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NAEYC Conference 2015 session trends
I attend and facilitate a lot of professional development trainings, they’re part of my job, so when I go to a conference the sessions aren’t usually my favorite part. Don’t get me wrong, I love hearing others’ experiences and finding ways to use their tips and tricks in my work, but there are a couple of other highlights for me. I love love love exploring the Expo Hall. It is absolutely fascinating to explore new products and see what each company has come up with to capture my attention this year, plus FREEBIES! I also spend ridiculous amounts of time pouring over the conference program. The sessions available say a…
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Conference Prep – What I’m taking
I’ve been to quite a few conferences, and they’re all a bit different, but my experience has given me a list of things that are necessities for every conference. Here’s what I take with me; An extra tote bag – you never know when one of your sessions will have freebies or giveaways, and the expo hall is always full of fun samples and there’s never an easy way to carry all of it. This tote from Ikea is perfect because it folds into a little pouch so I can throw it into my purse until I need it. A water bottle – I’m cheap, there, I said it. I…
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It’s NAEYC Week!
The NAEYC Nation Conference is this week in Orlando and I’ll be there, will you?! This is the third time that I’ve gone to the conference and I love love love spending time learning from all of these amazing ECE professionals (and the Expo hall is fun too). NAEYC is at the forefront of developments in Early Childhood Education, and as an educator and someone who educated other teachers, it is incredibly important to me to know where NAEYC stands. I find myself turning to their position statements all of the time to give direction to my own work. You can find them using the following link, the information is…
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Friday Freebie – Thanksgiving Roll and Graph
Happy Friday! For me, November means Thanksgiving. I spend the entire month planning and re-planning what I’m going to take to our Thanksgiving celebrations. I search endlessly for new recipes, and inevitably end up making the same old favorites. Today’s freebie fights right in with my monthly theme of food! This cute roll and graph from Ashley Hughes is all about Thanksgiving dinner. I can see kiddos loving this game, and learning so much as they begin to recognize the vocabulary and practice recording their data on the graph. This would be a great activity for large groups or smalls groups, so go download it and add it to those…
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A cranberry recipe preschoolers will love
Cranberries may not be the first Thanksgiving food that your preschoolers want to try, but this easy recipe just might change their mind – and they can help make it! These cranberry tarts are made with three simple ingredients;1 package of sugar cookie doughchocolate chipswhole cranberries The only prep work that you will have to do is to cut your whole cranberries in half. Then the children can help you press spoonfuls of cookie dough into each hole in your muffin tin (you will probably need a couple of muffin tins to use all of your cookie dough). Mix the chocolate chips and cranberries together in a bowl and the…
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Thanksgiving Activities for Preschool
Thanksgiving is the beginning of the holiday season craziness, you’ve got fun activities, parties, and family events at school and then throw in all of the stuff that also happens to be going on in your personal lives and sometimes it can be just a bit much. I have a list of simple Thanksgiving activities that children love and that will save your sanity (this is a repost from last year because these activities are still just as wonderful as they were last year)! I Spy Thanksgiving My kiddos love I Spy books, I think they are great for improving concentration and visual discrimination. These beginning reader versions also include simple…
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Cranberry Sauce Texture Exploration
I don’t think I actually know anyone who enjoys cranberry sauce. It always shows up at Thanksgiving, but personally I would rather have cranberries in my baked goods, or even dried cranberries in my salad. I think it’s a texture thing, whether your family does cranberry sauce from a can or homemade, both versions have physical characteristics that are all their own, this is precisely what makes cranberry sauce the perfect subject for a texture comparison. Whenever I use food in the classroom it is strictly for exploration, the children are always welcome to taste it if they want, but it isn’t required. Any sensory exploration is different depending on…
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Preschool Cranberry Exploration
Cranberries are amazing little fruits that can provide hours of exploration for preschoolers simply because they float. These seasonally popular berries are perfect for exploring concepts like buoyancy in an authentic way. This sink or float experiment is also the perfect way to introduce a week of cranberry-inspired activities because it is sure to pique the kiddos’ interest and keep them engaged. I like to introduce the cranberries during circle time or large group time, this gives me the opportunity to start a discussion and begin a list of what the children already know about cranberries. Some students may be familiar with cranberry juice, or dried cranberries, but for…
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Friday Freebie – Thanksgiving Graphing
Happy Friday! Every day is bringing us that much closer to Thanksgiving, and I don’t know about you but this is the time of year that my busy personal life begins to collide with my busy school schedule and everything feels just a bit overwhelming. So, I’m hoping that these Friday Freebies this month will really help you finish up those lesson plans and take a little off your plate! Today’s freebie is a set of Thanksgiving Surveys that you can use to help your students practice sharing their opinions, writing and recognizing their names, and creating graphs. These simple graphs can be extended over a number of days. Enjoy…
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Spice Air Freshener Craft
This activity is a great way to explore spices and a cute keepsake for families to use throughout the holiday season (plus, it’s REALLY easy to make). You’ll need canning jar lids (not the rings, just the lids), some ribbon, white glue, and spices (Invest in a bulk jar, any pie-related scent will work – cinnamon, nutmeg, pumpkin or apple pie spice), paintbrushes, and something to catch the spices as the children sprinkle them on their lids (I used paper towels, but you could use waxed paper, printer paper, or activity trays). The first step is one that you’ll want to do outside of the classroom – attach a small…
