tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-69838141923014486632012-11-24T08:16:17.431-08:00Ideas for Preschool and DaycareChristinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00129821673974066231noreply@blogger.comBlogger43125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6983814192301448663.post-40474179809835565692012-11-23T07:25:00.002-08:002012-11-23T07:41:03.241-08:002012-11-23T07:41:03.241-08:00Picture Frame Preschool Crafts: 20 Ideas<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<a href="http://www.allkidsnetwork.com/crafts/fathers-day/"><img height="239" id="il_fi" src="http://www.allkidsnetwork.com/crafts/fathers-day/images/popsicle-stick-picture-frame.jpg" style="padding-bottom: 8px; padding-right: 8px; padding-top: 8px;" width="300" /></a><br />
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In preschool, daycare and primary school settings, when it comes to planning gifts for the children to make for their families, picture frames with photos inside remains a great choice. Following are some ideas...<br />
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Frame options: <br />
Popsicle sticks stuck together with a glue gun<br />
Paperplate with circle cut out (turns into a flower nicely)<br />
Bought craft frames: wooden or foam (<a href="http://www.michaels.com/Christmas-Picture-Frame/e07502,default,pd.html">Michael's</a> is great choice)<br />
Pieces of cardboard-with or without the center removed<br />
Styrofoam trays<br />
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Decoration Ideas: <br />
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<div style="text-align: left;">
Lots of glue is often needed! </div>
<ol style="text-align: left;">
<li>buttons (take photos of child holding a sign saying "Cute as a Button")</li>
<li>googly eyes</li>
<li>old puzzle pieces</li>
<li>pasta (could spray paint gold or silver after completed)</li>
<li>letters (spelling love, dad, mom, etc.)</li>
<li>shells and/or pebbles</li>
<li>candy wrappers ( "you are sweet")</li>
<li>pom poms </li>
<li>bolts (great for Father's Day)</li>
<li>star shapes ("you are a star")</li>
<li>tissue paper </li>
<li>craft jewels and/or old jewelery pieces</li>
<li>heart shapes ("I love you")</li>
<li>flowers pictures from old greeting cards</li>
<li>old maps cut into pieces </li>
<li>straws cut in different sizes</li>
<li>colored sand</li>
</ol>
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No glue needed<br />
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18. stickers<br />
19. bingo markers<br />
20. fingerprints or handprints<br />
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<li style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;">fingerprints or handprints (handprints could be used as antlers, and then two googly eyes, and red pom pom turns it into a reindeer frame)</li>
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<a href="https://encrypted-tbn1.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcSHybMa2zId4cXFq3aSji9RFA0PJAWn9TisxulGY2T1Jr0PGBWV" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" border="0" class="rg_hi uh_hi" data-height="153" data-width="153" height="153" id="rg_hi" src="https://encrypted-tbn1.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcSHybMa2zId4cXFq3aSji9RFA0PJAWn9TisxulGY2T1Jr0PGBWV" style="height: 153px; width: 153px;" width="153" /></a></div>
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<div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/6983814192301448663-4047417980983556569?l=ideasforpreschoolanddaycare.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Christinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00129821673974066231noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6983814192301448663.post-62351326674044953382012-11-23T06:17:00.000-08:002012-11-24T08:16:17.446-08:002012-11-24T08:16:17.446-08:00Christmas Presents for Children to Make<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span class="fw_sanitized"><img class="rg_hi" height="199" src="http://t2.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcSex01p98k44sht0sEWdbsISIZ13TN5ikFOmdIIqBz9CPmFk5lqTA" style="height: 199px; max-width: 100%; width: 216px;" width="216" />To prepare for the holiday season, preschool and daycare teachers begin planning a variety of arts and crafts for children to make. One of the art projects will be the "Christmas" gift for the parents. Many teachers and caregivers prefer to have young children make presents that are orientated around winter holiday celebration versus traditional Christmas gifts. This way each family, regardless of their personal beliefs and religion, can appreciate the gifts being made. Following are some ideas for this holiday gift making process.<br />
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<strong>The Holiday Centerpiece</strong><br />
<img height="163" id="il_fi" src="https://websales.calgaryzoo.ab.ca/public/images/shows//xmas%20centerpiece.JPG" style="padding-bottom: 8px; padding-right: 8px; padding-top: 8px;" width="200" /><br />
This centerpiece can be used with real pine branches, which of course will be a temporary gift, or plastic pine branches that can be purchased at most shopping outlets. Each child will have a container holding a floral foam that is usually used for flower arrangements (a firm play dough mixture can be used as well). In the middle a candle will be placed, and then children will be given a variety of branches and other decorative items to place around the candle.<br />
Adults, ahead of time, should prepare sticks, for example, skewers or chopsticks, by glueing items on top such as small bells or tiny bows. The branches and the other sticks can be pushed into the foam to create a wonderful centerpiece that can be used to help decorate a family home.<br />
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<strong>The Holiday Handprint Wreath</strong><br />
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The handprints will be made either by having a child dip his/her hand repeatedly into green paint, or by tracing his/her hands onto green construction paper. The handprints can be placed onto firm paper, a paper plate or material, such as a large napkin. Once the paper handprints are cut out they are ready to be glued onto paper or paperplates to create the wreath.<br />
If older children are tracing their hands, they can also cut out the handprints. Approximately 8-10 handprints are needed. The handprints can be positioned different ways to make the holiday wreath. One way is to have the palms of the hands in the middle, facing out and the other is to have the hands one behind the other in a circle. If painting, red thumbprints can make the berries, or small hearts can be used. Finish the wreath with a big red bow, and this poem:<br />
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<em>My handprints made this wreath</em><br />
<em>My thumbprints, each berry</em><br />
<em>I hope this helps you have</em><br />
<em>A Christmas, that's merry!</em><br />
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<strong>Handprint Gift for Toddlers to Make</strong></span><br />
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This art project for toddlers to make for mommy and daddy is very simple. Have a child place their hands into redpaint and place onto firm construction paper. When the handprints are dry, the adult will cut out the handprints and place a magnet on the back. Add a poem to add a special touch to this present. Alternatively, have the young children decorate the handprints with glitter and glue and place a string on each hand for Christmas Tree decorations<br />
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<strong>Picture Frame Holiday Present</strong><br />
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A photo of a child always make a wonderful present. In this arts and crafts project, children will decorate stryofoam trays with pasta. Collect styrofoam trays that are used for packaging at grocery stores ahead of time or try and have them donated by family members or stores themselves.<br />
Each child will decorate the outside of a tray with pasta. Bowtie pasta works well for this holiday gift. When the glue is all dry, an adult will spray paint the entire tray with silver or gold paint. Make sure to wear a facemask in a well vented area and away from all children for this step. When the tray is completely dry, finish the gift by placing the child's photo in the middle and by putting a magnet on the back.<br />
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<strong>A Holiday Candle Holder</strong><br />
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This is a classic gift made with baby food jars and tissue paper. Allow the young children to decorate the outside of the jar by gluing pieces of tissue paper onto the glass with glitter glue. Choosing certain colors, or finding tissue paper with snowflakes on it will help turn this project into a holiday present. Place a tea light inside.<br />
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There are many holiday presents for young children to make for their family. By making gifts that are featuring holiday celebrations versus things that are directly related to Christmas themes, we respect each family and their diversities.<br />
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This article, written by Christine Moore, was originally published by suite101.com</span></div>
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<div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/6983814192301448663-6235132667404495338?l=ideasforpreschoolanddaycare.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Christinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00129821673974066231noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6983814192301448663.post-81520600221732442412012-11-02T06:55:00.000-07:002012-11-02T06:55:21.281-07:002012-11-02T06:55:21.281-07:00Nightime Theme<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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Nightime is a great theme to incorporate into preschool or daycare as the days become shorter and the nights longer. There are many topics that can be covered: <br />
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<li>Nocturnal Animals</li>
<li>Hibernation</li>
<li>Bedtime</li>
<li>Nightime sky</li>
<li>Solar System</li>
<li>People who work through the night </li>
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One idea under bedtime, is to have each child decorate a large star with shiny paper, glitter, etc. and have them answer what their wish would be. I wish.... Then the stars could be displayed with the poem written out among them: <br />
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<em>Starlight, starbright</em><br />
<em>First star I wish tonite</em><br />
<em>I wish I may, I wish I might</em><br />
<em>Have the wish I wish tonight</em><br />
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For more ideas on this topic, click <a href="http://www.circleofideas.net/apps/blog/show/9928792-nightime-preschool-lesson-plan">here.</a> </div>
<div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/6983814192301448663-8152060022173244241?l=ideasforpreschoolanddaycare.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Christinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00129821673974066231noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6983814192301448663.post-48420881330032943932012-09-30T07:13:00.000-07:002012-09-30T07:13:08.451-07:002012-09-30T07:13:08.451-07:00Fine Motor Pumpkin Activity: Hammering Nails<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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Mastering fine motor skills as well as hand eye coordination is an integral component of every child's development. Therefore, when creating an environment that meets the needs of the whole child, providing opportunities for young children to use their fingers in fine motor movement is essential. Most early childhood curriculums will include many fine motor activities such as beading, lego, and coloring. The following article provides some different ideas for providing opportunities for children to master their skills with the use of some pumpkins.<br />
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<b>Pumpkin Activity: Hammering Nails</b><br />
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Hammering nails into a pumpkin is an attractive activity for children of all ages. For preschool ages, the skin of the pumpkin provides enough strength to hold the nail, yet soft enough for the hammering to be easy for the little hands holding the hammer. This activity works well at a table set for two with one child on either side of the table. But, it can also be enjoyed in any household environment as the photo displayed illustrates.<br />
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The material required :<br />
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large pumpkin <br />
large amount of small nails <br />
two small hammers: metal OR plastic hammers <br />
spoon or butter knife (to remove the nails) <br />
plastic safety goggles(optional)</dir>
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Once the items have been collected, a beneficial way of starting this fun activity is to demonstrate to the young children how the hammering will occur and discuss ways of being safe. For instance, the adult should show the child how to gently nail towards the pumpkin without flinging the hammer way into the air. One tactic would be to ask the children how to be safe with hammering. Many children will be eager to tell others what they may have already learnt about using a hammer. In a preschool or daycare setting, this activity may be providing young children their first opportunity to use a real hammer and real nails. In an early childhood environment, guidelines or "rules" should be thought through and established<i> before</i> the event. <br />
