tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-64347764080264979212024-03-13T10:46:31.368-05:00"How Long is This Hall!?"A peek inside our preschool special education classroom and the very long hallway we walk quite often!Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12353127376585187663noreply@blogger.comBlogger209125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6434776408026497921.post-41025696842821326542014-08-10T07:28:00.001-05:002014-08-10T07:36:44.464-05:00Just Look What I Found! MORE Pringles Can Ideas! <div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Do you remember my <a href="http://howlongisthishall.blogspot.com/2011/06/5-green-and-speckled-frogs.html" target="_blank">5 Green and Speckled Frogs</a> that I made, and now have used for YEARS!? Well, needless to say, these poor frogs and log really are just about to fall apart. But, what else is there to do with a Pringles can, construction paper and bath toys? Oh, do I have the answer for you!</span><br />
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<img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-b4D9vWMjkYs/TeeSkrpGROI/AAAAAAAAAk4/tXIr2grD8_w/s320/School+May+June+007.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I can't even tell you how excited I am to share this with you! I came across <a href="http://differentiationstationcreations.blogspot.com/2014/08/creative-teacher-giveaway.html" target="_blank">Laura from Differentiation Station Creations</a> who took my basic idea and RAN with it! She has created several new ideas using this same basic concept. Bumblebees, sharks and puppies...oh, my! Now, these ideas may be more elementary classroom in nature, but can be adapted for younger students as well. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Seriously, if you like the 5 green and Speckled Frog idea, you will love these other ideas! You really have to check them out! Now, I'm off to eat a few more Pringles!</span></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12353127376585187663noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6434776408026497921.post-63648500183493401462014-07-31T15:06:00.000-05:002014-08-10T07:29:35.361-05:00My New Preschool Resource Room Classroom Setup!<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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Here I am for my annual visit to write a blog post about setting up my
classroom! Well, perhaps, if I find a way to manage my time a bit
better this year, it will be more than an annual visit. Between writing
papers for my masters classes, reading books for those same classes and
managing to actually teach at some point in there, I've been a bit
busy! <br />
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-zGFATt4FyNI/U9qRdu1u5cI/AAAAAAAAB6o/2_QSieJPbgw/s1600/DSCF6096.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-zGFATt4FyNI/U9qRdu1u5cI/AAAAAAAAB6o/2_QSieJPbgw/s1600/DSCF6096.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This will be one of two work areas for us. </td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-eadeGzPqj-4/U9qM-WUtMfI/AAAAAAAAB4k/ZCAlrl-GdgM/s1600/DSCF6080.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-eadeGzPqj-4/U9qM-WUtMfI/AAAAAAAAB4k/ZCAlrl-GdgM/s1600/DSCF6080.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My tiny "teacher area". That's a "fake" bulletin board above my desk, on which I will simply tape the school calendar and schedule.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Fu7rdFPa8BY/U9qQjOQFmlI/AAAAAAAAB5Y/1NJjzMw6V_Y/s1600/DSCF6086.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Fu7rdFPa8BY/U9qQjOQFmlI/AAAAAAAAB5Y/1NJjzMw6V_Y/s1600/DSCF6086.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A view of this same work area as above, from the other angle.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-byPN1bWgO5o/U9qRYJ1sEVI/AAAAAAAAB6g/tLlpBwNinJs/s1600/DSCF6094.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-byPN1bWgO5o/U9qRYJ1sEVI/AAAAAAAAB6g/tLlpBwNinJs/s1600/DSCF6094.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This is a
close up of what will be our learning targets board. I may have to
adjust this a bit. If you look closely you will realize that this is
really a "fake" bulletin board. This is why the chart is pinned to the
top of the border. :)</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-EMJFNd24-Nw/U9qTASAZroI/AAAAAAAAB8o/975s_mJmuGA/s1600/DSCF6112.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-EMJFNd24-Nw/U9qTASAZroI/AAAAAAAAB8o/975s_mJmuGA/s1600/DSCF6112.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This is the shelf in our main work area. The children's IEP goal progress papers will be kept in the mailboxes. </td></tr>
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Luckily, this summer has been a wonderful opportunity to rest, relax
and recharge! These are three things I clearly needed to do this
summer. It's amazing how simple these masters classes seem when it is
the only thing I need to do during the summer! Oh, but it is so quickly
coming to an end. <br />
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If you remember (or look to the previous post) I find it very important
to set up my room to help avoid as many visual distractions as
possible. Now, I've only figured out two ways to do this. One way is
to simply keep the walls as bare as possible until the students are used
to the room and it slowly becomes possible to add in more visuals as
the students become more capable of focusing and attending without being
so distracted by everything around them.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-0cWfClccZc4/U9qNCh3cW2I/AAAAAAAAB4s/UiJsoxaAyLA/s1600/DSCF6081.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-0cWfClccZc4/U9qNCh3cW2I/AAAAAAAAB4s/UiJsoxaAyLA/s1600/DSCF6081.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This will be
our other work area. This area is a bit smaller, but will serve two
purposes. We will use the table to work with children on goal work. We
can also move the table out of the way and provide
language/communication and play skills on the carpet. This area doesn't
stick to my originally color scheme as much, but I've tried to cover up
as many distractions as possible.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-8ZJHWWtLEqo/U9qNEimbm6I/AAAAAAAAB40/62bF1Mw0k1A/s1600/DSCF6082.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-8ZJHWWtLEqo/U9qNEimbm6I/AAAAAAAAB40/62bF1Mw0k1A/s1600/DSCF6082.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This is what the "curtain" is hiding. :) Agh! Just look at that visual distraction!<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-jjhhUWQ73Aw/U9qNONPBjTI/AAAAAAAAB48/4KOgdlNIRU4/s1600/DSCF6083.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-jjhhUWQ73Aw/U9qNONPBjTI/AAAAAAAAB48/4KOgdlNIRU4/s1600/DSCF6083.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This will be
our book area. I KNOW the kids will love looking at books in the tent!
The small window behind the tent just faces a hallway, so we really
aren't blocking too much.</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr>
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The other way to do this is to simply keep the colors consistent (or as
consistent as possible) throughout the space and to cover all visual
distractions on shelves (or as many as possible). This is the plan I
went with this year. There were two reasons I decided to take this
route. The first, and main reason, is that I am sharing this room with,
not one, but TWO other preschool resource teachers. This means there
are three different personalities, teaching styles and ways to decorate
and organize the classroom. I just had to keep things as simple and as coordinated in my area as
possible (otherwise, I am sure I would go crazy!). The other reason is that I actually did have a full summer
this year. I was able to sort through all my teaching
items at home and came across a treasure trove of unused things that I
figured I could make use of in the classroom. I also had some time to
sew a few simple, new "curtains" to cover and contain my mess on the
shelves! Unfortunately, I also stack things on shelves, so this only takes care of some of the visual distractions, but it does, clearly help!<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-8JXW6OG2MQE/U9qSpmxPo7I/AAAAAAAAB8I/GvOuh6Yd_So/s1600/DSCF6108.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-8JXW6OG2MQE/U9qSpmxPo7I/AAAAAAAAB8I/GvOuh6Yd_So/s1600/DSCF6108.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This is my tiny teacher area!<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-P4CLj5kcIr0/U9qRqeNW6EI/AAAAAAAAB64/kXGUKHRMIf8/s1600/DSCF6098.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-P4CLj5kcIr0/U9qRqeNW6EI/AAAAAAAAB64/kXGUKHRMIf8/s1600/DSCF6098.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The is the back of my area of the classroom.</td></tr>
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Now, here comes the problem with this. Clearly, I am attempting to
re-use items and I don't intend to go out and buy brand new items to create a perfectly color coordinated classroom area! So, needless to say, this will not be the cutest or perfectly coordinated classroom area. But, I tried to stick with the black base highlighted with green and blue. Hmmm...does that make sense? So, what do you think? Is there anything you would add to this? <br />
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12353127376585187663noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6434776408026497921.post-8687981644066557972013-08-05T17:01:00.003-05:002013-08-05T20:05:30.866-05:00An Even LONGER Hallway?!<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<strong><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Well, how convenient is this: The school I am moving to has a hallway even LONGER than the school I am leaving. I know, I know...it seems impossible! How do these incredibly long hallways come into being? Who is conspiring against the short-legged children...and adults :) of the world? </span></strong></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-QijHWnqd-6I/UgAaCIwiaAI/AAAAAAAAB2I/kkSPgzsVLBY/s1600/DSCF5297.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-QijHWnqd-6I/UgAaCIwiaAI/AAAAAAAAB2I/kkSPgzsVLBY/s320/DSCF5297.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A view inside my new classroom: The very small carpet/group time area. I'm not quite sure at this point, how I'll use it, but it sure looks inviting! </td></tr>
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<strong><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I will say that the twisting, round-about hallways do give us some unique opportunities for language extension! While I taught the extended school year program last month in this same building, the children were especially enamored with the long, twisting ramp and the rock-textured wall! </span></strong><br />
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<strong><span style="font-family: Verdana;">The super long hallway also saves me from changing the name of this blog :) We will still be traveling down a long hallway. We will, in fact, be traveling down an even LONGER hallway! </span></strong><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I created 2 work time areas. This is a view of the larger work table with white board behind it. I've also decided to keep all my binders etc. out since we will have limited numbers of children in the classroom at a time. This may have to be changed as we go...we'll see! </td></tr>
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<strong><span style="font-family: Verdana;">I will, however, be teaching a preschool "resource" room rather than a typical classroom. (Yep, I'm still trying to wrap my head around it as well) I will work with children who have IEP's but are able to attend integrated classrooms. I will work with children either in my classroom or in their own classroom on each of their individual areas of need. </span></strong><br />
