My Very First Tutorial- Fuzzy Caterpillar

Here is a caterpillar I made out of pipe cleaners. Very easy and the kids can make them or you can make them for use with a board game. It can be used with the book The Very Hungry Caterpillar by Eric Carle. The photos are pretty self explanatory.

Have fun and I hope your kiddos love this book as much as I do!

Head on over and link up to For Love of Cupcakes' blog hop, Make Yourself Monday!

Giveaway by Really Roper and Frogs in First

Here's the link. Ya can't win if ya don't enter!

Dollar Store Diva

Here are some of the new items I have bought or made for the classroom and how I will use them.

Dollar Tree: $1. Not sure if these will stay in the classroom or if I will be tempted to bring them home and use for scrapbooking ;) These would make excellent frames for children's work to hang in the hallway or border for a sign. Or just put them in the art area, so the children can use their own creativity with them.

Spinner! Dollar Tree: $1 (Is there anything that's NOT $1 in Dollar Tree?) Anyways, this can have many uses. I love how big it is with the big numbers and colorful sections. We will probably put this to use with some homemade board games.

Ok, so I did use materials from our resource room at work, these are all things that can be purchased from a dollar store. Caterpillars for use with the Eric Carle book The Very Hungry Caterpillar. More to come on The Very Hungry Caterpillar! So, stay tuned!!!

ESL Students and Behavior Problems

In one of my trainings, we read an article called "Understanding the Impact of Language Differences on Classroom Behavior." I found the article very helpful in understanding the behaviors of children in the classroom who spoke little to no English. I found most interesting the four stages that children go through when learning a new language:

1. The continued use of home language
2. The silent or nonverbal period
3. Sound experimentation and use of telegraphic speech
4. Productive use of new language

Last year I worked with several students who spoke and understood varying amounts of English. Almost every situation was different and most of the children spoke different native languages including Spanish, Turkish, Arabic, Chinese, and different Indian languages. The brother and sister from Turkey didn't speak a word of English when they started, but took a lot more chances in beginning to use the language.

I did have a few that went through a definite nonverbal period. One in particular, a very shy Spanish speaking girl, (who we'll call Jane) did not speak for several months when she started. I remember when she began uttering a word here and there, mostly when no one else was around, but when another little girl heard her, exclaimed "Jane talked!!" There were times that we weren't sure if Jane had social-emotional concerns because she refused to participate in any large group activity. Jane is a very smart little girl and we began to see this when she pointed out all the letters on the alphabet chart when asked. By the end of the school year, though you still couldn't really hold a conversation with Jane, she was using English in play so much, especially her favorite area of the classroom, dramatic play.

Some strategies we used with non-English speaking friends included labeling items in the classroom in their home language, singing songs and talking to them in their language, and getting books in different languages. Also, involving the families in classroom activities is a good way to encourage these children and to make them feel more comfortable. Some suggestions the article gives are "pairing new words with gestures, pictures and cues; commenting on things a child does; expanding and extending upon children's words; and repeating what children say." But mostly just understanding the stages these learners might go through and that their behaviors might seem challenging at times due to their lack of understanding are the keys to helping them succeed and feel like a part of the group.

I also liked how the article talked about taking into account the child's abilities in his/her first language. This is where we really need to rely on parents to convey to us what the child is able to do at home. The partnership between family and school, while important for all children, is crucial to learners of English as a Second Language or Dual Language Learners.

I also happened to be looking around some more on the site where the article came from, The Center on the Social and Emotional Foundations for Early Learning, and I discovered this book list, categorized by social/emotional topics. I think you will like it too!

Motivational Monday

I am starting a new theme day, Motivational Monday. Here is the first installment...

Brain Overload/New Etsy Shop!

So, it was my first day back to work. All I can say is too much info! Lol. There is a lot going on at CDC Head Start this year. Hopefully, I will be sharing lots of things we are implementing in the classroom this year. For more information about the National Head Start Association, click the link.

Also, my shop on Etsy is now open, Cachey Mama's Creations. So far, I just have my wine bottle lamps for sale which make very good gifts. I hope to be adding jewelry and other various crafts soon. Please check out my shop and tell your friends!!!

Back-to-School Theme Ideas

It's that time again. Time to start planning for those first weeks of school. Naturally, we are going to be doing a lot of introducing the classroom type themes at the very beginning to make all your new (and returning) children feel comfortable. But what happens after that? Here are some themes that you can start including in your classroom early in the year while you are introducing centers, job charts, name tags, etc. to gauge children's interest in them and see if they want to take their studies in any of these directions.

1. Fall- Sorry to state the obvious, but it's almost fall and there are so many activities you can do surrounding leaves, changing of the season, weather beginning to cool off and get windy... Make it a part of your everyday routine when you go outdoors to ask the children some questions about some of these things and see what direction they take it, if any.