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<b>Alternative Ideas for Pumpkin Hammering with Preschoolers<br />
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</b>There are different ways to set up this activity for young children: <br />
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<li style="text-align: left;">Draw a face on the pumpkin before hand for children to follow</li>
<li style="text-align: left;">Leave the nails in the pumpkin, and then take out the insides of the pumpkin and put in a candle</li>
<li style="text-align: left;">Use string tied to selected hammer to create a fun design on pumpkin</li>
<li style="text-align: left;">Use golf tees instead of nails</li>
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Pumpkins provide fun activities for preschoolers beyond the traditional carving into a Jack o Lantern for Halloween. Hammering nails into pumpkins will definetely be enjoyed by children of all ages! <br />
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<div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/6983814192301448663-4842088133003294393?l=ideasforpreschoolanddaycare.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Christinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00129821673974066231noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6983814192301448663.post-10666843308881673872012-09-19T08:07:00.000-07:002012-09-19T09:35:36.675-07:002012-09-19T09:35:36.675-07:00Science Experiments for Young Children<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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Even if you are not science savvy, these ideas are simple hands-on experiments to keep the young children busy inside or outside, whether in a home environment or early childhood setting. If a sensory table is available, the science experiments work well inside the table containing the exploration results of the young hands!<br />
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1. <strong>The Volcano</strong>: an experiment which should be done on a tray to keep the final result intact. There are only three ingredients required for this activity: baking soda, vinegar, and food coloring. The child will scoop a heaping tablespoon into a glass container and then fill a measuring cup with vinegar and a few drops of food coloring. The final step is to allow the child to pour the vinegar mixture into the baking soda. The ingredients will mix together and cause an explosion that will bubble up and out of the container. When the bubbles are gone, the mixture must be emptied before beginning again. Try different shaped vessels for this experiment and adding some popcorn kernels. The kernels will dance inside the mixture, up and down for quite some time. <br />
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2. <strong>Making Goop</strong>: this sensory, hands-on experiment involves only three ingredients: a box of corn starch, water and a few drops of food coloring. Use a big bowl, or pot for the goop and have another pot of soapy water and a towel nearby for clean up. Put the cornstarch into a big bowl. First, choose the color by adding a few drops of food coloring to a measuring cup full of water. The key for this mixture is to add the water slowly. If too much water is poured in, there is no turning back until the mixture evaporates over time. When the right amount of water is mixed with cornstarch, the texture will be hard on the bottom, with just a bit of moisture resting on top. When the mixture gets picked up, it will start to run down the fingers: a great goop mess. The goop is easily cleaned. The mixture dries and the corn starch is left and washes off clothes easily. This goop mixture can be left on a shelf and brought back out at a later time. If it hardens, the children can have fun breaking it into little pieces, and then add more water to start enjoying all over again. <br />
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3. <strong>Sink or Float</strong>: a classic game that does not lose its appeal. Fill the sink with water and allow the children to find safe things that can get wet in the house. Have a guessing game on whether the item will sink or float? ( an apple is always a great choice) To extend this science experiment, find out why things sink or float and chart the answers into a graph. <br />
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4. <strong>Mystery Smell Jars</strong>: in a sensory experiment, young children can make and/or predict what material is making the smell. Find containers with lids and preferably ones that are covered (a long time ago, camera film containers worked well). Next add holes in the top to allow the smell to seep out and place cotton balls inside the containers which will soak up the liquids and material. Some great choices for making smell containers are: <br />
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<ul style="text-align: left;">
<li>coffee</li>
<li>cinnamon</li>
<li>apple slices</li>
<li>peppermint</li>
<li>ginger</li>
<li>vanilla</li>
<li>pine </li>
<li>potpourri(floral)</li>
</ul>
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5. <strong>Magnet Trays</strong>: on a tray or in a sensory table, place a variety of items, some that will be attracted to magnets and other that will not. Magnet wands or larger magnets can then be used for experimenting. Children can predict ahead of time which items they think will be attracted to the magnet and which ones will not be. <br />
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<div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/6983814192301448663-1066684330888167387?l=ideasforpreschoolanddaycare.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Christinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00129821673974066231noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6983814192301448663.post-58825172469927457582012-09-16T08:11:00.000-07:002012-09-16T08:21:03.611-07:002012-09-16T08:21:03.611-07:00Ways to Teach Children How To Handwash<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<img class="thumb" src="http://images.suite101.com.s3.amazonaws.com/2564281_com_handwashin.jpg" style="max-width: 100%;" /> Preschool children can begin learning about germs and ways to prevent themselves from getting sick. We can teach young children the basic ways to keep germs away, and hopefully the behaviour and knowledge will continue as they grow.</div>
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<strong>Teaching Young Children about Germs</strong></div>
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Teaching young children about germs can easily fall into a Health and Nutrition preschool lesson plan. At group circle, ask children what they know about germs and ways to keep themselves protected from cold and flu bugs.</div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444;">A great book to read on this topic is </span><em style="color: #444444;">Germs are Not for Sharing</em><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444;"> by Elizabeth Verdick. Another tactic to teach preschoolers about germs is to play the </span>sparkle game<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444;">. This can be done by passing a ball covered in sparkles from person to person. It works well if children have some hand cream before hand to attract the sparkles to. The sparkles represent the germs and when the ball has been passed around the circle of children, then the teacher can explain that the sparkles in everyone's hands is the same way germs will transfer from person to person.</span></div>
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<strong>Teaching Preschoolers about Hand Washing</strong></div>
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At a very young age, children can begin learning about the proper ways to hand wash. Teach children to wet hands, then place soap into their palms and rub together to make bubbles. Young children need to be shown and taught to rub the soap in between their fingers and all around. If children sing a song like "Twinkle Twinkle Little Star" or "Happy Birthday," then it's the right amount of time to make bubbles before rinsing and drying off. While the young children are hand washing, singing will encourage them along. As a caregiver, try simply singing the words to the tune of Frere Jacques:</div>
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<em>Making bubbles, making bubbles</em></div>
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<em>In the sink, in the sink</em></div>
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<em>Rub across your hands</em></div>
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<em>Rub across your hands</em></div>
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<em>Now rinse off, now rinse off.</em></div>
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<strong>Teaching Proper Ways to Sneeze and Cough</strong></div>
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Children can learn to cough and sneeze into their bended arm at the elbow. Covering one's mouth with one's hands, simply places the germs into the hands themselves. When children sneeze into the air, we can explain to them how all the germs float into the air and land elsewhere. Of course, children can also learn to sneeze into Kleenexes, along with learning to use them for runny noses!</div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444;">A great</span><a href="http://www.preschoolplaybook.com/2010/02/cover-your-sneeze.html"> arts and crafts</a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444;"> project under this theme is to make a sneezing face. Each child will decorate a paper plate as a face. They can use such things as felt pens, googly eyes and yarn for hair. Each child will trace his/her hand onto a piece of paper, trace and cut. Then a Kleenex will be glued onto the face's nose with the cut out hand overtop.</span><br />
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<strong>Educating Parents about Germs</strong></div>
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Preschool facilities usually have policies in place that determines when children should stay at home. Overall, the procedure is if children develop any following symptoms during school, the parents will be called for immediate pick up: fever, green mucous, vomit, rash or signs of a communicable disease. It's a good idea to remind the parents about those policies and provide them with other informative articles about ways to prevent illness. </div>
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This article, written by Christine Moore, was originally published by suite101.com</div>
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<div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/6983814192301448663-5882517246992745758?l=ideasforpreschoolanddaycare.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Christinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00129821673974066231noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6983814192301448663.post-68423549320657084952012-08-22T06:53:00.003-07:002012-08-22T06:55:45.091-07:002012-08-22T06:55:45.091-07:00All About Me Preschool Book<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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A great way to learn about the children at the beginning of a preschool year, as well as making each child feel comfortable and welcomed is to make a book titled: <em>All About Me</em>. Some teachers prefer to work on this memory type book throughout the preschool year. This article suggests pages to work on for a week or two at the beginning of the preschool year, to then present to the parents as the first art project. The parents will be happy to receive such a gift from their children and in so doing; it starts the preschool year off with a good start.<br />
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Creating the Pages for Preschool</h3>
Many of the pages for an <em>All About Me</em> book can be found <a href="http://www.enchantedlearning.com/crafts/books/allaboutme/">online </a>and then printed off, or the pages can be created by the preschool teacher first with the original pages being saved in a curriculum folder for future use. If the pages have all the printing down ahead of time, then it will reduce the work for the teacher as he/she will simply photo copy the required amount of pages needed. A good idea is to finish one page per class as the teacher will be required to fill in the answers of the children or other details with each page, which requires allocated time. The parents love reading the answers that come out of their child's mouth which is an important feature of the entire project.<br />
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"Look How Big I Am!": A Page Recording Preschool Children's Height and Weight</h3>
To begin the book, record the weight and height of each child on a page title, "<em>Look How Big I Am!"</em> This page can have a picture of a girl or boy which can be coloured in. Alternatively, older preschool children can be left a space to draw a picture. Perhaps, the teacher might chose to place in a photograph of the child instead which could be taken at school or provided by the families. Another page under this category can be titled, "<em>When I Get Older, I Want to Be</em>....". On this page, a preschooler will have his/her foot or hand traced (or both) and then the answer to the title can be filled in by the teacher. Similarly, a child's handprint can be made by being dipped into paint.<br />
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All About Me: The Question and Answer Page</h3>
This page can be altered to meet the requirements of the teacher's curriculum and philosophy. Sometimes this page is titled, "<em>My Favourite Things"</em>. There will be a number of questions to ask the children and the answers will be written out. Some classic questions to ask are:<br />
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<li>My favourite color is...</li>
