Our school has an Outdoor Learning Committee that I am a part of. We all feel very strongly that the environment where the children play outside is just as important as the environment inside our school. We have worked hard to make our playground an area where the kids can run, exercise explore and yes...learn! Outside play plays an important role in children's development! They are working gross motor muscles and getting must needed exercise. They learn how to solve problems such as when social disagreements arise. They learn empathy as they help friends who get hurt. They learn to take risks and see where their limits are and feel empowered as they take those risks and succeed. They create games and role play. They learn science concepts as they discover things in nature and learn to look closer and ask questions about what they see as they discover new things. They learn kindness as they try to save an insect in danger or nurture a plant. They are literally learning about life and life skills as they play outside, so we knew the environment needed to support that. We had an area that we were having some problems with in the middle of our asphalt area. We wanted to turn it into something all of the kids could explore and benefit from and decided to create a Barefoot Sensory Path. We came up with a design and my husband figured out how to make it so that it would be sturdy and last. Our amazing PTO gave us funds to purchase the materials and we had fun shopping at Lowes for items that would provide the sensory experiences we were hoping for. Our team came in on a Saturday and went to work. Our maintenance team had dug the area down four inches so that it would be even with the asphalt. We put down a layer of paver sand, and then the 4x4's. We glued some materials to 2x2 pieces of plywood. The sections were all 2x2. We filled the sections with paver base and tamped it solid. My son even came and helped! Here is the finished frame. Of course, we had to test it out! Here is the finished path!! We were so excited for the kids to try it! It was a huge success!! The kids absolutely loved walking on it with bare feet, crawling on it and feeling with their hands and even laying in it enjoying the warmth radiating from it from being in the sun. Another new area we created was an area to create roads, ramps, etc. using scrap wood, cars, signs and other loose parts. This lovely lady below had the vision for this area! We also added an area to really work those gross motor muscles. Mr. Doyle created a boundary to keep it all contained to one area. We filled it with stumps, logs, and large branches. The kids have created obstacle courses and love lifting these up to show how strong they are! They jump, balance and create here. They collaborate and problem solve. They use both critical and creative thinking skills. This is a great area to develop 21st Century Learning Skills as they play! For our nature lovers, we have an area with plants for them to explore and observe. Some are edible such as peppermint and fennel. We have cone flowers, milkweed, irises, sunflowers and more. This area is a great place to explore and observe insects also! Here are some other things on our playground where they can let lose and have fun! Our playground is still a work in progress! We have many more ideas that we want to implement some day! One step at a time!
Flowers, insects, and sunshine! Just in time for the month of May, and these Transitional Kindergarten May Worksheets! These printables have been a life saver for me! In the midst of distance learning, I have been sending these electronically to my parents to help my TK students continue their learning at home. You can also...
Want to get your children’s creative juices flowing and spend time with them? Check this post for DIY garden ideas for kids and create unforgettable memories.
Completed in 2012 in Bangkok, Thailand. Images by Ketsiree Wongwan . This project is mainly intend to find the new perception of playing space that should give more opportunity for the kids to use the space up to their...
Learn how to make grass heads with your young learners! Perfect for PreK, Kindergarten, and Preschool, this activity will have your little ones giggling with excitement as they grow.
Traditionally, April showers bring May flowers, right? Well, April snow showers this last weekend brought me an extra snow day and a day to finish up May Morning Work Stations. Yuck to the snow, but yeah for a day to prep morning work. I know that spring will come . . . eventually! And when it does, my 'Kinder Garden' will bloom with May Morning work. If you'd like a quick peek at the activities included in May's set of stations, just scroll down.
A fence can serve a variety of purposes including security, privacy, safety and beauty to your garden. Here is the list of some popular DIY fencing ideas that makes a better garden lover to introduce in your garden space…..
Spring is in the air! Warmer weather, sunny days, it’s such a lovely time of year. But often with spring comes… the terrible spring fever. 😭 Spring fever is a real thing my friends; excessive chattiness, unable to focus, bouncing off the walls, and enough energy to power a small village, your students may very...
Free kindergarten worksheets and printables for homeschool & classroom teachers. We've created thousands of free kindergarten printable worksheets, game, activities, and more! You'll find kindergarten math worksheets, kindergarten reading worksheets, kindergarten writing worksheets and even a free kindergarten assessment!
