• summer toys

    Summer Must Haves for Kids

    My daughter has 2 days of school left, and between, the beautiful weather we’ve been having, and the upcoming Memorial Day weekend, it really feels like summer is upon us. I thought I’d share some of the products that we use over and over again all summer long. These are the basics that help keep my girl entertained, and mom a little more sane! All links are affiliate links. Sand toys – A good set cannot be underestimated! I DO NOT like sand personally (something about the way it feels just gets me) but my daughter doesn’t share this aversion, she’ll happily cover herself in it. I keep a set…

  • simple bug catcher

    Easy Camping DIY

    We enjoyed a nice long camping trip last weekend and I’m still working through all of the laundry! I had to share this little DIY before I forget – Simple bug catchers. These are such an easy way to keep kids busy and encourage exploration. Before we left I was looking for a quick project that my girl and I could put together for all of the kids that were camping with us. I wanted something that we already had all of the supplies for, would actually capture interest, and wouldn’t take up a lot of space. Catching lightning bugs is always a favorite camping activity, so this was a…

  • planning a summer week

    Plan with me!

    I usually like to sit down on Friday afternoon or sometime on Sunday and look over my calendar for the upcoming week – this week it didn’t happen until Monday morning, but it’s summer right?! Summer weeks look a lot different in my planner than a typical week during the school year. There are a lot more moving pieces and ever-changing plans in the summer, so having it all written down is so important. Take a look at what goes into planning a summer week: Some of these plans were put in my calendar before my girl broke her arm, so we’ve had to do a bit of shuffling in…

  • summer plans

    Summer Update!

    We’ve officially been following my summer plans for a month (you can read more about those here), so it felt like time for an update. This is the first summer that I’m home with my daughter everyday, and having structure and materials in place was really important to me. So far it’s been super helpful! We keep things really flexible, and won’t always get to everything on our list – but I think that’s the difference between summer and the school year. There has been one major snag, my girl broke her arm last week, so we’ve been modifying a lot. Of course it’s her right arm, so we’re currently…

  • preschool summer activities

    New resources for summer!

    I’ve been busy adding so many new summer resources to the Preschool Ponderings store! If you’re looking for preschool summer activities I’ve got you covered. Here’s what’s new: Ice Cream Clipart – These are perfect for any of your summer creations! I use them for planner stickers, prize stickers, and summer activities. They’re classic shapes and colors that instantly set the mood for summer fun. Bee Unit – Bees are fascinating and so important to our ecosystem, but they can also be very scary for young children. Taking time to understand them a little better and explore them in the safety of the classroom can help remove some of that…

  • embracing summer in the classroom

    Summer in the classroom

    There are so many different kinds of summer child care and preschool program situations – so it’s impossible to generalize one “right” way to do summer in the classroom. In my own personal experience, I’ve always worked for full-year, full-day childcare programs. our summers typically look exactly like the rest of the year, but summer always FEELS different. I like to embrace that and really do my best to incorporate the very best parts of summer into the classroom. For me, this has always included a little less structure and a lot more time outside. Now don’t get me wrong, we still do a ton of learning! It just feels…

  • Summer activities for a kindergartener

    Summer Plans!

    This summer is going to look very different for our family – it’ll be the first summer that my girl and I will be home together all summer long. The idea of giving her a fun summer while I’m still working stresses me out a bit, so I took some time to do the one thing that always puts my mind at ease, some serious planning! If someone asked me to choose ONE word to describe myself it would definitely be the word “planner.” I truly love to organize my thoughts, lay them out on paper and fill in any missing pieces. It helps me feel in control and gives…