Teacher Burn Out

"Part of a teacher's job is to burn brightly without burning out."

I was once asked how I avoided teacher burn out all these years. The answer came quite quickly.
No.
It is nothing anyone taught me in college or I learned at a lecture.
It's something that happened over years of commitment....
But I believe the love that developed over time eventually had it's way with my heart.

Ten Fabulous Fall Leaf Activites For Kids!

Take advantage of these ten fabulous fall leaf ideas for kids! Whether you work in a classroom or are looking to keep a little one busy; these ideas will surely warm up the chilly days of Fall!

Ten Fall Leaf Activities to Look Forward to This Season:
1. Make a leaf compost for a garden!
2. Make a lovely fall wreath by painting a shaped paper plate with orange glue paint. The more leaves the better!
3. Make a leaf collection to display. We love to have the children create a graph and we work to categorize them by shapes and colors!

4. Go on a fall nature walk to crate a leaf bouquet. We love to wrap our bouquets in orange and yellow tissue paper and tie them off with raffia bows or corn husks. Many fall leaves are very fragrant and the children are always excited to give them as gifts!
5. Use contact paper or packing tape and seal the leaves inside to make a special book mark. Adding bits of fall confetti or stickers add a special touch!
6. Create leaf rubbings! Place them under white paper and use the edge of a crayon to shade them in. It's an instant masterpiece even for very young children to try.
7. How about raking up a pile and simply jumping in! A great way to get the wiggles out as well as laugh with all your friends.

8. Make a fall collage with leaves, sticks, and corn husks on a small sheet of tag board. We add to it throughout the week as the children cut out fall images from magazines. Got a story to tell? When the project is finished be sure to take dictation from them about their beautiful fall art.
9. Feeling really crafty? How about decoupaging fall leaves on a votive glass to make special gifts for the holidays.
10. Make your own fall leaf print handkerchiefs. Simply cut squares on muslin fabric from a fabric store (very inexpensive). Lay the fresh picked leaves in a pattern on the floor and place the fabric over it. Now gently pound the leaves with a mallet and the colored moisture from the leaves will show through on the hanky! Yes, it's washable but avoid 'bleaching' the lovely colors by using a color safe bleach detergent.

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?

Halloween Cornstach Ooze For Kids

We love to add a little science lesson while we are having fun! We have always believed that getting kids excited, engaged and utterly curious about any activity makes for the best educational experiences. So what is the best activity? Drum roll, please.
We at Intello Kids believe it's the activity that involves as many of the senses as possible!
Cornstarch Ooze is always a favorite and we tend to die it different colors depending on what we're doing. Green is huge for Halloween fee-lie activities!

How to Make Cornstarch Ooze:

Materials: A large bowl or sensory tub, food coloring, (for a group of 12 or more kids) 5-8 boxes of cornstarch, a warm pitcher water, a towel, lots of newspaper to cover the table
Procedure: Ask the kids to help you mix, pour and knead the cornstarch is the bowl. We like to have the children touch the materials because it will go through a drastic transformation later. Have the children help die the water by adding food coloring and slowly pour it into the cornstarch mixture. Carefully add water until it has a hard consistency yet melts in your hands. If you have added too much water you can add more cornstarch or simply give the mixture time to dry out a bit.
Tips for Success: Have this activity near a water source or tub along with a nice clean towel. Children love rinsing off the ooze as much as digging in it. A towel to dry little hands will save on your paper towel supply.
Hypothesis: The mixture has a low melting point so the heat from our hands melt the mixture much like the sun would an ice cream cone we eat on a hot day. We like to ask the children for their own ideas and write down their own hypothesis.

How Do I Keep Preschoolers Occupied on a Rainy Day?

 There are lots of great places for kids to escape the rain in San Francisco, too!

Rain, rain go away come again some other day! You and your preschoolers don't have to be miserable on rainy days. Use the time you have together to get creative, problem solve and use your imaginations!

• Make a home made fort! Use cushions, sheets, chairs and whatever else you can think of to make a comfy fort to play in. Kids love small spaces and love figuring out how to add to them. Deciding what it will be, how you will use it, or how to make it bigger challenges kids to not only use their imagination, but problem solve as well.

