Preschool Goes Postal...

For the past two weeks my classroom has explored one of the oldest institutions in our country, The Unites State Postal Service.  We learned about stamps, letters, envelopes, and postcards. We turned our dramatic play area into the Preschool Post Office. We were able to get USPS boxes, envelopes and mailing labels donated to us from our local post office.

The children had lots of fun, packing boxes and mailing them to friends across the room. I think they got the most enjoyment out of stuffing envelopes! Which is  a great fine motor activity that also strengthens hand-eye coordination.

 For art activities we decorated our own stamp with the number 44 on them. We learned that each stamp costs 44 cents.  (number recognition/pre-math). I showed then children numerous pictures of stamps from the past and they were amazed at some of the pictures that have donned the faces of postal stamps in years past. I must admit, so was I. We've had some really cool stamps over the years.

We also learned about postcards. My co-teacher brought in postcards for each of the students and we learned that we didn't need an envelope to mail a postcard. We decided to make our own post cards, using a postcard template that we glued to a sturdy piece of cardboard. The children then decorated the front of the postcard with magazine cut outs from Ranger Rick and other kids wildlife magazines. The children had fun designing their own post cards while strengthening their cutting skills and other fine motor skills. They also were encouraged to write messages on their postcards and most of the children made wonderful squiggly lines (pre-writing) and also practiced writing their name. Fun and learning all together.

For a an open-ended process art activity we painted with bubble wrap. I cut the bubble wrap into squares and then taped the edges to make a bubble wrap glove. It was neat to see where the children took this activity. Some of the children didn't use the bubble wrap to pant, they simple popped the bubble wrap and then used their hands to paint. Others had fun seeing the texture and prints that the bubble wrap glove left behind. Colors were mixed and imaginations were free. It was really great sensory/art activity.

 One of my favorite activities that we did this week is one that will stick with me forever. In our weekly newsletter, we asked parents and grandparents to write letters to their child and send it to the school. My co-teacher and I were amazed at the amount of letters the children received. We used an old metal mailbox as our preschool mailbox and after rest time everyday the children would check to see if the red flag was up. If it was, that meant that some lucky preschoolers had received mail. During our afternoon snack time we read the letters to the children. (Well, we attempted to read them it was a little difficult through the heartwarming tears the letters brought to our eyes)

After we read the letters we taped them on a bulletin board for the children to look at through the week.

I think what I enjoyed most about this activity was that the parents whom I didn't think think would send letters, actually did. (Lesson in humility for me) Those letters were the most heartwarming and special because it reminded us the special bond between parent and child. And the pride that each child exuded as we read THEIR letter from THEIR loved one was so special that it reminded me of the importance of a handwritten letter and that letter writing is a lost art. It also reminded me of how special it is to see familiar handwriting on a piece of paper. In an age of email and texting, I wonder how many children would actually recognize the handwriting of a loved one? I know one of the strongest memories I have of my mother is her handwriting. She had the most beautiful penmanship. I remember finding a letter from her shortly after she passed and I will never forget the feeling that flowed through me. I still have that letter safely put away and I pull it out sometimes when I'm missing her. Can you recognize your mother's handwriting? Can your child recognize yours? Hmmm!

Lesson Learned: The importance and impact of handwritten letters. 

*Also, The US Postal Service was established on July 26, 1775 by Congress. Benjamin Franklin was made the first Postmaster General.  

Back to School Survival Tips for the Unprepared Teacher

This fall I'm teaching at a new school. I will still be teaching 3-5 year olds, but everything else will be different. What is especially different about this year is that I start teaching on Monday, today is Saturday, and I am not prepared! In the nine years that I have been teaching I have never felt more unprepared for the first day of school than I do right now. My classroom is set up, I have activities and lesson plans for the week prepared, posters hung up and and yet, I'm sure I'm forgetting something. Maybe its new school jitters, maybe its all in my head or maybe I really am forgetting something so huge that I'm going to ruin the lives of my new students. (Hey, I've never claimed to not have a flare for the dramatic!)  While I'm sure that there is probably a poster or picture that I forgot to hang up or some other small thing that I have forgotten, I'm also pretty sure that I will survive and so will my students. Here are a few tips that might help you survive too.

Back to School Survival tips for the Unprepared Teacher...