<li>One of my favourite TV shows is...</li>
<li>I like to eat...</li>
<li>I don't like to eat...</li>
<li>One of my favourite toys is...</li>
<li>I am special because...</li>
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Me and My Family</h3>
One suggestion for this page is to provide each child with the basic tracing of a house made out of popsicle sticks, which the children can then glue on themselves. They can color or decorate the sticks before hand. The page can be titled, "<em>In My Home You Will Find</em>..."<br />
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Magazine Collage Page</h3>
This page can be a glueing activity for the preschool children to find things they like in an array of pictures cut out of magazines, and/ or pictures found off the computer. The latter choice works well for there are no pictures found on the other side as with magazines. The collage page can be fun to make and many parents will smile when they see what their child chose to glue onto the page.<br />
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The Completed Project</h3>
There are many more pages that can be placed into the book, and as stated before, this might be a book that a teacher chooses to work on throughout the preschool year. Finish the book off with a cover providing the title of the book, preschool it was made in, child's name, and the year it was completed. The parents will be happy to have this memento to keep in their collection of memories.<br />
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This article, written by Christine Moore, was originally published by suite101.com</div>
<div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/6983814192301448663-6842354932065708495?l=ideasforpreschoolanddaycare.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Christinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00129821673974066231noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6983814192301448663.post-58932165662441534192012-07-27T07:12:00.001-07:002012-07-27T07:12:30.914-07:002012-07-27T07:12:30.914-07:00Patience Quote<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="color: #444444; font-family: 'Lucida Sans Unicode', sans-serif; line-height: 21px; text-align: -webkit-auto;">Patience is the ability to count down before you blast off--Anonymous</span>
</div><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/6983814192301448663-5893216566244153419?l=ideasforpreschoolanddaycare.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Christinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00129821673974066231noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6983814192301448663.post-1934760400966531452012-07-23T18:30:00.000-07:002012-08-03T07:41:34.460-07:002012-08-03T07:41:34.460-07:00Online Workshops for Preschool Teachers<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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For preschool teachers, summer is a great time to renew your energy and thoughts. Why not take an online workshop with topics relevant to Early Childhood settings. In addition, the workshops provide certificates with marked hours (2 to 4 hours, depending on how many assignments are completed) which may be used for licensing requirements. The workshop outlines are below. Visit <a href="http://www.circleofideas.net/">Circle of Ideas</a> to enroll and for more information!<br />
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<strong style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: medium;"><u><a class="fw_link_page" href="http://www.circleofideas.net/apps/webstore/" style="color: #d076d1;" target="_self">The Benefits of Sensory Play in Early Childhood Settings</a></u></strong></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: small;">Sensory play is an integral component of an early childhood setting. The following workshop discusses the benefits of sensory play for young children and provides numerous ideas for how to set up a sensory table and other sensory activities.</span><strong><span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: small;"> </span></strong></span></div>
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<strong><span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: small;"><u><a class="fw_link_page" href="http://www.circleofideas.net/apps/webstore/" style="color: #d076d1;" target="_self">Using Recycling Material in Early Childhood Settings</a></u></span></strong></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: small;">Today, more than ever, the three R’s: recycling, reusing and reducing have become a mainstay for many households and workplaces. Using recycled items, whether from the recycling bins or other used material, within Early Childhood programs is cost efficient and good for the environment. The following workshop provides a variety of ideas for how to implement recycling into our early childhood settings in a safe and creative manner.</span></div>
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<strong><span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: small;"><u><a class="fw_link_page" href="http://www.circleofideas.net/apps/webstore/" style="color: #d076d1;" target="_self">The Benefits of Music Within Early Childhood Settings</a></u></span></strong></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: small;">Singing and music is an integral component of creating quality programming for young children. Take this workshop to discover the numerous benefits of music within early childhood settings. This workshop also includes my Ebook of 50 piggyback songs for themes from A to Z.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: small;"><u><a class="fw_link_page" href="http://www.circleofideas.net/apps/webstore/" style="color: #d076d1;" target="_self"><strong>The Importance of Multiculturalism in Early</strong> <strong>Childhood Programs</strong></a></u></span></div>
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Verdana; font-size: small;"><span lang="EN"><span lang="EN">An early childhood curriculum should display multiculturalism on a daily basis to allow each child in care to feel included and honoured. The following workshop discusses the importance of multiculturalism and specific ways to include cultural differences in our program planning and early childhood settings.</span><br />
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<b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: small;"><u><a class="fw_link_page" href="http://www.circleofideas.net/apps/webstore/" style="color: #d076d1;" target="_self">Theme Days are Fun: Program Planning to Meets the Needs of the Whole Child</a></u></span></b></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: small;">Children love theme days. What is essential within the planning is that our curriculum is still meeting the needs of the whole child: socially, emotionally, creatively, physically and cognitively. By meeting this goal, we hope to meet the needs of each child’s growth and development, while allowing them to express their individuality and exploration. This workshop includes a detailed outline of a rainbow theme day.</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: small;"><u><a class="fw_link_page" href="http://www.circleofideas.net/apps/webstore/" style="color: #d076d1;" target="_self"><strong>The</strong><strong> Importance of Structure in Early Childhood Settings</strong></a></u></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: small;">Some<strong> </strong>children have difficulty with change. There are many reasons why. When children know how their day will unfold, it aids in their emotional stability and developmental growth. Take this workshop and be provided detailed suggestions on how to keep the structure in your childcare environment.</span></div>
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<b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: small;"><u><a class="fw_link_page" href="http://www.circleofideas.net/apps/webstore/" style="color: #d076d1;" target="_self">Beyond a Book: Different Ways to Tell a Story with Children</a></u></span></b></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: small;">Children enjoy hearing a good story, but a book doesn’t have to be the only way we relay a story. In this workshop, other ways to tell a story, including the participation and involvement of the children themselves, is discussed.</span></div>
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<b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: small;"><u><a class="fw_link_page" href="http://www.circleofideas.net/apps/webstore/" style="color: #d076d1;" target="_self">How to Hear a Child's Voice at Circle Time</a></u></span></b></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: small;">Whether it’s twenty or five, circle time can be difficult to run when all voices are talking! This workshop provides numerous strategies on how to hear a child’s voice at circle time. A child feels so loved and acknowledged when his/her ideas are heard.</span></div>
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<b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: small;"><u><a class="fw_link_page" href="http://www.circleofideas.net/apps/webstore/" style="color: #d076d1;" target="_self">Circle time Basics</a></u></span></b></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: small;">Is this your first time running a circle? Do you wonder how to keep those children engaged? This workshop outlines some of the basics of circle time and well used methods to keep those children on the carpet and with you!</span></div>
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<strong><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: small;"><u><a class="fw_link_page" href="http://www.circleofideas.net/apps/webstore/" style="color: #d076d1;" target="_self">Returning to the Children</a></u></span></strong></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: small;">This workshop’s goal is to provide suggestions and tactics for re-focusing our thoughts back to the care and teaching of children while rejuvenating ourselves with positive energy towards our profession</span></div>
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</div><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/6983814192301448663-193476040096653145?l=ideasforpreschoolanddaycare.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Christinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00129821673974066231noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6983814192301448663.post-16792095045418106072012-07-21T13:32:00.003-07:002012-07-22T08:09:35.148-07:002012-07-22T08:09:35.148-07:00Indoor Activities for Toddlers in Home Daycare<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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Toddlers are busy. Whether they are in an early childhood facility or in a home environment, young children, ranging in ages from one to three years old, are little sponges ready to embrace and explore their world around them. Sometimes, there is a lack of space in a home environment to safely meet the needs of each child. Keeping all children occupied with fun and learning activities helps make the day run smoother. Following are some suggestions for taking care of toddlers in a home based daycare which can also be used within other curriculums in early childhood education.</div>
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<strong>Toddler Activities in a Highchair</strong></div>
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Highchairs are made for feeding our babies and toddlers in a confined and safe set up. Try adopting a second or third highchair for art and sensory activities. The trays provide a distinct space for toddlers to create their arts and crafts or explore sensory material. Here are some suggestions for activities to be done in the highchair:</div>
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•gluing collage material, such as cut out magazine pictures, onto paper: take one piece of construction paper and use a glue stick to cover the entire space, and then allow the toddlers to place pieces of material onto the sticky paper to make a fun art piece.</div>
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•finger painting</div>
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•playing with play dough</div>
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•sensory material with little spoons, mini dump trucks, containers, etc. The sensory material needs to be safe for the toddlers, and they need to be taught it is not for eating. Try using cornmeal or plastic Easter eggs.</div>
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<strong>Toddler Games and Boxes</strong></div>
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Never underestimate the brilliance of an empty box. Find large boxes from furniture stores, or grocery stores and allow the toddlers to explore and create their own fun activities with empty boxes. Play games such as peek-a- boo or sing songs, like <span style="color: red;">Jack in the Box</span>:</div>
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<i>Jack in the Box, still as a mouse</i></div>
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<i>Deep down inside his little dark house</i></div>
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<i>Jack in the box, resting so still</i></div>
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<i>Will you come out?</i></div>
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<i>Yes, he will</i> (the child jumps out of the box with arms outstretched)</div>
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Smaller boxes can be used as well, such as empty diaper boxes that can be turned into boats. Sing "Row, Row, Row your Boat" or pretend to be a train and find some train songs to sing.</div>
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<strong>Toddler Learning Activities</strong></div>
