June 26, 2015

Countdown to School!

I have just finished a Countdown to School! resource for teachers and parents to use to help our little learners understand the passage of time in a concrete and visual way.

Product Description
Our youngest learners struggle with understanding the abstract concept of the passage of time. These have been created with this in mind and provides our little learners with a concrete way to understand this challenging concept.

Our little learners are so eager to be in school and these countdown sheets are designed to have the child interact with them and give them an idea of when school will be starting up again. This would be a great handout to give during home visits and on the day before a break begins.

In this download, you will find school countdown handouts for the following:
Countdown to the first day of school
Countdown from Fall break
Countdown from Winter Break
Countdown from Spring Break

This has been designed to include the following additional skills:
Counting backwards
Number Identification
Left to right directionality
Patterning
Passage of time
Fine motor skills
Coloring practice
Home/School connection

Adaptations to this sheet could include the following:
Use stickers in place of coloring (you are still getting in some fine motor practice!)
Have the child point to the next picture and color it in using hand over hand support.
Include this in a daily routine at the beginning or end of the day.

Extension activities could include the following:
Have the children write in the numbers with or without a model in place of coloring.
Create a complex pattern.
Look for other patterns within the images.

 Pick up your copy here: 


Included in this download are four different countdown sheets for common school related breaks including the first day of school. 



I have also included a sheet for 7 day breaks and sheets that you can insert your own numbers.

Thank you so much to the following artists!

grab my buttonA Little Peace of AfricaButton

June 22, 2015

TPT "Dare to Dream" week 2 Challenge

#TPTSellerChallenge
Thank you AmberAshleyEmily, and Jen
This week, the challenge is to create a blog to share our TPT dreams. 


Oh my...if your new to blogging like I am, this challenge instantly created anxiety and overwhelming feelings followed by the mantra learned at a young age by the book "The Little Engine that Could" by Watty Piper 

I think I can, I think I can, I think I can...Here it goes! 

My TPT Dreams




Collaborate
I knew from the start of my teaching career that I needed to connect with other educators and other service providers in order to become the holistic teacher I envision.  I never entered the field of education believing that I could teach alone in a vacuum. To have that mindset, I believe would cause burnout, disappointment, and feelings of loneliness. While my brain is full of ideas and expertise that others may not have, the same is true for others in the field.  It is essential to learn from the expertise of others and combine all our knowledge for a common goal. Teaching. My first dream is to connect and collaborate with others in the field.


Create  
Combining all the knowledge I can from myself and others will help me to create resources, tools, and activities that others can use. I look forward to getting back in touch with my creative mind that for so long has been put aside while I was pursuing other goals and dreams in the realm of higher education. My second dream it to let the creative juices flow!


Share
"Sharing is caring." I hear my mother saying. That has never been more true when educating children. I teach my students the value of sharing with others, so it is only fitting that I walk through this journey as an educator with the same mindset. I care immensely about the field of education and know the financial limitations of schools as well as how many use their own money to supplement their teaching. My third dream is to create resources that I can share with others for free or at a very minimal cost. 

Clip art/Font/Design Credits

Children Clip art and Banner by Educlips 
  
Chevron Chalkboard background by Surfin Through Second 
 
 Font by 
Darcy Baldwin
Kimberly Geswein 


Yay!!! I did it! This is so much fun!


June 16, 2015

Hello!

This blog will be managed by an eager little Pre-K teacher who loves our little learners and sharing resources and experiences in the classroom. I hope that as this blog progresses, you will find ideas and resources you can use when working with our littlest learners!

As you can see, this blog is currently under construction.
Thank you for your patience and I look forward to getting to know you and you me!

Diana Smith