1. Coffee!  Since bringing alcohol into the classroom is generally frowned upon (oh, come on, like you have never been tempted.) I suggest bringing coffee and lots of it for that first day. If you are not a coffee drinker, bring lots of whatever is you do drink. That familiarity of a guilty pleasure, will aid you in forgetting that you are unprepared for the day. It will also keep you sane when the kids are in their back to school, drive you nuts, hyper mode.  Never underestimate the comfort of a guilty pleasure.
2. Look Cute!  Nothing says "I'm prepared for the first day of school" like a well dressed teacher. If you look like you have it all together, parents and students and co-workers will believe that you do have all together and that you are rock star teacher! (All teachers are rock stars in my book, whether prepared or not, just FYI.) So, rock your best teaching outfit, even if there's a chance it will get paint, dirt, snot, or coffee on it. I promise the confidence you will feel will be more than worth the extra cost of stain remover.
3. Back-up Plan!  No matter what I have written down on my weekly lesson plans, on the bottom of the page, in the notes section I always write down a back up plan or activity. These are the activities you pull out when nothing on your daily lesson plan is of interest to the children. Here are a couple of my staple back-up activities: shaving cream, floor painting, washing dishes, and band-aids.  I will write a post based on these activities in the near future,  but for now they are only serving to prove my point that every successful teacher, even if he or she is unprepared should always have a back-up plan that they can use in case of emergency. In a way, having a back-up plan is being prepared, hence making you less unprepared. (See how I did that? You feel prepared now, don't you?)
4. Lie!  Normally, I'm all about the truth. I'm actually kind of a stickler about it in both my personal and professional life, however, there is one time where I condone lying, in fact I even encourage it in this certain situation. Every teacher at the beginning of the school year is asked the most annoying question in the world... "Are you ready for the first day of school?" When someone asks you this, you must lie! No one wants to hear a surgeon who is about to perform a complicated, life-saving surgery say they are not ready for the surgery, do they? Of course not! They also do not want to hear that a person who shapes young minds is unprepared for the first day of school. So when in this situation,  I say lie! Lie your butt off! Tell them you have been prepared for the past week and that you couldn't be more excited for the first day of school. That's what they want to hear anyway. Plus, if you say it, you might actually believe it, and then again feel better prepared for the first day of school.  **Disclaimer: Answer honestly when a fellow teacher asks you this question. They will know you're full of crap if you try to lie. Remember, they're probably unprepared as well and we teachers are in this together. 
5. Consider the students!  When all else fails to make you feel better prepared for the first day of school, remember why you signed up for this underpaid, under-appreciated, stress induced career! Who the hell cares if you forgot to put up a poster, or if your classroom is in shambles, or if you really are unprepared. The only thing that matters is that you are teacher! You signed up for this job because you love kids and want to make a difference in their lives. (If this not true in your case, then quit your job and let the people who care about kids do it!) So spend the first day or first week getting to know your students. Build relationships with them. Set the foundation to make a positive difference in their lives. Set them up for a successful school year and ultimately a successful life. 

I truly believe the most prepared teacher is a committed teacher. Students are not going to remember what a teacher wore or how the classroom was set up, the only thing students will remember is how the teacher made them feel when they entered the classroom.

Happy first day of school, peeps! You're a rock star!! xo

It Pays to Play...

There are many aspects about my job that I love and one of the things I like best is that my classroom is a play-based classroom!  My students learn important academic and life skills through play. In today's society, preschool programs that encourage play as a learning tool are often thought of as inferior to those programs that don't. The truth is that neither programs is superior or inferior to the other scientifically, both have good arguments for success. What it comes down to is which philosophy you believe in (you believe in one or the other whether you realize it or not.) I believe in PLAY!  And the really best part of my job...I get paid to do it!! How awesome is that?! I get paid to play!

Maybe its the kid in me or maybe I'm just weird, but I love the fact I get to go to work and play with one of my all-time favorite childhood toys: Play-dough!  I love the feel of it and the smell of it, especially when I add some of my own ingredients such as Kool-Aid, cinnamon, or vanilla extract! (Yes, I make my own play-dough! Its cheaper and I can get creative with the recipe.) If you played with play-dough as a kid you remember all the really cool sculpture you could make. I always enjoyed making "cookies," and other food items.  Like many other play items that fill my classroom, play-dough is a multifaceted learning tool! I love strengthening my student's reading and math skills when I sit down and join them in play-dough play. You are probably wondering how a hunk of dough can teach a child to read and add aren't you?  Well, did you ever roll your play-dough in a long snake-like roll? Did you ever make it into the letter 'S'? I'm pretty sure you did, or else you were robbed of proper play-dough play AND a happy childhood. Anyway, when I roll out really long snakes, which the kids ask me to do quite often because evidently I'm awesome at it, I will often make a letter out of the "snake" and ask the child if they recognize the letter. Most often they do, and when they don't I get help them learn a new letter. This is all pre-reading!! (You can't read if you don't know your letters.) If the child knows the letter I will often continue my teaching opportunity by asking if they know what sound the letter makes and if they can think of a word that begins with that letter. Another way, to reinforce literacy skills using play-dough is by giving the children straws or toothpicks. Kids love straws!! I often flatten out a ball of play-dough into a clean slate and then use the straw or the toothpick to write my name or the child's name or just some letters. The children will often practice writing their own name in their play-dough! They think it is pretty cool to see their name written in play-dough.

