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A Must Watch Video
I don’t share video clips around her very often but this one recently popped up in my facebook feed and I feel like everyone needs to see it. Click here to view This video is an interview with Preschool Teacher Rachel Giannini for attn: Parenting Today, and while her message is not news to those of us who are in this field, it is shocking to most of society just how little preschool teachers and child care staff at all levels earn. We can’t make a difference if others don’t realize that there is a problem, so please share share share!
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My Current Obsessions
At the end of the year I love to share my favorite things from the previous year as ideas for potential teacher gifts, the only problem with that is that a year is a long time and I have a hard time remembering all of the things that I love. I thought I’d share just a few of the things that I am currently obsessed with so that you could get hooked too! (All links are affiliates) It’s common knowledge that I have an deep love for Papermate Flair pens, but now I’m adding these Papermate InkJoy pens to my collection. Someone left one in my training last week and…
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Under the weather
I’m pretty sure that it is the weather this week, but I have been in a nasty funk. This never-ending migraine and consuming desire to crawl back in bed have really put a damper on my holiday-loving attitude. When I’m not feeling well (but not quite sick enough to stay home), I’ve found that it generally best to let my students in on the fact that I’m a little under the weather. Preschoolers are just beginning to understand empathy – there are plenty of adult issues that they just can’t comprehend, but they know how awful if is to feel sick. When my students know that I’m a little under…
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Favorite Easter Traditions
I can’t let Easter sneak by without sharing my favorite Easter traditions! Check out these posts for some super fun ideas for your upcoming celebration: Egg Decorating Without the Mess My Favorite Easter Books Easter Bunny Trail Mix Easter Traditions for Preschool Easter Writing Centers Easter Math Activities Last Minute Easter Basket Ideas Easter Printables for Preschool Maybe you’ll find your new favorite Easter tradition in this collection of fun activities!
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Strategies for getting excited about work again
I love my job. I tell people this all the time because it really is the truth – but that doesn’t mean that I always want to be at work. There are definitely days when I’m irritated, days when I would love to stay in bed and hibernate, and days when I feel completely unproductive. This is normal, we all feel this way occasionally, but if you’re like me you can’t always take a vacation just because you want one. When I’m feeling like I need some new energy, when I really need to re-focus and find that excitement again, there are a couple of strategies that always work for…
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Back to reality
I took a little break here for a couple of weeks – it was much needed, even if I didn’t actually slow down. I don’t spend a ton of time talking about my personal life her, but I thought I would jump back in by showing you what I’ve been up to. First and foremost, I spent some serious time taking care of myself. Here are three things that I swear by when it comes to self-care: It’s amazing what a great manicure can do for your self-confidence. My all time favorite polish is Essie’s Treat Love Color collection. (Affiliate link) Yoga always helps me de-stress, I started this 30…
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Spring Break!
I had to laugh when I was typing that title, I haven’t had a spring break since I was in college. But this year I’m giving myself one! I’m going to focus on some much needed self-care, I’m talking yoga, facial masks, and lots of extra sleep. Things will be a little quiet around here this week, but I’ll be back next week and I have a ton of great things planned!
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Friday Freebie – Community Helper Puppet
Happy Friday! I’ve got the perfect freebie to finish out a week about community helpers. It doesn’t get more traditionally preschool than paper bag puppets. This Police Officer Puppet would be the perfect addition to your classroom library, and it might even inspire your students to make their own versions of other occupations. Go download yours from Carrie Lutz and have a wonderful weekend!
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Community Helpers Preschool Activities
I promised yesterday that I would share my favorite activity centers for exploring community helpers, here they are: Community Helper Handprint Wreath – A great visual for all of the places in your community that you would find helpers. Community Helper Occupation Booklet – Explore the tasks of each job and the tools and materials that are associated with it. Community Helper Hats and Badges Freebie – Perfect for your dramatic play area! Community Helper Matching – Great for a language center, encourages children to practice letter and word recognition to match the helper to their title. Community Helper Dances – A little music and movement is always appreciated, and…
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Introducing community helpers
One of the most common topics in the preschool classroom is community helpers. Whether you do a theme week about them, or regularly rotate community helper costumes through your dramatic play area, you’ve probably covered them at some point throughout the year. There’s good reason for this; we want our children to know who they can turn to when they need help, and we want them to recognize that we all play a role in making our community run successfully. My favorite way to introduce this topic to preschoolers is with a discussion. I ask them to name adults that help them, to which they typically reply with family members…