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Ignore my stuff on the tables...I was working :)</div>
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<strong><span style="font-family: Verdana;">I've spent the last few days in my new classroom setting it up. After a few hours of work, I'm pretty pleased with the result. I am POSITIVE I will need to make changes as the school year starts, but at least now it is clean, organized and ready for the first few weeks. </span></strong><br />
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-0dPf_9XGSbI/UgAaCPgMRZI/AAAAAAAAB2Q/cXVbhOLus9s/s1600/DSCF5299.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-0dPf_9XGSbI/UgAaCPgMRZI/AAAAAAAAB2Q/cXVbhOLus9s/s320/DSCF5299.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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Here is a view of the smaller work table. I set up the 2 shelves in the middle of the room to divide the areas- one shelf opening towards the smaller table, one opening towards the larger table. One holds children's books, the other holds manipulatives and games. </div>
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<strong><span style="font-family: Verdana;">I have purposefully left most of the wall space bare. I have come across so many children who are highly visually distracted by items on the wall that we're going to start with very few distractions. </span></strong><br />
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<strong><span style="font-family: Verdana;">I've created 2 work areas because I will be working with teacher associates who will also pull groups/individual children to work with them on goals. This will mean we can have 2 groups going at once in the classroom.</span></strong><br />
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Here's the very small cozy corner/calm down area. We'll see how this works! :)</div>
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<strong><span style="font-family: Verdana;">I hope you enjoyed this quick tour of my new room! If only it could stay half this neat, clean and organized throughout the school year! </span></strong><br />
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12353127376585187663noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6434776408026497921.post-72829934134867978272013-06-08T16:22:00.001-05:002013-06-08T16:22:25.982-05:00Wow...How Did All of This FIT in My Classroom?!<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<strong><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The preschool program that I teach for is undergoing some major changes. This has meant an upcoming move to a new building and a move to a new type of program. </span></strong><br />
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<strong><span style="font-family: Verdana;">While preparing for this, I have learned a few things about packing up a classroom...and I've learned a few things about myself.</span></strong><br />
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<strong><span style="font-family: Verdana;">First, those things I've learned about myself:</span></strong><br />
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<strong><span style="font-family: Verdana;">1. I may or may not have some hoarding tendencies...especially when it comes to school things... </span></strong><br />
<strong><span style="font-family: Verdana;">2. I have enough containers, baskets and tubs to last a lifetime...</span></strong><br />
<strong><span style="font-family: Verdana;">3. I really should have de-cluttered before this time...</span></strong><br />
<strong><span style="font-family: Verdana;">4. Apparently, I have a super power that enables me to pack a ton of items in a very, very tiny classroom :)</span></strong><br />
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<strong><span style="font-family: Verdana;">And here are the things I would recommend when packing up an entire classroom:</span></strong><br />
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<strong><span style="font-family: Verdana;">1. Start early! If you've been teaching in the same classroom for awhile chances are you have plenty of items to sort through.</span></strong><br />
<strong><span style="font-family: Verdana;">2. I'm not sure if this would be the best plan for everyone; but I have found it works better to simply bring my own items home before sorting through them. I store them in my office, then bring out like items or one binder at a time and sort through it while watching TV.</span></strong><br />
<strong><span style="font-family: Verdana;">3. Take advantage of the opportunity to toss items that are not worth saving. While sorting through binders I found IEP procedures that are completely out of date and incorrect. Needless to say, all of these papers found their way to the shredder. (My binders are much less full now!)</span></strong><br />
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<strong><span style="font-family: Verdana;">Have you recently had to pack up your classroom? Do you routinely move locations? What are your suggestions for packing up a classroom and moving to a new room or building? Because, seriously, people, I could still use some ideas! :)</span></strong><br />
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12353127376585187663noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6434776408026497921.post-43255744133696375462013-04-30T20:14:00.001-05:002013-04-30T20:16:21.871-05:00Goodbye Bob...<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<strong><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Today started as any other preschool day has before...<a href="http://howlongisthishall.blogspot.com/2011/11/blog-post.html">Bob the hamster</a> greeted me by pressing his little nose to the edge of his house. Of course, I knew he was clearly more interested in the sunflower seeds in my hand than he was about saying hi to me. </span></strong></div>
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-4fJ1cLKPu2w/Ttv8gAyoxBI/AAAAAAAAA44/Bf6TvDKx6zk/s1600/hamster+004.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" class="CSS_LIGHTBOX_SCALED_IMAGE_IMG" height="240" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-4fJ1cLKPu2w/Ttv8gAyoxBI/AAAAAAAAA44/Bf6TvDKx6zk/s320/hamster+004.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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<strong><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">No problem. Eat a few sunflower seeds...roll around in your little ball...head back into your house and snuggle in for a nap while the kids are busy working and playing. </span></strong><br />
<strong><span style="font-family: Verdana;"></span></strong><br />
<strong><span style="font-family: Verdana;">And then I peeked in on him after the children were on their cots for nap. Noooooo....</span></strong><br />
<strong><span style="font-family: Verdana;"></span></strong><br />
<strong><span style="font-family: Verdana;">We are now mourning the loss of our dear pet Bob... He was a wonderful little classroom pet. He was the most gentle and social little hamster I've ever seen. He never bit anyone. He was cute and fuzzy and, most of all, the children loved him. </span></strong><br />
<strong><span style="font-family: Verdana;"></span></strong><br />
<strong><span style="font-family: Verdana;">Granted, Bob was nearly two years old. He was loved by many preschool children. He ate many sunflower seeds and he rolled around many times in his little ball. He had a very full hamster life. Good bye little Bob...we will miss you! :( </span></strong><br />
<strong><span style="font-family: Verdana;"></span></strong> </div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12353127376585187663noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6434776408026497921.post-23888689667162512722013-02-26T18:58:00.000-06:002013-03-02T17:17:54.229-06:00A Few MORE Fun Fine Motor Activities!<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="color: #999999; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"></span><strong><span style="color: #999999; font-family: Verdana;"><span style="color: black;">In a </span><span style="color: black;"><a href="http://howlongisthishall.blogspot.com/2013/01/a-few-fun-fine-motor-activities.html">previous post</a></span><span style="color: black;"> I shared a few fine motor activities we were working on in the classroom. Since we have been tracking our progress with fine motor skills for our data team, we have been exploring SO many new fine motor activities! I thought I'd share a few more with you!</span></span></strong><br />
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-jCtXvx57XNk/USolc-YDIOI/AAAAAAAABrw/ujKKcdYIvRk/s1600/DSCF4180.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" closure_uid_253973746="2" height="240" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-jCtXvx57XNk/USolc-YDIOI/AAAAAAAABrw/ujKKcdYIvRk/s320/DSCF4180.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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<strong><span style="font-family: Verdana;">Here is our current <span style="color: red;">sensory table</span>. We have added cotton balls, smaller pom poms, clothespins, tongs, scoops, buckets and baskets. (Basically, everything but the kitchen sink is in that sensory table! :) ... oh, I forgot, I also added those mirrors I found at the Dollar Store under the cotton balls! What better surprise could there be than to find your own smiling face at the bottom of the cotton balls!</span></strong><br />
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-40MIGQNelgA/USolRkXJU0I/AAAAAAAABrg/cQHVwiBbkko/s1600/DSCF4176.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" closure_uid_253973746="3" height="240" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-40MIGQNelgA/USolRkXJU0I/AAAAAAAABrg/cQHVwiBbkko/s320/DSCF4176.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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<strong><span style="font-family: Verdana;">When we set up this sensory table, not one of the children was able to successfully squeeze and clip a clothespin to a basket or use the clothespin or tongs to pick up the cotton balls. Now we have several children who are VERY successful with clothespins!</span></strong><br />
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-FB0EeIemj6U/USolXdCtcHI/AAAAAAAABro/WXQqhg5DiBU/s1600/DSCF4177.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" closure_uid_253973746="4" height="240" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-FB0EeIemj6U/USolXdCtcHI/AAAAAAAABro/WXQqhg5DiBU/s320/DSCF4177.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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<strong><span style="font-family: Verdana;">That just MIGHT be the reason why I couldn't get a good photo
of this little girl clipping the clothespins on the basket...she's just too darn
quick! Cost of sensory table= less than $8.00.</span></strong></div>
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-69GD3eQ5yl4/USolz-ng62I/AAAAAAAABsQ/Z953QVkJT6M/s1600/DSCF4184.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" closure_uid_253973746="5" height="240" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-69GD3eQ5yl4/USolz-ng62I/AAAAAAAABsQ/Z953QVkJT6M/s320/DSCF4184.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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<strong><span style="font-family: Verdana;">This is one of
the children's current favorite fine motor activities: Putting <span style="color: blue;">pipe cleaners into the small holes of a Parmesan
cheese</span> container! This is super simple to set up and provides at least 10-15 minutes of focused fine motor fun for a child! (We found these Parmesan cheese containers at the Dollar Store. They are glass- so we just provide one on one supervision to make sure it isn't dropped.) We also feel obligated to sing "Happy Birthday" many times for the children who think they look like birthday candles when it is all decorated! Cost= $2.00</span></strong></div>
