Love these ideas! I will be adding this blog to my lists of places I return to often.
Playing House: 10 Fun Learning Games Using Plastic Eggs: "Here are some egg-celent learning games to play with your child!! Hide-n-seek puzzlesWe used this game for our letter E activities a few we..."
Saturday, March 26, 2011
Monday, March 21, 2011
The 411: How To Make Duck Soup
The 411: How To Make Duck Soup: "This was the book we used for our Friendship Feast in late February. The children loved this story and we highly recommend it! I..."
Sunday, March 20, 2011
The Wash Hands Song with Danielle Howle
The Wash Hands Song with Danielle Howle
Learn the Wash Hands Song with Danielle Howle
Thought this was great! http://www.knowitall.org/instantreplay/content/video.cfm?ProgramIDpassed=939&SeriesIDpassed=171&offset=0 I want to give credit where credit is due so there is the link where I found this awesome little video on washing hands. We will be using this in our classroom!
Learn the Wash Hands Song with Danielle Howle
Thought this was great! http://www.knowitall.org/instantreplay/content/video.cfm?ProgramIDpassed=939&SeriesIDpassed=171&offset=0 I want to give credit where credit is due so there is the link where I found this awesome little video on washing hands. We will be using this in our classroom!
Saturday, March 19, 2011
Preschool Teachers Talk
Recipes for Playdough :: PreschoolTeachersTalk.com
Recipes for Playdough :: PreschoolTeachersTalk.com: "Recipes"
Lots of great recipes for different kinds of playdough including KoolAid playdough, birdseed playdough, oatmeal playdough and much more. Enjoy! Go to their site for lots more. All of these recipes are from their site and I give them full credit for each recipe.
GLUTEN-FREE PLAYDOUGH
* 1/2 cup rice flour* 1/2 cup corn starch* 1/2 cup salt* 2 tsp cream of tarter* 1 cup water* 1 tsp cooking oil* Food coloring, if desired
Preparation:Mix ingredients. Cook and stir on low heat for 3 minutes or until mixture forms a ball. Cool completely before storing in a sealable plastic bag.
JELLO PLAYDOUGH
Jello to color,add texture and fragrance
1 cup of flour1/2 cup of salt2 tablespoons of cream of tartar2 tablespoons of vegetable oil1 cup of warm water Three ounces of jello – any flavor you wish
Directions:Combine ingredients and cook over medium heat until it thickens. Knead until cool enough to touch
CLOUD PLAYDOUGH
Ingredients:1 cup salad oil6 cups flour1 cup waterfood coloring or tempera
Use just enough water to bind mixture. Knead. Cloud dough is soft, pliable and oily, but provides an unusual tactile experience.
COTTON BALL PLAYDOUGH
Ingredients:1 Cup Flour
1 Cup Water
1 Bag Cotton balls
Mix flour & water together to make a paste. Roll cotton balls in paste & carefully lift out, allowing excess to drop off. Form into desired shapes on a baking sheet. Bake for 1 hour at 325 degrees. Can be painted when cool.
PAPER PLAYDOUGH
Ingredients:2 cups salt2 cups flour2 cups absorbent paper shredded (kleenex)1 teaspoon oil of cloves
PLAYDOUGH that looks like MUD
Ingredients:
3 cups water
3 tablespoons vegetable oil
3 cups all purpose flour
2 tablespoons cream of tartar
1 1/2 cups salt
Bring water and oil to a boil then stir in the remainder of the ingredients. After dough is formed knead until smooth then add brown tempera paint (either dry or liquid) and 2 or 3 Tablespoons of coffee grounds. It really looks like dirt!
SOAP PLAYDOUGH
Ingredients:1 cup Ivory Snow laundry detergent2 cups warm waterfood coloring
Add food coloring to water then add to laundry detergent. Mix with electric beater until fluffy. Use just like play dough.
MOON SAND
6 cups of play sand or colored sand
3 cups of cornstarch
1 1/2 cups of cold water
Step one: Mix the water and cornstarch together thoroughly, this will take a few minutes to get it nice and smooth.
Step two: Gradually mix in the sand, one cup at a time. You’ll need to really work it in with your fingers.
Step three: Play with it!
Step four: When you’re all done, pop it in an airtight container.
Step five: When you next play with it, you’ll need to revive it with 2-3 tablespoons of water. Just sprinkle it over and work it in.
