Fun Days-Teddy Bear Picnic

We often have different “themed” days in some classrooms.  Pajama day is always a fun one, and popular.

One day, however, I saw a great day in a classroom that almost made me wish I was still a lead teacher in the classroom just so I could implement it…almost, I love what I do.

They had a Teddy Bear Picnic day!

What did this entail?  Many FUN activities full of intentionality!

Everyone brings in their teddy bears.  If someone doesn’t have a teddy bear, that’s okay because the teacher had LOTS of extras!  If they forgot or didn’t have one, they were able to pick one to be theirs for the day.

The teddy bears are the children’s “students” for the day and the get to/must bring them around and share their activities with them. 

In the blocks, teddy bears were the receivers of beds made just for them…to size. 

In the dramatic play area, well, what teddy bear doesn’t LOVE coffee, cake, and plastic pizza?

During circle, they sat in a circle according the the teddy bears size!   This was a great math activity to start off and then having the responsibility of “keeping your teddy bear quiet” brought a new attention span to even the most wiggly child.

Circle time consisted of reading/singing the Teddy Bear Picnic book and going around the circle introducing the teddy bear to the rest of the group (name, favorite food, age).

At one of the tables, there were pieces of fabric, scissors, and patterns to make clothes for their bears…if they wanted.  There was one teacher close by to HELP the children stitch the things together with fat needles and thread.  Yes, the teacher allowed them to SEW with REAL needles!  Awesome practice in trusting the children!

At another table, if they so chose, the children had a picnic making activity.  Teddy bears and their owners spent time making sandwiches (math/patterning, fine motor, reading recipes), filling baggies with carrots (counting), and filling baskets with small group numbers of sandwiches, carrot bags, applesauce cups, plastic spoons, paper cups, napkins, plates, and pitchers of milk (community, counting, sorting, spacial awareness).

During outdoor time, teddy bears rode on tricycles going through obstacle courses, built sand castles, and went on…wait for it…a BEAR HUNT!  It was an awesome obstacle course!

Lunch was a picnic out on the grass!

Nap time was a breeze for the simple matter that the children didn’t want to wake their bears.

It was an awesome day!

What kind of fun days do you have?

Obstacle Courses

A few months ago we ordered one of these. It has come in very handy in our toddler yard. Yes, our preschoolers could use it, too. However, we had some toddler grant money and so they were the lucky ones.

What I like about it is the versatility. The cones have holes in them so that you can stick bars through them for the children to climb or jump over. The hoops fit into the tops of the cones. I have put a small step on one side and a landing mat on the other for them to jump through. They have also used it to throw balls through as well.

There are also ropes that fit through the holes to make other obstacles. What I didn't notice, but found as a great bonus, where the street signs that come with it. They have been great in the bike path. I also borrowed the circles for the graduation carnival to be used at the bean bag toss patterning game.

Overall, things have held up pretty well in its daily abuse (oops, I mean use) from the toddlers. They are really enjoying it.

Curriculum Ideas-From a song

There is a simple finger play song that goes like this:

5 little froggies sitting on a well
1 looked up and down he fell
Froggies jump high
Forggies jump low
How many froggies left in a row?

Of course, the simple thing is to sing this as a finger play putting down one finger at a time. But, why would I go with the simple here? Let's expand this idea:

First idea (this children LOVE this):
Get a container of water to be the well. I have found the disposable food containers work very well for this. You know the kind, ziplock or reynold's have. They are cheap and sturdy. Get one with mouth that opens 4-6 inches is best, but pretty much anything works.

Fill the container up to an inch from the top with water. Get a lincoln log or a long block from the block area and rest it on the edge. I should note here that when you do this teacher directed, put the log closest to you. Then get 5 little toy frogs (I use the frogs from this, but you can find little frogs anywhere). As you, and the children, sing, drop the frogs in the water one at a time.

The children get a HUGE kick out of this. Once you introduce this to them, make sure to put it out on the table as one of the activities. If you don't...they will! So, you might as well be proactive about it and beat them to it. If possible (read you have enough materials) set up 3 or 4 stations until the newness wears off. Then, now don't be afraid, put it in the language and literacy area. That's right! Maybe don't put as much water, but go ahead...trust them! It's only water and I have yet to have a huge disaster that got out of control.

