Every Penny Counts!

All teachers know that the money you receive for your classroom only goes so far and as a dedicated teacher you end up spending a lot of your own.   Last year I got permission to paint a tree mural on my wall which I can use each year for my classroom display, this has been very helpful.   I now pick a theme each year that will work with trees.   This year I used monkeys and my new class theme for 2011-2012 is "Look Whoooos in Preschool" OWLS.   Did you know that a group of owls is called a parliament--me either!  Owls go great with trees.   This year instead of buying all my supplies like name tags, cubby tags, etc.   I have decided to utilize the greatest tool ever,  the internet.  I have created all my supplies including name plates and will be printing them on card stock, laminating them and using them at school.   This will save me at least $25 - 30 and I can utilize that money for something educational like a manipulative, felt board themes or idea books.   Another good tip that a co-worker taught me is to duplicate those art projects that you see in certain trade magazines.    Why spend $10 to $12 on a class project in foam when you can make it yourself with construction paper.   It really is easy and best of all, IT'S FREE!

SCIENCE ROCKS!

Today was a science day for me.  For the second year I am working on our schools science curriculum.  We do approximately 60 experiments each year, all of which have to be researched, documented into a lesson plan and of course done, to make sure they work!   I just wrapped up last years science documentation review so now I can begin year number 2.  We decided to do two years worth of experiments so that we can be on a rotation to keep it fresh for the kids.  I really can't express how much I enjoy science.  The kids faces when doing some of the experiments are priceless and if I can spark a bit of interest in the subject at a young age, then wow, what a bonus!

Here is a simple experiment you can try at home called "The Knotted Bone".

• Take some thin chicken bones and drop them in vinegar for a day or so until they become very soft & pliable
• Now you can tie them in a knot, just like a piece of string.
• Leave them sitting out on the table and they'll get hard again!  Or for a good experiment try putting it in milk?  Does it re-harden?

Vinegar is considered a mild acid, but it is strong enough to dissolve away the calcium in the bone. Once the calcium is dissolved, there is nothing to keep the bone hard.

What a great way to show kids why they should drink more milk!

Going above and beyond!

(Sadly I forgot to take a before picture, so this may not seem very impressive)   Today I was reminded of how wonderful it is to be working at such a great school.   It's not just a place to work, it's a community of friends who work together to make our school the best place it can be.  You know you are blessed when someone you work with will spend 5 hours in a closet with you!  At the end of school when I said, "OMG, we have to clean this closet out before someone gets hurt!", A dear friend and co-worker named Joanne was the first person to say, "I'll help you".   So today at 11:00 a.m. we started pulling things out of the right side of the closet.  We didn't even remove a lot of the items from the shelves.   Just from that right side  & we filled the hallway with stuff!  A lot of stuff!  5 hours later & a long trip to the dumpster, we had cleaned everything off that wall & the floor, removed an old coat rack and installed a new shelf.  You can actually see the floor now!   This may not seem like a normal preschool teacher activity but being a teacher is doing what is best for your students AND your school.  Sometimes you have to go above and beyond, not just in the classroom!

THE MAILBOX: A teacher's best friend!

Today I received my latest edition of The Mailbox, preschool.   I cannot tell you what an inspiration this magazine is.  They have so many creative and unique ideas, even if you don't use their exact set up it really helps jump start your creativity when it comes to artwork and bulletin boards.   For instance, today they had a great idea for promoting good listening skills.   Kids love rewards & they love to be singled out for doing a good job so I now have the GOOD LISTENER STAR!    This giant cardboard star is a place mat on the floor and in the morning when we are getting ready to have Calendar time the child with the best listening skills gets to sit on the special star spot.    This really makes the child feel good and encourages the other children to be good listeners.      It's amazing what a simple star can do!   The mailbox is also great for sensory motor & story time.  

Getting Started

My name is Michele but my friends call me Shelly so please feel free to do so.   I am a busy mom and preschool teacher with a flair for the creative!   I want to share my ideas and thoughts about preschool, learning and if you're currently a parent;  keep you up to date with what's going on in class.  I absolutely love my preschool.  We have a great program where we all contribute to the weekly themes and lesson plans with creative art projects, tactile activities, music and sensory motor ideas and story time.  I personally try to wear many hats and some of them fit quite well!    I love sharing my ideas and have enjoyed not only teaching but creating a pre-K science curriculum and painting some of the artwork around the school.     This year I am excited to teach our new class which is a 3 day program for regular aged 4's.  Having an extra day each week with the students will give me so much more time to explore some hands on activities that we can't always squeeze in with just 2 days.   Some would say my fault is that I am very compulsive about organization, I think it really bugs some of my co-workers but somebody has to do it!    So my first order of business on summer break for school is the Art Closet!