www.preschoolbystormie.com review

The review for www.preschoolbystormie.com will definitely not cover everything that is available on this site.  It is quite massive.


The site offers a curriculum index which is quite nice and convenient.  


It has a 'Potpourri of Ideas' - Great area with an abundance of suggestions from many individuals that work with preschool and kindergarten students.  This list includes parents, daycare providers .... just about everybody!


This site even offers a 'Teacher Preparation' area for aspiring teachers and home school parents. 


Hope you find this mini review of www.preschoolbystormie.com of great use.


www.Tools4PreschoolandKindergarten.com

www.FreeABCSchool.com

Preschool Story Time Reading Activities

It does not matter if you are a home school educator or a preschool teacher, story time is an important part of any preschool student's educational experience. 


Story time can be as simple as reviewing popular nursery rhymes or as extensive as a story soap opera. 


Depending on the preschool student's leveled abilities and/or interests, story time can include the ever popular Humpty Dumpty or the divisional break down of popular books such as The Three Little Pigs. 


The reading item should be chosen based on attention span and actual interest of the preschool student.Preschool leveled students have limited attention spans and the love of reading can be encouraged via fun activities. Include attention grabbing props such as a story time hat, a special story time pillow or chair, a story time flag, special made story mats, a special story time march around the room, a song or even a drum chant. 


Some of the items can be made by the preschool student. The pillow could be decorated with hand prints using fabric paint. The flag could be made of card stock and pictures collected from old magazines or discarded books. 


The preschool class could even make up their own song and dance for use during transition to story time. Involving the preschool students encourages their love of reading.
Preschool leveled students will also respond to special activities related to the story.

Examples include:

          A story show and tell; Announce the story of the week and ask the students to participate by bringing in an item that relates to a part of the story.

           Incorporating Sign Language; Teach the students special signs that relate to the story line.
         
A story treasure chest; Fill a small box with surprise items related to the story.

Prior to removing an item from the chest to share with the preschool students, provide a brief verbal description of the item, then have the class guess what the item could be.

The variations are extensive and are only limited by the vision of the instructor.

Story time excitement can be created in the preschool classroom with a student made book.

At the beginning of the preschool year the student could create an ‘About Me’ styled book.

Include pages about their favorite foods, family pets, favorite color, a hand drawn family portrait or even a self-portrait. Add the books to the preschool class library to encourage not only the love of reading but individual familiarity.

A book extension activity will also encourage the understanding of the book being read. Many extension activities include the creation of a ‘mimic’ styled handmade book produced by the student.

It may also include activities / worksheets based on the book being introduced but are inclusive of the basic concepts introduced in a preschool classroom.

Again, the limits are only set by the vision of the instructor.

Story time, with its many facets, is an important part of any preschool curriculum. Encouraging the love of reading will not only span the ages but extend the imagination of the preschool student.

Special Days in your Classroom or Daycare ... Home School - It's a Party Event

Have a special day every week. Children (like adults) love to have something to look forward to doing.

The special days can be something as simple as Bubble Day ….. Set up a bubble table and have the children see how many bubbles they can fill up the room with (while blowing several bubble sticks – everyone at the same time).

Another would be 'Plane' Day – Make paper airplanes and fly them around the room or outdoors. Have contests to see which will fly the farthest or the fastest.

Have a book party – everyone bring their favorite short read – provide a special snack and take turns reading. Another option would be to read a book that has a coordinating movie – read the book first – then watch the movie during rest time and discuss it afterwards.

Backwards Day is always popular – wear your clothes backwards, come to school in pajamas, eat dessert first, have rest time before lunch – anything that gets the kids giggling.

Favorite Toy Day – Let everyone bring their favorite toy to play with during free time.

There are so many options – you could have a different special day every week for the entire year without repeating the event.

Some additional suggestions:

Camping Day

Carnival

Beach Party

Art Fair

Grown-up Day

Do something Special Day

Song Day

Fashion Show

Hat Day

Favorite Cartoon Day

Circus Day

Luau Day

Pajama Party

Puppet Day

and so many more!

Art Supply list Suggestions for Early Childhood Classrooms and Daycare

If you are home schooling, teaching via day care or an instructor in a school system – supplying the classroom with basic materials for hands-on learning is a necessity.  I know that when I began Peanut Butter Crunch years ago (it took me over a year just to complete the initial submission for the site which is a fraction of what is on the site now) – I began with the homeschool / private care provider in mind.  Individuals usually do not begin with an abundance of resources – money or otherwise – but still want the same or better educational value that the larger institutions are providing. 

