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Exploring Vegetable Gardening in the Classroom
Growing vegetables with young children can be a powerful way to introduce them to foods that they otherwise might not try. Many children struggle to enjoy vegetables, and growing their own gives them a vested interest in how they’re used, which means eating them. While many programs are able to create beautiful vegetable gardens with their students, that isn’t always possible. There are many other ways to explore vegetables and gardening without actually creating and maintaining a garden as a class. Here are some ideas.
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Preschool 4th of July Activities
The 4th of July has always been my favorite holiday – it’s that mix of sweet summer, patriotism, long days, and knowing that my birthday is right around the corner! Even when I’ve had to work the week of the holiday I’ve made sure to live it up in the classroom, determined to make sure that my students enjoy this day as much as I do. Here are all of the posts that I’ve shared over the years with 4th of July activities for some inspiration for your own celebrations. All Things 4th of July Children’s Books for the 4th of July 4th of July Bingo 4th of July Fruit…
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4th of July Printables for Preschool
The 4th of July is one of those holidays that has a way of sneaking up – summer just flies by so fast! Quick activities that you can print and use immediately are a lifesaver. Here are all of the patriotic activities available in my TPT store to make the holiday a little easier.
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Bee themed products for the classroom
I’ve shared some amazing ideas for learning about bees, but this is definitely one subject where the item being investigated can’t be easily brought into the classroom. Here are some bee themed materials that can be used to safely support learning. All links are affiliates. National Geographic Kids Bees Book Bee Habitat Honeycomb Ice Cube Tray Bee Science and Sensory Materials Beekeeping Dramatic Play set
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Safe ways to explore bees in the classroom
Bees are an excellent topic to explore in the classroom because so many children have a fear of them – and the best way to combat fear is with knowledge! That said, there is a reason to have a healthy fear of bees, being stung HURTS and for some children being stung can come with dangerous allergic reactions. Many preschoolers have never been stung by a bee, so they don’t know if they’re allergic or not – which adds to the uneasiness surrounding bees. All of this means that bees are a topic that requires additional safety considerations when being studied in the classroom. Here are some ways to safely…
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Bee Themed Activities for Preschool
Children have very strong opinions about bees – usually related to the fear of being stung. That’s understandable, most adults spend a fair amount of time warning children to stay away from bees so that they don’t get stung. There is so much more to bees than their defense mechanism though. They’re a super important part of our ecosystem, which makes them a great topic to explore in the classroom. Here are some easy printable activities to support children’s learning in this area. Click on the picture for more information.
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Flower Garden Theme Ideas for Preschool
Planting flowers and watching them grow is a natural activity for any gardening theme, but there are so many other amazing activities that can support learning about all things related to gardening. Some of these lend themselves better to the classroom environment than others. Here are my favorite ideas for exploring flower gardens with preschoolers. Look for flowers in children’s environments – walk around school, bring photos from home and other places that children go often Visit a garden center or nursery Identify different types of flowers Invite someone in to talk about gardening (a local homeowner with a beautiful garden, landscaper, staff from a botanical garden, florist, etc.) Ask…
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Flower Garden Activities for Preschool
Gardening is not one of my natural talents – but I’ve always wished that it was! Growing flowers offers so many amazing learning experiences, from patience and discipline to life cycles and plant science. It’s a staple in the preschool classroom, for good reason! Since actually growing beautiful flowers isn’t a strength of mine, I’ve created a number of printable activities to support children’s learning and understanding when it comes to this particular theme. All of these are available in the Preschool Ponderings TPT store. Click on the image to learn more.
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Ideas for Exploring Camping in the Classroom
One of my favorite things about camping as a learning theme is that there are so many ways for children to interact with the supplies, materials, and activities that are actually part of a real camping trip. It’s all very authentic, and even the youngest children appreciate that! It also lends itself well to spending a ton of time outside, which everyone wants after a long winter! Beyond setting up a dramatic play center, here are some ideas for helping children explore camping. Set up a tent. Tents are tons of fun to play in, but actually putting them up is where the learning happens – following directions, working together,…
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Printable Camping Activities for Preschool
Camping is one of my favorite summer activities, so it makes perfect sense that I’ve always loved sharing this topic in the classroom too. Camping supplies lend themselves perfectly to math an language activities, and it’s so fun to find authentic materials to supplement these activities. Here are my favorite camping activities for the classroom – all of these are printable and available HERE!
