Summer fun in house area

It's always fun to change things up in the classroom! At the end of the year, and as a way to pack some stuff up, we turn House Area into a camp. We put up a tent, bring a cooler of fruits and veggies, and build a fire (and find sticks for roasting marshmallows)!

We didn't have a chance to turn the puppet stage into a lemonade stand yet, but what better to go with camping?!

Studentreasures Publishing

I had seen advertisements for studentreasures in teacher magazines, but I figured there must be a catch. Based on a recommendation from a colleague, I decided to give it a try to see for myself. I got a kit in the mail that said we would get a free class book if I had signed forms from parents. The completed books were real, actual hardcover books that were full color. They cost $20, but I thought even that was pretty reasonable, considering they are not being mass produced.

I had to design a cover, although in retrospect I should have had a student draw something to keep it preschool! When I got my box of books, I was so excited! They turned out so cute and the illustrations were a perfect scanned copy!

I wrote down the student's words and they made a picture. 

This is definitely a treasure and I look forward to doing one every year! 

Recreating Monet for the art gallery

To celebrate the Week of the Young Child, we decided to turn the hallway into an art gallery. Every classroom selected an artist to inspire or recreate their works. Since Claude Monet has so many paintings, I decided to do a different one for AM and PM, just because it was so hard for me to decide!

 AM class = Japanese Bridge

I put washi tape on the paper in the shape of a bridge before everyone finger painted, then removed it when it was dry.

PM class = Water Lilies

These students used water colors. When it was dry, I stapled a cupcake cup water lily that we made prior.

I was so pleased with how they turned out! Little artists:)

To add to the look of an art gallery, I mounted them on paper to hang in the hall and printed a label with their name, date, and the title of the work (I also put a black and white water lily in the background;).

Buzz the bear comes out of hibernation

Our class bear, Buzz, began hibernation when the weather got cold. Now that it's officially spring, he is coming out of his cave and bringing an end to his hibernation! We created a cave out of a box and left it in the same area in the class all during winter.

We tried to decorate it so it looked like it had trees all around and snow on top. I added a Do Not Disturb sign to the top. Most of the children respected Buzz and left him in peace. However, one new student pulled him out to play with, and I realized I didn't explain why he was in there. Another child, with behavioral issues, took him out several times during the beginning of his hibernation, but eventually left him alone after we discussed it several times.
They will be excited to see Buzz out of his cave tomorrow!

3D Preschool Word Wall

Word walls are great for elementary school, but are they necessary for pre-readers? Well, I think it is essential to incorporate as much literacy as possible into the classroom. We have a weekly letter show-and-tell which helps with beginning sound isolation and alliteration, and has the added bonus of encouraging parent involvement! After show-and-tell, I pick 2-3 items to add to the word wall with the word. Now, older children need the entire alphabet, whereas I think that would be too over-whelming for preschoolers.

I think this is a great word wall so that students can "read" the words when they see the picture. I use this same concept when I print picture-word cards to put in my pocket chart for students to read before transitioning to another activity.

More fun in the water table

 I thought I'd start with an eye-catching picture of these awesome water balls! I discovered these last year and was instantly in awe. Talk about a fun sensory experience! They start off as tiny opaque spheres, and after soaking in water for a few hours, grow many, many times their initial size! I love the multi-colors too. The downside is that they are crushable when squeezed too hard. Also, it's not good for kids who put everything in their mouth still:/

How about a baby bathtub? Kids love to play in bubbles and wash dolls. This is a perfect extension to House Area!

Writing, writing, writing!

My goal for this year was to increase our amount of time writing. One way to do this, was to incorporate a variety of ways to write as a transition activity into the classroom each day. We have student-sized chalk boards and chalk, magnadoodles, dry erase markers, the Smartboard, and now clipboards.

Switching up the variety of materials makes it fun and interesting for children and we can save their work or take pictures. We still have a journaling time where they write in a notebook, so this is in addition to that. The downside is that students who arrive to school late (typical for many) are missing this extra writing time. 

