Circle Time Rules

Everyday with my little kiddos we go over our circle time rules:

eyes watching

ears listening

voices quiet

bodies calm

We frequently sing a song that goes with these rules.  In setting out to create an Animoto I decided what would be better than giving my students a visual to correspond with the song and circle time rules.  To make it more personal for my kiddos I also took pictures of them doing the motions to use for the Animoto.

Now everyday the first thing I do with each of my classes is watch this video.  The kids actually ask for it.  We play it on our eno board and the kiddos sing along, do the hand motions and even my most distracted student is engaged and following along.  I absolutely love the final product and the visual it provides for my students.  Will certainly be continuing the use Animoto in my classroom.

Blogging for a Better PreK

While I can't expect my students to begin blogs and wikis I am beginning to see how I as their teacher can use them to better my teaching, get ideas, and connect with other professionals to better my classroom and teaching.  In searching the web I have found a couple great PreK blogs including Not Just Cute and Pre-K Pages. I also found a a blog specific to preschool Special Ed: Learning to Grow.  I have found limited resources specific to preschool special ed so to find a blog is quite intriguing.



I have already gotten ideas including the use of the app IEP Pal which helps track growth and progress based on the children's IEP goals and objectives. DATA! DATA! DATA! Who couldn't use some help tracking DATA!  

Another app mentioned includes Toddler Teasers.  Although the title seems as if its made for younger children, at times the objectives I have for children mimic the age of development of toddlers.  This app provides games for children to complete and tracks their progress and provides data of their current ability.  DATA! DATA! DATA!  The app then tells you what the next step for a particular child would be based on their current performance.  Can't wait to give this a try.

Also love the idea of Task Boxes which are different boxes to address different skills.  They are all planned out and all materials are housed and available in the box.  Being a "bin-aholic" I absolutely love this idea - so neat and organized.  All you have to do is pull a Task Box off the shelf and BAM there you go instant skill activity.


After looking through these blogs I am already excited about the possibilities.  I could spend hours surfing these blogs.