Let It Snow (Our Own Way)

Hi! It's Scott from Brick by Brick. I love to repurpose materials—use materials in ways different from their intended use. Today we repurpose coffee filters.

My kids love scissors and love to cut. In the past couple of years, we've enjoyed cutting snowflakes from coffee filters. Coffee filters are already a circular shape, are thin and are easier to cut than paper, even when folded. (And you can get a lot for a low cost...especially if you find some at the dollar store!)

The group I had last year enjoyed folding and cutting. They experimented with folding and cutting, looking for different ways to create. In fact, we had this particular activity because I saw a child experimenting when we were doing something else.

This year, the group was more interested in cutting, not necessarily creating anything but exploring the process.

As the teacher, I often have my own plans, my own "agenda" of what should happen. But my agenda cannot be the driving force in the classroom. Kids need to explore their own ideas and follow their own agendas. After all that's how the learning happens.

At the end of the day, the most important activity is the one that allows children to explore and add to their knowledge and understanding of the world. If they are just doing what I tell them to do, they are only learning to implement my ideas - and are not gaining a broader understanding of the world and their own skills and abilities.

Many times I must take a deep breath...and let go. And I can be surprised by what the kids create.

This activity is a great one to use the mini trash cans, too. (Use any small container you have for this. More repurposing!)

Kids can help keep control of all those little pieces. And learn responsibility too.

My name is Scott, though most call me Mr. Scott. I love teaching preschoolers and kindergartners. I have been working with kids for over 25 years. I've been a teacher, preschool center director, volunteer, curriculum writer and editor, and workshop and conference leader. I blog at Brick by Brick.

Footprints in the Snow: A Movement Exploration Inspired by Winter

Winter Movement                                                                         

LET'S IMAGINE WE'RE RIDING ON A SAUCER SLED!

Hello EC Community,

It has been amazing to see the collection of ideas on this site, from so many different experts in the field.  One of my favorite things about movement is designing activities around different themes.  Winter provides endless inspiration for imaginative movement ideas.  The activity below addresses science, encourages creativity, and nurtures large motor skills.  Click here to go to the Rainbows Within Reach blog for my recent entries on the benefits of movement.

Footprints in the Snow is a movement exploration that can be done all at once for a 30-minute activity, or used in sections.  For example, the first part, walking in the mud and snow, makes a great transition activity.

FOOTPRINTS IN THE SNOW:

A Movement Exploration Inspired by Winter

What You Need

1.               Space:  This activity is best done in a large, unobstructed space.  It also works in a smaller space with the children staying in a home spot while they respond to the movement prompts (if you have limited available space).

2.             Music:  A lively, upbeat musical selection, such as an excerpt from Tchaikovsky’s Nutcracker Suite, or similar selection

                Snowflake Props:  Make snowflakes, one per child, out of white netting fabric:  Cut strips about 10" long and 4” wide.  Tie two strips together in a knot in the middle. You have a very simple prop, yet one that is fun for children to manipulate while dancing.

SNOWFLAKE PROP

What You Do

To begin the activity, say to the children:

Have you ever seen the footprints you make with your boots when you walk in the mud or snow? Let’s imagine we are putting on our coats, hats, mittens, and scarves. We’re going to pretend that we can make footprints while we are walking. Try to follow my exact steps by imagining they are footprints.

While the children are following you, prompt their creative movement responses by suggesting different images:

