KINDERGARTEN MATH - UNIT 1 I am thrilled to be sharing this huge Counting and Cardinality Unit with you! This is the math unit we start the year with in kindergarten. The kids love all of the hands-on activities we get to do, and I love how easy it is to keep them engaged.
Here are some printable rules posters you can use in your classroom. Classroom Rules for Pre-K and Preschool children should be short, and easy to
Community Helpers activities and centers for preschool, pre-k, and kindergarten. Plus FREE community signs & fire finger painting printable.
Social skills are a big focus in early childhood classrooms. Check out these effective tips for how to teach sharing in Pre-K & Kindergarten!
Use this free printable bear color graph activity set to practice a variety of early math skills. Several math games and activity ideas are included along with many open-ended questions to help kids
Summer is finally here, and it’s time to celebrate with FUN, hands-on SUMMER activities your little learners will go bonkers for! Take the learning outside or get messy inside and...
Project/Inquiry Based Learning has been a passion of mine ever since I discovered it about 5 years ago. Since then, I have stepped out of my comfort zone and transformed the way I teach from a typical Thematic Based style through baby steps taken each year and with the help of an amazing on-line community of teachers with the same passion (you all know who you are!). My first baby step was taking themes and science/social studies standards and making them more student lead and project based. I got rid of the two week time limit each theme had in the past and allowed more time for students to dig deeper. I found that students would take my broad theme (oceans) and desire to dig deeper into more specific parts of the theme (sharks, jellyfish, ect.). As time went on, I was able to take the biggest step and totally let go of my themes and allowed the children's interests drive my instruction, incorporating the standards through those interests. I am blessed enough to also teach in a district that does not mandate the curriculum I use. Curriculum programs are purchased to use as tools for our toolbox but not required. Us teachers are trusted and encouraged by our superintendent to write our own curriculum as long as the standards are met. My building principle also has that kind of faith in us as professionals! They know that when it comes to children learning what they need to learn, we are the experts! Project/Inquiry Based Learning is highly encouraged in all grades Pre-K through 12. Some wonder how I plan for this style of teaching and how it flows. Here are some of the tools that I use. Once I notice an interest from the students (usually found out through experiences set up for them to explore during play) , I find out what their knowledge and misconceptions are about the subject. Kind of like a KWL chart! I list all that they know about the subject we will dive into. Then I ask what they wonder. I list all of their questions. NOW I can plan! I take their wonderings and create a web map showing the different directions they want to take the inquiry and possible experiences that will help them find answers to their wonderings. I got this web map from the amazing Joanne Babalis and her amazing blog http://myclassroomtransformation.blogspot.com. On the back I have all of the Literacy and Math Standards listed so that I can highlight the ones we will focus on through the inquiry and project. I add any Science and Social Studies Standards to the bottom of the web map. Here is the link to the web map if you would like it: Web Organizer Here is the link to the Common Core Standards Sheet for Kindergarten Language and Math: Kindergarten CC Standards Once I organize my thoughts, I create my inquiry plan using a template I created based on one I found from a Texas school district. It was so long ago I have no memory of which district but if I find out I will add them to give them credit. Their form was 3 pages long. I tweaked it to fit it all on one page. I use this to show the objectives and vocabulary, plan the investigations and materials I will need, show how they will organize the data about what they have learned, possible projects that could result from the inquiry and how we will present the project to the community. Here is the link to this inquiry planner if you would like to download it: Inquiry/Project Planner The next step is to start the investigation phase. In early childhood I set out experiences for them to explore and document what they notice. We also do whole group and small group investigations through books, videos and hands-on experiences. As we answer questions, we add the answers to our wonder chart to show our new learning. We organize this data in a web map format for all to see. The start of an inquiry wall. Information is added to it as we learn. Once we have investigated we use organizational maps to show what we learn. In kindergarten it usually consists of web maps, circle maps, tree charts (can/have/are maps), and brace maps (to show part to whole). We will chose one or two to organize our data. The next step is the