GAK
Materials:* Elmer’s Glue® (8 oz bottle of Elmer’s Glue-All)* Borax (a powdered soap found in the grocery store)* Large mixing bowl* Plastic cup (8 oz size works well)* Spoon* Measuring cup* Food coloring (the spice of life)* Water* Paper towel (hey, you’ve got to clean up!)* Zipper-lock bag (don’t you want to keep it when you’re done?)* Empty plastic soda bottle with cap* Water
Here’s the easiest way to make a big batch Elmer’s Slime. The measurements do not have to be exact but it’s a good idea to start with the proportions below for the first batch. Just vary the quantities of each ingredient to get a new and interesting batch of goo.
1. This recipe is based on using a brand new 8 ounce bottle of Elmer’s Glue. Empty the entire bottle of glue into a mixing bowl. Fill the empty bottle with warm water and shake (okay, put the lid on first and then shake). Pour the glue-water mixture into the mixing bowl and use the spoon to mix well.2. Go ahead… add a drop or two of food coloring.3. Measure 1/2 cup of warm water into the plastic cup and add a teaspoon of Borax powder to the water. Stir the solution – don’t worry if all of the powder dissolves. This Borax solution is the secret linking agent that causes the Elmer’s Glue molecules to turn into slime.4. While stirring the glue in the mixing bowl, slowly add a little of the Borax solution. Immediately you’ll feel the long strands of molecules starting to connect. It’s time to abandon the spoon and use your hands to do the serious mixing. Keep adding the Borax solution to the glue mixture (don’t stop mixing) until you get a perfect batch of Elmer’s slime. You might like your slime more stringy while others like firm slime. Hey, you’re the head slime mixologist – do it your way!5. When you’re finished playing with your Elmer’s slime, seal it up in a zipper-lock bag for safe keeping.
Recipe from Steve Spangler
SILLY PUTTY
Ingredients:
2 cups white glue1 cup liquid starch
Directions:Mix together with hands. Keep kneading until it forms a silly putty ball. Will take a few minutes of kneeding before the wetness goes away.
If it is wet and starch is not bonding, add more glue. If it is sticky, add more starch. Keep kneading until it forms a silly putty ball.
Store in an air tight container in refrigerator.
OOBLECK
What is Oobleck?
Oobleck is a type of non-Newtonian fluid. Most fluids we know of are considered as Newtonian fluids, but non-Newtonian fluids are a strange and perplexing group of fluids. When a force (ex. poking, rolling, stirring) is applied to a non-Newtonian fluid, the viscosity (resistance to flow) of the fluid increases. In simple terms, any force you exert on a non-Newtonian fluid will make the fluid behave more like a solid. The more force you exert, the harder the fluid becomes. Strange but true! Other types of non-Newtonian fluids include quicksand, ketchup, and blood.
Ingredients:* 2 cups cornstarch* 3 drops food coloring (if desired)* 1 cup water
Directions:1. Mix ingredients together in a medium sized bowl. (Add water slowly as it may not need entire cup!).
Mix together and enjoy!
Lots of great recipes for different kinds of playdough including KoolAid playdough, birdseed playdough, oatmeal playdough and much more. Enjoy! Go to their site for lots more. All of these recipes are from their site and I give them full credit for each recipe.
GLUTEN-FREE PLAYDOUGH
* 1/2 cup rice flour* 1/2 cup corn starch* 1/2 cup salt* 2 tsp cream of tarter* 1 cup water* 1 tsp cooking oil* Food coloring, if desired
Preparation:Mix ingredients. Cook and stir on low heat for 3 minutes or until mixture forms a ball. Cool completely before storing in a sealable plastic bag.
JELLO PLAYDOUGH
Jello to color,add texture and fragrance
1 cup of flour1/2 cup of salt2 tablespoons of cream of tartar2 tablespoons of vegetable oil1 cup of warm water Three ounces of jello – any flavor you wish
Directions:Combine ingredients and cook over medium heat until it thickens. Knead until cool enough to touch
CLOUD PLAYDOUGH
Ingredients:1 cup salad oil6 cups flour1 cup waterfood coloring or tempera
Use just enough water to bind mixture. Knead. Cloud dough is soft, pliable and oily, but provides an unusual tactile experience.
COTTON BALL PLAYDOUGH
Ingredients:1 Cup Flour
1 Cup Water
1 Bag Cotton balls
Mix flour & water together to make a paste. Roll cotton balls in paste & carefully lift out, allowing excess to drop off. Form into desired shapes on a baking sheet. Bake for 1 hour at 325 degrees. Can be painted when cool.
