Making a Little Dough!: Why Is Play Dough a Great Early Childhood Teaching Tool

Let's face it, who doesn't love playing with fun, squishy, pliable play dough? It just makes you happy and brings you back to the days when the most important task of the day was sitting in front of the t.v. watching your favorite cartoons. But, guess what? There is more depth to this doughy solid. It is in fact, a perfect teaching tool for those in ECE.

See the list below of the many ways that play dough can be used to liven up your lessons!

1. Play dough increases eye-hand coordination, fine motor, and critical thinking skills. It is also a great sensory exploration tool. 
2. Teach shapes with play dough by using cookie cutters. 
3. "Write" letters by laminating large, letter tracing sheets. Have your child roll play dough snakes to create the letters. 
4. Let your inner creative genius out! Add buttons, beads and glitter to play dough and design away. Adult supervision should be used with younger children who still like to explore their world by placing items in their mouths at all times. 
5. Buy mini-plastic flower pots and place play dough inside them. Insert dollar store, plastic flowers inside to create a magical flower garden that you don't need a green thumb for! (Science Concepts) 
6. Laminate ten frames and teach children how to count using play dough rolled into balls. 
7. Help children learn about animal tracks by "walking" plastic farm, forest or any other animals through rolled out play dough. 
8. Be a forensic scientist! Have children investigate their fingerprints using play dough! This is a fantastic science center activity! Leave pictures of common fingerprint patterns and magnifying glasses in the area so children can see the many types of fingerprint patterns there are. 
9. Add  child-friendly, play dough tools such as small rolling pins, plastic play dough cutters, cups, and cookie cutters to your child's play dough toys. These tools help children learn about spatial concepts, cause and effect, and physical properties associated with play dough. 
10. Investigate color mixing with play dough! Find a non-cook play dough recipe that can easily be made by you and your students. Separate the play dough into several medium or smaller-sized pieces. Add food coloring to each piece to create primary, secondary, and tertiary colors! 
11. Play dough works well for dramatic play too! Have children decorate play dough cookies and cupcakes! Provide beads and buttons (as previously stated in post), plastic cupcake liners, and cookie sheets so that the students can make their very own "pastries" in their preschool bakery. 

I  have tried many, many, did I say many?, play dough recipes during my teaching. This recipe is by far the best. I even used it when I worked as a youth services assistant at a local library.

Cooked Play Dough

Warning- Please keep little ones away from the stove and if you allow them to knead the dough afterwards make sure it is cool enough not to burn their hands.

Mix together in an aluminum core pot:

2 cups flour

1 cup salt

2 cups water

1/4 cup oil

1 tablespoon cream of tartar

Food coloring (Add to dough after cooking)

Cook these ingredients over medium heat, stirring constantly, until they thicken. You will know it's ready to take off the stove when the play dough pulls away from the sides of the pan (it is similar to the consistency of cream puff dough). Place on a plate to cool enough to handle comfortably. Knead, and then store mixture in an airtight container.

Helpful tip: Place an old acrylic cutting board on the table. (I altered this from parchment paper. It is easier to use and less likely to tear.) When the dough is cool, use food coloring to dye the play dough. Cut the play dough mixture into several large pieces. Place a few drops of different colors of food coloring on each piece of the dough. Knead the food coloring into the dough. Wear gloves when kneading food coloring into play dough to prevent staining your hands. Enjoy your rainbow-colored play dough!

(Source: Introduction to Early Childhood Education Sixth Edition pg. 270 by Eva L. Essa)

Try this recipe. You will absolutely love it! It keeps extremely well when stored in airtight, plastic bags too! 

You can even try out your new play dough on some fun Fall Play Dough Mats that I just created. The play dough mats come in 8 fall designs. 

Designs Included: 

• Owl

•Candy Apple

•Pumpkin

•Squirrel

•Black Cat

•Witch

•Turkey 

•Pilgrim’s Hat

Please click on the link below the cover to view the Fall Play Dough Mats on my TpT store!

Fall Play Dough Mats

How Genius!: Creating Little Genius Bags

This weekend, I stepped into my attic and shuddered at the cumbersome clutter of lesson plan boxes. It looked like a scholarly train wreck that needed a major overhaul. With the end of the year drawing near and a garbage bag in tow, I tackled that lesson plan overload with abandon. After I was finished for the day, I was left with a much scaled down array of lessons.