project. We take what we learn and create something to show it! The projects can be individual, small group, or whole group. Some examples of projects in our room have been turning an area of our room into an ocean, forest and sky to show how animals adapt in the winter. The kids signed up to be on the migration team, adaption team or hibernation team. They each became experts on their part during the investigation and worked on their part of the project. A cave, forest, sky and ocean were created to show what animals do in the winter. Animals were created, labeled and added to the habitats. A group interested in map making and migration created this map showing migration patterns of monarchs, geese and grey whales. Another project was our The Sound Exploration Area created for our school. They saw a need (an area to explore sound) investigated different ways of creating sound, organized the data and designed a Sound Exploration Area! An area for everyone in our school to explore sound which is in our science standards. They have also turned the inside of our room into a great hall and medeival kitchen and the outside of our room into a castle wall complete with moat and drawbridge after investigating castles! The outside of our castle. A map created by a group interested in maps and where different castles were found in the world. A big book created by a small group about who lived in castles. A small group project during our castle inquiry. They have created murals and big books to show their learning also. A mural planned and created by Kindergartners. The last step is the presentation to show what they had learned. The kids LOVE this part and I've never had a child refuse to present! They are so confident of what they have learned and proud of what they have done that they cannot wait to share it! I am always so impress with their speaking and listening skills during these presentations! Sometimes small groups go to other classrooms and present what they learned, sometimes we invite parents or other classes to our room to see our presentation, and sometimes we create a video to share with others. They create maps, big books, and, get to show off the projects created at this time! Showing what they have learned through these projects gives the projects an even bigger sense of purpose! They can't wait to show others what they have learned and done! Presenting different weapons used during medieval times. I have never had so much fun teaching in my 22 years as I have he past four years! I could never go back to the way I had done it I the past. The benefits of this way of teaching are not only meeting the standards (the old way did that too) but the 21st Century Skills they are forced to develope when they learn in this type of environment. When inquiring, investigating and creating within thier own interest, they are motivated to collaborate, problem solve, handle frustration, persist if things don't work the first time, and learn from their mistakes. They have to use critical thinking skills and develope research skills. When kids develop these skills, they can learn ANYTHING! My new passion that I am learning to incorporate in my classroom is Playbased Learning! I have been amazed by the learning taking place in this way also....but that's another post! SaveSave
It happens at every level, at every school I’ve ever taught in. A student asks, “can we play freeze dance today?” I’m always torn. I want my students to have fun and …
Fall process art activities are so fun for little learners to create with their warm colors and adorable themes that I have gathered some of my favorites! Keep reading for 19 fall process art activities hand-picked for preschool, pre-k, and kindergarten students.
You'll find the latest freebies, including free samples, gift cards, and more. This is where you'll find the best free sample sites and how to qualify.
The green and red choice board is a universal support available for all students to support their social-emotional behavior.
Here is a free family theme printable for you. It is a great activity to add to your Thanksgiving, All About Me, or Family themed lesson plans. You can even make a class book with the pages. Today I
Here's a set of Ocean/Beach picture word cards that can go with an Ocean Theme Unit. This set includes 31 cards for the following words: fish, crab,
Themes for Preschool, Pre-K, and Kindergarten
As a part of our art unit, we talked about line as an element of art. To introduce line, I read the classic book, Harold's Purple Crayon...
Looking for a way to help teach your preschooler or kindergartner the four seasons? Here's your answer! I have a 9-page PDF file that is FREE! The first page (shown at right, click on image to view full size and save to desktop) lets your child practice writing the names of the four seasons, and provides fun pictures for your child to color. The other 8 pages contain seasonal images for your youngster to color, cut out, and match with the correct season. If you would like this free Seasons Review Booklet, just click here to download the PDF file in English (it's big...about 2 MB). Also available in Spanish/Espanol - Las Estaciones.