Second Idea:
During a transition time, change the words to include the children. Let's pretend you are in circle time and it's time to go choose activities. There are 16 children there today so you start:

16 froggies sitting on a well
Jose looked up and down he fell (at this point Jose gets to stand up in his spot or in the center)
Jose jumps high (have Jose jump as high as he can)
Jose jumps low (have Jose make little hopping jumps)
And off he goes...(Jose now gets to go to his activity)

This is a longer transition song so it also works well for getting hands washed and bathroom runs done since there is ample amount of time between verses for the person to have washed his hands.

Third Idea:
You have the finger play puppets for 5 green and speckled frogs...use it here!

Fourth Idea:
Buy a long post at the lumbar store (one that has a flat edge so it won't roll) and put it out in the yard. Have children stand on it and sing the song, jumping off when it's their turn.

Anyone else have a great extension for this song?

This song is so closely related to the 5 green and speckled frogs you can almost do the same activities with that song as well.

Caterpillar Crawl

This has been at the center for longer than I have been there. When I first got there about 2.5 years ago, it was sitting in the front yard where no one played with it. About a year and a half ago, the two's teacher hosed it down and brought it to her yard. It is now a favorite!

Except for the pieces that were taken from it by the local skaters in the neighborhood (why they want plastic caterpillar feet is beyond me). But, the children love it. It's a great place to dig quietly by yourself, get away from the noise of the classroom, and just hang out with friends.

As they get older (more towards the young 3 age) they begin the pretend play of turning it into a car and sitting on top of it to "drive" to the store. It's very versatile and very sturdy. The color arches can also be rearranged so you can make the tunnel a winding one or one curve. The holes in the side make it easy for a teacher to supervise what's going on in there easily. The holes also make it easy for the children to climb right up to sit on top. We've only had a few children who have tried standing on it, but they were the type to stand on top of the monkey bars a year later as well, so I could say that it isn't much thought to standing on top.

It easily hold the weight of the teachers who play right along with the "rides" to the store; so it's sturdy! It is worth the money spent and has lasted quite a while.

Outdoor Play...it's important!

I was going to tell you all about the play in our brand new sand today; but I am saving that for tomorrow. Why? Because I was appalled when I read this today.

First, I was amazed that any teacher wouldn't allow their classroom outside to avoid basic behavior issues that are easily curbed with some simple redirection (and buying of supplies like balls, shovels, and buckets). Then I was floored when I read how short people were talking about their outside time: 15-30 minutes! So, now I am discussing appropriate outdoor time and curriculum.

First, the fact: It takes a child about 20 minutes to find an activity in which to become fully engaged. Yes, some children reach this moment long before that 20 minutes, others may take a bit longer, but 20 is a good strong average. Watch a child wander the yard; just observe.

Maybe he goes running to the tricycle first, spends 1 minute riding around then is quickly sidetracked, jumping off the bike (leaving it in the middle of the path) where he runs to the monkey bars. Here he spends 6 minutes pulling himself up, hanging upside down, and just hanging around. He quickly notices that there are children "baking" ice cream in the play house and goes to join them; he stays there for another 5 minutes where he slowly moves over to the play "car" where he drives to the store for another 3 minutes delivering ice cream. This is when he notices that there is a rope tied to the top of the slide and he can climb up the slide pulling on this rope. This is his "task" for the day: Learning how to climb the slide using this rope, taking turns with others who are engaged here as well, and figuring out the best ways to accomplish this task.

What is he learning? Conflict resolution and teamwork; he needs to solve conflicts with others as they take turns and, most likely, these children will work together and help each other out in getting to the top. Gross motor skills; he will use different muscles in pulling up the slide with his arms and feet than just climbing normally. Self confidence; I can do it! What else can I do?

It took him 15 minutes to find this task, and he stays at this activity for 40 minutes mastering all these skills. Other children have taken different roads to their final tasks, but in the end typically settle on one or two that accomplish other skills: social, gross motor, dramatic play, math, reading, science, and so much more! All this because they are given the time to do so.

If we only allowed them 30 minutes to go outside what would they accomplish? Maybe 15 minutes into the time they would settle on an activity, that leaves 15 minutes more. After another 5, the teacher calls out "5 more minutes to clean-up". This causes the thought "I have to hurry and play before I can't play anymore" and that interrupts a little more than necessary as well. Then of course comes the 5 minute clean up. So what value does the child get from this short amount of play?

The question you need to ask is this: What do I want the children to get out of their play?