The rest of the clutter will have to wait until next weekend, but for some of the items in the boxes I decided to develop Little Genius Bags.

I call these Little Genius Bags because they are subject specific such as math concepts, science language arts, etc. and can be used during circle time, for transitioning, assessments and to help tutor a child who needs a little one-on-one teaching. They can simply be made by placing everyday learning activities within labeled plastic bags.

Items within my Math Little Genius Bag include:

• Shape Identification and Recognition Flashcards
• Color Identification and Recognition Flashcards featuring firetrucks 
• Foam Dice and Penguin-shaped math mats to be used for one-to-correspondence/counting activities
• Sorting Activities 
• Number Sequencing 
• Car Positional Awareness
• Dry Erase Markers

Isn't it wonderful that my downsizing journey came to be quite a positive and educational trek? So go ahead and create your very own Little Genius Bags too!

The Farm-nomenal Farm: Types of Farms Learning Mat

Holy cow! Who knew there were so many kinds of farms out there? From aquaculture (fish/shellfish etc. farming) to dairy farming and everything in between. Take a look and see why farming is definitely something to crow about!

Types of Farms Learning Mat 
Subject: Science (Agricultural Science): Identifying many kinds of farms and recognizing the animals and plants which are developed/farmed there.

Items Needed to Make 
Dark blue card stock
Lime green card stock
Light green printing paper
Green marker
Glue or glue runner
Scissors
Sun and cloud sticker
Pencil to draw hill shapes
Laminator (Optional)
Laminating sheets (Optional)
Clip Art from Clker.com or a Word processing program

To Make

1. Draw 2 large hill shapes and 2 small hill shapes from light green printing paper and lime green card stock. 
2. Glue the hills onto dark blue card stock with glue or a glue runner. 
3. Use a green marker to draw small lines to create grass on the mountains. 
4. Place a cloud/sun sticker in the upper left-hand corner of your dark blue card stock. 
5. Laminate. (Optional) 
6. Find clip art for various farms such as a barn and a cow for dairy farming or a chicken and a chicken coop for poultry farming etc. Cut out clip art using scissors. 
7. Laminate. (Optional)

How to Teach with  Types of Farms Learning Mat 

1. Place the Types of Farms Learning Mat in center of circle. 
2. Tell the children that you are going to be learning about many kinds of farms. Ask the children what they think a farm is. 
3. After giving them a few moments to answer, instruct the children that a farm is a place where people called farmers grow plants and raise animals for food. 
4. Continue the lesson by identifying the many types of farms. Hold up the barn and tell the children that it is a dairy farm where milk is made. Ask them if they think a chicken or a cow helped make the milk. After the correct answer is told, place the cow next to the dairy barn. Continue with all of the animals and farming types you had printed out or until the children's attention span has waned. 

Other Uses for the Types of Farms Learning Mat 

Play dough Mat: Have the children create sheep, cows, pigs and other farm animals using play dough. 

Math Mat: Use a die and have the children roll it. Have them count the dots and place the amount indicated on the die such as rolling a five and putting five chips on the mat. This helps foster one-to one correspondence skills. 

Positional Awareness Mat: Early math skills are developed through placing farm animal figurines or shapes on top of the hills, next to the hills, by the barn etc. 

Hay You! Straw to Meet You!: Creating Haystacks/Straw Out of Cardboard Boxes!

We're Down On the Farm during our latest unit! Since we're hog wild about anything related to agriculture and the country life,  I decided to create some good old-fashioned hay stacks to liven up our farmer's market dramatic play center. These haystacks are so life -like they would surely make even Old Farmer McDonald smile. See the following directions to create these haystacks that will have your children searching for a needle in the proverbial haystack too!

Items Needed

2 small cardboard boxes (I used the boxes that our hand soap came in.) 

Yellow acrylic paint 

Glue or glue runners 

Yellow card stock 

Fiskars crimping tool (Available at craft stores)

Scissors to cut various papers 

Yellow yarn

Yellow construction paper 

Light tan crayon (I used Crayola Crayon's Tumbleweed.)

Tan yarn 

To Make Haystacks

1. Paint haystacks with yellow acrylic paint. Let dry. 
2. Use Fiskars crimping tool to crimp small pieces of yellow card stock. 
3. Cut crimped card stock pieces into long strips with scissors. 
4. Glue crimped card stock onto sides of box with glue or glue runners. 
5. When finished with previous step, glue yellow yarn on random areas of the box horizontally to create a three-dimensional look. 
6. Tear yellow construction paper into strips and glue in a desired pattern onto your box. 
7. Draw zig-zag patterns on desired areas of the box to develop a more rustic haystack. 
8. Glue tan yarn in a cross shape around the entire box to finish your haystack. 

