I picked up a great deal while visiting my parents a while back. Their local newspaper sells the remnant rolls of newsprint, in a variety of sizes, for next to nothing. I think I spent $3 on a roll that just happened to be the perfect length for my easel, with enough paper on it to last me a year at least! Newsprint is certainly lower grade quality than your typical art paper. It tends to yellow a little over a long period of time, so it’s not what you would want to use for framed artwork. It is great, however, for high volume projects; those times that kiddos just want to experiment over and over (pretty much all the time). It’s also great for covering tables for large group collages and murals, or just for protecting the table. Really, for three bucks, you could use it for just about anything, and you still get your money’s worth! Check out your local newspaper to find out if they sell their remnant rolls of newsprint. Additionally (in case you wonderful people need more reasons to feel good about yourselves) using this newsprint is a great way to recycle a spent resource while also conserving new resources. So you can be green and save green all at the same time! Can’t really beat that, can you?
Pouring Preschoolers
Here’s a little secret: Preschoolers can pour their own drinks. It’s true! The children gain so much independence and self-confidence by learning this self-help skill. Autonomy is something children crave at this age, and this is certainly an activity they can do on their own when appropriate parameters are set.
First of all, I use a small pitcher that they can easily lift and control. I use these little, plastic, liquid measuring cups that I picked up at the Wally Mart, and have my little ones pour their own water at snack time. I love that these are see-through so the children can watch as they and others pour (and the fact that they are extremely cheap and readily available is nice too).
Make Your Own Rhythm Sticks
Rhythm sticks are a must-have for a preschool program! As long as you have enough dexterity to get your two hands to come together in the same general area (a fantastic feat for very young ones) you can play this instrument! Use them as part of a percussion band, or for specific rhythm stick activities. They magically turn any chant or song into a fun phonological awareness building activity! You can have children tap and count, or tap parts of the body. Switch up old favorites, like, “If You’re Happy and You Know It” by adding the sticks (“If you’re happy….tap your toes”). Use them with tempo songs like Hap Palmer’s Slow and Fast, or practice beating rhythm patterns (floor, floor, together…) to incorporate both music and math concepts. Or simply explore the sounds you can make by tapping the floor, your shoes, a bell, or your other stick. Try to sound like the rain, builders, or anything else they bring to mind! They really are so simple, but their uses are essentially limitless. Every time I bring them out for music time, I have a room full of excited children with eyes beaming! In addition to their great musical and creative qualities, rhythm sticks are great for redirecting those children that just need to hit things together, or simply work out some energy.
You can buy rhythm sticks for a lot or a little, but if you’re pinching every penny (and who isn’t these days), or if you are susceptible to sudden flashes of inspiration, requiring that you must have these fantastic instruments for tomorrow’s activity and can’t possibly wait for shipping, you can make them yourself, quickly and inexpensively.
Ah-Ah-Ah-Choo! Teaching Preschoolers How NOT to Share
As teachers of young children, we’ve all been there. Dodging sneezy spit particles, heading straight for us at 100 miles per hour. Or stealthily intercepting a cracker before it goes from being coughed on to being shared with a best friend. We will stay healthier, and the children we teach will stay healthier if we start out the year teaching the children to properly wash their hands with soap, and to “catch” their sneezes and coughs in their elbows. (This is better than covering with hands, as that simply puts germs on their paws. That’s not very helpful in a “HANDS-ON” classroom!)
Art in the Preschool Classroom: Finding Reality and Fantasy
One of the classes I’ve been taking this summer is “The Arts in Every Classroom” (you can view the same class here). The arts seem easily incorporated into preschool, as the children are very naturally using music, movement, and visual art as a means of expressing themselves, almost constantly! This class gave me a few new insights into incorporating the arts that I may not have considered before and I hope to be able to utilize the arts more in the future. I’m particularly excited to utilize it during my “Experiencing the Arts through the Senses” theme I have planned for January!
As part of the culminating assignment, I needed to teach an art lesson. Since I don’t start my school year until September, I used two of my own cutie pies as my star pupils. I thought I’d share what we did here, in case you’d like to implement a similar lesson!
What's in the Number Bag?
I’m trying something new this year, in an attempt to combine a little bit of a show-and-tell opportunity and a numeracy activity. I’m calling my experiment “The Number Bag”. You might want to try it out too, and let me know how it works for you!
My magical, mystical number bag is simply a cloth drawstring bag. The bag is sent home with a card with a number written on it (1-5 for starters), along with the activity instructions in case any parents need a reminder. The child can bring anything they want in that quantity. For example, for the number 3 they may want to bring three toy cars or three cool rocks. (I will let parents know that if their child has something really special they want to share, they are welcome to use some creativity to make it work for the number bag. For example, if the child has a new doll she wants to share, but has the number 3, you might put in three dresses the doll might wear, or a dress with three buttons, and then include the doll to share as well. Or send the doll along with two other dolls of some kind.)
What’s in the Number Bag?
I’m trying something new this year, in an attempt to combine a little bit of a show-and-tell opportunity and a numeracy activity. I’m calling my experiment “The Number Bag”. You might want to try it out too, and let me know how it works for you!
My magical, mystical number bag is simply a cloth drawstring bag. The bag is sent home with a card with a number written on it (1-5 for starters), along with the activity instructions in case any parents need a reminder. The child can bring anything they want in that quantity. For example, for the number 3 they may want to bring three toy cars or three cool rocks. (I will let parents know that if their child has something really special they want to share, they are welcome to use some creativity to make it work for the number bag. For example, if the child has a new doll she wants to share, but has the number 3, you might put in three dresses the doll might wear, or a dress with three buttons, and then include the doll to share as well. Or send the doll along with two other dolls of some kind.)
Unlock the Potential Within Your Room and Your Children With Learning Centers
Montessori, Piaget, and Martha Stewart all have one thing in common. All three would agree that a room should be a thoughtfully prepared environment, one that creates an invitation to those that enter. Martha’s rooms may invite you to sit down and sip mint julep, but the other two postulated more about environments that invite children to learn.
Know Where You’re Going – Using a Developmental Checklist as a Guide
As you begin to plan out your preschool curriculum for the year, it helps to know where your children are developmentally so that you know where you want to “go”. One way I like to do that is with a developmental guide. You can buy developmental guides and programs like the POCET or the Portage Guide ,or if you’re a nerd like I am, you can look through position statements and curriculum guides and develop your own. I put together one based on several resources, as well as my own philosophy and program. It seems best to fit my needs. If you accept the caveat that I have not been commissioned by a higher authority to create this as the perfect assessment piece, you’re welcome to use it as well. Just sign up for the NJC Newsletter. (Feel free to comment with any questions you may have about using this checklist, or comment on how you’ve adapted it to meet your needs.)
Know Where You’re Going – Using a Developmental Checklist as a Guide
As you begin to plan out your preschool curriculum for the year, it helps to know where your children are developmentally so that you know where you want to “go”. One way I like to do that is with a developmental checklist. You can buy developmental checklists and programs like the POCET or the Portage Guide ,or if you’re a nerd like I am, you can look through position statements and curriculum guides and develop your own. I put together one based on several resources, as well as my own philosophy and program. It seems best to fit my needs. If you accept the caveat that I have not been commissioned by a higher authority to create this as the perfect assessment piece, you’re welcome to use it as well. Just click on Broad Developmental Assessmentto find the PDF file. (Feel free to comment with any questions you may have about using this checklist, or comment on how you’ve adapted it to meet your needs.)
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