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Book Talk Tuesday
I’m linking up with Mrs. Jump’s Class for Book Talk Tuesday. I love Halloween books, but my favorites are all pretty well known – The Little Old Lady Who Was not Afraid of Anything, It’s Pumpkin Time, and Room on the Broom are all great books, but I really want to share new books with you. Spooky is a board book from Roger Priddy, and while you may not recognize his name, his books are staples in infant, toddler, and preschool classrooms. Spooky is a touch and feel picture book that includes both simple illustrations and lifelike photographs. It is a great way to introduce very young children to Halloween, and…
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Holiday Shopping on a Teacher’s Budget
I accomplished a major task this weekend – I finished all of my Christmas shopping (I know, yes, it’s October). I love getting it all out of the way early because then I get to enjoy the holidays and do fun stuff like baking and watching holiday movies without worrying about when I’m going to pick up those last couple of gifts. I usually have to spread out the gift-buying, waiting for my next pay check to pick up the rest of the presents on my list, but I tried something new this year and it worked so well that I had to share – I’ll definitely be doing this…
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Friday Freebie – Tech Ebook
It’s Friday! The freebie that I’m sharing with you today is one that I’m really excited about, mostly because I’ve put a ton of hours into it. I created this Tech Resources E-book for my upcoming NAEYC Conference Presentation, and I want to share it with the entire world. This book is full of clickable links and icons that will lead you to websites that I promise will make your job easier. There are sites where you can create a class blog, share info and photos with families, and collaborate with other teachers. I’ve also included links to my favorite blogs, Pinterest boards, and websites for creating amazing displays and…
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DIY Metallic Magnet Letters
I use magnet letters for all kinds of activities in my classroom so they are almost always on my shelves. While I find them invaluable, I’m not so fond of the bright colors. I found a way to make my magnet letters a little more aesthetically appealing, and I can’t believe how easy it was. I have three words for you: Metallic Spray Paint. Seriously, why did I not think of this before?! All I did was spray my plastic magnet letters with three coats of chrome spray paint (I let each coat dry before spraying on another coat). The final result is stunning, and my students couldn’t wait to…
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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 sixth 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). Let’s see what great ideas we can find today!Domain: Social Emotional DevelopmentStrand: RelationshipsTopic: Interactions with AdultsAll children should be able to make a list of adults that they trust and feel comfortable with. The key to meeting this particular standard…
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Book Talk Tuesday – Big Pumpkin
It’s Tuesday, so I’m linking up with Mrs. Jump’s Class for Book Talk Tuesday. I know it isn’t quite time for Halloween yet, but I have to share this book with you now so that you have time to track it down and share it with your class for a couple of weeks before Halloween. Big Pumpkin by Erica Silverman has been my favorite Halloween book ever since I was introduced to it my first year teaching. It tells the story of a witch who planted a pumpkin seed, which grows a pumpkin so big that she can’t move it by herself. One by one Halloween creatures attempt to move…
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October Currently
Ahhh! how is it October already?! And how did I forget to do the Currently again? One of these days I’m going to shock everyone and have the Currently up on the first day of the month, but for now, this works too. Listening: Oh Real Housewives, what can I say? My life is fairly drama free, so I can’t help but be drawn to to the chaos and insanity that is Real Housewives. I think that watching their drama makes me eternally grateful for my mostly quiet existence. New Jersey is hands-down my favorite! Loving: We spent the weekend celebrating my Brother-in-law’s wedding. They had a beautiful outdoor ceremony,…
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Friday Freebie – Leaves
Yay for Friday! I’ve been looking forward to this particular Friday for months because I have the day off to attend my Brother-in-law’s wedding. I am so excited to spend the long weekend celebrating with family and great friends (and it just so happens to be taking places in one of my favorite places to visit – Ohio’s Amish Country – so bring on the baked goods!). To celebrate, I’m sharing two freebies with you today! The first is a really cute leaf silhouette match from Totschooling. This is a great activity even for the youngest children, they have to look at the colored leaf cards and see if they…
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Natural Materials for the Preschool Classroom – Autumn
It’s no secret that I love autumn, so it should come as no surprise that I like to include autumn-related natural materials in the classroom for the children to explore. In fact, we spend a lot of time outside collecting these materials to bring into the classroom. I’ve found that the children are more like to explore these things inside, when they get to be a part of finding them outside. This also gives them a frame of reference for each of these items because they can remember where they were collected. Here is a list of some of the things that you can typically find in my classroom during…
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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 fifth 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: RelationshipsTopic: AttachmentAttachment is healthy, we want children to feel attachment to parental figures, and to want their parents near them. We also want young children to feel safe and comfortable at school, so that…
