Indoor Large Motor Play

We’ve been cooped up inside for way too long! We were able to go on a walk yesterday, although it turned out to be a littler wetter than we had anticipated. With today’s rain we were stuck inside again, with a lot of extra energy to use up.  This happens a lot in the winter, so we’ve gotten pretty good at finding games that we can play inside.  Today’s activities proved that even the simplest things can be just what preschoolers need.  We rolled down the hallway, crab walked around the tables, and hopped around with our legs tied together.  There were lots of giggles, and just enough movement to get rid of some of our wiggles.

Spontaneous Learning: Tornadoes

The boys have been talking about tornadoes for the entire month of January, so I had planned on introducing the tornado bottles, quietly, to see what kind of conversation they started.  The boys literally dropped everything that they had been playing with to watch the tornadoes in the bottles.

We had some amazing conversations too.  After each child had gotten a turn to make a tornado, I asked them if they thought that real tornadoes were like the one in the bottle, They all said no, and Aiden told me that real tornadoes are made of clouds, not water.  Xavier noticed that the water in the bottle was spinning, just like the air spins in a real tornado.  After a little discussion, we decided that for a real tornado to form, the air has to make the clouds spin.

I also asked the boys if we should put some glitter in the bottle to see what happened, Gage said that glitter was a good idea, “but not beads, because they would be too heavy”.  We put some blue glitter in the bottle and they boys shook it up to make a tornado, we noticed that the glitter was spinning on the outside, but not going in the middle of the tornado.  Then I reminded the boys that real tornados can pick up really heavy things, so they decided that we should put some beads in the bottle and see what happened. 

Sure enough, the beads got sucked right up in the middle of the tornado.  We watched as the beads flew to the top, dropped to the bottom, and then got picked up by the tornado over and over again.

I was surprised by how long the boys worked with the tornado tube (over an hour) and that they were able to make real connections between what was happening in the bottle, and real tornadoes.

 

You can do math with anything!

Math is everywhere, and in the Pre-K room we are constantly counting something, you will hear me asking the children if they have more beads or less beads on their beaded necklace, encouraging the children to count the number of pretend cupcakes that they are making, and asking them to estimate how many toy cars they might need to reach across the room.

Right now we are focusing on numeral and number name recognition, so the other day at circle we played this game.  I asked each child to bring me a certain number of objects, they could choose anything in the classroom, but they had to have enough of the same.  After we lined up the piles of different objects (1 dice, 2 stuffed birds, 3 books, 4 pencils, 5 play tools, etc.) I handed them number cards, and they had to place the number card at the corresponding pile.

This is a super easy activity that you can do anywhere, but it made those numbers very concrete when the children were able to see exactly what 3 books looked like, and how 3 books is different from 4 pencils.

A few words on assessment

I just Googled the word “assessment” it came up with over 124,000,000 responses.  Clearly, assessments are everywhere, I can’t tell you how many different kinds we use, but I do want to share two that we have come up with that have proven very helpful.  We use these in the classroom, so that we have a clear picture of what the children understand, and we share them with parents, as a tool to show what their children have learned at school.

The first is a basic skills assessment.  This was developed for the preschool classrooms, and while the skills may seem very basic, they are exactly what we work on with preschool children.  The skills covered this particular assessment include;

Writing samples

2D Shape recognition

Upper and Lowercase letter recognition

Phonetic letter sounds

Number recognition

Number sequencing

10 Frames/Subitization

Patterning

Rhyming

Days of the week and Months

This assessment pack (available on Teachers Pay Teachers) also has printable flashcards to help keep each child’s focus as you work with them.  We make one copy per child and use different colored highlighters to track their growth throughout the year. 

 

The second assessment that we use is standards based.  We took all of Ohio’s Early Learning Development Standards and put them in a spreadsheet that follows the child throughout their development.  The Infant/Toddler version can be used for the first threes years of a child’s life, and the Preschool version can be used from the time a child turns 3 until they turn 6.  This allows teachers to record periods of growth, and parents can see exactly when their child reached certain milestones. These assessments are much longer and more comprehensive than the basic skills assessment, and we typically fill them out only once per year, you can find the Infant/Toddler version and the Preschool version on Teachers Pay Teachers.

 

These are only two of the many, many different forms of assessment that we use, but they are great tools for both parents and teachers!

Frozen bubbles!

It has been so cold, but today that was a good thing.  I have been putting this activity on lesson plans for years, but the weather has never been righ for it, today the wind chill was -15 degrees, so I knew we wouldn’t have any problems getting our bubbles to freeze. We bundled up really good and took our dish-soap and water bubble solution outside.  We used pipe cleaner bubble wands and we were able to make some really big bubbles, but after a little practice, we found that the smaller bubbles didn’t pop as easily, so we were actually able to watch them freeze.  This was so cool, and definitely worth getting a little chilly to see!

