Holidays
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Children’s Books for Memorial Day
Memorial Day is one of those holidays that can be really difficult to explain to young children. We all look forward to the unofficial start of summer, but we also want to recognize the true intent of the day, which is to honor our servicemen and women who have made sacrifices for our freedom. Books are my favorite way to introduce this particular day, here are a few that I have used: (all links are affiliates) Memorial Day (Let’s Celebrate) by Clara Cella Memorial Day Surprise by Theresa Martin Golding F is for Flag by Wendy Cheyette Lewison and Barbara Duke Rolling Thunder by Kate Messner Do you have a…
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Friday Freebie – Mother’s Day Questionnaire
Happy Friday! I hope that the spring weather is making your weeks fly by faster! Today’s freebie is another great idea for your Mother’s Day celebration. I love activities that encourage children to share their thoughts and opinions, just like this Mother’s Day Questionnaire from Lisa Markle Sparkles. Children love the one on one time that they get to tell you about their mom, and moms love to read their children’s hilarious answers. It’s a fun little extra to add in with whatever cards you’ve made, and a great way to help children remember exactly what they are celebrating. Go download your copy and have a great weekend!
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Easy Photo Cards for Mother’s Day
I must admit that when it comes to cards, I am a slacker. This is true in my personal life, and in the classroom. In the classroom I tend to be the teacher who gets out the collage materials and lets the children go to town, and then hopes that the glue will dry in time to put the cards in an envelope. If you tend to plan ahead a little better than I do, here are some really cute photo cards that you can try with your students! Cupcake Liner Flower Cards Photo Message Card Photo Card and Flower Sidewalk Chalk Photo Card Chalkboard Photo Card These adorable cards…
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Mother’s Day Keepsakes
If you’ve been reading Preschool Ponderings for a while, you know that my goal for holiday gifts for parents is that they should be something that Mom or Dad will actually want to use. I’ve seen a lot of crazy gift ideas – bracelets made out of toilet paper rolls, candles made out of melted crayons, popsicle stick picture frames – but there are also a ton of really incredible ideas out there too. Here are a few of my favorites: Keepsakes with children’s photos Photo Coasters Photo Pendants Photo Keychains Photo Magnets Thumbprint art Thumbprint Keychains Thumbprint Magnets Thumbprint Vase Things Mom can use at work DIY Notepads Post-It…
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Creative Mother’s Day Celebrations
I’ll be honest here, Mother’s day is not my favorite holiday to celebrate with my preschoolers. It is a highly personal holiday – each family celebrates very differently, and I don’t want any of my students to feel like their family’s celebration is not the “right” kind of celebration. I do however love to throw a party, and I think that these kinds of events allow families to decide who is going to attend, and to help prepare their child for the event before it happens. I know that Muffins for Moms breakfasts are really popular, because the alliteration is cute and muffins are easy, but if you are thinking…
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Friday Freebie – Earth Day Matching Book
Happy Friday! I hope that you have a beautiful spring weekend for your Earth Day celebration! Today’s freebie is an Earth Day matching book from File Folder Heaven. This little book would be perfect for a center, individual, or small group activity. Go download your copy and enjoy your weekend!
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Earth Day Round Up
If you are still planning your Earth Day lesson plans, or if you’re searching for activities to make the exploration last all week long, here are some of my past posts to inspire you! Quotes for Earth Day Earth Day Science Activities Earth Day Super Hero Masks Earth Day Graphing Freebie Make sure to check back tomorrow for another great freebie!
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Practicing Conservation in Preschool
Conservation can be an abstract concept for preschoolers, they haven’t had a lot of experience with the world around them, and it can be difficult to understand why they might need to save water or electricity. There are some things that you can work on in the classroom to help children understand conservation practices and why they are important. Save paper scraps in a basket for children to use for cutting or collage projects Turn off the lights when you leave the room, or leave the lights of during certain parts of the day and enjoy natural lighting Use dry erase boards instead of printer paper Set up recycling bins…
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Recyclable Jewelry
Yesterday I shared some thoughts on open-ended recyclable art, and today I’ve rounded up some more ideas for those recyclable materials. These fun projects all use recyclable materials to create jewelry, so if you love the way they turn out you could use them as Mother’s Day gifts too! Coiled magazine pendant Soda Bottle Jewelry Washer pendants Yarn wrapped bracelets Fabric and paper straw bracelet I can’t wait to try a couple of these ideas myself, I’d love to know how they work for you too!
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Earth Day Recyclable Art
Earth day is on Saturday and I am full of ideas for exploring conservation and natural resources! Today I wanted to share an opportunity for open-ended recyclable art. Earth day is all about re-using materials instead of throwing them away, and using recyclables as materials for art is great way to encourage children to look at common objects in new ways and flex their imaginations. It’s also a fun way to explore three dimensional art since recyclables lend themselves to sculpture. The key to open-ended art is to make sure that the children have all of the materials that they could need, and let them use them in any way…