After our long 3 week holiday break, my coteacher and I created daily sign-in sheets for everyone for the second year because it was so effective last school year. This is a way they automatically practice writing their name every day! So far, I am pleased with the results as many of them have made very noticeable progress in writing and fine motor muscle control:)

Participation via distance and technology!

We had a "Read With Me Daddy" event on Friday which featured the book Giraffes Can't Dance. One student in my morning class had a dad that was disappointed he couldn't attend because he works every day. A few days before, her mom, who volunteers in our room regularly, said dad was very techy and wanted to record a book reading to show on our Smartboard, and would I be interested in that. Boy, was I! I had a "why-didn't-I-think-of-that?" moment! Mom recorded on her phone, they put it on a flash drive, and I previewed it to make sure the program would work on our Smartboard and that the sound was loud enough. It was great! Mom and Dad kept it a surprise so my student was very excited to see the video of her dad:)

I was so excited about this use of technology to incorporate more parent involvement in the classroom and plan to invite parents to do it anytime in my next newsletter!

Preschool Rhyming Book

     Anyone who knows me knows I love to make class books. Kids LOVE them! It is much more difficult to create them in preschool than it was in 1st grade though. In 1st grade, we made enough so that each person got to have one at the end of the year (including me!), but in preschool it's hard to find age appropriate ideas and have the time to do them with so much going on! So, you can imagine my excitement when I saw this idea and tried it.
     Set up the activity by reviewing rhymes. Have a large assortment of things that have a "rhyme match" displayed. After giving an example, I always start with the most difficult skills to see if anyone can find a match independently. Next, you can have them choose an object to find a match, and then for the most help, give them two to choose the right match. I, of course, give lots of help with exaggerated enunciation. Take a picture of each student holding their rhyme match.

When the pictures are printed, they become the illustrations for the book. I considered making it a wordless book, since the students will know the name of their friend and the two objects, but decided it would be better to have them "read" it once I have modeled the pattern of the repeated text.
I laminated each page for durability, and am excited to show the completed book to them on Tuesday:)

Coming to school after a 3 week break...

I have to say I was pleasantly surprised this week because after 3 weeks of no school, I expected everyone to have forgotten the rules! I think they were all not only so excited to come back to school, but also that we had added so many new things to the classroom environment. I added a talking microscope and a basket of textured materials to science area, community helper costumes, doctor kit, and diaper bag filled with baby supplies to house area, and changed up the sand table again.

I cut 6 pool noodles and added some long shoelaces so they can use fine motor and hand-eye coordination to string. As a bonus, I encouraged them to try making a pattern while stringing!
When I took the corn out of the sand table, I decided to use it to make a new sensory box by adding some farm animals instead of tossing it.

When we started the new year, we had everyone "check in" when they got to school by moving their picture (with name printed on the back), but now they have to read their name, as well as sign in daily on arrival.

My homework over break was to create a new job board according to the Conscious Discipline approach; each student should have a job. I have always had class jobs because kids love them and it fosters independence and self-esteem. They take turns and most kids are fine with this, but I have had a few who would become very upset when they did not get a job that week. I was on board with the idea, but scrambled to try to think of 11 more new jobs on top of the prior 6.

It is more difficult to remember who is doing each job all week, but they all take their jobs very seriously!

We have a lot left to do for the rest of the year, but it usually goes by quickly after Christmas!

Losing my favorite teacher store:(

I was so sad to hear that United Art and Education in Strongsville was going out of business. It seems hard to believe since they are the only teacher store around anymore! I went yesterday because everything was 30% off. I got some games for tutoring, a tablet of chart paper, and a recycling bulletin board set with new border. After I paid, and asked for lamination, they were out and not getting anymore. So, I'm looking for a cheap place to laminate, if anyone knows of a place. Otherwise, I will just use contact paper, which is what I use on all of my file folder games.

Are ALL preschools crushing kids?

