-
Flashlight Play
If you’re looking for some fun activities that children will love, that incorporate science, and that may be just a little different than your typical preschool activities then flashlights might be just what you need. First things first, you’ll need enough flashlights for multiple children to use at once. There are a few ways to gather these; ask your families to bring in flash lights from their homes, visit the local hardware store and ask for a donation, or order a set from Oriental Trading. Once you’ve got your flashlights think about how you want to use them. Can you make your classroom dark enough for them to work well?…
-
Firefly Crafts
It always feels like it’s officially summer when the fireflies show up – and usually it’s right around this week (at least it is where I live). I know that it’s typical to explore bugs and insects in the spring, but fireflies would be a fun, different summer theme if you’re looking to switch it up from the usual beach and barbecue themes. Here are some fun firefly art projects to try out while you explore these amazing little critters! Eric Carle inspired Firefly Suncatchers 3D Glowstick Fireflies Beaded Fireflies Plastic Egg Fireflies Firefly Jar Which one will you try first?
-
Friday Freebie – Cleaning Checklist
Happy Friday! I hope that you’ve been able to enjoy some summer weather and summer activities! I usually share freebie for the classroom, but this one was too good to pass up! My posts this week have been all about cleaning at school, but when you can come home to a clean house it can ease a lot of stress! This huge cleaning checklist is from Printable Crush, and it is amazing. If you’re anything like me cleaning will be worth it if you get to cross something off the checklist! Go download your copy and have a wonderful weekend!
-
Cleaning Ideas
I just realized how many posts I’ve written about cleaning the classroom. What exactly does that say about me? I know I’m a bit of a neat freak, so clearly this has spread to my classroom, which I don’t think is necessarily a bad thing. If you are looking to implement a new cleaning routine, or just looking for some tips and tricks, here are some of my previous posts for you to check out: Dealing with Preschool Stains Preschool Cleaning Tips Age Appropriate Chores Teaching Children to Clean up After Themselves
-
Cleaning and Sanitizing
So what is the difference between cleaning and sanitizing? Most people use these terms interchangeably, but they aren’t the same thing, and when it comes to preschool germs they can make a huge difference! If you aren’t familiar with the book Caring for Our Children, you’ve got to check it out. This resource is published by the National Resource Center for Health and Safety in Child Care and Early Education, and it gives recommendations for every possible health and safety topic that you could every come across while working in child care. It is an incredible resource to have on hand when you need to look up how to handle…
-
Cleaning Routines for the Classroom
This time of the year is perfect for examining your routines – what worked well this past year? What would you like to change? How can you be more efficient? If you’ve got the summer off you can prepare now to put these new routines in place, and if you are in the classroom all summer long then starting new routines now will mean less stress in the fall! One type of routine that I’ve always found helpful for myself is a cleaning routine – or more specifically, a schedule of certain things to clean at certain times, or on certain days. This has always helped me make sure that…
-
Friday Freebie – Starting a Child Care Program
Happy Friday! Are you still in school? Do you work year round? For those of you who are enjoying summer break, I hope that you’re having a great time. For those of you who don’t get a summer break, I feel your pain – but there is something about summer weekends that makes them even better than weekends the rest of the year, so enjoy them! Today’s freebie is a little bit different than what I usually share on Fridays. This business workbook is for those of you who have ever considered starting a child care program of your own. The pages in this workbook will walk you through the…
-
Questions to ask potential child care providers
Here are some great questions to ask potential child care providers: What is your philosophy about how young children learn? What is your favorite thing about working with children? What is your least favorite thing about working with children? How do you decide which activities to do with the children? Do you use any type of curriculum or assessment? How long have you been working with children and have you completed any education related to child development? How many children do you typically care for at one time? What is your typical daily schedule like? How do you handle temper tantrums and behavior challenges? What kinds of communication can I…
You May Also Like
A Blog Post about Blog Posts
-
Things to look for in quality child care
Yesterday I shared all of the things that I personally looked for when choosing child care for my own child. Today I wanted to give you some additional tips from the experts. When I need a great resource for anything related to Early Childhood Education the first place I look is always NAEYC. For this particular topic, NAEYC for Families does not disappoint. Below are the infographics, you can follow the links to read additional in-depth information. A Caring Place for your Infant A Caring Place for your Toddler A Good Preschool for your Child This information is perfect for sharing with parents who come to visit your program (so…
You May Also Like
A Blog Post about Blog Posts
-
What I Looked for when Choosing Child Care
We just recently had to choose a child care center for our new baby girl to attend when I go back to work, and let me tell you it was hard! I have worked in child care for my entire career, at three very different programs, and I currently help programs apply for our quality rating system, so it’s safe to say that I have far more knowledge about child care than the average new parent. I’m convinced that my training in licensing, curriculum and assessment, quality improvement, and best practice made this particular parenting task infinitely more difficult, especially considering our budget! I thought it might be valuable to…
You May Also Like
A Blog Post about Blog Posts
