Sunday, February 12, 2012

Free Printable Valentines Day Cards for the Preschool and Kindergarten students to print, cut out and sign - then Share

Printable Template Patterns for Kid Valentine's Day Cards


Easy to make …. Print the Valentine Day Card page, cut out the cards and sign to give to friends, classmates and family. Card stock / heavy weight paper is recommended.


There are four different sets of six unique Valentine Day Cards available …. and presently they are free (complimentary).


The printable school resource is available on the 'More' page at http://www.Tools4PreschoolandKindergarten.com

These tools for Preschool and Kindergarten are perfect for more than just preschoolers and kindergarteners. Use these with any early childhood level student that is celebrating with a Valentine's Party.

Cute Sayings Included!




Keywords for this printable worksheet resource:

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Thursday, February 9, 2012

Video Flash Cards in PDF have been added to the download membership sampler - Get it for free

Preschool and kindergarten curriculum resource for FREE - The flash card poster books are located in the download membership sampler here - sign up and get an access coupon savings code for 100% savings.
Go Here and then to the Frequently Asked Questions Page to find the sign-up location.


http://www.Tools4PreschoolandKindergarten.com

Preschool Video book collection for preschool curriculum resources - free and buy cheap

I just added the rest of the preschool videos on youtube - http://www.youtube.com/user/thinkingofourfuture  


Hope this helps .... these are great for teaching preschool, kindergarten, ELL, ESL and more.  Supports beginning sounds, reading, spelling, sight words and more.


I will update you as soon as I have the coordinating flash cards (that match the video ebooks) uploaded to the free sample download membership at http://www.Tools4PreschoolandKindergarten.com

Monday, January 16, 2012

Fire Safety theme unit for the preschool classroom, lots of ideas and suggestions


This theme is a safety theme as well as introduces a community helper / hero.

This theme is a crucial part of the safety curriculum requirements for any preschool or kindergarten.

The students will make their own safety 911 badge necklace, practice dialing 911 on the phone (worksheet), go over escape plans and routes within the classroom and at home with their families, create a collage, create a 'Please Answer Me Book' all about safety / and not so safe objects, practice Stop – Drop – Roll techniques, use a rebus to create a fire truck snack and receive an award certificate for being a Fire Safety Friend.

Guess what? There is even more in this themed unit!

The unit contains over 30 pages ….. and includes a great Helping our Fire Fighter Friends folder game.

Autumn / Fall preschool theme suggestions and ideas


This is an obvious seasonal focused curriculum unit.

It includes making a lunch bag puppet (template printable patterns are always included), discussing weather appropriate attire, counting and number recognition, fall based colors and a tactile / textured art piece that is just as much fun collecting for it as it is making it.

Have the students make a cute little leaf book again focused on colors.

Decorate pumpkins with fun 'emotion' faces.

Collect corn and figure out what a piece of apple pie is selling for – coin recognition.

Next answer 'What belongs together?' and sort the harvest of apples by size.

Make some lacing cards that can be utilized over and over or sent home for great keepsakes or use as practice lacing mats.

The folder game will have the students matching corn and pumpkin upper and lower case alphabet.

This unit covers several topics all under one umbrella of 'Autumn'.


Apples and Pumpkins themed unit for preschool available at www.Tools4PreschoolandKindergarten.com


This theme will take your students on Little Pumpkin's Adventure.
They will make cute little pumpkin stick puppets and you will begin a story with a special 'story starter' suggestion. The students will take turns using their puppet to add more details to the 'on going' adventures that the Little Pumpkin is having.

Graphing with apples and pumpkins has been incorporated to reinforce colors and counting.

Little Pumpkin even has it's very own book for each student to make that explores common emotions.

The Happy Apple Face activity will have the children giggling once they have completed making their own Happy Apple jack'o lantern'.

The children love snack time when they read the rebus to make a very special treat …. with your help, of course. :-)

The filefolderfun game is a real treat with Apples for Apples. This is a focused pattern game that contains words that all begin with the letter A.

