Putting the Pretty In Preschool
Finding Beauty In Everyday Early Childhood Experiences
Leprechauns add an element of fun to St. Patrick’s Day celebrations. And a leprechaun is the star sighting in these St. Patrick’s Day treasure blocks that are sure to appeal to little learners.
There are so many adorable handprint crafts, and the choices for Christmas are incredible. One of my favorites is a handprint angel. It is a cute craft that doubles as an adorable keepsake. It is also a piece of cake to make and can be whipped up at the last minute.
[Read more…] about Handprint Angel Christmas Keepsake
Animal eggs come in different colors, shapes, sizes, and shell textures. Bird eggs feel hard. Snakes and many turtles lay soft-shelled eggs with a rubbery feel. Snake eggs are usually oval; turtle eggs are round to slightly oblong.
Here’s an easy to do Science experiment to transform an unshelled, boiled egg into a rubbery reptile egg! It’s perfect for the classroom or to do with your children at home.
Supplies Needed:
One unshelled, boiled egg
1 ½ cups / 375 ml cups of cider vinegar
Clear 2 cup / 500 ml jar
Tablespoon
Dessert plate
Boil the egg and let it cool. Ask children to describe the color and feel the hardness of the egg.
Place the unshelled, boiled egg in a jar of cider vinegar. Discuss the color of the liquid…yellow, red, and orange are words children might use for the hue. I suggest the word amber.
Put the jar in the fridge.
Mother’s Day is just around the corner, and every mom deserves to be treated special. Here is an easy Mother’s Day craft that is bound to hit the mark. A key chain or brooch makes a lovely addition as a gift.
Flower and butterfly paper punches
Craft paper with cream, gold, and silver tones
Gold and silver metallic bead stickers
White pearl and silver jewel stickers
Butterfly adhesive shapes
Template with the word MOM
Decorative silver key chains
Glue stick
Create a template with the word MOM on it or download my template. This template is for personal or one classroom use only.
Paper punch small flowers and butterflies from patterned paper with complementary tones.
Add on sticker beads.
Have children use a glue stick to attach butterflies and flowers, or just butterflies to the lines of the letters that spell the word “mom.”
Add a brooch or key chain gift to the finished picture.
The birds are chirping, and there is excitement in the air. Everyone seems to have a skip in their step. I think it is because spring has come early to our city and… it’s the Easter long weekend!
Here’s an easy spring bunny art activity that will add some hop to the skip, and be sure to keep everyone’s good mood up.
A few simple supplies are all that’s needed for this activity:
White canvas panel (12-inch x 18-inch)
Non-toxic paint dot markers
Colored cardstock
Bunny template
Scissors
Trace a bunny on colored cardstock in a size that leaves room to paint dab around it on the canvas board. I sized the bunny to fit just inside the edges of an 8 x 11 ½ piece of paper.
Cut out the cardstock bunny and place it in the middle of the canvas board.
Choose your favorite dot marker colors.
Dab paint dots around the bunny template.
Let the canvas dry.
One in a thousand baby green sea turtles lives to become an adult. Sea turtles face many challenges in trying to survive. Here’s how they get their start in life.
At night, baby green sea turtles scurry to the ocean from the deep hole they dig out of. They hatch from eggs deposited by their mother (also at night) on a sandy beach above the high tide line. The small, white eggs are buried in a blanket of sand to keep them warm and hide them from predators. The eggs are left alone to incubate for 50 -70 days.
The temperature of the nest determines the sex of the turtles. Warmer eggs become males; cooler eggs become females. Both males and females can dig out of the same nest, because the temperature can vary in different parts of it.
The hatchlings hurry to the ocean in the dark when it is less likely that they will be eaten by crabs or shore birds like gulls or herons. Most babies do not make it to the ocean. Even if they safely make it to the water, they could be eaten by birds hovering above the waves or predatory fish lingering close to shore.
Young green sea turtles spend the first three to five years of their lives in deeper waters. They are carnivores, eating fish eggs, molluscs, jellyfish, worms, sponges, algae, crustaceans and small invertebrates.
