I just officially accepted my first teaching job offer for pre-K. I have made a rule poster, and bought some things at target- flashcards, clocks, pocket charts, stickers, desk name tags, etc. Does anyone have ideas of things I can make to prepare for activities? I don't really know much about centers, so if anyone has center ideas or a format that they would share, I would much appreciate it! I love doing crafts and I think I'm pretty good at them, so if anyone has ideas on things I could make, I would love it! I have lots of time on my hands.... =) I am going to start volunteering, so I don't sit around at home doing nothing, but that won't be a full time job. I would like to make a jobs poster or some sort of display, any ideas for that? THANKS for any ideas and input! I just ordered 4 books... so I will start reading and hopefully can get some ideas from there. But I would appreciate any others as well!
Hey MissErin, I will be teaching pre-k for this upcoming school year and it will be my first year teaching as well. I love doing crafts as well as have been attempting to come up with things that I can make on my own for my classroom. One of my big projects has been making mini-mailboxes for my writing center. Since kids always like to write little notes to one another, I thought I'd encourage this even more so since it also helps with literacy. My parents go through these little red plastic Folger's Coffee containers pratically ever week and they save the containers for their various projects. They had about twelve so I decided to use them for the mini-mailboxes. I've spray painted them silver and will screw them onto a vertical wooden post. I'll have two 4 ft. posts with about 8-10 mini-mailboxes on each post. Each mini-mailboxes will have a laminated tag with each child's name and photo on it, which will be put on with velcro dots (I am teaching at an elementary that is on a military base...students come and students go so I wanted to be able to replace the name tags easily). I've seen photos of plastic over the door shoe holders that were used as mailboxes as well as Pringles cans. I love my containers so much because they actually look like mailboxes! This past week, I made my letter headers for my word wall. I found a font that inspired me so I ran with it! I also found some really cute scrapbook paper that I printed the letter headers onto. I then cut the letter headers out with one of those scissors that cuts squiggly lines. The letter headers will then be glued onto some black textured scrapbook paper that I cut into squares/rectangles. It's definitely unique and I can't wait to have them laminated so they have that glossy look. Today, I started to make signs for my centers. I think I am going to use that strategy of putting a certain numbers of dots on the center sign that represent the number of children allowed in a center at a time, and the children use a clothespin to represent themselves. I will just have to make certain that the center signs are at a level that the children can defininitely reach. I've started collecting empty soda bottles for doing discovery bottles that will be housed in my science center. I can't think of anything else at the moment that is on my list at the moment! I don't have any suggestions for managing classroom jobs. I plan on having a leader of the day. My mentor teacher during my kindergarten student teaching placement used this method and I found it work out very well. I would worry that managing the rotation of jobs would become tiresome and there are certain days that certain jobs aren't needed.
MIss Erin..what books have you ordered..Im hoping to have a class in September also..I have gotten a lot of stuff at dollar store and started making File Folders, I also bought a lot of books picture books from ebay..at our school we do Letter of the Week..so I started coming up with craft and book ideas for each letter.. rose
I would love to see some pictures of what you are doing! I would love to do a word wall, just not sure how to go about making one... I ordered Already Ready (Nurturing Writing in Preschool and K), The Daily 5, The New Teacher's Complete Sourcebook and The New Teacher's Survival Kit. I was going to get a book about Transitions, but I was spending my husband's money and decided I should wait to get that one. Letter of the week would be a good one.. I could start looking into activities for that as well. Thanks for the ideas so far! I had another thought.. do a lot of people use felt story boards? I saw some sold on Ebay and I could probably make them, but what exactly do you do with them? Also-emmakate- what centers are you doing in your classroom?