Once you answer this question, you will allow for long blocks of uninterrupted play (both inside and out); however, today we are talking about outside. There are some things that are out there that you have no control over them using or not (monkey bars and slide for example); and you want them to use these things. The question is how can you get them to learn and enhance their play. This is answered by what tools you provide.

Remember that rope on the slide? I added that because children were constantly climbing the slide and we had been given a bunch of jump ropes as a donation. The jump ropes were being used to tie each other up; so let's find a better use for them. What happens when we dig a hole and fill it with water? Put up an obstacle course for bikes? Hopscotch? Sidewalk chalk?

What we, as adults, choose to add to the environment, will enhance and change the play of the children. We must observe and make decisions ahead of time to do just this. Bug boxes, pendulums, hula hoops, etc... The outdoor environment should have everything you have inside in addition to the gross motor items. And it should be a well thought out and planned environment, just like the indoor environment.

Do we have problems with appropriate shoes? YES!!! When they come in we tell the parents, "These shoes are not very good for active play and their feet may get injured. We can't stop them from playing so it would be best if you could bring in a more suitable pair." At this point, if they are completely adamant that they can't go get some sneakers we find some socks to put on, at least they are a little protected. We used to have a policy that the children couldn't stay without appropriate attire; however we just changed the parent handbook and accidentally left it out and haven't amended it yet.

Do they throw wood chips? YES!!! We redirect them and help them find a more appropriate activity: throwing balls, climbing slides, filling buckets with wood chips, etc...

15-30 minutes is just not enough time. Yes, we have the advantage of sunny weather year round (San Diego!!!); but on a rainy day we take a rain walk. Years ago we asked for parents to donate rain boots to the center and rain jackets. We have enough for one full class. I can't imagine not taking the children out to play in the snow; especially if they had the appropriate attire. I'm not saying it would be easy; but I think it would be totally worth the fun!

Book of the Week-Clap Your Hands

This weeks book is Clap Your Hands by Lorinda Bryan Cauley. It is one of my favorites for every age group! Once you read this, you'll never stop! Because your child will ask you for it over and over and over and over again. This is a book you don't just read, you move to it...right along with all the other characters in the book. Each character is beautifully drawn on a white background. It's excellent! It really adds to the book watching these characters move around the pages. Each character (like each child) has their own interpretation of the movement suggested on the page. It's great! So, stand up and read this book! You'll have a blast!

This is a great book to have secretly stashed in your circle time box to get the wiggles out when they start getting restless. If children are starting to get rambunctious during free choice, just sit on the floor and start reading; they will come over! Every classroom (not just every center) should have this book. Introduce the young children to different movements, get the wiggles out of older children, and just have fun!

Here's a picture of the author (since it's not included in the book):

Joey Jump!

I used to go outside an see children taking our long handle shovels, lay them on the ground, put a ball in the handle, run to the other side of the shovel and stomp on it as hard as they could. The ball would go flying over their heads and they would laugh hysterically! I would turn to the teachers and suggest that someone should get a dad to cut some 2x4 boards into 2 foot long planks and screw a fat dowel of somesort into the bottom of it. They should even put them at different distances from the middle. Then the children could stomp on those...instead of the shovels which will eventually break from this kind of use. I really wasn't upset that the children were using the shovels, they had a need to explore these types of force and reactions and all that science stuff. However, after suggesting this for about 6 months, I was looking through the kaplan catalog and came across this. I don't know why they call it a Joey Jump, but I am thrilled they have it. I bought 2! They were deliverd less than 2 weeks ago, and it is probably the best thing I ever bought. It comes with 2 bean bags, which is great. The children have stomped on it, I can't tell you how many times. I introduced it early in the morning when there were only 3 children around because I knew it would be a popular item. I figured that if I introduced it that early, the ones who were there would be done enough with it that they would let others play with it; and as children trickled in the same thing would happen. Best plan I ever had! It worked exactly as planned, the two boys who were there when I introduced it played with it for a while, then went and found something else to play. When some more children came, they actually stopped what they were doing, excitedly showed the arriving children this awesome new toy, and went back to their other activities. And so it went the rest of the morning until breakfast.

Of course, after the first day came the real fun! You could see the exploring going on with these toys; you could almost hear the thinking: what if I put both of them next to each other and jump on them at the same time? What if I put two bean bags stacked on the end? What if I line up the bean bags all the way across the board? How about a ball? Lets stomp on it together! Who's can go farther?...and on and on!