PAPER PLAYDOUGH
Ingredients:2 cups salt2 cups flour2 cups absorbent paper shredded (kleenex)1 teaspoon oil of cloves
PLAYDOUGH that looks like MUD
Ingredients:
3 cups water
3 tablespoons vegetable oil
3 cups all purpose flour
2 tablespoons cream of tartar
1 1/2 cups salt
Bring water and oil to a boil then stir in the remainder of the ingredients. After dough is formed knead until smooth then add brown tempera paint (either dry or liquid) and 2 or 3 Tablespoons of coffee grounds. It really looks like dirt!
SOAP PLAYDOUGH
Ingredients:1 cup Ivory Snow laundry detergent2 cups warm waterfood coloring
Add food coloring to water then add to laundry detergent. Mix with electric beater until fluffy. Use just like play dough.
MOON SAND
6 cups of play sand or colored sand
3 cups of cornstarch
1 1/2 cups of cold water
Step one: Mix the water and cornstarch together thoroughly, this will take a few minutes to get it nice and smooth.
Step two: Gradually mix in the sand, one cup at a time. You’ll need to really work it in with your fingers.
Step three: Play with it!
Step four: When you’re all done, pop it in an airtight container.
Step five: When you next play with it, you’ll need to revive it with 2-3 tablespoons of water. Just sprinkle it over and work it in.
GAK
Materials:* Elmer’s Glue® (8 oz bottle of Elmer’s Glue-All)* Borax (a powdered soap found in the grocery store)* Large mixing bowl* Plastic cup (8 oz size works well)* Spoon* Measuring cup* Food coloring (the spice of life)* Water* Paper towel (hey, you’ve got to clean up!)* Zipper-lock bag (don’t you want to keep it when you’re done?)* Empty plastic soda bottle with cap* Water
Here’s the easiest way to make a big batch Elmer’s Slime. The measurements do not have to be exact but it’s a good idea to start with the proportions below for the first batch. Just vary the quantities of each ingredient to get a new and interesting batch of goo.
1. This recipe is based on using a brand new 8 ounce bottle of Elmer’s Glue. Empty the entire bottle of glue into a mixing bowl. Fill the empty bottle with warm water and shake (okay, put the lid on first and then shake). Pour the glue-water mixture into the mixing bowl and use the spoon to mix well.2. Go ahead… add a drop or two of food coloring.3. Measure 1/2 cup of warm water into the plastic cup and add a teaspoon of Borax powder to the water. Stir the solution – don’t worry if all of the powder dissolves. This Borax solution is the secret linking agent that causes the Elmer’s Glue molecules to turn into slime.4. While stirring the glue in the mixing bowl, slowly add a little of the Borax solution. Immediately you’ll feel the long strands of molecules starting to connect. It’s time to abandon the spoon and use your hands to do the serious mixing. Keep adding the Borax solution to the glue mixture (don’t stop mixing) until you get a perfect batch of Elmer’s slime. You might like your slime more stringy while others like firm slime. Hey, you’re the head slime mixologist – do it your way!5. When you’re finished playing with your Elmer’s slime, seal it up in a zipper-lock bag for safe keeping.
Recipe from Steve Spangler
SILLY PUTTY
Ingredients:
2 cups white glue1 cup liquid starch
Directions:Mix together with hands. Keep kneading until it forms a silly putty ball. Will take a few minutes of kneeding before the wetness goes away.
If it is wet and starch is not bonding, add more glue. If it is sticky, add more starch. Keep kneading until it forms a silly putty ball.
Store in an air tight container in refrigerator.
OOBLECK
What is Oobleck?
Oobleck is a type of non-Newtonian fluid. Most fluids we know of are considered as Newtonian fluids, but non-Newtonian fluids are a strange and perplexing group of fluids. When a force (ex. poking, rolling, stirring) is applied to a non-Newtonian fluid, the viscosity (resistance to flow) of the fluid increases. In simple terms, any force you exert on a non-Newtonian fluid will make the fluid behave more like a solid. The more force you exert, the harder the fluid becomes. Strange but true! Other types of non-Newtonian fluids include quicksand, ketchup, and blood.
Ingredients:* 2 cups cornstarch* 3 drops food coloring (if desired)* 1 cup water
Directions:1. Mix ingredients together in a medium sized bowl. (Add water slowly as it may not need entire cup!).
Mix together and enjoy!
