Looking for some activities to do together over spring break? Here are a few ideas:
I came across this fun idea on Facebook and thought I'd share it here in case any families were interested. What a fun way to practice identifying colors/sorting by color!
Did you know that the Lane Public Library in Hamilton has some phenomenal kindergarten readiness activities you can use while visiting the library? All activities must stay in the library, but this is a wonderful way to practice various kindergarten skills including rhyming words, number recognition, and letter/sound recognition. They even include ideas for at home activities to try! Ms. Serenity says that her daughter Sienna loves these activities. I am including a few pictures from one of their visits to the library so you can see them for yourself. If you get a chance, check them out! :)
Buzz like a bee to help calm down. This strategy is taken from GoNoodle.
To do bee breaths, first, stick your index fingers in your ears and close your eyes.
Then, take a slow breath in.
Next, breathe out through your nose while humming/buzzing.
Repeat these steps a few times.
If you'd like to do it with the video, you can access it on GoNoodle or here.
This is a super simple calm down strategy!
First, take a break.
Next, slowly count to 10. You can use your fingers to help your or you can just count.
When you are finished, stop to see how you are feeling. If you feel better, you can get up and return to your activities. If you do not feel better yet, you can try counting to 10 again or try a new skill. Or, if you are ready, you can talk to an adult about how you feel.
This is another fun way to calm down! Your child traces the maze with his finger and breathes in and out according to the symbols on the maze. These are very relaxing and great for adults, too!
Can be purchased here.
Another breathing strategy to help your child calm down when upset, this one is derived from the book Breathe Like a Bear by Kira Willey.
Pretend you are holding a candle.
Take a long, slow breath in.
Next, slowly blow the air out toward your candle, but don't blow it out! Just make the flame wiggle a little.
Keep taking long breaths in and slow breaths out for a few more times or however long you feel like.
Finally, on your last breath out, blow out your candle!
Hello EC Families!
I wanted to share a great craft idea from one of our Halloween parties this week! The students used playdough, sequins, pipecleaners, and googly eyes to create their own monsters. The best part of this activity was that children could take their monsters apart and create new ones for as long as they were engaged in the activity! Thus, the children were entertained by this activity for longer!
This activity could also be modified for other parties. For instance:
Another awesome idea for this activity is to put all the materials in individual ziploc bags for the students so they can take them home after the party! That way, they can still have fun with them at home OR if we run out of time at the party, the children can still do it when they get home!
One way we can calm down when we are feeling upset is to try different breathing strategies. A simple one we use at school is called "Flower and Candle Breaths."
Pretend you are holding a flower. Smell the flower to breathe in.
Pretend you are holding a candle. Blow the candle out when you breathe out.
Keep going back and forth a few times or until you feel better/calm.
Hello EC Families!
My husband came across something that I wanted to share with you in case you were interested in reducing the amount of sugar your child consumes on/around Halloween. There is something called Switch Witch that is kind of like Elf on the Shelf, but for Halloween. The idea is that children can switch out candy for a toy. There is a book that goes along with it, which explains that witches need the candy to power their brooms and heat their bath water. If you would prefer not to use witches, you could create a different character such as a Candy Fairy or a Giant Pumpkin. One part I do not like is that in the story, witches will only exchange candy for toys for kids who are good. However, I do not believe the exchange needs to be tied to good behavior, so that is another piece you could choose to modify depending on what works best for your family.
There is also another version of Switch Witch that is less like Elf on the Shelf, but still involves switching out candy for something better. Children leave their candy by their jack-o-lantern and the Switch Witch trades it in for a special toy/book/other item. I like this book a little bit better. It is by Charity A. O'Neill-O'Kane.
The article my husband found lists some other potential modifications:
I just thought I would share this information in case there are any families who are interested in limiting sugar. Have a fun and safe Halloween!
I'm Mrs. Soldner, the early childhood teacher and director at Immanuel Lutheran School. I have been teaching preschool since 2016 and have been teaching here at Immanuel since 2018.