Scripted SCIENCE lessons for kindergarten - Engaging, easy to prep, and includes everything you need! Nonfiction read-aloud books, PowerPoints for every lesson, student activities and workbooks... Kids LOVE this program! NGSS and TEKS aligned.
By Teresa WoodardOn a recent family getaway to Baltimore, Md., I was reminded of the appeal of public children’s gardens for kids of all ages. Even our teens loved the willow tunnel at Pierc…
This NO PREP Packet is filled with hands-on, engaging, and FUN resources that get kids excited about learning! The best part is that there is NO PREP! NO costly closed ink, NO laminating, NO cutting…Just PRINT! Includes 1 pdf FILE with 30 WORKSHEETS Printable Size: US Letter (8.5" x 11") How to Print your purchase: - You can print instantly on your printer at home or you can take the file to your local printing shop. You can also upload your files to an online printing service.
Learn how to incorporate this easy and engaging fine-motor activity into your classroom routines and grab a freebie.
Flowers, insects, and sunshine! Just in time for the month of May, and these Transitional Kindergarten May Worksheets! These printables have been a life saver for me! In the midst of distance learning, I have been sending these electronically to my parents to help my TK students continue their learning at home. You can also...
Kindergarten Lined Paper Click the link above to download our free printable primary lined paper with larger lines suitable for ... Read more
Looking for awesome shapes worksheets for kindergarten and games to use in your classroom? This pack is filled with hands-on activities and no-prep worksheets to help children learn about and use shapes.
I have learned that if the class is truly interested in something, they will use reading, writing, and math skills as they explore their interests naturally. I observe and listen closely to discover what they are interested in. Sometimes a book or story will spark an interest. Sometimes an interest is sparked by something a friend shared with the class. Sometimes I notice interests by listening to their stories and their play. Our last large group interest was sparked when one of our friends found an almost dead praying mantis. The kids were fascinated with it and wanted to look closer, observe, and find out more. Every time we went outside they wanted to look for insects! I set out some invitations for them to explore insects further. They quickly started looking through books and models of insects to see what they could find out. I started encouraging them to record what they noticed using different materials. One of their favorites was the book Microsculpture:Portraits of Insects by Levon Biss. It truly took a closer look at insects including closeups of legs, wings, eyes feet, etc. it was such a beautiful book. I set it out with materials for them to create their own beautiful portraits of insects showing what they noticed. They are starting to figure out how to try to spell unfamiliar words by writing the sounds they hear in words. They practiced labeling their insects here also. But the insects they got the most excited about were the ones completely covering our milkweed plants! They wanted to know all about them! We looked at a picture of one and made our thinking visible by recording what we saw, thought and wondered. Then we got our Entomologist tools, took them outside and found out everything we could about them! They were amazing and thorough Entomologists! We recorded everything we noticed and then put some of our information in the computer and found out they are called Milkweed bugs! We then did an observational drawing as Entomologists and used our writing skills to label what it is and some body parts. Here is the display outside our room showing everything we learned about them! The other insects all took a backseat to the milkweed bug! I could have done a traditional insect unit, but these kids noticed something in their environment where they could truly experience it, so I followed the direction they took our insect study. I often let the kids direct our curriculum! They show me what they want to learn and I follow their lead and learn along side them. They were much more involved, interested and excited about learning as we followed their interest. Also, this fell naturally into our science standards of living things and what they need! I can’t wait to see what other interests this group will have that we can dig deeper into! They are definitely bringing in leaves by the bucketful... Here are some other things going on in our classroom: We are still working on those fine motor skills! Our finger muscles need a lot of work! Stories are being created in all of the areas of our room as we learn about story making! Here they are encouraged to show math in an open ended way. At the moment they are working on the numbers 1-10, shapes, writing numbers to 10, counting objects and matching to the correct number, counting to 25, subitizing and patterns. They are also learning to notice math all around us and how we use it in our every day lives. Some Fall art inspiration with sunflowers. They drew pictures of Mrs. Coberly wearing Michigan State colors and wrote “Mrs. Coberly loves Sparty!” Then we decorated her door! They loved this! Unfortunately, the Buckeye/Spartan game did not end well for me! It has been a busy place filled with all kinds of learning!