For the past two weeks students have studied the topic of "clothing" during our discovery time. We have sorted clothing by patterns, sizes, seasons, and colors! We are reading "The Three Bears" which ties in nicely with size ordering and clothing. We have felt different textures and learned how some fabrics are made. Students participated in a yarn collage project. We have been using yarn in different ways and we now have a yarn art gallery up for display in our hall and in our classroom. Students made yarn collages this week. They practiced twisting and squeezing their own glue and cutting the yarn. They chose where and how to arrange their yarn ...and were able to use recycled gas station to-go cup lids! Students also made yarn block prints by wrapping yarn around wood blocks and then stamping it with paints. We have been learning so many new words like fabric, thread, stitch, sewing, crocheting, knitting, and quilting. Students are also in the process of making a real quilt. Our pre-k assistant has brought in her sewing machine to sew together or quilting squares! We are going to talk about the different parts of the sewing machine and their functions. We started out researching and asking questions about clothing which evolved into learning about fabric and what else fabric can be made into. The project originates from one of our school curricula called Creative Curriculum. Today we watched children in India practice the art of weaving and students made their own paper weave art! Documenting student learning and creative thinking! It is not about the end result..it is about the process! Our window gallery and Three Bears Kitchen! Choosing colors for yarn block art! Printing! Student block prints and photo documentation in our hall gallery! We asked students, as they were making their art, how they were making it.. did they have a plan? ..and what happens if..? Our paper weaving project! Patterning and positional words! Chang Naga kids sing a weaving song at Changdang village, Tuensang district, Nagaland. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gp06_BSkLIk
Dollar Store quiet bin ideas. Use quiet bins at home or in your preschool classroom to manage transitions or create calm and restful times in your day.
As a part of our art unit, we talked about line as an element of art. To introduce line, I read the classic book, Harold's Purple Crayon...
Discover how to create stunning bubble art with your kids! Our step-by-step guide to bubble painting makes this fun and easy activity perfect for young artists. Learn the best tips, tricks, and
Get a free editable classroom newsletter template that you can use to send home monthly newsletters to parents! You will love the ease and flexibility of this fully editable PowerPoint newsletter template. Help strengthen the bond between home and the classroom with this communication tool!
Last week I mentioned our clothing unit study. (Read about it here!) We have started to use Creative Curriculum studies to help guide students and introduce them to new learning experiences. I like how Creative Curriculum provides many ideas for hands on activities in all learning areas! The curriculum is project based and provides excellent motivation and questioning techniques that lead students into higher thinking learning. Through provocations, bringing in real items, questioning, and other activities, students were interested in setting up their own clothing store last week. This activity was student led and the students themselves actually came up with the list of items needed. I showed students a slideshow of familiar stores in our area and they were so excited to shout out the names (environmental print!!) and they also described what items came from the stores. We listed things we thought we needed for the clothing store and then watched a virtual tour/video of a real clothing store (since we cannot go on field trips) and added more to our list. I posted the list on our class Facebook page and parents were more than willing to help donate and let us borrow items for the week. It actually became a fun parent/child at home activity! Different groups of students did different things to help set up the store. Some students folded or hung clothes, some wrote out their own price stickers (post-its!), and some created their own signs! Here's a photo of two of our students folding donated items and setting up shop! THEY decided the clothes needed to be folded and I let them have at it! We recieved a wide variety of clothing items from party dresses and Batman shirts to furry hats and cowboy boots. They decided our signs needed pictures (similar to our vocab. cards). Neatly folded and labeled... it was all their idea! They loved role playing in their pretend clothing store! Here are some links below to some of the books we read to go along with this study. I always try to have a variety of types of books with each topic we study that include: fairy tales, familiar stories, familiar characters, rhyming, math, easy retell, and informational books.
4 free Christmas color by number and letter printables with multiplication facts for older kids and letter matching for Kindergarten & Pre K.
Color and Colors Mixing book list just for little learners (preschool, pre-k, and kindergarten) . Discover amazing color books for circle time.
Things to include in student portfolios for art. See all Portfolio Ideas here! First Day Drawing On the first day of school, children draw a picture
The Bible contains so many great stories! I enjoy creating fun activities and teaching my little learners of the good news God wants us to know about! Have you ever pulled up a bible lesson and realized that the assigned activity just wasn't relevant enough for your preschoolers? A friend of mine has the exciting task
Use our easy football paper hat printable template to make a homemade DIY football headband for kids for the Super Bowl.
Learn and PLAY with FREE printable playdough mats! These playdoh activities including seasonal printables homemade play doh recipes!
My class this year has been fascinated with maps. They love to look at the maps we have in the block center, and they often draw maps in the art center.
