• Easy personalized waterbottles

    The one major issue that has always made playground time difficult is the lack of a water supply. I can get creative when it comes to water play, but daily drink breaks are another thing.  This easy activity is the perfect solution.  You will need 1 disposable water bottle for each child – if you collect them from staff or families clean them out with soap and water.  The children can help you take the labels off all of the bottles.  Use one of the labels to measure new labels, and cut these from white printer paper.   Each student can decorate their own new label, which will help them…

  • Shady spaces for your playground

    Nothing can beat a really great sunscreen when it comes to protecting a child from a serious sunburn, but a great shady space is just as important! The thing about creating an inviting shady area is that the children have to WANT to spend time in it. I’ve rounded up some ideas that would have any kid happy to spend some time in the shade – these are all easy DIYs that would be perfect for the playground! Make your shady trees even more inviting – from Play-scapes.com Cover your sandbox – from Wray Sist3rs A tent for all kinds of adventures – from A Sharper Focus Some other fun…

  • Playground games

    I’ve been spending as much time outside as I possibly can – I think I might be addicted to vitamin D, or maybe I’m just preparing myself for next winter by soaking up the sun while I still can! This is all fairly new to me, when I was little I was not an outdoorsy kind of kid.  This means that I sympathize with my students who don’t really know what they’re supposed to do when they’re on the playground.  I started teaching the children the games that I did enjoy playing outside, and it surprised me that most of them had never played any version of tag before. I…

  • Friday Freebie – Summer planning

    Happy Friday! It’s definitely summer, the temperatures are rising and I am in a very summer mood! This week I shared some of my favorite summer posts, let you know what I hope to check off my summer bucket list, hunted down some healthy summer snacks, and let you all in on some of my favorite summer outfits for work. Today I’ve found a freebie that will help you map out the rest of your summer. This Summer Planning set is from Proud to be Primary. It includes weekly and monthly calendar pages, along with a page to track what you plan to read, write, and create, plus any fun…

  • What to Wear: Summer styles for preschool teachers

    I’ve shared some tips about dressing professionally (and appropriately) for preschool before, so today I want to tackle what to wear when you have to teach all summer long.  I’ve always had to work year round, and I know that summer can bring some special challenges. Not only is it hot hot hot, but you want to spend a lot more time outside – which usually means getting dirtier than you might in the classroom.  Here are some of my current favorites for wearing to work – I actually own all of these, and I’ve chosen them because they are professional-looking without breaking the budget.  They all wash well and…

  • Quick and easy summer snacks

    It’s been a while since I’ve done a snack post, my go to snack during the summer are definitely a lot different than during other times of the year.  My favorites are lite, quick and easy.  This is the perfect time of year to introduce children to fresh produce, and you can play around with fun things like popsicles, that don’t take a lot of effort but always get great reviews. Here are some fun ideas for lite easy summer snacks that children will love as much as you do! Fruit Kabobs Frozen Banana Chocolate Chip Bites Strawberry Granola Yogurt Bark Chocolate Covered Banana Pops Fruit Salsa Cake Batter Popsicles…

  • My Summer Bucket list

    Every so often I like to stray from the preschool subject matter and share just a little bit of myself (although preschool is definitely a part of me) with all of you.  So I thought I would share my bucket list for this summer! I have to be honest for a minute and tell you that it was hard to come up with 10 fun things that I want to do this summer – and I think that’s a little sad, so I’m making it my mission to seek out fun experiences! Go camping – Technically I can check this one off, we went camping with friends a couple of…

  • Summer Fun!

    It has been hot hot hot around here, and it definitely feels like summer! I wanted to share some previous posts that offer some fun ideas for summer activities that will keep you busy while you beat the heat! Water Play with Preschoolers Water Play with Infants and Toddlers Summer Activities for Preschoolers Summer fun – Activities to do at home (or school) Summer fun – Activities to do around town I hope that you will use some of these ideas to make memories that last a lifetime!

  • Friday Freebie – Editable Boarding Pass

    Happy Friday! My travel posts all week have me itching to go somewhere, I might have to make a day trip this weekend! Here is an incredible freebie for your travel week – this super-high quality Boarding Pass from A First for Everything can be edited to reflect the destination, the name of the traveler, and the name of the airline.  How fun is that?! Make sure to download yours and have a great weekend!

  • Travel-themed dramatic play props

    Are you in vacation mode yet?! Me too, and since it isn’t going to happen for real, I figured I’d take a pretend trip (you can download my free travel lesson plan here!).  I fully believe that children need the opportunity to explore authentic materials when engaged in dramatic play, so here is a great big list of travel-themed props that you can add to the classroom for your travel or vacation week. Suitcases Duffel bags Cosmetic or toiletry bags Empty travel bottles (Shampoo, conditioner, etc.) Tote bags Luggage tags Travel pillows Boarding passes Passports Travel magazines and brochures Cameras Binoculars Postcards Clothing Flip flops Maps Hotel room keys Sunglasses…