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Toddlers are learning concepts, such as colors, shapes and counting. Provide opportunities for them to grasp these concepts with developmentally appropriate material, such as stacking cups, shape puzzles and games. Count with them and rehearse colors as they are playing with toys. Cut food into shapes and find shapes while going for walks. If the budget is tight, children still enjoy drawing with the simplest tools, such as a stick in sand, or sidewalk chalk.</div>
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<strong>Toddlers Love Household Items</strong></div>
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Collect odds and ends in the house and your daily activities. Of course, these items have to be safe for toddlers to explore. Often young children are more excited about using and exploring household items than actual toys, and this activity provides them with the opportunity. Place the collection in a fancy looking container which is placed in a hidden spot. When the toddlers are restless, bring out the "special" box for them to explore. Change the material routinely so it will always be a surprise to the toddlers in your care. Here are some suggestions of what to place in the special box:</div>
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•empty boxes of different sizes</div>
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•old jewellery</div>
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•broken phones, remote controls, etc.</div>
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•purses, wallets</div>
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•little present bags</div>
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•playing cards, dominoes, poker chips</div>
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•bows and shiny paper</div>
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•measuring cups</div>
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•daddy's work gloves</div>
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With a little imagination and careful observation of toddlers, it becomes easier to find activities that will keep them busy in a safe environment. There are so many ways to keep toddlers happy and hopefully these ideas will trigger new ideas to expand upon.</div>
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This article, written by Christine Moore, was originally published by <a href="http://www.suite101.com/" style="color: #d076d1;" target="_blank">suite101.com</a></div>
</div><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/6983814192301448663-1679209504541810607?l=ideasforpreschoolanddaycare.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Christinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00129821673974066231noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6983814192301448663.post-75383974198113149872012-07-21T13:11:00.002-07:002012-07-21T13:11:55.377-07:002012-07-21T13:11:55.377-07:00Preschool Lesson Plans/ Themes<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-drD0XJ0TAio/UAsM2VbbUOI/AAAAAAAAAX0/c8EXdYKQiJM/s1600/logo-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-drD0XJ0TAio/UAsM2VbbUOI/AAAAAAAAAX0/c8EXdYKQiJM/s1600/logo-1.jpg" /></a>On my website, <a href="http://www.circleofideas.net/apps/blog/">Circle of Ideas</a> are 30 articles on preschool themes.<br />
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Visit my <a href="http://www.circleofideas.net/searchfor.htm">Search for</a>... page to find a full listing! </div><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/6983814192301448663-7538397419811314987?l=ideasforpreschoolanddaycare.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Christinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00129821673974066231noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6983814192301448663.post-11856612040169136542012-07-21T09:41:00.001-07:002012-07-21T09:41:40.571-07:002012-07-21T09:41:40.571-07:00Introducing Rhyming<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span class="fw_sanitized"><img height="579" src="http://www.fashion-stylist.net/blog/wp-content/uploads/image/green-eggs-and-ham.jpg" style="height: 137px; max-width: 100%; padding-bottom: 8px; padding-right: 8px; padding-top: 8px; width: 128px;" width="424" />Aside from reading any Dr. Seuss book, try these rhyming exercises for young children. Ask the children to supply the rhyming word to complete the sentence:<br />
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<li>An animal that rhymes with hat is_________</li>
<li>A little mouse ran into the____________</li>
<li>That bean was the color____________</li>
<li>Touch your nose, then wiggle your______________</li>
<li>Hickory Dickory Dock, the mouse ran up the__________</li>
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Provide children four words and have them choose which words rhyme:<br />
<em>broke, found, pencil, round</em><br />
<em>wagon, bed, word, red</em><br />
Ask children to find something in the room that rhymes with...<em>look, fall, floor, bear, fable</em><br />
Finish a rhyming introduction with Raffi's Willaby Wallaby Woo.</span></div>
</div><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/6983814192301448663-1185661204016913654?l=ideasforpreschoolanddaycare.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Christinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00129821673974066231noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6983814192301448663.post-26049765935236717912012-07-20T17:26:00.000-07:002012-08-22T08:21:38.739-07:002012-08-22T08:21:38.739-07:00Flower Crafts<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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Here, it is still quite cold, but thankfully our spring flowers are beginning to bloom giving us hope that warmer days are coming. Making flowers in preschool, daycare or any early childhood environment is a fun spring activity. The following blog entry provides some ideas for flower crafts.<br />
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<li><strong>Daffodils</strong>: mini cupcake liners turn flower designs into cute daffodils. Prep the craft activity by cutting out a flower shape or fold a piece of yellow construction paper in half and draw half a flower for the children to cut out. A stem and leaf can be glued onto the flower with the cupcake liner placed in the middle to finish the craft.</li>
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<li><strong>Paperplate Daisy</strong>: a small paperplate with white large petals for the edge, make a cute daisy. The children can finish the flower with a big happy face in the middle.</li>
<li><strong>Flower Stamps</strong>: many craft stores have flower foam stamps for prints, but did you know that old thread spools make cute flower designs as well?</li>
<li><strong>Handprint flowers</strong>: the children's hands become the main flower either with fingerpaint or construction paper. By having the children trace and cut their hands out by themselves, it becomes a great fine motor activity, building up the skills for cutting. The flower can be their individual hand, or many hands can be glued for the petals by gluing the palm part of the hand in the center of a paperplate and fingers outwards. The latter choice is a long project if the child is cutting each hand, and might work best with an adult's assistance.</li>
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<li><strong>Coffee filters</strong>: when food coloring and water is dropped onto coffee filters with eye droppers, the filter absorbs the liquid and it turns into a tie-dye look. When the filter is all dry, then it can become a cute flower which can be glued onto paper or attached to a pipecleaner</li>
<li><strong>Egg carton Tulips</strong>: individual foam eggs turn this craft project into a one day, simple activity. If using cardboard eggs, they can be painted beforehand. Both choices the egg cartons can be decorated, for instance, with jewels or sparkles and trimmed at the top in a zigzag manner. A pipecleaner becomes the stem by glueing it to the bottom of the egg carton, or by poking a small hole at the bottom and placing the pipecleaner through slightly and bending for attachment.</li>
<li><strong>Still Life Painting</strong>: place real or fake flowers in a vase on a table. Provide children with pencils for tracing, and then paint or felts for filling in the color. You will be amazed at how many young children are able to create art in this manner. Each masterpiece is unique.It helps to present this art activity with a quick introduction beforehand, showing the children some paintings and discussing what still life means.</li>
<li><strong>Flower Collage</strong>: place flower pictures from used birthday cards, calendars, wrapping paper and so on, onto the table with a large piece of construction paper. Add some drawing tools, such as felt pens, and lots of glue and scissors. Provide strips of paper and other small pieces of paper with different textures and let the children create their own spring flower creations.</li>
<li><strong>Flower Pots</strong>: sometimes it is the flower pot that is needed for an art craft. Perhaps, the children are making Mother Day Presents. Individual clay pots work well for children can paint them. Paper plates stapled together also work: one plate is cut in half and then stapled to a full plate. The children can decorate afterwards. Used glass bottles can be used for vases, and children can be provided with fun stickers or glass paint to decorate.</li>
<li><strong>Tissue paper flowers</strong>: I myself, never did this project with preschool children but received these flowers as a Mother's Day Gift when my son was in Kindergarten, and have observed them on display in early childhood centers. Here is a link for this popular flower craft:</li>
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<a href="http://www.enchantedlearning.com/crafts/flowers/tissueflower/" style="color: #d076d1;" target="_blank">http://www.enchantedlearning.com/crafts/flowers/tissueflower/</a><br />
Good Luck and happy flower making!</span></div>
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<div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/6983814192301448663-2604976593523671791?l=ideasforpreschoolanddaycare.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Christinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00129821673974066231noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6983814192301448663.post-68840085874308440902012-07-20T16:59:00.001-07:002012-07-21T09:31:49.084-07:002012-07-21T09:31:49.084-07:00Playdough Ideas<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span class="fw_sanitized"><img class="rg_hi" height="185" src="http://t2.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcSQs8ZJGwzi9jFCZ54mNkAhn9DsWsLCqcUdwTOt_a0GBc-eBrLxZA" style="height: 128px; max-width: 100%; width: 179px;" width="273" />Playdough is a wonderful physical and creative activity for young children that fosters a variety of developments and skills in children. Playdough can easily be made in the kitchen. Most recipes include instructions to make playdough over the stove. An alternative choice is to use boiling water from the kettle. When making the playdough, it is a good idea to stir the ingredients quickly and knead right away to create the desired consistency. Ingredients can be added after if the playdough is too dry or too wet. The playdough mix should be kept in a plastic bag or closed container when it is not being used and depending on the air quality of a room, and the amount of hands that play with the dough, it should last for a least a week or longer.<br />
This website is an awesome resource for playdough recipes: <a href="http://www.playdoughrecipe.com/" style="color: #d076d1;" target="_blank">www.playdoughrecipe.com</a><br />
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Following are some variations and suggested items to put out with playdough in addition to the classic rolling pin and cookie cutters:<br />
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<li>koolaid package inside the playdough recipe will make it smell fruity and provides color</li>
<li>a touch of tempera paint or food coloring while making the recipe</li>
<li>sparkles inside the playdough</li>
<li>vanilla or other spices</li>
<li>place buttons out with the playdough</li>
<li>candles along with baking sheet or cupcake liners</li>
<li>little plastic animals</li>
<li>plastic utensils</li>
<li>container lids that have a raised image for making prints</li>
<li>ice cube trays</li>
<li>craft sticks, popsicle sticks</li>
<li>googly eyes</li>
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</div><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/6983814192301448663-6884008587430844090?l=ideasforpreschoolanddaycare.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Christinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00129821673974066231noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6983814192301448663.post-34119035446084008092012-07-20T16:48:00.002-07:002012-08-22T08:29:02.258-07:002012-08-22T08:29:02.258-07:00Tips for How to Talk with Young Children<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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Whether a childcare worker or a parent, here are some tips on how best to talk to a young child. These tips will hopefully produce benefits, such as helping to get their attention, building a trusting bond and illustrating to the child the importance of your message, to name a few.</div>
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<strong>EYE LEVEL</strong>: kneel down to their eye level. Try and get eye contact, but at the same time remember that some children have a very difficult time with such a request. At least getting a child to stop doing and listening is a good step.</div>
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<strong>SHORT SENTENCES</strong>: give your message in short sentences, one or two words for toddlers is best to deliver a message, particularly if it's regarding safety or guidance issues.</div>
