Felt Board Stories 2

Well I have made an extra effort his year to get out the felt board - to do lessons - tell stories - sing songs - and to do finger plays. The kids really absorb every moment of these activities - probably because it's visual and I tend to use funny voices and become quite expressive when presenting! :)

Here are a few examples of what I do.

I use pre-made sets - like Old McDonald!

Hand made sets I made for finger plays - but also work well on the felt board.

As seen in - Props for songs and finger plays

I printed up little cue cards for each since there are times I forget the words! :)

Then I have printed off some story images and props from other websites.

Daycare Resource Connection - flannel stories

These have been successful and fun!

Read this!

Then other peoples creative ideas have inspired me to make my own version of the props seen.

A Happy Wanderer - fall leaves game

I have many more on hand and I hope to be inspired by the creative bloggers in the ECE world to make even more!

Join Teach Preschool Felt board linky

She Speaks!

Today during nap time I kept hearing this little voice chatting away to themselves. The voice was not familiar. Wanting to 'hush' the child so others would stay asleep, I cruised the room looking to the 'new' children who are in my room for the summer camps. They were all sleeping soundly! Who's voice was I hearing? As I crossed the room, this cherub of a girl, who had been in my classroom all school year, was having quite a conversation with herself! I was shocked and amazed because she had NEVER said a single thing all year - never changed her facial expression or got involved in any activity without proding! Today she was chatting with me, looking through books with me and describing all she was seeing, answering all my questions and doing so with full sentences! OMG her Mother had told me she was talking, but I never thought it was going to be like this! I was over the moon! I was so excited to tell her Mother she finally spoke to me! To top the excitement off she didn't want to leave at the end of the day, and her Mom told me that when she was at home during her weeks off, she took her school shoes from the cupboard and asked to come to see me!
These breakthrough moments are why I love toddlers. I get to see them move from tiny tots who are scared and uncertain, to bold and brassen - willing to share who they are in a moment when they feel comfortable enough to make that connection.
Now I can't wait to get to school tomorrow to have another conversation - with this very special little girl!

Oh and BTW we got up an half hour early today - because she was talking so much - she woke everyone up - but that's OK!! :)

I am hoping this stoic facade will turn to smiles in no time!

Songs with names

http://www.teachpreschool.org/2011/06/literacy-beginnings-chapter-two/

While reading Teach Preschools' reflection on chapter 2 of 'Literacy Beginnings', I was reminded of the songs we sing which includes a child's name. The children get so excited when they hear their name in a familiar tune. I have one child that literally vibrates with excitement when she hears her name.
Here are a few lyrics I want to share - please feel free to add some of your own!

Buzzy, Buzzy Baby Bee

Buzzy, buzzy baby bee,

Won't you say your name for me? (point to child)

(I have a pointer in the shape of a bee, which I use to point to, or tap a child on the head - they giggle when this happens)

Jacob!
Good morning, Jacob!
I'm so glad you're here with me.


Good Morning Train                                                        

The Good morning train is coming

How are you? Choo- Choo

The good morning train is coming

How are you? Choo-Choo
the good morning train is coming,

the good morning train is coming,

the good morning train is coming
How are you? Choo-choo...
Say good morning (child's name)
How are you? Choo-choo
Say good morning (another child's name)
How are you? Choo-choo
Say good morning to ___________
Say good morning to _____________
Say good morning ___________
How are you? choo-choo

Then you go through each child in your class with the same verse over again until you have included each child's name.... Oh and don’t forget the teachers as well! J

This can be sung as each child gets up and makes a train with the child whose name was called before them, until all children are a part of a long train. Move about the room!

Tub song

(Child’s name) where are you going? (Point to child)

Upstairs to take a bath! (Stomp feet like you are going upstairs)

________ jumps into the tub “SPLASH”! (Clap hands loudly)

________ pulls out the plug “POP”! (Pretend to pull out a plug)

Oh my goodness, bless my soul there goes ________ down the hole! (Twirl pointer finger in the air)

Glub, glub, glub! (Wiggle like you are going down a drain)

Then continue for each child!

