This past week I read the book Pumpkin Jack. The story is about Tim and his Jack O’Lantern and the process of growing pumpkins. There’s a page where Tim searches for pumpkins around his garden. So we searched for little pumpkins hidden around the yard. I had a strip of paper with numbered circles 1-8 […]
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Wood Kitchen
I’ve been wanting an outdoor mirror for a long time, so when one of the other classes was getting rid of furniture, I gladly took the wood kitchen that had a big mirror on it. I have had many ‘old’ tables outside and since these things are all made for indoors, they don’t do well […]
Continue ReadingCupcake Liners
Our last outdoor classroom teacher brought in a few sets of silicone cupcake liners. I didn’t think they would last long in the sun, but they are still going after two years! Although many have become sun bleached. The kids use them all the time for sand cupcakes, or fill them with water. I almost […]
Continue ReadingThe fence
We have vertical bars around the playground, and when I first read about the importance of creating a great entry way to the Outdoor Classroom I thought I might add to the fence that faces the parking lot. The first thing I added was a sign that reads “Welcome to the Outdoor Classroom”. Then I […]
Continue ReadingProfessional Development Objective
At our school we have a Professional Development Objective report we fill out. It outlines how we expect to grow professionally as a teacher this year; identifying 3 objectives, how we will get there, and how to identify if we achieved it. In a nutshell, here are the things I will be working on: 15 ‘tip […]
Continue ReadingWall Tapestry
I was browsing on Pinterest and I saw an ad for https://www.dresslily.com/forest-path-print-tapestry-wall-hanging-product2168749.html and it looked amazing! At $20 I thought, “Why not” so I browsed around until I found a pretty neat forest one. I wanted to place it around outside somewhere, so during one of my outdoor classes I tossed an old sheet over the […]
Continue ReadingSand Area Shelves Idea
When the playground was redone, we invested in these great big wooden boxes. We had the kids put their sand toys in them but there were a few issues. First, the hinges often broke and then soon became rusted. Second, they kept getting filled up with sand. Third, I noticed the kids kept tossing in […]
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Our school has a “community room” where people will leave random items in case any class wants to use them. One of the items I picked up was a bag of dried beans and corn. It looked like it was once in a discovery bin around Thanksgiving. I took them home and sorted out all […]
Continue ReadingInteractive Storytelling – Notes
Interactive storytelling: It’s not just a workshop—it’s an adventure! Arts (Performing & Visual Arts) 1 1/2-hour session — limit 4 presenters Preschoolers 11/18/2017 8:00 AM – 9:15 AM Room B210 Georgia World Congress Center Don Dougherty, Author, Storyteller, Rocketeer, Classroom Adventure Stories, LLC; Katie Bartschi, Director, Play & Learn Child Care Centers This is NOT your typical […]
Continue ReadingWorms and compost and butterflies – Notes
Worms and compost and butterflies—oh, my! How to incorporate environmental education into the classroom, from building an indoor compost bin to creating an outdoor classroom Environmental Education for Children 1 1/2-hour session — limit 4 presenters Preschoolers 11/17/2017 3:00 PM – 4:30 PM Room B403 Georgia World Congress Center Maris Miles, Class Teacher, Clara Barton Center for […]
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