One thing that's still on MY to do list this summer is to replace my marker-holders. I took cheap-o tupperware containers, threw away the lids, and just used the bottoms. Pour plaster of paris in the bottom. Stick markers in the plaster before it's dry. Allow to dry. You should now be able to take the markers in and out while leaving the lids IN the plaster...saves a lot of money in markers throughout the year. It's a lot easier for kids to remember to put them back in the lid this way, so no more markers missing lids and drying out! I originally made my first set 15 years ago. They need replacement now because I dropped and cracked two of them this year. Kim
You can also start getting your plan book set up (dated throughout the year with days off marked, etc.) and start making your name cards, birthday cakes for the calendar, name tags for the first few days of school, etc. If you make and laminate all of this stuff, you can write on it with sharpies when you get your class list. And if you plan on sending out welcome post cards, now is a good time to write them out, leaving the "Dear" part and the address part blank until you get your class list. Kim
kimrandy1, that's a great idea to use plaster of paris for the marker holders! MissErin, I will make sure to take some photos within the next couple weeks to share! As far as centers, I plan to have atleast two separate times throughout the day for centers (I will be teaching full day pre-k) - literacy centers and developmental/play centers. The literacy center time will consist of the children rotating through the writing center, abc center, library center, as well as a small group instruction center/or another literacy center that has yet to be determined (maybe a listening center once I get this center up and going)! The developmental/play centers will be free-choice for the children and so far I have planned play-dough center, sensory center, science center, dramatic play center, construction center, art center, and a computer center. I think I will end up starting the year off with only a few centers such as the play-dough center, construction center, art center (only paper to draw and color, no paints or stamps yet!), and the library center until the students get the hang of the centers routine. I don't think I will even begin literacy centers until after a week or two - it will just be play-dough, art, library, and construction centers, twice a day until after a week or so. This also works to my advantage not only since it helps the children learn the centers routine very well, but it also gives me some time to start getting materials for the other centers together. It's impossible to get everything and plan everything before school starts since it will take me getting in the classroom to get a real sense of what the children will be able to handle and what will benefit them most. I also would like to include a time for math centers, which make it my third time during the day for centers so all that will take more planning as well. I just think it will save me a lot of stress to start the year off with just a few simple centers until we all get comfortable!
To MissErin - long Owning professional books are great but you might try your public library or even your school district - many have professional libraries that you can check out of once you are hired. It saves a lot of money. (My principal loans her books out, too, as she tries to stay up on ECE things.) First, I would check with my campus to see what supplies they will provide everyone at the beginning of the school year and then inventory what my classroom had in supplies, equipment, furniture and books before I bought anything else. Who knows? My campus provides very little at the beginning but the PTO gives all New Teachers $200 and all other teachers $150 at the beginning - all you have to do is provide receipts to them. Second, I would check on what curriculum I would be using and try to familiarize myself with this. (Don't forget to get a copy of your report card/observation card, etc... so you can make sure to fit those skills into your plans.) Third, I'd spend some quality time on the computer looking at other Pre-K teachers website to gather ideas from them. There are several on this site and teachers.net that have great pages just to help beginning teachers. Last, I would concentrate on finding some transition songs, fingerplays, fun songs, books and games for the first week or two. Those first two weeks are so much about arrival, listening and following directions, meal time, bathroom time, nap time and dismissal. You seem to forget each year how it really is starting from scratch but it comes right back to you any way. The best piece of advice I can give to you is to have the rule that you always get fed supper on the first day of school each year! Your husband is in charge of cooking, picking up take out or taking you out to eat - which ever works for you. That's been my rule for the past 26 years. (At first my husband complained but once he began teaching 17 years ago, he understood!) Good luck on having a productive summer and a great school year!
oh my gosh, this thread has been so helpful! I LOVE the plaster of paris marker holder idea! Thanks for all the great ideas...this coming year is my first as a pre-k teacher as well! ~Sarah
I just found out that I will also be teaching PreK. I am SOO nervous I have only taught 2nd and 1st. YIKES!! Anymore ideas would be wonderful!
If you laminate your name tags etc-- you can write on themwith sharpies and IF a child should leave and another one come in YOU CAN ERASE the name with rubbing alcohol! You will probably have to rewrite the names every so often as they will eventually wear off but this way you can reuse them. My room theme last year was "busy bees" and for jobs I made a flower garden and each flower had a job written on it and I wrote each child's name on a bee mini accent I ordered from TREND (36 in a pack for 2.39). this year I am staying the Busy Bees, but I think I am going to do honey pots instead of flowers.
Thanks everyone! So far, I have started creating file folders and checking into centers that I would like to do. Tomorrow, I'll be cutting and gluing into the actual folders and hopefully going to Goodwill to find some preK books and games and anything else that I can use for centers! I like the idea of laminating name tags. In a K class that I subbed in, he had laminated ones on a string and then when subs came in they wore their name tags. It made it a lot easier for me! After a few hours, I was okay without them but they were very helpful! Definitely not a bad idea.
