37th NHSA Conference Presentation follow-up
| Couldn't be there?? Missed IT?
Now you can watch this PreschoolFirst presentation right on Youtube!
I Don't Know What to DO!
Overcoming the Challenges of
Infant-Toddler Assessment
**Check back for another upcoming NHSA Training session on Youtube!**
Accountability Matters: Discussing Data to
Improve Programs and Communicate Outcomes
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PreschoolFirst welcomes user comments for blog!
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We invite staff from early childhood programs that use PreschoolFirst to contribute
to the PreschoolFirst User's blog,
please email us your comments.
A great way to network, share your thoughts and ideas with your colleagues, and learn new ideas as well!
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This Month's Activity: Star Spangled POP!
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The Fourth of July is a great holiday to host a noisy celebration in your classroom. March and stomp to patriotic tunes and make a child friendly show of color and light!
Here's what you'll need for older toddlers and preschoolers:
Materials: - A roll of metallic, red,
white or blue streamer paper
- Many sheets of bubble wrap
- A recording of the Star Spangled Banner and
other appropriate patriotic music
Here's How Make your own indoor
fireworks with a roll of metallic streamer paper and plenty of bubble wrap.
Collect as many sheets of bubble wrap as you can, tape the sheets together, and
cover as much of the floor as possible. Play the Star Spangled Banner and other
appropriate patriotic music, and hand each of the children a five-foot length
of streamer paper. To create a light show, darken the room and flick the lights
on and off. Hand other teachers flashlights to shine as the children wave
streamers to the music. Ask the class to dance, march and stomp on the bubble
wrap and wave the streamers in the air. Their dancing will create the sound of
firecrackers! Serve blueberries and red strawberries or strips of red fruit wraps on white
toast for a Red, White and Blue snack! NOTE: If any children have allergies, offer substitute foods so all children can participate in the activity. |
Star Spangled Pop Activity for Infants and Toddler's too!
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Sing a song and
play an age-appropriate game to celebrate the 4th of July with infants and
toddlers in your care.
Here's what you'll need for infants and younger toddlers!
Materials: Here's How:
Tie one corner of each scarf to one corner of another to
create one long piece of fabric. Stuff the scarves into the tissue box and pull
just the corner of one scarf though the slit on top of the tissue box. You can
make several of these boxes so many children can have a parade together. Place
the box/es in the center of the room, sing the following words to the tune of
"Pop Goes the Weasel," and follow the motions after each line.
All around the town we march
(Scoop the child into your arms and hold
him/her with his/her back against your belly.) In the 4th of July parade!
(March around the room gently bouncing the
child). Step high, step low, we march and wave.
(Move the child's legs in a marching motion,
then help him/her wave to others in the room). Til....POP goes the fireworks!
(Stop in the center of the room, bend down so
the child can get a grip on the scarf sticking out of the box, then jump up so
the child pulls the scarves out of the box to make the fireworks go POP). Wave the
scarves around and then push the scarves back into the box. Keep marching and
singing until the children are tired of the play. Babies and toddlers will love
anticipating what will happen each time they pull the scarves out of the box.
Share the idea with families!
CAUTION: Closely
supervise all young children when they participate in any activities that use
scarves or any material that could pose a choking hazard.
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| Highlights of the Basic Concepts Theme | 
Our
Basic Concepts theme is filled with playful
activities that focus on opposites, positions, shapes, and recognizing
simple
attributes.
Here are just a few
of our favorite Basic Concepts theme activities!
To locate these and
other activities on our site, login, scroll over the red Your Class
button, and click the name of your class on the dropdown menu. Look down the
class page that appears on your screen and click on the Theme Activities
button to bring up the Select Classroom Activities display. Now you can
use the selections to browse all the activities for this theme for your class.
Color Targets 1 (18-24 mos.) - Children throw colored balls at
matching colored targets.
Big and Little Houses 2 (24-30 mos.)
- Children talk
about the concept 'big & little' and build homes for block people and toy
ants.
My Shape Sorter 2 (30-36 mos.) - Children learn about shapes and
create their own Shape Sorter.
Backward Party (36-48 mos.) - Children dress up for a Backward
Party.
Bear in a Box (48-66 mos.) - Children listen to a story and learn
about the positions: inside, outside and upside down.
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| Head Start Connection: | |
Because the Basic Concepts theme has
a special focus on shapes and comparisons, it supports all the Geometry and
& Spatial Sense Indicators from the Head Start Outcomes Framework. The
activities in the theme are straightforward, so they're a great place to start
assessments with a new group of students. Activities such as Hide and Compare
(36-48 mos.), Compare and Contrast (36-48 mos.), and Shapes All Around Us 5
(48-60 mos.) also offer teachers and students many opportunities to discuss
ideas and use the investigative processes specified in the five Scientific
Skills & Methods Indicators.
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| PreschoolFirst Classroom Tip | 
Do you have "wigglers and rollers" on your rug during story
time? Try breaking the story up into two halves and read the first half
immediately before an indoor activity period that includes story related
activities. After the clean up, invite the children to the rug and ask them to
help you remember the events from the first half of the story. Turn the lights
down low, use a flashlight and read the second half of the story in a quiet
voice. This technique encourages children to remember details and stay focused
at story time.
Are You ready for
the children to move on?
We currently have over 3200 activities in our library of PreschoolFirst
activities. Now that you know this year's children better, you will be able to
use PreschoolFirst to plan group activities that meet the needs of each child
and each class-- before they move on to a new learning program! Don't forget
PreschoolFirst also contains a full observation assessment tool for children
0-66 months. NOW is a great time to enter your latest observations into the
PreschoolFirst system to ensure the children in your care are ready for a new
room and teacher. You'll be ready at the click of a button!
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Any Suggestions?
We're always looking for more ways to make your job easier. PreschoolFirst continues to improve its site for our subscribers. If you have any specific ideas or requests about themes, we'd be happy to hear them! Click here to send us an email. Keep watching the site as we improve our functions. Remember all PreschoolFirst upgrades, improvements, and new basic features are available to all our subscribers at no additional cost. Your annual subscription gives you access to every basic site improvement PreschoolFirst has to offer, now and in the future.
PreschoolFirst Accounts purchased with the Interactive State Standards Alignment and Multi-site subscriptions receive ALL improvements and new features -- including comprehensive reporting at no additional cost!
PreschoolFirst is always happy to answer all your questions. Call us weekdays at 1-866-584-2900.
Sincerely,
PreschoolFirst Team at
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Are you a current user interested in upgrading to State Standards Option?
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