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Issue 807: July, 2008 Have you checked out the PreschoolFirst blog? Type or paste the url http://allchildsplay.blogspot.com into your browser. Read and add your comments to the Play Power! PreschoolFirst blog. Look for the posting with our favorite article by the Niskayuna Nursery School Co-op in NY that explains to parents why play centered learning is BETTER for kids. July’s Activity: Star Spangled Pop! Here's how:
Young Children from 24- 66 months: “All around the town we march” (Scoop the child into your arms and hold him/her with his/her back against your belly, and march around the room gently bouncing the child). Highlights of our Basic Concepts Theme Our Basic Concepts theme is filled with playful activities that focus on opposites, positions, shapes, and recognizing simple attributes. Here is a small sample of our favorite Basic Concepts Activities! To locate these and other activities on our site, login, click the Your Class menu button, look under the appropriate age group, and click on Select Activities for this class by type or theme. FREE ACTIVITY: 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. Non-PreschoolFirst subscribers can download a PDF version of one of these exciting theme activities from our website. Simply click the link at the bottom of this message. Our monthly newsletter and sample activity are also available on our website www.preschoolfirst.com. 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. 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. Website Updates Have you filled out your PreschoolFirst Survey? Check your email! We’d love to know what you think about PreschoolFirst and what our team of curriculum developers can do to make our online resource EVEN better! Be sure to tell us what feature or capability you’d really like to see offered on PreschoolFirst. Remember, PreschoolFirst doesn't go home for the summer! We’ll continue to send everyone regular updates with seasonal ideas to add to your repertoire. Have a great Fourth of July weekend, and we hope you'll take a minute sometime soon to realize what a difference you make each day in the lives of children. Don’t forget PreschoolFirst also contains a full observation assessment tool for children 0-66 months. SUBSCRIPTION INFORMATION: Click here to download this month's sample idea.
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