Whether you are doing ocean animals, water, aquarium, the beach, or any other ocean related theme in your classroom you need help and ideas to set it up, make it inviting, and of course pack it full with educational opportunities. That's perfect because I have some great tips, ideas, and resources to help you conquer this theme in your classroom. 1. Dramatic Play Center Try setting up an aquarium for ocean animals or a swimming pool for the beach in the dramatic play center.

This is the final of a three part series on developing alphabet knowledge in preschool and kindergarten. Research (Reutzel 2015) shows that students develop alphabet knowledge in three areas 1. Identifying the upper and lowercase letter 2. searching for and distinguishing the letter in text 3. producing the letter in written form. As I look at all three areas I will share with you resources and ideas I have that can benefit you and your students in the classroom. Alphabet kno

This is the second of a three part series on developing alphabet knowledge in preschool and kindergarten. Research (Reutzel 2015) shows that students develop alphabet knowledge in three areas 1. Identifying the upper and lowercase letter 2. searching for and distinguishing the letter in text 3. producing the letter in written form. As I look at all three areas I will share with you resources and ideas I have that can benefit you and your students in the classroom. Alphabet kn

This is the first of a three part series on developing alphabet knowledge in preschool and kindergarten. Research (Reutzel 2015) shows that students develop alphabet knowledge in three areas 1. Identifying the upper and lowercase letter 2. searching for and distinguishing the letter in text 3. producing the letter in written form. As I look at all three areas I will share with you resources and ideas I have that can benefit you and your students in the classroom. Alphabet kno

One of the major concepts students learn in preschool and kindergarten is the alphabet. Research has shown that alphabet knowledge is one of the strongest predictors of reading success by third grade (NAEYC, 2009). This is why it is so important to teach the alphabet and teach it to mastery in preschool and kindergarten. In this post I'm going to show you 4 alphabet centers that you can use in your classroom to help students develop that alphabet knowledge. These centers help

Teaching about the first Thanksgiving in an Early Childhood classroom can be difficult for these young students to understand. Too many details and they get scared, not enough details and they don't understand the differences in culture, dress, and settlements. How can an educator teach young minds about the first Thanksgiving in a way that is developmentally appropriate and knowledgeable? Here are some ideas and resources to help you this season. 1. Books Books are a great r

We have seen educational research promote writing in preschool but what does this writing look like? How can we integrate writing within the learning centers we already have? How can we teach writing yet still have a developmentally appropriate classroom? In today's post I will share with you some ways that you can make writing a meaningful part of every day. If you haven't read my previous blog post about the research behind writing in preschool you can find it here. "Resea

Writing in preschool is often debated. While writing on lines and worksheets is not developmentally appropriate, real authentic writing should be encouraged. And it's not just me that has this view. Research for over the past 10 years has supported writing in preschool classrooms. So what is research saying? and why is writing in preschool crucial for your child's education? Emergent writing (early stages of writing) skills are important predictors of children's future readin

Are you getting ready to celebrate the Winter Olympics in your classroom? Here are 5 quick and easy DIY activities you can set up in your classroom to bring learning and fun together. 1. Ice Skating Rink: Try setting up an ice skating rink in your Dramatic Play center. Lay a piece of white tarp or laminated butcher paper on the floor. Tape securely so students don't have any accidents. Make "skates" out of pieces of foam. Attach ribbon so students can tie the skates onto thei

Many preschool and kindergarten classrooms teach community helpers at some point in the year and that often includes construction workers. So why not set up a construction site in your dramatic play center that incorporates reading, writing, math, language, engineering and much more. The past week my preschoolers have been playing in a construction zone for their dramatic play center. It has been so fun to watch them create, imagine, and discuss their play. They give each oth

Finding the right preschool curriculum is hard. When you search on google there are so many out there with so many different prices. How can you find the right one? And why do we even need to have a preschool curriculum? Is educational programming on T.V. enough? Although enrollment in a state preschool program is at an all time high in the United States; at 32% many children still do not have access to or the ability to attend a certified preschool program. This is important

Why are we drawn to what others have bought and rely on? Why is social marketing and personal references such a BIG deal? It's because we want to learn from what others have already tried and found successful. After all, there's no need to reinvent the wheel, if the wheel is exactly what you are looking for. So, what are some of those tried and true products on Teachers Pay Teachers that we can turn to and rely on... Here's my top 5 selling products from 2016. With hundreds

Think about when you learned how to write letters? Most likely it was in preschool, kindergarten, and maybe first grade. We spend hours writing letters over and over. But is it really important in a world that is moving more towards technology? YES! Learning good handwriting skills is more than just writing for others to read- it also builds alphabet knowledge (the number one predictor of a successful reader). When developing good handwriting, students have to focus on th

I like to take hot topics that are debated and show the research behind them. Today’s topic is kindergarten readiness. Many teachers and parents question; is kindergarten readiness needed? What should it look like? And why is there so much talk about it? Some may believe that kindergarten readiness is part of the push-down curriculum. First grade is doing second grade work, kindergarten is doing first grade work, and preschool now must do kindergarten work. While today’s p