This hasn't ended their play with force at all, it has only expanded it! Now maybe the teachers will see the importance of this play and get some parents to make some more of these!

Things Homemade Friday-Toddler blocks

Toddlers love to build and break down. It's part of being a toddler. However, the wood blocks are not safe for this purpose. Yes you can buy cardboard and foam block sets, but you can also make them yoursefl! These are perfect for stacking up and breaking down. Throw balls at them, run through them, kick them! And you don't care if they get all smashed up because they hardly cost you anything! It's very simple:

Take 1/2 gallon cartons (empty milk, orange juice, etc...)

I've also use the smaller copacitie's too (quart, pints, etc...)

Make sure to clean them out real well. And let them dry very well too! This is important. I will even leave them in the sun for 3 days just to make sure they are very dried out!

This next step is up to you how you handle it. I like to cut two of the four top sides so when I tape them down it makes a real sturdy closing. I know others who just completly cut the tops off and others who cut each diagonally so that the four sides meet in the middle.

After you cut the top to your preference, I like to fill it with crumpled newpaper. This gives the blocks a little bit of weight and stability, but again this is not necessary. Then tape the end down so that you now have a brick like shape.

Then get some colorful contact paper and wrap them up!



These are also great outside with older kids. They like to build them up into walls and run their bikes through them. It's okay because they can't really hurt them or anything else.



It's also a pretty easy project to collect for because you can usually get parents to bring them in. One time I actually made a whole block set using cartons and frozen juice cans, cracker boxes, and pretty much and food container I could find that was lightweight.

Scooters

Last summer we purchased two of these scooters from lakeshore. Upon first look, I thought they were cool; upon closer look I thought "how are they ever going to ride these?" Maybe because of my adult view of the world, and how I always picture riding a scooter, I just couldn't picture it. I'm used to pushing with my foot parallel to the other foot. With these, you have to push from behind the body. A little uncomfortable at first.

When we first put out the scooters, I was beginning to think that I was right about these. It took about a week before any child really mastered the skills needed to ride these. After a year, most children are successful their first time on the scooters. Here's my theories:

When first introduced, the children had no experience with them (and may have had experience at home with a 2 wheel scooter). They had no reference to go off of on how to use them. Now, a year later, most of the younger children have watched the older ones be successful on the scooters. They have a frame of reference when they decide to take the challenge. Therefore, a preconceived notion does make it difficult to ride at first.

Now I go out in the yard and all the children are riding these, some racing around quickly. These are pretty well constructed. Considering they were "needs assembly" when we got them, they have stood up very well. Each scooter has since lost, and been replaced, one handle cover each. The wheels, platform, and frame had stood the test of time for the year. The coordination in using them is no longer a problem, and the children really love them. The older children (boys especially) who need more of a challenge have begun trying to do simple tricks on them: riding backwards, making small jumps over toys and curbs, popping the front wheel up, etc...

This has been a great addition to our yard.

Balls!

Okay, we have tried these, these, and these balls. All from very reputable child care supply places. We have even ordered some of these and these! You would think that with all the balls we have ordered, that our yard would be full of balls! We should have more balls than we know what to do with, right? WRONG! The foam balls are pretty good. At least, they are still able to play with them. They last a long while, until some child who is having anger or sensory issues for the day decides to pick it apart. However, I have yet to find a playground ball that will last longer than two weeks. We treat our balls pretty well, considering the problem we are having. We take them in every night, we make sure they have the right amount of air in them. We don't let the children abuse them by standing on them and such. And still, after about a day at least one of them has a pinpoint hole in it. By the end of the week, we typically only have one or two good ones remaining; and we usually buy 2-3 sets at a time, so you would think that would be 1-2 from each set...you would be wrong!

One set, the outer coverings actually began peeling off after just one day. One ball had a hole in it as I was putting air in it for the first time! After about 2 weeks, we are left with one lonely playground ball. I have tried patches, but it doesn't work.

I could just order all the foam balls, but they definitely don't bounce as well. They also don't act quiet like a playground ball because of their lightweightedness; and yes I've tried the bigger foam balls as well.

So, I throw this question out to all of you: What do you do about balls in your yards? Even when we have parents donate balls from the stores they all go flat pretty quickly. Is this just a highly consumable product? Or has the quality of balls really gone down?