Teaching Insects and Bugs to preschool and kindergarten - Anita Ant


Anita is a worker ant and this theme will explore where she lives, finding food and taking care of the 'babies'.

A brief description is given about ants for the instructor.

The first activity in this theme has the children cutting and coloring while learning about Anita Ant's body (parts).

Another focused activity explores the life cycle of the ant and provides an interactive worksheet with lots of pasting and coloring.

Next the student will help Anita find her home with tracing or cutting along the broken line.

Graphing has also been included in this fun theme concerning some peoples favorite insect.

The Science suggestion involves going on a 'treasure hunt' of sorts for a variety of ants and this includes lots of measuring.

The fun does not stop there. The student will then create a fun little book that asks lots of questions. This particular book will expand this theme tremendously by discussing things that Anita loves to Eat and would a person eat it too?

The templates are included for a fun game that includes lots of muscle movement while learning the colors of the 'ants'.

There is even more focused ant activities in this themed set – like where does an ant live and what does the inside of their home look like.

Finally, within the 37 pages, is an Anita Ant File Folder style game. The game has the students matching Anita's body parts by matching the number to dots. This game will reinforce the location of the abdomen, thorax, legs, head, antennae and more.

*All folder style games include directions and recommend lamination for long term durability.

Theme sets ..... 47 original units for preschool and kindergarten - Very Affordable

Themed Curriculum

Where to begin?

This set contains 47 theme based units and can be utilized over a 50+ week period.

This is not your typical 'recommendation' set up. You will not open up anyone of the themed ebooks and find any of the following:

Sing 'this song' during circle time …..
Cover the color Yellow this week.....
Dress everybody up as cowboys and play 'the West' in centers....
Read 'this book' to support this theme this week......

It is not that the 'recommendation' set-up is not a prevailing style presently …. but does that really work when you are a home school parent or daycare provider – when there really is not enough time in the day to lay out a 'lesson plan' and collect all of the pieces needed to accommodate the 'recommendations'.

Do you want it NOW and be able to set it up relatively easily and quickly? If the answer is 'YES' - this is the set for you.

The Themed Curriculum set was inspired and created with that purpose in mind.

Admittedly, this set is excellent for any preschool or kindergarten based classroom. It can be expanded upon to meet any educational recommendations and guidelines.
But even more importantly is the ability for the homeschool parent and home day care based instructor - to have the ability to provide a sound and fun curriculum without the demands of NO 'planning period' or assistants to help create and collect the bits needed for a lot of the resources and curriculum found now days.

There are companies out there that will ship you a nice 'convenient' set-up of 3 or 4 activities a week and suggested supports for their curriculum at a cost that equals a very large chunk of money per student …. And yet, you will still be expected to collect and plan additional pieces and activities for the week or month.

That alone makes this set appear even more practical and definitely a lot less expensive. It even comes with a lot more 'Bells and Whistles' than the prepackaged sets provide.

The Themed Curriculum set at www.Tools4PreschoolandKindergarten.com was created specifically with convenience and affordability in mind.

With the prepackaged sets ….. you have to continue to order month after month after month - and you will need to be sure to order enough sets to accommodate each student, since they are usually sold as a per student price. Adjustments to your classroom or daycare may occur quickly with students coming and going ….. yet you may not have enough 'arts and crafts' pieces to include each student. You, also, do not want to leave anyone out! What can you do? Order more? You do realize that the additional sets will not arrive by the next morning …. of course - you do! :-)

If any of this sounds familiar ….. This small piece (Not Really.... It has over 1725 pages of usable curriculum / activities within the Themed Curriculum Package) of The Ultimate Resource for Preschool and Kindergarten is exactly what you have been waiting for!

When designed, it was with the intention that any person could easily add a quality preschool type program easily and quickly.

Each unit includes (in PDF printable formatting) a minimum of:

5 Themed Based Activities
File Folder Style Game
Spanish and Sign Language Flash Cards
Individual Worksheets for -
letter
shape
color
number
Fine and/or Gross Motor Activity Suggestion(s)
Science Suggestion(s)

Obviously …. you control what is included within your preschool program and can alter the letter, shape, color and number sheets included in the unit. Why? Because YOU can!