     A teacher friend on Facebook posted this article, The New Preschool is Crushing Kids, and I read it out of curiosity. I was initially surprised at the suggestion that preschool is too much these days. However, I do know that some classes are developmentally inappropriate. I became introspective of my Head Start class and the Teaching Strategies curriculum, and overwhelmingly feel that this is not the case. We learn through play, although we do have daily small group "work". Our work consists of writing our names, gluing, cutting, counting, and making art, versus worksheets. We have lots of language constantly, and something that makes Head Start different is our family style meals and tooth brushing. My classroom is very warm and loving to all and we practice conflict resolution by using our words and problem solving.
     Now don't get me wrong, lots of learning is taking place through explicit teaching. We interact with the students and play games one on one or groups of 2-3 to individualize. We have letter show-and-tell so that they have the fun experience of bringing things to school, but we get to isolate that to beginning sounds. Students get practice with public speaking from the age of 3. We learn about shapes through play (see pizza math blog entry), but then make art like these super cute circle collages. Everyone's collage is completely different, yet still all circles.

Students get choice time to play on their own in the classroom, as well as either outside or in the gym. This free play is still within the bounds of the learning environment I have set up. There are many types of blocks, writing materials, dress up, painting, music, and pretending (just to name a few!).

     Now, this article also suggests that students who attend preschool have not only an advantage in later grades, but in fact a disadvantage, and I find that scary. My students love coming to school and hate to leave! My biggest goal each year is to have students love school and form a positive association that will last through the upper grades. Quality teaching is imperative. Some people think that teaching preschool is easy and that there is no skill involved, but I will argue that point every time! Every action and word is intentional and thought out! I love preschool:)

Pizza Parlor Math

     I was very excited to finally get everything ready for the Pizza Parlor in Dramatic Play! The best part is, the kids loved it when I introduced it. It is a way to change up "House Area" to make it more exciting, but it is a way to incorporate LOTS of math into play:) There is geometry, symbolism, sorting, counting, and reading involved in this pretend play experience.
     I used paper plates as pizza crust, large red circles for sauce, yellow triangles for cheese, small orange circles for pepperoni, brown squares for mushrooms, green rectangles for peppers, and black ovals for olives. Each "topping" is sorted into bowls and students will have to resort every time they disassemble a pizza.

I created menus with the symbols for each topping and laminated them (I tried really hard to upload the pdf for download, but couldn't figure out how to do it!). The "server" will use a dry erase marker to check the boxes of each topping the customer wants before giving the order to the cook. When the pizza is made, the server and customer check the order form to ensure the order is correct. After the customer "pays", the menu is easily erased to be used again! 

Unique fall experience

    I love adding things from nature to the science area, and fall is the best time because it's so easy to find cute gourds, pumpkins, and Indian corn. I also have a basket of shelled nuts and a coconut.
    So, my coteacher has a preschooler this year and it is interesting to hear what they are doing in their class. One thing that I thought was awesome was ears of deer corn in the sand table. Ohio has lots of corn that is too hard to eat, but looks like regular corn and not the texture of Indian corn. Unfortunately, I started looking for corn about a week after everyone cut down their cornfields:(
     I asked about everyone I know if they knew a farmer or had another connection, and another teacher in my building came through with a dozen ears (thanks again Melanie!)! I added the corn to the sand table and gave an introduction about how to peel off the kernels from the cob.

The loose corn can then be scooped and dumped when it is all off the cobs. 

I hope the novelty doesn't wear off too quickly because today the sand table was the main attraction! Everyone was very quiet and engaged:)

Pasta sorting

     When I was a first grade teacher I made bags of pasta to use as math manipulatives. We used them for sorting, graphing, patterning, you name it! Plus, it was a cheap way to make versatile kits with so many attributes. I made pasta bags last year again, which we mostly use for sorting and counting. It is a fun and easy way to assess matching and how many attributes they can sort by.