Spelend letters leren; 15 tips en spelletjes voor kleuters om te oefenen met letters lezen en schrijven
Use these fun, worksheets to practice ordering from shortest to tallest and tallest to shortest with your preschoolers and kindergartners! Answer keys for both ordering worksheets are included. Shortest to Tallest Ordering Worksheet Shortest to Tallest Answer Key Tallest to Shortest Ordering Worksheet Tallest to Shortest Answer Key
Start the year off right with these adorable Back to School Kindergarten Worksheets. Preview and get your FREE printable worksheet today!!
Use this free February Valentine's Day math worksheet to practice addition with your kindergarten students. First students should draw more pictures
in the gardens of le bristol paris hotel, daniel buren has created 'une pause colorée - a chromatic and luminous landscape for guests to experience.
Image 1 of 40 from gallery of My Montessori Garden Preschool / HGAA. Photograph by Duc Nguyen
There's so much more to do with kindergartners than finger painting.
Here are our favorite garden-based homeschool resource picks for kindergarten and elementary! We’ve had a beautiful homeschool year so far and I'm so thankful for that. With the arrival of Spring, we're now knee-deep in our Spring garden and transitioning into our big gardening-based subject months. I’ve separated these digital printable resources into subject categories
Learn about Japan for Kids with this printable book to read, color, and learn about Mt Fiji, charming gardens, and sushi without leaving home!
School is out and you need to entertain the little ones. Check out these easy summer crafts to keep the herd of kids amused!
Image 10 of 29 from gallery of C.O Kindergarten and Nursery / HIBINOSEKKEI + Youji no Shiro. Photograph by Studio Bauhaus, Ryuji Ino
The sun will come out! Do you need to reintroduce a warm and cool concept in a colorful way? Here is a fun lesson that incorporates line and color. My students really enjoy creating these ad…
Make practicing counting, shapes, alphabet letters, what comes next, and more fun with these super cute, FREE Apple Worksheets for Preschoolers!
Jolanthe from Homeschool Creations created this fantastic interdisciplinary, multi-skill printable gardening unit that would be perfect for spring and learning about the Earth. Featuring twelve colorful activities, here are a few of the highlights {as always, you'll have to visit Jolanthe's site for the full scoop}! Photo Source: homeschoolcreations.com Scissor Skills. In this exercise, students help 'water the flowers' by cutting on the line in order to connect the watering can to the colorful blooms. Jolanthe provides two scissor skill worksheets that can be printed onto different weights of paper to provide exercise variations. For additional fine motor practice, you might also consider laminating a copy of each worksheet, or sliding them into a plastic document sleeve, and placing a copy in the writing center along with a dry erase marker or crayon to use for tracing. Along with building hand strength, coordination, and learning how to properly hold a writing tool, the activity also provides pre-writing practice. Photo Source: homeschoolcreations.com Writing Patterns. While similar to the activity extension above, this pattern writing worksheet offers much more complex pre-writing practice - helping students practice directional movement, apply proper hand position, recognize the difference between drawing and writing, etc. Print onto the back of recycled worksheets or laminate for use with dry erase crayons. Photo Source: homeschoolcreations.com Colors & Shapes in Bloom. This activity is great because it requires your students to practice several concepts/skills at once - shapes, colors, color word recognition, and shape word recognition. Cut the descriptions from the flowers, inviting students to match the pieces, or have your students paste the blooms into a booklet, highlighting the color words and circling the shape words {or both!}. Photo Source: homeschoolcreations.com Parts of a Flower. With this fun puzzle worksheet, students will learn new vocabulary words and about the basic parts of a plant. First, invite students to construct the flower, placing the cards in the correct order, then match the appropriate vocabulary words to each part. Once they've had exposure to the words, have them play memory/matching games with the flower and vocabulary cards. Photo Source: homeschoolcreations.com Story Sequencing. This activity goes along with the book, Jack's Garden, by Henry Cole. After reading the story, invite your students to take these story event strips and put them in the correct order. This can be done as a class, in small groups, or as an individual assignment. These are just a few of the incredible activities Jolanthe has in store for your kiddos in her gardening unit. Be sure to visit her blog for more information and for the free download! Happy Learning!
