Elmer the Elephant Easy Kids Craft

There is something about Elmer the Elephant all kids seem to relate to and love! I find drawing of Elmer strewn all over the art table after we read this story to the kids. The drawings make a lovely patchwork of their own on the table. Here is a really easy Elmer craft we discovered made from plastic milk the parents we saving for us. They came just in time and the preparation was well worth it!



Material for Elmer the Elephant Easy Kids Craft:

We recomend you do this with the leftovers!

1. Colored tissue paper the children cut into squares 
2. Large plastic milk cartons (with a handle) 
3. White Glue
4. Water and Small Cups (enough for everyone)
5. Paint Brushes 
6. Wiggle Eyes
7. Scissors

 The Process

Pre-cut the milk carton's, just so, and make 1 part water, 2 parts glue solution in cups for each of the kids. 

They love helping with this!

After the children have cut out all the tissue squares give them the cartons and cups with paintbrushes.

Ta-Da! Here He is!

After the kids begin gently painting the cartons they can apply the tissue paper and gently paint it down with the glue solution. 

Try not to soak Elmer or the tissue will slide off.

The children are guaranteed to be delighted! Be sure to put on his eyes after he is dry!

Language Development Activities for Preschoolers

We are all about affordable learning materials in our preschool classroom. "I Spy" bottles are the perfect creation and can be used in so many different ways! Language Development can be hands on and exciting for kids! Here are just a few ways we use these bottles with our preschoolers.

Easy Hands On Language Development Activities:
For Circle Time Activities: Have an "I Spy" Bottle for each child in the class. Challenge them to find specific objects in them as a group and call them out as they find them. Our preschooler call it bottle bingo.

Table Top Activities: Have pictures of the objects taped to the table and have the children find and match the objects in the "I Spy" bottles as they find them. We like to have the children tell us a story about their favorite objects and we take dictation.
Alphabet Recognition: We cut out letters of the alphabet on pieces of paper and challenge the children to find the letters or spell their own name!
Color Recognition: Use colorful beads and have the children name and find their favorite colors.

Tips: Be sure to glue the bottles sealed. Preschoolers are very tempted to open them. Be sure to get creative! Make it a class project by making them with the children! Materials like sand, water or Karo's syrup are great substitutes for rice! Themed "I Spy" bottles are a great and inexpensive addition to any curriculum!

How would you utilize these bottles as language development activities?

Ice Excavation with Preschoolers

We have our preschoolers work on problem solving techniques, cause and effect, cooperation skills all in one activity! We have ice excavations at our sensory table and it is always a fun engaging activity that really gets our preschoolers thinking and working together!
Here is what you need for your ice excavation!

Materials Needed:

• Large and various sized bowls to freeze water in

• Small materials such as buttons, Lego's or plastic animals. This activity fits well with any theme because you can have excavation items coincide with your preschool curriculum
• Rock Salt: although it's not necessary it is great to help melt the ice. Supervision is required if you decide to let the children manage the salt because it is a toxic substance.
• Brain storm with the children what materials you should use to get the items out of the ice. Spoons, brushes, small hammers, fly swatters, etc. We have the children report to us what is working best! 
• A Sensory Table or tubs
• Keep some cups of hot water handy 

The Prep Work:
Gather you materials you wish to freeze in ice and fill your containers some half full. Freeze them with no items inside. After a the ice is frozen, place materials in top of the ice and cover them over with water and freeze them again. Ice excavation deep in the ice will really cause kids to work for the materials that are frozen at different levels.
Ice Excavation Presentation:

Put your various frozen ice blocks the sensory table or tubs along with all the materials you and the children have chosen to excavate them with. Pour hot water over the ice to create nice smooth grooves to work with. Ask the children to work together to get the ice out and brainstorm together what is working and what isn't!

How do yo like to have children problem solve?

Making Your Own Watercolors

I love the look of watercolors. It is a very soothing activity for kids to do when they will be indoors and away from the elements. I had often thought of ways to extend on watercolors and finally found a way. I'm sure it's not original but it's a great way for kids of all ages to enjoy art as well as science.

How to make your own watercolors:

Materials: clear plastic cups (mini butter cups will do, too) have at least 3-5 for each child, warm water (it activates color faster) in a pitcher, various shades of colored tissue paper (starting out with red, blue and yellow is best), white paper, thin paint brushes
The Procedure: pour small amounts of water in each cup and allow children to select a few sheets of different shades of tissue paper. Children will need to tear small pieces of tissue and place them in the water.
The Process: The children will see the tissue colors bleed into the water as it creates their watercolors. Mixing various tissue colors in the water will change the colors! When your desired color is reached, you may begin painting.