With the download membership …... you have so many more support pieces, curriculum, activities, worksheets – the list goes on and on.

You are in control and not at the mercy of 'what is sent' in a prepackaged curriculum.

All you will need to do is …. print off what you want to use.

Are you wondering what can be within the many pages of the themed sets? You will probably be a little, if not a lot, surprised.

This set was designed for a need of minimal gathering of objects (if anything would need to be gathered, you will most likely already have it around the house or classroom) and the simplicity of printing off exactly what you need.

Teaching the Basics for Preschool and Kindergarten - Hot - free - coupon code savings

The Basics

Let's begin with the beginning ….

When it comes to education, the basics include the alphabet, colors, numbers and shapes. This is the foundation of The Basics.

The Basics is an excellent introduction to the letters, colors, shapes and numbers. The first 10 lesson units introduce the numbers 1 – 10 as well as the colors and shapes. In addition to the basic concepts, each lesson includes fun activities that will expand the possibilities for success.

The 26 lesson units each include a 5 page book covering various concepts, search & find sheet (search mat), tracing / cutting and a mini file folder style game.

This Educational Set would be appropriate for the very advanced 2 year old with a lot of 1 to 1 teacher support or a special needs student needing basic concepts work support. Absolutely perfect for the pre-k to kindergarten level pupil.

One more thing..... this is not to be confused with a lesson plan that instructs you to do …. but is designed for you to ACT!

Each unit introduces a new letter (that is why there is 26 sets) and provides you with the ability to print off what you will need to accommodate each and every objective. It contains over 270 pages of printable / usable tools and curriculum.

Get started NOW with the very first unit, the letter A.

It is provided here for FREE

Also available is a video (provided via YouTube channel Thinking of our Future) – Watch it here http://youtu.be/iWrXK6n7Zug

This is only the beginning of the quality curriculum and resources within the download membership at Tools for (4) Preschool and Kindergarten.

Ultimate Resource for Preschool and Kindergarten -Description

What is the Ultimate Resource for Preschool and Kindergarten located at http://www.Tools4PreschoolandKindergarten.com and
why do I need it?

The Ultimate Resource for Preschool and Kindergarten is an extensive curriculum / resource package that can be incorporated into many different types of teaching environments. This includes daycare, home school, preschool, kindergarten and special needs situations. The resources can be utilized by therapists too. This includes speech, occupational and physical therapy.

Tools for Preschool and Kindergarten has bundled numerous digitally formatted e-books into conveniently zipped down-loadable files that are easily saved onto a hard drive. Once the storage of each file has been completed, the folders can be unpacked and opened to display huge amounts PDF printable books.

This formatting and storage method makes the resources at Tools 4 Preschool and Kindergarten the perfect teacher friendly curriculum.

Shopping for curriculum, lesson plans, reading supports, math concept material and so many additional tools has never been so easy. This Digital Download Resource E-book Membership allows the purchaser to utilize the material for years to come and at a very affordable, if not downright, insanely cheap price.

What is the one event that all teachers dread? After spending an enormous amount of money on one activity ….. a piece is lost, damaged or the game (activity) wears out. Sure, the item has served the purpose and was purchased as a 'disposable'. This definitely redefines the terminology 'disposable income'. :-)

Wouldn't it be wonderful if when something was lost, damaged or wore out the company would send you a new game, book, activity or whatever the tool was? Of course the answer is a resounding 'YES'. We all know that this is not how it works …. until now.

www.Tools4PreschoolandKindergarten.com gives you the ability to replace those lost, damaged and wore out activities by simply printing off and creating the item again …. and …. again …. and … again!

