Anyone who knows me well, knows I am no stranger to Home Depot. Having married a man with a penchant for home remodeling, I have learned to navigate the aisles well, in search of the right size of screws, the critically needed electrical wire, or the aesthetically pleasing cabinet pull. Almost without fail, I see something at “the Depot” that appeals to the preschool teacher in me (or maybe it’s the preschooler in me).
Book Activity: Hiccupotamus
I think this may very well be my new favorite book! At least for today! Hiccupotamus by Aaron Zenz is, in a word, hilarious. Of course, brevity is not a quality I possess, so here are a few more words.
This Could Be the Safest Finger-Paint Ever
I recently had a teacher ask about art projects for the very young, particularly young two’s. She was especially concerned with the safety factor, as the little ones have a tendency to try to eat what they’re working with. I have a long list of suggestions for her, but I’ll share just one with you now!
Bev Bos’ Secret to Successful Shaving Cream Art
I do enjoy Bev Bos! That woman is in a league of her own! Well, it’s thanks to Bev that I’ve learned the secret to great shaving cream painting! In the past, I’ve had children paint with colored shaving cream, and they’ve had a great experience, but unless they spread the foam out, once that foam’s dry, it all seems to fall apart. Enter Bev. Her big secret is to add equal parts Elmer’s glue and shaving cream and whip them together. Then add your color and you’re good to go! [Read more…]
Bev Bos' Secret to Successful Shaving Cream Art
I do enjoy Bev Bos! That woman is in a league of her own! Well, it’s thanks to Bev that I’ve learned the secret to great shaving cream painting! In the past, I’ve had children paint with colored shaving cream, and they’ve had a great experience, but unless they spread the foam out, once that foam’s dry, it all seems to fall apart. Enter Bev. Her big secret is to add equal parts Elmer’s glue and shaving cream and whip them together. Then add your color and you’re good to go! [Read more…]
Exploring Magnets
I apologize for disappearing for a bit. I was being held hostage by a computer virus and spent the better part of the last couple of days trying to put down its hostile take-over. For the life of me, I can’t figure out why people make a hobby out of creating something to waste other people’s time. If you want to waste your own time, by all means go for it, but why waste some stranger’s? Is that entertaining to some people? Though I have to confess, if, in the midst of my virus-inflicted frustration, I had actually followed through with my fantasy of throwing my computer through the window, someone might have found that entertaining. But alas, the computer is still here on my desk, and the mutiny has been laid to rest. So, on to the better things in life…..like magnets!
A Triple Scoop of Seuss
And to Think That I Saw It on Mulberry Street
This was Dr. Seuss’ first book to be published. He said that as he was riding on a ship on a trip back from Europe, he became enchanted with the rhythm of the ship’s engine. As he listened to the rhythm over and over in his head, the words forming this book’s title seemed to flow right into the rhythm. This is great for helping children hear the rhythm in words (a key phonological awareness skill) as well as another great book celebrating the fantastic imagination of children!
Five Favorites….To Start
OK, for those of you looking for more Dr. Seuss activities, here are five favorites to start off with! More to come!
(Does anyone else ever feel like they’re juggling this many things?)
3-2-1-0 Day – Time to Blast Off!
It occurred to me this morning, that not only is this Dr. Seuss’ 106th birthday (in honor of which I will be posting more activities soon), but it is also 3-2-1-0 Day! I thought that to celebrate a day made for countdowns, you may want to try Film Canister Rockets or Steve Spangler’s Mentos Geysers. I don’t need much encouragement to do “blast-off” projects – it may be my favorite type of science activity- but a day that comes around once every century or so, seems like an exceptionally good reason!
Happy Birthday, Dr. Seuss!
I have always loved Dr. Seuss! As a child and even a teenager, I was drawn to the wackiness of his themes and made-up words juxtaposed with the reason of his perfect prose. As I’ve studied early education and early literacy, I’ve come to love Dr. Seuss even more! His books are pretty much the best for building phonological awareness, the development of which is critical for reading (read more here). They not only expose children to rhythm and rhyme in an enchanting, almost intoxicating way, but they also introduce rhyming with invented words, which emphasizes further the importance of sound in rhyming – not meaning. These “nonsense words” also open the imagination and creativity of children in a simply magical way. In my opinion, his work is so critical to a good education, I refer to him as the Shakespeare of childhood!
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