Friday, March 18, 2011
Mamapedia 5% automatically goes to our school!
https://deals.mamapedia.com/national?ref_id=244949
Sign up at Mamapedia and get great savings on child centered products. Even better, when you purchase something from Mamapedia 5% of the purchase goes directly to United Services when you use the code 7LT2 or just look up United Services under schools. It is easy and free and supports your child's school. Today I am ordering 2 years worth of Family Fun Magazine for $5 (I have a credit on Mampedia) and $1 will go to United Services. I use a lot of ideas from Family Fun Magazine in the classroom. I have bought several things from Mamapedia for the classroom. My sister (she has twin 16 month old boys and a 4 year old girl) sent me a link to this and I have loved it. I thought I would pass it on as an easy fund raiser for the school and as a way to enhance your child's education at home. Many of the Mamapedia deals are for educational products for children and support small businesses with innovative ideas for children and families. I encourage you to check it out. I have also found some really unique gift ideas for my niece and nephews off this site. Most of the items are at least 50 to 70% off which is great for my budget too. Thanks for taking the time to look at this as a way to support our school financially and your child's education. Enjoy!
Sign up at Mamapedia and get great savings on child centered products. Even better, when you purchase something from Mamapedia 5% of the purchase goes directly to United Services when you use the code 7LT2 or just look up United Services under schools. It is easy and free and supports your child's school. Today I am ordering 2 years worth of Family Fun Magazine for $5 (I have a credit on Mampedia) and $1 will go to United Services. I use a lot of ideas from Family Fun Magazine in the classroom. I have bought several things from Mamapedia for the classroom. My sister (she has twin 16 month old boys and a 4 year old girl) sent me a link to this and I have loved it. I thought I would pass it on as an easy fund raiser for the school and as a way to enhance your child's education at home. Many of the Mamapedia deals are for educational products for children and support small businesses with innovative ideas for children and families. I encourage you to check it out. I have also found some really unique gift ideas for my niece and nephews off this site. Most of the items are at least 50 to 70% off which is great for my budget too. Thanks for taking the time to look at this as a way to support our school financially and your child's education. Enjoy!
Monday, March 14, 2011
Researchers Find Early Childhood Education Program Yields High Economic Returns
Researchers Find Early Childhood Education Program Yields High Economic Returns
More proof that what we do makes a significant and profound impact on our children, families and communities. A short "must read" article.
More proof that what we do makes a significant and profound impact on our children, families and communities. A short "must read" article.
Saturday, March 5, 2011
US Room 407: Igloo's and a snowman with a pot on his head
 |
| Hit the link to go to their blog to see the full post and all of the pictures! |
US Room 407: Igloo's and a snowman with a pot on his head: "After a false spring (we really did love the 60 and 70 degree weather!) winter came back. Did we get sad? NO. Did we pout..."
The 411: The blue tornado experiment and video
The 411: The blue tornado experiment and video: "Ms. Sarah found a way to make a tornado by using milk (which we added a few drops of blue food coloring to for this video) and water. ..."
The 411: The Amazing Milk Magic Trick
Hit the link below to go to the blog to see how to do this science experiment and to see all of the pictures.
The 411: The Amazing Milk Magic Trick: "Today we did a really cool milk experiment. We video taped it so you could do it at home with your child. It is simple and so mu..."
Blog post from NIEER
Selling our Children’s Birthright
Posted: 04 Mar 2011 10:33 AM PST
Is Anybody Listening to Ben, David and Paul?
Anyone interested in our children’s future — and thus that of our nation — should be alarmed at the news coming from state houses and Capitol Hill these days. From Georgia to Iowa to Texas, governors are proposing to cut early childhood education in their efforts to reduce spending and the U.S. House of Representatives has proposed massive cuts to Head Start and education that will no doubt affect many young children and their families. Like Esau who sold his birthright to Jacob for a bowl of stew, these political leaders are choosing a small immediate gratification over much larger future rewards, thereby sacrificing our children’s future. Previously I have written in this space why, when it comes to education, austerity is a false cure for what ails our economy. In recent days, three of the most respected minds in the nation have also sounded their concern over looming cuts to education.
This week, Federal Reserve Chief Ben Bernanke urged state and local leaders not to short-change education as they address fiscal problems and zeroed in specifically on early childhood education. “Research increasingly has shown the benefits of early childhood education and efforts to promote the lifelong acquisition of skills for both individuals and the economy as a whole,” he said.
