I am always on the lookout for items to use for loose parts. Recently I used my collection of wine corks to make a wreath, but didn’t use the plastic corks that come in some wine bottles. I decided they would be great loose parts for children 3 and older (they would be a choking…
From Mary’s Teaching Toolbox I recently discovered the book, Eat Like a Bear by April Pulley Sayre and illustrated by Steve Jenkins. I felt better when I found it was only published in 2013, so I haven’t been missing out on this delightful book for long. The story centers around a brown bear from the…
From Mary’s Teaching Toolbox Preschool children should have many opportunities to measure. I’m not just talking about measuring length but also weight, time, and volume. No matter what you’re measuring, its best if preschoolers use non-standard units. So instead of inches- paperclips or shoes. Instead of pounds- marbles or blocks. Instead of seconds-counting. Comparing the size or…
From Mary’s Teaching Toolbox My favorite book about pumpkins is Pumpkin Circle: The Story of a Garden by George Levenson, photographs by Shmuel Thaler. (available on Amazon) The beautiful photographs and engaging text follows the life cycle of pumpkin from seed to pumpkin and back to seeds. Possible Themes Fall Halloween Pumpkins Harvest Gardens Seeds…
From Mary’s Teaching Toolbox One of my favorite activities to do with pumpkins is to estimate and count the seeds. Pumpkins generally have too many seeds for them to all be counted one at a time, often over 500. While this number is too large for preschoolers to understand, there are some excellent number lessons that are just…
From Mary’s Teaching Toolbox It’s not even cool here yet and already pumpkins are everywhere. I love using pumpkins in early education because they can be linked to so many topics. They are colorful, durable, and come in a variety of sizes. Best of all they are cheap. Buy a bunch in the beginning of…
Mary’s Teaching Toolbox This is the first post of what I hope to be a weekly feature. Each week I will share different activities that can be used in early education. One type of post will a compilation of activities to go with a book. Some books will be new to you and others, like this one, may be familiar. Either…
Tarrant Teacher Training 