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Salt Tray Writing, Monster Puppets, and Ice Cubes – Preschool and Kindergarten Community

Preschool and Kindergarten learning ideas



Apparently I’m on a rainbow kick this week. All of the crafts and activities that caught my eye this past week were all so COLORFUL!!

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Have a dollar store nearby? You may want to raid a few of the supplies they have there to make some CUTE monster puppets. A Little Pinch of Perfect shares a great tutorial to start you on some imaginative play.

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A great pre-writing activity for children is using a salt tray. I LOVE the twist that Where Imagination Grows shares in making a Rainbow Salt Tray.

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Sun catchers are such an easy craft to pull together, but add some fun color to any theme or time of year! This fish sun catcher craft from ABC Creative Learning would be fun for the summer months.

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Keeping cool with colorful ice cubes would be fun too! Excite and Explore shares a few ways you can use the ice cubes for added fun.

Ready to link up and share your learning fun from this last week? Thanks so much to the ladies above for linking up last week and giving us some great ideas to use!

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Preschool Pinterest Board

Each week I am  pinning many of your links onto the Preschool and Kindergarten Community Pinterest Board. I’m a visual person, so having pictures to help me remember posts is super helpful. Be sure to jump over and follow the board – and find some fun ideas at the same time!

 

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Homeschool Preschool

 

 

Link Up with the Preschool and Kindergarten Community!

Share what you are doing with your kids! Please link your exact blog post to the Mr. Linky below and link back here too! Grab a button for your post and be sure to take a minute to visit the person who linked up before you.

Butterflies, Bugs, and Fish ~ Preschool and Kindergarten Community

Preschool and Kindergarten Community May 2014 Week 4



This week has been crazy busy in our home and we’re looking forward to a bit of a break this weekend, but the learning will still be continuing over the summer (yep, we’ll be summer homeschooling), even though our official school year is done! Here are a few ways that you can continue the learning and creativity in the upcoming months.

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This all-in-one butterfly metamorphosis craft shared by A Little Pinch of Perfect is…well, perfect! I love how it all fits together to show the various stages!

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Everyone needs a little imaginative play in their lives and Joys of the Journey shares their recent Peter Pan and Neverland time. The costumes = AMAZING. Just amazing.

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Have lots of little creepy crawlies that are being examined? Angelic Scalliwags shares the bug observatory they put together to study insects. So simple and fun!

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These colorful fish are so easy to paint and involve a fun painting method – forks! Visit Fantastic Fun and Learning for the quick tutorial.

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And while you’re there, don’t miss the simple way they blended ladybugs and math together and made it a fun game.

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Looking for some great books to read with your children this summer? Join the 30 Picture Books in 30 Days challenge and set aside a time each day for intentional reading and cuddling with your kids!

That’s all for this week! Thanks so much for joining up and sharing with us all.

Follow the PreK and Kindergarten Community Pinterest Board

Preschool Pinterest Board

Each week I am  pinning many of your links onto the Preschool and Kindergarten Community Pinterest Board. I’m a visual person, so having pictures to help me remember posts is super helpful. Be sure to jump over and follow the board – and find some fun ideas at the same time!

 

Were You Featured in the Preschool & Kindergarten Community?

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Link Up with the Preschool and Kindergarten Community!

Share what you are doing with your kids! Please link your exact blog post to the Mr. Linky below and link back here too! Grab a button for your post and be sure to take a minute to visit the person who linked up before you.



30 Picture Books in 30 Days – for 5 to 8 year olds

Picture Books for Kids

There are days when I feel that one of our kiddos is getting the proverbial short end of the stick. While our older kids had more of my time and energy, the youngest – well, there are occasions that it just seems that he gets the leftovers.

And then I start beating myself up that I am not doing enough for him.

BUT, there are also times that I am a wee bit justified in these feelings. Reading pictures books with him is one of those areas. There are so many amazing books that we have in our home and while some of the copies are ragged and worn from being read over and over with our oldest, Kaleb hasn’t had that same reading time.

Don’t get me wrong – we read a lot as a family, but many of those books are not targeted specifically to his age range. While he enjoys the other read aloud, there really is something special about flipping through a picture book, talking about the pictures and the story, and enjoying that time together as well.