Tired of the black-line master that over time becomes so ridiculously faded that you need to sit down and actually trace over the tiny letters and designs so you can use it just one more time? Seriously – if you enjoy this activity ….. you do not need the download membership …. you do need a new hobby. :-)

The Ultimate Resource for Preschool and Kindergarten is a tool unlike anything else you will find on the internet or any other location. Sure, you will find several options of downloadable material or cd /dvd's loaded with curriculum and resources – but it is a relative certainty that not one of these tools will provide you with the variety, typical and unique, that is available within the Ultimate Resource for Preschool and Kindergarten.

Why so certain …. You ask?

Well ….. let's explore all of the numerous resource sets that are included within the download membership located at www.Tools4PreschoolandKindergarten.com

Thursday, January 5, 2012

www.Tools4PreschoolandKindergarten.com Review

I am going to begin a series of site reviews dedicated to the Tools 4 (for) Preschool and Kindergarten web site.


This site contains so many diverse pieces of educational material that it is a little overwhelming if you just happen to land on the web site.... especially if you have no idea of what this site actually is.


All I will say in this blog piece about www.Tools4PreschoolandKindergarten.com is that
it is comparable to a 5 star Restaurant (like the Broadmoor in Colorado - by the way - I am in no way connected to the Broadmoor - It is an amazingly beautiful piece of history) in the curriculum world of preschool and kindergarten level education - yet is bundled and priced like the family friendly Buffet that you might find on any corner of your city or town.


It is a one stop, one price curriculum / resource that any teacher, parent, daycare provider .... would love to receive as a gift.  


It is perfect for the new instructor that has very little for their group of children.  


The experienced teacher will find so many new and wonderful pieces that they too will want to print, make and create all of the typical and unique sets within the many (did I say - MANY!) downloadable zipped files that contain huge amounts of ebooks.  Each file is loaded with so many beautiful and enriching pieces.


The site contains thousands of pages .....


I will try to give true justice to each piece that is available within the Download membership .... But truly will probably not be able to cover every piece - there is just sooooo much!


Did I mention that everything is included in the one price .... Everything!

Mini Site Review for LetteroftheWeek - Preschool curriculum

This site includes suggestions for nearly everything and is even curriculum friendly for the infant / toddler category.


Some of the resources on this site include:



Nursery Curriculum for Ages 0 - 1
Brightly Beaming Baby (Nursery Age 0)
Recommended Reading for Parents 
Literature 
Nursery Rhymes 
Poetry 
Bible
Rhyme Bible
Speech/Vocabulary 
Classical Music 
Baby Games 
Lullabies 
Sign Language 
Foreign Languages 
Exercise 
Baby Massage  
How to Schedule 
Brightly Beaming Toddler (Nursery Age 1)
Recommended Reading for Parents 
Literature 
Bible 
Poetry 
Nursery Rhymes 
Speech/Vocabulary 
Sign Language 
Indoor Games 
Outdoor Games 
Classical Music 
Musical Exploration 
Children's Songs 
Lullabies 
Foreign Languages 
Puppetry 
Exercise 
Nature Study 
Arts & Crafts 
Art Appreciation 
How to Schedule 
Brightly Beaming Steps to Reading Program for Ages 2 - 7
Step One:  Preparatory Curriculum (Ages 2 - 4)
Curriculum Outline 
Weekly Themes 
Learning Poster 
Vocabulary Words 
Colors/Shapes 
Letters 
Numbers 
Nursery Rhymes 
Monday Schedule 
Tuesday Schedule 
Wednesday Schedule 
Thursday Schedule 
Friday Schedule 
Preparatory Book List 
Step Two:  Letter of the Week (Ages 2 - 5)
Scheduling the Year 
Alphabet Intro Week 
Basic Letter Weeks 
Review Weeks 
Alphabet Party! 
Monday Schedule 
Tuesday Schedule 
Wednesday Schedule 
Thursday Schedule 
Friday Schedule 
Any Day Schedule 
Letter of the Week Book List 
Step Three:  Sound of the Week (Ages 3 - 6)
Curriculum Outline 
Basic Sound Weeks 
Sound Wall Poster 
Reviewing the Letters 
Handwriting in the Curriculum 
Sound of the Week Book List 
Sound of the Week Printout 
Celebration Party Week
Step Four:  Story of the Week (Ages 4 - 7)
Curriculum Outline 
Lesson One
Kindergarten Curriculum for Ages 4 - 5**
Science of the Week (Kindergarten Ages 4 & 5)
My Science Journey Poster 
My Science Journey Journal 
From Seed to Pumpkin 
What's It Like to Be a Fish? 
Germs Make Me Sick 
Penguin Chick 
Sunshine Makes the Seasons 
What Happens to a Hamburger? 
What Makes a Magnet?
Country of the Week (Kindergarten Ages 4 & 5)
Curriculum Outline 
Angola  
ArgentinaJuly 28, 2011
Ireland 