I'm in love with these sweet pumpkins... K's and 1st grade have been making them this week and I can't get over the new skills of these young Artist and the amazing creativity and individuality of each of these wonderful works of art. But these are much more than they appear. I have been moving closer to choice based art this year but I'm playing a balancing game. I'm asking students to create works of art every now and then that are a little more structured. There are many reasons for this. It's a way for me to talk about craftsmanship. It's also a way for me to appeal to all my stakeholders (parents, administration, and teachers) who are used to seeing 'pretty little art' come out of the art room. Most of all this was a way to train my students on the glue choices I have available to them. In this lesson, the kids used the glue sticks, glue sponges, and glue bottles. I played small clips of this video and asked them to participate. Then I would show a bit more and give them more work time. Actually, all the kids loved creating this way on this day. Here is the video I have been playing for the kids. No, these aren't just another pretty pumpkin... but they are pretty cute!
Encourage Pre-K and Kinder students to practice their classification and early critical thinking skills with these nature-themed sorting activities. For Pre-K and Kinder. Great for: centers, unit studies, class participation activity, question of the day, as a complement to sensory bins, independent work, small groups, or homework! Topics included: 1. feathers or fur? 2. plant or animal? 3. fly or swim? 4. insect or reptile? EACH topic listed above includes: 2 full sheet sorting pages (for a packet total of 8 color and 8 b/w full sheet sorting pages) 24 matching cards (for a packet total of 96 color and 96 b/w matching cards) 2 cut and paste worksheets (for a packet total of 8 color and 8 b/w cut and paste worksheets) Color and black and white versions of all materials (Black and white versions are a replication of the color) Authors notes: For younger children, I like to laminate the two full pages (located at the beginning of each new topic)and cut and laminate the corresponding matching cards. This method can be used for one-on-one work, pre-k centers, unit studies, as a class participation activity, as part of a "question of the day" activity, or as a complement to sensory bins. For older children, I print the worksheets (located following the matching cards) and have them cut and glue the items in the appropriate box. Great as independent work, small groups, class participation activity, question of the day and answer graphing, or homework. Click here to follow Heart Happy and be notified of new releases. Please don't forget to leave feedback. You will receive TPT credits that can be used on future purchases.
7 free resources to help you take an informative and fun assessment on students Pre-K to 1st grade. Perfect for homeschool or summer supplemental learning.
When I moved to Pre-K, I completely changed how I ran my classroom. I went to a more center based, student led system, as opposed to a teacher led classroom. The biggest thing I had to adjust to, was I let the STUDENTS CHOOSE what center they go to, I let STUDENTS CHOOSE when they change centers. And do you know what? It was NOT mad chaos like I expected! Once we set expectations and taught them the appropriate social skills to communicate, it was so easy! This post does contain links, both affiliate and regular. Use them to find some great centers for your classroom, and help keep this blog running J Center Management Each of my centers has a card on it with two Velcro dots, and each of my children has a name tag, with a Velcro dot on the back. When my kids aren’t at centers, on the wall is a list of all our names and another Velcro dot. So, if we transition to centers after a whole group lesson, it is easy to call names and they go get their names and pick a center. If we are working in small groups, half of my kids can go grab their names. Another way I managed changing centers, was using clothes pins. If there were two dots open, that meant there is room for two kids. If both dots are full, the kiddos must wait until someone leaves. At first there were lots of tears and begging to get into a specific center (usually it was Magnatiles!) But all we had to do what teach them Social Skills. Being patient is a big skill we must learn. I also, don’t make friends leave a center because they have been there too long. Once we get past the bumps that come along with any center time, it is smooth sailing. Center Options So, a big question I get asked frequently is “What center options do you have in your classroom?” So, a quick reminder, I teach Pre-K, so my centers are free play centers. The first set of centers, that are a must have in our room, are building centers. Our number one pick, that is always full is our block center. They love seeing how tall of a wall they can build! They also love using these houses and cars from Lakeshore Learning. When they are by my desk I can hear them making sirens and pretending to be Officer Hofficer! (In which he is usually arresting someone for some silly crime, like not picking up their mess!) Another one of their favorite building centers is Legos. They LOVE to make things