• Custom School Shirts

    I’m attending the Teachers Pay Teachers Conference in Las Vegas later this week and I am psyched to wear my Preschool Ponderings T-shirt! The Shirt was printed by A+ Images and I cannot say enough good things about this company. I’ve ordered T-shirts online from other companies and it has been an expensive headache.  A+ Images is AWESOME! Their design tool was easy to use and I was able to make my shirt look exactly like I wanted it to.  If you are in the market for staff shirts, school spirit shirts, or field trip shirts, please be sure to check out A+ Images!

  • Do you use TPT?

    Have you heard of Teachers Pay Teachers? Do you use it? I cannot believe the number of amazing resources I’ve downloaded from TPT over the years – the freebies are awesome, and every product that I’ve bought has been completely worth the money I’ve spent (saving me the time and effort of having to make it myself). There are some incredibly talented teachers out there and we can all benefit from their great resources.  It can be a bit overwhelming to sift through all of the products that come up as a result of a search, so I wanted to share a couple of TPT tools you can use to…

  • Friday Freebie – 4th of July

    Happy Friday! Happy almost 4th of July! Today’s freebie is an adorable 4th of July headband that children can color and wear as they celebrate the holiday.   Grab this free download from Teacher’s Scrapbook, and if you’re looking for other ideas for your 4th of July celebration check out these posts; Quick and easy 4th of July activities Teaching Patriotism Exploring Fireworks

  • Ideas for exploring fireworks

    When you say 4th of July, the first thing most people think of is fireworks. Watching fireworks is definitely the most memorable part of the entire holiday, and though children aren’t able to touch them, they are certainly able to experience them. Fireworks can also be a little scary – especially if children are close enough to hear the loud booms and feel the ground shake beneath them.  This is why it is a great idea to explore fireworks with children before the 4th so that they have an idea of what to expect. Here are ten ideas for exploring fireworks with little ones; Watch videos of fireworks that include…

  • Expressive language activities for preschool

    It’s Wednesday, and here at Preschool Ponderings, that means time to focus on the standards.  Every Wednesday I choose an Early Learning Standard and share a number of activities that can be aligned with that particular standard.  Remember, the Standards that I use every day, and am most comfortable with are Ohio’s Early Learning Development Standards – you can review them here, however I’ve found that even if your State’s standards differ, many of these activities can still be aligned similarly. I’ve rounded up some great ideas today! Domain: Language and LiteracyStrand: Listening and SpeakingTopic: Expressive LanguageThis standard is all about using language to communicate.  Children should be able to speak…

  • Teaching Patriotism

    The 4th of July is one of my favorite holidays, I love spending time with my family and making time to just enjoy summer. I think this is probably true for most people, but there is more to this holiday than barbecues and fireworks, it’s about pride and love for our country – Patriotism.  There is something about the 4th of July that makes us all feel united in celebrating together, no matter what state we are from, what age we are, or what we look like.  There are many many ways to teach patriotism to young children, and celebrating the 4th of July is a great reason to talk…

  • Quick and easy 4th of July activities

    Where did June go?! The 4th of July is approaching just a little too quickly, and I know I’m not as ready for the holiday as I’d like to be, so I thought I’d share some of my favorite ideas from last year to help us all prepare for upcoming patriotic parties and picnics! Check out this post from last year, it’s full of game, snacks, and crafts that are perfect for celebrating Independence day with little ones!

  • Friday Freebie – Summer Graphics

    Happy Friday! It’s been a week, let me tell you – but I’m off on another camping trip this weekend and looking forward to relaxing a little! I have two freebies for you today, I figured since I’m sharing graphics I’d give you papers and clip art so you can make something fun! This beachy clip art set is from Graphics from the Pond. I love the sketchy look, and it comes with background scenes.  This would be great for learning activities or summer scrapbook pages! The summer paper set is from Teaching Super Power.  The bright colors are perfect with the clip art set, and make me wish summer…

  • Language and Comprehension activities for Preschool

    It’s Wednesday, and here at Preschool Ponderings, that means time to focus on the standards.  Every Wednesday I choose an Early Learning Standard and share a number of activities that can be aligned with that particular standard.  Remember, the Standards that I use every day, and am most comfortable with are Ohio’s Early Learning Development Standards – you can review them here, however I’ve found that even if your State’s standards differ, many of these activities can still be aligned similarly. I’ve rounded up some great ideas today!Domain: Language and LiteracyStrand: Listening and SpeakingTopic: Receptive Language and ComprehensionThis standard is all about listening and understanding, for preschoolers it focuses on understanding…

  • Water play with preschoolers

    Most of the preschoolers that I know would be happy to play in the water all day, every day.  If this is true for your students, then you are probably looking for ways to keep water play fun and exciting.  If you do water play every day, you might try implementing a schedule with a different kind of water play each day – like this; Monday – Wading pools Tuesday – Water balloons Wednesday – Sprinklers Thursday – Ice play Friday – Squirt guns Doing something different each day gives children something to look forward too and breaks up the monotony.  It also gives you some guidance when planning the…