A few Preschool Updates

So I've had several ideas for blog entries, actually remembered to bring my camera to class and load them on my computer and then there they sat. Sigh. I tried. Well in the meantime I got a new laptop. Well it's my first laptop and huge update from the desktop my husband and I purchased our first Christmas after we were married back in 2002!! So... I've been living on my new addiction pintrest, as well as, starting work on my church's VBS, which I hope to share with you my adventure on that as well in the near future.

Well back to the subject at hand. I wanted to share some favs from these past few months!! First off one of my kid's FAVORITE charts in our room is our helping hands job chart!! They enjoy looking each day to see what job they will get to do that day. I used a die cut of a hand print and listed enough jobs for the number my class maxes at on. A few of those days were listed as Day Off the rest had the job title and a small hand drawn picture to resemble whatever that job is. I then had the poster laminated and added Velcro next to each handprint and then on each crayon cutout which indicates the child's name. This has also been a wonderful enforcement for name recognition plus helps build self-esteem knowing that they are a part of the class and that what they do matters.

 I LOVE graphing with my 4's!! And they sure do love sharing things they love. I created a reusable graph on a plain white poster board and with a permanent marker drew out the basis for a bar graph. Then again the poster was laminated for durability. Used cut out squares create possible replies, for this particular graph we did a "blind" taste test for different types of foods and we graphed if we liked the food or not. Red square construction paper was taped into the appropriate place. At the end we talked about what foods we liked the most which one we liked the least. This graph as worked out very well!!

I just LOVE my system for keeping up with each child's memory book pages. I used a basic paper sort shelf I purchased at Sam's several years ago. Down one side I labeled each child's name indicating which slot was theirs. Once a page is completed for the memory book I punch the 3 holes in the side and place in child's slot. At the end of the year all I will need to do is bind the pages together for book rings and hand out. This has worked out great for me.

Happy Shinning Stars Behavior Chart

I love using this style behavior chart with my four year olds, it's very simple for them to understand.  Everyone starts the day on the super happy face.... and I allow for one freebie verbal warning.  After a verbal warning and a class rule has been broken the child's star will fall to the happy face.  Where they will spend 4 minutes on the thinking mat, when time is up we go over what the better choice would have been, plus the child will automatically loose their computer time for the day, if later in the day for the next morning.  If by chance good choices are forgotten again the star falls to the not so happy face.  When a star is here 5 minutes in spent on the thinking mat, and a one on one meeting with the teacher will be done after time is up to go over why good choice are not being made and to again go over what the good choices are and then reminded what will happen if their star shall fall again.  If again all good choices have just flown out the window, and the star shall fall again to the sad face thinking time will be served in the office and a sad note will be sent home to the parents.  I've found by the time a child has gotten to the not so happy face behavior greatly improves... with punishments set in place for office visits and parent notification the idea really deters the negative choices.   Those who are able to stay of the super happy face all week get a choose a prize out of the prize box.   This is one of three possible ways kids get to pick a prize.  The other two is completing any homework and turn it in by deadline and able to dictate the weeks Bible verse via memory.

Our sensory table is ready for the Artic!!



In January we spend a week learning about the Artic region and the animals that dwell in that environment.  I was happy to stumble across bags of plastic like snow stuff at Wal-mart after Christmas.  This is stuff I believe you would use in mini Christmas villages to give the look of snow.  I couldn't pass up large size bags for about $.60 each... I picked up 2.  One bag filled my little sand and water table up pretty well.  I added some small Artic animal toys to it and viola... an Artic play land.  The kids in my class have really enjoyed this addition to this play set.

My classroom- Big ideas in a small space

I love centers in my K4 preschool classroom, and think the MORE centers the more benefits children can have.  My challenge is small space, and I'm constantly working on ways I can better utilize the space I have.  So as of the moment this is what I have come up with.

 Book Center

I really wanted a quiet spot for the kids to have an opportunity to be alone if needed and a place to relax.  Having the book stand butted up to my desk creating a wall (I put our writing center book shelf on the opposite side for support to help either from flipping over) created a little reading nook.  With a stuffed animal and few pillows and couple child size seats my book center has become more welcoming and I've noticed the kids are more likely to freely go over there on their own.  Most go there to retreat away from the larger group and end up laying down flipping through books.  I hope to add a couple larger floor pillows.  I use a small plastic container between the two chairs to hold the books that go along with the months themes.  Books places on the bookshelf contain a wide variety of various types of books.  Though I may change this since I've noticed the kids tend to gravitate more to books we have read or go a long with what they are learning about.

