Mother's Day and Father's Day Gifts

In the past I have done several different Mother's Day and Father's Day gifts; however, the gift that my class did last year was my favorite. The students were asked why they love their Mom and what they said word for word is what you see in the pictures. I did this for Mother's Day but you could easily do it for Father's Day. 

I saw this idea on Pinterest for Mother's Day and Father's Day. The letters are magnet letters and what the students are holding up is a dry erase board. The background is paper that are in huge rolls and the letters I cut out and glued to the paper. I asked the student why he or she loved his or her mom and then the student used inventive spelling to help spell the words. The students also used their knowledge of sight words to help them. Then I took pictures of each student and had the pictures developed at Walgreens.  Then the students decorated frames for their moms and we put magnets on the back of the frames. We gave the Moms their gifts at our annual Mother's Day Breakfast held at our school. The Moms loved them!

What have you given as Mother's Day and Father's Day gifts in your class?

Holiday Gifts for Parents

In my class this year for a holiday gift my co-teacher and I are having the students create paintings on a canvas to give to their parents. Luckily a family donated over 20 canvas for we have enough canvas for each student; however, if you are not as fortunate a good place to go for canvas is Michaels. Right now there is a sale going on 50% off canvas, 2 canvas for $4.49!  The canvas that are on sale are the same canvas that I am using in my own classroom. The students are given the choice of what painting they want to create for their parents. They are given the following 5 choices to pick from:

1. Christmas tree
2. Snowflake
3. Angel
4. Snowman
5. Gingerbread man 

Micheals even has its own blog that discusses various topics such as project ideas, tips, how to, and much more. 

The following images are ideas that I am using in my own class as well as other ideas that you could use for holiday gifts. The following images were all found on Pinterest. 

For my students I created stencils by tracing the image of a snowflake, angel, snowman, and gingerbread man all on their own piece of cardboard and then cut out the image. That way I can lay the stencil on top of the student's canvas and the student will paint inside the stencil so the child is painting independently with little help from the teacher! I want this gift to be child-done instead of the teacher creating a present for the child to give to their parent. If you do not want to create your own stencils any dollar story usually have holiday stencils around this time a year. My favorite dollar store is The Dollar Tree . Martha Steward also makes excellent stencils with different patterns, which can be purchased at Michaels, Walmart, and Jo-Ann Fabrics just to name a few.

What holiday gifts have you done in your classroom?

Star of the Week

During the first week of school we send home a letter, poster and schedule for "The Star of the Week." Star of the Week is something I do in my class which allows one student every week to be the "star." The child completes and decorated a poster that is all about him or her. Each day during the week that he or she is the star he or she brings in something about him or herself that allows the class to learn more about him or her. The schedule for what they bring is the following: 

• Monday: Family pictures 
• Tuesday: Favorite music 
• Wednesday: Favorite toy 
• Thursday: Favorite book 
• Friday: Favorite snack to share with the class

The below image shows the poster and how their poster is displayed in my classroom. His or her poster is returned during the second week of school and stored in the classroom until her or she is star of the week, and then returned to him or her to take home once he or she is no longer the star. 

Below is another image of a student's poster. As you can see the child is able to make the poster his or her own by how it is decorated. Completing the poster is encouraged to be a family project. 

 This image is a close-up of Ellamae's poster that is above. My favorite part is what Ellamae said she wanted to be when she grew up!

There are many different ideas for Star of the Week. In the past other teachers in my building have done Rockstar of the Week, Player of the Week and Special Person of the Week. My student love being Star of the Week and look forward to it until it is their turn.

After all of the students are the star my co-teacher and I are also the stars of the week. Then it is the parents turn! We have a sign up sheet for any parent that wants to be the star. The parent is given a poster in secret and fills out the poster without their child knowing. The parent fills out the poster and puts a picture of him or her when he or she was 4 years old. Each day the parent brings in the same items the children are suppose to and the children guess who's parent they think it is. The Star of the Week become the Mystery Star of the Week. On Friday, or whenever the parent is able to, he or she comes in and reveals him or herself to the class. The children love it and view it as a game! The children talk about it to their parents and then more parents sign up.

