Preschool Art - Artist of the Month

I can't imagine preschool without art!  It goes hand in hand with the philosophy of Learning by Doing AND best of all--IT IS FUN!

I think my favorite preschool art project is our Artist of the Month project. Many of you have emailed me with similar programs and I love hearing about these.

Here is just one of the many similar programs that my readers have sent to me.

Artist of the Month

We learn about a famous artist every month through their paintings and stories about them.  We hang copies of their art and the children draw them and paint them at the easel. 

At one point during the month, I take each child individually and work 1 on 1 with them to create one of the artists most famous pieces of art.  For instance, we learn about Van Goghs "Starry, Starry Night" and we try to replicate it. 

Once everyone is done, the hallway is full of wonderful art created by our "Master Artists". 

Once, when we we're talking about Picasso and how he put facial features in all the wrong places (like an ear on the subject's head) one of the children did the same thing with a Mr. Potato Head and said, "Look Ms. Susan, I made a Picasso!"  I loved it!!

Thanks for sending this in to share.

I hope you liked this and welcome you to share it with others.

 If you would like more arts and crafts ideas, check out my Preschool Art Experience at the link below:

http://www.mypreschoolplan.com/rainbow.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

Transition Time Ideas for Preschool

With fall just a few weeks away and the beginning of a new school year,
I've started thinking about my new preschoolers and positive ways to help them transition in the classroom.

I love these transition time ideas for preschool sent in by one of my readers.

Transition to Circle Time
I had a class that was young and difficult to round up for circle. After ringing the clean-up bell and allowing clean-up time and singing time for circle, I would simply go to circle and start playing the instrument of the week.

I like to make circle inviting without having to "make" kids come to circle, but rather invite them with something intriguing enough that they want to come over.

I started with a Native American drum I inherited. I would play it and all the stragglers would come over. I then let each child have a turn playing it for a count of 3-10. The number depended on how many kids were there and how long I thought they could wait for everyone to have a turn.

I have also used Tibetan Bells and Bowls, keyboards, shakers and so on.

I also played my Native American flute, at times, to invite kids to circle. I did not pass that around due to germs, but they all were fascinated by the sound and settled right down.

The instruments became the cue that circle was starting and it was like a ceremony.

At other times I would start circle with a lively movement song from CD and turn up the volume a bit and move.

I hope this idea is one you can use in your classroom.  Positive ways to change activities are always welcome; thanks so much for sharing this!

TIP:
If you're a teacher or parent of a preschoolers you may want to check out this link sent in by another reader:

http://www.housekeeping.org/blog/10-chores-preschoolers-can-do/


Let me know how these ideas work for you.

If you like this preschool theme activity, check out the other ideas in the Preschool Planner.

http://www.mypreschoolplan.com/p/ar.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


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

Preschool Summer Activities - 4th of July Craft

It's been a while but I'm back with fun ideas for your preschoolers, especially some preschool summer activities.

Here in the US July means the big celebration for the birthday of our country--the 4th of July.

This activity uses so many of the skills we are trying to teach our preschoolers. They are learning to use scissors, identify colors, gluing skills, counting, and more. Give it a try and decorate your room!

Preschool Summer Activities - 4th of July Craft
For Fourth of July we made windsocks. We took strips of blue construction papers and decorates with stars (stamps, chalk, markers, crayons, glitter glue, stickers).

We counted the white and red stripes in a flag and I explained what each part of the flag stood for.

We cut ribbons for each stripe (6 white, 7 red- yes 2 reds end up togther) and glued them to the back bottom of the blue construction paper.

Next we cut ribbons all same length and some all different and alternated short and long ribbons.

When dry, we glued the blue construction paper into a ring.

When that dried, we punched a few holes in the top of the ring and threaded white yarn through the holes to make a hanger.

If no time or patience for the glue to dry (glue dots and tape don't always last in a good wind), small staples would do the job.

MODIFICATION- You can make this with any theme or country flag by using your country's flag colors or to fit any color theme you wish.

I hope you liked this and welcome you to share it with others.

 If you would like more arts and crafts ideas, check out my Preschool Art Experience at the link below:

http://www.mypreschoolplan.com/rainbow.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

Preschool Themes - Snow Day at Preschool

I absolutely love "theme days" in my classroom. I start talking about the preschool themes a couple of days ahead to set the stage and get their imaginations going.

All of the day's activities focus on the theme using fine motor skills, gross motor, memory, and social skills of taking turns, paying attention and most of all having fun experiences.

Here is a theme day that one of my readers shared recently and it is a great example. With the lack of snow this year in the US this is just what we need to bring back the feel of winter. Thanks for sharing this with us all.

“Snow Day at Preschool”

Everything for the day had a snow theme.

