Disclosure: I am a blog ambassador for Lakeshore and am compensated for my work. I received the product free of charge, but as always, all my thoughts and opinions are 100% mine. Winter is coming, which means more time spent indoors at our house! I'm always trying to come up with ways to keep my kids busy, that don't involve screens. I'm so excited to share with you the Ultimate Fort Builder! This would make a wonderful gift this holiday season. Make sure to read to the end because I'm … [Read more...]
Winter Slime
Winter is the time of year where we spend more time indoors in the Midwest! Yes, we love to play in the snow and go sledding, but we do have a lot of bitterly cold days where we need indoor activities. We love to make slime on those days! I'm excited to share my favorite winter slime recipe with you. It's super easy to make and your kids will love it! Materials for Winter Slime One 6oz bottle Elmer’s Clear Glue 1/4 to 1/2 cup warm water, as needed 1/2 teaspoon baking soda 2-3 … [Read more...]
Turkey Handprint Sensory Activity
Thanksgiving is upon us and turkeys are the most popular animal right now! There are a lot of turkey crafts, but sometimes it is hard for little ones to participate. That is why I love activities that include safe activities that are edible for toddlers. High sensory crafts can be messy, but they sure are fun! This special turkey print is all about the process and doesn’t need to be saved when completed (unless of course, you want to take a picture of it and frame it for future Thanksgivings). … [Read more...]
Thankful Turkey Hats
I think it's the cutest thing to see little ones wearing paper hats. You know the ones they make at school or homeschool about the alphabet or something similar? Well today I'm sharing with you a Thankful Turkey Hat that I created for little ones to celebrate Thanksgiving! These adorable hats are great to use with children, especially preschoolers and kindergarteners. The concept is simple. It is a "thankful turkey" where kids write what they are thankful for onto the turkey feathers. … [Read more...]
Five Little Pumpkins – Free Rhyme Booklet
When October comes around, my boys love to chant the Five Little Pumpkins rhyme. It's such a cute little rhyme for Halloween. My 2-year-old learned it this year and it is the cutest thing to hear him recite the whole poem! Today I am sharing with you a fun little booklet I created using this poem. For those of you who have never heard the poem, here is how it goes: Five little pumpkins sitting on a gate. The first one said, "Oh my, it's getting late!" The second one said, "There are … [Read more...]
5 Tips for a Successful Circle Time
As teachers, we love to teach our kids and we come up with some awesome games and activities. As we excitedly enter the classroom that morning with our plan, we hope that the kids enjoy the activities as much as we did planning them. As fun as the preschool days are, teaching large groups can be stressful. What if all the kids don’t pay attention? What if little Sally wanders around the room and won’t sit down? Do these questions run through your mind as you get closer to large group … [Read more...]
CVC Words Practice Activity
Disclosure: This post contains affiliate links to Amazon. See my disclosure for more details. My kindergartener is learning to read, which is so special and exciting! Listening to him read is one of my favorite things. He is decoding words and reading beginner books, which is so fun to see! Something we've been working a lot on is reading and writing CVC words. CVC words are three-letter words that follow a consonant/vowel/consonant pattern. Some examples are the words 'cat', 'hen', and … [Read more...]
How to Create a Balanced Preschool Routine
Laughing, learning, and playing is all a part of a preschool day. We become preschool teachers because we love being around young kids. Their natural interest in learning, sweet friendships, and silly sayings keeps us coming back every morning! But what happens when our days aren’t as great as we had planned? Sometimes children don’t show interest in our activities. Sometimes the best of friends have a hard day sharing space. What feeds into the differences in our kids' behaviors every … [Read more...]
All About Today Activity Center
Disclosure: I am a blog ambassador for Lakeshore and am compensated for my work. I received the product free of charge, but as always, all my thoughts and opinions are 100% mine. Are you a teacher or homeschool mom? If you teach preschoolers or kindergarteners, I have to tell you about the All About Today Activity Center! This is my kindergartner's favorite thing in our school room and he looks forward to doing the activities each day. I'm excited to tell you all about it and also share an … [Read more...]
Pumpkin Shadow Faces
Disclosure: This post contains affiliate links. See my disclosure for more details. Pumpkins, pumpkins everywhere! I love this “pumpkin” time of year. Not only for the pumpkin lattes but also for the fabulous sensory experiences that pumpkins give our kids. You know, that ooey, gooey mess that either makes use smile or cringe? Not to worry, if you or your children don’t like to touch the “pumpkin guts,” you don’t have to for this activity. It is so important for us to “read” the faces of our … [Read more...]