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<strong>VOICE</strong>: try and speak in a slow, calm way and even try to lower the tone of your voice</div>
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<strong>AFFIRMATION</strong>: children respond with affirmation very positively. Give compliments to them with detail for older children, such as "I really liked the way you gave your toy to your friend to use when you were finished. Nice sharing". In addition, find fun ways to reward children for their behaviour, such as asking them to pat themselves on the back, or give themselves a hug or their very own high five. Rule of thumb is the positive should outweigh the negative. And hey it's okay to give the affirmation even if you are not necessarily <em>authentically </em>feeling it on the inside. <img alt=";)" src="http://static.websimages.com/JS/Punymce/plugins/emoticons/img/wink.gif" style="max-width: 100%;" /></div>
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<strong>STATEMENTS not QUESTIONS</strong>: when directing young children, do not end your guidance with a question. For example, instead of saying, "ok, so would you like to start cleaning up?" or "we are going to clean up now, ok?", simply make it a statement. If asked a question, young children will answer it! A good strategy is to start sentencing with "It's time for us to..."</div>
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<strong>OPEN ENDED QUESTIONS</strong>: for learning opportunities, start a sentence with I wonder why... This provides children an opportunity to think up the answer, instead of the adult providing the information.</div>
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<strong>STATE the BEHAVIOUR</strong>: describe with your words to a young child why you are about to discipline in some manner. So, for instance, try saying "you are showing me that you are unable to manage with the other children at circle time right now, so you can sit on the couch until you are ready". In the same way, you can state the behaviour with a positive, "you have sat very well on the couch, you are showing me that you are ready to come back to circle".</div>
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<strong>SPECIAL HELPERS</strong>: Children like to be given special roles, so use that desire to your benefit. Give children special titles to get the job done. As in the previous tip, try saying to children when cleaning up, for instance, "can you show me how amazing you are at cleaning up the toys".</div>
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<strong>USE PLAYFUL TACTICS</strong>: remember to use playfulness in your communication. Be silly once in awhile, and allow children to have fun and correct you for a change. So, for instance, when reminding a child how to get dressed to go outside in the winter say, "ok, so don't forget to get on your bathing suit".</div>
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Talking with children who are under five is NOT the same as talking to adults or older children. Changing our ways of communication will truly help when interacting with toddlers and preschoolers.</div>
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<div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/6983814192301448663-3411903544608400809?l=ideasforpreschoolanddaycare.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Christinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00129821673974066231noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6983814192301448663.post-39116888398727705652012-07-20T16:37:00.002-07:002012-07-20T18:12:25.928-07:002012-07-20T18:12:25.928-07:00Drama Play<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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Drama play is an essential component of creating an environment in early childhood settings which meets the needs of the whole child. Many daycares and preschools have a designated spot for drama center. Although drama play can exist throughout the day in many other areas of an early childhood setting, a drama center is the place where children are truly allowed to exercise this aspect of their childhood development.<br />
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<span style="color: red;">Drama centers</span> are more than dress up time; they provide children the opportunity to role play what they see in their lives, and develop social skills. It is their stage for practice. In addition, drama centers provide a safe place for children to work out their feelings and their emotional selves. Drama play encourages language development and social courtesies. But, drama centers do not always have to be the classic house setting. There are many other stages for drama play that can be set up for children.<br />
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<b>Creating Drama Play Boxes</b><br />
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If a daycare or preschool has allocated storage space, a helpful step is to have the boxes ready for drama center changes. Clearly mark the boxes and fill them with the essential material to create a scene or stage for children to play. The material does not always have to be store bought "toys." It can be collected from personal homes, or donated items from local businesses. Think about what you, the daycare worker or preschool teacher, places into her(or his) recycling bins on a weekly basis at home. Can some of those items work as material? For instance, the empty pasta box could be used in a grocery store, or restaurant set up.<br />
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<b>Planning Ahead for Drama Play</b><br />
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Program planning weeks ahead of the change can allow time to collect items which will only be used during a specific set up and due to limited storage space. As an example, if the scene is a Post Office, collect empty boxes at home or in your car for that time period. When changing the drama set up, then place the boxes into recycling. Some foresight can come in very useful.<br />
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<b>Drama Center Variations</b><br />
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Following are several variations in drama center set ups and a beginning list of material to collect. Of course, each teacher will have her/his own creative ideas and input for staging drama centers.<br />
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•store: play food, baskets, bags, play money, register, empty food boxes<br />
•post office: stickers to use for stamps, empty boxes, paper, used greetings cards and envelopes<br />
•restaurant: play food, laminated menus, chef hat, aprons, money, wallets, play phones<br />
•vet's office: stuffed animals, doctor's kit, phones, pad and paper<br />
•Halloween Dress Up: costumes, adult clothes, mirrors, toy cameras<br />
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<b>Creating a Dramatic Scene</b><br />
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Once the material has been collected, then it is important to create a center that entices children to enter a dramatic scene. For instance, if the set up is a coffee shop, then have a table set up with coffee cups, a wallet with play money, used coffee gift cards, play keys, play phone and some newspapers. Find some pictures from magazines of coffee cups and post them in the area. Many children have already entered a Starbucks, for example, with their mommy and/or daddy. They have watched interactions occur and the stage is allowing the children to act out what they have observed. This set up creates a wonderful opportunity for children to grow in their social and emotional development.<br />
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Drama centers can go beyond the traditional house play set ups. Children in daycares and preschools appreciate variations for their drama play. Once the material is collected, and the area staged, the children will certainly add the drama!<br />
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<b>This article written by Christine Moore was originally published on suite101.com </b></span></div>
</div><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/6983814192301448663-3911688839872770565?l=ideasforpreschoolanddaycare.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Christinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00129821673974066231noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6983814192301448663.post-10660134247339563772012-07-20T15:32:00.001-07:002012-07-21T09:42:24.168-07:002012-07-21T09:42:24.168-07:0020 Ways to Set Up a Sensory Table<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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(Always add lots of scoops and containers, or whatever seems appropriate with the suggested material.)<br />
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1. Water with washable dolls for bathing, add in empty shampoo bottles, and cloths<br />
2. Scissors and a variety of paper to cut<br />
3. Goop: water, food coloring and cornstarch (make sure there is water and soap nearby for cleaning up)<br />
4. In the fall, add leaves, both real and paper/plastic and different nuts, such as chestnuts, and pinecones with rakes and containers for sorting (ie; cupcake containers)<br />
5. Freeze water with food coloring in different sized containers and place in sensory table. Try placing different toys inside the water before freezing, or fill up a rubber glove with water and freeze<br />
6. Die rice different colors for a rainbow effect: place rice in ziplock bags with a touch of rubbing alcohol and food coloring, shake and let dry on a cookie sheet<br />
7. Little birthday bags, tissue paper, minature boxes and bows for wrapping<br />
8. For the water table, add food coloring to the water, place tinfoil on the base and a variety of pebbles, add plastic fish and boats<br />
9. In the winter, put snow in the table<br />
10. Place in table a big bowl of soapy water, and small jars filled with water and a few drops of food coloring and eye droppers to use<br />
11. In the sand, place little plastic animals, such as turtles or lizards, and yogurt containers upside down with cut out holes for the animals to peek their heads out of, then add some wood and plastic leaves<br />
12. Place glass beads all throughout the sand and scoops that will release the sand through, then add some little bags with zippers to hold the discovered jewels<br />
13. Find different colored straws and place in table with scissors<br />
14. During springtime, fill the table up with easter grass, plastic easter eggs and little bunnies, ducks, chickens, etc.<br />
15.Water, soap, dishrack, dishes and cloths<br />
16. Add farm animals, a barn and some dishes that hold water or oatmeal for them to be fed.<br />
17. Potted soil, pots, rakes, empty packaged seeds, plastic flowers<br />
18. Add magnets and a variety of items to attract and those things that will not, such as paperclips versus wood.<br />
19. At Halloween, fill the table up with black beans and orange dyed rice, then add plastic spiders and bats<br />
20. Mix a variety of dried beans together for a sensory mix that can be used again and again</span></div>
</div><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/6983814192301448663-1066013424733956377?l=ideasforpreschoolanddaycare.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Christinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00129821673974066231noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6983814192301448663.post-65152612385972245362012-07-20T15:29:00.001-07:002012-07-20T18:13:16.829-07:002012-07-20T18:13:16.829-07:00Tips for Field Trips with Young Children<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<img height="544" src="http://dirtyscrubs.files.wordpress.com/2011/02/field-trip.jpg" style="height: 110px; max-width: 100%; padding-bottom: 8px; padding-right: 8px; padding-top: 8px; width: 123px;" width="500" />Field trips outside of preschool and daycare environments are a crucial component of offering quality programming. The trips involve proper planning and organization. Here are some suggestions for making a field trip safe and successful, followed by some field trips ideas.</div>
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<strong>Setting dates and location</strong>: it is important to make sure the establishment where the field trip is planned has set dates with the commitment made weeks before the actual event. For some popular locations with other schools and daycares, it doesn't hurt to call months before the field trip outing. Then, a day before the field trip, call to reconfirm your visit. I have experienced arriving to places with children in tow and the employees being surprised by our arrival, and have learnt to always call and reconfirm! In addition, consider visiting the location to make sure it is safe for young children.</div>
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<strong>Parent Volunteers</strong>: put a sign up sheet a week ahead for helpers. Make a special button for those parent helpers to wear, particularly if many parents are joining in the field trip. This way, the teacher knows who to call upon for help. My suggestion is don't be shy about delegating parents on ways you need help, for instance, clearly ask a parent, "will you please hold this door open and then return to the line up". It's all about safety first, and parents will understand. At the end of the field trip try to individually thank each parent for their help. Often, these parent helpers will be repeated helpers throughout the preschool year, or daycare time period and they deserve recognition for their efforts.</div>
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<strong>Field trip Backpack</strong>: prepare a field trip outing backpack for your classroom, filled with first aid, a spare set of clothes, a cell phone, kleenex, pen and paper, coins, plastic bags, and bottled water.</div>
