Lots More Ideas on My Facebook Page!

Yesterday my facebook page reached 7,000 likes. I am humbled, honored, excited! My goal always has been, still is, always will be to share ideas about teaching 2 and 3 year olds. I love that over 7,000 of you take the time to work with these small children, whether they are your students, your children, your grandchildren!

Just a reminder that I post a lot of activities over on my Facebook Wall, categorized in photo albums. 

Check them out here:

My Facebook Photo Albums.

Thank you for sharing this with others, too!

Planning for a New Year: My Big Binder

Our first day of preschool is on September 10th. While it's over a month away, I know how quickly that time will go. Organization is important, especially right now while putting together rosters, parent packets, schedules, etc.

One thing I could never go without is my 1 1/2" back-to-school binder.

Inside it, I have page dividers for the following:

• 2's Roster
• 3's Roster
• Birthdays
• Morning Schedule
• Year Calendar
• Special Events
• Curriculum Outline (You can find that here.)
• Welcome Letter (to be mailed)
• Supply List (to be mailed)
• Separation Anxiety Information (to be mailed.)
• Questionnaire (to be given out at parent night)
• Parent Tidbits (to be given out at parent night)
• Photo Permission Slip (to be given out at parent night)
• Staff/Board Meeting Notes
• Open House/Parent Night Information (what I'll need to cover)
• Scholastic Book Order Information
• Sign In Sheets

This is pretty much everything I'll need to work on before school starts.

However, I keep this binder and use it all year, adding as we go along.

It's pretty bulky by the time the end of May comes around!

I love having everything at my fingertips, especially as I work on the classroom next month and attend staff meetings.

I use page protectors for many of the categories so that I can place several sheets inside. (For example, I have one sleeve for each month of teacher/board meetings and everything from that one month slips into that one sleeve.)

As I'm planning for back-to-school, each section reminds me of what I need to mail, what needs to be updated, copied, purchased, etc.

That's it! My handy-dandy back-to-school notebook!

 

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Confetti Froyo Pops

As part of our chef's camp, yesterday we made confetti froyo pops. This being berry season, we asked the preschoolers to bring their favorite berries to camp.

I love community cooking activities, where everyone contributes their favorite foods. 

We had each child add their berries into a big bowl.

We then added some vanilla yogurt. The recipe calls for 2 cups, but since we had so many berries, I used the entire  large container. Everyone took turns mixing the yogurt and berries.

Pour the ingredients into paper cups and cover with tinfoil.

Make a slit on the top of each and have the child insert his/her popsicle stick into it.

Place in freezer overnight.

The next day you will have a delicious, healthy popsicle, filled with fresh berries!

Condensed Milk Paint

Sweetened condensed milk and watercolors. Simple!

Sticky. Shiny.

Now you could stop the activity here. And some did.

But not everyone....

One preschooler decided he wanted more of an experience. So he poured the milk paint onto his paper.

Every color.

Eventually, he placed each jar ON his paper.

And then, he went beyond the paper. He explored with his hands. He sat there for quite awhile, running his hand through the paint, squeezing the paint between his fingers, brushing the paint on his hand, then squeezing again.

Engaged.


I simply stood back and watched the process. And when he was finally finished, he looked up at me with this great smile and headed to the sink to wash up.

Our Pizzeria

Welcome to our pizzeria! Please place your order now and we'll make it fresh while you wait.

First, we need to roll out the dough.

Then, we will add the toppings of your choice.

This could be your pizza!

Or this happy face one! Okay, time to box it up!

Whew! That can be hard work!

Thank you for purchasing pizza from us! Hope you like our pizza. Please order again soon!

 

 

An Invitation to Water the Plants

With summer finally being here, our patio plants are thirsty! I set up a watering station so everyone could help.

Throughout the year we talk about taking care of living things. 

We felt the soil in each pot and could see it was very dry.

Preschoolers love real jobs. They want to be useful. They took great care in making sure all our plants had plenty of water.

This is especially meaningful because they helped us plant these flowers months ago. They've watched them grow and bloom. They are learning how to treat plants with care.

Next week will be our Great Gardener's Camp, where we will get to explore this even more.

 

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