How have you extended your Star of the Week?

U.S. Presidents

Teaching students about current and past U.S. Presidents, even as young as Pre-K, is important for students to learn about U.S history, voting, roles, culture, and diversity. However, in my experience too many teachers, activities, and lesson plans focus on three Presidents, and three Presidents only: George Washington, Abraham Lincoln, and the current president, which is Barrack Obama.  All three Presidents are extremely important to our history, but so are other presidents. I created the video below using iMovie to show be able to show students the face to the name. The video can be adapted for Pre-K classes as well as older students. 

The above images are from the official White House website. 

The following video along with other materials can be used to teach Pre-K students the following:

• How people have changed over time by comparing and contrasting the first president to the current president 
• Learning important events in U.S. history and the role the president played 
• Different leaderships roles that people play, such as student, principal, president, etc. 
• Voting as a means of making choices and the different ways in which one votes 
• U.S symbols and the meaning behind the American flag and Pledge of Allegiance  
• Coin identification 

Below are images of different resources to use when teaching about U.S. Presidents with links to each 

Above is an image of The New Big Book of U.S. Presidents: Fascinating Facts and Each and Every President 

Above is a bulletin board using silhouettes of the students and former U.S. Presidents. I found this idea on Pinterest. 

Above is an image of a Time for Kids Presidents of the United States in print and there are also resources online that teachers can use for flashcards and other resources. 

 Above is an image of an art activity that students could create based off of U.S. Presidents that could be used in dramatic play and other activities. This art activity is from Pinterest. 

 The above image could be used for coin identification by discussing the different Presidents that are on each coin and by making the coins into finger puppets the coins could also be used in dramatic play. A great technology resource to use to help with coin identification is the following: ABC Learning Coins

The above image could be used as a writing activity for students to write about what they would do if they were President. This writing activity could be adapted for different ages by changing the length of the writing. This worksheet is from another teachers blog, A Cupcake for the Teacher. 

What activities and resources have you used to teach about U.S. Presidents?

Art Appreciation

As a way of introducing and teaching different art we discuss an new artist every month and create a piece of art inspired by the artist. My co-teacher and I chose the following eight artists for our art appreciation: 

1. Jackson Pollock
2. Edvard Munch 
3. Paul Ranson
4. Gustav Klimt
5. Salvador Dali
6. Andy Warhol 
7. Leonardo Da Vinci 
8. Georgia O'Keeffe

Below is a picture of how the artist's art is displayed in my room each month. In the picture Paul Ranson's is the artist we were studying for November.

After discussing the artist and reading about the different techniques the artist used the students create a piece of artwork and then the student's artwork is displayed in the window for the entire month. Below is two pictures of the artwork that the students created for Edvard Munch's The Scream  and Paul Ranson's Apple Tree. 

For Edvard Munch the students used oil pastels to create the sunset, water, and bridge that are in the background. A picture of the students "screaming" was added to replicate Edvard Munch's famous piece of art.  

The students used special water color water and used markers to create an apple tree, sky, and grass. Then the students painted their drawing with water to create a water color effect. 

 To display the finished artwork, two pieces of student work is displayed as shown below until the end of the school year. Below is a picture of two student's art for Jackson Pollock and for Edvard Munch.

The students' art that is not displayed is kept in file folders as shown below, and kept for an art portfolio that will be given to the students and parents at the end of the school year. 

What artists have you studied in your classroom?

Pre-K Science Experiments

Below is a description of the some of the experiments we have done in Pre-K! 

In the first experiment we made Elephant Toothpaste  during Zoo Week. The students helped mix Hydrogen peroxide, dry yeast, dish soap, and warm water and observed what happened next. The reaction of all of the ingredients caused the elephant toothpaste to "grow." The students used their senses to describe what they heard, saw, smelled, and felt. 

