Ideas for making your classroom cozy and comfortable.
I love the natural wonder of 2-year-olds. They’re fascinated by things we take for granted everyday. That’s why it’s so fun to do crafts with them. They marvel at streaks…
Transforming your third teacher (room) is something that can be as simple as focussing on just one area in your room and can change how your children interact instantly with each other and the materials!
One of the most important elements of Reggio-Inspired teaching is documentation. From experience, I know this can be one of the most intimidating pieces to implement. I want to share one example of a documentation panel I created along with my students in a first grade classroom. I want to share how I simplified this documentation […]
Fun activities for teaching 3D shapes (solid figures) for Kindergarten and 1st grade
A fun way to incorporate movement into calendar time using movement with numbers!
You are currently reading our archived blog. While these older posts may not reflect our current vision and direction, we encourage you to visit our new website at wunderled.com to explore our latest, updated content. There, you'll find a wealth of valuable articles, resources, and insights that align with our current focus and over 60+ Free […]
Create a fun, easy activity with this outside sticky wall. Kids will love sticking outdoor treasures to this sticky wall in this quick, simple activity,
Simple tips for designing and decorating a kid-friendly home. Check out these creative ideas for the best kid-friendly decor.
Ideas for making your classroom cozy and comfortable.
Teaching your children science doesn't have to be complicated. Here is a simple experiment that toddlers and preschoolers will love.
HYGGE, meaning a feeling of coziness and contentment and well-being. Isn’t that what we ultimately want? Children to feel content...
HYGGE, meaning a feeling of coziness and contentment and well-being. Isn’t that what we ultimately want? Children to feel content...
Here are some fun songs that teach kids the colors! There are songs to sing, songs to dance to, and songs for interaction. All of these are great songs
I have observed that many teacher have good intentions and want to allow children to have a choice about where they want to play and when. Unfortunately, if it isn't managed well, free choice time can turn into chaos and the anxiety in the room goes through the roof. I get the opportunity to visit many classrooms when I am coaching. I always keep my camera handy so I can snap shots of brilliance in action! Recently, I found two new ideas for managing Center Time that I would love to share with you! These ideas would work best with children that are preschool age and older. This first idea comes from a Head Start Classroom in my community. At each center in the classroom, the teacher has posted a simple poster like the one shown above. She added photos from school supply catalogs to help the children have a visual support along with written label for each center. The bear cutouts give the children a visual reminder for how many children may play safely at each center. When children arrive at the center, they hang their individualized bear on one of the spaces provided. What a simple and easy way to add safety and predictability to your center time! Speaking of simple, it doesn't get much simpler than this next idea! I came across this fabulous and super super easy idea at the same Head Start, but in a different classroom. You will flip when you see how easy it can be to kick your center management up a notch! This teacher has a baggie with hair ties in it. Yes, you heard that right, HAIR TIES! When it is time for centers the teacher lays out the correct number of bands for each center. So, if the yellow center is allowed to have four children, then she lays out four yellow bands. When the children choose their center they put the band around their wrist to help others know where they're going. If they want to change centers they simply go over change colors and move to the center of their choice. The teacher spends time at the beginning of the year teaching the children which color represents each center. She practices it with them and sets them (and her) up for success! You could also hang some sort of colored symbol in each center to remind children of the color for each center if you choose. What a great visual and tactile way to manage centers! It just doesn't get any easier than this! Remember, our goal in center time is for children to be engaged in learning activities that increase social, motor, and cognitive skills, as well as language development through play. Lack of structure at Center Time creates an atmosphere of stress for children. When children are stressed learning will not occur. By adding just a few little structures such as the ones shared above you can soothe the lower centers of the brain, help children feel safe and ready to learn!
An anemometer is a weather instrument. An anemometer measures the speed of the wind. If you are working on a weather unit with the kids you might want to make one of these cool paper cup anemometers. Materials safety goggles 2 straws 5 small (bathroom) paper cups paper punch small stapler or tape pencil with eraser push pin recycled plastic container with lid (frosting, yogurt, etc.) heavy weight to put in container (rocks/ pebbles/sand/clay) Directions (Adult Supervision Required) All participants should wear safety goggles. Use a paper punch and in 4 of the cups punch a hole about a centimeter down from the rim. In the 5th cup punch 4 evenly spaced holes about a centimeter down from the rim and also make a small hole in the bottom center of this cup. Make a small hole in the center of the rim of the plastic container Push a pencil through the center hole of the cup and also through the plastic cover of the container which will be the base of the anemometer. If desired, add some weight (sand, rocks, etc.) into the container so the wind will not knock over the anemometer. Slide one of the straws through the hole in one of the 4 cups that has only one hole in it. Bend the end of the straw that is inside the cup and tape or staple it to the inside of the cup. Place the other end of the straw through two of the holes in the 5th cup. Then through the hole in one of the other cups.Also tape or staple the end of the straw to the inside of the cup. Repeat the last 2 steps with the remaining 2 cups. Make sure the 4 cups all have their open ends facing in the same direction (clockwise) around the center cup and pencil. Push the push pin through the two straws where they overlap and then into the pencil eraser. Mark one of the cups with a marker! Use that cup as your starting point when measuring wind speed. When the wind blows count how many times the marked cup goes by in one minute. You may want to measure (count) and record the wind speed 2 or 3 times per day. You could compare morning and afternoon wind speeds. Is the wind stronger in the morning or afternoon? Compare different days. Make a graph with your data. ~ To view directions for making a protractor anemometer click here. Have fun learning about weather.
Learning Symmetry with LEGOs and Butterflies
I sidste uge havde vi emneuge på skolen, fordi den fyldte 40 år. Eleverne skulle lave en masse forskellige ak...
No matter how many times I started a new academic year, I always managed to forget just how 'new' my new children were. In lots of ways their 'newness' was...
Keep reading to find out how color-changing, remote-control puck lights will help with your classroom management and prevent LOUD voices!
Looking to add hygge to your elementary classroom? This list will share some fun and easy ways to make your classroom cozy and warm.
Transforming your third teacher (room) is something that can be as simple as focussing on just one area in your room and can change how your children interact instantly with each other and the materials!