“In your eagerness over discovering children’s literature, you need to be careful not to push your children into books beyond their years. It could mean missing those books tailored for their present age.”

– Gladys Hunt

In an effort to be more intentional in this one specific area, I set the goal to read 30 books in 30 days with Kaleb. There are more than thirty books in the stack, but at least one book a day is that I picked out for him, and then he chooses another book from our shelves. The hope was also that we would re-read many of the books that he was exposed to during the month.

(and 30 isn’t a difficult number to reach, is it?)

After only two days, he was climbing into bed with me in the morning carrying books and reminding me that we needed to have our reading time, and we’ve been snuggling up to read a few books together. It has been such a fun and wonderful time as we talk about books that I loved when I was little and also re-read other fun books, giggle at silly things, and just enjoy the time together.

Choosing the Books

There were several books that came immediately to mind – ones that our older kids loved and also a few that I enjoyed as a child. When my brain started fizzling out on book ideas, I pulled off the book Honey for a Child’s Heart by Gladys Hunt where there is a great chapter on favorite picture books (if you need a jump start on ideas, there are tons of good ones here).

Other places to get book ideas:

  • Look around at your local library – it was fun going through the shelves and finding some old favorites of mine.
  • Check out the book lists from Five in a Row and other homeschool companies. See what books they are recommending to read.
  • Look up some of the Usborne books online – some of our more recent favorites have come from the beautiful picture books they offer (and many of their books are also available via Amazon too).
  • Ask friends – many of mine have a great library at home as well and they lent me some of their favorites.

We pulled books from our shelves, baskets, visited the library and finally borrowed a few from friends. Our book pile quickly grew!

What’s in Our 30 Book Stack

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Over the next few weeks you may see me post pictures on Instagram and Facebook on the books that we’re reading, but here’s a look at the ones that I specifically have piled up for us to read together. There are a few more that I want to read, but either can’t find our copy or haven’t had the chance to borrow the book from a friend – so we’re filling in with another book.

  1. Angus and the Ducks by Marjorie Flack
  2. Train to Somewhere by Eve Bunting
  3. The Rag Coat by Lauren Mills
  4. Katy and the Big Snow by Virginia Lee Burton
  5. Snowflake Bentley by Jacqueline Briggs Martin
  6. Peter and the Wolf by Janet Schulman (with orchestra cd)
  7. Mrs. Peachtree’s Bicycle by Erica Silverman
  8. Henry the Explorer by Mark Faylor
  9. The Bee Tree by Patricia Polacco
  10. Mike Mulligan and His Steam Shovel by Virginia Lee Burton
  11. The Owl and the Pussycat by Edward Lear and Jan Brett
  12. Miss Rumphius by Barbara Cooney
  13. Make Way for Ducklings by Roberts McCloskey
  14. The Little House by Virginia Lee Burton
  15. The Tale of Peter Rabbit by Beatrix Potter
  16. Katy No-Pocket by Emmy Payne
  17. The Big Green Pocketbook by Candice Ransom
  18. Where the Wild Things Are by Maurice Sendak
  19. Sheila Rae, the Brave by Kevin Henkes
  20. Maybelle the Cable Car by Virginia Lee Burton
  21. Stellaluna by Janell Cannon
  22. One Morning in Maine by Robert McCloskey
  23. The Grouchy Ladybug by Eric Carle
  24. The Story About Ping by Marjorie Flack
  25. Pirate Boy by Eve Bunting
  26. If You Give a Moose a Muffin by Laura J. Numeroff
  27. The Poky Little Puppy by Janette Lowrey

Keep in mind this is hardly an exhaustive list of great picture books. There are so many more and after the thirty days is over, we’ll be back at our library pulling more books off the shelf!

“Once you begin enjoying good children’s literature, you will find yourself in a  treasure house of reading.”

My one goal is to make special time for books, especially ones that my younger one will enjoy. This isn’t a checklist to complete (although I do love a good checklist!) – it’s just time spent cuddling, reading, and rediscovering some fun books – and introducing them to a boy who may not have read them with us before. And when the thirty days is done? Well, hopefully this will be just the tip of the iceberg in our picture book reading adventures!

