preschool
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Tips for the first day of Preschool
Whether you’ve already started the school year, or you’re still gearing up to it here are some tips for helping your first few days go a little more smoothly; Stick to your regular schedule: Following your regular schedule right from the start will help the children get used to it more quickly. It will also help them begin to feel a little more comfortable because they will always know what is coming next. For help planning your daily schedule take a look at these posts on the topic. Make time for each child: Build those relationships now. Take time out of your day to talk to each child on-on-one. This…
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Helping your child get ready for preschool
As a preschool teacher I spend a ton of time making sure that children are prepared to start kindergarten, but I don’t always think about helping children prepare for preschool. Maybe that’s because there’s so much that I can do to help once they start, but I don’t often get to work with families before they start attending. If you know any children who will be starting preschool this fall, whether they’re your own children, new students that will be in your class, or even just friends’ children, here are a few things that parents can do to help little ones prepare for those first few days: Talk about it…
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Preschool Gift Guide 2015
The holiday shopping season is officially in full swing, and I’ve already begun to get requests for what to buy the littlest members of the family, so I figured it must be time, time for my annual holiday gift guides! Today is all about the preschoolers, here are some of my favorite finds and gifts to give all those 3, 4, and 5 year olds on my list; (Amazon links are affiliates) Melissa & Doug Hi-Rise Dollhouse and Furniture Set I love this doll house for a few reasons. First, it’s durable, Melissa and Doug always deliver in the quality department. Second, it’s open, children can play from nearly any angle,…
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Holiday Gift Guide: Preschoolers
If there is one thing that I’ve become really good at, it’s recommending great gifts for little ones. This is the perfect time of year put my expertise to good use, and share my knowledge with you! This guide is a list of things that any preschooler on your list (and their parents) will love. You’ll notice that there are a few brands I’m in love with, these are brands that I know are high quality because I’ve used them in classrooms, and I’ve seen them live through the crazy things that little ones like to do to them. All of the links are Amazon affiliate links, but many of…
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Must haves for the preschool classroom
I’ve taught toddlers and preschoolers for 6 years, at three different schools, in 4 different classrooms. Through each of these moves I’ve come up with a list of items that are must haves for the classroom. Whether you teach preschool, elementary school, or even home school, the vast majority of items on this list will be helpful for your classroom. Some of the items on my list may be things that you use every day, but I’m sure that there are a few items that will surprise you, or make you think. If you know a teacher, any of these items are always appreciated, send some in with your child…
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We all need to play
This amazing quote has been on my radar since I found it on Pinterest a couple of weeks ago (have you noticed my obsession with Pinterest yet?!). I finally tracked down the original source, it is from U46 Early Learners Curriculum Blog. I teach preschool, so these words are not news to me, I experience them every day. The understanding that young children need to move, try new things, be loud, explore new places, and use their entire bodies to learn things all play a role in my lesson plans. I would, however, love to print this out and send it home to parents at different times throughout the year.…
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A new alphabet activity
I’m not sure if you have ever used these, but I am in love with alphabet pasta! It is cheap, and super versatile. With our toddlers we would use it to explore textures, introducing it raw the first day so that they could feel the rough, bumpy, tiny little letters, and then cooking it for the second day to see how they reacted to the slimy, and sometimes sticky texture – it was mesmerizing. Now that we have older children we have spent a lot of time focusing on letter recognition, and this was an obvious choice for a number of different activities. We did a letter hunt (can you…
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One of my favorite blogs
I am always looking for new printables for the classroom, and you probably know how difficult it can be to find high quality artwork for free – or maybe I’m just a cheap graphics snob. One of my very favorite teaching blog is actually written by two moms who spend a lot of time with their preschool age (and younger) children. These two wonderful ladies have created some amazing themed preschool packs that I faithfully print, cut out, laminate, and use in my classroom ALL THE TIME! You have got to check out Over the Big Moon and their Pre-K Packs, here’s a photo of their autumn pack.
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I’m a teacher – even during Christmas Break!
Each year I am grateful for the weeklong break after Christmas, and as most teachers will tell you, it is nearly impossible to go for the entire week without working on school work in some way, shape, or form. This year I am taking full advantage of the brand new Cricut that my little sister got for Christmas and the two of us teachers have planned a full day of classroom crafts. Here is what I will be working on – I promise to post what I am able to finish! (all ideas are linked on my Pinterest Preschool Board)
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Baking in the classroom
I love to bake with my kids. It involves so many different learning experiences – sharing, waiting your turn, measuring ingredients, chemical reactions, temperature, vocabulary, and it is something that makes everyone smile. We are fortunate enough to have a fully equipped kitchen at our center, and we often bake things in the oven, but for truly special days I like to keep the excitement in the classroom. The last two weeks we have been baking up a storm to prepare for the holidays. One of our favorite recipes so far has been reindeer cookies. These are super easy to make – we used pre-packaged cookie dough (it is easy…
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