Whether you’re looking for activities as a full-time teacher, a group of co-opting preschool parents, or a parent with curious kids and an afternoon to fill, you’re in the right place! Find more Thematic Units here!
Whole Child Development
by notjustcute Filed Under: Learning through Play and Experience, Uncategorized, Unit Themes 4 Comments
Whether you’re looking for activities as a full-time teacher, a group of co-opting preschool parents, or a parent with curious kids and an afternoon to fill, you’re in the right place! Find more Thematic Units here!
by notjustcute Filed Under: Building Readers 6 Comments
The dog days of summer may be behind us, but there’s no better time for a good book! Dog stories are frequently requested at our house, so I thought I’d share some of our favorites with you!
by notjustcute Filed Under: Building Readers, Celebrate!, Get Outside, Learning through Play and Experience Leave a Comment
by notjustcute Filed Under: Building Readers, Create, Learning through Play and Experience 7 Comments
As you’re talking to your preschoolers about dinosaurs, it’s great to talk about what they might have looked like. No one was around to see them, so no one knows for sure, but paleontologists have used some clues to help them make some really good guesses. Some “mummified” dinosaur remains show dinosaurs with scales. That would make sense since they are considered reptiles! (The name brontosaurus actually means “thunder lizard”, just a tid-bit kids love to hear.) Here’s a great activity to explore the scaly nature of dinosaur skin while also building creativity and motor skills.
Start this one out with a discussion about dinosaur’s skin. I have used the book Dino Pets, by Lynn Plourde to introduce this idea, since it does a great job of illustrating and comparing the many characteristics of dinosaurs. I’ve also used samples of leather (or imitation leather, it may be easier to come by) for the children to feel the bumpy, scaly texture. Then, using a dinosaur outline as your base, (I found these dinosaur outlines online), have the children rip colored paper into small pieces and glue them on the dinosaur to represent the dinosaur scales. (It may be easiest just to cover the dinosaur with your glue stick before tearing.) Don’t be tempted to cut the paper for them! The tearing action utilizes the pincer grasp and builds fine motor strength and control. These are all skills children need to develop in order to have the physical ability to write. Of course, since we have no way to be sure what colors the dinosaurs were, the children can use their imaginations and implement any colors they like. Challenge their creativity and talk to them about their ideas as they make their own colorful dinosaurs. Where would such a colorful dinosaur live? What is it called? What does it eat?
by notjustcute Filed Under: Building Readers, Create, Learning through Play and Experience Leave a Comment
While implementing a Pets theme, I gave the children some playdough, a paper plate, and an assortment of items with varying textures (feathers, googly eyes, pipe cleaners, batting, sequins, etc.). As part of a book activity, the children had just read But No Elephants, by Jerry Smath, a truly fantastic book, and were asked to use the materials to make their own pet – real or imaginary. The picture above is just one example from a 5 year old: “a flying fish”. Other children used the batting as fur to make “fancy poodles”, and “hamsters”. Try this activity as a stand alone or as part of a book activity.
As the children work the playdough, they build fine motor strength and control, as well as gaining a sensory experience. Creating the pet in both image and character builds creative and language skills as well. Children also display an awareness of pet characteristics and detail as they transfer their mental image of a pet to a playdough representation of that idea.
by notjustcute Filed Under: Building Readers, Learning through Play and Experience, Music and Movement Leave a Comment
Photo courtesy of night fate.
by notjustcute Filed Under: Building Readers, Learning through Play and Experience, Music and Movement Leave a Comment
Photo courtesy of night fate.
In early education, there is too much distance between what we know and what we do. I bridge the gaps that exist between academia, decision-makers, educators, and parents so that together, we can improve the quality of early education while also respecting and protecting the childhood experience.
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