When the bubbles got really cold, they would start to shrink, and they tore like tissue paper.  When they popped in the air we could see the bubble float to the ground like a balloon. Take advantage of the cold weather to give this activity a try.  We might even see if we can think of other ways to do it. Could we put a bubble in the fridge? The freezer? what happens when a bubble gets too hot?

What to do with the after-Christmas blues

Hopefully you all had a wonderful Christmas, and you’ve had a little time today to unwind! There should be a mandatory recovery period for this holiday! Christmas can be exhausting, and the day after Christmas can be a bit of a let-down, and kids can feel it too.  We’ve been anticipating this holiday since Halloween, so its natural to feel a little disappointed when its over.  Kids feel this too, and unfortunately, they don’t know what to do with those feelings, so they may act out in other ways – is there any sibling arguing, whining, or overall mopiness going on in your house?.  here are a couple of tips for helping your children deal with the after-Christmas blues;

First and foremost, talk with them, about their feelings, but also about Christmas.  Even the youngest children can listen as you tell them what you loved about Christmas this year, and share your thoughts for what your family can do to celebrate next year.  Hearing mom and dad vocalize their feelings helps kids to understand that not only are these feeling normal, but their parents feel the same way that they do.  You can have great conversations about favorite gifts, funny moments, and family traditions.  This helps kids practice sharing their thoughts and feelings, and helps parents understand which memories their children really value.

Another way to help children cope with feeling let-down after Christmas is to encourage them to help think of special traditions that can be carried on after the holidays, and throughout the year.  Have special pancakes for breakfast on the day after Christmas, set a special time where mom or dad gets to help each child put away all of their new things – this will give each child individual time with a parent, which is always special. Think about what your children love the most about Christmas, do they love making Christmas cookies? Talk about the next holiday that the family could make cookies for.  Do they love to decorate the house? Make some special decorations for New Year’s Eve, or Valentine’s day.

For older children, this is the perfect time to look at a calendar with them.  You could have them help you pick a special new calendar to hang in their room, or create one together with family photos or clip art.  4 and 5 year olds are naturally curious about the passage of time, they want to know when it will be Christmas again, when their birthday is, and how long it will be until summer.  These are all things that you can help them understand with a calendar of their very own.  Older children can also begin to understand the idea of goals and resolutions.  Help them make a short list of things that they can work towards this year, maybe they want to learn to write their name, ride a two wheeler, or tie their shoe, maybe they want to take music lessons, or play a sport, or a day trip that they would like to take.  all of these things could go on their list and you can help them work towards these goals throughout the year.

Hopefully these ideas will bring some harmony to your family as your recuperate from the holidays!

Lunch Packing 101

The rules that we have implemented for packing lunches are not always easy to decipher. In order to comply with State regulations we have to make sure that every child has each food group covered in their snacks and lunches, so that we can ensure they are meeting nutritional standards, and getting the right kinds of foods to give them the energy that they need to get through a long school day.  Here are some tips and ideas for understanding these regulations, and making sure that your child has healthy lunches and snacks that he or she will actually eat.

Snacks:

We have snack twice a day, once in the morning and once in the afternoon. Each snack has to contain food from two separate food groups, however, for snacks 100% fruit juice can fulfill the fruit requirement.  We suggest filling two small water bottles with 100% fruit juice, your child can drink one at morning snack and one at afternoon snack, and you have already fulfilled one of the food groups.

Some other great ideas for snacks include snack crackers (graham cracker, goldfish, ritz sandwich crackers with cheese, cheez-its, etc.), raw veggies such as cucumber slices, celery sticks, or green pepper slices, a small container or tube of yogurt, string cheese, or veggie-based baked chips (veggie chips, veggie straws, sweet potato chips, etc).

If you choose not to include a 100% fruit juice, some snacks that contain items from two food groups include graham crackers with cream cheese or a non-nut based spread (wow butter, flavored cream cheese, cheddar cheese spread, etc), raw veggies with a dipping spread (ranch flavored cream cheese spread, wow butter, hummus), a combination of raw fruit and cheese, crackers and cheese slices, or  toast or a tortilla with jelly or apple butter.

Lunches:

Lunches must include vitamin D fortified milk.  If you would like to bring a gallon of milk in for your child we can label it and store it at the school, or you can fill a thermos or re-usable water bottle with milk each day.

Lunches also have to include 1 protein. This could be lunchmeat slices or a protein spread (wow butter, hummus) on a sandwich, tortilla, or crackers. Most beans also fall into the protein category (black beans, kidney beans, garbanzo beans, edamame, etc), so if your child will eat a cold bean dip feel free to use that as a protein, with tortilla chips. Tuna fish is also a great protein source, you could make your child a tuna sandwich or include a tuna salad dip that they can eat with crackers. Eggs are another protein source that people often forget about, you could include a cold omelet (make one large omelet and cut it into quarters – lunch for your child for four days), if you add cheese and green peppers or celery to the omelet then you have covered 3 different food groups.