Snack time - We ate snowballs for snack. These are popcorn balls – made just like Rice Krispie treats but with popcorn instead of Rice Krispies.

Catching Bubbles - We blew bubbles inside and pretended like it was snowing. Try to catch and pop the bubbles as they fall.

Gross Motor Skills- we had a “bilibo” center and pretended to sled around the room in bilibo’s (using huge large motor skill). (These are such fun to have in your center. If you don't know about bilibo chairs you can check them out online. They are versatile hard plastic chairlike toys used to promote balance and gross motor skills.

Art-We glued scrunched up pieces of white tissue paper on blue or black construction paper and made a snow storm picture.

Circle Time- We read “The Snowy Day” by Ezra Jack Keats.

If you like this preschool theme activity, check out the other ideas in the Preschool Planner.

http://www.mypreschoolplan.com/p/ar.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


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

Alphabet Concentration and Lunch Time Circle Game

Teaching the alphabet is one of our key goals in preschool. One of my readers sent me this "green" idea for creating Alphabet Concentration. I love getting these ideas on ways to recycle and teach all at the same time. The next game is a fun way to spend lunch or circle time with your preschoolers. It involves color recognition and food identification. Try these alphabet concentration and lunch time circle game with your kids.

Alphabet Concentration
This game is a concentration/matching game.
I cut empty cereal boxes into approx. 2" squares. Label them with 26 upper case and 26 lower case letters. Mix up the cards, lay them face down and begin turning them over 2 at a time to find matches.

I have taken this one step further and made doubles of the large case and small case letters. This way I can modify the game and use it with all ages. With my younger ones, I just use the doubles of the large case and only 10-12 letters at a time and see if they can match the letters and challenge their attention span to remember where a letter is to make a match.

Fun Lunch Time Game
Use a set of color cards. Sit in a circle. Let your student pick a color card of their choice, they than pass it to their neighbor. Then they have to guess a fruit or a vegetable of that color. Continuue passing until it has gone all the way around. (We have a chart that is up to help them pick from.) Some of them use it others don't.

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


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

http://www.mypreschoolplan.com/p/ar.html

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

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

Indoor ideas for Preschool - Popsicle Painting and Pendulum Play

January in the US for most of us means finding as many indoor ideas for preschool to do that teach, motivate and uses the pent up energy that results from "cabin fever".
Preschoolers need to be active. They learn best when they are physically involved in the lesson.

All of my readers are sending in wonderful ideas to share and here are a couple of them that use the "learn by doing" philosophy that I use every day.

Popsicle Painting
Here is a craft one of my readers sent in that she does with the children in the winter and it is also a science learning experiment.

The children love this. Take water and fill the ice trays. Add food coloring to the water, lay a piece of plastic over and poke a popsicle stick in the middle. You can also use small bathroom cups. We then freeze them and talk about what we think will happen to the water and why. Then in the afternoon or the next morning we pull them out and discuss what happened and why.

Best of all then we paint beautiful pictures with the ice popsicles.

Pendulum Play
String up a tennis ball in a stocking from the rafters.
Have your children construct a building or tower from assorted size boxes, cardboard cylinders, small yoghurt/butter containers, etc. Then let them take turns knocking them down with the pendulum.

NOTE: Be sure to be have this done in a controlled manner and each child gets a turn to knock down a tower. Set a place for the child to stand and have the others stand back so that no one gets hurt.

If you like these indoor ideas for preschool, 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

Preschool Cooking Activity - Dairy Free Ice Cream

My preschoolers are as excited about the holidays as adults. They want to celebrate and get into the festivities so I though a preschool cooking activity is ideal.

You may be hosting a classroom party or small get together for the children and their parents so I suggest serving something that the children helped to prepare.

One of my readers sent this excellent recipe to share. If you have children with severe dairy allergies,try this recipe for creamy popsicles and our dairy free ice cream.

Dairy Free Ice Cream Popsicles
Need:
Bananas
Peaches
Fruits that are available
Coconut Milk
Honey

Have the children cut up fruits, such as Peaches, and Bananas. Freeze them in small slices. When frozen put them in the blender with an amount of coconut milk just to cover the frozen fruit and blend. Add small amounts of coconut milk as needed to
allow for blending and you'll have a delicious soft serve ice cream.

Very delicious, healthy, non fat and dairy allergy free. Honey can be used as sweetener if necessary.

Fresh fruits, bananas are always a good thickener, and juice or coconut milk to help blend, honey if necessary, put into popsicle molds and the kids love them, because there is no sugar or icky ingredients, I can use them often.

If you like this preschool cooking activity, check out the other ideas in the Preschool Planner.

http://www.mypreschoolplan.com/p/ar.html

Until next time,

Mary