Nursery rhymes are a very effective way to build important language skills. Not only are the rhymes filled with complex words and thoughts, children naturally love rhythm, movement, poetry, and song. What better way to practice language than within the safety of spontaneous chants, rhymes, and songs. The reciting of rhymes improves memory and metacognition along with other skills that are great for brain development.
Read MoreI picked a few apples in my garden this afternoon. Not only did I get a delicious bite, but I got that excited feeling that goes with thematic teaching. An Apple Thematic Unit is always fun, engaging, and rewarding!
Read MoreOne of my favorite parts of teaching kindergarten is how easy it is to incorporate STEM into the curriculum. Kindergartners have a natural curiosity about the world around them and a love of the natural world. My Science Center is one of the easiest areas in my classroom to prep and one of my student’s favorite places to be during the day!
Read MoreSetting the tone for the school day in a play based way prepares students for a day of learning. Through play students develop self regulation, deepen social competence, increase oral language and vocabulary skills, explore, discover, create, negotiate, problem solve and much much more!
Read MoreBy Holly Gilbert, Content Specialist for Playworld
It’s hardly a surprise to anyone that children love to play. There’s a reason every kid longs for recess, after all. Fortunately, the benefits of play-based learning have long been touted in the educational sphere. Play allows children to explore new concepts, exercise their curiosity and creativity, and learn to interact with each other in an unstructured environment.
Read MoreI recently took my grandchildren to see “Toy Story 4”. At the beginning of the movie, a very distraught Bonnie goes to kindergarten orientation. During the orientation, the teacher asks the children to make pencil holders, and Bonnie, alone and afraid, begins to cry. Always reliable, Woody sneaks out of her backpack (where he has been hiding) and quickly grabs some art supplies from the trash and dumps them in front of Bonnie. Bonnie opens her eyes, then proceeds to make a friend for herself from the discarded supplies that she names “Forky.” With her new toy in hand, she is able to find the courage to make it through the rest of Kindergarten Orientation.
Read MoreThe kindergarten years are important years where solid foundations are laid - foundations on which future academic success are set, if you will, in foundational stone. During these early years it is of upmost importance to teach deep — not wide!
Read MoreMy husband and I just went through the process of dividing my Mother-in-Law’s things between her children in preparation of her living in a nursing home. All I could think as we sorted through it was that, in the end, it was just stuff. Why do we need it all? The experience encouraged me to simplify my life; eliminating that extra stuff that is filling spaces in my house, not filling spaces in my heart.
Read MoreA farm theme is a great example of how starting with a general idea can mushroom into many smaller themes. Actually every facet of a farm could lend itself to thematic instruction. After I present the broad theme of the farm, I let my student’s interests guide the way to the facets that most interest them.
Read MoreThe day G. told me that she doesn’t like her nose because it “isn’t cute” is the day I started writing this book. Our bodies are ours alone. They need to be honored, cherished, and loved. Do we all look the same? No. Do we all have magazine worthy bodies? No. But that isn’t what being “Me” is all about!
Read MoreI love to celebrate Earth Day when Spring is awakening the beauties of the earth. Whether you celebrate our planet for a week or a day, take note of this special day.
Read MoreToday’s world is one of instantaneous inter-connectivity. Working collaboratively is an essential skill that must be taught, nourished and fostered in order to succeed in such an environment.
Read MoreWho doesn’t love adorable ducks! I love bringing the excitement of these friendly fowls into the classroom. If you have a farm store in your community (you can even find them in larger cities), it is easy to find baby ducks waiting for you right in the store. If I have a family ready to adopt the ducklings, I will purchase them, but I find the farm stores are generally more than happy to let the ducks visit your classroom for an extended visit, to only return back to the store to find their permanent home.
Read MoreDid you know that Level A and Level B books were created especially to teach children to track print? It’s true! These two beginning levels have a specific purpose. To train a child’s eyes to track print on the page using their finger as a guide. In this way they experience important concepts of print: that print moves from left to right, how to hold a book and turn the pages, and how to identify individual letters and words. After a child has learned to track print, it is important for them to move immediately to Level C, to start learning word attack and decoding skills.
Read MoreLife in a pond is filled with some of the most fascinating characters you can find. Consequently it makes for a great thematic unit!. Frogs, duck, turtles, alligators, butterflies, dragonflies, and other pond life are among some of my favorite creatures to study, because they are not only fascinating, but pretty cute!
Read MoreAs I walked by a classroom yesterday, I heard a teacher yelling at a student with a very forceful voice and exaggerated body language. This immediately took me to another place and time, the time when Mr. Black karate chopped me so hard in the back of the neck that I peed my pants instantly in front of the entire class. Why, you might ask? Because I ran on a corner of the grass instead of the sidewalk. You see, Mr Black, had a very strict rule that grass was not a place for children. I was playing tag with my friends and in the chase, I took a short-cut across the grass to place the tag. And there he was — I froze in fear. He chopped, and I peed. “Go clean yourself up he growled.” (I wonder how my head stayed attached to my body with that forceful chop).
Read MoreTwo of my favorite thematic units are the Jungle and the Zoo. These two units are such great companions! I begin with the study of the jungle and then move into study of zoo animals.
Read MoreMy mom told me that she wanted to name me Kathy, but she went with Kathleen because I was due on St. Patrick’s day. I also took a DNA test that told me I’m 4.9% Irish, so I guess there is nothing to do but embrace this lighthearted holiday, which is based on a patron Saint in Ireland that died in 461. Wow! That is a long time for a celebration to survive. The community where I currently live has a giant St. Patrick’s Day parade, started by a an Irish settler in the community four decades ago. His goal was to give opportunity for everyone to act like a kid again, which is something I do every day!
Read MoreI love bringing fairy and folk tales into my classroom, I could focus on these tales all year long and still not run out of fun, rigorous, and purposeful material for my students!
These great tales are a fabulous way to study positive and negative character traits, other cultures, learn effective decision making, how to handle conflict, and natural consequences. It’s no wonder that these tales have been told for centuries!
Read MoreI love constructing multimedia art projects with my students. Especially when it involves putting the child into the picture.
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