How to Create An Effective Classroom Library for Early Childhood Students
If you are not a teacher, many of the ideas I share in this article can easily be incorporated into your home, too! I hope you find a few great suggestions.
Showing posts with label Guest Post. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Guest Post. Show all posts
Tuesday, June 12, 2012
Guest Post Over at Teachers' Lounge
Check out my guest post today titled
over at the Teachers' Lounge blog on Really Good Stuff - a website devoted to helping teachers change children's lives through wonderful educational products and supplies.
If you are not a teacher, many of the ideas I share in this article can easily be incorporated into your home, too! I hope you find a few great suggestions.
If you are not a teacher, many of the ideas I share in this article can easily be incorporated into your home, too! I hope you find a few great suggestions.
Monday, October 17, 2011
Rediscovering Childhood Favorites: Books by Gyo Fujikawa
Today I am happy to share a guest post from a close friend of mine, Erin, who actually introduced me to the blogging world and encouraged me to begin writing Land of Once Upon a Time.
Erin is mom to a 1-year old daughter, and also a holds a BA in Mathematics and an MA in Education. She has taught at Abington Friends School in Jenkintown, PA and at The Dalton School on New York City's Upper East Side. Erin is enjoying rediscovering some of her favorite children's books with her baby girl.
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Throughout high school and college, one of my favorite things to do was to go into the attic in my parent's house. It was a time capsule of special memories from my childhood, filled with Barbies, Cabbage Patch Kids, old Halloween costumes and, most importantly, books. I hadn't been in the attic for several years when, after the birth of my daughter last fall, I realized that my parents had saved ALL of my books. They arrived at my house one day with two large bins full of hardbacks and paperbacks, large and small. I pored over the stacks, taking time to smell many of them, as the scent transported me back to the early 1980's. I loved those books and it was the most special gift to be able to touch them again. It is an even better gift to be able to read these same books to my daughter. Just the other day, my parents arrived with yet another box of dusty books (perhaps the last?) that are perfect for my one-year old.
One popular author in my childhood library is Gyo (pronounced "ghee-o") Fujikawa. Ms. Fujikawa was an American illustrator and author who wrote more than 50 children's books over the course of four decades. Fujikawa is frequently recognized for being the earliest mainstream illustrator of picture books to include children of many races in her work, before it was politically correct to do so. Babies, the first book both written AND illustrated by Fujikawa, was one of the earliest children's books to use multi-racial characters, a consistent feature in much of her work. Oh!, What A Busy Day! is one of my personal favorites, but we will stick with her board books while my little one is still in her destructive stage. Our Best Friends, Millie's Secret, and Sleepy Time, to name just a few.
Stay tuned for future guest posts as my daughter and I rediscover my childhood library!
PS Fun Fact? You might recognize Fujikawa's work when you begin to unwrap an Eskimo Pie, as the company was one of her commercial clients.
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So, I ask you: What books from your childhood are you enjoying all over again with your own baby bookworm?
Erin is mom to a 1-year old daughter, and also a holds a BA in Mathematics and an MA in Education. She has taught at Abington Friends School in Jenkintown, PA and at The Dalton School on New York City's Upper East Side. Erin is enjoying rediscovering some of her favorite children's books with her baby girl.
***************************************
Throughout high school and college, one of my favorite things to do was to go into the attic in my parent's house. It was a time capsule of special memories from my childhood, filled with Barbies, Cabbage Patch Kids, old Halloween costumes and, most importantly, books. I hadn't been in the attic for several years when, after the birth of my daughter last fall, I realized that my parents had saved ALL of my books. They arrived at my house one day with two large bins full of hardbacks and paperbacks, large and small. I pored over the stacks, taking time to smell many of them, as the scent transported me back to the early 1980's. I loved those books and it was the most special gift to be able to touch them again. It is an even better gift to be able to read these same books to my daughter. Just the other day, my parents arrived with yet another box of dusty books (perhaps the last?) that are perfect for my one-year old.
