Pretty Butterflies

We made these butterflies earlier this week.

All we needed was an outline of a butterfly and "bleeding" tissue paper.  It's easy and awesome.

My favorite part is getting the color on your hands...I love a messy project.

Simply paintbrushes and cups of water are the only other supplies needed.

After a day of drying, we peeled off the tissue paper and discovered a colorful, magical new creation!

Now THAT'S A Snake!

If you've been following my blog, you know that my class has been learning about gardens and insects recently.  In one of our discussions we learned that some gardens have snakes.  Some snakes are good because they eat bugs and rodents.

When one of my students found a snakeskin near his home, he was so excited to bring it in!

Notice the little girl holding the toy snake (about the size of a typical garden-variety snake), but look at the adult holding the fully-connected snakeskin - it's a mammoth!

 

Now...if you don't particularly like snakes...shy away from these next two close-up photos!

After seeing this skin, we trekked out to our school garden lot.  Thankfully we didn't see anything this big - or even remotely so.

Crawly Caterpillars!

Our bug unit and project continues...

Yesterday we read The Very Hungry Caterpillar and enjoyed the colorful illustrations.  We made lovely caterpillars using just the following items:

1.  small cups, used upside-down, for the body of the caterpillar
2.  disposable forks - for the grass (works and looks fantastic!)
3.  variety of paint colors (we voted on primary colors)
4.  Q-tip for the caterpillar legs, face, and antennae

It was fun to see how some children used color patterns to make the body of the caterpillar.  Blue - red - yellow was a popular pattern to follow!

Many of the children remembered caterpillars could not yet fly, so it was discussed that all caterpillar legs could reach the grass.  Only later could the caterpillar fly...as a butterfly!

Ah...the joys of a spring day in Preschool...absolutely wonderful!

Where Are The Bugs?

I love finding uses for old items no one wants anymore.  I know of a good number of teachers who are collectors, savers, and some...hoarders...

Our school office paper shredder was recently full - so I saved the paper.  I knew it would be great in our sensory table.  I've hidden a collection of bugs inside.  The color and print on the paper really makes it tough to find the bugs...a good early childhood mystery project.

Notice the flowers in the first picture.  I had some old Hawaiian leis and took them apart. We all know insects like flowers...

How Did You Use That?!?! The many uses of coffee filters...

Recently some folks around the country have emailed me about a recent post - the Bumblebee one.  They thought using coffee filters for the bumblebee wings was clever.  I could probably think of over 500 uses for coffee filters!  They are cheap...plentiful...and I love them!

A few weeks ago we learned about planting seeds and what seeds need to grow.  Guess what?  I used a coffee filter in this class project, too!  It's actually interactive...

We bunched up the coffee filter to look like a flower bud...and later it opened up and bloomed into a flower.

To those of you out there who emailed...thanks...and here is another example for you:

To make this project, you will need:
1.  One coffee filter (the flower bud/blossom)
2.  One straw (the stem)
3.  4-5 small pieces of yarn (the roots)
4.  Two leaves (we die-cut ours from old wallpaper)

This was a class discussion lesson, and it was completed on a large piece of chart paper.  I made a line that distinguished the ground, allowing the children to see what was below ground and above.

A Buzz of a Good Time!

Insects are all around  our classroom - but in a good sense.  While some are real, most are not.  Take a look at our marble-print Bumblebees from today.  The kids cut everything out on their own - and did a fantastic job!

And our finished projects...Ta-Da!

During our Free Play times, everyone is encouraged to make their own creations with marbles, different paint colors, and our "Magic Painting Boxes"!  Perhaps I'll post a few of those creations tomorrow!

Attack of the Giant Ladybugs

We really enjoyed our Ladybug Project.  We've been searching high and low for them - especially on the playground.

What a surprise to find GIANT ladybugs in our School Garden!  Yikes!  Thankfully ladybugs don't bite or sting!

We wondered what our parents would think if they were to see these giant creatures!  We'll take them home in a few days and see what they say...

Did you know ladybugs hibernate, too?  They snuggle together during the winter months and take a long nap.  Here it looks like a few have yet to realize it's spring!

Making these special insects was a great treat!  Smiles were plentiful!

It's A Miracle

We've waited...and waited...and waited.  It must have finally happened over the weekend.  Our flowers have bloomed!  Our purple irises have opened and shared their wonderful scent and color!  The kids were so excited!

And, of course...when flowers are present, they must be smelled...

I was so proud of my kids.  We've learned about planting seeds, and how some flowers grow from bulbs.  However, irises grow from a rhizome - which some of the kids remembered.  Yeah!

While we were in the garden, we had to pick out a few weeks.  We don't like weeds.

It was a bit dry in the garden, too, we noticed.  A good watering was needed - for the kids, too!  They loved getting sprayed!

Chalkboards - Hate The Sound - Love The Concept

Okay, so you just read the title of this blog.  Are the hairs on the back of your neck standing on end?  I've always hated the sounds of a chalkboard, the squeeky sounds of when the angle of the chalk goes astray, or the sounds of many nasty fingernails going up and down the cat-tongue-like texture of the board.

Well, now that I'm a teacher I love chalkboards.  I don't hold favorable thoughts on dry-erase boards.  They smell, you have to purchase expensive pens/markers, and they are too smooth.  There is no challenge when using them.

Chalkboards (especially the old-fashioned kind) give children the resistance needed to strengthen their upper arms.  Dry-erase boards just let a simple, easy gliding movement do the work.  With a chalkboard, there is a workout!