In recent days two of the nation’s preeminent columnists (from opposite sides of the political spectrum) added their voices to the call to spare education from the meat axe approach many politicians are taking to spending. David Brooks, the conservative columnist at The New York Times, said what many politicians have been unwilling to: “Trim from the old to invest in the young. We should adjust pension promises and reduce the amount of money spent on health care during the last months of life so we can preserve programs for those who are growing and learning the most. Brooks described governors’ cuts to education as “thoughtless and destructive” and said Republicans in Congress are excusing the elderly while imposing budget cuts that would send early childhood programs off a cliff.
Nobel laureate Paul Krugman sounded a similar message in his recent New York Times column titled “Leaving Children Behind.” He zeroed in on Texas where Governor Rick Perry has proposed cuts that would deny an estimated 100,000 at-risk kids access to state pre-K. Krugman points to the abysmal 61.5 percent high school graduation rate in Texas and asks, “What’s supposed to happen when today’s neglected children become tomorrow’s work force?”
I do not for a minute downplay the severity of the fiscal crisis confronting the nation. It is severe. However, it must be addressed in a way that preserves the prospect of our future prosperity.—and that means investing in early childhood education. Doing so requires brand of leadership that seems in short supply these days. During the dark days of 1776, Thomas Paine, the author of Common Sense saw the need to pen another pamphlet to encourage the populace to do the right thing in the face of dire threats to the republic. It was titled The American Crisis and in it, Paine wrote that it is surprising to see how rapidly a panic will sometimes run through a country. Yet, he said, panics are capable of producing “as much good as hurt” because “the mind soon grows through them and acquires a firmer habit than before.” Let’s make sure that habit includes putting productive investments in children’s early education at the top of our list of priorities.
Steve Barnett,
Co-director, NIEER
Posted: 04 Mar 2011 10:33 AM PST
Is Anybody Listening to Ben, David and Paul?
Anyone interested in our children’s future — and thus that of our nation — should be alarmed at the news coming from state houses and Capitol Hill these days. From Georgia to Iowa to Texas, governors are proposing to cut early childhood education in their efforts to reduce spending and the U.S. House of Representatives has proposed massive cuts to Head Start and education that will no doubt affect many young children and their families. Like Esau who sold his birthright to Jacob for a bowl of stew, these political leaders are choosing a small immediate gratification over much larger future rewards, thereby sacrificing our children’s future. Previously I have written in this space why, when it comes to education, austerity is a false cure for what ails our economy. In recent days, three of the most respected minds in the nation have also sounded their concern over looming cuts to education.
This week, Federal Reserve Chief Ben Bernanke urged state and local leaders not to short-change education as they address fiscal problems and zeroed in specifically on early childhood education. “Research increasingly has shown the benefits of early childhood education and efforts to promote the lifelong acquisition of skills for both individuals and the economy as a whole,” he said.
In recent days two of the nation’s preeminent columnists (from opposite sides of the political spectrum) added their voices to the call to spare education from the meat axe approach many politicians are taking to spending. David Brooks, the conservative columnist at The New York Times, said what many politicians have been unwilling to: “Trim from the old to invest in the young. We should adjust pension promises and reduce the amount of money spent on health care during the last months of life so we can preserve programs for those who are growing and learning the most. Brooks described governors’ cuts to education as “thoughtless and destructive” and said Republicans in Congress are excusing the elderly while imposing budget cuts that would send early childhood programs off a cliff.
Nobel laureate Paul Krugman sounded a similar message in his recent New York Times column titled “Leaving Children Behind.” He zeroed in on Texas where Governor Rick Perry has proposed cuts that would deny an estimated 100,000 at-risk kids access to state pre-K. Krugman points to the abysmal 61.5 percent high school graduation rate in Texas and asks, “What’s supposed to happen when today’s neglected children become tomorrow’s work force?”
I do not for a minute downplay the severity of the fiscal crisis confronting the nation. It is severe. However, it must be addressed in a way that preserves the prospect of our future prosperity.—and that means investing in early childhood education. Doing so requires brand of leadership that seems in short supply these days. During the dark days of 1776, Thomas Paine, the author of Common Sense saw the need to pen another pamphlet to encourage the populace to do the right thing in the face of dire threats to the republic. It was titled The American Crisis and in it, Paine wrote that it is surprising to see how rapidly a panic will sometimes run through a country. Yet, he said, panics are capable of producing “as much good as hurt” because “the mind soon grows through them and acquires a firmer habit than before.” Let’s make sure that habit includes putting productive investments in children’s early education at the top of our list of priorities.
Steve Barnett,
Co-director, NIEER
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)