Communication reflection

I need to try and become less distracted by internal and external influences during my interactions with others. A determined effort to become more focused and in the moment is required. It’s very easy for me to look beyond the immediate and think about what is occurring in my direct vicinity, or what is occurring in my life. Everything from a sound in the distance, to a bird flying outside the window, or a fleeting thought, can pull me in another direction. So I have to consciously be aware of that at all time and avoid doing so. I practice being an active listener to the best of my ability, however I am sure I have undiagnosed ADHD as it appears to be a huge family trait.

Perhaps some aspects of my ‘honesty’ should be limited if it will not be well received by the listener. It is so important to me to be honest and open and to be very clear in what my thoughts are. The result - I may not care to censor myself in some aspects of a conversation. To avoid this it takes tremendous effort, as I feel it’s more important to get the word out, than to be closed off to self expression.

I should consider not being so open during impersonal communication, as it may be deemed too forward by some. Hence picking and choosing what and with whom I will share certain information. Too much information can be a barrier, as others may not care to respond in kind – therefore shutting them off from the interaction. The conversation can then become imbalanced.

I could make some changes that are deemed more positive in nature, by allowing for input on how others see me communicating, in regards to my ‘unknown self’.  I really don’t want to know things that may alter the comfort level I feel. That is an aspect of others being judgmental, which I believe is a negative trait. So accepting others input can be difficult. I will have to think of it as being a positive tool for improvement and not a negative factor in a relationship.

With all this being said, I have to make sure that when I have conversations with parents regarding their children I am positive and in the moment. I have to be cognisant of my communications skills and the influences on that conversation.

            Whether there is room for improvement or my interpersonal communication skills are acceptable (balanced in my view), one thing I am sure of is, that I am consistent and treat everyone equally during my interactions.

Are you aware of how you communicate?

I share this with all of you because we work in a job where communication is tremendously important. Parents, children and co-workers must be understood, and in turn we must make ourselves clear to them. We must be approachable and carry on positive interactions at all times.

Puppet Play

On a regular basis I ensure that the children get involved in activities that support language development.

Playing with puppets certainly does encourage language. While playing with puppets I will encourage the children to use their own voices and words to make their puppets ‘come to life’. I will also model how to use funny voices / sounds to show how puppets can be used to entertain. The children really need little encouragement to begin making funny voices and sounds to represent their puppet.

When children have access to puppets they immediately begin putting them on their hands and making vocalizations. I will model the correct usage of language when words or sentence structure need support. The children appear to enjoy this spontaneous activity, making each other laugh and smile.

           This activity encourages the children to use their words and to use their imagination. Therefore literacy and cognition are supported and challenged. It also has the children socially interacting with one another, as well as with the teacher.          

          Emotionally the children appear relaxed and happy during puppet play. Children have a natural desire to learn and to expand their knowledge and experiences, so what a fun way to support that. Children will support and encourage one another making learning socially and emotionally fulfilling.

So as a teacher being a role model, facilitator and play partner need not be difficult or intrusive. There are plenty of play opportunities to teach and model language. Encouragement makes children want to learn and remain on task.

Doing activities that simply appear to be play will make learning unobtrusive and fun.

Encouraging Language

A while back I posted about encouraging Toddlers to speak by using a tape recorder and microphone - it was great fun!
Here is the link - http://kreativeactivities.blogspot.com/2011/06/we-all-have-voice.html

This week I brought in a megaphone that changed the tone of their voice - we got a great giggle from the sound of our voice! Not only was it fun, but encouraging language is essential to social development - self esteem and confidence.

I noticed even the children who were not sure of their vocal abilities tried this out with some success!

Hey that's my name!

My toddlers are brilliant! Yes I said it - brilliant!! I may be a tad bias but hey, they can read their name and the names of all their classmates and teachers as well! I made these flashcards (8.5x11) from brightly coloured copy paper. This derived from the desire to have them identify the letters of the alphabet. The first letter of their name is made prominently which assists in quick identification. We do these each day as a part of our circle time routine. The kids have perfected the skill of reading all 20 or so names that they now like to read them off as fast as they can. As new children and adults come into their lives - we add their names as well!