What Haystacks Teach Children About Farm Life 

Science: That hay is a crop that farmers grow and is used on the farm as feed for animals and for gardening purposes. Describe early methods of hay production and harvesting. 

Language Arts: Teaches children words such as bales, harvesting, hay loft, fodder (animal feed) and other hay-related vocabulary. 

Social Studies: Talk about the importance of hay in early American farm life and how it shaped life on the farm. 

Math: Talk about the "bale" form of measurement. 

Dramatic Play: (Language Arts/Role playing): Children create imaginative play experiences while using farm-related language. 

Gross Motor: Students pick up and stack hay barrels. 

Preschool Pep Talk: Want the truth? Speak to a Preschooler

If you truly want to know the truth about something be sure to ask a preschooler. Preschoolers are known for their somewhat biting, less than complimentary, and ulterior-motive free viewpoint of the world. Their innocence and lack of  experience gives them an unskewed and natural look at life. 

Favorite Comments From Preschoolers 

Your name is not Miss Hatcher, your name is Miss “Beautiful” Hatcher. (Perfection, I tell you, perfection). 

I wish I were you. 

You have goofy sunglasses. I like them, but they are goofy. 

I like you, but I love my mom. (This is how it should be. Moms definitely rock.) 

I Ain't Gonna Paint No More!: Unique Ways to Spice Up Your Easel in ABC Order

I ain't gonna paint no more... at the easel that is!

Check out some unique and creative ways to develop fine motor (use of small muscles in the hands and wrists), creative arts, literacy/language and social studies skills at the all-important art domain known as the easel.

Other subjects covered are math related such as geometry (shape identification and recognition), color identification and recognition and spacial concepts. Your mini scientists will be fascinated as they use their sense of touch and tactile skills.

Hip-hip hooray let's go to the easel today!


Below you will find a list of mostly  no-paint  options listed in alphabetical order. Please note that most of these projects will require a very thick glue such as Aleene's Tacky Glue or Elmer's Non-Toxic White School Glue.

So what are you waiting for, go ahead and get your easel on!

ABC Easel Art Projects 

*Please note some of these items are possible choking hazards or allergens. Always supervise preschoolers and young children when using these objects. Remember to read all ingredient labels before using*. 

A - Ads, aboriginal sand art

B - Buttons, bows, bingo daubers, bookmarks

C - Cards, crayons, cardboard, candy wrappers, catalogs, old CD inserts 

D - Doilies, color-coded sticker dots (found at office supply stores) 

E - Etchings (Use a piece of cardboard wrapped in aluminum foil and a play-doh cutting knife to etch designs.), envelopes

F - Flags (coloring pages or clipart), foam shapes, fabric

G - Glitter mixed with glue, garland, plastic gemstones available at craft stores 

H - Handprints, hearts, horoscope animals, highlighters 

I - Ice pops made from tempera paint (See link about tempera paint at bottom of page), Impressionistic paintings created through use of bingo daubers

J - old, cheap costume jewelry that has been deshanked 

Project idea - Draw an egg shape and create a Faberge egg using jewelry. 

K - Kites, ketchup bottle labels 

L - Leaves, lace

M - Maps, markers, cheap makeup, magazines  

N- Newspaper, decorative napkins 

O - Oatmeal mixed with paint for a bumpy finish 

P- Pom-poms, paper dolls, photos, pipe cleaners

Q - Quilts (Use fabric cut into squares), Play money quarters 

R - Ribbon, Ric-rac, rubbings, receipts

S - Shaving cream dyed using food coloring (eek! dyed hands alert), stamps silhouettes, stencils, shapes, rubber stampers, scrapbook paper, seed packets, stickers 

T - Colored tape, clothing and gift tags 

U - Umbrella cutouts

V - Valentines, vases made out of paper, vanilla- infused paint 

W - Colored water in spray bottles, wooden shapes, wrapping paper 

X - Bright Xerox paper

Y- Yarn 

Z- Zebra stripes made from construction paper

Do you still have a craving for ways to use tempera paint? If so, check out a previous post about fun activities that use a hail and hearty supply of this messy, gooey, preschool staple from a boatload of bodacious bloggers. 
http://glitterandgluesticksforever.blogspot.com/2014/05/watch-you-tempera-whimsical-tempera.html

It's your turn. Do you have any crafty and innovative ideas that would help get our tiny Titians creative juices flowing? If so, please comment below. 

