Preschool Art Projects - Frozen Paint and Water Painting

I can't imagine a day with my students without preschool art projects. I also find that the simpler activities are just as fun as the more elaborate ideas I have done over the years.

Here are 2 easy, creative ideas that I use often. My readers have sent me similar suggestions and it is such fun to hear these same ideas from around the world!

Frozen Paint
One thing I have found that my preschool classes have really enjoyed is painting with frozen paint. All you have to do is fill an ice tray or popsicle trays with paint. Stick it in the freezer.

Once frozen let the children enjoy painting. School Supply stores also sell containers specifically for this purpose for pretty cheap. I have found that sometimes the painting works best when you let the trays sit out for 1/2 before painting unless it's a really hot day. It can be messy as the paint thaws so do this activity in a water table or outside.

Water Evaporation
Materials: Water, Paintbrushes

When practicing letters/shapes/numbers--anything!
We go outside to the wall or sidewalk.
Give each child a paintbrush and have 2 children share a cup of water with each other.

They listen for the teacher to tell them what to draw. On a sunny day, before they know it, their letter or picture has "disappeared." They love getting to paint and also watching it disappear.

If you like these preschool art projects, check out the other ideas in the Preschool Planner.

http://www.preschoolplanner.com/thefullstory.html

There are Two Editions now for the Preschool Planner: Basic or Platinum.

If you prefer lessons which have ideas for the Toddler Age, go here to the second volume of lessons. There is an entire bonus section devoted to TODDLERS.

http://www.preschoolwhiz.com/v2.html

Send me any ideas you would like to share and I will post them on my Blog.

Mary
marys.plans@gmail.com

Spring Preschool Crafts - Art Work for Springtime or Easter

When we get closer to springtime here in the US teachers, parents and children love creating and decorating for the new season. Here are three creative spring preschool crafts that have been sent to me recently.

As preschoolers do arts or crafts projects you are providing a rich learning environment for them and best of all--It is Hands On! They improve motor skills, color recognition, spatial relations and the joy of creating something of their very own.

Give these a try for Spring or for Easter decorations. Any of the shapes can be changed to fit you or your childrens needs, such as eggs for Easter, flowers for spring, etc. These ideas are basically foolproof. Even your youngest toddlers are able to participate.


Confetti Picture what you need:
Hole punch, assorted colors of construction paper,craft glue, heavy-weight paper.

Punch out dots from different colors of construction paper to make confetti dots. If you want, keep the colors separate in small dishes or containers. Draw a picture, such as a bouquet of flowers, on a piece of paper. Fill in a section of the picture with glue, and sprinkle one colour of confetti dots over the glue. Let the glue dry, then shake the paper to remove excess dots. Continue coloring your picturre with more dots. If you want to be more precise, glue single dots in place, one by one, to "paint" your picture.

Marble Egg
Have pre-cut egg shapes already for your toddlers, and give them little toy cars. I had a tray of purple and pink paints in arms reach and they would roll the wheels of the cars into the paint and then make tracks for decorations on their easter egg shapes. This was done with children as young as an 18 month old, and a 12 month old. They had fun rolling the cars back and forth and saying vroom vroom as they did so. This has easily be done with any age group.

Stained Glass Egg
My class made stained glass paper eggs for an Easter card for parents. I pre-cut tissue paper into small little square. I demonstrated and then guided the children into painting water on their cardstock egg. Then they laid little colored squares over the water, sometimes overlapping. When dry, we peel the paper off to show a beautiful stained glass egg. Just gorgeous!

If you like these spring preschool crafts, check out the other ideas in the Preschool Planner.

http://www.preschoolplanner.com/thefullstory.html

There are Two Editions now for the Preschool Planner: Basic or Platinum.


Send me any ideas you would like to share and I will post them on my Blog.

Mary
marys.plans@gmail.com


P.S. If you would like to receive my free newsletters for ideas for your preschool class, enter your name and address at the site below:

http://preschoolplanner.com/preschool-activities.html

Christmas Crafts for Preschool - Ornaments and Instant Christmas Trees

Glad to be back and offering more ideas for Christmas crafts for preschool.
Sorry for the time away-the flu was much more than I could have imagined!

Good to be back and having fun during this special time of year. I have received so many wonderful ideas from my readers and want to share a couple of them.

I chose these because they are ideas that even your youngest preschoolers, even toddlers, can do! Give them a try and let me know how they work out.


Ornaments
Need---clear plastic 16 oz cups, permanent markers, and for the adults who help, an oven set at 400.

Take a clear plastic cup and have children color the cup with permanent markers.
Place the cups in an oven (400 degrees), and watch the cups melt. Once they are flat, the cups can be removed.

These make a great Christmas ornament; make a hole in top for hook.

**Really nice if oven is accessible with students, so children can watch the process of the cups melting.


Easy Christmas Trees

Need--Sugar cone ice cream cones, vanilla or green frosting, multi colored rice crisp cereal.

We do a really cute craft at Christmas with my prechool class. The students make a Christmas tree using sugar cones, vanilla frosting and colored crisp cereal.