• Go Carpet Ice Skating! Move the furniture out of the way and create a space on the carpet. Apply layers of wax paper over kids feet (socks only) and secure it with a rubber band. Play some jazzy kids background  music and let them skate to their hearts delight!  It’s a sure fire way to get those preschool wiggles out.

• How about a providing a soothing art activity? Have your preschoolers make their own watercolors by adding a few drops of food coloring from the kitchen or by dying the water by tearing colored tissue paper in cups of water. You and your children are now blending together your own custom colors! Playing some nice classical music in the background really sets a relaxing mood.

• Get their learning on with fun math activities! Set out small plastic bowls together and gather groups small objects such a pennies, paper clips, marbles, raw beans, etc. Challenge your children to sort, count, add and subtract in the bowls!

• Have a flashlight scavenger hunt! Make a nice long list of hidden things for the kids to look for. Now hide specific objects in the room and dim the lights. Let your preschoolers look for the objects by spying them out with a flashlight!

• Make a simple model sail boat out of a nutshell, Styrofoam or wood. Your preschoolers would love to sail them in all those wonderful puddles!

• A have a puppet show! Use puppets you already have on hand or color your characters on paper bags a set your stage behind a small overturned table or two chairs draped with a blanket.

• Do some Rain Art. The rain can make it’s own watery art as well! Have your children freely color a white piece of paper with markers (coloring most of the paper). Now place the art on the underside of a cookie sheet and set it out in the rain. Depending on how long you leave the art outside will determine what it looks like. When you bring it inside be sure to let it dry thoroughly before picking it up. The rain allows for those beautiful colors to all run together creating your  Rain Art Master Piece!

• Make Hot Chocolate. It’s great to warm chilly little fingers and toes! Get creative and have them add some special ingredients like marshmallows or cinnamon.

• Do you have a large group of children to entertain? How about a game of Bouncing Balloon Volley Ball? Clear a space and divide the room with a length of colorful yarn between two stable chairs. Have kids keep their hands on the ground and move about only using their socked feet to kick the balloon! It’s guaranteed to bring giggles and loads of fun!

Pix from The Natural Learning Community

• How about a nice walk in the rain? Grab your boots and umbrella and enjoy the fresh air and see what you can explore together outside.

• We create a separate schedule aside from our normal one specifically for rainy days. We use it for days where we may be thrown off schedule because of a field trip, classroom visitors, or coming back from long holidays. We allow for as much structured outside time as possible as well as dividing the children into separate groups for outside time. A small group taking turns to go sloshing in a light rain for 15 minutes is easier than a whole group chomping at the bit for missed outside time.

What types of activities do you like to do on rainy days?

Success Comes In Cans, Not Can'ts

Success is a mindset that can turn into a lifestyle. Often times we have to have the wondrous belief of a child to get things done, solve problems, and work together. I believe these thoughts are contagious. If I didn't..... I wouldn't have lasted very long as a teacher.
And if I did last long without that belief, I couldn't possibly be a very good one.
Have a great day everyone! Let's keep working and have a successful day!

It took me a long time not to judge myself through someone else's eyes. ~Sally Field

It's not who you are that holds you back, it's who you think you're not.

We have to learn to be our own best friends because we fall too easily into the trap of being our own worst enemies. ~Roderick Thorp, Rainbow Drive

It ain't what they call you, it's what you answer to. ~W.C. Fields

Whether you think you can or think you can't - you are right. ~Henry Ford

Success comes in cans, not cant's.

I'm not old enough to play baseball or football. I'm not eight yet. My mom told me when you start baseball, you aren't going to be able to run that fast because you had an operation. I told Mom I wouldn't need to run that fast. When I play baseball, I'll just hit them out of the park. Then I'll be able to walk. ~Edward J. McGrath, Jr., "An Exceptional View of Life," quoted in Chicken Soup for the Soul by Jack Canfield & Mark Victor Hansen, 1993

So....what do you teach besides curriculum?

Ice and Preschool Curriculum

I love using ice with kids! Kids naturally gravitate toward water play so why not introduce some of its other forms! Here are some different areas of the curriculum we have used ice!