I'm Glad I Was Your Teacher: A Good-bye Poem for the Apples of Your Eye!

The end of the school year is always a difficult time for most teachers. You have seen your students grow from sprouts to beautiful flowers full of knowledge and promise throughout the year.

 The preschoolers you had taught from the previous years are either being shuffled to "big kid kindergarten" or leaving your classroom for their next educational journey.

This year, I created a goody bag for my students which included a certificate that was quite a hoot, good job! sticker badge, a gold medal with the word "winner" emblazoned on its shiny surface, a sweet little pencil and a card with a very special poem tucked inside. 

During their final days, many of the students proudly showed off those "Winner" medals by wearing them as they paraded around the school. 

The following poem from A-Z Teacher Forum simply and cheerfully dictated the message I envisioned for the final journey of their 3-year-old preschool days: 

I'm Glad I Was Your Teacher

I'm glad I was your teacher

I've come to love you so. 

I can't believe the end is here. 

I hate to see you go.

Remember all the fun we had

in all the things we did, 

But most of all remember...

You're a very special kid! 

I hope all the children have a wonderful summer filled with sunshine and joy! I will miss your smiling faces and the winsome words you shared with me throughout the school year. 

Thank You! 

Check out my blog post for 2015 Graduation Day Goody Bags Here: http://glitterandgluesticksforever.blogspot.com/2015/05/oh-goody-teacher-goodie-bags-with.html.

Stay in the Present!: A Lovely Gift for National Teacher Day!

Yeah! It's National Teacher Day! Have you thanked your teacher today?

Today, I received one of the loveliest gifts I have ever received in my short years spent as a teacher: a picture frame with a very elegant piece of burlap with the many adjectives that describe moi emblazoned on its humble fibers.

One of the mothers at our school created this simply stunning gift using a word processing program and a special printer that prints on fabric.

I thought that the glorious lunch and dessert was thanks enough, but add in this snappy little gift of gratitude from my students, and you get the proverbial icing on the cake for this perky preschool teacher.

*Take note that one of my kiddos described me as a princess!  Disney eat your heart out! Miss Hatcher has entered the building, but where's my scepter? I already have one very sparkly and glamorous crown!

Shout Out to All the Kiddos!: Week of the Young Child 2014 (April 6th - 12th)

Source of photo: http://www.naeyc.org

Yesterday, April 6, 2014, marked the beginning of The Week of the Young Child, which was founded by the National Association for the Education of Young Children in 1971. This celebration brings greater awareness to the needs of young children (birth to age 8), their families, and those who work within the field to care, inspire and educate them on a daily basis. 

Many centers and associations across the country celebrate this week by holding special events and developing public displays geared toward this most precious age group. 

Our center has decided to create a display of our budding artists' artwork at at local public library. The artwork, which was entirely made by the children, will show library patrons the purity and ingenuity of young children's developing skills and artistic levels. 

Everyone who sees the art will be blown away by the cute, whimsical and energetic spirit that only the young can produce. A little paint, buttons, pizazz, and ta-da!: a masterpiece! 

Please visit the Naeyc.org website to learn more about the Week of the Young Child. 

* I am a proud member of NAEYC!*

Sing, Sing a Song: Our Holiday Sing

Holy Jingle Bells! Has it really been a year since we had our last Holiday Sing? After a few min-meltdowns, wiggly moments and deer caught in headlights stares, the children belted out holiday favorites such as "Let It Snow" and a kiddie-friendly version of "Baby It's Cold Outside".

Rudolph's nose would have glowed a little brighter and Santa's jolly old Ho, Ho, Ho would have been breaking the sound barrier if they heard how awesome the children sounded and looked. They even performed the hand movements (which is a feat unto itself) for our little peppermint sticks!

My co-teacher and I wanted to give the children a standing ovation for their incredible efforts. I feel we may even have a few musicians in the making and numerous little hams on our hands.

Our music teacher joined in on the seasonal mania by donning a rather dapper and jaunty green and red jiggle bell elf hat that made our Sing shimmer.

Burning Up: Firefighter Chuck Speaks About Burn Safety

Firefighter Chuck gave a blazing lesson on the physical differences between hot and cold items during a Hot or Not Item Identification and Recognition Game. This game introduced students to the hot-ly debated topic of burn safety and prevention.

