Caffeinate and Teach

In my classroom, we learn through play and my co-teacher and I try to be mindful and intentional with the materials we put into the room so that they are based on the children's interests. I teach 3, 4 and 5 year old children. Every Fall, undoubtedly the children are interested in Halloween or dress up and/or curious about the change in weather. This year, a topic has arisen that made me shake my head...... DINOSAURS...REALLY? See last year I had a child in my classroom who was an expert on this topic. I mean an EXPERT! He knew all the names of the dinosaurs, how to pronounce them with such ease you would think he was saying apple instead of Parasaurolophus (pronounced para-SAWR-ollo-fuss) and the children never ONE TIME asked me a question or made indication that they wanted to research dinosaurs more than just on the surface level. Fast forward to this Fall and all of a sudden dinosaurs are where it is at! We are all about the dinosaurs! My co-teacher and I a...

Fine motor development is vital to every person. Young children gain confidence in their fine motor abilities through experiences, practice and adult scaffolding. Before a child can learn to hold a pencil in the correct manner, they have to be able to explore with dumping and pouring. Dumping and pouring activities such as utilizing cups and containers in a sensory table or even the bathtub, give children a chance to build muscle and control in their wrists, hands and fingers. This muscle control and strength allows them to then become successful in holding writing materials, using scissors, self-help skills such as dressing, putting on shoes, mastering the use of eating utensils, pouring from a small pitcher and more!  Using materials such as play-doh can not only be fun for children and adults alike, it provides a great opportunity for children to use both fine motor and gross motor skills. Heavy pushing, punching, smashing and banging play-doh uses large muscle groups while r...

I have been teaching for a long time. I have always said that if my administration were to come into my classroom and tell me I could only have one center, it would be blocks. Without a doubt, without even thinking twice. Blocks provide an opportunity for children to learn and grow in so many areas of development. It isn't just about balance and spatial awareness, although that is a HUGE part of block building. Blocks are an open-ended material that allow children to create what they see in their amazing imaginations into a tangible structure that they can interact with. Blocks give children an opportunity to problem solve with other children, problem solve with the space around them and work through the many emotions that inevitably come from structures not being "perfect", falling over or being accidentally knocked over by another child's body. While working in the block area, children are working on fine motor skills, math skills, science skills, social skills and ...

At the center where I work, we practice Conscious Discipline. Before beginning my time there, I had never heard of such a thing! BUT, since being exposed to this practice, my life has literally been changed. Not only my teaching style, but my personal life as well. I have learned more about my own brain state, my own boundaries and how to calm myself before responding to all people, littles included. Before you stop reading and move on with your day, this is not an infomercial for Conscious Discipline, although I could do that! This is simply a testimonial of what Conscious Discipline has done in my personal life and the way I have seen it transform the lives of children and families, as well as the culture in my classroom. If you want to check out Conscious Discipline for yourself, I encourage you to and I will add a link at the bottom of this post for your convenience. 😉 Like I said before, I had never heard of Conscious Discipline before I started working for the center I work fo...

Monday was the first day of school. I woke up at 5:30 in the morning both anxious and excited. As I was driving to work, I was reflecting on what last year brought about and wondering about what this year might bring. For three years, I started the school year with a lot of the same children (being multi-aged means that children stay in my classroom for more than a year). Last school year was the last year with this particular group that I had been with for three years. The last day of school was hard for me. I had become very connected to this group and was terribly sad to see them "grow up" right before my eyes. It was a bittersweet moment for me as I walked into the classroom Monday morning knowing that I would not see that particular group. Year after year, children come and go. They grow up, move on to Kindergarten and quite possibly forget all about me. And that's okay. I don't worry that they forget me, because I won't forget them. Each child and family ha...

It is almost the first day of school. Every year, I get "first day jitters" and can't sleep the night before, worry that the classroom isn't just "perfect" and wonder what the children will think of the classroom, each other and of me. Every. Single. Year. This year is no different. Our school year starts on Monday. I have worked with my co-teacher for hours making the room just right, gathering materials and coming up with strategies that will help us become a school family. Yet still, as prepared as I know I am, I worry. I stress and I have anxiety. Not because I don't think that I can do the job, just because at the core of who I am, I am a perfectionist. This is a curse and a blessing most of the time in this field. When three, four and five year old children are involved, there cannot be "perfection" and in all honesty, that is okay. It is okay for things to be messy. It is okay for things to get "out of whack". It is okay for me...