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-z_Uo5BK4nA4/USombdKhozI/AAAAAAAABtI/cmnkb-35yeo/s1600/DSCF4193.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" closure_uid_253973746="9" height="240" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-z_Uo5BK4nA4/USombdKhozI/AAAAAAAABtI/cmnkb-35yeo/s320/DSCF4193.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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<strong><span style="font-family: Verdana;">This is a toy I found discarded by another teacher :) Not only does it work on fine motor control, but the children also need to sequence the weights of the small inserts. The child removes all the
tiny inserts, then judges where each goes by the weight as well as the length of
each. The kids just love it! Cost=Free :)</span></strong></div>
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-2uLPNxu29m0/USomPzbw_RI/AAAAAAAABs4/iHUE8YKp5Ug/s1600/DSCF4190.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" closure_uid_253973746="11" height="240" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-2uLPNxu29m0/USomPzbw_RI/AAAAAAAABs4/iHUE8YKp5Ug/s320/DSCF4190.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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<strong><span style="font-family: Verdana;"><span style="color: blue;">Pushing pom poms</span>
is another classroom favorite! We set up the "game" by putting pom poms halfway
through the holes in the basket. The child then needs to push each pom pom with
his/her index finger through the hole! When they are all pushed through, we
usually collect all of them and begin again! This is a Dollar Store basket and pom poms. Cost=$2.00</span></strong><br />
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-p2Nyr6Aoz4U/USomyVCL6KI/AAAAAAAABto/GUdgFQFbo_k/s1600/DSCF4198.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" closure_uid_253973746="12" height="240" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-p2Nyr6Aoz4U/USomyVCL6KI/AAAAAAAABto/GUdgFQFbo_k/s320/DSCF4198.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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<strong><span style="font-family: Verdana;">We are just beginning to work on <span style="color: #cc0000;">weaving</span>. This is pretty challenging for most of my kids, but a few have really enjoyed the challenge! This is a Dollar Store basket and leftover ribbon to weave through the holes. Cost=$1.00</span></strong><br />
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<strong><span style="font-family: Verdana;">Hope this gives you a few more ideas for fine motor work! I have to say, I was not prepared when we began this journey to see the amount of progress the children have shown with fine motor control! These activities have all been simply fun and enjoyable for the children...but it is amazing to see all the progress they each have made!</span></strong></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12353127376585187663noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6434776408026497921.post-79287519505289838602013-01-21T11:00:00.004-06:002013-01-21T11:00:58.101-06:00A Giant Mitten...for The Mitten Book!<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<strong><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">It seems each year around this time I pull out the book <a href="http://www.amazon.com/The-Mitten-20th-Anniversary-Edition/dp/0399252967/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1358786619&sr=8-1&keywords=the+mitten+brett">"The Mitten" by Jan Brett.</a> It gives us a continued chance to talk about winter weather gear (mittens, hats, coats etc) and since it is so cold around here in January it gives us an excuse to enjoy an interactive book surrounding the snow!</span></strong><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-nl5G2rQSHgw/UP1uKR17WvI/AAAAAAAABiY/TvS0rkcNKec/s1600/DSCF3965.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-nl5G2rQSHgw/UP1uKR17WvI/AAAAAAAABiY/TvS0rkcNKec/s320/DSCF3965.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">In this photo you can't see the large bear and fox that take up most of the room in the mitten :) <br />
All the other stuffed animals are very small.</td></tr>
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<strong><span style="font-family: Verdana;">Previously, <a href="http://howlongisthishall.blogspot.com/2011/01/mittensensory-table-experience.html">we've told the story of the Mitten by using a large white pillowcase and stuffed animals.</a> When I pulled it out again this year to bring it to school, I decided to try to create a more "mitten-like" case for the animals to sit in. </span></strong><strong><span style="font-family: Verdana;"> </span></strong><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-PcwXcRQHm9M/UP1ujvEaF7I/AAAAAAAABi4/ilqNcAQ_wzc/s1600/DSCF3968.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-PcwXcRQHm9M/UP1ujvEaF7I/AAAAAAAABi4/ilqNcAQ_wzc/s320/DSCF3968.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I left the top very square to accomodate the larger stuffed animals and made the "thumb-space" small since I didn't want to have to fish out small stuffed animals from that area :)</td></tr>
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<strong><span style="font-family: Verdana;">So, I cut the pillowcase into a semi-mitten-like shape and sewed up the sides. I added some Velcro at the bottom to hold it closed while transporting the "mitten" and all the animals and attached some leftover material as a rudimentary handle to the mitten. The entire project took me less than 20 minutes (and my sewing skills are extremelly limited). </span></strong><br />
<strong><span style="font-family: Verdana;"></span></strong><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Ah9FRLcdM1c/UP1ufjPD80I/AAAAAAAABiw/tzz2q5EsXKg/s1600/DSCF3969.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Ah9FRLcdM1c/UP1ufjPD80I/AAAAAAAABiw/tzz2q5EsXKg/s320/DSCF3969.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The velcro strips I sewed in place at the opening.</td></tr>
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<strong><span style="font-family: Verdana;">Now, a note about our stuffed animals. Even after searching for a "mole" and a "badger" for our story-telling, I have yet to find either of these animals as a stuffed animal. (Has anyone ever seen a mole or a badger stuffed animal?)</span></strong><br />
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<strong><span style="font-family: Verdana;"></span></strong><br />
<strong><span style="font-family: Verdana;">So, we use a raccoon for the badger and a hamster for a mole! The real fun of the story is how many animals wedge themselves into a tiny mitten so I'm not too worried about the authenticity of all the stuffed animals. :)</span></strong><br />
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-99fba_Qwuhk/UP1vBpBGI6I/AAAAAAAABjg/t-PG_6GKnis/s1600/DSCF3974.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-99fba_Qwuhk/UP1vBpBGI6I/AAAAAAAABjg/t-PG_6GKnis/s320/DSCF3974.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><strong>Since I wanted to keep as much room as possible for the animals (the stuffed fox and bear I have take up most of the room in the mitten) the shape is a bit odd! But, I do think it will give the kids a bit more of an idea that this is supposed to be a mitten...not a pillowcase! </strong></span><br />
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<strong><span style="font-family: Verdana;">Now, I'm just excited to try out our new "mitten" for The Mitten at school this week! </span></strong><br />
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12353127376585187663noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6434776408026497921.post-33604057965768836302013-01-15T17:23:00.003-06:002013-01-15T17:24:38.253-06:00Finding Resources: Use What Sticks!<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<strong><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Sometimes you get those kids in your class that just need SO much! You know the ones! The ones that have family challenges, developmental challenges, throw in some pretty serious attention problems, behavioral challenges, language understanding and of course huge difficulty in learning and retaining information. </span></strong><br />
<strong><span style="font-family: Verdana;"></span></strong><br />
<strong><span style="font-family: Verdana;">Where exactly do you start? Well, I have a very unscientific way of looking at this. I find as many resources as possible, throw everything at the wall...and see what sticks! I don't even begin to think that I could tackle all of those challenges with one child in a matter of...oh...let's see....10 months from the time he started in my room until heading off to kindergarten (we have school all summer- this is including the summer months). </span></strong><br />
<strong><span style="font-family: Verdana;"></span></strong><br />
<strong><span style="font-family: Verdana;">So, we started slow, giving him a chance to get used to new expectations, environment, children...then slowly began adding things in...</span></strong><br />
<strong><span style="font-family: Verdana;"></span></strong><br />
<strong><span style="font-family: Verdana;">...an evaluation for <span style="color: magenta;">music therapy</span>...check. Tracking down mom to encourage her to take advantage of a community <span style="color: purple;">mental health program</span> offered through school for the child....check. <span style="color: blue;">Therapy dog</span> set up to visit once a week (not just for this one child, of course)....check. <span style="color: red;">Sensory breaks</span>...check. <span style="color: #38761d;">Language based computer program</span> offered at school...check. A <span style="color: #351c75;">daily schedule basically set up to maximize his strengths</span> and work with his energy level....check, check and check!</span></strong><br />
<strong><span style="font-family: Verdana;"></span></strong><br />
<strong><span style="font-family: Verdana;">And, of course, we're also working our butts off to directly teach social skills, model appropriate social and behavioral skills in the classroom, give him plenty of opportunities for practice and a safe place to feel he can come to each day. </span></strong><br />
<strong><span style="font-family: Verdana;"></span></strong><br />
<strong><span style="font-family: Verdana;">It's funny, when people realize you are interested in taking advantage of outside resources, they will often help track down these things for you! (I had almost nothing to do with tracking down the therapy dog, our wonderful SLP did this! She has another child in mind for the reason behind this- but we all know it will help several children.)</span></strong><br />
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<strong><span style="font-family: Verdana;">So, sometimes, just keep throwing things at the wall...something WILL eventually stick and make a difference for that challenging child! And sometimes you may find that each thing and each person plays a part in helping that child!</span></strong><br />
<strong><span style="font-family: Verdana;"></span></strong><br />
<strong><span style="font-family: Verdana;">(Keep in mind, this is a HIGHLY active child who needs continual one on one assistance. This many outside resources may be overwhelming for most children...not this one :)</span></strong></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12353127376585187663noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6434776408026497921.post-27637397198888174252013-01-14T12:51:00.000-06:002013-01-14T12:54:30.285-06:00A Few Fun Fine Motor Activities!<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<strong><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Our preschool special education classrooms have chosen to focus on fine motor development for our data team this year. Let's just say, we may have gone a bit crazy with the amount of ideas we have found and are currently utilizing in our classrooms! We actually made up several fine motor activities boxes with supplies to use! </span></strong><br />