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<strong>Walking route</strong>: before leaving for a field trip, if applicable, plan out the walking route. Try and choose streets with traffic lights for crossing traffic, and consider where toilet emergencies could occur if necessary.</div>
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<strong>Before leaving</strong>: Make sure all the children have gone to the washroom before leaving. Place name tags on the children to help the parents and employees of the establishment where the field trip is occuring. Talk to the children at a group circle about field trip safety: how to safely walk, being courteous of other people by lowering our voices, etc. Make sure the children's files are with you in the backpack before leaving. Place a note on the door on where you are for any late arrivals or arrange with other programs, to have children spend time there until you return.</div>
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<strong>DON'T FORGET TO COUNT CONSTANTLY WHEN YOU ARE OUT</strong>! This is the best way to assure you have all your children.</div>
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Places to consider for field trips with preschool aged children: </div>
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<li>Library</li>
<li>Restaurants</li>
<li>Pet Stores</li>
<li>Post Office</li>
<li>Farms</li>
<li>Special Community Walks</li>
<li>Riding a Bus</li>
<li>Fire hall</li>
<li>Police Station</li>
<li>Nature Walks</li>
<li>Senior Citizen Homes</li>
<li>Grocery Stores</li>
<li>Garden Shops</li>
<li>Bus or Train Stations</li>
<li>Storytimes/ Drop In Events</li>
<li>Farmer's Markets</li>
<li>Factories</li>
<li>Water Parks</li>
<li>Art Galleries</li>
<li>Science Centers</li>
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</div><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/6983814192301448663-6515261238597224536?l=ideasforpreschoolanddaycare.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Christinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00129821673974066231noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6983814192301448663.post-52693090129375904172012-07-20T15:18:00.000-07:002012-07-21T13:17:35.369-07:002012-07-21T13:17:35.369-07:00Children's Songs for a Garden Theme<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<strong>Flower Finger Play Song</strong><br />
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This finger play song about tulips and bulbs works well with a glove puppet and is found on a wonderful website called <a data-cke-saved-href="http://www.makinglearningfun.com/themepages/TulipGlovePuppet.htm" href="http://www.makinglearningfun.com/themepages/TulipGlovePuppet.htm">Make Learning Fun.</a><br />
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<em>Ten tulip bulbs planted in the ground<br /><br />Waiting very quiet without a sound<br /><br />The sun came up and the rain came down<br /><br />And one little tulip popped out of the ground.</em><br />
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The song continues up to five or ten with each new tulip being displayed by the puppeteer.<br />
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<strong>Children Action Songs about Gardening</strong><br />
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A great way for children to enjoy and participate with music is to add actions to the song's lyrics. The following song about gardening can easily include actions with each verse.<br />
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<span style="color: red;">Song #1</span> To the tune of Farmer in the Dell:<br />
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<em>The farmer plants the seeds.<br /><br />The farmer plants the seeds.<br /><br />High ho the derry oh,<br /><br />The farmer plants the seeds.<br /><br />Second Verse: The sun comes out to shine.<br /><br />Third Verse: The rain begins to fall.<br /><br />Fourth Verse: The seeds begin to grow.<br /><br />Fifth Verse: The farmer digs them up</em>.<br />
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<span style="color: red;">Song #2</span> This song is a rendition of "I'm a Little Teapot"<br />
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<em>I'm a little watering can, tall and thin<br /><br />To fill me up, just pour the water in.<br /><br />Tip me over, the drops sprinkle out.<br /><br />"Thanks for the drink", the flowers do shout!</em><br />
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<span style="color: red;">Further Idea: </span><br />
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Play the song <u>Green Grass Grew All Around</u> with felt pieces.<br />
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<br /></div><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/6983814192301448663-5269309012937590417?l=ideasforpreschoolanddaycare.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Christinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00129821673974066231noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6983814192301448663.post-82457481330990903502012-07-20T15:16:00.001-07:002012-07-21T13:12:28.366-07:002012-07-21T13:12:28.366-07:00Outdoor Activities for Daycare<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="font-size: small;"> <img height="209" src="http://www.circleofideas.net/multiculturalism.jpg" style="height: 169px; max-width: 100%; width: 534px;" width="533" /></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">Most daycare schedules involve children spending at least one hour outside to receive ample time for gross motor activities and fresh air. Sometime, though, the program planning falls away when the children head outside. The following list are ideas for activities to bring outside for daycare children. Try making outdoor bins prepped and ready to go right by the door to outside, or in an outdoor shed. If you only bring out these activities once in awhile, the novelty of the material will not run out.</span></div>
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<li><span style="font-size: medium;">tubs, or your sensory table, brought outside filled with material</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: medium;">large building blocks</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: medium;">table full of lego or other manipulatives</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: medium;">table and chairs filled with paper and pens. This area could turn into an "office" by adding some phones and old computer keypads or a "mail room" by bringing some envelopes and a mailBOX outside.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: medium;">a large bed sheet attached to fence or wall with tempara paint and brushes for a group paint project</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: medium;">tents</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: medium;">easels for drawing or painting</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: medium;">eye hand coordination activities: balls into buckets, beanbags into hoola hoops</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: medium;">bring out music, some dress up clothes and create a stage for concerts. bring out some chairs to make the audience</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: medium;">clothespins and clothes to hang laundry</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: medium;">bug kits</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: medium;">bucket of chalk</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: medium;">bubbles</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: medium;">create a garden, real or pretend, with containers of dirt and gardening tools for the children to explore</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: medium;">blanket and books for viewing</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: medium;">have snack outside or music time outside for a schedule change</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: medium;">HUNTS: children can be given binoculars (suggestion: made by them with toilet paper rolls), and/or magnifying glasses. The teacher can hide jewels or little animal figures throughout the outdoor area. If the children really like <a href="http://www.suite101.com/content/a-go-diego-go-theme-day-a280286" style="color: #d076d1;" target="_blank">Go Diego Go</a>, the animals work well.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: medium;">GREAT FOR SUMMER WEATHER: buckets with soapy water and rags and sponges. Spray bottles. Bring out children's chairs to clean or other plastic items that need cleaning, OR buckets with paint brushes and water to allow children to "paint" the climber equipment, fence and so on.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: medium;">GREAT FOR WINTER WEATHER: depending on how cold it gets outside, children can paint on the snow or ice with tempara paint. Playdough molds can be used to make snow molds.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: medium;">big empty <a href="http://www.suite101.com/content/recycle-empty-boxes-into-indoor-activities-for-kids-a328152" style="color: #d076d1;" target="_blank"><span style="color: purple;">boxes </span></a>brought outside for drama play</span></li>
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</div><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/6983814192301448663-8245748133099090350?l=ideasforpreschoolanddaycare.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Christinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00129821673974066231noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6983814192301448663.post-7857691747023538102012-07-20T14:40:00.005-07:002012-07-21T09:43:20.192-07:002012-07-21T09:43:20.192-07:00Recycling Used for Arts and Crafts<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span class="fw_sanitized"> <img class="rg_hi" height="206" src="http://t2.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcQYbK98xvMO3Dxea8dXKfkm-pDyht_Pm8qaYlbeIY-kkdcVBVfn" style="height: 206px; max-width: 100%; width: 244px;" width="244" />Arts and crafts are an important area in all school settings and home environments. In early childhood settings, arts and crafts can be both adult led or in a designated area where children can freely create their own masterpieces. Art materials are a crucial component to fostering this creative development in children. In addition to art material which is bought, a lot of items can be collected from household use and recycling boxes by teachers/daycare workers and/or parent helpers, then used for children's arts and crafts.<br />
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<strong>Use Recycling for Collage Art</strong><br />
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Many preschool and daycare settings provide an art area with open shelves where children can freely go to create art. The shelves are filled with material to promote their artistic and creative selves. Material such as paper, felt pens, children scissors and glue sticks are made available. Children also love having collage material to work with and recycling household items for this collection is a beneficial idea. Here are some possibilities for collecting material for collage art:<br />
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•plastic tags from store bought bread<br />
•twist ties<br />
•candy wrappers<br />
•used birthday cards, cut up<br />
•wrapping paper<br />
•ribbon and bows from presents<br />
•advertising flyers from thick paper<br />
•buttons<br />
•broken jewellery<br />
•puzzle pieces<br />
•collected nature items, such as broken shells<br />
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<strong>Recycle Paper Rolls for Art Creations <img class="rg_hi" height="195" src="http://t1.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcSP6mNRYa3qpF6mZ3sjCCxf7UI51hNUIwxjzqYQgMNrNdwWxOeQ" style="height: 109px; max-width: 100%; width: 146px;" width="259" /></strong><br />
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Empty toilet paper rolls and paper towel rolls have been a long standing household item used to create fun crafts. The tube is used as the main body base and the features are added to help create a figure, such as an animal. The toilet paper roll can be covered with colour paper or painted. The face can be created by using felt pens, construction paper pieces already cut out, or googly eyes. The arms and feet can be attached to help form the body.<br />
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<strong>Recycle Tin Cans for Craft Projects<img class="rg_hi" height="184" src="http://t0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcQaBlixzhIoPQ5Kj1VTaVnbHZ3ylaUaCTPQ2tQHqpK8vf9_cWc9" style="height: 184px; max-width: 100%; width: 274px;" width="274" /></strong><br />
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Collecting tin cans, washing and drying them immediately to avoid rust, is another useful idea for craft projects. It is important to collect tin cans that have a rim on the top and are not sharp. Tin cans can be covered with paper, fabric, felt, popsicle sticks, or painted. They can be decorated further with foam stickers, stickers, beads, fabric ribbon and so on. Tin cans can turn into wonderful presents for Mother's Day or Father's Day, such as flowerpots, utensil holders, pencil holders, remote control holders or coin banks.<br />
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<strong>Recycle Egg Cartons for Crafts</strong><br />
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Cardboard egg cartons can come in very handy for crafts. The egg carton may be cut into pieces to be used for eyes, such as an owl craft, or strung together to make a caterpillar. Singular egg cartons can be painted and decorated with gold sparkles to make Christmas tree decorations.<br />
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<strong>Use Recycled Household Items for Painting</strong><br />
