What a delight it was to pick up ‘The Perfect Picnic’ by Ciara Flood (author and illustrator) and read it to my little bunch of 4 year olds. The book tells the story of Squirrel and Mole. They do absolutely everything together and are the best of friends. When they decide to go on a…
Category: Thoughts & Ideas
Are your children’s learning goals being met?
(** Preschool Teachers in Ireland, are your activities and lesson plans meeting the Aistear Themes & Learning Goals? CLICK HERE for Aistear-linked curriculum plans!) You and the children have a little routine going, whether you are a preschool teacher or at home with your own kids. Every day is fun and interesting and predictable enough…
Homemade bird feeder, peanut butter and seeds
Here’s a really simple feeder for those adorable little garden birds that you would love to see more of when you look out the window. Each step can be easily done by the little hands of little people. All you need is: Peanut butter (alternitively, jam or butter can be used if there is an…
ABC 101
Updated 21/05/2021 You and your pre-schoolers have had and unusually short year together with closures due to government restrictions as well as individual absences due to quarantine guidelines. There has been no ‘formal’ or carefully planned out curriculum of letter recognition. You’ve been following the children’s lead when planning and prepping activities/projects and if none…
Be selfish to grow helpful kids
You’re living with a number of other people, maybe 3 or 4 or more. But there seems to be only one person tidying, sweeping, cooking, laundering, worrying and that one person seems to be you. Do you know why? It’s because you’re not selfish enough! You’re a caring person and a loving parent. You and…
Is my child learning anything at preschool?
Your little one has made the big leap to preschool class a few weeks ago. He’s happy and settled and there are no major issues really, but you feel he’s not learning as much as you expected. This is not how you imagined preschool. You were expecting him to come home in the afternoons full…
link to free downloads
Are you looking to save time as you prepare your paper work for your preschool year? Click on the link below for the following FREE DOWNLOADS which are fully editable to suit your own preschool setting. Policies & Procedures Document Child Observation Templates Health and Safety Checklist Inspection Ready Checklist Self Reflection & Curriculum Planning…
Quiet Indoor Activity Ideas
So, it’s time for everyone to calm down a notch. The kids have successfully released their excess energy and it looks like things are going to get out of hand and noise levels are starting to rise to an uncomfortable level. Here are some of my tried and tested activity ideas to slow the pace…
STOP TELLING TALES!
What are ‘Tales’? A tale by definition is a story that is recounted which is either real or imaginary. Historically, the irish are good at telling tales especially ones that ‘grow legs’ and lean more towards the imaginary and farther away from reality! 🙂 When you hear another parent say “Stop Telling Tales”, you know…
Reflecting as a Preschool Teacher
It’s the summer holidays, a time to relax, think back on your year and reflect on your performance as a preschool teacher because you really didn’t have a lot of time for this during your busy year! Take a critical look at the following questions to ask yourself (and your staff) so that you will…
Literacy during the school holidays
Several weeks away from teacher’s instruction can seem like a long time, especially if your child struggles with a certain fundamental subject like reading, writing or maths. Applying the lessons learned in the school environment to the ‘real’ world (i.e. life outside of school) will help consolidate those lessons in the child’s mind leading to…
Minding your nieces/nephews for the weekend?
We love our siblings and seeing our children playing their days away with their cousins brings us joy, but when your nieces and nephews come for a sleepover that’s a different ball game. There is no mammy or daddy to hand them to when needed and no switching off really when they are in your…