<strong><span style="font-family: Verdana;"></span></strong><br />
<strong><span style="font-family: Verdana;">Here are a few of my favorite ideas to increase fine motor skills. While most of the activities we have been using were found on <a href="http://pinterest.com/cricketcteacher/fine-motor-work/">Pinterest</a>, we've come up with a few of our own to add to the mix. These really aren't original, but perhaps they will be good reminders of activities to try to increase those fine motor skills!</span></strong><br />
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<strong><span style="font-family: Verdana;"><span style="color: magenta;">Finger Painting on Mirrors!</span> The Dollar Store acrylic mirrors I found are perfect for this and are just the right size. Not only are the children working on fine motor skills, by "scribbling" and "writing" in the fingerpaint, but they are also noticing themselves in the mirror. We have a chance to talk about facial features, feelings, count eyes, nose etc.</span></strong><br />
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<strong><span style="font-family: Verdana;"><span style="color: blue;">Sponge on a Clothespin Painting!</span> This is still a bit of a challenge for my children, so we've only explored this once and are waiting a bit until they feel more capable of managing the clothespins. Basically, I cut up a sponge into small squares, put these on a tray with a clothespin and encouraged the children to open the clothespin, clip a sponge square, dip it into paint and dab it on the paper! We ended up making "snowstorms" with white paint on blue or black paper.</span></strong><br />
<strong><span style="font-family: Verdana;"></span></strong><br />
<strong><span style="font-family: Verdana;"><span style="color: red;">Pom Pom Pushing!</span> This is an idea I found on Pinterest. We found the perfect baskets to put pom poms through. We simply turn the basket upside down, put pom poms halfway through the holes and encourage the child to push each pom pom through a hole using his/her pointer finger. This has become a perfect activity for a little guy who is a bit rigid in his thinking. This gives him a clearly defined beginning and end. He knows, the game is done when he can't see anymore pom poms! He loves this so much now, we're able to pull all the pom poms out from under the basket when he is done and he uses a pincer grasp to retrieve each pom pom and place it back through the hole. (2 skills for the price of one, I say!)</span></strong><br />
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<strong><span style="font-family: Verdana;">And, of course, good old fashioned <span style="color: purple;">playdough with gems hidden inside!</span> While most children would engage in enough pretend play to practice these types of skills naturally in the classroom and at home, some children just don't naturally gravitate towards activities that increase fine motor skills. These activities have been great ways to introduce those children to these skills! </span></strong><br />
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<strong><span style="font-family: Verdana;">*NOTE: I will upload photos of each activity as soon as I can slow the kids down long enough to aim the camera in the direction of the activity :) </span></strong><strong><span style="font-family: Verdana;"> </span></strong></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12353127376585187663noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6434776408026497921.post-25065710894442939132013-01-13T16:59:00.003-06:002013-01-13T16:59:59.298-06:00He Joined the Tap Dancing Craziness!<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<strong><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Remember those tap dancing preschool children in my room the other day? Well, guess who decided to join them in their tap dancing craziness on Friday? Yep, the quiet child at the table toys table who thought they were simply nuts the day before!</span></strong><br />
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<strong><span style="font-family: Verdana;">Give a quieter child some space and the ability to join the activity on their own terms and some great imitation and social interactions can take place! </span></strong><br />
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12353127376585187663noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6434776408026497921.post-25916522321455184112013-01-11T06:26:00.001-06:002013-01-11T06:26:16.492-06:00Tap Dancing Our Troubles Away!<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<strong><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">You should have been there! Two children tap dancing around the art shelf...dressed in tutus, tap shoes (one two sizes to large, one two sizes too small) and firefighter hats. Two children tap dancing, laughing and attempting to "break dance" (or something like that :) </span></strong><br />
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<strong><span style="font-family: Verdana;">And one child sitting quietly at the table toys table, putting pegs in a pegboard and looking at those two as if they had completely lost their minds. </span></strong><br />
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<strong><span style="font-family: Verdana;">I'm not posting photos...just use your imagination! Oh...sorry, forgot to mention that this was not an activity limited to girls. One boy, pant legs pulled up so the purple tutu would stand out doing pretend flips and somersaults. Yep, that's how we spent our center time yesterday! </span></strong><br />
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<strong><span style="font-family: Verdana;">Reason number 1 of at least a thousand as to why I love teaching preschool! How could I possibly miss THIS!?</span></strong></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12353127376585187663noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6434776408026497921.post-13215003981512841482013-01-10T17:00:00.000-06:002013-01-10T17:00:57.425-06:00"Teacher Feeders"<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<strong><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Well, Hello! I think I recognize this blog :) You may have wondered where I went! Or, maybe you haven't even noticed that no one has been manning this tiny blog for a while! Well, some confessions first:</span></strong><br />
<strong><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"></span></strong><br />
<strong><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I haven't been off on a grand adventure, wonderful vacation or a teaching break (oh, except for the past two weeks for winter break, of course!) </span></strong><strong><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I simply have found that a regular, extended absence from the Internet is needed on a regular basis to keep my sanity. :) I've browsed the other preschool blogs off and on throughout this time, I've checked in here from time to time and I've pinned lots of teaching ideas to <a href="http://pinterest.com/cricketcteacher/">Pinterest</a>! I just haven't pulled out the keyboard to actually begin a post for quite a few months!</span></strong><br />
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<strong><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I'm beginning to feel rejuvenated and figured I'd better start off with an incredibly simple post for you today! So...here goes! </span></strong><br />
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<strong><span style="font-family: Verdana;">Before we left for our winter break, I managed to pull together some super simple gifts for the other teachers in the preschool program where I work. Of course, you could probably make these for any gift giving occasion! So, I thought I would share!</span></strong><br />
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<strong><span style="font-family: Verdana;">I found small plastic bird feeders (I think I found these at Wal-mart several months back for less than a dollar each!) I bought paint pens at Wal-mart (look for the paint pens that specify you can use them on plastic).</span></strong><br />
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-lHrE3KRGJbQ/UO9FyCl5QVI/AAAAAAAABeU/o4aSbdX8GB8/s1600/DSCF3834.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-lHrE3KRGJbQ/UO9FyCl5QVI/AAAAAAAABeU/o4aSbdX8GB8/s320/DSCF3834.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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<strong><span style="font-family: Verdana;">I painted the name of the classroom and decorated the bird feeders with the classroom theme (at our school this is Ladybug Lane, Caterpillar Creek, Bumblebee Boulevard and Firefly Freeway). </span></strong><br />
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-yPtQ1HdGpa4/UO9FRVQ6hJI/AAAAAAAABd0/477vJJqzi_E/s1600/DSCF3828.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-yPtQ1HdGpa4/UO9FRVQ6hJI/AAAAAAAABd0/477vJJqzi_E/s320/DSCF3828.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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<strong><span style="font-family: Verdana;">I filled the bird feeders with chocolates and candy and handed them out, calling them "Teacher Feeders" :) </span></strong><br />
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-MKqljeuuWKw/UO9FgwuIxZI/AAAAAAAABeE/6YQLJjBdxrY/s1600/DSCF3831.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-MKqljeuuWKw/UO9FgwuIxZI/AAAAAAAABeE/6YQLJjBdxrY/s320/DSCF3831.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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<strong><span style="font-family: Verdana;">Of course, unless you are a bird, you can't peck at the chocolate to eat it through the bird feeder holes! You will have to open the top to steal a chocolate out of the Teacher Feeder! But, I'm pretty darn sure any teacher would quickly figure out a way to get to a chocolate after the first few days back with the kids after winter break! </span></strong><strong><span style="font-family: Verdana;">Of course, once the candy and chocolate is gone, the bird feeders could be filled with actual bird feed and hung outside the classroom window. </span></strong><br />
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-sxooLsEarQE/UO9GASklGEI/AAAAAAAABek/buGZUFb2Je0/s1600/DSCF3836.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-sxooLsEarQE/UO9GASklGEI/AAAAAAAABek/buGZUFb2Je0/s320/DSCF3836.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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<strong><span style="font-family: Verdana;">So, there you have it...a super simple post about a super simple, easy to make gift! </span></strong><br />
