summer

  • Tips for a Smooth Graduation Ceremony

    No Preschool Graduation ceremony will every run completely smoothly – your performers are preschoolers, they’re bound to do something unpredictable, and sometimes these unpredictable moments are the most endearing parts of the entire ceremony.  There are still some things that you can do to help your students prepare and ensure that everything runs as smoothly as possible. Here are a few tips that have worked for me in the past; Keep it short – the shorter your ceremony is, the less opportunity for something to go wrong.  You want it to be meaningful without being boring, while your audience is probably happy to sit and listen, your students will only…

  • Making Graduation Easy

    It’s that time of year, Preschool Graduation Season! I’ve hosted my fair share of graduation ceremonies and it is easily one of the busiest, most stressful days of the year.  A couple of years ago I put together a graduation set to make everything just a little easier on myself.  I use all of these materials year after year, which means that I save time on designing materials, and I always know exactly what I need. I hope that you will find them helpful too – If you’ve already had your graduation celebration this year, it’s never too early to start thinking about next year! End of the Year Award…

  • Friday Freebie – End of the Year Checklist

    Happy Friday! This week seemed to drag on forever, I am so happy to see the weekend! That said, it’s never too early to start thinking about the end of the school year.  This free End of the Year Checklist from Mrs. Irvin’s Toolbox will help you start planning for all of those end of the year to-do’s! Download your copy and have a wonderful weekend!

  • Teaching disguised as outdoor play

    Outdoor fun has been a huge theme on my blog this summer, probably because I’ve been spending as much time outside as possible.  We may be halfway done with summer, but that just means that we still have half of the summer left to enjoy the sunshine! Beautiful weather makes me want to stay on the playground all day long, but I can only justify it if I can sneak in some of my lesson plan while we’re outside.  I just found some really fun ideas on Oriental Trading’s website that kids and teachers are both sure to love. These are classics that every child should learn how to play…

  • Easy personalized waterbottles

    The one major issue that has always made playground time difficult is the lack of a water supply. I can get creative when it comes to water play, but daily drink breaks are another thing.  This easy activity is the perfect solution.  You will need 1 disposable water bottle for each child – if you collect them from staff or families clean them out with soap and water.  The children can help you take the labels off all of the bottles.  Use one of the labels to measure new labels, and cut these from white printer paper.   Each student can decorate their own new label, which will help them…

  • Shady spaces for your playground

    Nothing can beat a really great sunscreen when it comes to protecting a child from a serious sunburn, but a great shady space is just as important! The thing about creating an inviting shady area is that the children have to WANT to spend time in it. I’ve rounded up some ideas that would have any kid happy to spend some time in the shade – these are all easy DIYs that would be perfect for the playground! Make your shady trees even more inviting – from Play-scapes.com Cover your sandbox – from Wray Sist3rs A tent for all kinds of adventures – from A Sharper Focus Some other fun…

  • Friday Freebie – Summer planning

    Happy Friday! It’s definitely summer, the temperatures are rising and I am in a very summer mood! This week I shared some of my favorite summer posts, let you know what I hope to check off my summer bucket list, hunted down some healthy summer snacks, and let you all in on some of my favorite summer outfits for work. Today I’ve found a freebie that will help you map out the rest of your summer. This Summer Planning set is from Proud to be Primary. It includes weekly and monthly calendar pages, along with a page to track what you plan to read, write, and create, plus any fun…

  • Quick and easy summer snacks

    It’s been a while since I’ve done a snack post, my go to snack during the summer are definitely a lot different than during other times of the year.  My favorites are lite, quick and easy.  This is the perfect time of year to introduce children to fresh produce, and you can play around with fun things like popsicles, that don’t take a lot of effort but always get great reviews. Here are some fun ideas for lite easy summer snacks that children will love as much as you do! Fruit Kabobs Frozen Banana Chocolate Chip Bites Strawberry Granola Yogurt Bark Chocolate Covered Banana Pops Fruit Salsa Cake Batter Popsicles…

  • My Summer Bucket list

    Every so often I like to stray from the preschool subject matter and share just a little bit of myself (although preschool is definitely a part of me) with all of you.  So I thought I would share my bucket list for this summer! I have to be honest for a minute and tell you that it was hard to come up with 10 fun things that I want to do this summer – and I think that’s a little sad, so I’m making it my mission to seek out fun experiences! Go camping – Technically I can check this one off, we went camping with friends a couple of…

  • Summer Fun!

    It has been hot hot hot around here, and it definitely feels like summer! I wanted to share some previous posts that offer some fun ideas for summer activities that will keep you busy while you beat the heat! Water Play with Preschoolers Water Play with Infants and Toddlers Summer Activities for Preschoolers Summer fun – Activities to do at home (or school) Summer fun – Activities to do around town I hope that you will use some of these ideas to make memories that last a lifetime!