Some kids never get past the color mixing process. We are always sure to have plenty of water on hand so kids can start over with their colors when they like! This art will produce a bit of texture left over from the tissue. Some kids like the effect but some may choose to pick the tissue of the remaining paper.
What we love about this activity is it stimulates fine motor skills, cognitive thinking, and promotes language development.

What are some things you like about creating your own colors with kids?

I Like Your Hairs!

Awwwwwe.
Thanks.

Making Word Maps With Preschoolers

I know I have a difficult time reading maps. I still agonize over which way is north or or south. I will usually get frustrated and ask for visual landmarks. My word maps consist of, "If you pass the yellow dog in the yard you have gone too far, go just beyond the blue house and our location is where the green truck in the driveway is."
I wondered how I could teach very young children about following directions while making it fun. Word maps came to mind. Here is how we do it in preschool.

How to do word maps with preschoolers:
Materials: mini toy compasses (optional, but can be bought in bulk at party stores as party favors), paper,strips of paper, tape, a large room, pen, scissors, your imagination.

Process: Draw a simple map of the room where you would what the children to go. Pick 5-7 areas of the room to begin with, once the kids understand what is going on they will definitely want you to extend this activity and do it again.
Cut paper into strips and write clues for exactly where you want the children to look. Keep the first clue and tape the rest in a hidden spot on the location they are to look. This will be in a sequential order so numbering your clues might help.

As kids guess, they can walk over as a group or individually to search for the taped clue in the area they are looking. I like to use colored paper and love to rhyme my clue, but that's not necessary.We all clap and cheer when we are finished finding all the clues. Sometimes I leave a prize at hidden with the last clue (individual bags of fruit loops, stickers, etc.). We worked as a team and are rewarded as a team.
As an extension I introduce compasses and show the children how they work. We use them while finding the clues and I will write down the results in the map.
Word maps are great ways to enhance preschoolers cognitive skills, language development, spacial awareness, sequencing, memory and recall, even motor skills.
Sometimes we all wind up outside depending on the clues. At the end of the circle time activity we try to recall all the places we went!

Color Science and Water Play in Early Childhood Education

"The most exciting phrase to hear in science, the one that heralds the most discoveries, is not "Eureka!" (I found it!) but "That's funny..."
~Isaac Asimov

When the weather is nice and sunny we live to bring water play both indoors and outdoors. I love letting the children make scientific discoveries on their own. Setting up the right kind of inviting activities not only make for scientific thinking, but open up kids mind to worlds of possibilities.

Setting up Scientific Discoveries
for Kids Through Water Play:

Discovering Color: Gather all yellow toys (legos, cars,small balls and scoops and cups, have a large bin or water table filled with enough water to actually submerge some of the toys completely.  Add blue food coloring to the water (be sure to add just the right amount of blue to get the perfect color of green-check with a yellow toy). When the toys are submerged they actually turn a lovely green color. This can be done with any combination of primary colors (red, blue or yellow) to make secondary colors (green, orange, purple, etc.)

We take dictation of the children and post it on the door for the parents to see what types of conversations the children have while making their scientific discoveries!

itty bitty cows

We were all making a recipe that involved canned milk. Many of the children had never seen milk in a can before. As we were investigating, poking and prodding at all the ingredients before we began I overheard a discussion between the preschooler.

"I never-ed saw that a-before! Milk in a little itty-bitty can! He-He!" Paulie was holding up the can and shaking it.
"It's called condensed milk." I explained.
"OOoooh. Is it made from condensed cows, Ms Barbra?" One child inquired.
"Uh....no. No condensed cows." I said trying not to laugh.
"Cool." Said one child grabbing the can to inspect it further.
"So...Ms. Bar-ba? Nina asked.
"Yes?"
"How do they get the cows to sit down on these itty-bitty cans?"

Building Skills in Early Childhood Education

" It is easier to build strong children than to repair broken men." 

~Frederick Douglass

Fostering a positive environment in the child's home proves to be a great foundation for success.
Nobel laureate, James Heckman, discusses how skills build upon skills, which makes it easier to acquire skills for success in future years.  Improving the workforce of next century starts with us building these soft skills up in our children. Starting at the earliest ages birth to age five has been the main course of study.

Popular Fingerplays and Stories in Preschool

"Kids: they dance before they learn
there is anything that isn't music."
~William Stafford

We have some very popular fingerplays with kids in the preschool program. Here are just a few we never get tired of!

Popular Fingerplays and Songs in Preschool:
Name of the Finger play: Cut the Pickle
Give me five (High five the child)
Other side (High five child with the backside of hand )
Cut the pickle (Touch your index fingers together as child mimics cutting motions with the side of their hand)
Here's a tickle! (Quickly and gently tickle child)
Extension: Encourage children to teach this one to each other! It's a favorite!

