Have some fun with the Days of the Week!

I wish this was an original idea, but I teach with some pretty ingenious ladies. I should note that I'm one of "those" preschool teachers who does not address the entire calendar (month, date, tomorrow, yesterday, etc.) at circle time. I think it's better tackled in a small group with your almost-kindergarteners. I do, however, go through what's become the ever famous "WHAT'S TODAY?" routine. I use the following ideas to help my kiddos differentiate between the days:

(techie note: once in iTunes, double click the song title to hear a preview)

Musical Monday
(Greg and Steve: The Freeze)
Grab your hodge podge of musical instruments and play along, but listen carefully for "the freeze".

**I haven't been able to find this in a downloadable format anywhere. The link above will take you to the Greg and Steve website. Scroll down to find the "Kids in Motion" CD, click "song list and music samples" and listen to an excerpt of "The Freeze".**

Tickle Tuesday
(Sandra Boynton: Tickle Time)
Please try not to become completely addicted to this song. Get your kids up and dancing to the music while you walk around with your "tickle stick"...a feather duster (think Dollar Tree).

Wiggle Wednesday
(Raffi: Shake My Sillies Out)
I can never frown during this song. Raffi takes your kids from shaking their sillies out, to clapping their crazies out, jumping their jiggles out, and finally yawning their sleepies out.

Throwing Thursday
(Smash Mouth: I'm a Believer)
You could really pick any upbeat song in your library for Throwing Thursday, this one happens to be one of my TA's favs. Toss some bean bags back and forth! At the beginning of the year, we start out just throwing to Miss Kristen, as the year goes on kids can pair up or sit in a circle and throw across to each other.

Friendly Friday
(Raffi: The More We Get Together)
This is the Kodak moment of the year. Each Friday my kids know to "squish up" (sit side by side in a line on the circle time rug and put their arms around each others shoulders) and sway while we all sing this song together. Don't forget to insert your own students' names in the middle AND allow kids with autism to sit on the ends so they don't feel too encroached upon. :)

January's Book of the Month

Check out this book! It's in a downloadable PDF format (from lessons4all.org) and perfect to go right along with January's BOTM, Under My Hood I Have a Hat.

Data Collection

I despise collecting data, it actually frightens me a little. It's not that I don't love seeing my kids' progress in measurable terms, it's just...really, another piece of paperwork? That was until I realized I could combine my weekly behavior log with taking data! Yes, yet another way to organize my life.
I started out my teaching career by writing in kids' individual composition books each day, but I a) I always worried I was writing in one more than another and b) wow, those take a lot of time. I'm also constantly on the search for ways of making everything I send home to parents as objective as possible. So, I made the switch to a weekly behavior log where I checked if they had "followed the rules" for each activity across the day. Even that log left little to be desired in terms of describing behaviors. So! I am now trying out a daily behavior note. I like it for the flexibility, some of the items have already changed 3 times since I implemented it, and for the DATA COLLECTION it provides, woohoo!
This particular version isn't my most current, but it's a good starting point for anyone who wants to try something new in the way of parent communication or data collection. I looked through my IEPs and found common goals as a starting point for what to include on the form. Most of my kiddos have goals on group participation (verbal or non verbal), expressing wants/needs at snack time, initiating play interactions with peers, etc. I have to thank T-TAC, once again, for saving the day with this idea/template.

Download the file here.
(techie note: this is a Boardmaker file, if you don't have Boardmaker on the computer you are using, download it to your jump/flash drive or email it to yourself and open it on a computer with the Boardmaker software installed)

I also send a log home with my reverse mainstream students, much less detailed. You can download it here (as a Word document).

Memorable Moment

Last week, I asked one of my kiddos, "What's Santa bringing you?". She looked up and me and smiled, "Satan shoes." You can imagine the image that popped into my head. I must have looked back quite confused, so she clarified, "You know, the ones with wheels on the bottom."

Challenging Behavior

This is one of the best websites for info on challenging behavior. I love their What Works Briefs, great to share at workshops and even with parents in some cases (under resources, what works briefs). If you need some FBA or BIP guidance, they have some examples completed and even give before and after videos, love it! (under resources, training modules, preschool)

Center on the Social and Emotional Foundations for Early Learning

The Many Uses of Boardmaker

Possibly one of the greatest ideas I've seen using Boardmaker are Beth Breakstone's books. They all come with manipulative pieces, a simple communication board, and even the velcro you need to put them together! I've won a few as T-TAC doorprizes and I love them.

Click here for a vendor.