Cover the cone completely with the frosting and simply roll the cone in a pie plate full of the colored crisp cereal. Let it set for a few minutes and you haev an instant Christmas tree!!! Set aside an area on a table and
create a holiday scene.


If you like these Christmas crafts for preschool, check out the other ideas in the Preschool Planner.

http://www.preschoolplanner.com/thefullstory.html


Mary
marys.plans@gmail.com


P.S. If you would like to receive my free newsletters for ideas for your preschool class, enter your name and address at the site below:

http://preschoolplanner.com/preschool-activities.html

Toddler Preschool - Hands On Play

If you're classroom includes toddler preschool age children, it is important to remain aware of developmental expectations of two year olds.

Your two year olds experience play and activities much differently than your three and four year olds. If you keep the following tips in mind you will provide the best learning environment for your toddler preschoolers.

Hands-on experiences are the best kind of play. They learn much quicker than if they are told or “talked to”.

**This is also an excellent reason why it is better to not do worksheets at this age.

Toddlers need to have playmates around. Even though they may not play with another person at this age, they are always paying attention to what is going on around them and what their peers are doing.

Their emotions are close to the surface. Think of them as a light switch—one minute they might be happy and suddenly they are sad; they can go from calm to agitated in a second. Your best approach is to stay calm yourself and be patient.

Activities, projects, and play time allow us as teachers and caregivers to share valuable time together in a meaningful way. We can observe how they are learning and where we can enhance their opportunities.

If you like these toddler preschool teaching tips, check out the other ideas in the Preschool Planner.

http://www.preschoolplanner.com/thefullstory.html

There are Two Editions now for the Preschool Planner: Basic or Platinum.

If you prefer lessons which have ideas for the Toddler Age, go here to the second volume of lessons. There is an entire bonus section devoted to TODDLERS.

http://www.preschoolwhiz.com/v2.html

Send me any ideas you would like to share and I will post them on my Blog.

Mary
marys.plans@gmail.com

Preschool Fall Activities - Pine Cone Owls and Edible Art

These are two preschool fall activities that your children will learn from and enjoy while doing them. They will ask for them again and again!

If you live in an area where you can go on a nature walk and collect pine cones, be sure to do so. If not, you can purchase these at a crafts store.

I use this lesson to teach the letter O, to teach shapes and to discuss owls. We talk about what they look like, what they eat, how they sound. I show pictures of owls and how there are many different types of owls. One of my readers just sent in this Pine Cone Owl idea. Thanks so much.

Next use the apples for multiple topics as well. Use them for nutrition, to talk about shapes, to use them for color recognition (apples are in many colors). Use your imagination and have fun.

Pine Cone Owls

Use pine cones to make baby owls. Just take cotton balls and pull them apart. Stuff them in between the pine quills. Then cut out eyes and wings and feet and have your preschoolers glue them on to the pine cones. They are so cute.


Edible Apple Designs

This is a snack and art project all rolled into one! Need: apples, yogurt of different colors (you could buy the kind that is already different colors or add food coloring to vanilla yogurt), & paper plates.

Slice the apples in different shapes. Pour a few kinds of yogurt that is different colors or use vanilla yogurt and add food coloring to it, onto a plate for each child. Give each child a paper plate to create an edible masterpiece. Show them how to dip the apple into the yogurt and create prints on their plate. They can eat the yogurt and apple work of art!

If you like these preschool fall activities, check out the other ideas in the Preschool Planner.

http://www.preschoolplanner.com/thefullstory.html

There are Two Editions now for the Preschool Planner: Basic or Platinum.

If you prefer lessons which have ideas for the Toddler Age, go here to the second volume of lessons. There is an entire bonus section devoted to TODDLERS.

http://www.preschoolwhiz.com/v2.html

Send me any ideas you would like to share and I will post them on my Blog.

Mary
marys.plans@gmail.com

Preschool Classroom - Welcome to Preschool

The fall may mark the end of summer but it is just the beginning of a brand new year for preschoolers. Take special steps to set up the preschool classroom now more than any other time throughout the year.

What a preschooler or toddler sees on those first few days will be the first and lasting impression of where he will be spending his first time away from his/her parents or caregivers. They need to feel as welcome and comfortable as possible. Give this your keen attention!

If you are having toddlers as well as preschool age be sure that their school items are located within their reach, that any small items pass the choke test-- (larger than approximately 2 1/2 " with a diameter of 1 1/4", or not small enough to fit inside a 35mm film canister); and that the tables and chairs are the right size for them to be able to seat themselves and master their independence!

Since toddler and preschool toys are brightly colored already, I make sure to use woods and natural soothing colors whenever possible to tone down the classroom. Too much color and too many things can lead to overstimulation at this age.

I divide the classroom into different areas--providing activity areas, tables and chair station, circle area (which tends to be the largest space) and a cozy area where your preschoolers can go to calm down, to cuddle with a pillow and look at books or just enjoy some quiet time.

Bulletin boards are excellent for creating welcome signs, showing pictures of activities that they will be doing in the classroom but, be sure to leave some blank framed areas. Point out that this is where you will need their help to complete the room decorations! This is an excellent way to engage them and to have them put their own touch on the classroom environment.