Adults green sea turtles spend most of their time in shallow coastal waters with lush seagrass beds. They are herbivores, relying on food such as sea grasses and algae. Adults are at home in coral reefs, salt marshes and near shore grass beds. In these habitats they have lots of food and protection from predators and rough ocean waves.
Green sea turtles are endangered. They face a high risk of extinction in the wild. The turtles are protected by law in most countries. Many countries also protect their nesting areas.
We can help green sea turtles stay alive! We can:
People who live close to a sea turtle nesting area can:
Porch lights, flashlights, and bonfires disorient hatchlings. They can head away from the ocean instead of towards it.
It’s March, but there is still lots of snow outside in Edmonton. St. Patrick’s Day activities and the green color they surround us with are so welcome. Here are three centers my class is currently playing in.
Items included in this sensory tray:
spinach rice vermicelli noodles (broken up)
green bowls, sieves, and scoops
green buttons, beads and bead garland
shamrock and leprechaun shaped erasers
green coins
leprechaun mini hats
shamrock ice cubes
The green vermicelli noodles are a great find, as they are “ready-made” for this activity.
Pretend play is hands down one of children’s favorite activities to do. When effort is put into adding details to a play kitchen, children respond with delight.
It’s been said that you should buy beautiful things you are drawn to, even if you are not sure how they will fit into your decorating color scheme or wardrobe collection.
When I purchased a narwhal themed sequin pillow, I wasn’t sure how I would use it in preschool play. I loved seeing color and shape change sequins in children’s clothing, and thought a sensory item like this would be nice to explore in the classroom.
Then I saw some “Glamping” pretend play posts on social media and knew this pillow would be perfect for an igloo “glamping” pretend play center.
To set up a glammed up igloo pretend play center, collect the following:
World Book Day is held every year on the first Thursday in March. It is a celebration of authors, illustrators, and books. And it is most of all a celebration of reading.
The impact of the picture book “Just Itzy” spanning my preschool storytime, a teacher aide’s home, and three children and their classrooms makes the story worthy of a shout out for World Book Day.
“Just Itzy” is written by Lana Krumwiede and illustrated by Greg Pizzoli. This story was one of the many books about spiders I chose last Fall in gathering resources for a Spider theme. It is an entertaining read about a spider named Itzy Bitzy and his first day of school. In the story, Itzy wants to catch his lunch instead of taking a lunch box that had been packed for him. In learning to make a spider web to trap food he becomes part of the nursery rhymes “Little Miss Muffet”, “There Was An Old Lady Who Swallowed A Fly”, and “The Itsy Bitsy Spider.” By the end of the tale, Itzy builds a successful spider web AND rescues his big brother Gutzy who had been teasing him about his “smallness.”
My class enjoyed the story. The teacher aide liked “Just Itzy” so much she borrowed the book from a library for her three children. After numerous readings at home, the story was further enjoyed at her children’s school:
The teacher aide said that for weeks afterward, their family would add humor to their day by chanting “Keep your eye on the fly,” a saying Itzy’s “spindergarten” teacher taught the class about never giving up.
Here’s a Hawaiian Party that works for all ages. We did it with a group of seniors, preschool children and their parents. It was dreamed up because this school year our preschool classes were invited to visit a seniors home to socialize with the residents. February was a great month to show some kindness, so we planned our visit then.
Hawaiian Holiday was the theme of choice. Our city was in the middle of a cold-weather spell, so the thinking was “If we can’t be in Hawaii, (where we would ALL rather be), then let’s bring Hawaii to us.”
Our preschool brought food and activities for the visit.
As seniors, preschool children and preschool parents entered the social room at the home, music from the CD “Golden Hits Of Hawaii” wafted through the air. (This is a favorite CD of Hawaiian music, and we’ve played it at school on some of our coldest days. The music lifts our spirits every time.)
As everyone chose a spot to sit, they were invited to make a paper lei.
Next, our school group performed some action songs for seniors and parents. Songs from Dr. Jean Sing Along Read Along books and CDs were our choice. (Dr. Jean has many singing and learning activities available on her website and her YouTube Channel.)
Then refreshments were served. Hawaiian themed paper plates were passed out.
Little muffins with parasols for decoration were offered.