• ·      Let’s imagine we’re in the mud. I have to pull hard to get my boots out of the squishy mud!  Can you pull your boots out of the mud?
• ·      Now the mud isn’t so squishy, and there are lots of puddles. Let’s stomp in the puddles! Look how much we are splashing!
• ·      Uh-oh!  It is very cold and all of the puddles have turned to ice. Let’s ice skate!  Can you skate forward, backward, on one foot?  Can you turn? What patterns can you make on the ice with your skates?
• ·      Now we’re in the snow. It’s slushy—slide your boots through the slush!
• ·      Let’s imagine now that we’re in very deep snow. Can you lift your legs high each time you take a step?  Now let’s see what kinds of patterns our feet can make in the snow.
• ·      Imagine you have a saucer sled.  Sit down and twirl around on your sled.  Now twirl the other way.  Here we go, down the big hill!
• ·      Fall out of your sled, lie down, and make snow angels!  What other shapes can you make in the snow?
• ·      Now, let’s each roll a snowball to make a giant snowman.  We will stack them one on top of the other.  Look at our giant snowman!  What should we do for his face?  Will he be a happy snowman?
• ·      Let’s imagine now that we are all snow people!  What do you look like?  How does it feel to be a snowboy or snowgirl?
• ·      The sun is coming out!  What will happen to us if the sun shines strongly on us?  That’s right – we will melt!  Everybody melt very, very slowly.  Imagine that you end up as a puddle on the floor!

   Reinforce the Ideas with a Dance to Music:  That was a fun journey outside through the snow.  Let’s finish this activity with a snowflake dance.  I will give everyone a snowflake, and you may dance with it.  Think about all of the things we have talked about while you dance:  footprints in the mud and snow, ice skating, sled-riding, snow angels, making and being a snowman, and melting.  Here are some new ideas:  When you dance with your snowflake, think of how a snowflake swirls through the air before it falls to the ground.  The wind takes it in many different directions -- up, down, sideways, swirling and twirling.  There are big, heavy snowflakes, and light, feathery snowflakes.  Which are you?  Dance about all those ideas!  (Pass out the snowflakes and play the musical selection).

Conclude the Lesson:  To finish the activity, tell the children that you will all make a blizzard by throwing the snowflakes up in the air on the count of three, and they will try to catch them.  Repeat this several times.  Ask them to each make their body into a final snowflake shape, and then slowly drift to the ground trying to hold that shape as long as they can.



MAKE YOURSELF INTO A SNOWFLAKE SHAPE!



LET'S MAKE A BLIZZARD!

 Stay warm, and keep on movin’!
Connie Bergstein Dow

I look forward to your visit to my website http://www.movingislearning.com/

Moving is Learning!

How to Tame a Toddler!

Who am I?

Leeanne A

I often get asked how I can deal with a room full of toddlers all day, and my response is, “With LOVE”!
I really enjoy toddlers – when they come to me they are still babies, some still on formula and in fact last year I had a little 16 month old boy who couldn’t even walk! Within a two week period I had him walking and interacting with the other children with great vigor. We are now ‘buddies’!

Success in the toddler room comes with a lot of hugs, sweat and tears, both theirs and mine! However we all pull through. J When the toddlers leave me they are little students ready to take on the world. That makes me very happy and proud!

Sometimes toddlers are extremely challenging, after all they are at the “it’s all about me stage of life”. Each child is vying for my attention for the entire time they are with me. I have learned to bounce four toddlers on my knee at one time. I can play cars with seven tots, all shooting cars down a ramp at me simultaneously.  I can also put multiple toddlers to sleep at the same time; I have learned to rub backs with my feet (kidding – maybe – LOL).

All kidding aside there are little tricks to the trade when dividing my undivided attention with 15 toddlers at the same time. First on a rainy day I can whip up a mean batch of play dough and provide a multitude of tools to manipulate this squishy, much loved concoction. [Editor's note: click here for a play-dough recipe.] This keeps at least 10 of them occupied while I colour with the remainder of ‘friends’. Funny thing is though when they are finished colouring, I am still sitting at the table completing my work of art.

Second, I have learned to provide a room full of very interesting activities, which get rotated and added to on a regular basis. There is no such thing as getting bored in my classroom. Garage sales are my friend! I can get inexpensive resources to ensure there are objects to explore, that have not been explored before. If I can’t find any I create my own. Topping that, I network with other Early Childhood Educators who not only inspire me, but they ensure that I am on my best game.