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12353127376585187663noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6434776408026497921.post-81160075092146777642012-09-15T11:46:00.000-05:002012-09-15T11:48:18.417-05:00More Pinterest Fun!<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="font-family: Verdana;">One of these days I will have enough time to sit down and write a proper blog post ... but until then, here is another wonderful Pinterest resource! Debbie Clement, from <a href="http://www.rainbowswithinreach.blogspot.com/">Rainbow Within Reach</a> has set up another Pinterest bloghop! </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana;">This bloghop is for special education/special needs resources! Another great opportunity to find even more great resources! </span></div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12353127376585187663noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6434776408026497921.post-13579228861756059352012-08-04T16:44:00.000-05:002012-09-15T11:46:36.213-05:00Oh My...Is there such a thing as TOO many ideas? Never! :)<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">OK- This was just too good to pass up! If you use Pinterest to organize classroom ideas, take a look through this Pinterest Education Blog Hop! </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Find and follow your favorites and track down a few new people to follow! Thanks to Debbie at <a href="http://rainbowswithinreach.blogspot.com/">Rainbows Within Reach</a> for setting this up! What a great way to find new ideas and resources!</span></div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12353127376585187663noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6434776408026497921.post-4126356508807936642012-07-02T15:48:00.000-05:002012-07-03T09:01:23.790-05:00Planning for a Guest Teacher<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Since we have a unique setup in the preschool program where I teach, I have the added challenge of planning for a month long guest teacher each and every July! Last summer was quite the challenge. I ended up leaving at the end of June and a teacher associate sub as well as a guest teacher stepped in with no type of transition time for the children at all! <strong>Not</strong> ideal!!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana;">I am so much happier with what I was able to create this summer (partially by design, partially on accident)! While the children will still have adjustments to make, they have had some time to get to know the new people. I also know that I have done everything in my power to make this the most positive time for the children that I can. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana;">I updated my <a href="http://howlongisthishall.blogspot.com/2011/01/organizing-all-of-our-stuffpart-ii.html">teacher binder</a> with new notes, information about the children, daily schedules and names, numbers and where items are located. I made "cheat sheets" and posted them around the classroom. Here is a list of the cheat sheets I created and posted around the classroom this year:</span><br />
<ol>
<li><span style="font-family: Verdana;"><strong><span style="color: #c27ba0;">Cheat Sheet for mealtimes</span></strong>- lists who needs food cut up, who eats what type of food, assistance children may need</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Verdana;"><span style="color: blue;"><strong>Cheat Sheet for IEP goal work</strong></span>- how to work with certain children who may need more prompts, what to work with children on, how to fill out IEP tracking sheets.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Verdana;"><strong><span style="color: purple;">Cheat Sheet for calendar time</span></strong>- sequence of routine</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Verdana;"><strong><span style="color: red;">Cheat Sheet for water day</span></strong>- who needs sunscreen, when to begin getting ready </span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Verdana;"><strong><span style="color: magenta;">Cheat Sheet for songs/music</span></strong>- what songs are routinely done, what CD are they on.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Verdana;"><strong><span style="color: #38761d;">Cheat Sheet for Daily Schedules</span></strong>- (object schedule as well as picture schedules)</span></li>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana;">Now, of course, none of this would have helped if the people coming in didn't already have a basic understanding of the children! My guest teacher happened to be the guest teacher next door for the month of June. This gave my group of children the opportunity to get to know her in a relaxed way! We spent several days slowly working her into the flow of our day so the children could begin to understand that she would be in the classroom with them soon.</span><br />
<br /><span style="font-family: Verdana;">Of course, I certainly can't guarantee that this will eliminate all challenges (I'm sure it won't). I do know that this is a significantly better set up than last summer and I am confident that the people taking over will provide a relatively smooth transition for the children! THAT makes my job of relaxing on this month MUCH easier! Now, I'm off to do more of that! </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana;">**NOTE: </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;"><strong><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">If you would like to see a bit more detail of the Guest Teacher Cheat Sheets I talked about in this blog post, hop on over to <a href="http://www.prekandksharing.blogspot.com/2012/07/cheat-sheets-for-guest-teachers.html">Prekandksharing</a> I wrote about the details of those cheat sheets! </span></strong></span></div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12353127376585187663noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6434776408026497921.post-82406575126449557602012-05-27T19:57:00.000-05:002012-05-27T19:57:29.817-05:00The Light at the End of the Tunnel!<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Yep! I'm finally headed towards the end of my "end of the year paperwork nightmare!" I have five children heading to kindergarten in August. That meant one heck of a lot of paperwork and meetings to get those kids ready! And we're not done yet. But...we're close!</span><br />
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-s4_GF2vDabM/T8K_S1qxH1I/AAAAAAAABUw/Rd7XJMGb27k/s1600/May+2012+032.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-s4_GF2vDabM/T8K_S1qxH1I/AAAAAAAABUw/Rd7XJMGb27k/s320/May+2012+032.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">My favorite moments, of course, have been away from the paperwork! Thanks to a grant, we were able to add extra (much needed) space to our outdoor area! This gave us the room to add several different areas and room to add several garden areas! Thanks to another grant we were able to purchase plants, seeds, soil, a planter bed and many tools! </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana;">In addition to several gardening areas, we also have a new music area, an outdoor art/discovery area, a group time area, a digging area and a playhouse.</span></div>
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-C-EzSZ3KuKo/T8LIiD3bzFI/AAAAAAAABWM/km8QEIIk3zA/s1600/May+2012+040.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="145" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-C-EzSZ3KuKo/T8LIiD3bzFI/AAAAAAAABWM/km8QEIIk3zA/s320/May+2012+040.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana;">All of these areas are still being developed and the children are busy helping us define how they will use them. The biggest excitement lately has been the addition of the "digging area". This was very much an "accidental" addition to the outdoor area. After gardening with the children, we realized that the children were NOT going to be satisfied with simply digging in the garden a few days! The children quickly discovered that the dirt patch that was left after the fence was moved was an excellent area to dig holes. And that is what they have done...each and every day after the gardening project. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana;">They have been digging for worms to add to the garden, beetles to hold and just simply for the pure pleasure of digging the biggest hole they possibly can. This has provided plenty of opportunity for teamwork between children. It also has required the children to be aware of safety with the tools. After a few reminders from adults, the children are now fairly consistently putting tools back in the tool bucket when they are ready to run over to another area. The fact that a few found out the hard way that tripping over a shovel or rake is not always pleasant may have helped as well!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana;">I have watched with a bit of pride as the children in my classroom have happily joined all the excitement and are interacting and enjoying all of the new activities. What a great way to learn language, social skills and increase those cognitive abilities! Imagine all those neural pathways being created as a child holds and smells various herbs, tastes the lettuce they helped plant or finds a small bug in a hole. </span><span style="font-family: Verdana;">Yep! I'll take this over paperwork any day! </span></div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12353127376585187663noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6434776408026497921.post-3066679170055606802012-03-03T07:55:00.000-06:002012-03-03T08:32:35.794-06:00What You Say Really Does Make a Difference!<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><strong>Have you ever noticed how you can inherently change a child's view of something simply by your word choice and your own internal feelings on the event?</strong> </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I often have children in my preschool special education classroom who use equipment in order to move around with the other children. I also have children in my classroom who have little or no verbal communication, who use sign language or communication devices to communicate with peers or who make little or no eye contact with others. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">This leads to many questions from children in the other preschool classrooms when they first meet the children. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">While the other preschool children may have friends in their own classrooms with limited language or physical challenges, the barriers to communication and interactions can seem bigger with more equipment involved. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana;">Therefore, I have often heard the following comments from young children: </span><br />
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<span style="color: black; font-family: Verdana;"><strong>Now, there are three ways, in my view, that I could answer these questions:</strong></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana;">Question 1: "<strong><span style="color: red;">He can't talk</span></strong>!" </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana;">I could say...</span><br />
<ol style="text-align: left;">
<li><span style="font-family: Verdana;">"No, he can't talk" </span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Verdana;">"No, he can't talk...but look he can smile at you!"</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Verdana;"><strong>"Of course he is talking...look at his smile and how he is bouncing up and down! He is telling you he's so happy to see you! He can't wait to play with you!"</strong></span></li>
</ol>
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">Question 2: ..."<span style="color: blue;"><strong>What is that thing</strong></span>?" (pointing to a walker or stander) </span><br />
<ol>
<li><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">"He can't walk like you can. He has to use a walker"</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Verdana;">"He needs that to help him walk."</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Verdana;"><strong>"Well, that's his walker...it helps him walk fast like you do! Do you want to walk with him?"</strong></span></li>
</ol>
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">Question 3: ...the child <span style="color: magenta;"><strong>simply stands and stares</strong></span> at the child</span><br />
<ol style="text-align: left;">