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Painting is a fun activity for young children and can be experienced beyond the traditional paintbrush. Many alternative devices are available to create a stamping effect or other textures. Before an item goes into the garbage or recycling box, think about whether it could be used for painting. Here are some ideas:<br />
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•old toothbrushes<br />
•empty thread spools<br />
•broken kitchen utensils, such as a potato masher, spatula, forks<br />
•lids with handles<br />
•sponges(thoroughly washed)<br />
•small plastic containers of different sizes and shapes<br />
•broken toy cars and trucks<br />
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These are just some ideas for how to use household items for art. There are many other articles on this site that can provide additional information on using recycling for arts and crafts. Creating art is such a fun experience for children and fosters developmental growth. Collecting items from the home takes some time and thought. Asking parents for help with this matter will allow your material to grow quickly. It saves money and is truly putting recycling to good use.<br />
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This article, written by Christine Moore, was originally published by <a href="http://christine-moore.suite101.com/household-items-for-arts-and-crafts---lets-recycle-a282623" style="color: #d076d1;" target="_blank">suite101.com</a></span></div>
</div><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/6983814192301448663-785769174702353810?l=ideasforpreschoolanddaycare.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Christinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00129821673974066231noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6983814192301448663.post-52820521323852646202012-07-20T14:27:00.000-07:002012-07-21T09:43:42.334-07:002012-07-21T09:43:42.334-07:00Indoor Games for Young Children<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="color: navy;"><span style="font-family: 'Lucida Sans Unicode', sans-serif;"><img src="http://i181.photobucket.com/albums/x306/vintageskeeze/umbrellas.jpg" style="max-width: 100%;" /> </span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"> When the Day is too Rainy for Outside Play....</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">In early childhood settings, it is important to have a curriculum that includes physical activities that will foster gross motor development. But, sometimes, there are those days when the weather does not cooperate for the young children to have their allocated outside play time. When those days occur, whether it's due to rainy days, or too cold or hot temperatures, then it is a good idea to have some games and movement activities available for young children to engage in. This article focuses on indoor games.</span></div>
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<strong><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Indoor Games for Young Children</span></strong><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Following are some game ideas for young children to play inside. These games are helpful in preschool and daycare settings when the children are stuck inside due to uncooperative weather conditions, but can also be used for birthday party games and circle time.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><strong><span style="color: red;">Who is Under the Blanket?</span></strong> – One child is chosen to leave the group, and is sent away somewhere so that he/she cannot see the rest of the class. The teacher then chooses one child to hide under the blanket. When the selected child returns to the group, he/she must guess who is under the blanket. It is important to tell the children, before the game begins, how everyone must keep the secret and not give the child's name away to the guesser.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><strong><span style="color: red;">Doggie, Doggie, Where's Your Bone?</span></strong> – One child is selected to be the dog, and sits in a chair with his/her back to the children who are sitting in a circle. The teacher chooses a child from the group to steal the bone which is sitting under the chair. The child makes sure that bone cannot be seen and the group says, "Doggie, doggie, where's your bone? Somebody stole it from your home. Guess who? Maybe you! Maybe the monkeys from the zoo. Wake up doggie, find your bone". This game can have many variations depending on seasons, holidays and themes. For instance, it can be a squirrel and the nut is stolen.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="color: red;"><strong>Duck Duck Goose</strong> </span>– This is a classic game that requires some room. The children sit in a circle and one child is chosen. He/she moves around the outside of the circle tapping each child's head while saying "duck." But, when the child says, "goose," then that child must stand up and run the opposite direction of the first child in atttempt to get his/her seat back.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><strong><span style="color: red;">Fruit Basket</span></strong> – Every child in a circle receives a picture of a fruit. There are pairs of fruit. A teacher calls out a fruit, such as "apple" and two people will stand up and change seats. This is done several times, and then the teacher says, "fruit basket" and all the children must stand up and move to another seat. This game can have other variations, such as bug dance.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="color: red;"><strong>The Bunny Hop</strong> </span>– Have a number of flashcards with shapes or numbers on them, and one card that has a bunny. The teacher shows the cards to the group and the children can call out the right answer to the picture being shown. Then the teacher shows the bunny card, and all the children can hop up and down while she sings, "hop little bunnies, hop hop hop, hop little bunnies till you stop and drop."</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><strong><span style="color: red;">The Shoe Game</span></strong> – Everyone takes off one shoe and puts in the center of the room. Then a child is asked to leave the room. The teacher selects one of the shoes and hides it away. The child returns to the circle and has to guess whose shoe is missing. This is a great visual and memory game.</span></div>
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<strong><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Parachute Games</span></strong><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Parachute games are a wonderful addition to any preschool or daycare. The space has to be made available to allow for the parachute to spread out. Sometimes, a blanket can be used at a group circle instead. Try putting beanbags or stuffed animals on top and make them bounce up and down, otherwise known as "popcorn".</span></div>
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<strong><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Obstacle Course for Preschoolers</span></strong><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">If the young children inside are very active, an indoor obstacle course can do the trick. Use things around the room to help create the course, such as furniture, cushion and carpets. The children each take a turn. They have to listen to the instructions carefully. The teacher might say, "first I want you to go under this table, then go around this chair, hop up and down twice and then sit back down."</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Young children need to move their bodies. When outside time is not available, then it is becomes necessary to find indoor games and activities which allow them to move and have fun.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">This article, written by Christine Moore, was originally published by suite101.com</span></div>
<br /></div><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/6983814192301448663-5282052132385264620?l=ideasforpreschoolanddaycare.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Christinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00129821673974066231noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6983814192301448663.post-86951386946752895702012-07-20T13:02:00.004-07:002012-07-21T09:44:09.141-07:002012-07-21T09:44:09.141-07:00Handmade Preschool Math Activity<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span class="fw_sanitized"><a href="http://images.suite101.com/2661947_com_mathtins.jpg" style="color: #d076d1;" target="_blank"><br /><img alt="Math Tins, Christine Moore" height="330" src="http://images.suite101.com/2661950_com_mathtins.jpg" style="border: 0px; height: 222px; max-width: 600px; width: 182px;" title="Math Tins, Christine Moore" width="243" /></a><br />
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It is important in any early childhood setting to provide developmentally appropriate material and practices to meet the needs of the whole child. Math falls under cognitive development and sometimes is overlooked when setting up the room. The teacher/caregiver might be busy filling the sensory table, working on arts and crafts prep work, and planning out the circle time activities, to name just a few, that other areas of early childhood development get missed, such as math and science. This article provides easy steps on how to make a math activity with recycled tin cans and craft material.<br />
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<strong>Collecting Recycled Material</strong><br />
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The first step is to collect five tin cans of various sizes, small to large. The smallest tin can must fit into the next sized can, and so on until all five cans are in sitting inside the largest tin can.( Picture the russian dolls that all fit into each other.) The cans must not have sharp edges in order to be safe for the little hands that will be playing with them. They need to be thoroughly cleaned and should not show rust.<br />
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<strong>The Craft Material Needed for the Handmade Math Tins</strong><br />
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Once the tin cans have been collected and decided upon, the craft material must be purchased or gathered. The following material is required to finish the project:<br />
•felt material (flannel), five or more different colors<br />
•craft glue or glue gun<br />
•scissors<br />
•paper for templates<br />
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<strong>Making the Math Tins</strong><br />
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Each tin can is going to be decorated with felt material and have a felt number glued to the front, one through to five. The smallest can will be one and the largest can will be five. Use paper to create templates by covering each can, then trimming to create the look that is desired for the final project. The felt material could be folded over the edge for safety and comfort, however if the cans are tightly fitting into each other, and depending on the thickness of material, this step might cause the cans to not fit together as planned. When all the cans have a paper template, then cut out paper templates of large numbers from one to five. These numbers should be different colors then the the tin color, perhaps all the numbers could be made with black felt material.<br />
When the paper templates are complete, use them to cut out the felt material by placing on top of the material. The paper templates could be taped down or pinned, or simply held down firmly with one hand while the other hand is cutting. The felt material will then be glued onto the matching size tin can. A glue gun might be the best choice here to get a strong adhesive. When the felt material is securely glued to the tin cans, the final step is to glue the felt numbers onto the cans so that when the tin cans are placed in a row, the numbers will show evenly.<br />
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<strong>Setting up the Math Tins for Play and Learning</strong><br />
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When the math tins are complete, place them in a math station, table or floor, with various small toys to count. There should be one toy for the can marked one, two of the same toy for the can marked two and so on up to five. This math activity allows children to practice their counting, sorting and sizing.<br />
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<strong>Math Tins Used with Themes and Preschool Lesson Plans</strong><br />
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These handmade math tins can be used with all themes and lesson plans in daycare and preschool settings. The toys can simply be switched to correlate with the topic of focus. So, for instance, if it is a frog themed day, then find various plastic frogs to place out with the tins.<br />
Sometimes it takes some initiative on the adult's part to make and set up math activities. This project could be done by a practicum student, a teacher, caregiver, or even older children could make it for and with younger children, perhaps their siblings. These math tins will help bring counting numbers and other concepts into an early childhood environment.<br />
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This article, written by Christine Moore, was originally published by <a href="http://christine-moore.suite101.com/handmade-math-tins-for-early-childhood-setting-a321670" style="color: #d076d1;" target="_blank">suite101.com</a></span></div>