Ice and Preschool Curriculum:
Animal Habitats: What animals live in cold climates? Filling large bins or a table with ice and providing small plastic animals that live in these icy climates will immediately engage preschoolers. Why do animals look the way they do? How do these animals keep warm? Kids can get really creative with answers! We also like to provide real pictures of the polar animals nearby as well a great books they tell kids the real story!
Science Experiments: Did you know simple experiments with salt and ice get kids thinking? Not always understanding exactly how and why through experimentation we motivate out kids by creating a sense of wonder!
Materials: Ice cube, paper plate, table salt, a small length of string

Procedure: Set ice cube on the plate and pour table salt on top. Now lay a string across the ice and wait. Gently lift off the string with both hands and you will be lifting the ice cube as well! What kind of questions would you ask to get kids thinking?
What Can Water Do?: Fill two latex gloves, one with ice cubes and another with water. Ask the kids to feel them. How does each one look? Why does it look that way? Which one is water? Allow the ice to melt on the glove during the day and see what happens.
Making ice pops with kids really helps them to to use all their senses and how the properties of water change.
Art Activity: Color water with different shades of food coloring or Bio Color. Then freeze them in trays. After they are frozen let the kids slide them around on paper to make gorgeous watery art!

What activities do you like with ice?

One of us

I loved playing on the floor as a kid. Some of my favorite places were behind the couch and under the dining room table. Every now and then when I am vacuuming behind the couch I have this cozy feeling. I like that.
It's not often but if I get a proper opportunity I will play with kids on the floor. Sometimes I look up and see parents watching me, smiling. For some reason the kids have assigned me a plastic lion and I am told to "do the cool voice with it".
One busy afternoon  and I was subbing in the Pre-K Room with the team teacher, Ms. Lisa.  As I prepared for lunch I saw the kids approaching Ms. Lisa as she began to shake her head in confusion saying, "What is that game? How do you play it?"
"You know...come on!" Was all I heard the kids respond.
Ms. Lisa and the gaggle of kids finally approached me with toys in tow.
"Hey Ms. Barbra, do you know how to play the game the kids are talking about?" She said scratching her head.
"Hmmmmm." I smiled, "What's it called?"
"One of us!" The gaggle chimed.
"One of us?"
"You know, you played it before!" One said with an accusing a tone; arms akimbo.
"Hmmm. Show me." I challenged.
Immediately, the gaggle pulled me down to the floor and handed me a plastic lion.
"Oh yeah!" Ms. Lisa said. "Down there we are one of them!"

Print, Stamp and Stencil with Kids

"Painting is just another way of keeping a diary."

~Pablo Picasso

Tired of the same old printing activities? Before you draw a chalk outline around you art curriculum and call it kaput keep in mind that there are always fresh ideas live on the blogosphere! As a young child I had always figure when it came to art, "where there's a will there's a way!" Us kids used whatever was available!
We would love to hear your ideas as well!

TP rolls
Fruit or vegetables
Toilet plungers
Corks
Bubble wrap
Cookie cutters
Cardboard
Play dough Toys
Wood blocks
Leaves
Balloons
Corn Cobs
Combs
Textured Fabric
Toy cars
Lace
Hands and Feet
Doilies
Styrofoam Shapes
Body Puff
Lip Stick
Loofah
Mini muffin tins
Pie tins
Sponges
Stamps
Fly swatters
Plastic forks
Stencils
Plastic lids from containers (to make circles)
Lego's
Bingo ink blotters
Strawberry Baskets

Painting Activites With Kids in Mind

Kids love paint! We thought of some ideas for painting with kids besides the old stand by of paint brushes we always put out! Ger ready, get set.....GO!

Paint with Everything But the Brush:
Q-tips or cotton swabs
Cotton Balls
Fingers

Toes
Rags
Toothpick
Twigs or sticks
Feathers
Toothbrush
String or yarn
Swoosh balls
Balloons
Cat or dog toys
Squirt bottles
Yarn
Straws
Rubber bands
Marbles
Branches with leaves
Flowers
Toilet Plungers (Thanks Jenni!)
We know we missed some! What do you like to paint with?

Hilarous Preschool Tales

We were looking at pictures of various flags from various countries. I wanted to see if the preschool children would recognize the U.S. flag. As the children marveled at the beautiful colors and asked questions we finally came the the American flag.
"Hey! I know That flag!" One preschooler shouted from over the group.
"You do?" I asked, "Tell us how you know it?"
"That's my country!"
I had to admit I was quite impressed with a child being so young. I pressed her further for answers.
"And what's the name of your country?" I smiled.
"Tis of thee!" She blurted.