<li><span style="font-family: Verdana;">"Go play"</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Verdana;">"He's in his stander so he can stand up."</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Verdana;"><strong>"Would you like to say 'hi' to _____? I bet he would love that! Here you can stand right here so you can say hi to each other!"</strong></span></li>
</ol>
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">Finally Question 4: The child <strong><span style="color: purple;">tries to interact but then begins to lose interest</span></strong> when the child doesn't react in the way they anticipated he/she would.</span><br />
<ol>
<li><span style="font-family: Verdana;">(To another adult) I wish ______ would answer and look at the children when they want to play with him/her!</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Verdana;">(To the child who is struggling with eye contact and social interactions) "Look at your friend! Say Hi!" (and then the adult walks away)</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Verdana;"><strong>(To the child who wants to interact) "______ loves to play ball. Can you go get a ball for us? OK I'll stand with ______, you can stand here...ready...we'll bounce the ball to you"</strong></span></li>
</ol>
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">Take a wild guess at which answers will create the most excitement about playing with and interacting with a new friend? What happens if the child realizes that the adults in his/her life interpret the smiles, laughs and bouncing as <span style="color: #741b47;"><strong>communication</strong></span>? What happens if the adults in the child's life <strong><span style="color: #741b47;">assist in the initial interactions and then continue to assist</span></strong> in maintaining the interaction for a period of time until the children have a pattern and history of play that they can then draw from? What happens if the adults in the child's life <span style="color: #741b47;"><strong>embrace equipment as a wonderful necessity;</strong></span> making it possible to engage in activities with peers? </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">Our job, as educators, is to help break down those barriers that the children sometimes face with their peers! Whether it's embracing a walker or stander, enjoying and appreciating the interactions that happen without any eye contact from a little guy or interpreting the non-verbal communication that happens with smiles, giggles and bounces; it is important that our own body language and verbal communication encourage the interaction rather than dismiss it! </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">Of course, children need plenty of time WITHOUT adult interference and without adult support. But, when we are supporting interactions we need to be aware that our own messages to the children are probably coming through loud and clear...whether we want them to or not! And, finally, none of us are perfect! If we miss opportunities to assist in interactions with peers, we just try to make sure we catch another one at another time! </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">Come visit me at the <a href="http://prekandksharing.blogspot.com/2012/03/how-balanced-can-teachers-life-really.html">PreK and K Sharing</a> blog as well. My monthly contribution is all about balance in life!</span></div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12353127376585187663noreply@blogger.com12tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6434776408026497921.post-70661133927180123232012-02-27T15:11:00.000-06:002012-02-27T15:11:43.871-06:00Our Hallway Doesn't Seem Quite So Long Anymore!<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
No, the school hallway has not shrunk! No, we have not been moved to the other end of the hallway. And, no we have not installed moving floors...though this wouldn't be a bad idea! The children have simply made so much progress that they've begun to actually regulate their own behavior!<br />
<br />
This means:<br />
<ol>
<li>No child is actually <span style="color: #0b5394;"><strong>darting into open classrooms</strong></span>!</li>
<li>No child is <span style="color: #38761d;"><strong>stopping, dropping and refusing to move</strong></span> another inch!</li>
<li>No child is <span style="color: #741b47;"><strong>screaming at the top of their lungs</strong></span> halfway to the gym!</li>
</ol>
Ahhh...this helps our school hallway shrink by at least half! The shrinking hallway may have something to do with the fact that I have five children moving on to elementary school next fall. They've all made so much progress! <br />
<br />
The children have learned to love working as a group and have enjoyed many group activities together! This has made the last few months pretty darn fun for everyone (minus a few tough weeks)! I have several children who have recently made an amazing literacy connection! These two children insists on telling us what sound many words begin with. Now THAT is amazing! We've been having so much fun with sounds, rhymes and rhythmic books. We've added many new communication boards around the room for the children to grab and use to communicate with while they work and play. <br />
<br />
And now that I feel a bit more caught up in my own life and have regained a bit of balance, I will be back to writing semi-regularly here! So, even though our hallway has "shrunk" you'll still find us trudging down that hallway often. And, of course, we'll be pushing our lunch cart to the 'middle of nowhere' in order to return our lunch items...down that long, long hallway! </div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12353127376585187663noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6434776408026497921.post-3449084819501315312012-01-29T10:32:00.000-06:002012-01-29T10:32:01.724-06:00Milk Filter Flannelboard Follow-Up<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Carrie saw my previous posts on making flannelboard pieces with milk filters, and would like information for purchasing these. I figured I would do a quick follow up post for anyone who would like to make flannelboard pieces from milk filters and was still having difficulty finding the filters!<br />
<br />If you missed the information on how to make these you can find it <a href="http://howlongisthishall.blogspot.com/2011/08/story-circles-for-flannelboard.html"><strong>HERE</strong></a> and <a href="http://howlongisthishall.blogspot.com/2011/08/boardmaker-pictures-on-flannelboard.html"><strong>HERE</strong></a>.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://www.farmandfleet.com/catalog/image.aspx?i=140183" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank"><img alt="Ken Ag 15" Transfer System Milk Filters" height="150" id="3344e648-8d0f-4a95-b91f-d33e53b5608d" src="http://assets.farmandfleet.com/product_detail/140183-15_transfer_system_milk_filters.jpg" width="150" /></a></div>
<br />You can purchase the milk filters directly through <a href="http://www.farmandfleet.com/"><strong>Farm and Fleet</strong></a> on-line. I found that some of the stores may not carry them in stock or they may only have one size, so buying on-line is probably the easiest route. <br />
<br />Here is the link to buy the: <a href="http://www.farmandfleet.com/products/140183-15_transfer_system_milk_filters.html?lref=%2fcatalog%2ffind.aspx%3ft%3dmilk%2bfilters"><strong>15 inch Ken-Ag milk filters</strong></a> These will need to be cut to the size of printer paper and fed through the printer just like paper. While <strong>$13.49</strong> may sound like a lot, one box of 100 should last quite a while! You can print multiple flannelboard pieces on one sheet of milk filter 'paper'. <br />
<br />
I ended up experimenting with using the <a href="http://www.farmandfleet.com/products/140178-61_2_milk_filters.html?lref=%2fcatalog%2ffind.aspx%3ft%3dmilk%2bfilters"><strong>6 1/2 inch Ken-Ag milk filters</strong></a><strong>,</strong> which also can be purchased on-line. Simply tape the filter to the middle of a piece of computer paper and it will feed directly through the printer. These are <strong>$3.99</strong>, but are a little more tricky to use for printing.<br />
<br />
Of course, if you don't want to pay shipping charges and you live near a farming area, you may be able to simply go to a farm implement store and ask for these. Any area that has dairy farms should carry milk filters. I'm sure there are other brands. I just happened to use these since that is what the store near my house sold! I really am not sure if there are differences in brands or not. <br />
<br />Hope this information helps if you are still having difficulty finding these in your area! These make quite durable and long lasting flannelboard pieces! </div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12353127376585187663noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6434776408026497921.post-45008114182318760532012-01-28T19:03:00.001-06:002012-01-28T19:03:59.284-06:00All Those Things We CAN do!<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><strong></strong></span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><strong>Recently a new program to help evaluate classrooms was implemented at the preschool level in our area. The evaluation involves training a group of teachers to make brief observations of classrooms. During these observations the observers tally the number of children considered "on-task" in the classroom during very brief (3-5 min.) time periods. </strong></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><strong>To be honest, I wasn't sure at all how this would go! My classroom is very much, what I consider, a 'flexible' community! The children are rarely all doing the same thing. While it may APPEAR to others that certain children are not actively engaged with materials, it may really be that the children are overwhelmed by sensory stimuli and are attempting to self-regulate, they may need time to process what is happening or they may simply need to observe an activity many times before engaging in it. </strong></span><br />
<br /><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><strong>As the peer observer entered our classroom for the first time, I was curious to see if interacting with Bob the hamster would be considered "on-task"! I looked around. Wow! Every single child was watching, interacting with or feeding Bob! The children were clearly engaged in the activity by choice. There was no need to redirect any child. For those who needed mini-breaks from the group, it was simple enough to turn a back to the group and engage with a toy on the shelf for a minute or two before returning. The children were talking to Bob, blowing kisses at Bob and some were using words to describe what he was doing while playing!</strong></span><br />
<br /><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><strong>The peer observer popped in a second time to observe our calendar time routine. Every single child was watching, vocalizing, verbalizing, singing or signing parts of our routine! Well, I would say that was "on-task"! It is amazing now to hear almost all the children vocalize while we are "reading" our morning message each day. </strong></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><strong>A stranger would never know that we are all supposedly saying the very same thing! While a stranger may not understand all (or even any) of the words some of the children are saying, each and every child clearly WANTS to be part of the group and is proud and eager to help read that sentence.</strong></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><strong>Finally, the peer observer came in for a third time. We were in the midst of small groups (IEP goal work). I was working one on one with a child, one of my teacher associates was working one on one with a child and my other teacher associate was engaged with the rest of the children on the carpet building bridges, roads and tunnels with blocks. Again, we were all on task! </strong></span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;"><strong>Nearly all of the children in my classroom will move on to elementary school next fall, so at this point, these children are very familiar with the group and classroom. It is so wonderful to see how far these children have come! </strong></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;"><strong>So, while I'm not sure if our little tally marks added up to "on-task" from the observation perspective (although, from my quick conversation with the observer afterwards, I'm pretty sure they did) it gave me a wonderful opportunity to reflect on how much progress this group has made. </strong></span><br />
