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My 4 Step Process to Writing Preschool Themes

June 12, 2017 by Cheryl Hatch Leave a Comment

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preschool theme planning

Sometimes we limit our planning by starting out with a theme name in our heads and then try to come up with ideas for each interest center but become stalled for ideas.

Perhaps you have a great idea for a theme to write up for preschool.  

Or, better yet, your PRESCHOOLERS have come up with a great topic of study, based on THEIR interests, but where and how do you begin?

I.P.O.P.  is an acronym I use to describe the brainstorming process of theme writing, while keeping the purpose of themes in mind.

I =Interesting, fun and exciting theme choice.

P =Printing any and all ideas that come to mind about that theme name.

O =Organize ideas into interest centers

P =Plan daily and weekly lessons

Working Together as a Team

Ericka, a PreK teacher from Texas, shared a quote with me.  It was one that her former principal used to say, 

“Great teachers aren’t made; they’re borrowed from the teacher next door!”

So share your knowledge and ideas with each other!  Accept each other’s ideas and ways to teach!

Let’s look at each step of planning a theme and then I’ll give you a resource to go to for more details.

 

Plan A Theme- I in IPOP:  Choosing and Interesting topic

So, where do you start with choosing a theme or topic?

You start with your children’s interests!

Think about what your children seem to be fascinated with lately.  Don’t look too hard, just think about their daily conversations.  These conversations will lead to you come up with an amazing list of themed topics!

 

Plan A Theme- The 1st P in IPOP:  Printing ideas

Get out a large piece of chart paper.  

Print your topic name in the middle.

Print your ideas all around the paper.

Do NOT try to separate it by interest center.   Again, that will limit your thinking!  One idea might be used in several areas of your classroom. We’ll sort that all out in the next step.

 

Plan A Theme- O in IPOP:  Organize ideas into interest centers

In this step, you will list the names of all of your Interest Learning Centers.  You will then assign each center a color and shape (don’t worry, it’s all covered in the article I’ll give you the link to in a minute!)

You will use these colors (of markers or highlighters) to circle (or “rectangle”) each idea with the Interest Center the activity would fit well in!

 

Plan A Theme- The 2nd P in IPOP:  Plan daily and weekly lessons

The first step will be to take your list of items from the previous step (the ones you highlighted) and list them in your planning book in the appropriate area.

Keep in mind that you may have had one activity that could be used in two areas, such as felt blocks being using on your flannel board and also at your math center!

Take each activity from your highlighted list and assign it to an interest center.  Do this for every activity you came up with in the planning stage. If an activity can be used in many ways or in many areas, list it in all of those areas.

You may also find during this transfer that you and your co-worker(s) come up with even more activities.  GREAT!  Add them to your planning book or form!

There you have it!  A theme complete!  Of course, there may be enough activities left over to make this into a 2-week theme!

This is how I write up new themes every time!  It will take you less and less time the more you go through the process.  But, honestly, the process is important. 

If you don’t let yourself become creative, you will sit in front of a planning form and plan the same activities which will feel stale after a few years!

Let yourself get excited about planning preschool lesson plans each and every time you plan!

 

And now here you have it!  Here is the beginning of the 5-part series that will take you step by step through this process.  Each page is complete with images so that you can see the step in action!

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Best Preschool Planning Packet Bundle I’ve Seen In A Long Time!

June 5, 2017 by Cheryl Hatch Leave a Comment

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You’ve likely heard me talk about this over the past week, but I HAVE to remind you because I’m so excited!
 
There is a Bundle Packet available that has over 40 downloads from some of my favorite kid bloggers from the Kids Blogger Network.
 
Check out some of the downloadable packets in it! 
 
preschool science      
 
It includes downloads for Arts & Crafts, Literacy, Math, Gross Motor, Science, Sensory and so much more.
 
At the risk of sounding “salesy”, it’s an amazing deal at 94% off what you would pay if you purchased each packet individually from each blogger.
 
Please don’t let this slip by because after Saturday (June 10, 2017), the sale will be over and the bundle will be gone.
 
I’ve not seen one this comprehensive AND still within budget for most of us in a long time!
 
You need to check this out and see if it is right for your program.  I am pretty psyched about it!
 
Click here to learn more!

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10 Preschool Themes for Your June Planning!

May 23, 2017 by Cheryl Hatch Leave a Comment

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June Preschool Themes

 

Can you believe June is right around the corner??? How did THAT happen?

With June comes Father’s Day!  I have a full week’s theme for you on the website!  On that page you’ll also find a done-for-you option if you are looking to save some planning time!

Also in June:  Did you know that June 25th is Eric Carle’s birthday?  I LOVE Eric Carle books so I’ve put together a full theme for you that incoporates so many of his books!

You’ll also find activities for many other themes like Balls, Farm, Summer, Chicka Chicka Boom Boom and more!

Check them out!  I’m sure you’ll find several to meet the interests of your children!

You’ll find them all listed here on my Monthly Preschool Themes page!

Happy Planning!

Until next week,

Miss Cheryl

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If so, you can sign up here!

Filed Under: preschool themes

Preschool Summer Themes for You!

May 19, 2017 by Cheryl Hatch Leave a Comment

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Summer Preschool Themes

A few weeks ago, I talked about planning for summer and getting all your ducks in a row by sharing some tips for programs that close for the summer and those that are open during the summer.

One of the ideas in that post was having an overall theme for the summer or for each month and then thinking of ways you can change interest center names to go along with it.  If you are doing a Space Theme, you might call the large group area “Mission Control” or the Science Center the “Space Station”.  

During the summer, we try to choose themes that are more active and allow us to take as much of the learning outside, when possible!  

I’ve put together 20 of our favorite Summer Preschool Themes together for your summer planning!  They include themes like a Beach Theme, Frogs, Picnic, Eric Carle (did you know his birthday is June 25th?) and more!

Head over to my Summer Preschool Themes page here to find them all!

Happy Planning!

Until next week,

Miss Cheryl

Want to receive a weekly Blog Post summary by email?  Each week I’ll send an email to you with the links to the posts that have published throughout the week!
If so, you can sign up here!

 

 

Filed Under: preschool themes

Preschool Math Activities

May 9, 2017 by Cheryl Hatch Leave a Comment

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Hey there!

I’ve received many requests to turn my list of math activities into printable activities and it is now done!
 
Preschool math is important and we know it!  There are over a dozen math process skills that preschoolers work on to build a foundation for future math learning.
 
However, creating activities such as bingo games, activity mats and the like take time…and who has extra time to create them?
 
To that end, I’ve put together a 165-page preschool math e-book that contains activities you can have ready for whenever you need them!
 
 
 
 
The e-book includes 20 activities that cover 14 of the most important math process skills.
They are all hands-on and child directed!  All you need to do is print, laminate and use!
 
Here are just some of the printable activities in the e-book and the skills that they support:
 
Number Memory Game (number recognition)
Piggy Banks (one-to-one correspondence)
Color and Shape Bingo (color identification, shape identification and recognition)
Where Do I Belong: (classification, compare, sort and order by attributes)  
Farm Animals, Ocean Animals and Jungle Animals
Sink or Float (classification, compare, sort by attribute; making predictions and inferences)
The Counting Tree (number recognition, rote and rational counting)

 
Click here to see the full list of activities include!
 
Until next time,
Miss Cheryl
 

Filed Under: math

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