25 Things to Do With Kids This Summer!

 Nothing to do this summer? Don't let it happen to you....use your summer wisely with 25 tips to kick off your creative thinking! Let's see where it takes you!

25 Things to Do With Kids to Kick Start the Summer:
1. Catch fireflies or bugs in a jar, study them and then let them go.
2. Take pictures of the kids having fun and make a scrapbook!
3. Eat watermelon outside, and let the juice run all over the place!
4. Walk in the grass barefoot with the kids.

5. Use lotion, soap, or shampoo that smells like coconuts.

6. Make homemade popsicles in paper cups and eat them on a hot day.
7. Get out the kids' watercolor paints and paint a picture of summer means to you.
8. Collect seashells and save them with some sand in a decorative bowl.
9. Make strawberry shortcake.
10. Make thank you cards for everyone who has helped you out.
11. Eat your favorite summer fruits and berries.
12. Go swimming as a family.
13. Have a water balloon fight.
15. Go for a nature walk along the beach or a wooded path.
16. See the sunrise.
17. Have a picnic.

18. Watch the sunset.
19. Make playdoh.
20. Read a chapter book aloud to your kids.
21. Make homemade ice cream in a Ziploc bag.
22. Sit outside and sip iced tea.
23. Make fresh lemonade.
24 Camp out in a tent in the yard.
25.Make a commitment to learn something new!

Outdoor Fun with Kids and Plastic Bottles

We love water play days! We found a great way to keep kids happy and cool while using them with the tricycles outside! We thought we would share it with you just in case you haven't tried it! Be sure to let us know how it went!

Having Fun with Plastic Bottles:
Materials Needed: Plastic bottles of all sizes (have kids and parents bring in a few, different sized funnels (optional), duct tape, scissors, a hose connected to a water source, small ice pick or knife to poke holes with, tricycles, kids in swimsuits and water shoes, a big outdoor area to ride trikes.
The Procedure: Punch one or more holes in most of the plastic bottles (putting a few aside), remember the bigger the hole the faster the water will pour out. Use duct tape to adhere a number of bottles to the front and back of various tricycles the kids will be riding. We circle the duct tape on a few revolutions to make sure it's secure!
Let the fun begin!: Turn on the hose and let the kids fill up the bottles on the tricycles. Water will shoot out of the holes as they ride. Kids have often pretended it's a gas tank and they need a fill up! Extra bottles and funnels can be used for more pouring!
Have a great time!

15 Great Things to Do With Kids and Coffee Fitlers

"I believe that thrift is essential to well-ordered living." 

~John D. Rockefeller

We are always looking for economical ways to use what we have around the house. Keeping costs low with little ones on the go has always been and issue.
Here are some great ways to utilize coffee filters for projects, clean up, or any other creative way we could think of!

15 Great Uses for Coffee Filters:
1. Start using them as a kiddie's disposable "snack bowl" for popcorn, chips, crackers, etc.
2. Hold your tacos or burritos. Coffee filters make convenient wrappers for messy foods.
3. A great way for kids to weigh chopped foods. Place chopped ingredients in a coffee filter on a kitchen scale.
4. Clean off muddy kids shoes or apply shoe polish with them. Simply ball up a lint-free coffee filter.

5. Use them as a spoon rest while cooking with kids and clean up small counter or table spills.
6. Have kids use them to hold dry ingredients when baking or when cutting a piece of fruit or veggies. It definitely saves on having extra bowls to wash.
7. Kids can use them to sprout seeds. Simply dampen the coffee filter, place seeds inside, fold it and place it into a plastic baggie until they sprout.
8. Kids can clean windows, mirrors, and chrome. Coffee filters are lint-free so they'll leave windows sparkling and streak free.
9. When doing potting projects with kids you can stop the soil from leaking out of a plant pot. Line a plant pot with a coffee filter to prevent the soil from going through the drainage holes.
10. Put baking soda into a coffee filter and tie it off with a rubber band. Insert into Shoes or a closet to absorb or prevent odors.
11. Use coffee filters as blotting paper for pressed flower projects.
Kids can place the flowers between two coffee filters and put the coffee filters in a phone book.
12. Use them to remove kids fingernail polish when out of cotton balls.
13. Prevent the kids Popsicles from dripping. Poke one or two holes as needed in a coffee filter.
14. Put a few in a plate and put your fried bacon, french fries, chicken fingers, etc on them. It soaks out all the grease and is cheaper than paper towels.
15. Kids can make beautiful artwork by water coloring directly onto them or cutting them into snowflakes!