 During his smokin' talk he spoke of ways to help prevent burns; such as staying away from and not touching items like ovens and stoves. If a burn has occurred, he stated that you should  "cool" it by placing the area under cold, running water and waiting a little while before you place a band-aid and ointment on it.

Thanks for the "Hot" tips firefighter Chuck!

Orange You Ready? Color and Shape Weeks: Orange

Orange the color associated with pumpkins, carrots and oranges is our first theme of our Colors and Shapes unit. While I'm not thrilled that I will have to become a walking pumpkin on Monday by wearing this Halloween-inspired hue, I am psyched about presenting my orange and triangle lesson plans below.

Orange Paint Can Challenge 

Subject: Math: sorting and recognizing color categories and understanding the color properties of the color orange.

To Do: Sing "Orange" to open activity.Teacher places the orange paints and not orange paints paint cans in front of children. She either passes her "paint chips" (either gotten from a home improvement store or created from card stock) to each child or holds up to the class. The children or individual child will decide if the "paint chip" should be placed on the orange paints or the not orange paints paint can and identify the color (ex. pink).

Song to Sing to Open Activity: Orange (Tune: "Three Blind Mice") (Source: Kidsparkz.com)

Orange, orange, orange,
Orange, orange, orange,
What is orange? What is orange?
An orange, a cantaloupe, and a peach,
pumpkin, a goldfish, and cheddar cheese,
The carrot that my little rabbit eats,
They are orange.

Read before Activity: Orange by Mary Elizabeth Salzman

Shape of the Day: Triangle

Songs that can be sung before triangle activity:

"Triangles, Triangles" (Tune: "Jingle Bells") (Source: Preschoolexpress.com)

Triangles, triangles,
Triangles I see.
Count the points and count the sides,
Count them 1, 2, 3.
Triangles, triangles,
Just for you and me.
Count the points and count the sides,
Count them 1, 2, 3,.

Liz Ryerson

Hold up a triangle and count the points and sides with you children.

"Found a Triangle" (Tune: "Clementine") ( Source: http://stepbystepcc.com)

Found a triangle,
Found a triangle,
Found a triangle with three sides.
It can't roll,
It can't bowl,
It just sits there where it lies.

Triangle Hold Up Activity (Can be used with any shape (s) or color (s) (Source: Kidsparkz.com)

Subject: Math: Recognizing triangle shape, Gross Motor: Performing triangle movement activity, and Language Arts: Following directions and participating in a group activity

To Do: Cut out orange triangles or other shapes and colors. Teacher chants the following movement activity and performs movements with children. Continue with other shapes, if desired.

Put your red (changed to orange) shape in the air
Hold it high and leave it there.
Put your red (orange) shape on your back
Now please lay it in your lap.
Hold you red (orange) shape in your hand
Now everyone please stand.
Wave your red (orange) shape at the door
Now please lay it on the floor.
Hold your red (orange) shape and jump, jump, jump.
Throw your red (orange) shape way, way up!

(Change red to other colors and repeat)

You Know You're A Preschool Teacher When....

You know you're a preschool teacher when....

•  you begin to hoard items such as plastic bottles, toilet paper tubes, newspaper and other recyclables "just in case" you need them for a creative art project or fine motor activity. 
• your ring tone is "Mary Had a Little Lamb." 
• instead of dressing for success, you dress for the world's biggest mess. 
• it becomes perfectly normal for a grown woman to be coloring with crayons and markers. 
• you frantically rush to the library at 8:30 in the evening to pick-up the latest picture book phenomenon.
• educational toy stores know you by name. 
• the glitter on your shoes is from a crafting malfunction rather than a crazy night on the town. 
• chicken fingers and fries are considered a delicacy of monumental proportions. 
• your favorite dances include the "Hokey Pokey" and "If You're Happy and You Know It'. 
• a stain on your favorite shirt becomes a badge of honor. 
• Lakeshore Learning and other teacher stores are on your speed dial. 

You're Getting a Little Test-ty: Preschool Teacher Style Test

Preschool Teacher Style Test 

There’s no need to sharpen your number two pencils anytime soon. Take this quick and easy test to determine your teaching style.* 

You would describe your teaching style as: 

A. Extremely structured, detail-oriented and teacher-directed
B. Laid back, unstructured, and child centered
C. Child-friendly, allows children to question and answer freely, but sticks to lesson plan
D. What is a lesson plan? 