A lunch also needs to have a vegetable and a fruit, or two fruits ( 100% fruit juice does not count as a fruit for lunch).  Raw veggies are always a great choice, but some other ideas include a tomato salsa that includes  a variety of other vegetables, lettuce and tomato on a sandwich, or a small salad.  Raw fruit is also a great choice, but remember that if you send grapes they should be cut into quarters so that they do not pose a choking hazard. Other ideas for fruits include apple sauce or a fruit cup, dehydrated fruit, or natural jams and jellies.

Finally each lunch should include a grain. If you have packed a sandwich, the bread would be the grain, but you could also include crackers, a tortilla, tortilla chips, or cereal, cold oatmeal, or a bagel.

These suggestions should help you get started, packing lunches shouldn’t have to be stressful!

Holiday Gift Guide: Preschoolers

It should be easy to pick out a great gift for the kids on your list, but more often than not, they are the most difficult to shop for.  You want to get them something that they will enjoy and actually use.  You also know that they already have a room full of toys, and don’t really need another action figure, doll, or stuffed animal.

Preschoolers will tell you exactly what they want for Christmas, but the issue here is how do you impress a preschooler without subjecting Mom and Dad to an avalanch of toys with tiny little pieces that are bound to get lost or broken? Here are a few great ideas for the preschooler on your list.

Blocks: The market is overrun with options for blocks, especially for preschoolers.  Our absolute favorite are Magna Tiles.  The fact that these have magnets, which allow the tiles to stick together, make it easy for kids to build large, fairly durable creations.  These have been tried and tested in our classrooms.  They are a favorite that kids play with for hours, and the fact that they introduce basic magnetic properties doesn’t hurt either!

 

Gross motor play: No one will deny that preschoolers have tons of energy.  Here are two great gifts that will help channel some of that energy (and they can both be used indoors).  The first is the Gymnic Hop 55 Ball.  You probably recognize this from your own childhood, kids still love these, and they are a great way to encourage large muscle development, balance, and body awareness.  The second is the Pacific Play Tent I See You Tunnel.  Kids love these for imaginary play, and this one is perfect because parents can see their children the entire time that they are in the tunnel.  They can be  a space for kids to hang out quietly, or part of a larger obstacle course to wear them out!

 

 

Fine motor skills: Practicing those skills that will strengthen finger muscles and prepare kids for writing and cutting (Kindergarten readiness!) can be a lot of fun.  to make writing more fun considering gifting them with a set or two of Crayola Twistables.  These come in crayon and colored pencil versions, and will get kids excited about drawing, while helping them practice holding a pencil, the real plus here is that there is no sharpening necessary, just twist the end to reveal more lead.  Another great way to encourage fine motor skills is beading. We love B. Pop-Arty Beads for a couple of reasons, first they don’t require string so kids won’t get frustrated when all of their beads fall off the string, and second, they are much less likely to go rolling all over your floor! Plus, who can resist these fun patterns?!

 

Dramatic Play: We don’t know a single preschooler who doesn’t like to pretend they are cooking.  The best play food can be found at Ikea, these felt sets are so much fun that adults will want to play too! They also have great pots and pans, ceramic dishes, and baking sets specifically for kids.  The best part is that they are so reasonably priced that you can easy give two or three different sets without breaking the bank.  These are great for the kids who has everything, or the child that you don’t know very well, because they are sure to be a hit!

 

Games: Preschoolers are just getting old enough to play by the rules, classic games are a great way to encourage some fun that the whole family can enjoy together! Some of our favorites are Don’t Break the Ice, Ants in the Pants, Barrel of Monkeys, and Memory, you can find all of these on Amazon.

 

We hope this gives you some new ideas for the preschoolers on your list.  Share your ideas in the comments!

Holiday Gift Guide: Toddlers

It should be easy to pick out a great gift for the kids on your list, but more often than not, they are the most difficult to shop for.  You want to get them something that they will enjoy and actually use.  You also know that they already have a room full of toys, and don’t really need another action figure, doll, or stuffed animal.

Today’s gift guide is for toddlers. Toddlers are tons of fun to shop for.  They are finally beginning to understand toys, and they show a clear preference for what they like and do not like.  They have tons of personality, which will help steer you towards gifts that they will enjoy.  On the other hand, toddlers rarely use toys in the way that adults expect they will.  The best gifts for toddlers are items that can be appropriately used in a variety of ways, and that will encourage creative play. 

