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Making applesauce with preschoolers
I'm not sure when it was decided that autumn means an in-depth study of apples in every single early childhood classroom in the country, but I'm certainly not one to buck tradition. One of my favorite apple activities to do with my preschoolers is to make homemade applesauce. Children love this activity because they get to eat the end product, so it's a great way to sneak in a ton of other learning opportunities. First there's the understanding that the applesauce they eat in their lunch every day actually comes from an apple that grows on a tree. This helps them begin to comprehend economic concepts such as food supply and…
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Preschool Activities that meet Social Emotional Standards
It’s Wednesday, which means it’s time for some activities aligned to a specific standard. This is the fourth week of this feature, and we’re still on social emotional standards. (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). Here we go!Domain: Social Emotional DevelopmentStrand: SelfTopic: Sense of Competence This is one of those standards that can be difficult to plan activities for, because you can absolutely take steps to foster competence in your students, but often this happens…
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Book talk Tuesday – We’re Going on a Leaf Hunt
Today I'm linking up with Mrs. Jump's Class for Book talk Tuesday. Every year, this book finds a permanent place on my classroom bookshelf for the entire autumn season. My students love Going on a Leaf Hunt by Steve Metzger. This book is perfect for preschoolers because it takes a story that they are already familiar with, and gives it an autumn twist. They are easily able to retell the story to themselves or each other after hearing me read it a few times. The pictures are also colorful, attractive and very descriptive. Books like this give young readers confidence in their beginning skills, making reading fun. I also love that it names…
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A Reggio Inspired Word Wall
I use vocabulary lists with my class all the time. They are a great way to keep track of the new words we have learned, and they help keep parents informed too. When I saw this word wall in one of our preschool classrooms I had to share the idea with you. It's a word wall with a Reggio twist - the kids helped the teacher decide which project- related vocabulary words to put on their wall, she wrote them, and then the children wrote them too. I think this is an awesome way to incorporate a traditional word wall, and make it effective and relevant for the children. I’d…
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Friday Freebie
It has certainly felt like fall around here this week (of course it’s supposed to be 80 degrees tomorrow so…). I’m beginning to see pumpkins on front steps, mums in flower pots, and all kinds of pumpkin flavored treats everywhere. In honor of all that is fall, I wanted to share this freebie with you! All of these adorable board game mats are from Jenny Bolay. They are designed to be versatile, but the first idea that comes to my mind is that they would be perfect for dice games. My students are just getting to the point where they are able to work together and take turns, so these…
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Autumn Play Dough Recipe (Version 2)
On Tuesday I shared my recipe for Apple Pie Play Dough. Today I’ve got one for Pumpkin Pie Play Dough – it’s very, very, very similar. This recipe is so easy, just mix the following ingredients in a large saucepan: 2 cups of flour 2 cups of water 1/2 cup of salt 2 tablespoons of vegetable oil 1 tablespoon cream of tarter 1 tablespoon pumpkin pie spice food coloring (I used Wilton gel food coloring in copper, but you can use red and yellow liquid food coloring too) stir over medium heat until the dough forms a uniform ball (it should look dry). Place the play dough on the counter…
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Preschool Activities that Meet Social Emotional Standards
It’s Wednesday, which means it’s time for some activities aligned to a specific standard. This is the Third week of this feature, and we’re still on social emotional standards. (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). Here we go!Domain: Social Emotional DevelopmentStrand: SelfTopic: Self-RegulationAhhh Self-Regulation. Teaching a class full of preschoolers to regulate and manage their feelings and impulses, trying to get little ones to think about the consequences of their actions and behaviors. Do we…
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Autumn Scented Play Dough (Version 1)
I love to make home-made play dough. I love the colors of store bought play dough, but 1 can just isn’t enough for the entire class, and it drives me nuts when the colors get mixed (I may be a bit OCD), my recipe makes a big batch, so everyone can use it at the same time. In the fall I always make scented play dough because I love fall scents. The recipe that I want to share with you today is for Apple Pie Play Dough (check back on Thursday for my Pumpkin Pie Play Dough Recipe!). I love this recipe because it doesn’t use a ton of salt…
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Autumn Bucket List
Here’s my list of all the things that I want to do this fall: What’s on your list?
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Friday Freebie – Football Season
I’m not a huge sports fan, but there is something about football season that I just cannot resist. I love the atmosphere of a football game, I love having the game on the television while I’m baking, and I love getting all decked out in my scarlet and gray on game day (Go Buckeyes!). Today’s Friday freebie is perfect for your classroom during football season. These football themed ten frames are from I is for Inspire (be sure to check out Jacqueline’s store, she has a ton of great preschool stuff!). I love this set because there is more to it than just the ten frames, she includes color word…