How to Make Homemade Ice Cream in a Bag

Materials Needed for Homemade Ice Cream in a Bag:

1 gallon sized resealable bag,

1 quart sized resealable bag,

1/2 c Milk

1/ 1/2-2 tbsp. sugar,

1tsp. vanilla extract or cocoa powder,

2 trays of ice cubes,

6 tbsp. of salt or rock salt (the more salt the colder it can get)

winter mittens or oven mitts

Optional: fruits, chocolate chips, syrups or added extracts

This makes a small amount of ice cream but kids love it if you would like to make ice cream in a snap! Kids hands may often get tired shaking the bag so it's best to take turns!

What a great way to have fun with math, measuring and pouring! It's a great science activity because it incorporates all the five senses as well!

Have a great time and enjoy!

How to Make Homemade Ice Cream

Translation: Dear Mom and Dad, I am very very angry. I would really like to ask you both for help but I don't know how. I feel stuck. Do you think you could come talk to me tonight before you go to sleep? I think that would make me feel much better.

We suggest talking it over with a nice bowl of homemade ice cream!

How to Make Homemade Ice Cream With Kids:

•2 coffee cans with resealable lids, one large can and one small.
•5 cups ice
•1 cup rock salt
•1 pint half and half
•½ cup sugar
•2 tsp vanilla
•Instant pudding mix or frozen fruit (optional)
Kids can then stir the mixture until the sugar dissolves and close the can. You will probably want to seal the lid with duct tape for added security.

Now, kids can place the small can inside the larger can and surround it with ice and rock salt. Once adults seal the lid on the larger can, kids are ready to make some ice-cream.
Kids will need to keep that can moving, but with all their energy, this shouldn’t be a problem. They can sit roll the can back and forth to eachother, kick, or shake their ice-cream maker to keep the recipe swirling.
You can set a timer for 15-20 minutes. When the timer goes off, kids can open the cans to check the ice-cream’s texture.
Adults or kids will need to stir the coldest ice cream on the sides together with that in the middle. If the concoction needs a little more firming up, kids can add a new batch of ice and salt and try ten minutes more.

It's a great way to bring a smile to anyone's face!

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?

What Teachers Like

Teachers like

peace and cleanliness

and lots of pictures and volunteers

and hatching eggs

and curiosity and democracy

and sorting and stacking

and shapes and colors

and organizing and classifying and reading aloud

and questioning and answers

and recycling

and inspiring

and Fridays

and the sound of children

and progress

and contributing

and a child with a book

and quiet

and laughter

and doing seven things at once (doing them well)

and being allowed to say, "I don't know"

and smiles and unexpected hugs

and sitting in a circle

and learning from children

and listening

and pizza occasions

and glue bottles at work

and teamwork

and being surprised

and seeing former students

and the sanctity of children's wonder

and kids to like them

What Kids Like

Kids like

mud and noise

and democracy and experinemtation

and wheelbarrows and shovels

and hammocks and wagons

and drums and gongs

and magnets and mirrors

and sticks and timers

and clocks and stopwatches

and spontinaity and unafraid teachers

and visitors and singing

and animals and sand and water

and making things and coconuts and hammers

and cooking and weighing

and measuring and balancing

and feeling a hundred of something

and climbing trees

and walking in the rain

and play spaces they make for themselves

and umbrellas

and baking their own birthday cakes

and digging holes and being outdoors (without coats)

and soft things for quiet moments

and wondering

and teachers who like them.

Going Fast

I was thinking....
Being in early childhood education is a big responsibility. Children tend to learn what they live. In a world of fast food, instant mashed potatoes and canned curriculum...
For goodness, sake we have lemonade made from artificial lemons and furniture polish made from real lemons. Well, I said all that to say it is not only important for us grown folks to take time and smell the roses but our kids, too.
Going fast and getting everything instantly isn't always such a good thing.
My mom always said it's good for the soul when you sit and wait for something that's coming slow...