Your lesson plans are: 

A. Purely skill-based

B. Encourages discovery and questioning

C. Builds on knowledge previously acquired

D. Off the cuff, but based on the unit topic 

Which center do you enjoy planning for the most?: 

A. Math 

B. Science/Discovery 

C. Dramatic Play 

D. Sand and Water 

Mostly A’s: Old Fashioned School Marm: You are a firm believer in facts and figures. Structured lesson plans give your students important information which allows them to understand the fundamentals of the subject you are teaching. While rote learning is extremely crucial in this profession, make sure to add a touch of silliness and whimsy through props such as puppets, messy activities and “unexpected” joys such as a simple movie about the topic. 

Mostly B’s: 2000’s Teacher of the Year: The children are the hub of your learning environment. You try to make lessons fun and invite children to learn and explore, but sometimes your lack of structure can be your downfall. Make sure to provide children with circle-time rules to create an orderly environment instead of an all out circle-time free-for-all complete with screaming and frantic hand waving. Don’t worry, they will still love you even if you tell them no sometimes. Give it a try! 

Mostly C’s: Miss Middle: You’re teaching style is in the middle of the road. While you feel that obtaining knowledge and skills is essential in order to advance to new and exciting subjects, you take the slower and less followed route. 

You acknowledge your student’s previously acquired knowledge and incorporate it into your lesson plan, instead of around it. Children can better comprehend your lessons through monitored question and answer sessions throughout the lesson. 

The one key factor is that you as the teacher are in complete control of all the components of the lesson. Encourage students to continue their learning by providing information to their parents/caregivers such as websites or books to give your lessons that extra sparkle. 

Mostly D’s: "But I Want to Be Their Friend": Teachers who believe that students should see them as a friend rather than a kind authority figure will always be one step behind the pack. The line of friend and teacher is a slippery line to cross. 

I myself have found myself losing my grip and swinging to the “I need them to like me” scenario. One thing is clear: You are the teacher and they are the students. 

Preschoolers need rules in order to feel comfortable with their changing environment (so remember to be firm). The little dynamos will forever be some of the best at trying to wiggle their way out of doing their job or putting away their toys. 

Ways to reduce this scenario, are creating transitions. Transitions such as morning songs, clean-up songs, and lunch/snack time rituals tell children that you are the teacher and have scheduled and organized your room to set clear limits and goals for them. 

*I have created this test for fun. Please do not take it so seriously. All of the suggestions included are ways to reduce teaching stresses and enhance your teaching style.*

Cool, Calm and Collected: Bath and Body Work's Stress Relief Body Lotion Takes You To a Happy Place

We've all had those kind of days: Molly had a meltdown in the block center, you spilled paint on your new shirt and someone just cut you off in traffic. Watch out as aromatherapy whisks you away to a calm and serene state of mind. Try Bath and Body Work's Stress Relief Body Lotion which soothes your driest skin and lifts the spirits with hints of eucalyptus and spearmint. The scent is crazy good and is always a remedy for one of those dizzying preschool days.

Source: Bathandbodyworks.com

The Sound of Music: Welcoming Our New Music Teacher

And a one, and a two, and a three, and a four it's time to boogie to a piano beat once more!

Music is a rather touchy subject for many in early childhood education. I myself cannot go one day without breaking into song. Move over Laurie Berkner, there's a new queen bee in town.

Movement and song are one of the most educational and energetic activities which we can introduce children to. Not only does it allow students to unleash their creativity, but can also be used as an  introduction to subjects such as math (patterning using musical notes), social studies/history (learning about America's past through patriotic songs), science (understanding the use of sound in our world, how sound travels, and topics such as pitch, vibration and tone) and social/language skills through two part harmonies and so on.

Today was a very special day at the daycare. Our new music teacher arrived to  see before him a sea of new faces. He was also burdened with an overload of children's songs that would make the most seasoned pro quiver in their boots.

All in all, he did very well with only a few hiccups and bumps along the way. Being new is truly one of the most confusing, unnerving and disconcerting situations to be in. He handled it remarkably well. I am sure he will give our music program a new perspective and a fresh new start.

Tickle those ivories, Sachamo!

Front and Centers: Subjects/Skills Learned In Learning Centers

As a preschool teacher, I am concerned with the skills and subjects that my children learn and use on a daily basis. Even though the majority of preschool programs are play-based, learning skills is the foremost factor in selecting manipulatives in the centers. 