<br />
<strong><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">It helped me remember all those things that we can now do! I hope that the peer observer saw the following things we CAN do while observing the classroom!</span> </strong><br />
<ol>
<li><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><strong>We can engage with other children through smiles, words, gestures, vocalizations or proximity.</strong></span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><strong>We can interact with a small animal gently.</strong></span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><strong>We can be part of a community. We enjoy helping others and are proud of what we do together.</strong></span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><strong>We can follow directions within our routine. </strong></span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><strong>We can participate with a group of other children for 10 min. or more.</strong></span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><strong>We can understand, remember and request various favorite parts of the routine of the day.</strong></span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Verdana;"><strong>We can make connections with our learning. We know that if it is cold outside, we will need to wear a coat. We know that if it is very cold outside, we will go to the gym to play. We know that we will get to listen to "Thriller" if we go to the gym. We know that we can choose to ride a bike if we go outside. </strong></span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Verdana;"><strong>We can remember and talk about activities we have done in the past. We know that each day we sing the "Winter" song. We know that the words "hot cocoa" are in the winter song. It reminds some of us of the "train" movie we watched nearly a month ago and the hot cocoa we drank...and we must mention this each and every day!</strong></span></li>
</ol>
<span style="font-family: Verdana;"><strong>So, I guess there was something to be gained from this 'evaluation'. Go ahead, tally how "on-task" the kids are...this group of kids loves coming to school each day!</strong> </span><br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="color: blue; font-family: Verdana;"><strong>They're "on-task" because they simply REFUSE to be left out of anything! :)</strong></span></div>
</div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12353127376585187663noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6434776408026497921.post-10140013989418151552012-01-05T18:27:00.000-06:002012-01-05T18:27:42.269-06:00Well Planned Idea...in Disguise!<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<strong><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Before our break I tried to gather up and take home our materials from December. I took down the tree, the lights, the "Santa dog" that played jingle bells and a few other things. </span></strong><br />
<br />
<strong><span style="font-family: Verdana;">We actually had been so busy that we hadn't even had a chance to explore our new "moldable" sand in the sensory table with some candy cane tubes and Santa shaped plastic containers. </span></strong><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-QJXUTAzAsjA/TwY9gs0l68I/AAAAAAAABCM/swupTp1iRwg/s1600/January+school+025.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-QJXUTAzAsjA/TwY9gs0l68I/AAAAAAAABCM/swupTp1iRwg/s320/January+school+025.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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<strong><span style="font-family: Verdana;">Well, imagine my surprise when I realized that I had forgotten to remove the holiday items from the table before break! The kids didn't mind one single bit! In fact, they seemed to be extremely happy to see these leftover remnants of holidays past!</span></strong><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Vx3UGPT-0vY/TwY97xSPPmI/AAAAAAAABCY/JSwdYU6BZZU/s1600/January+school+021.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Vx3UGPT-0vY/TwY97xSPPmI/AAAAAAAABCY/JSwdYU6BZZU/s320/January+school+021.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<strong><span style="font-family: Verdana;">The Santas' said "ho, ho, ho" while their tummy's were filled with sand! The children filled and emptied and enjoyed. </span></strong><strong><span style="font-family: Verdana;">So, there. What I thought at first was a "mistake" was CLEARLY not a mistake for the children who played at the sensory table! </span></strong><br />
<br />
<strong><span style="font-family: Verdana;">Sometimes, a forgetful mistake is simply a well planned way to engage the children in recalling previous events...in disguise! </span></strong></div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12353127376585187663noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6434776408026497921.post-17018845613708420852012-01-02T20:12:00.000-06:002012-01-02T20:14:57.858-06:00Making Learning Connections...and Gingerbread Houses!<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<strong><span style="font-family: Verdana;">I'm always looking for ways to help the children connect the songs, stories and games that we do in the classroom to real life activities or objects! It's one thing to READ about a gingerbread house...it's another thing to MAKE a gingerbread house! So, before our break, with the children so obsessed with <u>The Gingerbread Baby</u> by Jan Brett, we just HAD to try our hand at miniature...very child created and super simple gingerbread houses! </span></strong><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-W79HlmIM2bE/TwJgGJO0gAI/AAAAAAAABBo/eyeBnUeQA38/s1600/holiday+party+011.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-W79HlmIM2bE/TwJgGJO0gAI/AAAAAAAABBo/eyeBnUeQA38/s320/holiday+party+011.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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<strong><span style="font-family: Verdana;">We started by saving and washing small milk cartons (one for each child). We (a-hem, my teacher associate :) cut a flap on one side of each milk carton to form a "door."</span></strong><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-JKb4nn3vmYA/TwJfLa-KP3I/AAAAAAAABA4/rDRzhXxGRWU/s1600/holiday+party+005.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-JKb4nn3vmYA/TwJfLa-KP3I/AAAAAAAABA4/rDRzhXxGRWU/s320/holiday+party+005.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<strong><span style="font-family: Verdana;">The children used craft sticks to spread frosting on the milk carton and then stuck graham cracker squares directly to the milk carton. </span></strong><br />
<br />
<strong><span style="font-family: Verdana;">Spreading is a WONDERFUL way to work on those fine motor skills! <span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">(If you are looking for other creative ways to work on fine motor skills through play, check </span><a href="http://therapyfunzone.com/blog/ot/fine-motor-skills/"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">THIS</span></a></span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> out!)</span></strong><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Oj4E3YvjK3g/TwJfbAnPmSI/AAAAAAAABBE/X6wwS4_65A0/s1600/holiday+party+007.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Oj4E3YvjK3g/TwJfbAnPmSI/AAAAAAAABBE/X6wwS4_65A0/s320/holiday+party+007.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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<strong><span style="font-family: Verdana;">Then the fun part...MORE frosting! We went through almost an entire can of frosting...and, believe it or not, very little was eaten!</span></strong><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-mjgzhKFjYaE/TwJfpQ6kr6I/AAAAAAAABBQ/BGTHrMeU8rk/s1600/holiday+party+008.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-mjgzhKFjYaE/TwJfpQ6kr6I/AAAAAAAABBQ/BGTHrMeU8rk/s320/holiday+party+008.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<strong><span style="font-family: Verdana;">After the houses were frosted, the children chose to put marshmallow shapes or cookies on the outside. We chose not to use any candy or small items, as these would pose a choking hazard for many of the children.</span></strong><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-J3zdKCc9bkY/TwJf5dNw66I/AAAAAAAABBc/Wg-HnQ6jNPM/s1600/holiday+party+010.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-J3zdKCc9bkY/TwJf5dNw66I/AAAAAAAABBc/Wg-HnQ6jNPM/s320/holiday+party+010.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<strong><span style="font-family: Verdana;">Then the BEST part of ALL! The children LOVED, LOVED, LOVED putting a gingerbread baby cookie inside the gingerbread house. </span></strong><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-CKotLOSHsrc/TwJhHIARrtI/AAAAAAAABCA/oJyzOQAZxho/s1600/holiday+party+012.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-CKotLOSHsrc/TwJhHIARrtI/AAAAAAAABCA/oJyzOQAZxho/s320/holiday+party+012.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<strong><span style="font-family: Verdana;">I could clearly tell that several of the children were connecting this directly with their beloved <u>Gingerbread Baby</u> book! What a great way to work on those fine motor skills AND create a tiny part of a book we love!</span></strong></div>
</div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12353127376585187663noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6434776408026497921.post-56252034329188326192012-01-01T19:21:00.002-06:002012-01-30T07:34:32.529-06:00Jingle Bell Art!<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<strong><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Here's a super quick art exploration that the children love doing quite often. At first glance, this may look surprisingly similar to <a href="http://howlongisthishall.blogspot.com/2010/12/golf-ball-art.html">golf ball art</a>! But, we've added a twist to this. We've put HUGE jingle bells inside plastic cake boxes with clear lids. </span></strong><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-8awkhssSayc/TwEGO0Tl9MI/AAAAAAAAA_8/lykCYug2gHA/s1600/holiday+party+056.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-8awkhssSayc/TwEGO0Tl9MI/AAAAAAAAA_8/lykCYug2gHA/s320/holiday+party+056.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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<strong><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">We've added paper cut to fit the bottom and several colors of paint. The children work together or take turns bouncing, shaking and moving the bells around the box in order to paint the paper with the paint and bells.</span></strong><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-P6KRviZ2Fk4/TwEGg6EfBKI/AAAAAAAABAI/5l8xWARL4Ms/s1600/holiday+party+054.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-P6KRviZ2Fk4/TwEGg6EfBKI/AAAAAAAABAI/5l8xWARL4Ms/s320/holiday+party+054.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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<strong><span style="font-family: Verdana;">We used red and green in these pictures, but I think we may try white paint on blue construction paper during January! I'm imagining it may look a bit like snow on the paper! </span></strong><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-MYS9wGr14qc/TwEJDSILljI/AAAAAAAABAU/Yb_8VedRa0w/s1600/holiday+party+062.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-MYS9wGr14qc/TwEJDSILljI/AAAAAAAABAU/Yb_8VedRa0w/s320/holiday+party+062.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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<strong><span style="font-family: Verdana;">I especially love the fact that we were able to add the auditory component of listening for the bells to an art exploration! </span></strong><br />
