DIY Resource

Visit these Flicker albums for hundreds and hundreds of letters & number you can download and use in cool craft projects. I made the words above using Picnik.com.

LETTERS
NUMBERS

Alphabet Centered Theme Weeks

The head teacher in Clifford's Clubhouse before me started alphabet centered theme weeks. We are only on A right now so I could abandon this plan but I think I want to stick with it. She gave me all of her old lesson plans to go along with this. I plan to use some of her themes and some of her ideas but be creative and unique too. This is what I've come up with so far. What do you think? Leave a comment if you have other ideas. The possibilities are endless. I don't like the K theme. Do you think I could use Kristopher Kolumbus for K instead of C? Haha

Airplanes

Bugs

Colors

Dinos

Eric Carle Books

Fall

Gardens

Halloween/ Hats

Ice Cold

Jobs

Kindness & Manners (linked to Thanksgiving)

Leo Lionni Books

My Five Senses

Numbers

Oceans

Presents (Linked to Christmas) or Planets

Q& A: What are the kids curious about?

Reduce, Reuse, Recycle

Dr. Suess Books

Trees & Seasons

Under the Sea

Valentines

Weather

eXtreme Sports

Your Family

Zoo Animals

It's fun to stay at the Y-M-C-A!

Well this week I spent about three and half days working at the YMCA. Because it a child care center the students attend year round. I have 24 students. About 5 of them have been in this class for a while now and the rest have either just started at the YMCA or more likely just moved up from the 3-4 year old class.

Much of the week I was busy doing train sessions. Other times I got to spend time in the classroom getting to know my students and the routines they have. I have the freedom to redecorate the walls, rearrange the classroom, and implement new policies and procedures. I think I'll do all of that over time. Monday it will be just my assistant and I leading the class. I have to complete some more training sessions next week so a few morning I'll have a sub replace me. I am starting to establish relationships with the students but I am hoping to start establishing my routines and roles starting the following week.


Here are some interesting facts about my new position and about YMCA philosophy/rules.:

• My classroom is called Clifford's Clubhouse.
• Each class takes one field trip per month planned by the head teacher of the classroom.
• In the winter if field trips are too difficult we can go swimming at a different Y location.
  
• We must do one cooking project per week. It must be healthy (no cookies, no candy). I have to turn in my grocery list ahead of time and it is bought and paid for for me.
  
• You have to do one art project per day.
• You cannot use food for art projects because it looks bad to use/waste food for art when some people have trouble affording food to eat.
• I get a credit card and may spend $75 per month on classroom materials.
  
• I have an assistant. Her name is Melissa.
• The YMCA serves every kid breakfast, lunch, and 1 snack each day. I get to eat it too!
• Meals are served family style in the classroom meaning kids serve themselves and pour their own drinks.
  
• I am not allowed to give the children anything preprinted- so no worksheets. Obviously I do not think a day full of worksheets is the most effective teaching method or age appropriate for 4-5 year olds. However I think preprinted worksheets could be really useful for learning letters and practicing handwriting. Maybe I can cheat the system in some way. I am thinking of getting a class set of mini, lined, dry erase boards.
  
• They use Creative Curriculum which is a ten center choice system. "The environment is divided up between 10 learning areas: blocks, dramatic play, toys and games, art, library, science and discovery, sand and water, music and movement, computers, and the outdoors."
• There is a girl names Natalee in my class and it's hard to know when my assistant is talking to me or her on occasion. I should also mention that the kids call teachers by their first name.
• Everything is based on CHOICE! I can provide whole group activities but I the children always get the choice to participate or go to a center.
• We use home made play-doh and it must be made fresh with the kids on a weekly basis.
• I have a free gym membership.
  

As I learn more I'll keep you updated. I work 8:30-5:30 so the hours are longer than I worked at New Life but I think I'll have less work outside of school. I get 4 hours of paid planning breaks per week. I have to do two hours worth at the YMCA and the other two I can leave and do errands like go to the library, purchase things for the classroom, go print things at office max, etc.

For now, I'll leave you with this story a student told us on Friday, " My brother stayed home today because he smashed his wiener in the toilet!" Apparently his brother is 3 years old and potty training and the toilet lid fell down on his- you know- and it's now swollen. Poor guy!

Local Talent

Since coming to Fargo I've had the pleasure of seeing the Johnson Family Band twice. They are a wonderful band to watch. They play a mixture of folk and blue grass music.

This is how they describe themselves on their website "We met in bars and classes we took together in college, and have spent the past few years playing in small town bars, barn dances, parties, venues, and festivals. The music is rooted in a traditional mountain feeling, but draws influence from jazz and rock-and-roll as well."

Check out their music on the video tab on their website.

Monkey Bread

Happy Labor Day to everyone! I hope you've enjoyed your weekend and spent it with those you love!

In all of my free time I've been cooking, doing crafts, and still watching 24. Luckily work starts soon because I'm not sure how much more time at home I can handle.

On Saturday I made monkey bread for the roomies! I used this recipe at pillsbury.com and based on a pin in Pinterest I made the monkey bread in muffin tins. It ended up being kind of a mess. The recipe says to cut each biscuit into fourths. I decided to put 3 pieces of dough in each hole in the tin. They over flowed the pan particularly the melted butter and brown sugar mixture that you drizzle over the top at the end.


They were tasty but not like Mom's. Somehow mom always makes it perfectly for breakfast on Christmas morning. Also, no matter how many times I open a roll of biscuits or cinnamon rolls it always scares me!

To Julianne...