The countries below will one day  be revised for inclusion in Country of  the Month a curriculum for ages 6 - 11.
China 
Egypt 
Russia
SpellBright Level One (Kindergarten Age 5)
SpellBright Level One Spelling Lists & Activities


Primary Curriculum for Ages 6 - 8


SpellBright Level Two (Primary Age 6)
SpellBright Level Two Spelling Lists & Activities
Primary Journal Ideas (Primary Ages 6 - 8)
January Journal Ideas 
February Journal Ideas 
March Journal Ideas 
April Journal Ideas 
May Journal Ideas 
June Journal Ideas 
July Journal Ideas 
August Journal Ideas 
September Journal Ideas 
October Journal Ideas 
November Journal Ideas 
December Journal Ideas
Orchestral Beams (Primary Ages 6 - 8)


Elementary Curriculum for Ages 9 - 11**


Blazers of Greatness
Curriculum Outline 
Albert Einstein 
George Washington 
Benjamin Franklin 
Abraham Lincoln 
Mother Teresa 
Madeleine de Verchères
Early Childhood at Home
A Balanced Home Education
The Arts of Religion & Character
Bible Study
Sacred Art Appreciation 
Sacred Music Appreciation 
Character Studies
The Arts of Communication
Early Literacy 
Phonics 
Beginning Reading 
Literature 
Poetry 
Nursery Rhymes 
Penmanship 
Spelling 
Speech 
Recitation 
Grammar 
Composition 
Vocabulary 
Sign Language 
Narration 
Typing & Computers
The Arts of Thinking & Educational Skills
Memorization 
Critical Thinking 
Library Skills 
Reference Skills 
Study Skills
The Arts of Mathematics
Preschool Math 
Kindergarten Math 
Primary Math 
Math Games
The Arts of the Social Studies
Preschool/Kindergarten Themes 
World Geography 
Biographies of Famous People 
U.S. History & Geography 
Canadian History & Geography 
State/Province Studies 
World History 
Timelines/Book of Centuries
The Arts of the Natural & Scientific World
Nature Study 
Preschool Science 
Kindergarten Science 
Primary Science
The Arts of Languages
Languages Around the World 
French 
Spanish 
Italian 
Latin 
Greek
The Arts of Physical Education
Exercise 
Games 
Baby Massage 
Sports 
Health 
Nutrition 
Drill 
Safety & First Aid
The Arts of Cultural Expression
Music 
Music Appreciation 
Art 
Art Appreciation 
Dance & Movement 
Puppetry 
Drama 
Mime
The Arts of Life
Handicrafts 
Children's Chores 
Manners 
Scrapbooking/Notebooking 
Personal & Family History 
Scheduling 
Organization 
Goal Setting 
Life Skills Lists
Levels of Learning
Nursery Age 0 
Nursery Age 1 
Preschool Age 2 
Preschool Age 3 
Kindergarten Age 4 
Kindergarten Age 5 
Primary Level Age 6 
Primary Level Age 7 
Primary Level Age 8
Elementary Level Age 9
Elementary Level Age 10
Elementary Level Age 11
Homeschool Information
Getting Started 
Books to Read 
Curriculum Providers 
Helpful Homeschool Sites 
Methods and Philosophies of Home Education
Charlotte Mason 
Maria Montessori 
Glenn Doman 
Shinichi Suzuki 
Classical Education 
Thomas Jefferson Education
An Environment for Learning 
Homeschool Forms and Tools 
Opening Exercises


(The list was so extensive that I just copied and pasted it directly to the blog ..... I wanted to do the site justice .... WOW :)


LetteroftheWeek contains some extraordinary topics and suggestions.  This site is definitely worth taking a look at when working with preschool and kindergarten aged (developmentally established) students.  Even more when working with older students in upper grades.  