Alongside these points you have to ‘believe’ in the fact that at the toddler stage of life, their brains are like sponges, and toddlers must be given credit for being far more intelligent and capable than people give them.

That is all well and good but, what about the times when I have some behavioural issues in the classroom? Well I have developed a manner of selecting when the ‘quiet voice’ is used and when the ‘serious voice’ is used. How does that work? Let’s just say you get more bees with honey than you do with vinegar.  However I do admit the ‘grumpy voice’ has reared its ugly head from time to time. Hey I’m human! I have also realized that I will NEVER get Botox – facial expressions in a toddler room are gold! *smirk* :/

I could babble on with some other ‘stuff’ or jargon, but will it make sense to anyone but me?  I don’t want to bore you!

So what does all this come down to? What am I saying here? Well nothing really! LOL

I just resort back to my first point – LOVE! Just love them! If you truly love the children – love your job and love the experiences you have each and every day – you will be a toddler expert.

What does any child need? LOVE! They need to feel secure – they need to know they are cared for and that they have meaning in your life! The children light up my day – I feel joy when I see them come into the classroom. We have a connection. We ‘get each other’.

Parents Can Improve Children's Vocabulary

Simple Ways Parents Can Improve Children’s Vocabulary

Welcome to my second article for “PreK + K Sharing.”
My hope is to provide parents, teachers and administrators quick “gems” they may use to create a lifelong passion for reading in children. To that end, I urge readers to interact with me by asking me questions I can address in future blog posts.



Happy Daddy & Sweetie on Bakery Field Trip: acquiring vocabulary!



While many understand that children with stronger vocabularies read better, parents grasp for ideas of how they can help. Reading aloud to children and providing them with plenty of reading materials is a great start. In addition to wide reading, there are a number of strategies you can use.

Teaching children is like trying on blue jeans.
                                                     One size does not fit all.

Reading 'Environmental Print'

Some children respond better to flashcards, while others may prefer discussing new words. Every child differs. Keep trying different activities until you find the one that best suits your child.

Here are a few suggestions:

·         Games. Mary Poppins was right – for every job to be done, there is a game to make it fun. From scavenger hunts to word riddles to dramatic productions known as “word plays,” games arouse children’s interest in experimenting with different word uses, meanings and structures. One of the best places that I have found to play vocabulary games with my own kids is in the car while driving. Point out signs, play “I Spy,” look for license plates and bumper stickers – there are endless possibilities (and it is much better bonding time than turning a video on in the minivan).

·         Discussions. Allow children an active role before, during and after you read aloud to them. Talking about new words is one of the simplest, most natural ways to learn new vocabulary.

·         Writing/Analyses. Select key words from books you are reading with your child and write them on individual cards. Ask your child to sort the words into groups based on commonalities, relationships and/or other criteria.

·         Visuals/Graphics. Diagrams allow children to visualize the relationships between words. Charts and pictures are also helpful to many. Better yet, hand your child a camera and let him create his own picture dictionary.

Creating a personal "picture dictionary"

·         Field Trips. Context is everything, and there is no better way to expose young children to new vocabulary words than to take them on lots of excursions. Museums, parks, libraries – these are all wonderful places, but a field trip for a young child can be something as simple as getting a haircut, going out to a restaurant or taking a walk down the street. Parents can expose their children to all sorts of new vocabulary words in the simplest yet most meaningful ways just by taking their children on different “word adventures.”

You can improve your child’s vocabulary by illustrating how to make word-learning fun. Remember, you are your child’s best teacher.

Danny Brassell, Ph.D., is a father of three and professor in the Teacher Education Department at California State University-Dominguez Hills. He is the founder of The Lazy Readers’ Book Club, www.lazyreaders.com, Google’s #1-ranked site for cool, “short book recommendations” for all ages. You can get more teaching tips by browsing his books and videos at his website, www.dannybrassell.com.