So with that in mind, I created basic theme sets that needed very little beyond the very basic art supplies. Crayons, markers, glue, paper, salt / glitter, scissors, etc…. things that most households have on hand with little ones around.  I also felt it pertinent to make it affordable – especially in today’s economic environment.  I know – because I have been repetitively told – that the value for PBC is incredibly higher than what little I am asking for monthly memberships – but I also know ink / toner and printer cost money too ….. and if you need more than one item because you teach 5 or 15 students – the price of resources can nickel and dime you to death or at least bankrupt your savings account.  After experiencing what one small resource book costs - let alone 50 - I decided that everyone that works with early childhood education leveled students needed a very affordable / convenient tool to assist in teaching our children.  Peanut Butter Crunch was 'born'.

In addition to curriculum, I thought it would be nice to add some suggestions here at Legend of Learning for the daycare / private provider .... so for starters .....

In this installment to Legend of Learning (this was my original attempt at blogging) – I thought I would create a list (not completely comprehensive – but a good start) for the ‘basic’ art supplies needed in your home school / daycare area.

Crayons

Markers (thick & thin)

GluePaste

Paper (lined, construction, cardstock, shiny, wrapping, heavy ‘butcher’  style ….. too many to list)

Colored Tissue

Chalk

Tape (packing, duct, masking, clear, etc….)

Food Coloring

Tempera Paint

Water Colors

Brushes (different sizes)

Swabs

Paper / Styro (not as earth friendly) – Plates, Cups, Bowls

Lunch Bags

Stamps / Stickers

Rubber & Sponge Stampers

Washable Ink Pads

Straws

Toothpicks

Glitter

Sequins

Buttons

Felt

Scrap material

Contact Paper

Wiggly Eyes

Grommets

Brads

Paper Clips

Feathers

Pipe Cleaners

Doilies (paper)

Stapler

Staples

Hole Punch (various designs too)

Rubber Bands

Index Cards (various sizes)

Eyedroppers

Colored Pencils

Spray bottles

Craft Sticks – all sizes – mini, Popsicle and tongue depressors

Old magazines and catalogs

Sand (colored too)

Pebbles / Rocks

Shells

Cotton balls

Pom Pom style balls

Egg Cartons

Foam Peanuts (the starch based packaging ones are biodegradable and stick together with a little dab of water)

Paper baking cups

Paper towels

Poster board

Streamers

Yarn, Thread, String

Ribbon & Lace

Smocks or large old t-shirts / button up shirts

Bubbles

As you can see – the list can be quite extensive – but adding items to the area is easier to manage if you add items only as you need them and keep the leftovers for later projects.  

Visual Discrimination - Unique Picture Puzzles

This is a fun puzzle (visual discrimination activity) set. Take a snap shot of each student – print off a small picture of each student (no larger than 2” squared). Create individualized name to picture puzzles by pasting each photo onto a recipe type of card – photo on the left side and the student's name on the right side. Cut a zig-zag line down the center of each card (make sure the lines on each card are unique). Now the students can practice recognizing their own name and their classmates names with these fun (yet simple) puzzles.

Fine Motor Skills and the Four to Five Year Old

Preschoolers have an incredible adaptive ability. The 4 to 5 year old has typically achieved numerous skills by this age. They can dress themselves, even if a few items 'look' backwards. They feed themselves. They use the toilet. They use their imaginations. So many accomplishments in such a short period of time, yet they still have a world to conquer.

Fine motor development for a typical preschooler, up to this age, has included many obstacles to overcome. Including putting together a 6 to 8 piece puzzle, cutting thru paper and play dough, putting tiny toys into tiny containers, screwing and unscrewing a container and winding up toys. This is only to name a few of the accomplishments of the already four year old child.

By the time these skills have been somewhat mastered, the preschooler is ready for new challenges. These fine motor objectives should come naturally to a child that does not have any delays or concerns. The goals for this age period should include:

*completing a 5 – 10 piece puzzle

*creasing paper with fingers

*drawing a picture that is recognizable

*prints name with a modeled example

*capable of placing a paper clip onto a sheet of paper

*readily traces shapes and letters

*places a key into a lock successfully

*builds with blocks and connective toys

*cuts out pictures from newspapers and magazines

*draws a line between two objects on a piece of paper

*uses a dominant hand the majority of the time

This list is not complete but should provide an idea of the type of accomplishments a preschool aged child without delays or impairments should be able to conquer.

