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My Favorite Halloween Activity
I can’t let Halloween fly by without sharing my all-time favorite Halloween activity! This Jack-o-Lantern shape set can be used in so many different ways, so it is easy to use with children of varying ages and abilities. Children can use the shapes to make any face they wish, or they can recreate the inspiration cards by recognizing the shapes that have been used, finding them, and placing them in the proper locations on the Jack-o-Lantern. The set also includes matching cards, which children can use to play memory, or to match to the larger Jack-o-Lantern inspiration cards. Finally, there are “find me” cards. Children can work together to find…
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Treats to watch out for
Halloween is quickly approaching, so this week I’m going to share some of my favorite activities, but I also want to share some safety tips that are helpful for teachers, parents, and anyone that will be spending this holiday with young children. Halloween is all about sweet treats, so candy and snacks tend to appear out of thin air. One thing to remember when celebrating with the youngest children is that many common Halloween snacks can also be choking hazards. So whether you are indulging in sweets or trying to stay healthy, here are some foods to watch out for; Popcorn Jolly Ranchers Jawbreakers Hard Candy Gum and Gumballs Nuts…
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Friday Freebie – Election Day
Happy Friday! I know that we’ve still got time before election day, but this freebie fits really well with the other posts that I’ve shared this week, so I thought I’d point it out today so you can plan ahead. This Future Voter Ribbon craft from For Such Time is a great way to involve even the youngest children in election day. I love it because it’s also a great reminder to all of the adults in their lives that these little ones are watching us, and one day it will be their turn to make these big decisions.
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Advocating for Early Childhood Education
Yesterday I shared some info to help you inform yourself about child care policy and the upcoming elections. Here are some graphics that you can share as you advocate for our profession and our children. From Sesame Workshop From The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation From the Center for American Progress The easiest way to advocate for a cause you believe in is to vote, the next best step is to contact your legislator. Arm yourself with the facts and make your message heard!
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A cause worth believing in
Other than advocating for my favorite teaching philosophies, I don’t generally get political here – don’t worry I’m not about to. I just wanted to take a quick minute to recognize that election day is coming up and I for one am most interested in what all of the candidates have to say about Early Childhood Education Policy and Funding. While the presidential election is important, don’t forget about local races too, state representatives and senators have a lot of influence on state budgets, and local school levies impact our children too. While I’m not advocating for any specific candidate (I promise I will never ever do that here), I…
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Halloween Play Dough Activities
Play Dough is one of those preschool supplies that some teachers love and other teachers hate. I can certainly see both perspectives, but I love it. I’m a huge fan of homemade play dough, for a couple of reasons; A batch of homemade play dough can be shared among more children than one container of store bought play dough. When you make your own play dough you can create any color that you want, so it can be used for endless themes and seasons. If you’re careful you can make the play dough in the classroom, extending the learning experience and helping the children appreciate the play dough even more…
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Preschool on Instagram
I follow a ton of great preschool teachers on Instagram, and their photos are a huge source of inspiration for me, so I thought I would take some time to share my favorites with you! playtolearnps: Jamie is always sharing photos from her classroom and all of the activities that she does are simple and easy to re-create. pocketofpreschool: Jackie has the best dramatic play centers, I Love her ideas and the way she includes the children in the work. teachingpreschoolers: Tami’s instagram is the perfect mix of classroom ideas and personal photos, I love when I get to see what my favorite teachers do outside of school teachpreschool: If…
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Friday Freebie – Candy Corn Sorting
Happy Friday! I love all things fall, especially the food and that includes Halloween candy. My all time favorite is candy corn, I refuse to buy any at the store before October because I will eat it as soon as I buy it, so I try really really hard to only have it in the house for one month. This cute Sort and Count Freebie is perfect for my candy corn addiction. It requires a bag of the mixed variety. You know, the one with the regular candy corn, the big pumpkins, and the chocolate candy corn. This is the perfect excuse for me to start buying it now! Even…
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Fall Fashion for Teachers
I’m not a fashion blogger by any means, but I enjoy sharing these posts every now and then. Autumn is weird in Ohio, for example most of this week it was in the 80’s and then yesterday it was 65 degrees. It’s hard enough to dress professionally when I know that there is a good chance I’m going to leave work with a new marker or food coloring stain on my clothes, throw in crazy temperature fluctuations and I really just want to stay in my pajamas! There are a few things articles of clothing that I have been turning to regularly over the last few weeks – these are…
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Autumn Field Trip Ideas
My brain is stuck on all things autumn, so I’m going with it. I’m a huge fan of field trips, I think they are an amazing way to make learning real-life and to expose children to places and concepts that they otherwise might not come into contact with. I also think that they are perfect for introducing children to all of the concepts that you’ve been exploring in the classroom. I completely understand that not all programs are equipped to take field trips for a variety of reasons – I’ve worked in programs where this was certainly the case, so I’ve got a lot of tips for working around this…