In the second picture the students created the Salt Water Egg Experiment by experimenting with salt water and normal water by predicting if the egg will float in the salt water or regular sink water. We charted their predictions on a bar graph and then did the experiment. Our results showed that the egg floated in salt water and sunk in normal water. We then introduced the term buoyancy and discussed what it meant. 

The third picture is our Mentos and Diet Coke Geyser experiment. The teachers added the Mentos to the Diet Coke so that the students could observe what happened when the two ingredients were mixed together. The students were amazed to see how high the geyser was! We discussed how the bubbles, the carbonation, in the diet coke mixed with the Mentos candy made a huge explosion. 

In the last picture we created a Pumpkin-cano a.k.a an erupting pumpkin by mixing the following ingredients: baking soda, vinegar, dish soap, and warm water. We took turns taking the seeds and guts out of the pumpkin and describing what they felt like! Then we added all of the ingredients inside the pumpkin and observed what happened next. The students touched the foam and noticed that the foam was warm. We then discussed then the ingredient reacted to each other and caused the foam to become warm because of the type of reaction it is. 

My students love participating in science experiments, what experiments have you done with your students? 

Books that Inspire Lesson Plans

       

This quote demonstrates how books can transport the reader into a different time, place and/or world. In my class whenever possible I base my lesson plans off of books. In this post I am going to share two lessons plans based off of two books: The Very Hungry Caterpillar and The Cazuela That the Farm Maiden Stirred.

The Very Hungry Caterpillar 
This lesson plan is based off of the book but with a different twist. My lesson is based off the story The Very Hungry Illinois Caterpillar. The Illinois Agriculture in the Classroom (IAITC) Department is an excellent resource that allows teachers to bring the agriculture of Illinois into the classroom as the name states. IAITC created The Very Hungry Illinois Caterpillar adapted by the popular book The Very Hungry Caterpillar by Eric Carle to each students about the native crops in Illinois. Living in Illinois this story allows the students to learn about the following:

• Crops that are native to Illinois 
• Life cycle of the butterfly
• Compare and contrast of the two versions of the story 
• Language and Literacy skills 
• Creative Expressions skills
• Ordering the days of the week
• Facts about Illinois  

Below is a picture of a window that I created from student work 

              

The students wrote the what the Illinois caterpillar ate on teach day and they helped create the different crops that he ate. The students also counted sets 1-10 by creating a bar graph with corn kernels, which is a popular crop that is grown in Illinois. The students and parents loved the story of The Very Hungry Illinois Caterpillar so much that my co-teacher and I are binding the story into a book for the students as a holiday gift!

The Cazuela That the Farm Maiden Stirred 
This lesson is based off the above book by Samantha R. Vamos. I taught this lesson during the summer during Farm week when the students were able to take a field trip to The Cosley Zoo in Wheaton, IL. All of the animals that are characters in the book are at The Cosley Zoo so the students were able to use the Spanish vocabulary from the story on their field trip. As a class we also made rice pudding just as the Cazuela did in the story. This lesson allowed the students to learn the following:

• Spanish vocabulary 
• Putting events in sequential order 
• Language and Literacy skills
• Creative Expression skills
• Following multi-step directions
• Science and Social Studies skills 

Below is a picture of a window that I created using student work 

The students created the animals and ingredients from the book by using various materials. As a journal the students wrote the sight words in the sentences and wrote the Spanish vocabulary for the animals and the ingredients. The students as a class helped make rice pudding and then individually described and drew the steps needed to make rice pudding. Finally to end the week we took a field trip to Cosley Zoo and we able to see, hear, and touch all of the animals that are in the book.

What books have you used in your lessons?

5 Steps to Creating a Thanksgiving Performance

Below is a video describing in 5 steps how to create an unforgettable Thanksgiving performance. The background music is my Pre-K class performing two Thanksgiving songs at the preschool's annual Family Thanksgiving Feast!

5 Steps

1. Choose the song(s) 
2. Send a letter home to the parents reminding them about the performance along with a copy of the song(s)
3. Make the prompts for the performance
4. Teach the students the song(s)
5. Practice, practice, practice!