Beautiful Art and the Child with Special Needs

First, I would like to introduce myself, I am Laura from over at PaintedPaper. I have been teaching elementary art for 15 years. I thought  I would give you some background on myself and my style of teaching and how I get great results from my students.

I have 2 precious children who keep me on my toes! My children really make me a better teacher.
I have had to really practice patience with my son who is Gifted with ADHD and my daughter who is an auditory learner with speech delays. It is amazing how I transfer my parenting characteristics to many of my classes in my own school. I have a diverse population of students but my most successful classes are the special education ones. 

Many children who have sensory needs must experiment with various items first to feel comfortable in the classroom. A couple of students I teach need deep pressure hugs as they are welcomed into my classroom. My young students do great at listening when they are close and sitting on a “Quiet Rug”. Some students need to rock to process information. I place those students toward the back so they can fidget or rock. 

Directions for my projects are written on a board, verbally given and demonstrated as well.
A key to any successful outcome is you must know your audience. Some children learn by demonstration (Visual). Some, like my daughter, learn through song or verbal directions (Auditory). My son had many sensory issues. I have worked with Occupational Therapists and acknowledge that what might work with him does not always work with others. I have helped develop a “Sensory Room” at our school for those students. I now have a greater knowledge of resources I can use with others.

After directions comes the studio time. When we use tempera paint I instruct students not to use water to rinse but paint any extra paint from their brush on a placemat. Placemats are 18"x24" tagboard. This process has eliminated a lot of headaches for me like spilled water and faded paint colors. We start painting from the lightest paint color then continue to the darkest one. If the colors mix on the paper “that’s ok!” I always fill egg containers from light to dark as well and the students just travel down the row. We use large, medium and small brushes and the students help themselves to a fresh brush if needed. Clean-up is very easy. Students take their brushes to the sink and put them into a container of water for me to rinse at the end of class. Egg cartons are closed up and placemats stored on a shelf. It works marvelously and the kids have more time to create.

This year we have expanded our school to include a Multiple Disiblities Unit. I have been able to help those students excel in Art. Since I am comfortable with using various mediums in my Art classroom and I have had the experience with my own children with their special needs, I have been able to help other students blossom into creative artists at a young age.

Yeah, they leave the room sometimes with a little bit of paint on their clothes or watercolored stained fingers but they are extremely happy to be expressing themselves through color.

So don’t be afraid to attempt a project or paint. Once you get the hang of it, it is FUN!

Editor's Note: This article has been added to our very own, first-ever Linkie PARTY, right here on PreK+K Sharing. All you have to do is click on our own button to get back to the master list of ALL THINGS PAINTING!

Teaching Parents

Hi, I'm Greg & I am an Early Childhood Teacher from Australia. I write a blog called Males in Early Childhood which you can find by clicking here.

The title of this post may be a bit misleading. I am referring to those who teach & are parents, not parents being taught. Earlier in the year I published a series of posts about the similarities & differences between being a father & being an early childhood educator. This will be an abridged version of those 6 posts.

I became a parent before I became a teacher, at least professionally. We all teach in one form or another from time to time, whether it be teaching someone the ropes in their new job or how to tie their shoe laces. Becoming a parent was the proudest day of my life & I had to learn a whole new set of skills which meant I was of being taught by my baby.

This is a very important point as almost anyone who has had children would testify, you learn something new about them all the time, not to mention often something about yourself. As an early childhood professional I realise the formative years of a child's life are the most important for their growth & development, but it can also be a time when children can teach us the most - about themselves, the world around us & ourselves.



As my children have grown the way they interact with me & their attitude towards me have changed, especially my teenage daughter. However, I believe I still have some lessons to teach them & they definitely are able to teach me a thing or two. What I have come to realise is that being a parent has made me a better teacher & teaching young children has improved my parenting.