with Legos. I am adding little Legos this year to our centers. I really want them working those fine motor skills. I just love this table I made! I asked on my Facebook if anyone had an old two leveled side table, and a wonderful friend just happened to be getting rid of TWO! So, she gave them to me, I painted them, and added a Lego brick plate. This gives them a place to be stationed. A place for our Legos to live, so they aren’t spread all out across the classroom! Right now, our Magnetic Center is looking a little weak. Since it is the beginning of the year, they are exploring our center. We have magnetic letters, name with their picture, and those cute magnetic numbers and shapes that I found at the Target Dollar Spot! Eventually I put STEM activities in the magnetic center! They love playing with gears and funnels! Another one of the centers that is always full, is my train table! This table is the best thing since sliced bread let me tell you! Again, it gives the center a place to live. The train tracks are not running all around the room. However; it does give it a better ramp for them to go flying across the room (no matter how many times I tell the kiddos that trains stay on tracks and airplanes fly through the air!) I bought the train tracks and trains from Ikea, and they are super durable! I inherited this big sturdy storage system (again, from Ikea!) I use as our main center storage system. I bought these great containers from Sterilite, you can get a 6 pack for about $31 from Amazon, and they fit perfect in them. In these center tubs, they put their name on the center cards, pull the tubs out, and find a place in the room to work. In these tubs I have Pattern Blocks, Lite Brites, Bristle Blocks, Unifix Cubes, Mr. Potato Head, and Mega Blocks. Also in this station, I have all my puzzles. The puzzle center card is on the side of the storage system. You can read about what I use to store my puzzles HERE. I also got tired of searching for the “lost pieces”. As a result, I bought ANOTHER Sterilite container with a snap lid, added some vinyl, and the kids now know if they find an extra piece to put in the lost pieces container. Also, if they are missing a piece, they know exactly where to look. One of my favorite centers in my classroom, is our library. I store my books thematically. I put only a few books out at a time. They also have a tub of puppets to act out what they are “reading”. You can read HERE all about my classroom library. Another popular center is the Art Center. Yes. There is paint. We are going to try something new this year! But our art center typically has construction paper, crayons, stickers, markers, daubers, and pencils. We also added composition books to our Art Center this year. They will be labeled with a name, so each child has an art portfolio to take home at the end of the year. We are testing out a type of light table this year. I found an old overhead projector in our surplus pile. I took off the arm, and will be placing some contact paper over the screen to dim the light just a little bit. Now we have a light table, that didn’t cost me an arm and a leg. This is also one of my found treasures. The same table as my Lego center. Underneath the second level, is a basket of light table goodies. They will change as the year progresses. Right now, they have stacking cups, refreezeable ice cubs, and our Magnatiles. And last but certainly not least, is our dramatic play center. Right now, it is set up as a kitchen. We have baby dolls, baby beds, vests, community helper hats, pots and pans, food, plates, silver wear, and most important of all, the actual kitchen. This is right next to our sensory table. As the year progresses it will turn into an auto shop, grocery store, doctors office, and flower shop! I hope you found something that can help you with your classroom and centers! Make sure to follow me on Facebook and Instagram, where I share ideas all the time! You can make the center cards yourself, but to save you the time and energy, I have these listen at TpT. They are editable too! So you can call the centers whatever you want.
If you're looking for a fun activity for your preschooler to practice their counting skills these printable bug counting to 10 puzzles are perfect.
A few weeks ago our little daredevil had her first x-ray due to a little jumping on the bed incident. Yup 1 little monkey jumping on the bed, she fell off and bumped her head… broke her clavicle. Well ever since, she has been fascinated with the bones inside her body so there couldn’t be […]
Open house is an exciting time! It’s the first time families and students see the classroom. It’s when students and parents meet the teacher for the first time. It can...
This game is free, however it is only to be used for classroom and personal use. It may not be published on any websites or other electronic media, or distributed in newsletters, bulletins, or any other form or sold for profit. Reproduction or retransmission of any materials, in whole or in part, in any manner, is not permitted. All graphics/images/clipart etc. used on all activities are not my own and are from various internet sources. The Good Samaritan: Work your way around the board and the first player to FINISH is the winner. The Good Samaritan Game- Directions, Game Board
