dramatic play center.

here are some examples of our dramatic play area. we have a play kitchen that also doubles as a "patio" of sorts on the other side, with a table and a grill. we also have a shopping cart and grocery basket to hold the items in that big grocery bin. we can play house or grocery store with all the groceries. we have a cash register where we can purchase those groceries, weigh our produce, and play with money. i will soon be working on adding some clothing items to our dramatic play area, along with a full length mirror.

centers for home. (first up: music.)

in most classes that i have had the honor of visiting or teaching in, the teachers operate a style of learning based on "centers". in these centers, students have the opportunity to explore different areas of study in a small group setting, usually with two or three other students. teachers explain the activity at the center for the day and give the objective, and then students are able to work more independently amongst themselves through the duration of the day. teachers are then freed up to work in more intense groups that need the direction of the teacher, like reading groups. students know that if they have questions or require assistance, they can ask questions when the current reading group has concluded, before the next one is up. students spend about 20 minutes working in their centers, and rotate through a few during the school day.

in a throwback to this method, i am putting together some "centers" here at home. we have a play space for the kids, and in it, i have assembled some of their toys into groups to use for their center time. for example, we have a bunch of musical instruments, so i grouped these items together for a music center. in the group, we have maracas, cymbals, a triangle, my old keyboard from seventh grade, a drum, and a few other items that we can use when we are singing,marching or wanting to make our own music.

i'm in the process of taking pictures of our collections so you can see exactly what i mean... here is the beginnings of some of our first centers.

content area standards for ohio.

If you'd like to know what your child needs to know for preschool, kindergarten, and first grade (on up), you can check out the following websites. These are Ohio's Standards... if you want to know the current ones for the state you live in, google "your state grade academic content standards".


For Preschool:

http://www.readingfirstohio.org/assets/pdf/family_guide_preschool.pdf

http://www.greenville.k12.oh.us/Staff/ContentStandards/Preschool.pdf

http://www.worldbook.com/wb/Students?curriculum (I found this one helpful... and printed it out for my own use.)

For Kindergarten:

http://www.readingfirstohio.org/assets/pdf/family_guide_kindergarten.pdf

For First Grade:

http://www.readingfirstohio.org/assets/pdf/family_guide_grade_1.pdf

If you'd like the higher grade levels, you can link through the above sites.



Here are some other things that may provide interesting reading:

http://www.acesc.k12.oh.us/standards%20guides%20ode%20battelle/Early%20Childhood%20Standards-9-05%20revised.pdf

And a homeschooling article that is quite encouraging:
http://www.redshift.com/~bonajo/early.htm#readiness

classic stories kids should know.

The Three Pigs (and it's variations like The big Bad Shark, or The Real Story of the Three Little Pigs)
Goldilocks and the Three Bears
Little Red Riding Hood
Sleeping Beauty
Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs
Hansel and Gretel
The Princess and the Pea
The Little Engine That Could
Cinderella
Jack and the Beanstalk
The Emperor's New Clothes
The Owl and the Pussycat
Rumpelstiltskin
Beauty and the Beast
Frosty the Snowman
Jungle Book
Peter Cottontail
Little Mermaid
Little Red Caboose
Night Before Christmas
The Nutcracker
Peter Pan
Pinocchio
Poky Little Puppy
Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer
Sorcerer's Aprentice
Peter Rabbit
Thumbelina
Ugly Duckling
Velveteen Rabbit
Dumbo

high-quality authors.

Nancy Tafuri
Eric Carle
David Shannon
Robert Munsch
Denise Fleming
Karma Wilson
Leo Lionni
Bill Peet
Ezra Jack Keats
Lois Ehlert
Laura Joffe Numeroff
Mark Teague
Bill Martin, Jr.
Tomie dePaola
Margaret Wise Brown
Don and Audrey Wood
Kevin Henkes
Tedd Arnold
Dr. Suess
PD Eastman
Donald Crews
Doreen Cronin
Mo Willems
Jan Brett
Audrey Penn
Jonathan London
Shel Silverstein


Board Books--
Sandra Boynton
Byron Barton

some ways to study various subjects.

SCIENCE
Cooking
Observing
Plants
Play-doh
Binoculars
Microscope
Chemistry Set
Animals
Sand/Water Table
Bug jar/net
Magnets
Mirror
Magnifying glass

MATH
Counting
Shapes
Weights
Measuring
Time
Money
Building Blocks
More/Less
Bigger/Smaller
Counting bears
Magnetic numbers
Stuff to sort
Measuring cups and spoons
Puzzles
Flash cards
Containers of various sizes
Direction words

READING
Books
Instructions
Magazines
Making up stories
Free Play
Characters in Situations
Rhymes
Books on CD
Pointer
CD Player/Headphones
Song/Poem Charts
Rugs/pillows/beanbags

WRITING
Letters
Numbers
Drawing
Tracing
Painting
Watercolor
http://www.handwritingforkids.com/
Journaling
Index cards
Magnetic letters
Alphabet strips
Flashcards

MOVING
Songs/Chants
Balls
Parachute
Instruments--triangle/keyboard/drum/cymbals/tamburrine/maracas

LANGUAGE
Spanish
Numbers
Colors
Basic Phrases
Books
Language CDs


Computer--kidpix/jumpstart/educational websites

some rough ideas for curriculum.