Letter of the Week contains numerous ideas that cover many advanced areas of curriculum.


http://www.Tools4PreschoolandKindergarten.com








Valentine Day Sugar Cookies - Great Project to Decorate with Little Ones

  • This is a Sugar Cookie Recipe that has received a lot of positive feedback.

This recipe does require that you chill the dough prior to rolling out for cutting with cookie cutters.  Dip the cutter in flour prior to cutting - this will decrease the stickiness.

The cookie will spread a bit .... but not too bad.

You will need the following ingredients:

  • 1 cup white sugar
  • 1 cup confectioners' sugar
  • 1 cup butter
  • 1 cup shortening
  • 2 eggs
  • 4 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1 teaspoon cream of tartar
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract (or almond extract - my favorite)
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt

  • Preheat oven to 350 degrees F 

  • Cream together the sugars, shortening and butter. 
  • Mix in the eggs and mix well.
  • Stir in flour, cream of tartar and baking soda. Mix in vanilla (or almond) and salt.  Stir until well blended.

  • Roll dough into walnut sized balls. 

  • Flatten with glass bottom dipped in sugar (and cinnamon - optional). 
  • Bake for 10 minutes (Time may vary depending on the oven and location). 

  • Let the cookies cool then decorate.

  • These make a great treat for the preschool / kindergarten group - but also make great gifts for the parents ( guardians) or that someone special.

Wednesday, January 4, 2012

Printable File Folder Games - New and Available for Free at www.Tools4PreschoolandKindergarten.com

Just added the new filefolderfun game of funky fish shapes on to the download Sampler membership site.


The directions are included .... no reason to watch a video.  These are so easy to make and use.  The file folder games (the new ones that were just added) can also be used as fun shaped memory match lotto cards for additional options in education expansion.


Instead of pasting the fish onto the folder - cut them out and laminate (still make two (2) copies of each fish page).  Play as you would a normal memory game.


I have added (copy and pasted) directions from:
http://www.ehow.com/how_7559722_memory-game-directions.html 


Instructions

    • 1
      Flip all of the cards over so that the picture sides of the cards are face down. Arrange the cards into a rectangular grid. Keep the grid as uniform as possible, in order to prevent giving unintentional clues to players, which would make it easier to memorize the locations of certain cards.
    • 2
      Have the youngest player take the first turn. The player turns over any two cards in the grid, flipping them all the way over and laying them down with the pictures facing up. The player collects the two cards if the pictures on them are the same, otherwise the two cards are turned back over and it is the next player's turn. A player that makes a match takes another turn, and continues to take turns until they fail to make a match.
    • 3
      Have the next oldest player take his turn in the same manner. Continue to take turns, youngest to oldest, until all of the matches are made.
    • 4
      Have each player count up her matches. The player with the most matches wins.

Tips & Warnings

  • The object isn't to just randomly flip over cards and hope to make a match, but rather to memorize the locations of the cards as the game goes on.
  • Play the game solo by setting up the cards in the same grid formation. Then count how many turns you have to take, in order to pair up all of the cards. Try to decrease the number of turns it takes you with each additional play of the game.
  • Children too young for the Memory version of the game can still play with the cards: play all of the cards picture side up, and have the young child put together the cards in pairs. This will teach him how to group like items together.
Hope these suggested directions are more clear than my explanation could be.


Here is a video of the set .... 




Check out the youtube channel ThinkingOfOurFuture
for a lot of videos of great (and affordable - if not free) preschool, kindergarten, special education and early 1st grade level resources / curriculum.