This is an easy way to individualize because each child can succeed on their own level. Some are just matching, some can sort by shape, and some begin to create patterns. As you can see from the pics, I have 2 sizes of shells, bow ties, and tubes. My preschool bags have less shapes than my 1st grade bags did. Of course, some preschoolers are more interested in making train tracks or a horse, lol, but they can be guided to look for attributes.

So yeah...that really happens.

     I finally got the chance to make a doctor appointment for the first time since the summer because I had Veteran's Day off (thank you vets!). My hands get so dry and scaly from washing them 100 times a day, especially in the winter. When I use lotion, I get patches of inflamed, itchy, burning skin. I had finally had enough. Well actually, I started to think it may be a chemical burn from the bleach water we use to sanitize the tables and sink.

It's kind of hard to tell from these photos, but they look terrible. Not to mention I have lots of little cracks in my skin:( 

I was reminded in the 6 hour Communicable Disease class I took this week that each little crack is a way for a virus, bacteria, and microbes to enter my body. Yuck!

     So I also had a "bug bite" on my arm that wasn't going away. It's on a place that I don't look at all day so I didn't really notice it until someone in my family asked about it. A closer look made me realize how round it was. See where I'm going with this...? Yes, it is indeed ringworm. Wait! Ringworm is a fungus, not an actual worm, but still gross. And, it is only spread from direct contact with infected skin which means I now have to figure out which one of my kiddos gave it to me!

     I got a cream for both skin ailments, along with a flu shot. I'm not a germaphobe, but I hate being sick. I remembered hearing that not all vaccines are meant to last forever, and that communicable disease class made me want to get boosters for everything, lol. So much so that I requested a titer for Hep B. What is a titer, you ask? They do a blood test and analyze the amount of antibodies in your blood to determine if you are still immune, or if you need another vaccine. Still anxiously awaiting those results!

     I guess every job has risks. The risks we take in Early Childhood usually come in the form of an attack on the immune system!

Choice time/center management

     I found this great tool from Twinkl that I am using this year to try to manage behavior during free play time. I wanted to do something like this last year, but I just never had the time, so I knew I needed to start the year off using a tool. This is an area label that students clip their name clip onto when they enter the area and it also tells how many are allowed in each area. 

First, I needed to decide a good maximum number of students permitted per area, to prevent conflict from over-crowding and lack of resources. Next, I printed the labels on cardstock and laminated them. I attached a metal ring and hung them from 3M hooks. 

Students all have a colored clothespin with their name on it that they use every day. They are responsible for picking their area and counting to make sure that the number is not exceeded. This has the added advantage of name recognition, counting practice, and one to one correspondence. I noticed that my older kiddos are getting better at recognizing numerals to boot!

They need to move their clip every time they place in a new area. Another advantage? When the area isn't cleaned up, the clips are often still attached so we know who to call back for clean up!

It took a few days to get used to this system, but now it is just part of our every day routine:)

Busy, Busy, Busy!