Helpful Resources

• Pinterest
• Teachers Pay Teachers
• Everything Preschool

What resources have you used for your Thanksgiving or Winter performances? 

Classroom Management

In my classroom there are a few classroom management techniques that I wanted to share. The first classroom management technique that I use in my classroom is a behavior chart. The behavior chart is meant to be a positive behavior system that shows the students and parents how their day was. The behavior chart is suppose to start a conversation with the child and their parent about the child's day. Below is an image of the behavior chart that I use. My classroom is space themed for the behavior chart is a rocket ship. I found this behavior chart on Pinterest to see it click on the following link,  Pinterest Behavior Chart. There are many other ideas for behavior charts on Pinterest.

My co-teacher and I send home a letter about the behavior chart in our welcome packet and we talk about it at our first curriculum night and discuss if any of the parents have any concerns. Part of the letter that we send home is as follows: One way that we strive to hold students accountable for their actions and making positive choices in the classroom is through the implementation of a behavior chart. It is also a great way for parents to start off a discussion with their child at pick-up about how things went that day.

Below is another classroom management technique that is in my classroom. We have eight student helpers jobs that the students can be. The jobs change every day and the students can lose their jobs if they are not making good choices. The eight jobs in my classroom is calendar helper, weather watcher, snack helper, lunch helper, chair checker, clean-up crew, teacher helper and line leader. The students love to earn a job and strive to do their jobs to the best of their ability. The pockets, people, and sticks I bought at a teacher store that I love, Chalkboard, that sells everything you can image from manipulatives, bulletin board boarders, calendars, laminating, etc. 

Below is an image of another classroom management technique that I use in my classroom. The center sign is used to transition the students from one center to another. The center signs are color coordinated to the center signs on the tables. The star sticks have each child's name on them and can easily be moved because of the velcro that is attached to it. However, each day we move the students around to be in different groups to ensure that they interact with a variety of their peers. After the initial grouping of the students the center signs are what I move to tell the students which center to go to. This method makes transitions as easy as possible because instead of having the move each child's star stick you only have to move the center signs. 

 What classroom management techniques do you use in your own classroom? 

About Me

To my students I am known as Ms. Callie. I am a Pre-K teacher at a preschool in Naperville, IL. I have been working at the school for five years in December! I have worked in almost every classroom from Infants to Pre-K 2. Last March I took over for one of the Pre-K teachers that was leaving and I have loved it every since. I decided to create a blog about being a Pre-K teacher. In my blog I will discuss Pre-K practices that I do in my classroom. I will discuss classroom management techniques, activities, bulletin boards ideas, assessments, best practices, resources I use, etc.


For my first post I wanted to share with you one of my favorite quotes.

Today with technology, academic pressure, and safety concerns children are not able to just play. Children are not able to use their imaginations and creativity. Many children have a hard time making decisions independently because they are used to being told what to do and how to do it. It is not their fault they have become accustomed to it. Being able to do something is great but being able to do something new and think outside of the box using your imagination as Einstein said will take you everywhere. In my classroom I try to incorporate choice, freedom and imagination when possible. For example one of the skills for Pre-K is builds with a different sized blocks. Instead of telling my students to build something specific that was related to the theme I told the students to pick what blocks they wants and to build anything they wanted. Below are picture of three of my students building with their imagination. 

 Eva built a princess castle where she was the princess :)

 Jay built a carnival where the people were waiting in line to take a turn on the ride that went round and round. 

Zander built a monster house who was a bad guy and Zander was going to stop him by using the ice power from his hands. 

Something as simple as letting the children take the lead and make their own decisions makes the children more engaged and it takes a conversation with the students. 

Does anyone else have any ideas or activities that he or she has done with his or her students that allowed the students to use their imaginations?

You can follow me on Pinterest and check out my teaching board to see different activities, lessons, and ideas that I have pinned. My user name is Callie Lee and you can click on the following link to see my Pinterest at Cjarrett.