What one picture book do YOU remember reading when you were a child?

Backyard Tents and the Very Hungry Caterpillar – Preschool and Kindergarten Community

Preschool and Kindergarten Community Linky




One of the things that I love most about the preschool and kindergarten age are the bright and colorful crafts that go along with that age. There are so many creative ideas to extend learning and make activities engaging for children! Here are a few of the ideas that were share last week during the Preschool and Kindergarten Community link up.

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A Little Pinch of Perfect has some yummy and cute snack ideas to go along with Eric Carle’s  The Very Hungry Caterpillar. She also shares some fun sensory ideas and an art activity too.

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If you need a fun gift idea for grandparents or friends, check out the Fingerprint Bug Flower Pot craft from Lovely Commotion. This would be a great teacher gift for those of you that aren’t homeschooling.

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All your leftover egg cartons would make some fun flower crafts. All you need are some popsicle sticks and paint to make this cute craft from Boy Mama Teacher Mom.

backyard tent

This DIY backyard tent tutorial from Adventure in a Box would be a fun spring project and way to enjoy the warming weather. Our kids would love to cuddle up with a book and enjoy this little hideaway.

Those are the highlights from last week’s linkup. Can’t wait to see what you all have to share this week!

Follow the PreK and Kindergarten Community Pinterest Board

Preschool Pinterest Board

Each week I am  pinning many of your links onto the Preschool and Kindergarten Community Pinterest Board. I’m a visual person, so having pictures to help me remember posts is super helpful. Be sure to jump over and follow the board – and find some fun ideas at the same time!

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Link Up with the Preschool and Kindergarten Community!

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Moth Stones, Balloon Stories, and Yarn Tulips – Preschool and Kindergarten Community

Homeschool Preschool: Preschool and Kindergarten Community linkup at Homeschool Creations

Ready for another week of sharing and learning together? I would really encourage you to visit a few other moms today, see what they are sharing, and leave a comment while you’re there!

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The painted moths on stones that The Bushcrafter shares – they make me want to gather lots of rocks and start having fun with my kids. These would be so much fun to make for an insect unit.

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A simple balloon might be all you need to get some creative storytelling going in your home. Visit A Mom with a Lesson Plan to see how she used a sharpie and a balloon to get the creativity flowing.

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Tulips are my very favorite spring flower, so these yarn wrapped tulips from School Time Snippets just make my heart happy – and they won’t be dropping their petals after a few days!

Ready to link up and share what you’ve been doing in your home or classroom?

Follow the PreK and Kindergarten Community Pinterest Board

Preschool Pinterest Board

Each week I am  pinning many of your links onto the Preschool and Kindergarten Community Pinterest Board. I’m a visual person, so having pictures to help me remember posts is super helpful. Be sure to jump over and follow the board – and find some fun ideas at the same time!

 

Were You Featured in the Preschool & Kindergarten Community?

If you were featured in one of the weekly posts, feel free to grab the button coding below and display it on your site!

Homeschool Preschool

 

Link Up with the Preschool and Kindergarten Community!

Share what you are doing with your kids! Please link your exact blog post to the Mr. Linky below and link back here too! Grab a button for your post and be sure to take a minute to visit the person who linked up before you.

Learning with Spielgaben Educational Toys

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All of the colors make you want to dive right in, don’t they?

For months pictures of Spielgaben have been floating around on Instagram and the colors were pulling me in. So many amazing manipulatives and pieces to create with – shapes, beads, rings, wooden blocks, pegs, string, sticks (points), and more – all so very inviting to young and old alike.

Spielgaben Educational Toys and learning


I was (wrongfully) under the assumption that the Speilgaben set was really more for little kids – something that we seem to be running short on in our home with our youngest now being seven. But since its arrival,  Spielgaben has been an enormous hit, and we are using it in a variety of ways with our kids, both in creative free play and educationally!

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When we first opened up all of the boxes, there was a LOT of free play and creating using all of the pieces: buildings created from blocks, scenes and critters made with shapes, and yarn balls being thrown (ahem).  We are talking HOURS of uninterrupted play – both when it first arrived and now weeks and weeks later.