I recently read a tip in my Mailbox Magazine e-mail newsletter about placing signs alerting parents to the skills facilitated in centers. Underneath you will find some of my ideas of skills that are used in each of the following centers: 


Housekeeping/Dramatic Play 

• Social skills and peer interaction
• Imaginative play
• Independent thought
• atypical use of manipulatives to develop dramatic play experiences 

Interest Table (Science and Math)

• Exploration
• Interest in one's physical environment and our world (animal and plant life) 
• Cause and effect through manipulation of objects
• Sensory experience
• Logical thought
• Pre-math skills 
• Independent understanding of selected concepts (Colors, Counting, Shapes, The Five Senses) 

Water Table 

• Fine motor 
• Cause and effect
• Weight and measurements such a as volume 
• Peer interaction 
• Sensory experience 
• Exploration

Block Center 

• Peer interaction 
• Judgement evaluation (How many blocks will it take before my tower falls?)
• Logical thought and mathematical concepts such as non-standard forms of measurement using blocks or cars
• Imaginative play 
• Atypical use of manipulatives to develop dramatic play experiences (Building a garage out of blocks for their cars or using a block as a telephone) 

Easel

• Creative art experiences
• Developing an eye for color and physical beauty 
• Fine motor 
• Facilitating patterning, use of color theory and mixing, shape recognition and identification
• Spacial concepts (How much paint can fill up my page?)
• Use of art to explore one's emotions and development of self-concept 
• Individual thought

Just Say the Words.... An Acrostic Poem about Preschoolers

There are many words to describe the emotions and characteristics of preschoolers. The following acrostic poem features my personal opinion of the little whirlwinds we call preschoolers. 

Preschoolers by Jennifer Hatcher 

Persnickety 

Rambunctious 

Exhausting

Strong - Willed 

Caring

Helpful 

One - of - a - kind 

Opinionated 

Loving 

Excitable 

Resilient 

Silly 

One Hot Preschool Mama! : Style Secrets For ECE Fashionistas and Daycare Divas

Kohl's

Aerosoles

Kohl's 

Kohl's 

Kohl's 

Charming Charlie 

Gone are the days of frumpy jumpers, ridiculous rompers and dancing bear appliqued sweaters of the 80's preschool princesses. In comes sparkling earrings, streamlined shirts, stylish capris and cute and comfy flats.

Preschool princesses of the past would be fuming up to the tiaras in envy at their fashionable 2000's counterparts. Professionalism, functionality and comfort are the most important factors in the search for a quality daycare wardrobe.

I tend to be a rather picky preschool teacher who likes to showcase her style with bold colors and flamboyant earrings. I am not afraid to wear chandelier earrings while doing a exuberant movement activity or don a rhinestone tiara while performing my duties as a storytime princess.

In order to become a ECE Fashionista or Daycare Diva remember the following essentials:

• Buy quality clothing made from durable materials. 
• Say yes to Spandex. It's the fabric that just keeps giving from early morning to night. 
• Wash and wear should be your mantra. Sticky fingers always have a way of finding their way onto your most fashionable blouse. 
• Make a statement with bold and trendy jewelry. Charming Charlie offers some of the most stunning jewelry at bargain basement prices. 
• Kohl's, Marshalls and T.J. Maxx should definitely be on your radar. These stores offer trendy and classic pieces whose price tags will still allow you to pay your rent. 
• Aerosoles are a Godsend. Those suckers give your feet plenty of support and look like a million bucks! 

Check above for some of my most recent style sensations from Kohls, Aerosoles and Charming Charlie! 

My Fourth of July Went Off With a Bang! Check Out a cute Firecracker/Fireworks 4th of July Guessing Game

As I gazed at the brilliant fireworks yesterday, I remembered the firecracker lesson plan I developed for my students.

I will be presenting it during tomorrows circletime and I am sure it will be an explosive hit!

Why not try this circletime activity with your students too? I promise it will really "spark" their imagination, memory and logical thinking skills.

To add a little extra sparkle and honor America's birthday, I have added some views of the flaming fireworks I witnessed last night.

Have a Happy and Healthy Fourth of July!

The teacher has the children guess what square the firecracker is under and lifts each up to reveal
 either a firework or the firecracker 

The squares were created using fireworks fabric 

The fireworks were cut from foam 

The firecracker is from a Cricut cartridge