</div><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/6983814192301448663-8695138694675289570?l=ideasforpreschoolanddaycare.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Christinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00129821673974066231noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6983814192301448663.post-25578922698941671342012-07-20T12:59:00.002-07:002012-07-21T09:44:46.061-07:002012-07-21T09:44:46.061-07:00Show and Tell<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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Show and tell in preschool can occur throughout the school year or during a shorter period of time and usually involves one or two children at a time. Show and tell works best with older preschool ages, such as older threes and four year olds. The benefits of show and tell for young children are plentiful and with some organization on the preschool teachers end, show and tell can run fairly smoothly. This article provides some ideas for how to run a show and tell within a preschool curriculum and its benefits.</div>
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<strong>The<span style="color: red;"> Benefits</span> of Show and Tell in Preschool</strong><br />
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Although, at times, it seems hard to decipher the benefits of show and tell with young children, indeed this active involvement of the speaker and the listeners fosters a great deal of developments within each child:</div>
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•Learning How to Ask Questions and Answer: many preschool children do not understand the difference between a statement and a question, and so going through the process helps teach this concept.</div>
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•Speech Development: for the speaker, show and tell provides an opportunity to use descriptive language, concept thinking, story telling and so forth. Overall, it helps develop effective communication.</div>
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•Emotional Development: giving children time to share a part of their home life, their interests, with the group creates an environment of caring and fosters their emotional selves.</div>
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•Respectful Listening: show and tell can create structure for preschool children to learn how to be respectful when someone is talking and to use proper manners</div>
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•Children Take the Lead: the act of show and tell, from choosing the item, to talking about it in front of peers, to showing it to everyone, provides children the chance to be in charge, and have their choices and voice honoured. This is especially true for the more shy children in the group.</div>
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<strong>What Items to Bring for Show and Tell</strong><br />
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Many preschools and primary classes in elementary school, choose a theme for show and tell. Toys are often not permitted for show and tell as it can create challenges for sharing afterwards, and a sense of “look what I have and what you don’t”. Some theme suggestions are:</div>
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1.something used in the house</div>
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2.a photo that holds a story or experience that can be shared</div>
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3.something made</div>
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<strong>Preparing for Show and Tell</strong><br />
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There are three important ways to prepare for show and tell as a preschool teacher by making enough time to include all children, informing the parents about how it will occur, and making a visual cue that will be sent home as a reminder.</div>
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Perhaps one of the most important parts of show and tell within a preschool curriculum is to inform the families beforehand. Send out a special letter or include in a monthly newsletter an explanation about how show and tell will be run. Provide parents with the what to bring guidelines regarding the chosen theme, the amount of items that are allowed (i.e.: no more than two), the size of items and a reminder about the importance of letting the child make the choice. Structure and guidelines that are clearly stated will help with the running of a show and tell. Many parents will say yes to their child’s request of a toy or bringing ten items to show, for example, in attempt to get out the door. Stating the importance of the process of show and tell versus the product is a good addition to the parent information note.</div>
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Decide beforehand how many children will show their special item in a day, making sure that you have provided enough time to allow everyone in the classroom to have a chance. Often, show and tell is forgotten or a child is sick, and so enough leeway time should be allocated in the curriculum. Create a clear chart for marking down who has had a turn and who has not to avoid confusion.</div>
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Clearly provide children who are having the next show and tell turn a visual cue to send home. One suggestion for a visual reminder is to clip onto backpacks bags that are labelled with large lettering, “its My Show and Tell Turn” or have a selected Show and Tell Mascot with the same label clipped onto the child’s backpack.</div>
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<strong>Preschool Teacher Tips for Running Show and Tell</strong><br />
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Show and tell will bring out the different personalities of each child from the child who has been planning all week, and would love to act, lead and take over the entire circle if given the opportunity versus the child who is petrified and has been anxious all morning knowing he/she would have to speak loud enough for the rest to hear. Following the same steps with each child consistently will quickly illustrate to the children what to expect and the guidelines for this particular classroom activity. The following steps works well:</div>
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1.Child stands in front of the group who are sitting in a circle.</div>
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2.Child shows the item and talks about it, teacher guides gently if needed.</div>
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3.Child can show the item to each child, if he/she wishes by walking around the circle.</div>
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4.Child chooses two people for questions, then answers.</div>
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5.Everyone claps and the teacher says thank you for sharing.</div>
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Another tip is to model how to ask questions, and how to listen to the group at the very beginning of show and tell. This can be done with the help of another teacher or a parent helper. Puppets can also be used to demonstrate. Teaching children beforehand what questions are will also aid in the smooth process of show and tell. A final tip is many parents wish to record their child doing show and tell. Sometimes, the presence of the parent can bring comfort to a child and other times it can make them feel nervous. One way to solve this dilemma is for the teacher to take a photo or record on video the child to give to the parents afterwards as a special gift.</div>
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Show and tell is a steadfast part of early school time experiences and it holds all the same benefits no matter when or how it is done.</div>
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This article, written by Christine Moore, was originally published by <a href="http://christine-moore.suite101.com/show-and-tell-in-preschool-a327559" style="color: #d076d1;" target="_blank">suite101.com</a></div>
</div><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/6983814192301448663-2557892269894167134?l=ideasforpreschoolanddaycare.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Christinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00129821673974066231noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6983814192301448663.post-46734884623748056592012-07-20T12:57:00.004-07:002012-07-21T09:44:48.047-07:002012-07-21T09:44:48.047-07:00Sensory Table Benefits and Activities<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span class="fw_sanitized"><img class="rg_hi" height="116" src="http://t2.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcTv4jdCiZv3_xfVNau_ZQ2mk1KuA_H0bvYNfEYx5_MH5UtqqkFnog" style="height: 116px; max-width: 100%; width: 116px;" width="116" />A sensory table is an important addition to an early childhood setting for it holds material for children to explore with, play and learn. Depending on how the sensory table is set up and what material is provided, it can help foster growth in all aspects of a child's development. For instance, a water table with measuring cups will aid in cognitive growth such as math concepts, or a sand table with animal figurines will allow for dramatic play. The examples are endless. But, the sensory table does not have to always be filled with sand or water; there are many variations it can hold.<br />
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<strong>Choosing a Sensory Table and Getting Prepared</strong><br />
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Sensory tables vary in sizes. It is important that the table is shallow enough to allow children to reach into the material and explore, yet deep enough to allow messy play to occur within its boundaries. The tables can be found online, in catalogues or stores such as ToysRUs.<br />
Another important step is to make a <span style="color: red;">sensory table box or container filled with items to use</span>, so that when the material is decided upon, the tools for playtime are easily accessible. The box can be filled with measuring cups, cups with spouts, spoons, eye droppers, tongs, funnels, scoops, plastic animals, little boxes with lids, different shaped containers, cupcake holders, shovels, buckets and so on. In addition, as with drama play, themed sensory table boxes can be made separately.<br />
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<strong>Different Ways to Set Up a Sensory Table</strong><br />
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Sensory tables in early childhood settings, such as preschool and daycare, can easily follow seasons and themes. The following are ideas for seasons:<br />
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•<u>Spring:</u> Easter grass with plastic eggs, plastic chicks, ducks and bunnies, baskets.<br />
•<u>Summer</u>: potting soil, plastic flowers, children's shovels and rakes, empty flower pots/containers from flower shops, gardening gloves and empty seed containers.<br />
<u> •Fall:</u> autumn leaves made from paper or plastic, a collection of real nuts, little pinecones and boxes to collect the nuts in, such as a cupcake pan.<br />
•<u>Winter:</u> different shaped ice made from a variety of forms, with water and salt<br />
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<strong>Sensory Tables Foster Social Development</strong><br />
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Although some children like to experience the material alone, the sensory table is always a social place. It is a great place for children to create scenes and use their imagination. Sensory tables can be set up to foster dramatic play in young children which is an important area of their growth. Following are some ideas for setting up a table to include drama and social development:<br />
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•<span style="color: red;">babies</span>: plastic babies, empty soap bottles, cloths, small amount of water and bubbles.<br />
•<span style="color: red;">farm scene</span>: plastic farm animals and containers for them to eat out of, places for the animals to sleep, sitting in sand or uncooked oats<br />
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<strong>Sensory Tables for Hands-On Learning</strong><br />
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The sensory table is a wonderful place for children to learn through hands-on experimenting. It is a good idea to have a place to wash up afterwards if the material is messy, perhaps a tub of soapy water and a towel nearby. Following are some suggestions for some fun variations for children to explore:<br />
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•<span style="color: red;">goop</span>: cornstarch mixed with a bit of water and a few drops of food coloring. This mixture will create a runny, yet solid material.<br />
<span style="color: red;">•straws</span>: find colored straws and allow the children to cut the straws with scissors and collect in different sized containers.<br />
<span style="color: red;">•eyedroppers</span>: place eyedroppers in small containers filled with different colored water(food coloring drops into water) surrounding a large bowl filled with soapy water or empty ice-cube trays so children can explore with colors.<br />
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The ideas for filling up a sensory table are plentiful. Children love to explore various materials and share the experience with others.<br />
<img class="rg_hi" height="194" src="http://t3.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcSnWvoWxg26NRZmANB85PAIXztNCmz0lBF__Wh9KrM-DgeP82ad" style="height: 194px; max-width: 100%; width: 259px;" width="259" /><br />
This article, written by Christine Moore, was originally published by <a href="http://christine-moore.suite101.com/different-ways-to-fill-a-sensory-table-for-young-children-a281727" style="color: #d076d1;" target="_blank">suite101.com</a></span></div>
</div><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/6983814192301448663-4673488462374805659?l=ideasforpreschoolanddaycare.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Christinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00129821673974066231noreply@blogger.com0