We spent time outside today - a lot of time.  We blew bubbles, weeded the garden, planted a few more seeds, replanted some flower bulbs, played T-Ball, and used sidewalk chalk.

I was so happy when I noticed some of the kids had used the chalk on the fence.  I can just imagine the muscle strength they used to go across the grain of the wood.

Way to go, little ones!  You never cease to amaze me!

See and Do

I love to play Simon Says with my class.  The children love imitating me and attempting to follow exactly what I do.  I also love to play Follow the Leader.  Growing up in Minnesota, some of my elementary grade teachers would lead us through deep snow banks, and we would follow along as little frozen ducks.  It was great!

I have the assumption that young children still like to follow what an adult does.  As early childhood educators it is our responsibility to provide and model positive experiences for our students.

If you have not already guessed, I am a rare-breed in the early childhood education field.  I am a preschool teacher.  I also taught kindergarten for 10 years.  You may not think that is unusual, but I must also add that I am a MALE PRESCHOOL TEACHER.  I love it!

As a leader - a kid leader - I love helping my students think outside the box - just as I did when I entered a female-dominated career.

Do you ever notice that girls typically steer away from tools and a workshop area?  Or do you fine boys lacking the interest in coloring neatly and making an artful masterpiece?  Honestly, I don't see that very much.  I let my little ones know that each job or play area is for everyone.  Everyone sees me building with blocks, just as they all see me wash dishes and feed the babies, too.  Girls need to learn how to fix things just as much as a boy does.  Boys need to learn how to cook and feed a baby just as much as a girl does.  Boys and girls both need to learn about color and creativity.

So...when I see a girl painting and using a saw in the Dramatic Play Workshop, I smile.

When I see boys coloring (neatly) and using their creativity to produce something wonderful for their mama, I smile.

When I see my students doing something that generates a sense of awe and wonder, I smile.

When I model something and later see my students doing the same, I smile even more!

Remember...be the best model...the best teacher...and provide the best experiences for your students.

Not Your Average Kid

Very true.  Today we experienced what was "not your average kid."  Our Garden Project has been coming along quite nicely.  We love making open-ended art projects and discovering science in our world.

A while back we had read about "The Three Billy Goats Gruff".  The kids loved the story, especially the troll.

One of our kids drinks goat milk, and she has goats at home.  We were talking with her about the things that goats eat - everything!  As we recently discussed our garden and looked for a visit from Peter Rabbit, we came to the conclusion that a visit from a goat would not be good- they would likely eat everything!

I know of a local farmer who has goats, and he brought in a few for us to enjoy.  It was totally awesome!  Take a look...

It was hard to tell who was more excited (and friendly) - the kids...or the kids (haha):

We were careful not to step in any "pebbles".

A few more pictures...they speak for themselves...so much fun!

Until next time...bye!

Our Class Flower Garden

Just a short post today...

Twitter has become my new favorite source for classroom ideas and professional development.  The project below is based somewhat on a blog I viewed via Twitter a while back. It may be a it hard to see, but there are 24 different flowers "growing" in this "garden"!

First, I saved a small box that would serve as the "garden" and wrapped it with green paper.  I used an exacto knife to cut small holes in where the flowers would be placed.

Items needed for flowers:
1.  popsicle sticks - we painted them green
2.  some type of paper for the flower - we used old Sale Price labels from the grocery store (the starburst design)
3.  a variety of items to decorate the flowers with - we used scraps of neon naper
4.  green paper for the leaves - we use scrap green, neon paper (to fit the bright theme)

It was a messy project, but I think messy ones are the best.  The kids loved the different steps that needed to be followed.  I can tell they enjoy a routine and sequence.  Here are a few more pictures of the kids completing the project.

Another cool aspect of this project is that it's actually interactive!  The children can manipulate and move around the flowers in the "garden" to make any type of landscape design they wish.

I'll take a few more pictures tomorrow of them creating their own garden design landscape!

Giggles, Dirt, & Wonder: A Garden Adventure

Well, the rain is back today, so I'm glad we were able to visit the garden last Friday.  As promised, here is the post I mentioned would show up today...

Several weeks ago we planted some sunflower seeds.  Here is how they look now.  The kids are surprised!  Just wait until they see the plants in August!

Growing seeds in our classroom has also been a part of this project.  We've got some green pepper plants in our room that we are monitoring, but we also decided to plant some that were already started at the garden center.  Our teacher did the hard work here:

Gardening is a lot of work, so it's good that we had the opportunity to experience it.  There is another garden plot available in our Outdoor Education Area, so we decided to take it over.

We found another area and decided to try and get rid of the weeds - looks like a BIG job - but someone has to do it.  One of the kids must work at his family garden.  He told us "be sure to get the roots, too, or they'll just grow back."  Good reminder!

As we wandered around the Outdoor Education Area (our school garden), one child remembered the "Peter Rabbit" story we shared last week.  She saw one of the garden areas had protected the plants with sticks.  She proudly shared, "there won't be any bunnies eating those plants."  Hopefully she's right!

Finally, as we work with our garden project, we are learning about good soil and how to take care of it.  Our school principal (an avid gardener, too) made a compost pile for anyone in our school to contribute to and use.  We love throwing scraps into the pile!

With the current rain we look forward to seeing our plants and seedlings a bit larger during our next visit.  And, hopefully, some of our irises will be blooming, too!