Repurposing Frames

Using stuff in as many ways as possible is one skill that all teachers have in common.  When I am out shopping, cleaning my house or classroom it is so hard to throw things away.  I always seem to find a new purpose for it or put it aside determined to find a purpose.  Picture Frames are one of those items.  In my classroom we use picture frames to display family photos around the classroom.  This creates a home like atmosphere, allows children to connect with families when not present, as well as a nice way to bring diversity naturally into the classroom.  I have also used picture frames on the walls attached with double sided tape.  This acts as a method of displaying children's art work as well as speaks to that home like atmosphere.  Finally, I have covered the insides of the frames with contact paper and provided the children with natural looking materials to create works of art.  They are able to keep it as is, or take it apart and start over again.  The children liked to use these and worked for a long time filling up the frames, taking them apart and starting over again.

How have you used picture frames in your classroom?

Here one of the children are taking small wooden shapes from bowls and placing them unto some frames.

Creative Cuisine in Preschool

I promise I wont start every post with the word creative.. I just felt that one was kind of catchy!  Today one of my co-teachers planned a cooking activity with our classroom.  Cooking with children is a wonderful, and valuable experience for all of those involved.  Embedded in this meaningful activity are many lessons that teach a child math, science, language, and social skills in very meaningful ways.  Math skills are acquired as they are asked to measure the various ingredients to add to the mixture.  Science is touched upon as they mix materials together to create a new and different product.  Language is being acquired as they discuss the various ingredients, read the picture recipe, communicate with each other, and learn new vocabulary, which is provided or enriched by the teacher present.  Finally, social skills are enhanced as they work together towards a common goal.  They are adding the various ingredients, while taking turns participating in the activity. 

                                     

  

Here you will see that children are

scooping marinara

sauce onto English muffins, spreading it around and then covering it with mozzarella cheese.  They carefully made each pizza Muffin, and
 are equally excited to eat them after nap!

Creatively Constructed

One of the things I love about working with young children is their natural curiosity and eagerness to learn and explore new things. It's what makes creating teacher made materials fun and rewarding. Watching children light up when you bring in something new that you have constructed for them to play with validates why we do what we do. Self made materials can be complex in their creation or simple. You can use odds and end pieces or specific items that have been saving. You can spend alot of time creating materials or just a little bit of time.  That is the beauty of it, there are no constraints or limits to what you can create for your children to explore. 

The following activity was created with some dial rods that I purchased at a creative reuse place for teachers and left over beads in my classroom. The number plaques were designed on the computer then taped onto the rods.

The children were able to recognize the numbers on each rod and then place the appropriate number of beads with that number.  The activity did not take long to create, and the learning and exploration that took place while engaging with the materials was fantastic!  I will try to get some photos with the children actually using the materials posted.

Welcome!

This year I decided my New Years Resolution was to Inspire, or be Inspired. According to the Merriam Websters Dictionary, Inspiration means to influence or move; To motivate or infuse; or to draw forth, bring out or spread(I obviously just pulled out just the target words). I hope I am able to do this even just a little bit through the pictures and words that I post.

Recently I stumbled upon Pinterest.com through a blog that I currently follow. It has literally consumed me and fed this inspirational resolution of mine! I have found SO many ideas for my classroom as well as my home life. Not only is it currently making me a better classroom planner and organizer but it revitalized my interest and abilities to create Teacher made materials. They are such an important part of every classroom.

Pinterest has also done another important thing for me. It made me remember that the work that I do is so important, and so interesting to others. I have clicked on and visited so many blogs and links of other fellow Educators and Moms providing there children with such great learning opportunities, that it made me want to join them. I work at a phenomenal University based Child Development Center with amazing colleagues and teachers. I hope to use this blog as a place to demonstrate just this through the activities that I do with my three year olds each day.

We cannot hold a torch to light another's path without brightening our own.
Ben Sweetland



Through this new journey I hope to brighten both your path and mine!

Ammie