In my previous post I shared the terrific book titled, “No Two Alike“ by Kieth Baker and how we made snowflakes that are not alike but we didn’t stop there.  This book introduces some wonderful illustrations of birds, nests, fences, and animal tracks that are also not alike and we explored them all throughout our ‘not-alike’ unit….

We explored the concept of “not-alike” through a variety of content areas including fine motor, sensory, dramatic play, and creative art…

I found fake birds and nests on clearance at a store called Garden Ridge – they were actually Christmas tree ornaments with little clips on the bottom for “bird feet.” The children loved these birds and no matter what we did, the children wanted to hold a bird or keep a bird next to their side all day long…

During circle time, we examined a real nest that I had found in my yard earlier this year.  We brainstormed how nests are alike and how they are not-alike as we passed the nest around the circle…

And we had to bring a bird to hold during circle time. I had originally asked the children to put the birds in the basket before they came to circle time but this idea wasn’t going over so well.  So we each picked a bird, put it in our lap, and we were now ready to read our story together…

For sensory play, I set out a small amount of playdough and “nest-making” materials. The children used the playdough to make additional eggs which ultimately led to lots of dramatic play that included the mommy birds keeping their eggs warm…

We started off at a small table with our birds, nests and playdough play but soon had to move it over to a larger table so the children could spread the materials out a little bit more. Although all the children spent time in playing with these materials, I had three little girls that played “mommy birds” exclusively at this table for pretty much the entire last 45 minutes of our day…

For fine motor play - I set out homemade “birds,” which were simply clothespins with feathers hot glued to one side, and sticks. The children explored the homemade birds by clipping them on twigs I had previously gathered…

This fine motor activity was great for keeping little hands occupied while my assistant and I cleaned up snack and prepared for our next activity…

For creative art we used the same materials that were for our bird and nest sensory play and created our own paper plate bird nests to take home…

The children squeezed out glue all over a small paper plate then pressed the “bird nest materials” on top of the glue…

Reflecting on the day…

Although I enjoy my class everyday, there are still those specific days that you look back and say, “Wow, that was a really good day!” – and this was one of those days.  After all the kids went home I reflected on what it was that made this particular day so exceptional. I know it is a combination of things but I thought I would break down a few of the important components that made our day go so well…

1. Sensory Play is such an important part of the preschool experience – especially for my three year olds.  I find that any time I provide quality time and materials for sensory play, the children are always far more engaged and relaxed throughout the day – and much more willing to try other non-sensory based activities that I provide.
2. Routine is also an important part of the preschool experience. Because we have a consistent order to our day, the children are becoming more capable in their ability to transition from one part of our day to the next without it becoming chaotic or stressful.  For example, I no longer have to remind my students, most of the time, to throw their trash away after snack – they just automatically finish their snack then clean up their space. Routines help young children master basic skills which leads to greater understanding of teacher expectations, greater confidence, smoother transitions, and less stress for everyone.
3. Flexibility within the daily routine and within the environment is also important.  Although I had each center set up for play, I realized that the materials the children were most interested in were placed on the smallest table. So after snack, we cleared off a bigger table that I had planned to use for something else and moved the materials that they were most interested in over to the bigger table.
4. Time for free play is very, very, very important to my students. When my students are given adequate time for free play, they are clearly more at peace in the classroom and more willing to participate in circle time, small group activities, and other more planned or structured types of activities. Play time cannot be given the short end of the stick!  As I have observed my children at play this year, I have been able to clearly see that play evolves through fairly specific patterns or stages (which is an entire discussion by itself). As children are given the necessary time they need to work through each stage of play, their play becomes more positive, more constructive, more interactive, more comprehensive, more thoughtful, more imaginative, and more complex.
5. Environment is a critical component of creating a successful preschool experience.  From the materials I provide in each center to the arrangement of the furniture to the organization of the materials, the environment matters. At one point during our day I stopped to look around and I saw children engaged in peaceful, positive, interactive, hands-on play in every part of my classroom.
6. Familiarity with each other.  Because all of my students come on a part time basis, it has taken them longer to establish friendships and to get to really know each other.  But I can see we are bridging that gap now and it is making a difference in their ability to play positively and comfortably together.

Keep in mind that my students are only in my care for three hours a day and during that time, I want them to accomplish certain goals but I have learned that I have to meet them where they are. When I pay attention and gear my planning around what the children need rather than what I want the children to do – they, in return, accomplish so much more.

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Wrapping up our first week in preschool, we continued to explore our new classroom environment and enjoy a few fun activities along the way. Today we pulled out the play dough and play dough accessories but instead of using all those fun play dough accessories, the construction workers showed up with their tools and hard hats and went to work…

They used screwdrivers to make lots of holes in their play dough…

And saws to cut the play dough into tiny pieces…

And hammers to flatten out the play dough…

They worked and worked on their play dough with those tools. Perhaps they will try the play dough accessories on another day!

Here is a fun little activity for construction. See Hammer Time from Fugal Family Fun Blog…

I agree with  A Teacher at Heart that Teacher Tom has shared the best recipe for homemade playdough!

Make your playdough smell good by adding Kool Aid – see this recipe by The Chocolate Muffin Tree!

See other playdough recipes here!

