Winter

  • Tips for banishing pre-holiday behavior problems

    If you’re spending this week with young children – your students, or your own children – then I’m sure you’ve taken a deep breath and prepared yourself for chaos and tantrums.  While some off the behavior problems you might encounter come with the season, others are a product of messed up routines, missed nap times, and too many sweet treats.  Those are the kind of problems that can be avoided with some careful preparation. Here are a few tips that I’ve picked up along the way: Try to keep your routine as normal as possible.  If you can’t schedule fun events into your normal routine, then prepare the children in…

  • Last minute gift idea

    If you’re still looking for something easy to make for your students or co-workers, check out the idea I have for you: I whipped up some of these snowman marshmallows over the weekend because I had some extra frosting left over from baking sugar cookies.  These are so easy to make that you could even have your students make some of them for their families. All you need is marshmallows, black frosting, and orange frosting.  I used piping bags to get the small details, but you could always pick up some tubes of the pre-mixed colored frosting for even less mess and hassle. Add a packet of hot chocolate to…

  • Talking about traditions

    One of our social studies standards for preschoolers is to develop an awareness and appreciation of family and cultural stories and traditions.  The holidays lend themselves perfectly to this standard so I make a special effort to encourage families to share their traditions with our class.   Over the years I have had families bring in cookies to decorate with the class, I’ve had families make gingerbread houses with us, decorate ornaments  with the children, share favorite holiday stories, and make traditional foods with the class.   Each of these experiences has given the children the opportunity to compare and contrast their own family traditions, to see which traditions they…

  • Winter Traditions

    Around the holidays I love to encourage my families to share their favorite traditions with the class.  Here is my winter tradition bucket list: All of these traditions would be fun to do with your students or with your own families!

  • Friday Freebie – Holidays around the world

    Happy Friday! As these weeks get closer to winter break I swear they get longer and longer! If you are still planning for holiday exploration (or evaluating how you want to teach this unit next year) today’s freebie is for you! This Holidays around the World Poster Pack from Sunny and Bright in First Grade is a great way to help your students visually organize the symbols and images that go with all of the different holidays. There are 8 holidays included in the set, and even if you don’t use all of the posters they give you a great starting point for your research. Download your copy and have…

  • Books to help you celebrate Hanukkah

    In my opinion, the best way to introduce new concepts to young children is through books.  Whether Hanukkah is a new holiday or a near and dear one, these books will be favorites in your classroom celebration.  All links are Amazon affiliates.  Latke, The Lucky Dog is told from the dog’s point of view – what preschooler can resist that? The illustrations and text work together to introduce new vocabulary words in a way that feels natural and flows with the story. Dear Santa, Love Rachel Rosenstein is not exactly a Hanukkah book.  It’s a book about a little girl who’s family is Jewish and celebrates Hanukkah even though she…

  • Cultural Sensitivity and Winter Holidays

    Some teachers live for the holiday season and cannot wait to introduce holiday themed activities, others are more apprehensive about planning activities that meet the needs and beliefs of all of their students, and still others work in schools where policies prevent them from using any holiday-related materials whatsoever.  I’ve met and worked with teachers who fall into all three groups, and I myself tend to end up in that middle category.  Whichever of the three groups you find yourself belonging to, here are a couple of my tried and true resources for handling the holidays while still be culturally sensitive. First thing’s first, this little parent letter has saved…

  • Countdown to Christmas!

    It’s December 1st so we can officially begin that countdown! Whether you countdown to Christmas, or winter break, it’s always fun to watch those days go by as you anticipate the holiday – or a little bit of time off! I was overwhelmed by the cute ideas that are out there so I had to share some of my favorites with you. I still can’t decide which one I like best, but I love that they are all simple to use and involve the children in the process.  This cute freebie is from Erin Wing, and it includes little positive notes and compliments for each day. This Santa Countdown is adorable,…

  • 32 Winter Themes for Preschool

    If you’ve begun to plan your winter lesson plans, I’m here to help! Here are 32 different winter themes and topics that you can choose from when you’re looking for new ideas! Ice Snow Snowmen Christmas Hanukkah Kwanzaa Winter Clothing Christmas Lights Pine Trees Jingle Bells Cookies Gift Wrap Bows Sledding Skiing Ice Skating Winter Animals Peppermint Candy Canes Pine cones Cranberries Cinnamon Quilts and blankets Boots New Year Ground Hog Day President’s Day Martin Luther King Jr. Day Valentine’s Day Conversation Hearts Hot Chocolate Igloos Here’s a graphic if you prefer!

  • Friday Freebie – Parent Letter about Holiday Celebrations

    It's a little early for this particular freebie, but it fits really well with this week's parent communication theme, so you can download it and file it away for later in the year.  This is the letter that I send out every year before winter holidays (usually the beginning of November so I have plenty of time to get it out, get it back, and start planning). It lets parents know why I like to include holiday activities on my lesson plans and gives them the opportunity to share what their preferences are when it comes to discussing holidays in the classroom.This is a great way to make sure that…