Wooden blocks and pieces: We love wooden blocks for a couple of reasons; they are very durable, they are aesthetically pleasing, not only to kids but also to adults, which is a big plus because they will end up all over your house, and they are generally more multipurpose than plastic blocks, which can often only be used or arranged one way.  Some of our favorite sets include the Imaginarium Wooden Block set (available on Amazon in a few different size options) and the Stack-a-Spool set from Mama May I on Etsy.

 

Sensory Play: If you are looking for a single activity that will keep a toddler busy for at least an hour then we have two words for you: Sand Box.  Toddlers LOVE sand play, it has some kind of magnetic force that draws them in.  Now yes, it can be messy, and We wouldn’t suggest putting it in the house, but here are a couple of options.  This Step2 sandbox has a lid (a must for keeping sand in and critters and rain out!), and is fairly unassuming in it’s natural tones and $50 on Amazon, it’s an inexpensive option. If you are looking for something that you can use indoors, and possibly switch the contents fairly often, try this Inflatable Sensory Tray by S&S.  The huge plus with the inflatable tray is that it can be deflated and put away without taking up too much space. 

 

Dramatic Play: Dress up is a favorite activity for toddlers, and you can gift them with some really great play items that don’t cost a fortune or take up a ton of space.  After Halloween be sure to check clearance racks for costumes, and kids’ resale stores are a great place to look too.  little ones can make a lot of play happen with just a few inexpensive items – a feather boa, some bandanas, a cape, a simple DIY tutu, or a child-sized cowboy hat are all great ideas that can be found at nearly any big box store.  If you want something a little more personalized try iCROWNyou on Etsy for amazing animal masks and personalized crowns and magical capes on Etsy for personalized super hero capes. 

 

Music: Toddlers love to make noise, we probably don’t need to tell you this! In order to keep mom and dad from loosing their minds, we recommend staying away from the plastic instruments that blink and beep, and seem to play that same song over and over and over… If you know a toddler who really truly loves music, then invest in their passion, gift them with a smaller versions of real musical instruments.  The Melissa and Doug Beginner Band Set is a great option for introducing children to instruments. we also love the Melissa and Doug Learn to Play Piano (We pretty much love everything by Melissa and Doug).

 

We hope this gives you some great ideas for your favorite toddler, let us know what other items you’ll be purchasing in the comments! Tomorrow we’ll have a gift guide for preschoolers. 

Holiday Gift Guide: Infants

It should be easy to pick out a great gift for the kids on your list, but more often than not, they are the most difficult to shop for.  You want to get them something that they will enjoy and actually use.  You also know that they already have a room full of toys, and don’t really need another action figure, doll, or stuffed animal.

Today’s gift guide is specifically designed for infants.  They pose their own special gift buying issues. In many cases, moms of infants have all of the necessities, they received them at baby showers, along with more blankets and clothes than they will ever know what to do with.  It can also be difficult to buy toys for infants, and the selection is not always wide – how many car seat toys, stuffed animals, stacking cups, and teething rings does one child need?  Infants also grow out of things very quickly, so what can you get them that they will enjoy and be able to use for years to come?

Board books: These are a great option because when they are very young mom and dad can read to them, and as they grow the books are sturdy enough for the child to hold and look at on their own.  They will also stand up to being chewed, dropped from high chairs, and being stepped on.  Some of our favorites are the Diaper David Collection by David Shannon  (3 for $8.99 on Amazon) and the BabyLit Books $8.99 each on Amazon).

Blocks: our favorite blocks for infants are Fisher Price Peek-a-Blocks.  These are great for little hands and offer a wealth of tactile, visual, and auditory experiences. These are also blocks that will grow with children – the youngest infants can use them as shakers or rattles, and visually explore one block at a time, while older children can use them to repeatedly build and knock down towers.  Each set contains 5 blocks, they are available from Fisher Price for $10 per set.

 

Cars: Infants love anything with wheels.  We are huge fans of wooden vehicles, like this one from Smiling Tree Toys on Etsy.  When looking for wooden toys there are a few things to remember, first make sure that any edges are rounded, and that the toys have been well sanded to remove any rough patches and possible splinters, you also want to make sure the finish is safe because it will end up in baby’s mouth.  Plastic cars are also a great option.  We love Tonka’s Chuck and Friends, they come in different sizes for different ages, and are brightly colored.

 

Music and movement: Babies to to wiggle to music, so make it even more fun by gift them with streamer rings that they can shake and wave.  You can make your own, or buy these from BBs for Babies on Etsy.  Our favorite CDs for kids are not necessarily for kids, which means that parents will enjoy them too! The Piano Guys do instrumental covers of pop favorites, perfect for dancing, but also great for naptime.

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Check back with us tomorrow for a Toddler Gift Guide, and feel free to share your favorite infant gifts in the comments!