PS Thanks for the tip about the library! I checked and there are TWO books that I really want to check out now. I just assumed that they wouldn't have them because our small town Iowa library did not have any. THANKS! =)
My husband is calling me crazy...I have been making file folder games like crazy...and I have gotten really creative...Today, I made one out of a placemat I found at walmart. Elmo is in one corner, and then Cookie Mstr. is in the other. There are numbered circles between the two of them, and cut out cookies with each letter of the alphabet...object: Help elmo bring all of cookies cookies back to him...in order. I also have made all of my Buddy bears and my first letter to parents. I am so excited about this year. I was always afraid to teach the "wee little ones" because the responsibility seemed so overwhelming, but I am truly getting very excited! I can hardly wait! :wub:
Oooooo teacherkenny, good idea! I've been making file folders since I saw a post about them. I, however, have been printing out the black and white ones (no color cartridge) and coloring them and then cutting and gluing them. It has been a lot of work!! I like your placemat idea... I seem to not be very creative so I haven't really been thinking of my own to do. Do you have other ideas for file folders that you would like to share?? =) I've got markers and construction paper, etc. so I suppose I could draw my own things....
I did paint buckets and paint brushes matching. the ends of the paint brushes have the colors on them and the paint buckets are each a different color. the paint buckets are on one side and the brushes are on the other. I used velcro on the brushes and they have to put the brush "in" the right bucket. Ive also doen a frog and lily pad number matching. The lily pads have the number and the frogs have the number and correponding amount of spots. They can count the spots on the frog and see the number then find the same number onthe lily pad. Again I used velcro. I laminated the pieces too so they hold up longer. I teach 3 year olds
Listen to Edu Katy... I agree!!!!! I wish I'd asked her 3 years ago. You guys need to visit V. Levin's Pre-K site. She saved my life when I started teaching Pre-K 3 years ago. http://www.pre-kpages.com/home.html For those of you teaching in a Public School.... Check in with your team. They may already have answers... Be sure you check your state's objectives before you crash in doing "fun stuff". Oklahoma has specific objectives (PASS) listed on the state department web site. We MUST follow them so I'm sure your states will have something similar. We do LOTS of art work, file folder games, name recognition, etc. and we make ice cream, hold worms, free butterflies and other really fun stuff, but don't go nuts on anything until you figure out what objectives you have to use as the year progresses. EVERYTHING I do in class can be traced to a PASS objective of some sort. The first few weeks are procedures, Procedures, PROCEDURES, and then the rest of the year we review, Review, REVIEW PROCEDURES!!! P.S. I make my markers all say "goodbye" with a click before they can go back into the marker tub. I teach the kids how to do it before they can use the marker easel. (Markers, Scissor, and Glue get special attention when doing procedures. Don't underestimate this.. )
I get coloring books with "activities in them" and put on my thinking cap. Today, in my humongo Garfield book, I found a 2-pg spread of garfield playing on the beach with odie. He is surrounded by all these shapes that the book asks you to circle when you find them...instead, I am cutting out duplicate shapes, coloring and pasting the picture inside a file folder, and making game pieces for the children to match to the shapes in the picture....I, too, print in B/W.....saves ink, and I LOVE to color!!!!:wub: More ideas....hmm, yesterday, I made a CAPITAL to lowercase - letter match up file folder game...I put all the lowercase letters on handdrawn, not so great looking, but they will def. work, items of food that start with that letter (A-apple, B-Bread, C-Cracker, etc....) Then, on the inside of the folder, I drew plates (get an unused roll of scotch tape, trace the outside and inside, and bvoila...a plate!) and put the matching capital letters on each plate....object: put the lowercase food item on the uppercase plate...all homemade. Honestly, I just look through my daughters activity books, magazines, old teacher resource mags , etc. and do my best....if I mess up...I start a new one. But, I do not think it is necessay to buy a bunch of those ffolder books when I can do it myself for cheaper. Oh, andother really great one is to print off some trace-pattern letters, glue them in the folder, and have the kids use yarn, pipe cleaners, anything bendy to trace the letters with in the folder. My 3 year old daught LOVES getting the yarn to go around the lowercase g's and p's...her two favorite letters right ow, I made one for every letter of the alphabet, then I just attach a baggie with the different materials. So fun! (And easy)
