Showing posts with label be inspired thursdays. Show all posts
Showing posts with label be inspired thursdays. Show all posts

Thursday, June 11, 2009

School's Out


Woohoo, school's out! When you think of your summers as a child what do you think of? One summer, while I was growing up, my mother started us all on a reading program. She rewarded us for every book we read. I would have to admit that I did not enjoy reading until then. It was because of my mother's reading program that I love books today.

Check out this article from Scholastic on how to encourage your reluctant reader. "So how do we parents turn our children from novice or even struggling readers into kids (and later, adults) who will consistently turn to reading as a source of pleasure? There are several rules of thumb that the experts agree are building blocks to raising enthusiastic readers." To read the rules click here.

Whether you begin your own reading program at home, like my mother, or join a local one instead, you are helping win your child to reading. Don't know where to start? Try Scholastic's Summer Reading Challenge. When your child has checked the list off have them collect their reward!

Teach Well: Building a reader today grows a reader for a lifetime.

Wednesday, May 20, 2009

Be Inspired Thursdays - Organization

Check out these two great ideas from Apartment Therapy! One is how to keep chores in the household fun and different every time. The other is how to organize all that school work and art that is collected.

Teach Well: Use this idea in the classroom with classroom duties. Write classroom duties on the craft sticks and add a few "freebies" for fun.

Thursday, May 7, 2009

Be Inspired Thursday

How can you encourage your child's vocabulary and help hungry children at the same time? Check out Free Rice.

On their website they explain their goal: "FreeRice is a non-profit website run by the United Nations World Food Program. Our partner is the Berkman Center for Internet & Society at Harvard University. FreeRice has two goals: Provide education to everyone for free. Help end world hunger by providing rice to hungry people for free. This is made possible by the generosity of the sponsors who advertise on this site. Whether you are CEO of a large corporation or a street child in a poor country, improving your education can improve your life. It is a great investment in yourself.
Perhaps even greater is the investment your donated rice makes in hungry human beings, enabling them to function and be productive. Somewhere in the world, a person is eating rice that you helped provide."

Do you have Internet in your classroom? Use this site as a computer center or during free time. It is a great way to teach children that they can help other children with what they learn in school!

Thursday, April 9, 2009

Be Inspired Thursday: Room Tour

Take a look at magazines, catalogues, or online to create creative spaces for your classroom or at home. Think outside the box and try and find things around your home to use to make your child's space unique!

Who says your classroom has to be white? OK, maybe your school has limitations about painting your classroom. If not, try an eco-friendly product that is safe for children and the environment. This room is painted with Yolo Colorhouse paint.

The rug, white table, and lighting fixture is from Ikea and the table top manipulative toy was found at a garage sale.


Our little child's chair would make any reading center special in a classroom. Ours was found at a garage sale and then we bought a slipcover from Target to cover it. The curtains were handed down from my sister. To make the art, I purchased Ikea's bedding set and used their wood canvas to create pieces that would match the light fixture.

I had the bookcases already and just added baskets to fit. I change out these baskets every other week to go with the theme that I am teaching about. I also add manipulatives and other favorites to encourage play. I used this same system in my classroom. In the classroom, the children knew not to get into the baskets unless I put them out as a center. It makes the classroom look organic, clean, and creative! The puppet holders are wine rack holders from Ikea.

In the classroom, this system worked well in my art area. I kept paint locked up, but left items that we might use for the theme that month (such as feathers, silk palm branches, worm bait, plastic frogs, etc.)

This book holder is actually a holder for pot lids from Ikea. We had originally bought it for our pots and pans and they didn't fit in our cupboards. But for $2.99 you can't beat this great book rack!

I also found this child size coat rack at a garage sale. After a lovely coat of paint, we added our dramatic play items. I also change the items I hang here with our theme.

I also keep a radio at child height to encourage my child to learn to play his music when he wants to. In the classroom, have a listening center for children to listen to stories on CD or tape. This is a great center for those children that need alone time.

Friday, April 3, 2009

April Inspiration

Well, April is here and finally signs of spring are everywhere! In April, my theme is He's Alive! Here is my list of things I can't live without this month!
  1. I couldn't help myself and had to include a rubber chicken in this month's lesson plans.


  2. Plastic eggs


  3. Cleaning sponges for creating handmade stamps


  4. The Story of the Resurrection Eggs in Rhyme & Song


  5. Resurrection Eggs


  6. Jelly Beans


  7. Jelly Bean Prayer


  8. The Miracle Maker















9. The Bunny Hop

10. Everyone loves The Chicken Dance!

Tuesday, March 31, 2009

Be Inspired Thursday

Be Inspired Thursdays will give me a chance to share my favorite things and talk about where I have found some of my items for my themes. Since tomorrow is the first of April, our new theme is He is Alive! So you will not want to miss Thursday's list of Easter Items I Can't Live Without! Just a reminder, click on the right to subscribe and get my posts directly to your email.

LinkWithin

Related Posts Widget for Blogs by LinkWithin