Letter of the Week

Subject of the Week
Acitivities to match subject

Craft

Movie

Puppets/Masks

Drawing (shapes, letters, numbers, pictures)
Cutting
Glueing
Coloring

Numbers (count to 20, number i.d.)
Letters (ABC song, letter i.d.)
Shapes

Library Day

Field Trip Day

High Quality Children's Literature
Calendar
Days/Weeks/Months/Seasons/Weather/Dressing appropriately

craft station.

crayons
markers
chalk
paper
construction paper
popsicle sticks
glue stick
tape
string
paint
watercolor
pipe cleaners
pencils
scissors

Pocket Chart
Sentence Strips
Calendar

possible weekly subjects for curriculum.

Spiders
Owls
Flowers
World/Planets/Space
Dinosaurs
Sharks
Dolphins
Whales
Snakes
Apples
Corn
Pumpkins
Bread
Turtles
Authors (Book-a-day)
Bats
Trees/Leaves
Fables
Safety
Puzzles
Polar Animals
Desert Animals
Ocean Animals
Health
Food Pyramid
Responsibilities
Transportation
Weather (snow/ice/rain/sun/clouds/thunderstorms)
Relationships (bullying/getting along/compromise/sharing/fighting)
Seasons (fall/winter/spring/summer)
Holidays (Inauguration/President's Day/Valentine's/Easter/Mother's Day/Father's Day/Fourth of July/School starting/Halloween/Thanksgiving/Christmas)
Traditions for kids in other cultures

dream play area.

Easel w/ big clips on top
Pocket chart w/ sentence strips
Calendar area--practicing patterns with the numbers of month (use gummy stuff to hold the numbers on the calendar to avoid putting holes through)
Word Wall-- A to Z/Names/Sight words (later on)
Flannel Board-- for retelling stories (use back of a cork board?) (check availability of characters)Magnetic Boards from IKEA ($12)--for letters and numbers or fridge phonics stuff
Table w/Chairs
Dry erase board
Posterboard Colors/Numbers/Shapes (like teachers attach to the walls in classrooms or hang from ceiling)
Dramatic Play Area--kitchen/dress up clothes/full length mirror/cash register/shopping cart/dolls
Possible Dramatic Play Scenes-- camping site/restaurant with menu/beauty salon/house/grocery store/video store/book store or library

sources for educational items

craft stores-- michael's, jo-ann, hobby lobby
office supply stores-- staples, officemax
tj maxx, marshall's (books and games)
target-- in the office supply area, crayola aisle, and the dollar spot occasionally
teacher supply stores-- holcomb's
science discovery stores, wviz store
goodwill, salvation army
consignment stores/sales (books and videos)
garage sales (especially ones from retired teachers!)
IKEA (easel, table and charis, containers, cheap art supplies)
scholastic sale or classroom flyers (ask your child's teacher, or a teacher friend of the grade level you're looking for)
book stores (check bargain area for games)
wal-mart, meijer (especially near the beginning of the school year)
grocery stores
toy catalogs (see previous note for some great toy catalogs...)
toy stores (especially mom and pop toy stores)
netflix (on demand movies)-- try word world and pocoyo
sporting goods stores
half-price books
paper supply store (there's a great one near medina, ohio)
college bookstores
gift shops at children's attractions (children's museum, cosi, zoo, etc.)
dollar stores

songs and chants for preschoolers

we've decided to learn one song or chant/poem per week. each morning when i go over the calendar, we'll be reviewing the song or chant and learning the motions for it, if there are any. here are the first ones that i've come up with (sure to keep us busy for a while to come). before bed, as part of our ritual, we sing two songs after we say our prayers, so we will automatically review our songs. i also bought an easel pad this weekend at staples, as well as a pointer, and i will be writing out the songs and poems so we can point out the words as we sing them. the poster will also be great to point out individual letters in words (our letter of the week... how many times does it appear?)

the mulberry bush
looby loo
pop! goes the weasel
head to toes
the wheels on the bus
twinkle twinkle little star (and it's other versions... the apple tree, and the sky so blue)
itsy bitsy spider
little bo peep
jack be nimble
humpty dumpty
little miss muffet
hickory dickory dock
old macdonald
frere jacques
ring around the rosy
the bear went over the mountain
row, row, row your boat
hey diddle diddle
this little piggy
patty cake
if you're happy and you know it

practical skills for preschoolers

(thanks, mara, for the idea on this!)