     Every day is a busy day with preschoolers. Dealing with a lot of behavior problems only adds to the challenges. Our morning class is usually pretty peaceful and always enjoyable. We have a few clingy kiddos, but overall they love school. We have lots of redirections throughout the morning, but nothing is extreme. Our afternoon class, however......that is another story!
     I always say I enjoy a good challenge; you never know what you are made of until you are put to the test. I have risen to the challenge in my life many times. Last year, a child in my class tested every bit of my educational theory and experience. I researched and researched because the help we desperately needed never came to fruition. I implemented a variety of strategies, which many students used, but not the challenging one. I digress...enough about last year, let's talk this year. While the behaviors, ie; throwing things, running out of the room, climbing on furniture, refusing to hold hands in the hall and running away from the teachers, using obscene gestures, not lining up when the whistle blows, and refusing to participate in all large group activities, (just to name a few, lol), are the same as last year, the intentions are completely different. My strategy in dealing with these behaviors had to be different than how we dealt with them last year. In addition, we have a lot of secondary behavior issues in other children as well, ie; anger, defiance, high energy, no impulse control, cognitive and speech issues. Many students have a hard time understanding why one student is allowed to build at the table instead of sitting on the rug with the class.
     With consistency, lots of structure and routines, and lots of warmth and nurturing, all the behaviors are improving. The extremes are going away and we have found things that hold attention for students with short attention spans. This year, praising positive behavior is working, whereas last year it was a trigger. Using a sticker chart and a treasure chest is again proving to be very effective, even though I prefer not to use external rewards. We had 2 afternoons last week that my coteacher and I agreed were pretty smooth. We were getting a little burned out, but then our nice afternoons happened and I reminded us both that that was no accident!
     Have I mentioned the stress we are under because of our fear of a bed bug infestation?! Well, we were so worried about bed bugs, that lice invaded our class. Our dress up clothes (which everyone loves because we have a lot of great stuff) are bagged up along with our puppets for 2 weeks or until all the lice has been eradicated! I bought lice repel hair spray and repel shampoo, which are both natural with essential oils instead of chemicals, and so far they are both working!
     My goal this year has been to increase the amount of time spent writing and discussing and using letters. I am happy to report that I am surprised how many students can write and name letters. Now, we are not quite up to phonics, but we are moving in that direction! In fact, on Friday we went for a walk and I heard several voices saying "Look! There's an X!" I look around and see everyone pointing at the sky:)

That was a proud moment!

Play in the sand and water tables

The sand and water tables are another sensory experience that kids love and need. They are messy creatures and it takes a while to practice using these areas correctly. In the sand table, we start out using larger, easier to clean (off the floor) materials and gradually make our way to sand by the end of the year.

First, we put a variety of packing peanuts and colorful craft foam pieces and explain not to break them into pieces. We also discuss not to put them in their mouth, but that since they are not food, if they fall on the floor it is okay to pick them up and put them back in the sand table. We have scoops, shovels, funnels, rakes, spoons, and small toys to hide. We picked red toys initially, just so they will start to notice particular colors in isolation, but will change them in another week or so.

The water table gets changed up periodically by adding colored toys and sometimes by adding color to the water. We have spoons, funnels, measuring cups, as well as several size clear hoses in the water table to explore with. We recently found a water mill that everyone is enjoying! Every so often, the water table gets turned into a baby bathtub which always seems to be a big hit with girls and boys!

Pretend play doesn't just happen in house area. I am always surprised and delighted to hear all the pretend play happening in these areas. On my birthday this past week, everyone who went in the sand table made me a birthday cake:)

Rules and Routines

     I've been so busy trying to establish rules and routines, all while managing behavior, that I haven't posted anything lately. It is important to be firm in establishing rules and routines early in the year so that children know what to expect. We have lots of toys in the classroom, but most of them are not available to play with as soon as they enter the classroom. It can be very tiring constantly guiding children away from house area and block area the first few weeks, but eventually they will know that there will be plenty of time to play later in the day.

     I want children to remember the rules and schedule, but I also want them to be able to "read" them as a reference as well. I found great pictures to illustrate the rules and took class photos for the schedule. Class rules are important; there should be 3-5, and the rules should be easy to understand. We spend quite a bit of time discussing the rules and their importance in keeping everyone safe. I have children take turns reading the rules to the class each day as well.

     We discuss listening to the teachers as well as each other, because I teach them how to solve their own social problems instead of me intervening for them. We talk about walking in the class and in the hall, but also that they are able to run, just in the gym or outside! When we talk about sharing, we discuss how sharing doesn't mean giving toys away to someone just because they ask for it, but that it means playing together and taking turns. 

     I put a lot of effort into modeling pro-social behaviors and I love it when I hear and see my students using my words and imitating my behavior. On Friday, one of my "big" kids told a younger child "good thinking!" during a conversation. I am hopeful that all of my hard work will pay off, although I have a lot of boys in my afternoon class with a variety of behavioral issues. It is a work in progress, but a chance to try different management techniques.