Community Helpers-MGT

They very first thing I think about when the theme" Community helpers, or your community" comes up is the song from Sesame Street ....

Teaching children about our community can be simple, easy and fun.

This week we talked about friends and staying in touch with friends that don't live close by anymore.

How do they stay in touch with these friends?  Into days world there are so many different and fast ways.

I, of course, thought of sending letters first. Why? Because I'm getting old and letters where the only way to keep in touch, besides phone calls, when I was growing up.

Nowadays, we have Skype, email, texting, calls, email and the list goes on.

But good old fashioned mail is wonderful! You can hold something in your hands and keep it forever. And who doesn't like going to the mail box and finding something just for them?

We discussed how mail goes into the mailbox, the mailman picks it up and takes it to the post office where it is sorted by where a person lives and then the mail man brings it to your house.

We also discussed different kinds of mail that a person can get.  Normal envelopes, large or small padded envelopes , boxes of many shapes and sizes. And of course postcards.

Sending something in the mail is a great way to stay in touch with friends and let them know that you are thinking about them.

Moher goose time.

More math and reading /MGT

My youngest is now in Kindergarten 

but we still use Mother Goose Time curriculum.

When I told my daughter that I wasn't teaching preschool this year, she told me that she loved preschool and still wanted to do it.

Lucky for us, mother Goose Times curriculum can be extended into kindergarten.

We use the monthly curriculum book for the theme , numbers, letters, color and yes, sight words.  Then I purchase the add ons called more reading and math.  These are fun work books to work on harder math and reading. They included fun games and cut outs. Along with story sequencing and many more fun learning experiences.

I love that my daughter can get a book when ever she wants and work on her kindergarten skills.  She complains about her normal kindergarten home work but loves her extra school work from MGT because they make it fun and colorful.


Mother Goose Time

An InLinkz Link-up

Wordpress.com: Blogger:

An InLinkz Link-up

Making friends in preschool

As a mother and teacher, I often hear parents say that making friends and playing in preschool isn't an important part of school. 

 When I hear this, I quickly respond by letting the parents know that friendship is a wonderful skill to learn in preschool because it fosters a sense of connection and security and helps build self-esteem and self-confidence. 

It also helps young children adapt more easily to the pre- school setting. Friendships provide important opportunities for children to learn and develop. At this age, a friend is pretty much anyone with whom a child spends time. 

Three-year-olds might seek out a peer who is playing with something of interest. Sometimes a friendship is motivated simply by physical proximity. I notice children bonding as they sit together at snack time or even when they find a classmate wearing similar clothing. 

Four- or five-year-olds tend to select friends with common interests and spend time together absorbed in an activity.

When a child feels welcome by others and knows that they have a friend, life is happier at home and at school.

Mother Goose Time Curriculum has also noticed the importance of friendship and play.

This month they added board games, Manipulative games, and other activities for the children to get to know one another and play together.

This months theme is on recognizing feelings and making friends.

Whats a great way to start the year off.

I love to see the children working together and building new friendships.

Thanks Mother Goose Time for helping me do this in a fun way.

An InLinkz Link-up

Wordpress.com: Blogger:

An InLinkz Link-up

Mother Goose Time

Giving children choices in Preschool-MGT

 Choice-Making in preschool

Offering choices to children involves allowing them to indicate their preference at specific points in time and throughout their day and then giving them access to the items or activities they choose. Choices can be offered in countless settings, including meals, chores, centers, routines, and play. Types of choices may include choosing materials during an activity, choosing what activity will come next, and choosing a friend to sit with at lunch. 

Children tend to be more cooperative, more engaged, and better behaved when they are involved with activities that they enjoy. 

Giving your child/children choices during learning time can be a little nerve racking, if your not sure what your doing.

Here are a few things that I do...

During opening (circle time) ask what the children what they would like to do first

A. read a book

or

B. sing a song

Notice, I  do not ask the children what they want to do with out giving them something to choose from.  This will cause problems because the child/children will most likely choose 
something that I'm not willing to let them do at that time-like eat snack or play outside.

I also give children choices for investigation time and learning centers.

I usually have 3 centers set up at a time that the child/children can do on their own and let them choose which center they want to go to first. In this way, I am working with a small number of children at a time. I then have them rotate to the next center and so on.

For example...

Center 1 is a learning game

Center 2 is learning with tangrams

Center 3 is the craft of the day

I help with the craft of the day and over see the other centers as needed.

Making choices is part of problem solving. When given choices, children stretch their minds and create new and unique combinations of ideas and materials. 

Children feel important when they can choose what they want to do. It gives them self confidence and builds their self esteem.

Mother Goose Time

An InLinkz Link-up

Wordpress.com: Blogger:

An InLinkz Link-up