summer activities
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Teaching Patriotism
The 4th of July is one of my favorite holidays, I love spending time with my family and making time to just enjoy summer. I think this is probably true for most people, but there is more to this holiday than barbecues and fireworks, it’s about pride and love for our country – Patriotism. There is something about the 4th of July that makes us all feel united in celebrating together, no matter what state we are from, what age we are, or what we look like. There are many many ways to teach patriotism to young children, and celebrating the 4th of July is a great reason to talk…
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Quick and easy 4th of July activities
Where did June go?! The 4th of July is approaching just a little too quickly, and I know I’m not as ready for the holiday as I’d like to be, so I thought I’d share some of my favorite ideas from last year to help us all prepare for upcoming patriotic parties and picnics! Check out this post from last year, it’s full of game, snacks, and crafts that are perfect for celebrating Independence day with little ones!
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Ice Cream Activities for Preschool
Have you ever explored ice cream in the classroom? It’s an irresistible topic, and a great way to engage children in activities that include a ton of academic topics. Here are some of my favorite ice cream activities to use with preschoolers; Ice Cream centers: This set includes 5 activities that are sure to keep your students busy (and probably giggling). Children can create their own ice cream flavor and write about the ingredients, answer questions about ice cream, graph their favorite flavors, and complete an ice cream glyph. It also includes a dice game where students get to roll the dice and collect cards to “build” an ice cream…
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Summer activities for preschoolers
Now that the calendar says June, I am in full swing for summer! I wanted to share some great ideas for preschool age children, and I’ve got a huge collection on my Preschool Summer Ideas pin board. Whether you have students all summer, are running a day camp or VBS, are babysitting, or are looking for fun things to do with your own children, I’ve got a great collection of ideas on this board. Hop on over and check out the crafts, water play, Fourth of July games, snacks to beat the heat, camping fun, and large motor outdoor activities. Share a link to your summer pin boards in the…
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Personalize your playground with children’s artwork
At school we’ve been focusing on making our playground a fun place for the children to explore. We did some fundraising so that we could purchase a beautiful new sandbox, but I also wanted the children to be able to put their mark on the space. The Reggio Emilia philosophy encourages us to find beauty in our surroundings and create aesthetically pleasing learning environments, so I rounded up some ideas that will add color and whimsy to the playground! Recycled water bottle sun catchers Cement garden balls DIY stones with natural impressions Natural materials garden stones Tin can lanterns Stone and stump games I can’t wait to do some of…
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Ideas to start your summer off right
Happy Memorial Day! I hope you’re enjoying your holiday weekend and taking some time to appreciate those who’ve served our country! Since today is the unofficial start of summer I wanted to share some posts from last year that list a ton of ideas for summertime activities with the kiddos. These activities are great for the classroom, or for your own children at home! Summer fun at home Summer fun around town Ice cream activities If you’re still looking for fun ideas to fill out your summer calendar, be sure to check out my Preschool Summer Ideas Pinboard and enjoy the rest of your weekend!
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When I was a kid…
I found this article on facebook last week about giving your children a 1970’s summer. You have to take a minute to read it, it’s hilarious, and so true. Of course it got me thinking about what summers were like when I was a kid. It wasn’t all that long ago to be honest, I grew up in the 90’s, but I still had a good number of summers before we had the internet (gasp!) or instant messenger (remember that?!), and I feel like those were some pretty innocent, carefree days, at least in my house they were. I put together a list of the things that I spent my…
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Freebie Friday!
Happy Friday! I hope that you have something fun planned for the weekend, I’m trying on bridesmaid dresses with my sister today and helping host a bridal shower for my soon to be sister-in-law tomorrow, so I’m looking forward to a wedding-festivity-filled weekend! For this week’s Friday freebie I found a super cute ice cream themed activity that would go perfectly with the ice cream activities I shared yesterday. My students would absolutely love “We Scream for Ice Cream… Rhymes” by Jennifer Drake. Not only are her ice cream cones really cute, but I haven’t met a preschooler who didn’t like to rhyme, seriously, they will make up silly nonsense…
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Summer fun in my store
I’ve worked with children in the summer since I was 15 years old, so I know how helpful it is to have fun, summer themed activities. One of my favorite units to do during the summer is related to ice cream – who doesn’t love ice cream?! my kids will do any activity that has to do with ice cream – even math and language activities that they otherwise wouldn’t be interested in. Over the years I’ve found a couple of activities that my students love, and will do willingly – without even realizing that they are learning. These are the kind of activities that all teachers want to implement,…