Keep off the Grass
This is a story you tell by having the child hold out their palm. We pretend there is a little city or town on their hand and I will point to each arean on thier hand as I narrate the story:

"I see a little town on your hand. Here are where the kids go to school (teacher points), Here is were the mommies and daddies work and eat lunch ( teacher points), Here is a little tiny park with baby ducks swimming. And here is a sign that says, "Keep Off The Grass" (teacher points).
Have child recall areas you pointed to and be sure they touch their palm;
"Please show me where the mommies and daddies eat lunch (child touches palm),Show me where the baby ducks swim (Child touches palm)."
"Now show me where the sign is that says, Keep off the Grass".  As the child touches that area of their palm, gently tap their hand and say. "Hey! Keep off the Grass!"

What are some of your kid's favorites?

Cha Cha Cha!

 The prime purpose of being four is to enjoy being four - 

of secondary importance is to prepare for being five.

~Jim Trelease, The Read-Aloud Handbook, 1985

We were sitting at circle time and the children were sharing events of the night before and recalled what they did. There is a low hum of chatter as we all talk and shared our experiences before I begin a formal lesson.
“Hey, I really want to share-d something.” Lilly blurted above the din, “I went to a Mexican Restaurant last night and now I know Spanish!”
We all began clapping and cheering.
“That’s pretty good a-cause my sister has to go-ed to school for it.” One boy said patting Lilly’s back.
“Well, Lilly,” I said, “May we hear a sample of Spanish? We would love to hear what you’ve learned.”
“Goody!” She chirped. “I will sing-ah you all a song.” Lilly stood up and smoothed out her Dora the Explorer dress.
“Happy birthday to you-CHA-CHA-CHA!”
“Happy Birthday to you-CHA-CHA-CHA!”

Language Development and Games in Preschool

"Two wrongs don't make a right, 

but three lefts do" 

~Jason Love

So…accidents happen.
Things can get all twisted up somehow…but thank goodness there is a way many things can be made right.

Young children love language. In early childhood education we spend a lot of time talking to preschoolers to give them a great foundation for success. Is it that easy? Talking and spending time with them is part of it, but sure it is! Simply talking with children and engaging with them is part of having fun everyday and really infusing language development into the curriculum.
What I really love to add to the preschool curriculum is tongue twisters. Kids really love to be challenged with tongue twisters as well as adults.
I found that they have been frequently used as part of speech therapy and there really is more to them than just fun and games.
My favorite one liner tongue twister is:

Red Leather, Yellow Leather

Probably because I can say it and the kids can’t….
Oh, and neither can my husband….
This is really a huge victory for me……
I think I need to get out more….sigh.

Language Development in Early Childhood Education

"The cure for boredom is curiosity. 

There is no cure for curiosity."

~Dorothy Parker

Kids inquire many questions of us big people…. But do we as adults challenge kids with questions?

I am not talking of the usual eight plus three, or the capitol of Alaska scenario… oh-no, no, no. I mean questions only ‘they’ can answer….which means the asker’s job is to listen.
I do this every now and then at circle times for language development...or when things get a little too quiet.
The children sometimes have answered these questions in silly, humorous, logical or very thought provoking way. I leave it up to them.
Being preschoolers….I’ll ask whatever comes to mind....you know, improvise. I may even amuse myself.
Here are some examples of questions we have come up with over the years.

Great Language Development Questions 
That Will Really Get Kids Thinking;
“What sound does a goldfish make?”
“Why does your nose run and your feet smell?”
“Who turns on the light when you open the refrigerator?”
“If a carrot is orange why don’t we call it an orange?”
“Where does baby oil come from?”
“Where do teachers sleep?”

Most kids will actually answer you…and will keep elaborating if you ask more questions.....

Bounce Back

“What is success? It is a toy balloon among children armed with pins.”

~Gene Fowler

Never failed…I was the kid at the birthday party who’s balloon popped first. I was a “crier” too. I mean…I took it hard. I guess I bonded with that balloon or something.

Now at kids birthday parties I grab an extra bag of balloons- you know- just in case someone’s balloon pops…..balloon empathy, I guess.

I like to set up kids for success. I also can appreciate them working out situations for themselves….it can be a delicate balance at times.

I try not to roll too far to the right or the left….but float right in the middle-you get the best view from there.

I prefer to use a sense of humor to bounce ideas off the kids for curriculum….it works most days. Some days…they like it nice and quiet.

Being a ‘big person’ in a room full of ‘little kids’ is no small thing. Knowing their pulse is part of everyone’s success.
I always love once the magic of communication happens and is established between myself and the kids. It’s a lot like a toy balloon…and it’s frail-so I must be mindful of my words. But once it gets going it bounces joyfully from every angle…

And we can watch it bounce back.