Of equal importance is to also provide a Parent Board where you will post class information, reminders, sign in and sign out sheets, snack menus and a suggestion box. This helps the parents with their own adjustment of leaving their preschooler in your care.


If you like these preschool classroom ideas, check out the other ideas in the Preschool Planner.

http://www.preschoolplanner.com/thefullstory.html

There are Two Editions now for the Preschool Planner: Basic or Platinum.

If you prefer lessons which have ideas for the Toddler Age, go here to the second volume of lessons. There is an entire bonus section devoted to TODDLERS.

http://www.preschoolwhiz.com/v2.html

Send me any ideas you would like to share and I will post them on my Blog.

Mary
marys.plans@gmail.com

Preschool Transition Activities - Songs and Games

Change is often difficult for all ages and toddlers can find it very stressful. The goal with these preschool transition activities is to make it fun and not totally unexpected.

All of these can be “signals” for them that things are going to be changing and they can help.

SONGS—
Have a special song which you use when it is time
to put things away and start a new project or activity.
Start playing this song and the children recognize the song
and know they need to complete what they are doing and
put things away before the song ends. Competition adds an
element of fun and eases the stress.

BEAT THE TIMER—
Tell them that you are going to play Beat the Timer. Set the timer for a certain number of minutes (5 is good for toddlers) and tell them they have need to put things back where they belong before the timer rings. Fun and quick transition. Making the transition a game is a wonderful segway to the transition.

If you like these preschool transaction activities, you'll love the 289 pages of other ideas in the Preschool Planner.

Check it out:

http://www.preschoolplanner.com/thefullstory.html


Mary
marys.plans@gmail.com


PS: If you would like to receive my free newsletter for more ideas for your preschool class, enter your name and address at the site below:

http://preschoolplanner.com/preschool-activities.html

Gross Motor Activities for Preschool - Balance & Coordination

June is almost here and it is always fun to think of outside fun with my preschoolers. Here are a couple of gross motor activities for preschool that your children will love.

The focus of these is for balance and coordination. You can modify these to the age level of your students. While the main focus is developing gross motor skills you can add other elements to these. For example, try counting to see how long someone can stay on the tight rope or say letters of the alphabet.


CIRCUS TIGHT ROPE

You will need two pieces of string or long strips of masking tape (about 6 feet or 1.8 meters long).
Create a circus tight rope on the ground with the string. Next show them
how to walk on this by placing one foot in front of the other.
Then have them try. (You will probably need to hold their hand
the first few times until they get the idea of balancing.)
***An alternative for younger children is to put the two strings about 4 inches apart and ask them to walk carefully between the lines without stepping on the edges. Great fun, concentration, balance, etc.

WATER BALLOON TOSS
Fill balloons with water and give them to the toddlers. Gently play catch with the water balloons. You can fill them with varying amounts of water to show how some are lighter than others.

***One variation is to draw targets on the sidewalk with chalk and have them toss the balloons at the targets. You could put a letter or number in the targets and then ask them to try to hit a particular letter or number.
Good for eye-hand coordination and gross motor skills.

Providing hands on ways to learn and connecting concepts with everyday life and their environments are my favorite ways of teaching preschoolers.


If you like these ideas, you'll love the other ideas in the Preschool Planner.

Check them out:

http://www.preschoolplanner.com/thefullstory.html

Enjoy and remember to send in any ideas you wish to share and I will post them here.

Mary
marys.plans@gmail.com

PS: If you would like to receive my free newsletter for more ideas for your preschool class, enter your name and address at the site below:

http://preschoolplanner.com/preschool-activities.html

Toddler Activity Ideas - Let's Pretend

Are you trying to come up with toddler activity ideas for the younger children in your class? Imagination is the key element with all of these and we all need to be encouraged to draw on this resource!

Try the ideas below and you'll find that all of your preschoolers will enjoy these and learn from them no matter what their age may be.


Let's Pretend

The teacher names the theme, gives an activity, and then teaches concepts or following directions about that activity.

Here are suggestions to start and you can add whatever you wish to your list:

Theme Pretend Activity Directions/Concepts

Children -> Getting Dressed-> Name Body Parts
Hiking-> Marching/walking-> Slow, fast, climb
Tricycles/bicycles-> Moving on a path/road-> Stop, go, slow, follow
Grocery Shopping-> Pretend to go shopping-> In, out, reach, up, down
Nature Walk-> Pretend to go on walk-> Name colors,trees, flowers,
Meal times-> Name the meal-> Name items we eat then
Clean House-> Pick the room-> clean, dirty, messy



I hope you get the idea here. This is such an easy activity to do with your children and there is no end to the ideas you can use. Just take a topic from every day life and then have them imagine and think about how they do these things. Use the terms they need to know and understand and you will find they may have some unique suggestions of their own to add to the class!

Fun for any age of preschooler from the youngest to the oldest.


Have fun with this and enjoy the new month!

Mary
marys.plans@gmail.com


PS: If you would like to receive my free newsletter for more ideas for your preschool class, enter your name and address at the site below:

http://preschoolplanner.com/preschool-activities.html