April 8th, 2008 by admin
Considering the rest of the posts this week have been on outside activities I figured today should be about the park. Fortunate for us we live in an area with several parks around us. Having just moved though I had no idea where they actually were. A friend took us walking yesterday to investigate our area and to find parks.
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April 6th, 2008 by admin
Today is sunny and thanks to a nice cold winter we have what you would call cabin fever. So today is another outside day for us. Now keep in mind it is only about 60 degrees here so we will be outside with spring coats on.
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March 24th, 2008 by admin
Penguins have always been an interest to preschool children. The distinctive penguin waddle is a sight to see as well as their characteristic tuxedo type body. Penguins are so popular with preschool children that the “March of the Penguins” movie was a huge success. Therefore, penguin preschool activities are sure to hit a high note with preschool children.
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March 6th, 2008 by admin
For preschool kids, one of the biggest open-ended questions they can be asked is “what do you want to be when you grow up?” When asked this question, many preschool kids tend to shoot for the stars.
However, this question can be an easy way to introduce a unit on occupations and community helpers, two subjects that can be explored though games, activities, crafts and even guest speakers.
It’s important to teach preschool kids about the many tasks of community helpers, such as doctors, dentists, nurses, teachers, mail carriers, and police officers. Start by asking the children if they know any adults with these professions to see how much children know about the tasks associated with these various occupations.
When learning about doctors and nurses, try this fun craft called “Fix my Wound”. For this craft, trace the outline of the child’s arm or leg on a piece of paper. The children are to color or paint their limb including a small wound. Once the paint has dried, distribute band-aids to the children for them to place over the wounds on their crafts. Then, have each child present a story to the class as to how they got hurt and who helped them fix it.
Here’s a craft where children make police badges that’s perfect for learning about safety and the police. To begin the craft, cut out a number of badges from cardboard, and cover each badge with aluminum foil. Use stickers to decorate the badges, or try etching patterns into the foil with the stubby end of a paintbrush.
There are also a number of fun games for preschool kids to learn about the objects and tasks associated with various community helpers. First, cut out a number of pictures from magazines that are associated with community helpers, such as letters, stethoscopes, toothbrushes, or fire hydrants. Next, place a picture of each community helper on the wall and have the children match the objects to the corresponding person from the community.
Here’s another fun matching game that’s perfect for practicing what it might be like to deliver mail. Cut out a large number of different colored shapes, like triangles, circles, stars, and squares. Gather an equal number of mailboxes to the number of shapes, and label each mailbox with a picture of one of the shapes. Give the shapes to the children to place in the corresponding mailboxes. After all the shapes have been delivered, try the exercises again by sorting the deliveries by color instead of by shape.
Finally, here’s a matching game that teaches children good nutritional habits, which can be played in conjunction with learning about oral hygiene and dentists. Place two large teeth on the wall. One tooth should be white and sparkling clean while the other is covered with dirt and plaque.
Next, hold up a series of pictures of foods, both good and bad, and have children decide which food goes with which tooth. This last exercise in this preschool kids series can also be performed with real food, as long as there aren’t too many examples of bad food!
Mary Robinson has been teaching preschool for well over a decade. You can get instant access to her preschool activities, crafts, and lesson plans by visiting her website: http://www.preschoolwhiz.com
For a limited time, all visitors to Mary’s site will also get a free copy of her special report: “The 7 Biggest Mistakes Preschool Teachers and Parents Make”. Go get your free copy today!
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Mary_Robinson
February 25th, 2008 by admin
I know my community might be different from all of yours, but I wanted to write a little about the things we have available in our area to get the kids out and about.
Now just about everyone has one of these local to them, if you check with them you should be able to find out when they have some kind of story hour for preschoolers. Our library also offers a craft for the kids to do.
What’s even best is to go when there are no scheduled activities, in our small community this means getting the kids room to yourself, the kids love it, they just chill out and we read, play puppets, blocks, and enjoy the time.
Two days of the week we have a tots gym program where the kids can play with balls, hoola hoops, a bouncy dome, one of those umbrella clothes that you wave up and down in the air, and a few other bigger play areas, it gets them out and about and enjoying themselves, also getting rid of some of that energy.
Look for businesses in your area that promote a nice and healthy environment for kids to play in indoors. We have one in our small area and the kids can dress up, play on swing set types of play centers, there is a little kitchen, a ball pit, and a train table. If you don’t have one, check out this site, it is just like it. www.wildchildfamily.com
Last but not least there is always McDonalds, I agree the food is not healthy by any means but, you can bring your laptop and get a few things done online, as well as let the kids play. Just grab them a few cookies and a drink or some apple pieces to munch on while there, that way you are buying for the business as well.
If you have any suggestions, please post them here in comments, Thanks…
February 24th, 2008 by admin
Today I wanted to feature a site that is a huge preschool bible site. It is called Christian Preschool Printables. http://www.christianpreschoolprintables.com
They offer a wide variety of things for preschoolers to do, as well as an alphabet section where they you can print off coloring sheets for each letter of the alphabet with something that pertains to the bible.
The pages can be printed with verses from the bible or as hand writing practice sheets that they can color. There are other things on the site as well but I will let you see for yourself. Check out the A-Z’s on this page. http://www.christianpreschoolprintables.com/BibleABC.html
February 10th, 2008 by admin
ARMOR OF GOD PRINTABLE DEVOTION
God Makes Me Right With Him (Breastplate of Righteousness)
Mark your Bible and read Romans 5:8-9; Phil. 3:9, and Bible Memory Verse before lesson: Ephesians 6:14
