the history of our country, so I focus on three concepts that do play a role in the average preschooler’s daily life – food, family, and thankfulness. These three concepts are something that young children are familiar with, but Thanksgiving provides the perfect opportunity to dig a little deeper and build understanding in all three areas. Food: There are so many foods that are traditionally eaten during the…
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Compare and contrast with pumpkin
What do you do with all of those pumpkin insides after you scoop them out? Sure, they make a great sensory experience, but have you ever considered doing an authentic compare and contrast? Simply put a large scoop or the insides of your class pumpkin on a tray or cookie sheet. Next to it, place a similar size scoop of canned pumpkin. What do the children have to say about these two scoops of pumpkin? If they need a little guidance you could ask these questions: Those are both pumpkin, why are they different? What do they look like? What do they feel like? Do they smell different? What else…
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Pumpkin Activity round up
‘Tis the season for pumpkin everything! Whether you’re carving your pumpkins for Halloween or trying to figure out how to use up all of the left-over pumpkins and gourds as Thanksgiving approaches, there are a million different ideas for classroom activities using pumpkins. I thought I’d share some of my favorites so that you can get all of your activities in one place! Pumpkin Pie Dough from Fun At Home With Kids Pumpkin Moon Sand from Growing a Jeweled Rose Pumpkins, hammers, and golf tees from Exploring the Outdoor Classroom Describe a pumpkin using your five senses from Gift of Curiosity Pumpkin Pie Art from Fun A Day Make a…
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Planning a classroom party
Whether you are planning a Halloween party or a Harvest Party, it’s time to start thinking about it! I know some people dread party days, but I love them. Parties are the perfect time to build classroom communities. They give the children a common event to look forward too and opportunities to bond over their anticipation, and throughout the actual party. Over the years I’ve come up with quite a few tips for making those crazy party days run just a little more smoothly. The planning makes all the difference, so consider your party details as I run through some of the questions you might want to ask yourself. What…
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Friday Freebie – Pumpkin seeds
Happy Friday! This week’s posts have all been about bringing autumn into the classroom, and I am loving this season. Today’s freebie fits right in with that theme. Yesterday I shared a list of autumn manipulatives to use in the classroom, here is a fun activity to try with some of your manipulatives, Pumpkin Seed Letters. This super cute freebie is from A Kinder Kindergarten, and is a fun way to practice those fine motor skills while encouraging letter recognition. Make and entire alphabet to display in your classroom all season long, or laminate the mats and use them over and over. Enjoy your weekend!
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Autumn manipulatives for the preschool room
Autumn is my favorite time of year to use seasonal manipulatives because there are so many different options. The items on the list below are great for math games, patterning, sensory tables, tactile language activities, the block area, and fine motor exercises. Some autumn manipulatives you can include in your activities and center include: Leaves Acorns Miniature pumpkins Soy beans Corn kernels Popcorn Sunflower seeds Candy corn Pumpkin seeds Seasonal confetti Seed pods Orange, yellow, and brown gems Apples Apple seeds Pinecones I’d love to know how you use some of these items in your classroom, share your ideas in the comments!
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Preschool activities do to with leaves
One of my favorite fall activities to do with preschoolers is to collect leaves. I give each child a grocery bag and we go on a nice long walk to make sure that we pass a variety of trees and we try to get leaves of all shapes, colors, and sizes. We have some really great conversations during our walk; we try to decide which leaves have fallen from which trees, and we watch squirrels collect acorns and bury them for the winter. After we collect as many leaves as we can we take them back to the classroom we start exploring. Here are some great activities that you can…
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Ideas for Observing Trees with Preschoolers
Trees offer great opportunities for seasonal observations because; They are readily available and can often be observed from inside the classroom simply by looking out the window. They offer obvious visual examples of seasonal changes. They can easily be revisited over an extended period of time. Observing trees is completely free. Start your observations by having your class help choose a tree that they want to make “their tree.” Check on the tree every couple of weeks. During some points throughout the year the changes will happen more rapidly, revisit the tree more often during these periods. As you engage the children in observations, consider doing some of these activities:…
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Friday Freebie – Leaf Patterning
Happy Friday! Somehow it’s already the second week in September, and because of the strange weather we’ve had this summer, our leaves have already started to change. Nothing like messing with my seasons! This freebie is a cute patterning activity that uses different colored leaves. This would be a great center or a fun activity to send home for families to work on together. Download your copy here and enjoy your weekend!