2. Apples- This kind of goes along with the last theme, but you can take it in it's own direction. Tasting different apples is a great activity to get started. This can be done anytime from the first week as a snack. Go from there by asking questions pertaining to the 5 senses. Just get a feel for what the kids already know and if it would be worth expanding on this theme.

3. Bugs- Maybe like some of you, I tend to think of bugs as more of a Spring theme, but having been out in the woods this week, I am gonna say bugs are out in full force right now (at least in Ohio). Anyways, I saw TONS of fuzzy (and not-so-fuzzy) caterpillars of all shapes, sizes, colors, textures, etc. This would be an awesome research project for kids to find out the different types and what they might change into. Obviously, this could lead to a unit about butterflies. Sorting, categorizing, grouping, counting, graphing and classifying are just a few skills that come to mind when talking about bugs.

4. Bubbles/Water- Great idea for sensory table. Nothing makes a new 3 year old student forget that mommy just left them in a strange place better than a table full of water. And add bubbles, you've got yourself a party! Let the kids do their own experiments with the bubbles and water using various soaps and detergents. But, as my Education Specialist would say, DOCUMENT, DOCUMENT, DOCUMENT!!! Take photos, dictate what children think will happen and what does happen, allow children to record their own results in their science journal. One really cool activity that I want to try this year is the Ivory Soap in the Microwave Experiment. I would definitely recommend to anyone who has a microwave in their classroom!

Finally in First's 1000 Followers Giveaway!

Must be back-to-school time with all the giveaways going on around the teacher blogs! Here is one you should definitely enter. It is from the blog "Finally in First" and the prize is sooo cute! It's gift sets from Mixed Bag Designs. AND they make their bags out of recyclable materials, so very green and relatively inexpensive. How cool is that. You should check out their website and they also have a Facebook page. Here is the link to enter the giveaway:

Finally in First's 1,000 Followers Giveaway!

So many ideas, so little time!

Teachers, it's Target time again! And a little Dollar Tree thrown in for good measure :) Here are some of my finds:

SIGNS! (Target- $1.00 for 2 pack) I thought the line up and clean up ones would be good for jobs to let the kids hold up. The other 2 I will probably use at circle time. I might try to find a rhyme or chant to go with it and write it out on chart paper for them to learn.

These next 2 items ($1.00 ea @ Target) will be excellent for my writing area.

 Front

 Back

Number Stamps (Target $1.00) These will be great to help the children trace their numbers.

ABC banner and puzzle piece jumbo border ($2.50 ea @ Target)- The caterpillar ABC's will most likely be used as my word wall. I just love the jumbo border, especially for those times when you just can't find enough to fill up your bulletin board- LOL.

Weather chart (Target $1.00) Circle time wall. I like that it has 3 arrows. My kids are always coming up with multiple answers for the question "What's the weather today?" Now they can document them all!

Number Tape (Dollar Tree- $1.00) Though we don't have desks, I like to put these in various places around the room where children will be counting and/or measuring. For example, the math or science table and the toys and games or manipulative table.

Last but not least, my trading card protectors ($1.00 @ Dollar Tree). Now, you might ask, what can you do with those? Well, scroll down and see...

Here are some matching activities I made using them. You could also use these for a tactile activity and fill the pockets with things that have different textures such as sandpaper, a feather, a piece of felt.

Found anything good at Target? Head on over to Target Treasures to link up for Fab Finds Fridays:

"Magic Beyond Words: The J.K. Rowling Story" Review

Ok, so Harry Potter is not exactly a preschool book, but I thought other teachers may be interested in this, plus it is all about creativity which is what makes great teachers great. So... now that I have justified my post, I will begin. LOL

I thought it was a good story about Joanne Rowling's life. I especially liked how they showed all the things she imagined and dreamed up for the book and how she came up with it in her everyday life. For example, the goblins in the bank, the liver on the candy cart on the train, and the candles floating. What an awesome imagination! I also thought it was interesting to find out the reason she used the name J.K. instead of Joanne was because boys don't generally read books by female authors.

This was an inspiring story of how Rowling went from being homeless to being a world famous author. I also thought it was interesting how so many publishing companies turned her down at first and how the agent kept telling her that people rarely make any money in children's books. Joanne's determination especially in the midst of so many negative things happening in her life was fascinating. She surely showed everyone that you can truly accomplish your dreams under even the direst of circumstances. And as far as being a children's book, I started reading the first book in collage for my children's lit class and never put them down until I got to the last one. They are as much for adults as they are for children. My mom even told me the other day (The same person who told me the books were satanic) that she is actually starting to like the movies.

I would recommend this movie to anyone who likes the Harry Potter books. Congratulations to J.K. Rowling and all her success!