summer
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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…
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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!
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Preschool books about vacation
Yesterday I shared a lesson plan for a vacation themed week (go check it out)! This is the perfect theme to introduce non-fiction texts, I’m a huge fan of the materials available from AAA. If you aren’t a AAA member, see if any of your colleagues or parents are, they might be able to pick up some travel guides for you. Many local tourism organizations are also more than willing to send you free information, you can often request info through their websites. These are both very cost-effective ways to gather non-fiction texts (that are usually full of beautiful photos) for your classroom library. Even with all of those great…
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Vacation Lesson Plan
I don’t know about you, but summer weather makes me want to take a vacation! Unfortunately, that doesn’t quite work into my schedule at the moment, but I know I’m not the only one in need of a vacation, so I though It would be fun to plan a vacation themed week for the children too. Here is the lesson plan that I put together for vacation week: You can download a copy HERE! I created it to be somewhat generic because I want the children to help decide where your class will go on their pretend vacation, then you can tailor the activities to your destination. Once your students pick…
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Ideas for observing clouds
Yesterday I shared some questions to ask that might inspire a cloud investigation. Today I wanted to share a couple of ways that you can have the children document their observations. I should start with this warning: you can’t really put these activities on your lesson plan because you have to wait for a day when you actually have clouds to observe. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve planned this activity and there were no clouds in the sky, or the opposite happened and the sky was covered by one great big cloud, which makes it difficult to observe. Just take my word for it and let this…
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Questions to ask about clouds
I am not going to complain about the beautiful summer-like weather we’ve been having lately! It’s made me want to spend every waking minute outside – which has resulted in a lovely sunburn, but that’s not the point. I wanted to share one of my favorite activities that you can do with any of the children that you happen to be around this summer, while squeezing in some extra outside time. I love to explore the clouds, but I don’t really take a traditional approach to learning about clouds. I don’t teach the children the proper names for different types of clouds, and while I might do some experimenting with…
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Friday Freebie – Garden Numbers Scavenger Hunt
Happy Friday! Is it summer yet?! Not quite, but I am so ready – If you haven’t been able to tell withall of my summer themed posts this week. Today’s freebie fits right in! This Garden Number Scavenger Hunt from Margaux Langenhoven is adorable – and such a good idea! Children choose a number and an outdoor item, then they have to look all around the yard or playground to find that many of the item (i.e. 7 rocks or 4 twigs, etc.). I also love this set because it fits perfectly with the Gardening Activity Bundle that I posted this week. Check them both out and have a great…
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Fun summer activities
Have you started planning for summer yet? Whether you’re looking for lesson plan ideas or fun things to do with your own children, here are some amazing ideas that I’ve been collecting: Twirling Twig mobile from Babble Dabble Do Aluminum foil river from Filthy Wizardy Outdoor play food from Munchkins and Moms Block Shadows from the Pinterested Parent Pineapple ice pops from Eats Amazing It’s no coincidence that all of these are outdoor ideas – we had a hint of beautiful summer weather for about a week in April, and ever since then it’s been rainy and chilly. I’m ready for sunshine and grass between my toes – I think…
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Friday Freebie – Cloud Hunt
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Summer Ideas for Year-Round Preschool Programs
I’ve learned more about the preschool world in the last year than I ever thought was possible, and the one thing that never ceases to amaze me is the sheer number of different schedules for preschool programs. I’ve always taught at year-round programs, which pose their own challenges: The children rarely get a break or vacation from the program The teachers rarely get a break Teachers have to engage the children in more activities because they are there for more days The teacher and children’s day are often longer than a typical school day They also come with some really great perks: once children learn the routine they don’t have…
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Make your summer goals… and keep them!
This time of year is all about finishing up all of those end of the year projects, and I’m not sure if it’s the weather or just knowing that other projects are winding down, but it seems to be the time that I started dreaming big dreams of everything that I’m going to accomplish over the summer. Those dreams are usually lofty, and then all of a sudden it’s September and nothing got done. So this year I’m going to do what I do best, make a list. I’m planning on writing down all of my goals, so that I can really determine which ones are realist and which ones…