Early childhood education and care can be a stressful and challenging career, yet the rewards you get from it are, to me, only surpassed by the benefits of being a parent. So whether you teach young children, older children, adolescents, are a parent or none of the above, at some point in your life you are likely to teach someone some new skills and/or knowledge. If you can take something away from the experience that has helped you grow as well than I believe you've done your job well.

With that in mind I would like to think I'm doing a decent job as a father & a respectable one as a teacher. If I am right then I will be leaving this world in some good hands for the future.

Holiday Fun in the Classroom!

Hi, I am Carie Ramirez, a kindergarten teacher!
Did you know that winter officially begins in five days and Christmas is in 8 days! Are you ready?!?!  I'm not ready for either of these two things quite yet! Ahhhh, where has the school year gone?! Where have all the shopping days gone?!?! And where is my snow shovel?!?!?

The holidays bring craziness and joy at home and in the classroom! Each year, to alleviate some of that craziness I get a couple of my Christmas projects done during our short week just before Thanksgiving. This way when we come back, we have decorations up and we can spend time on those thematic units that sometimes get pushed aside the rest of the year. It also allows our Art time to be used for making our parent gifts!

Some of the projects we work on are: our Christmas trees (decorated with tissue paper for the lights/decorations and glitter for the snow), our Santa mobiles to hang outside of our classroom, and our Christmas presents to put on the tree that covers the outside of our classroom door.I teach the kiddos how to trace with marker and color in with crayon for the Santa Mobiles so that they have a more defined "line" to stay inside...and it looks nice!

Our Holiday decorations for the classroom and hallway!

Parent gifts: Cold Hands Warm Heart door/wall hanging,(I put my example heart because we haven’t made ours yet this year!!!) and Wreath ornaments made with tissue paper and small paper plates with the child's picture in the center.

 

We started December talking about what we do to get ready for Christmas. Each child told me how they get ready for Christmas at their house. I wrote all of their responses out on chart paper and then copied them onto one-inch sentence strips. I pass out the sentence strips and the students read their sentence to me. We then cut up the sentences, mix-up the words and then put them back together in order (remembering to leave finger spaces between their words). We then glue the sentence on a white piece of copy paper and draw a picture. Once everyone is finished, I collect them, put them in order and then make a book for each student to take home. I bind the originals so that we have “color” copy for our class library. 

How To Get Ready For Christmas class book

 

I fill our writing center word bank with several Christmas and winter words to help those students who say “I can’t think of anything to write about”. This gives them lots of ideas not only while working in the writing center but also when writing in their journals! Speaking of centers, I also have a math center and poetry center that I put out in December. The math center is a pocket chart in the shape of a Santa hat (I found it on clearance through Oriental Trader a few years back). There are 30 pockets and 30 number cards. The students put the cards in numerical order and then before they leave the center, they must mix up the numbers again (this is their favorite part), so that the next pair can put the numbers in order.  The poetry center has a previously learned poem that the students can use pointers to read and highlighting tape to highlight sight words.

Writing Center, Poetry Center and Math Center

 

We also started our Gingerbread Unit! The students LOVED the poem “Where Is My Gingerbread Man” because they got to sing it to the tune of “Where Has My Little Dog Gone”. At the end of the week, we put this poem into our poetry folder and highlighted the sight words that we had been working on that week. Then, instead of drawing a picture like we normally do, I handed out gingerbread man die cuts out to each student to decorate and glue in. When the students finished, they then decorated a larger gingerbread man to hang on their lockers. We also read and compared 3 gingerbread books! The kiddos really enjoyed this! They were “investigators” and had to find the differences and similarities! And in Math, we started working on reading number words by using the book, Count the Gingerbread Men.

 

Now that we only have 2 more days left before  Winter Break, my students and I are going to take it easy and enjoy some hot (or should I say warm) cocoa, do some gift giving, relax in our pajamas, watch a Christmas classic and then to finish..... we will have our classroom party!

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to each and every one!