Preschool Activities that Foster Caring

It just doesn't get any cuter than seeing a group of three year olds pass around this little heart-shaped box while filling it with kisses for their friends that are missing from preschool that day.

Each day during our Brain Smart Start we count all the children and discover who is missing.  We pass this little heart-shaped box around the circle and each child has a turn to fill it with kisses for our missing friends.  We tell them to hurry up and put the lid back on so the kisses don't fall out! 

 

When our friends return to school our Wish Well Helper takes the lid off the box and shakes all the kisses out on our special friend's head!  The room is filled with smiles, hugs, and lots of giggles as we experience the warmth of a connected School Family.

 

The Wish Well Ritual is part of the Conscious Discipline program.  When I discovered Conscious Discipline over five years ago this was one of the first rituals I added to our daily routine.  It made a huge impact on my attitude toward the children as I began to really focus on my relationship with them.  The class as a whole began to really notice when others were hurting or missing from class.  We all began to care so much more deeply for one another.  I found that parents began telling stories of their children showing concern for their classmates that carried over into their prayer time at home.  Now, instead of running home to tell their parents who got in trouble at school that day, children were demonstrating how much they care for their preschool friends.

 

The After-Christmas Tree

                                                   

Last week we really enjoyed our study of what animals do in the winter. What better time to study it than when we have 6 inches of snow on the ground!?!

One of our favorite activities was making this pine tree decorated with birdseed just like in our story. The children practiced cutting skills by fringing the sides and bottom of a green triangle. 

 Then they glued it to a piece of white paper.

We placed the paper in a cookie sheet and let them drizzle liquid glue all over their tree ( this was their favorite part).

Next they sprinkled birdseed all over the tree and viola...The After Christmas Tree!

More than JUST a Bag of Books

Each day in our preschool classroom we have some time for independent reading right after snack. There are times when this can be a very chaotic. About a year ago I came up with a plan to help organize this time better for the children and they LOVE it (and so do I)! At first, we called them "book bags" and the children headed for the coat closet thinking it was time to go home. Now we call them our "bag of books"!

At the Dollar Store I found these little canvas bags in several colors.  I think they were intended to be diaper bags so they have lots of nice little pockets on the outside too!  I printed out a name tag that included a picture of the child and laminated it.  I also printed out little visual cue cards to remind them what choices they may have while using the bags. The cue card reminds them that they may read quietly, look at a book with a book buddy (beanie baby), or draw and write in their journal.  The nametag and visual cue card are tied on to the straps of the bag.  You can see the visual cue card as well as the nametag in the picture below.

Each bag of books has a seasonal/thematic book, an alphabet book, and a book with some sort of math concept.  The books in the bag are chosen based on the reading level and interests of each child.  They also have a small stuffed beanie baby animal to read with.  There is a pencil and a journal of blank copy paper to write in.  One little boy refers to it as his "field journal" and he enjoys writing and drawing pictures of animals.  They also enjoy sharing quietly with one or two children sitting near them while they read and write. 

Each child has a quiet spot somewhere around the classroom where they read by themselves. Teachers rotate around and read with individuals too! While they read we play classical music. This is one of our favorite times of day now! It is so peaceful and just beautiful! 

Growing Together: A Blogger Mentoring Program

Over the past year, I have really enjoyed sharing ideas from my classroom and home on this blog.  It has been an amazing learning experience!  The "Blog World" has so much to offer.  I really want to know more about how to create a blog that is as beneficial as possible to the public while being easy to navigate and enjoyable too!  When I arrived on Facebook today, I saw this opportunity from "One Artsy Mamma" to participate in a blogger mentoring program.  It will last for about 3 months and is an online course with all kinds of support.  I'm really looking forward to all it has to offer and can't wait!

If you're interested, take a peek! 

                                                          http://www.oneartsymama.com/

Bedtime Routines

Do you ever find yourself depleted of energy and patience at bedtime? I'm sure I'm not alone in my efforts to just stay calm until they lay their sweet little heads down for the night!
I have found it very helpful over the years to add little rituals and routines to bedtime. When it seems that bedtime is falling apart, I can shape things up pretty quickly by adding some structure. Through the use of a visual routine board i can give my children just what they need:safety through pictures and predictability! Imagine it as a "to do list" for kids. Since my daughter is older now, she helped me create a routine board at the beginning of the school year. Using my phone, she went through the house taking pictures of all the steps in her bedtime routine. I simply printed them out, laminated, added some Velcro and we were good to go!

Once we finish with the bedtime routine, we take some time to connect through loving rituals. Dr. Becky Bailey's "I Love You Rituals" have really helped me be more intentional about connecting with my kiddos at bedtime.

Recently, I told my daughter to be thinking about what ritual she wanted to do when I tucked her in bed that night. She told me she wanted to make up a new one. I was delighted and couldn't wait to see what she came up with!  Here is the little poem she made up and pictures of she and I doing the ritual together. 

The next time you find yourself at the end of the day just barely hanging on the the end of your rope, maybe you can try a fun little connecting ritual with your child.  It may be just what you need so you can both go to bed and rest a little bit easier!

"Gingerbread Goodnight Ritual"

Gingerbread, gingerbread
Tucked in bed.
Now lay down your sweet little head.

See the pictures below for step by step motions!