Cubbies/ Parent Information Board

Above our cubbies is my parent information board.  Each month a monthly calendar goes home listing each week's theme, letter number shape color and sight words for the week, Cooking activities, special happenings, and craft projects, as well as, any closings, music classes and chapel meetings.  This same calendar is located on my Classroom News wall in 2 forms the same one sent home and then one the large dry erase calendar.  Each week I send home a weekly newsletter, this newsletter is more detailed about what we will be doing that week, any changes that contradicts what was on the monthly calendar, upcoming important dates, reminders or other news that has came up after the calendar was sent home or simply just unable to fit on it.  Plus our weekly Bible memory verse for the children to work on at home.  This newsletter will also be placed on the wall (normally wear the bare green paper it).  Also included on our Classroom news wall is our lunch menu, poems I find inspiring to early childhood development, programs parents may find helpful for their children, programs/events going on in the church, or other related articles and whatnot's I find that parents maybe interested in.   Along with what is posted on the wall and what is sent up, Any really important reminders or notes is written on the small dry erase board that is held up by the large clothes pin.  This sits right next to our sign in/out sheet to I know everyone will see it.

 Discovery Center

This is one of several of my centers I really wish I had room to expand!!  The kids really enjoy exploring their world around them with the different tools from magnets to binocolors to color paddels.  I also enjoy adding things I find from nature for them to explore.  Currently we have a plant, a turtle shell and a bird's nest out.

 Weather Center

 Our weather center is one of the kids favorites, They LOVES when it's their turn in our classroom jobs to be the metorologist.  Where get to step out our back door to figure out what the weather and temprature is, mark it on our display and annouce it to all their friends during large group.  I'm hoping to add some tools right outside our classroom to include a themometer, rain gauge and a wind shock.  But more on that later down the road.

Sensory Table (AKA Sand and water table)

I refer to my sand and water center as our Sesory table since rarely is there ever sand or water in it!!  I enjoy changing out it's contents to keep the kids engaged.  I plan to do a post in the near future of great mediums to use in your sensory table.

Art Center

One of my favorite centers and I LOVE keeping it stocked with a varity different items the children get to choose from.  The draw backs to my art center through is my limited non-carpeted area and the lack of NO sink in our classroom, our nearest restroom in down the hall.  But we learn to adapt and make it work (Baby whipes help clean up enough to safely send children down the hall to wash their hands properly).

Dramatic Play Center

This is one of the top two favorite centers amongst my class, and it stays busy!!  I'm working to add several prop boxes to change out every once in while to add to the kids imganiation and play.  Keep an eye out for these!

View of my classroom from farthest front left corner to the opposite back right corner

This is overlooking our two tables we use to do our classwork, the dramatic play center, the block center and the computer center

From the back left corner to the front left corner

Again over looking our work tables, large group center, block center, my desk and work area, writing center, computer center and manipulatives center.

 Large Group Center

This is where our class meets as an entire group (lucky with only 10 on roll we have just enough space)

View of the left side the classroom

Block Center

I would like to add to this center with a varity of building mediums and props.

Math & Manipulatives Center

Yet another center I would like to expand and still searching of options and ideas, as of know the kids love making patterns, sorting and putting puzzles together.



Twas The Night Before Christmas- from the scrapbookers view

Twas the night before Christmas, I'm glued to the tree.
I'm wondering what Santa brought just for me.
Could it be cardstock or chipboard or lace?
Or a Cricut, I said, with a smile on my face.
And that's when I heard him,
"Hi Santa, " I said
"You know....good little girls should be in their beds".
"I know I should Santa,and now I've got caught.
But I was just so excited To see what you brought."
"Well, let's take a look in this room where you work.
He shook his head quickly,And left with a jerk.
I heard him exclaim as he put it in gear.
"You've got enough crap,
I'll see you next year!"

I stole this off a post on a scrapbook website, don't know who orignially wrote it

Merry Christmas!!

Christmas Happenings

 

Well it's my first day of my four day weekend for Christmas.  My Christmas present is I'm taking it easy, well as much as I can.  Chris and I and the extended family that we will NOT do gift exchanges.  Which is a huge relief!  We started our bathroom remodel project due to some major damage that needed tending to.  So we will be doing work little by little for a total update over the coarse of the year.  We pulled out the small stand up shower to find that the floor underneath had completely rotted away!!! Yikes!!

 During the demo work I was swamped at work with gifts to the kids and their parents, practices for Christmas programs, planning their Christmas party, attending the staffs, Organizing and putting on an Angel Tree for a family in our school, and putting on the book exchange Ohhh and the major unplanned stomach virus that left me sick in bed all last weekend.  Here it is Christmas Eve Eve and I have yet had two seconds to even step in a single store!  Planning to spend wonderful quality time with family on both sides at their house.... and putting up drywall and flooring.  MERRY CHRISTMAS EVERYONE!!

