Story time!

One of the most important times we can share with our children is story time. I think of the hours I have spent reading to not only my own children, but to the children whom I have been blessed to teach and care for. Some stories I have read over and over hundreds of times. They are either true classics, or just fun adventures that children seem to get a kick from. Sometimes I can see them mouth the words along with me as I read to them, because they have memorized the story verbatim. I have learned never to skip a page or to improvise - kids are just too smart to allow you to do that! :) Reading to children is a time for bonding - a time for learning and a time for building imagination. When we share the joys of reading children will want to learn to read on their own - they will be inspired to pick up a book and turn the pages with curiosity.
I once worked in a child care centre where they used CD's of the story being told by some person in a studio - with a bell to indicate the time to turn the page! While this may be an interesting novelty, in my opinion it is an apathetic manner in which to assimilate a child to reading.
There is nothing better than a child cuddled up on your lap listening to each and every word you have to share from the pages of their favorite books.
How many books have you read to your child this week? Make it part of your routine to read at least one book each and every day. You will both benefit.

Let them do it!

There are many times when we could simply do things for our children to save time and to get tasks completed promptly, then we can move on to something new. But are we really helping our children if we do everything for them? In my classroom I work on skill development and building independence. Sometimes that means we simply have to allow our children to struggle a little, even if that means they may be the last one to join in on an activity or circle time. We may feel a little guilty for not jumping in and doing things for our kids to alleviate any stress - for them and us. We may even get frustrated because time is ticking. However we are giving our children a great gift when we let them discover and achieve things on their own. The sense of accomplishment when a job is well done shows on their little faces - that to me is priceless and supports the efforts.
I have had other teachers who come into my toddler room and say "Oh but they are so little, we should do it for them." My answer is, "Why?" If we always do each and ever task for our children they may never feel the satisfaction of achievement and they may even hesitate to try new things without an adult hovering over them to direct every move. Exploration and discovery in the early years of life is essential to healthy development. So I say, "Let them do it"! Supporting success is an imperative part of my job!

Today my little friend put on his own shoes - he was the last one to come to story time but he came with a big smile on his face! :)

Felt Board Stories

Last week Montessori Alliance posted a link for Flannel Stories which are available totally FREE! There are many choices to fit many familiar themes and children's literature. I used two of the printables today - the children loved them!
I printed off the ones I wanted to use - laminated them and put Velcro on them so I could use the felt board to present them.

There was an old lady who swallowed a fly!

I sing this song to the kids every day - using the prop brought even more smiles to the children's faces.

Although there is a goat in my version of the song the children didn't seem to care that when we use the prop a cow has moved in. :) 

Donut Shop

What fun this was - each child was able to select a donut and identify the colour. Even the shy children wanted to come up and take a turn selecting their colour. The verse that comes along with the donuts is very similar to one I use for a cookie game (as seen in the post here - resource-storage )

Previously I had been using these felt mittens to teach colours - now I have something else to support that!

The felt mittens lead into the felt shapes - I hold them up like flashcards and the children yell out the colour and shape - great fun!

I know I will certainly go back to the link and print more since we had so much fun and I do love using props. I have written about that before - Props

Water Colour Painting

Today we brought out the water colour paints and for some this was a first time experience. So they were uncertain how this actually worked.

At first some were simply dipping their brush into the water and began to paint.

They were a bit confused why there was no colour.

Then Ms. L demonstrated....

..... and everyone got it!

The experience of exploring new mediums presents a new understanding of how things work and how much fun creating can be!

Paint recipes for crafting and face painting!

With Halloween coming and the cooler weather I thought I'd add some links for paint recipes. If we get stuck indoors painting will sure be a welcome activity.

http://www.kids-party-paradise.com/face-paint-recipes.html

http://www.kids-party-paradise.com/face-paint-recipes.html

http://www.face-painting-fun.com/

http://www.buzzle.com/articles/facepainting/

http://www.kidactivities.net/post/40-Recipes-for-Making-paint-and-Colors!.aspx

http://www.perpetualpreschool.com/paint.html

http://www.allfreecrafts.com/christmas/paint.shtml

http://www.creativekidsathome.com/activities/activity_42.html#Original%20Fingerpaint

http://familycrafts.about.com/od/paintrecipes/Paint_Recipes.htm

Lapbooks

A friend of mine over at Habeebee Homeschooling got me thinking about lapbooks - so I thought I'd put together a few links to assist in your lapbooking adventures. Lapbooks are like a comprehensive collection of information - illustrations - photos covering a topic studied, with the intention of sharing it, or revisiting the topic - to extend, or to add to the lessons learned.

Here are some helpful links on the topic!

http://www.squidoo.com/lapbooking

http://www.squidoo.com/lapbooking-supplies

http://www.homeschoolshare.com/lapbooking_resources.php

http://lapbooklessons.ning.com/video/video?from=fb

http://lapbooking.wordpress.com/

If you have a link to share on the topic of lapbooks please post it below in the comments area!

First Day of school - Starting with the basics

On the first day of school I like to allow for exploration and getting to know your classroom. I observe the goings on, so that I can take in what is important to the children, then I base my lessons on those interests. I watch to see what toys the children choose - what activities get the children involved and what allows for engaging with one another. I also look at things like gross motor and fine motor coordination - language skills and social skills. I know, that's a lot to take in, but I find that I am an observer of others in many settings, not just in the classroom, so for me these observations come naturally. When I have a mental picture of what I deem a decisive path to take with the group of children in my charge - the school year becomes fun and successful. These observations continue throughout the year and as the children grow - the activities take on new life and grow with the children . New challenges are presented and new interests develop. I simply love being a toddler teacher, because I see tremendous development in one school year. The children literally come in as infants and leave as 'little people' ready to take on new adventures with confidence.

It was awesome to welcome the returning children today and to meet the new children who joined our class. We only had two little boys show a few tears at the beginning of the day, which dissipated as soon as they got engaged in the exploits of the day. I look forward to what lays ahead for our awesome little group! It as a successful first day!

I was blessed to see so many great smiles today!