What child wouldn’t love the chance to unearth the mysteries of dinosaurs? Here’s how I gave some preschoolers the chance to be paleontologists!
Archives for February 18, 2009
How to Build a Mailbox for Your Preschool Post Office
Have you ever looked at those darling mailboxes designed for dramatic play in the supply catalogs, and just wished that you could rationalize a few hundred bucks for such an investment? Well, stop trying to rationalize because I have a more budget-friendly alternative.
These mailboxes were made from “Costco-sized” diaper boxes. I spray painted them blue, cut a letter slot by cutting the three sides of a rectangle. On the fourth side, I made a crisp bend (may be aided by making a shallow cut through the first layer on the inside with a razor) and reinforced it on the inside with packing tape so that it wouldn’t wear out from being opened and closed. The handles were leftovers from a kitchen remodel, but you can also buy simple handles pretty inexpensively at your hardware store. Poke holes through the cardboard, basically “pilot holes”, and then thread the screws through like you would on a cabinet. Cut a similar slot at the bottom of the back for the letter carrier to retrieve the mailed letters. (I skipped the handle in the back and cut a notch instead.)
Five Silly Dinosaurs
To prepare for this song, I draw a picture of a dinosaur driving a car on five index cards. (The pictures don’t have to be perfect, the kids are generally easy critics in this department. Look at some dinosaur illustrations to give you inspiration.) I arrange the pictures on my pocket chart and ask the children if they think dinosaurs drove cars. We talk about this idea for a bit, and generally conclude that these are five silly dinosaurs. In fact, there’s a song about these five silly dinosaurs!
Five Silly Dinosaurs