Hand print Calender- parent gift

Another idea to got from various sources on pintrest.  I adapted to better fit 1. A Christian preschool 2. A week to get 9 of these made while still fitting in Christmas program practice and regular classroom routines in!!

Cover poem:

I know that you wipe some away

But these hand prints were made to stay.

One each month I made for you

Some are red, some are blue.

So keep them forever, a treasure they'll be.

A special "I Love You" from me.

for each month there was a picture made using hand print, palm print or finger prints.  I have seen several teacher's/parents use a poem for each month, but I used a Bible verse at the bottom of each calendar month.

Jan: Snowman

Feb: Heart

March: Shamrock

April: Umbrella

June: Caterpillar and butterflies- thumbprints

July: Sun

August: Fish

Sep: Apple- palm print

Oct: Pumpkin- palm print

November: Turkey

December: Christmas tree

I wasn't happy with the item I used to bind them together, I used plastic like key ring hoops, the metal book rings would have done much better or using a binding system.

Candy cane play dough- Gifts for my K4 students

I found this idea on pintrest Here is the link to the blog where I found it: http://artfulparent.typepad.com/artfulparent/2010/12/candy-cane-playdough.html

Each year for Christmas I usually will get each one of my students a book as a gift from me.  I spend all year building a foundation in which to build a reader and good student, and always thought as a good teacher I will help promote this by helping build home libraries.  At my new school all four of the K4 classes do a book exchange (will post more on this on another post) so felt I would find a "new" tradition.  When I came across this a light went on!!  Perfect!!  Play dough for young children is a Magical toy and SOOO secretly educational! Add to the fact that we spend a day of our December curriculum talking about the meaning of candy cane, this was just a must do gift. 

Benefits of a child playing with play dough:
1. Exercises those fine muscles in their fingers making them stronger so those little fingers will have the strength to hold a pencil and write.
2.  Anger management.  About the only thing a child can crush, beat, smash and work out any and all frustrations they may have without getting into trouble.
3.  Hands on learning, Rolling snakes and forming them into letters, number, shapes and figures.
4.  Cause and effect skills
5. Communication skills are formed as they talk about what they are doing, new words and concepts are learned when adults talk with them about what they are doing.  (NEVER ask your child "what is it?"  instead ask "Tell me about what you are making.")
6.   Help builds a child's self-esteem.  There is no wrong or right way to play with it, and how you play with it is only limited to your own imagination.
7.  Which brings to the next benefit, it foster a child's imagination- play dough is the BEST open ended toy!
8.  Attention holder.  From my experience working with young children, play dough holds children's attention a lot longer then I can safely say 95% of any toy in their room.

This is for those of you who reject the idea of allowing your child to play with play dough due to the mess it caused... these benefits will I promise be well worth it.

Homemade Play dough Recipe:

There are soo many recipes and so many different things you can add for texture, color, and smell.  This is my favorite base recipe that I feel is simple, and even better the kids can help make it.

No-Cook Play Dough
4 cups flour
1 cup salt
4 tbsp oil
1 and 1/2 cup water
for candy cane dough you will need red food coloring and peppermint extract

Mix oil and food color together before adding to dry mixture. Mix until pliable. Keep in container or plastic bag.
Add a tiny amount of water to dough that is too dry until reaches the correct consistency.

To make this into candy cane play dough mix in a few drops of peppermint extract, either mix all ingredients together without food coloring then split dough in half and kneed several drops of red food coloring in one half and leave the other half it's natural color.  Or make two batches one natural and one mixed with red food coloring.  (Be warned that kneading dough by hand with food coloring will dye your/ your child's hands!!)  
To make it special kneed in some multi colored glitter!

The balls of dough in this pic were too big, I spilt each in half

I used 8oz mason jars.  A box of 12 with lids and labels at Wal-Mart for under $8.  Taking about an amount a little larger than a golf ball of both the white and red dough making two long snakes, then twisting together.  Then, carefully feed into the jar in a circling pattern.  Make sure you have some extra to play with to master your technique to get the right look if making for gifts.  12 mason jars doesn't hold as much dough as I thought, you made for 2 batches is enough.  I did 4 and pretty sure I had enough left over to do another 12!! 

When done, Use a cute candy cane printed fabric square in the lid.  I added to the fun by tying an inexpensive Christmas cookie cutter to each jar with a ribbon.

The Legend of the Candy Cane:
http://www.spiritisup.com/canetree.html

Niece's 15th Birthday Cupcakes

My youngest niece turned 15 the Monday after Thanksgiving.  For our family get together that Sat I made my first batch of cupcakes.  I figured they are all the rage might as well see what I can do.  Let me tell you... I found my new love!!!  These were soo much fun I ready to try some more, on my shopping list to pick up a icing bag thing.