Now on to play-dough math fun! This often starts out with the child using cookie cutters to make cut outs. Most of my students also enjoy making "cookies" and they usually make quite a few. Leaving the opportunity reinforce counting skills. If they have have made different types of cookies, there is an excellent opportunity to encourage sorting skills (necessary for math) and even work on patterns. Sometimes I will throw in some early addition skills by asking how many of each cookie and then how many all together.


So in one fifteen minute sitting, my students and I have worked on literacy skills and math skills all the while having fun with play-dough!  Its an easy and inexpensive way to make learning fun through play.

Lesson of the Day: Never underestimate the power of play! (or play-dough)


Kool-Aid Play-dough Recipe:
2 cups of flour
1 cup of salt
2tbs of cream of tartar
1tbs vegetable oil
1 cup of very hot water
1 packet of favorite Kool-Aid (if using Lemonade, have yellow food coloring on hand to enhance color)
*Mix dry ingredients (except Kool-Aid) in bowl. Add Kool-Aid to water and stir well. Then add oil to colored water. Stir until ball forms and all ingredients are absorbed. Lightly flour surface and then knead dough until its no longer sticky and all the flour is absorbed. 

Lets Talk Boogers!!!

"I'm the real boogieman!!"

Tis the season!!!!  There is nothing I hate more than winter. Not because of the cold and the snow, although those are a thorn in my side, but because it brings the snot!!  Any person who works or has worked or even has children knows what I'm talking about. Its not the clear normal kind. No, we are talking the clumpy and sticky green kind. You know, the kind that hangs in a bubble right between the nostril and the upper lip. The kind of snot that requires ten tissues just to wipe safely away without it seeping through to your hands. The kind of snot that even The Licker (the child that constantly tries to lick the booger away instead of walking that two inches to get a tissue) can't remove with their tongue.

Teaching preschool, I have learned that there is nothing I can do about the booger epidemic. Four and five year olds have this ingrained notion that the tissue is the enemy. Its the boogieman (haha, no pun intended!) that evidently scares the crap out of them because they will use anything, sleeve, blanket, your favorite cardigan, to wipe their noses. Anything and everything EXCEPT for the one thing mechanically designed for the wiping of boogers!

Now, I am sure you must be wondering why I am devoting an entire post to the topic of snot. And although it probably would be a good segue into reminding you of the importance of hand washing, but if you work with kids you don't need the reminder since its probably one of the most repeated phrases of your day.  So, the only reason that I can give for a post on snot is that I wanted to vent a little! Since the title of this blog is Things I Learned in Preschool, I guess I should have learned a lesson and I guess I did. Here it is: As long as there are preschoolers, there will always be boogers! Hey, at least I don't have to deal with poop! Oooooh, wait, actually I do, but that's another post for another time.  Happy Nose Blowing, Preschool Peeps!!!

Lesson of the Day: Sometimes you just need to paint on the floor!!

"There is an artist in all of us...." -Unknown

Yesterday, I got a much needed lesson in flexibility. As a preschool teacher, its imperative that I be flexible. However, me being the control freak, type-A, planner that I am, I struggle with flexibility. As always my co-teacher and I had set plans for the activities of the day, and yesterday we were going to mitten paint as a go-along activity with our reading of the, "The Mitten"by Jan Brett. However, our students had other plans! One of the girls asked if she could start painting on a big piece of paper,  so I pulled out a long piece of butcher paper to cover the table, but it ended up being longer than the table and the end trailed on the floor. So, another little girl asked if we could just put it on the floor and paint it there. Since I couldn't think of one reasonable reason as to why we couldn't, I taped the paper to the floor and started passing out the paint brushes. Soon, other kids wanted to participate in painting on the floor and it quickly became a group activity! I taped another long sheet of butcher paper to the floor connecting it to the original piece since I love the idea of a cumulative team effort. Kids started grabbing things like stencils, roller paints, crayons, etc, from the art shelves began adding their own ideas to the huge mural. Soon we had one of the most beautiful creations that I had seen in a long time. It was a definite proud teacher moment. (after I stopped freaking out about the paint that was accidentally getting on the floor and carpet.) The kids had a blast with all the freedom and learned so much in the process. One child loved the fact that when he mixed yellow and red paint together he got orange. The pride that emanated from him was infectious. I was proud of him, too! They used different size paint brushes, glued pom-poms to the paper, they even painted over the stencils instead of just tracing them. Once the paper was covered I asked the kids what they wanted to do next, and I bet you can guess what their response was? Yup, you guessed it, they wanted to make another one. So we rolled up the mural, tossed in the trash and started a new one! We did this about three more times until the students lost interest! This was a totally child-lead activity and we all enjoyed every minute of it.



Not only did my students take a lot away from that activity, but I did too! I learned that sometimes the best experiences come from the simplest places. And a reminder that the world will still rotate on its axis, even if my daily lesson plans don't get accomplished!