In the weeks following, the main focus for us has been tying Spielgaben in to what we are already learning about in our various subject like math, science, and language. And the user’s guides, inspiration cards, and worksheets that are all a part of the kit – amazing! They provide you with so many learning activities that guide you step-by-step through the activity. From there you can extend the learning or move on to another activity. All of ours are on the iPad, but for specific teaching activities I print them off to have handy. I cannot begin to tell you how wonderful they are, and you can get a peek at some pages here.

What I’d really love to show you though is how we are using Spielgaben in our home! I’ve been trying to plan 3-4 specific activities each week for both Kaleb (7) and Zachary (9). McKenna (age 11) has been using the Spielgaben to create story scenes.

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Kaleb has been working on early multiplication. To demonstrate the concept, we grouped items together. Above we were talking about 5 x 3 = 15.

Learning about symmetry with Spielgaben

We’ve also been talking about symmetry, so we taped one of the strings in the kit to the top of the board and made a middle line of symmetry. Then Kaleb and I took turns creating a shape and then the mirror image of it on the other side of the line.  In the last image, Kaleb created three images and then wanted me to do exactly what he had done. (So I did – grins).

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A certain 9 year old needed a little multiplication practice, so for the facts he missed during one math lesson, he created the problems using various Spielgaben pieces.

Learning about acute and obtuse angles

Zachary has been working on acute, obtuse, and right angles, so we taped several of the rods together to measure the angles on various triangles and determine if they were obtuse, acute, or right angles. It was a great hands-on way to measure all three sides of each triangle as well and see how a few could be acute while another obtuse.

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Building structures – this is an example that came from one of the teacher’s manuals. Kaleb wanted to make it because he thought it looked like the Lincoln Memorial. (grins)

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Tally marks – need I say more? We can always use a little more practice here!

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Remember I said there were worksheets? Somehow I had them in the wrong folder on my computer, and this week has been the first time we’ve used any. Above Kaleb was practicing grouping by tens.

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During the last several weeks of our science program with Kaleb, we were talking about insects. It was so much fun to create the different insects we were studying: ladybugs, butterflies, ants, and grasshoppers (our grasshopper may have looked more like a goat…).

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There have also been puppet shows (grins).

To tell you the truth, we have only scratched the surface on how we can use all of the pieces in our Spielgaben set. Somehow I missed an entire manual that comes with it! After going through it, there are ideas spinning in my head on how to incorporate more hands-on learning  fun with the older kids. I’ll continue to share pictures and examples of how we’re using it via Pinterest, Instagram and Facebook, so don’t miss those!

A Few Thoughts From Me…

Spielgaben is targeted for children ages 3-12 (our 13 year old thinks that excludes her, but she has been caught creating on numerous occasions!). One thing that I do want to note is the cost of the set, because for many that is a huge part of the buying process. While the purchase price may be higher, remember the set includes the following:

  • a 3-tiered wooden organizational system
  • high-quality wooden pieces that will last for generations (we are keeping ours for YEARS to come – definitely future generations will use it!)
  • digital teacher helps: inspiration cards, nature guides, worksheets, and multiple curriculum guides for children of all ages
  • ways to supplement learning through the age 12
  • can be a complete play-based curriculum for younger children

Ultimately, you know your child(ren) best and how they learn, what they enjoy, and need to consider all of that when you make a purchase (I really understand that!). As I mentioned earlier, I assumed that Spielgaben was intended for only younger children, but can honestly say that it has been a fabulous addition to our homeschool time and is something we will actively be using in the upcoming months and years. There are very few toys and things that I keep around our home once we are done – but this is one we will save.

      Want to purchase Spielgaben for your family?

    Spielgaben is offering my readers a special price on the complete set,  including shipping until May 20th!

spielgaben bins

USD $327 | GBP 195 | AUD 360

To take advantage of this special offer, go to the Spielgaben contact form and send Spielgaben an email mentioning Homeschool Creations. They will then contact you with instructions on how to apply the discount coupon code.

Don’t forget to “like” Spielgaben on Facebook – they are sharing additional learning ideas there too!

 

I was sent a set of Spielgaben products to review for this post. All opinions are my own and genuine!