One popular author in my childhood library is Gyo (pronounced "ghee-o") Fujikawa. Ms. Fujikawa was an American illustrator and author who wrote more than 50 children's books over the course of four decades. Fujikawa is frequently recognized for being the earliest mainstream illustrator of picture books to include children of many races in her work, before it was politically correct to do so. Babies, the first book both written AND illustrated by Fujikawa, was one of the earliest children's books to use multi-racial characters, a consistent feature in much of her work. Oh!, What A Busy Day! is one of my personal favorites, but we will stick with her board books while my little one is still in her destructive stage. Our Best Friends, Millie's Secret, and Sleepy Time, to name just a few.
Stay tuned for future guest posts as my daughter and I rediscover my childhood library!
PS Fun Fact? You might recognize Fujikawa's work when you begin to unwrap an Eskimo Pie, as the company was one of her commercial clients.
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So, I ask you: What books from your childhood are you enjoying all over again with your own baby bookworm?
Monday, October 10, 2011
An Easy School Bus Project to Help Teach Shapes, Colors, and Counting
I'm happy to introduce my very first guest post, written by Ms Maria who has been a preschool teacher for nearly 30 years. She has taught in a private preschool setting and for the Head Start program.
Today she shares with us a quick lesson that she uses in her classroom to help strengthen young childrens' knowledge of colors, shapes, and counting.
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In my classroom I use this activity with the children to introduce several learning concepts in the same lesson.
We begin by reading a Donald Crews book called School Bus. It tells of the travels of school buses in the course of a day. It is a book that I generally read at the beginning of the school year since children are just becoming accustomed to riding the big yellow bus all on their own.
Following the story, we do a school bus project that incorporates math skills.
What you will need to do this project:
1. Black, red, yellow, blue, and green construction paper
2. Scissors
3. A glue stick
Prior to doing the project with your students or child, you will need to cut the yellow paper into the shape of a bus. Then cut out 1 blue rectangle for the door of the bus; cut out 2 black circles for the wheels; cut out 3 green squares for windows; cut out 4 small red triangles for lights. If your child is older you can also add an octagon for the stop sign.
Once you have everything cut out, you can then begin the project with the child. The child will glue each object onto the yellow bus. While doing so, ask the child a few questions such as: "Where does the door belong?" or "Where do the wheels go?"
Don't forget to review the colors and shapes of each object with your child, and to count everything as you go along!
You can even follow up the activity with another story. My favorite is Wheels on the Bus because my students enjoy it so much.
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Today she shares with us a quick lesson that she uses in her classroom to help strengthen young childrens' knowledge of colors, shapes, and counting.
********************************************************
In my classroom I use this activity with the children to introduce several learning concepts in the same lesson.
We begin by reading a Donald Crews book called School Bus. It tells of the travels of school buses in the course of a day. It is a book that I generally read at the beginning of the school year since children are just becoming accustomed to riding the big yellow bus all on their own.
Following the story, we do a school bus project that incorporates math skills.
What you will need to do this project:
1. Black, red, yellow, blue, and green construction paper
2. Scissors
3. A glue stick
Prior to doing the project with your students or child, you will need to cut the yellow paper into the shape of a bus. Then cut out 1 blue rectangle for the door of the bus; cut out 2 black circles for the wheels; cut out 3 green squares for windows; cut out 4 small red triangles for lights. If your child is older you can also add an octagon for the stop sign.
Once you have everything cut out, you can then begin the project with the child. The child will glue each object onto the yellow bus. While doing so, ask the child a few questions such as: "Where does the door belong?" or "Where do the wheels go?"
Don't forget to review the colors and shapes of each object with your child, and to count everything as you go along!
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| A school bus project that teaches colors, shapes, and counting |
You can even follow up the activity with another story. My favorite is Wheels on the Bus because my students enjoy it so much.
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Happy learning everyone!
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