<br />
<strong><span style="font-family: Verdana;">And now, after looking at these pictures again, I realize there's a great adaptation just waiting to happen! If a child is not able to easily move the box on his/her own, attaching a string or piece of yarn and a large bead to the end, would give the child the chance to hold the bead and PULL the box around! Hmmm...we may have to call that "train painting"!</span></strong><br />
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<strong><span style="font-family: Verdana;">Shared on:</span></strong><br />
<div align="center">
<a href="http://www.prekandksharing.blogspot.com/2012/01/we-love-paint.html" title="PreK + K Sharing "><img alt="PreK + K Sharing " src="http://i284.photobucket.com/albums/ll28/faithandfifty/FabricButton-2.jpg" style="border: currentColor;" /></a></div>
</div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12353127376585187663noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6434776408026497921.post-15284110373957695442011-12-31T08:12:00.001-06:002011-12-31T09:51:55.587-06:00My 2 Favorite Classroom Changes in 2011!<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<strong><span style="color: black; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I don't know about you, but 2011 simply FLEW by! Each month at school we put up a new linear calender and remarked..."I can't believe it's (fill in the month) already!"</span></strong><br />
<span style="color: black;"><br /></span><strong><span style="color: black; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">And now, I simply can't believe it's the last day of 2011! </span></strong><br />
<span style="color: black;"><br /></span><strong><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="color: black;">So, with a VERY quick look back, here are the</span> <span style="color: red;">two things I am most happy about adding to our preschool experience this past year.</span></span></strong><br />
<br /><strong><u><a href="http://howlongisthishall.blogspot.com/2011/12/bob-hamsterdot-blogspot-dot-com.html"><span style="color: blue; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">NUMBER 2...Bob the hamster</span></a></u><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="color: blue;">!</span> <span style="color: black;">I must say, we adopted a very smart and social little hamster. He is patient and willing to allow multiple little hands to hold him and pet him. And, I swear, he follows people around as he's rolling around in his ball!</span> </span></strong><br />
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-okPQoUzoL9E/Tv8j4_-LvKI/AAAAAAAAA9s/GT5Glu5xyPo/s1600/hamster+011.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-okPQoUzoL9E/Tv8j4_-LvKI/AAAAAAAAA9s/GT5Glu5xyPo/s320/hamster+011.JPG" width="320" /></span></a></div>
<br /><strong><u><a href="http://howlongisthishall.blogspot.com/2011/12/best-loose-parts-weve-found-yet.html"><span style="color: magenta; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Number 1....We expanded our outdoor area</span></a></u><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="color: black;">...ahhhh...more room to move and explore! I'm not sure I have to say much about this. More space and items to explore leads to more language, social interaction, dramatic play opportunities, cooperation....you name it!</span> </span></strong><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5683890302523556594" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-9FS14QC9Bag/TuE8HZg0QvI/AAAAAAAAAHA/G6aJn0SuoDM/s320/IMG_5934.jpg" style="display: block; height: 217px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 320px;" /></span><br />
<br /><strong><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><em>Even though these two changes came at the very end of the year, it's easy to see how many of us were doing many things to lay the groundwork for each of these things throughout the year!</em></span> </span></span></strong><br />
<span style="color: black;"><br /></span><strong><span style="color: black; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">We continually work on being gentle, kind and caring with each other and the children have begun to internalize this. This set the stage for interactions with a small pet like Bob.</span></strong><br />
<span style="color: black;"><br /></span><strong><span style="color: black; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">We met several times with our preschool director and collaborated on the outdoor area. We brainstormed ways we could utilize the area we had...and dreamed up ways we could use a larger area! We made it a mission to open up every area each day, no matter how inconvenient it was to open multiple locks on storage areas! We were then ready to utilize a larger area and the children were ready to expand on their current ideas!</span></strong><br />
<span style="color: black;"><br /></span><strong><span style="color: black; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Hopefully, you too have some things that you are happy to have added, changed or expanded on at your school as well! It's amazing how small things can add up to large changes very quickly! So, here's to even more small, but significant changes in 2012! Happy New Year!</span></strong></div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12353127376585187663noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6434776408026497921.post-8994432872767615772011-12-27T18:24:00.000-06:002011-12-27T18:24:09.792-06:00Hmmm....Something to Think About!<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><strong>Too often, especially in early childhood education, ideas are cycled around a general idea or area, and by the time they are used by most, the meaning behind them has been lost or simply diluted to the point that it is difficult to see the real "point" of the activity.</strong></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana;"><strong>I'm guilty of this as well. It's too easy and tempting to see an idea and repeat it without really questioning why we are doing the activity in the first place! </strong></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana;"><strong>Questioning the purpose behind the "cute" and "fun" activity is an important part of teaching! Questioning why someone else is doing an activity with the children isn't an attack on them, at least not in my view. And, to be quite honest, I often question because I LIKE the idea, I'm simply struggling with articulating why it should be done...or perhaps wondering if there is more to it that could be explored!</strong></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana;"><strong>Questioning things is my way of learning more, of defining my beliefs more clearly and of challenging myself to think about things in a different way. Perhaps I just teach in an environment where questioning why you are doing an activity is pretty common. It may not be overt, but it is certainly under the surface of many interactions with other teachers, administrators and parents.</strong></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana;"><strong>It is nearly impossible for me to plan activities or find activities that others have used or designed without questioning what the children will learn from the activity and what I would like the children to gain from this (short and/or long term). </strong></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana;"><strong>At one time, it was truly enough for a preschool teacher to say that an activity was simply "cute" or "fun" or "loved by the children" and this was enough to justify doing the activity. Many more of us are teaching preschool in public school systems. </strong></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana;"><strong>This is simply nowhere near enough of an explanation for doing an activity!</strong></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana;"><strong>When the children are using strips of colored paper and index cards with scissors (multiple kinds) my explanation is that one child is at the point of snipping with scissors so strips of paper gives him a way to see his progress (he can snip a piece and it falls off). Another child is cutting across paper. Index cards are stiffer offering more resistance and are less likely to fold over and collapse as he cuts across. Another child is using adapted scissors in order to push down on a lever and snip since he doesn't yet have the muscle strength to use typical scissors. </strong></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana;"><strong>When the children are exploring sticks, twigs, acorns, pine cones and leaves in the sensory table and another teacher walks in and says "Should he really be playing with that?" I need to be able to articulate WHY I feel it is important that he does, indeed, play with that! And, I also need to be able to point out that these same items are available outside all the time! </strong></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana;"><strong>When we're baking cookies and a child is manipulating cookie dough like play dough and another one is rolling the rolling pin across his head after rolling out the cookie dough, I need to be able to explain to those who work with me why it is NOT better to simply take the cookie dough and shape it for the child or take the rolling pin away from the child and do it for them!</strong></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana;"><strong>When we are painting with q-tips or cotton balls or bath sponges and a parent stops to comment how "cute" the activity is, I simply comment that, yes, it is cute, and the children are working on fine motor skills while painting with q-tips, they are working to strengthen hand muscles and work those muscles needed for scissor snipping by using a clothespin to clip the cotton ball and paint and they are exploring the textures and variations of the bath sponges and experimenting with the types of prints these make.</strong></span><br />
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<strong><span style="font-family: Verdana;">Even with very open ended, child-initiated play, there can be a clear and defined reason for presenting certain materials. Why would we open up every area in our outdoor classroom if we're pretty sure the children may not even explore the tree cookies? Well, we want to make sure these are an OPTION for the children to explore! If they are never available, how will we ever know if the children will explore them? And one day they may surprise us by using these in a unique and wonderful way!</span></strong><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana;"><strong>Perhaps where you teach, you ARE the administrator. Perhaps you have the ability to do what you want, when you want! I would still argue that you should question what the purpose is behind activities/ materials/decisions! Go ahead! Question yourself! Question your colleagues! Feel free to start a dialogue about things you feel strongly about! </strong></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana;"><strong>You just might find out something new about someone else! You also may tap into an area someone knows more about than you do! And you just may learn something new about yourself, your beliefs, and most importantly, you may grow as a teacher!</strong> </span><br />
</div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12353127376585187663noreply@blogger.com13