First Day

What a wonderful beginning. I have 8 sweet 3/4's this year. This is a little younger than last year, but they are pretty sharp 3-year-olds.

Here's what worked:

Having some play dough out was a welcoming site for them.

Playing Spot the Dot was VERY effective. They really really paid attention to the centers and counted the cut outs that tell how many children should be in each center. They moved from center to center without complaining.

VERY short attention span, so I got out my preschool trick of Pass the Bean Bag.

This is a must for all preschool classrooms. Little toddlers love it and so do pre-k wiggle worms.

They loved my little hand stamps that I gave out for incentives. (note to self, give at end of day so that it doesn't wash off with all the hand washing.)

My favorite thing that we do at our school is give the children a parting gift as they leave on the first day. All of my friends were so surprised and loved the little toy our director picked out. It really ended the day on a positive note for them all.

Folders keep it all together

Each of my friends has their own plastic folder with pockets in it for the school year. I have their name on it and other than that it starts the year blank. Every so often I will award my friends with a sticker for a special achievement or just for a fun memory of a unit we are learning about.

I have learned that a standard sized dish drainer holds my folders in the up position and has 12 slots which is perfect for our pre-k rooms.

Spot the Dot

Sharon introduced Dot to me and I have loved him ever since. I don't think my husband minds!

You take a "Dot" and hold it up wherever you'd like for the children to spot it. It is great for teaching positional words. For example, hold the Dot over your head and the children tell you where it is located. Then you move it all over the place and give them the words that are correct for it's placement, over, under, beside, in between etc.

I am going to use Dot to introduce my friends to our classroom. Dot will "appear" in different centers while the children have their backs turned and eyes closed. When they turn around they try to find him. We all walk (or run!)over to where he is and I will explain the rules for that particular center. I am thinking I will have special "dot" stickers to place on their folders at the end of the school day.

The Kissing Hand

Everyone uses this sweet story to help children start off the new school year with as little separation anxiety as possible.

Here's what I hope to do:

The Virtual Vine suggest a great idea for a classroom book. I think this will be a great way for my 3's to make a special beginning of the year project for our classroom. I plan on using paper plates and attaching a ring to the top to secure it and form a book. I will add a picture when the project is finished. One big thought is that the children are usually all dresses up on the first day, so this means making sure they use a good smock.

I also plan on doing a ink handprint, or a paint handprint (haven't decided yet, probably ink so that it will dry quickly and can get laminated to send home the same day) that includes this little poem taken from this link.


It's my first day of school
And "The Kissing Hand" is what we read.
It's about a raccoon
Who did just as his parents said.

Like the raccoon's first day at school
I was scared and a little shy.
But because of what you said
I was brave and I got by.

All through the year
I'll make more things for you.
So as I change and as I learn
You can see my growth, too!

I would like to do a little more, but I know I should plan on making sure all the kids have gone potty rather than making lots of activities and have children screaming LOL.

August Beginngs

Two days a week just isn't enough time to do all I want to do to teach little ones about the world around them. I'm gonna try though.
This blog is to help me help them. We'll see how it goes!