Hand Mapping and Fine Motor Development in Preschoolers

Fine motor work generally refers to 'working with the hands'. Many of the actions come naturally to most individuals. Normally we do not need to focus on bringing a spoon to our mouth or a tissue to our nose, but for those with fine motor concerns, it is not so natural.

The first step in focusing on fine motor development is to recognize the terminology. Finger pads are simply a persons finger tips. Pincer grasp is when a person can hold a small item, like a piece of dry circular cereal, between their thumb and index finger. Finger opposition is the ability for the thumb to touch the finger pads. Finally, the tripod grasp is when a person typically holds a pencil or crayon. The item rests along the side of the longer middle finger and is grasped between the pads of the thumb and index finger.

When dealing with fine motor delays or the initial development of these skills, incorporating fun activities makes the process (or therapy) go along more quickly. Some simple activities can include:

*pegs placed on a pegboard

*washing hands with scented soaps

*using hand lotion (rubbing it in throughout the tops and bottoms of each hand and in between each finger)

*sorting small items (like dry cereal) into small, clean trays (ice cube trays or egg cartons work nicely)

*using a spoon in a mug ¼ filled with jelly beans to relocate each bean to a color specific designation

*use tongs or tweezers to sort small to large sized items

*place pennies in a piggy bank

*roll balls of clay in between the palms of both hands or on a flat surface like a table

If the tasks are a little to difficult for the student, not because of physical limitations, but focus – break the task down to simple steps. Truly give specific steps for each movement and / or show by doing it yourself first.

Any activity that incorporates hand movement is perfect for developing the fine motor skills. Some examples would be:

*rolling, tossing or throwing a small ball

*find the coin game – two people needed for this game. One person takes the coin and mixes which hand the coin is grasped in (usually done behind the persons' back) while the other person has to patiently wait. The coin holding person brings both clinched hands out in front of them and the other person must decide (guess) which fist the coin is located. If the person guesses correctly – it is their turn. If the person does not guess correctly then the coin person gets to do the 'mix-up' again. The key to extending the fine motor work is to be sure that the person needing the work has to place the 'guessed' coin (using pincer grasp) onto the other person's opened hand (palm up). If that person is the guessing person, then they should take the coin (pincer style) from the coin holders open hand. This game is a lot of fun to do while waiting for appointments.

*do the wooden puzzle boards that come with the tiny knobs. If the board puzzles do not have the small knobs, add your own. This is really easy using push pin style tacks. Push a tack into the center of the wooden puzzle piece and remove. Dab a bit of wood glue or super glue onto the metal pin and bottom of the plastic tack topper. Push the pin back through the same pin hole and let dry. Do this with all of the pieces of the wood puzzle.

Fine motor work can be integrated into nearly any event with simple alterations to how a person holds, throws or distributes the pieces needed to complete the activity. Next time you are playing a board game that has small objects, observe how the players grasp and relocate the pieces. In other activities notice how a person will toss a foam ball or tap a bouncing balloon. Simple observations and corrections can go a long ways in adding to the developing skills of the preschool leveled student.

Lacing Cards ..... Huge Variety of Activities and a Coupon Code - Huge Savings

Have you seen the lacing cards .....

These cards are so easy to make and can be used for more than just lacing.  Make several sets of these cards and have the children use them for making words .... practice spelling lessons or making rhyming words.  The cards were also created using a color pattern - red, yellow, blue and green.  Have the students sort into color sets.  I am certain this is not the only activities that these letters can be utilized for .... let your imagination run wild ---- okay ---- use a little control.


The set is over at http://www.Resource4Preschool.com


The Lacing set is listed for $4.97 .... but if you use the coupon code ABCLACE  - you will will get it for only $1.24 .... I think that is around a 75% savings on the set.

File Folder Games - Pumpkin - Really adorable - Free Sample

If you have not found this adorable pumpkin file folder game - see the video and get the link at my youtube channel -
http://www.youtube.com/ThinkingOfOurFuture 


At the moment I have a lot of videos up to showcase some of the curriculum I have designed over the years .... but I do plan on adding some more 'original' pieces that I hope you will enjoy.


I hope you find the file folder game useful.