Winter Themes

Well, I live in Louisiana... so we often have a tough time teaching kids about snow. But we had a little bit of winter weather in my part of the state this week, so I am starting with winter themes! I had a fun idea that I had written down a while back...

You cut out 10 snowman shapes the size of a 9x12" piece of construction paper. Then, add snowman faces, hats, scarves, and anything else you wish. Write the numerals 1-10 on the snowmen's hats or at the bottom of the snowmen. Laminate the snowmen for durability! Place all of the snowmen in a container with a handful of buttons. Ask your students to look at the numeral and place that number of buttons on the snowman's stomach. Too cute! Check out the Language Arts Page for a neat Winter Word Family Activity! Keep warm!

Whitney

My New Year's Resolution

So, I have a friend that has a daughter with autism. Hailey is really smart, but has some quirks that are typical of kiddos with autism. She did super great in a regular preK class... but now she is in kindergarten. She is still hanging in there academically, but her mom is concerned about meltdowns that occur when she has to sit at her desk for long periods of time. Hailey is not alone though. It seems I am hearing about more and more little ones that hate school and even use the "b" word.... BORING???? Since when is kindergarten boring?
I would like to motivate some teachers to make kindergarten fun again! I have been stealing ideas from teachers in 3 states and on too many websites to count and would like to share some things that I have found that will bring more creativity, active learning, and fun to our classrooms!
So, my goal is to add an activity each day (starting tomorrow...of course) that early childhood teachers (or daycare workers...or homeschooling moms...or whoever) can use to make learning fun again! Wish me luck... and feel free to share an idea or two yourself!

Welcome to my Soapbox!

I seem to have become quite a proponent of bringing developmentally appropriate practices back to our early childhood classes. I know that it takes more time and effort than simply copying worksheets and handing them out. But, there are a lot of little kids who were excited about school in August and are bored to death by December. I am hoping to find some fellow believers in the benefits of play... and give us a place to share ideas.