Photo courtesy of hyperorbit. During the preschool years, children are bombarded with very strong emotions, yet their developing language skills often limit their capacity to express those feelings. In such situations, it’s much easier to act than to speak. What results are the tantrums, the hitting, the biting, and other behaviors, which too [...]
Entries from December 2008
December 15, 2008
Five Little Snowmen
Here’s a great fingerplay for a snowy day: (Holding out five fingers.) Five little snowmen standing in a row, Standing straight and tall in the deep, cold snow. Out came the sun, shining bright and hot all day, And one little snowman melted away. (Repeat with 4, 3, 2, 1, and 0.) I like to [...]
December 11, 2008
The Classic Playdough Recipe
The ingredients: 2 cups flour 1 cup salt 4 tsp cream of tartar or alum 2 Tbsp oil 2 cups water (Photo provided by chrissi.) *Food coloring or non-toxic watercolor powder or liquid base (added to the water) The How-To’s: Combine all dry ingredients well, then add liquids. Cook, stirring, over medium heat for [...]
December 8, 2008
The Sensory Table On a Budget
In many preschool rooms, the sensory table is often surrounded by children. It is an inviting area of the room where children are encouraged to stick their hands into the medium of the day, be it water, colored rice, or even slime! Children gleefully run their fingers through a new texture, scooping and dumping to their hearts’ delight, all the [...]
December 6, 2008
Book Activity: Mmm, Cookies!
This fantastically fun read is by one of my favorite authors, Robert Munsch. He began as a storyteller who always knew how to get and keep a child’s attention, and was later convinced to put his stories into print. This silly tale follows a little boy through his mischief as he makes pretend cookies out [...]
December 1, 2008
Teaching Through Questions
Photo provided by osmar01. Generally, asking children questions is a great way to find out what they know. “What color is that?” “What does the seed need to grow?” This type of questioning is a fine way to help us know what children are learning. However, asking questions can be a tool to teach as [...]
