summer
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Making Kindergarten Prep Fun
When parents ask me for ideas to help them prepare their children for Kindergarten, I’m sure they are expecting me to tell them to practice letters and numbers, and help their children learn how to tie their shoes. There are ways to practice Kindergarten readiness skills that can be fun for the entire family, so often I suggest activities like; Going to the Zoo: Practice staying close to family members while waiting your turn to see your favorite animals, and introduce new vocabulary as you learn what animals eat, and where they are from. Visiting the Science Museum: Explore hands on science concepts while interacting with other children. Attending a…
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Skills to practice before kindergarten
The most popular question that I used to get asked as a preschool teacher was “How can I make sure that my child is ready for kindergarten?” Of course there is not one thing that parents can work on with their preschooler, but they usually ask me this question when they don’t actually have time for a long conversation. So I created this workbook to share with parents. It includes simple activities that are easy for families to do and don’t require a ton of materials. This set includes 10 weeks worth of daily activities, one activity for each week day, which can be completed during the weeks between the…
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Memorial Day Pinwheels
I have fond memories of summer days playing with pinwheels when I was a child and I love that they are so easy for preschoolers to make and explore. These are a perfect project for Memorial Day because they can be taken to a parade or celebration and they are easy to color coordinate. Start by collecting the following supplies: Scrapbook paper or colored copy paper (avoid construction paper and card stock because they are too heavy to turn in the wind) Sturdy plastic straws Metal brads Next, determine what size you want your finished pinwheel to be. If you are using 12″x12″ or 8″x8″ scrapbook paper, which is already…
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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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DIY Graduation Tassels
Tassels are easy to make and a wonderful keepsake for any type of graduation ceremony. Check out this tutorial from Style Inked, her step by step instructions make it so easy that you’re preschoolers could probably make their own!
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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…
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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…
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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!
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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…
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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…