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Copyright 2011 © Deborah J. Stewart

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I had a few special guests stay at my house this past week. Eric Violette, the guy from the free credit report . com commercials, and his fellow band members were in town to perform and while staying in my home, I asked Eric if he would like to join Wy and I to do a little painting…

Eric was a really good sport to paint with us and being that he has no experience with early childhood education, it was a good opportunity for me to make a few observations about adults versus children when it comes to creativity…

I started by having both Eric and Wy sign their names on their canvases. When I handed Eric the marker and told him that I would like him to begin by writing his name on the board, he asked where he should write it and how big or small. I explained that it was his artwork and he can write his name anywhere he wants and any size he wants. I then handed Wy the marker and he made his “name” too…

I placed a set of squeeze bottles and a set of spray bottles filled with paint next to Eric and told him that he could create anything he wanted using the bottles. I could see his hesitation and he asked me what I wanted him to make. I redirected him to the paint and said “it’s your painting, you can do anything you want”…

Eric chose to begin with the spray bottle and Wy chose the squeeze bottle. They both began their work…

They traded materials and worked side by side on their paintings…

There were two distinct approaches taking place that I thought was interesting. Wy was focused on exploring and squeezing the paint out of the bottles – he was not focused on the end result – he was only focused on the process…

Eric was focused on creating something more distinctive. He used the paints to work towards an end result even though he did not know what that end result would actually be as he went along…

I noticed that as adults, we do tend to think in terms of finished products. We go into our work expecting to produce something specific. Unlike adults, young children go into their work without these expectations. Their desire is to explore the materials and see what happens…

As adults, we model different forms of creativity. When Eric chose to paint with his fingers, Wy decided to try it too…

I am not sure exactly at what point in their development children begin focusing their attention on the end product but I do know that young children need the freedom to explore the materials without having to worry about adult expectations. When it comes to the young child, we need to realize that it is what they get to do that keeps them engaged in the creative process not what they get to make.

In the end, I had two beautiful paintings to save for my wall. Each painting was unique and each represented the artist that painted them. One was a result of exploration and the other was a result of imagination…

Thank you to Eric for painting with us and allowing me to observe and write about the process…

Learn more about product versus process from Educational Creativity!

“The opposite of play isn’t work, it is rote. ~Dr. Edward Hallowell” This quote was shared by Teacher Tom. Read more about how exploration and play can make a difference in the future of a young child…

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Copyright 2011 © Deborah J. Stewart

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A great way to create a toddler’s interest in children’s books is to integrate books into their play environment. Often times, we get stuck with the idea that books belong on shelves or in a basket on the floor. We want to keep them organized and clean but for toddlers, the best place for a book is where the toddler likes to play….

Little red reading wagon

My niece, Clara, loves to go for wagon rides around the house and her parents discovered that while riding around in her wagon, Clara will sit and look through her books…

Clara’s mom and dad eventually plan to move the wagon outside but Clara is enjoying it so much inside that they have decided to wait. So, for now this is Clara’s special reading wagon…

Creating reading spaces

Take a look at your toddler’s play space and keep books close by. Don’t worry so much about keeping the books organized on a shelf or in a basket. Besides, have you ever noticed that if you put a book on a shelf or in a basket that the first and often the only thing a toddler will do is take all of the books off the shelf or out of the basket? Perhaps integrating books in other ways throughout your toddler’s play space will invite the toddler to take a look at the book rather than just toss the books aside.

Safety tip…

Clara likes to stand up in the wagon too and her mom and dad have to remind her that she has to sit down to play in the wagon. So remember – Don’t leave a toddler unattended in a wagon!

Literacy Beginnings

We are on to chapter four of our book blog party. Prekinders will discuss chapter 4 – An Organized, Engaging Environment for Learning so be sure to stop by!

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I have almost always started our day with circle time in preschool. I choose a great children’s book along with other conversation sparkers that ultimately branch out into a variety of other content areas like art, math, and so forth…

But lately, my three year old nephew, Wy, has been teaching me to rethink my approach a bit and to be more willing to “teach outside of the box”….

The other day, I posted a sweet little activity you can do with the book “The Mixed Up Chameleon” by Eric Carle. After preparing all my pieces, I set everything up and placed the book out on the carpet all ready to share with Wy. Wy had come to spend the night and I always prepare activities to do with him when I know he is coming over…

When Wy came into the preschool studio, he immediately started pointing at all the chameleons I had in the room. I invited Wy to come and sit with me so we could read about the Chameleons first but he was not interested. He ran from chameleon to chameleon and shouted, “Look!”…

So I just sat down on the carpet next to my book and went with it! As Wy pointed out all the chameleons, I played along and said things like “Oooh, you found a red chameleon!” Wy would run and bring me the Chameleon then I would say something like, “What happened to the chameleon? It isn’t red anymore!”

After Wy found most of the chameleons, he wanted to go outside so he picked up all the chameleons (scrunching them up in his arms) and took them outside…

After a bit, we brought the chameleons back inside and Wy began placing some of them on my little homemade easels….

And it was then that Wy discovered the book. He recognized the chameleon from his earlier play and sat down to explore the book. I sat down with Wy and together, we read the book and explored the mixed-up chameleon. We talked about how the chameleon changed color and how it was so hard to find a chameleon and how the chameleons all looked different when we moved them around the room…

All this is to say, that I am learning that there are definitely times when it is better to let children explore the materials first and then sit and read the story together. It is from the morning of discovery and play that Wy and I were now able to sit and have a meaningful conversation about the book – to have a meaningful “circle time” experience…

I thought I would use the book to introduce Wy to the concept of a chameleon and its changing colors but instead, Wy brought to circle time his own thoughts and understanding of chameleons that he had discovered through his morning time of play…

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