social studies
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Connecting your class with service members
Memorial Day is the perfect time to think about engaging your students in a service project that is directed toward helping service members and their families. Something that is easy for preschoolers to do is to draw pictures or create thank you cards for servicemen and women who are currently deployed. After your class has created their cards, letters, or drawings you can connect with the following organizations to make sure that our service members receive them: A Million Thanks Operation Gratitude For the Troops Forgotten Soldiers Outreach This project can also be a wonderful family engagement opportunity. Set up a station for parents and family members to write letters…
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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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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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Irish Culture Resources
St. Patrick’s day is a lot of fun, but how many American’s actually have any understanding of why it is a holiday in the first place? While celebrating the holiday is a start to introducing children to cultural traditions, it’s important to go beyond the celebration and help make sure that the children have an understanding of the Irish culture. Here are a couple of websites that can help introduce children to Ireland – all are developmentally appropriate and full of photos and videos to give children a better visual understanding. Time for Kids: Destination Ireland National Geographic Kids: Ireland Country Profile Owlcation: Fun Irish Facts and Information for Kids…
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Standards Related to Doll Play
I am all about dramatic play, but I struggle with making sure that my dramatic play centers are interesting and engaging. I like to change them up, but I don’t like to spend a ton of money or store a lot of stuff. On Monday I shared some of my favorite tips for adding authentic items to doll-themed dramatic play, but there are so many great ideas out there that it seemed a shame to stop with my own personal list. So here are some other doll ideas that I’ve rounded up. This cute diaper-changing/hygiene station Easy DIY Diapers Doll clothes storage This amazing cardboard cradle! Dry bath time –…
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Try a Baby Food Taste Test
On Monday I shared some of my favorite items to add to your doll-themed dramatic play center. If you really want to start a great conversation, why not try a baby food taste test?! This is a great way to get your preschoolers talking about the textures of different foods, and to compare and contrast the purees with the solid foods. While it hasn’t been all that long since most of your preschoolers were eating baby food regularly, they’ll never believe you when you tell them this. It’s a good idea to start with foods that they are going to be willing to try – fruits are generally a safe…
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Friday Freebie – What’s on the Inside
Happy Friday – I swear, sometimes the short weeks feel like long weeks! TGIF! Today’s freebie is “What’s on the Inside” a mini-lesson from Kindergarten Chaos that would be perfect for any discussion about diversity. Go download a copy and add it to your stash! Have a great weekend!
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Exploring Physical Characteristics
Yesterday I shared an article with some great tips for talking about our differences, you can read that post here. Today I wanted to share some of my favorite activities related to physical characteristics so you could add them to your plans! I’ve shared this one before, but I’m just going to keep sharing because I love it! The visual makes a great impact for all ages. This EASY activity helps children learn to pay attention to subtle differences, which is what makes all of use unique. Use these printable pieces to give children opportunities to explore what different hair and skin colors look like together. What a great idea!…
