Each day in our preschool classroom we have some time for independent reading right after snack. There are times when this can be a very chaotic. About a year ago I came up with a plan to help organize this time better for the children and they LOVE it (and so do I)! At first, […] Read more…
Do you ever find yourself depleted of energy and patience at bedtime? I’m sure I’m not alone in my efforts to just stay calm until they lay their sweet little heads down for the night! I have found it very helpful over the years to add little rituals and routines to bedtime. When it seems […] Read more…
Last week we had a little homework project that turned out to be a great lesson in helpfulness! Each child was asked to go home and trace one of the hands of every family member. They used some colorful construction paper I gave them. After each hand was traced and cut out, their parents helped […] Read more…
In our Shining Star School Family we continue to plan activities that encourage kindness. This week we are enjoying the story of Stone Soup. We are focusing specifically on the skill of sharing. The props in the picture above are from a Mailbox Magazine (2002). A cute little song accompanied this activity called “Sing a Song […] Read more…
One thing I love about Conscious Discipline is the fact that it isn’t another curriculum add-on. Rather, it consists of skills you can teach children throughout the day in many different ways. Over the years, I have found many rich lessons to help teach Conscious Discipline skills right in the midst of a favorite story, […] Read more…
Speaking of waiting, you’ve waited a long time for my next post! I don’t know about you, but I have a hard time waiting. No matter what we think about it, at some point in our lives we all have to wait. We might as well learn how to handle it! Whether it’s at the doctor’s […] Read more…
Brain Smart Start: Activities to Connect One thing that I have observed happening over the past few years is that in many classrooms we are telling children that they can’t touch. Often, because children haven’t been taught how to touch appropriately and don’t know the limits, we just tell them not to do it at […] Read more…
At the beginning of each school year I spend a lot of time teaching my students the routines that help keep us safe throughout the day. Research shows us that the brain functions optimally when we feel safe. In Conscious Discipline we focus on creating an optimal learning enviornment through the elements of the Brain Smart Start. Dr. […] Read more…
This was an old Math Their Way activity that I used years ago. I used some dried lima beans and spray painted them black on one side. The result was a bean with one side black and one side white. During this small group activity, children worked on counting and tallying the results of the […] Read more…
One of the biggest hits this winter was the day I brought in the air popper and let the popcorn pop all over the place. We put a blanket on the ground and all gathered around. Many of the children had never seen an air popper before. They were used to having popcorn from the […] Read more…