sure, there are academic benchmarks that our kids need to meet, but there are also practical things that our kids need to be able to do to function from day to day and gain their independence. i'm putting together this list as a guide of things that i can be working on with the kids without putting together a "formal" lesson. we can work on some of these thigns while getting dressed or just getting ready for dinner. easy little "mini-lessons" to incorporate into our days.
zipping
tying
lacing
buttoning
buckling
using a broom/dustpan
setting the table
going to bathroom by self
washing hands/drying off (after potty, before dinner)
brushing teeth
getting dressed/picking outfit/dressing for weather
caring for pet (food and water)
picking up toys/messes
putting on shoes
getting into car/car seat
loading dishwasher
phone manners
restaurant manners
sharing toys
pouring liquid
recycling vs. trash
putting on coat/hat
"please" and "thank you"
saving money/getting allowance
table manners (using napkin,set utensils down to talk, conversation, sitting for entire meal, no toys, ask to be excused)
greetings/salutations for adults and kids

preschooler-appropriate snacks

home made granola
muffins
peanut butter on celery (add raisins for "ants on a log")
apples/applesauce
jell-o
carrots w/ ranch dressing or italian dressing
no-bake cookies
smoothie
yogurt (we add sprinkles)
string cheese
crackers w/peanut butter or cheese
banana bread
dried fruit (can add to granola)


some great sources for kid-approved foods and snacks
sneaky chef cookbook by missy chase lapine companion website is http://www.thesneakychef.com/
deceptively delicious cookbook by jessica seinfeld companion website is http://www.deceptivelydelicious.com/site/
cooking with kids cookbook by sandra lee
yum-o! cookbook by rachael ray http://www.yumo.org/

http://www.yumo.orghttp//nutrition.preschoolrock.com/index.php/preschooler_foods_meals_snacks/healthy_snacks_for_preschoolers (check out the healthy snack list at bottom of page)http://www.nncc.org/Nutrition/cc42_snacks.presc.html
http://kidshealth.org/parent/nutrition_fit/nutrition/preschool_snacks.html
http://mommysavers.com/Articles/healthy_snacks_for_kids.html
http://kids.lovetoknow.com/wiki/Preschool_Snacks

Just the beginning....

so i'm all set up... here is where i am starting the blog. first, maybe you're wondering about the name "september place". well, it has a few different meanings to me. when i was in fifth grade, we moved to a small town in ohio, and bought a house that was out in the "country"... a place that was not surrounded by other cookie-cutter houses of the same design... a place that was all space to roam, trees with leaves to rake in the fall, a pool in the backyard, a stream running beside it that provided hours of entertainment for me and the neighbor girl. it was a house that was gigantic, and full of opportunity and promise for the family who had moved a lot in the previous few years. on the road, trekking back and forth from michigan to ohio, we saw these great farms and country homes that had signs at the end of the driveway with the name the resident family had given the property. to us at the time, our country house felt as big as a farm, and so we were deciding on a name for our new property. we bought the house and moved in in the fall, just as the trees were changing color and leaves were falling to the ground... it was only fitting that our new piece of paradise be called "september place". (although we never did make the sign for the end of the driveway...)

i've also always loved the promise that a new school year brings... and back when i was in elementary, we actually started school in september. as a child, i loved going to school, loved learning, loved excelling in different subjects and bringing home a grade card of accomplishments to show my parents. luckily for me, the learning seemed to come pretty easily. i've always had a special attachment to school and the learning process, which extended into the vocation i would choose in college. as a teacher education student, i read texts about the process of learning, and learned the skills and processes necessary to teach young children to read, write, compute and think critically. i've had a special place in my heart to teach kindergarteners and first graders, and hope that when my children are all old enough to be in a school or montessori program, that i'll be able to be involved at their school in some capacity. so the reason for "september place" for the purposes of this paragraph are for the new beginnings, opportunities and promise that each september would bring for me with the beginning of the school year.



i have an avid interest in the hows and whys and whats kids learn in their years before their "formal" schooling, and thought that it might be good to capture some of our daily doings inside a blog that others can follow. there is so much that a child needs to know before even getting to their "formal" education years, and i've made it my responsibility to work on some of these things with my children before they even get there. i'll post lists of things that i think or have researched that children need to know, and hopefully put them down on virtual paper in a way that a mom or dad with no-college-knowledge of the education process can understand. along the way, i'll throw in some other tidbits about preschoolers and their development, some things happening in my family and with my kids, and because i like to cook, i'll throw in some family-friendly recipes and some others that moms and dads and their friends might like. i also have been searching the internet lately for other blogs of interest, so i'll include those here too.