Pre-K teaching times, Vol. 6, Issue 5 (Feb. 2010)

Pre-K Teaching Times

VOLUME 6, ISSUE 5

FEBRUARY 2010

BIG Buildings, BIG Machines, BIG Ideas

SPECIAL POINTS OF INTEREST:
Project AIM
Ask Pat -- Transitions Tips
Small Group Ideas
Dramatic Play Ideas from Mentor Teachers

This month were building, and were building BIG! PreK children love to build; most teachers tell us that the block area is one of the most popular places in their classroom. Learning about real life building construction and construction machines can make

childrens block play really come alive. Take a good look around your neighborhood: are any buildings being repaired, any new construction, any roads being built? Ask your children: does anyone live in a home or building that is being repaired or remod-

eled? Encourage your children to talk about construction projects they may see on their way to school in the morning. Encourage them to think BIG and have fun building!

Project AIM : Interactive Media in Georgia's Pre-K Classrooms

Bright from the Start, the Georgia Department of Education, and Georgia Public Broadcasting have been awarded a grant by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting to plan ways to appropriately use interactive media in Georgias Pre-K Program classrooms. This exciting initiative, called Project AIM (Adding Interactive Media), will inform teachers about research-based PBS resources that can be incorporated into Georgias early

childhood classrooms.
Young childrens lives are more and more mediasaturated. One goal of Project AIM is to equip you with media literacy tools to use in your classrooms and to pass along to your students caregivers. To get a good idea of what you already know about media saturation, take the online quiz at http:// www.pbs.org/teachers/ media_lit/quiz.html.
Amazing to think that chil-

dren are exposed to 40,000 advertisements per year and that 63% of American families watch TV while eating dinner! And media saturation starts SO early. You have probably seen toddlers in car seats using hand-held media devices to watch programs or play games, not to mention families in which older childrens interests expose younger children to more mature media.
(Continued on page 2)

PAGE 2
"Beginning media
education early will
enable students to
form positive habits"

Project AIM (continued)

So how does this relate to the classroom? Beginning media education early will help students form positive habits using the "screens" in their lives (TVs, computers, telephones, etc.) and will help educate parents about medias fullest positive potential.
PBS media offer a noncommercial and non-violent alternative to the myriad of options enticing caregivers and children. Georgia Public Broadcasting, is proud to offer such programming and to partner with Bright from the Start and the Georgia Department of Education to support teachers in providing informed and rich media literacy education. A wealth of media literacy resources can be found at: http:// www.pbs.org/teachers/ media_lit/related_sites.html.

In addition to promoting general positive media awareness and use, PBS has developed sites to promote early literacy in Pre-K classrooms through the Raising Readers initiative. Using popular, research-based programs with which children are familiar, PBS Kids Island (to which you can link from Georgia Public Broadcastings Education page at the Raising Readers' logo) enables teachers to track students progress in each of the following literacy skills: rhyming, letter identification, alliteration, phonics, letter sequencing, phonemic awareness, and reading/ vocabulary.
Games such as Super Whys Reading Challenge or the Between the Lions Alphabet Soup Game are fun ways young learners can practice

these building blocks of reading. And, all the games (30+) on the site have been assessed according to Georgias Pre-K Program Content Standards.
Project AIM will not only provide young students with a positive digital educational experience, but it will also enhance teachers existing practices and pedagogy. Upcoming newsletter articles will highlight specific games and skills on PBS Kids Island. You might even be featured in a lesson plan idea or video link on Georgia Public Broadcasting!

The Carpenter The carpenter's hammer goes knock, knock, knock, And his saw goes see, saw, see, He planes and measures; He hammers, and he saws, While he builds something for me.

PRE-K TEACHING TIMES

VOLUME 6, ISSUE 5

PAGE 3

Changes to the Learning Environment Big Machines and Buildings

Reading Big Machines by Karen Wallace Bam Bam Bam by Eve Merriam Mike Mulligan and His Steam Shovel by Virginia Lee Burton Big Machines! Big Buildings! (originally The Lot at the End of My Block) by Kevin Lewis Machines at Work by Byron Barton Big Movers (Move and Play) by Matt Mitter Road Builders by B.G. Hennessy Dig Dig Digging by Margaret Mayo Big Work Machines by Golden Books Tonka: If I Could Drive A Crane by Michael Teitelbaum Tonka: Working Hard With The Mighty Loader by Justine Korman Tonka: If I Could Drive A Bulldozer by Michael Teitelbaum Driving Source #3: Super Size by Craig Robert Carey Working Hard With The Mighty Mixer by Francine Hughes C is for Construction: Big Trucks and Diggers from A to Z by Caterpillar Construction Trucks by Jennifer Dussling Big Rigs by Robert Gould Big Machines by Melanie Davis Jones Manipulatives KNex Legos Bristle Blocks Marble Mazes Hammer & Nails - Supply large Styrofoam blocks, golf tees (to use as nails), and plastic hammers (to hammer the "nails" into the Styrofoam). Create various cards with pictures of tools and/or machines and have the children create patterns or play matching games. Tape Measures Art Marshmallow and Toothpick Art Allow the children to construct their

own buildings or designs using toothpicks and marshmallows Bean Mosaics Materials: Glue, paintbrushes, cardboard or any sturdy backing, dry beans (kidney, black beans, peas, lentils, etc.) of different colors and sizes, pencils 1. Draw a big machine on the cardboard. Keep details to a minimum. Simple is good for this project. 2. Paint glue in a small portion of the design. Note: Do not use too much glue; if your cardboard is not sturdy, it will curl. 3. Place different colored beans in the glue. 4. Repeat until the entire picture is covered. 5. The result is beautiful, and the children will have a piece of art they are proud to display. Big Machine Artwork Allow the children to use various trucks and big machine pieces to create artwork. I. Provide large paper and several large trucks or parts of machines (gears, wheels, etc.) 2. Allow the children to roll the chosen object through the paint and then onto the paper. Block Area Repair Prop Box (Tool Box, Tape Measure, Safety Glasses, Small Tools, Rags, Flashlight, Overalls, Gas filler nozzles with hose, Air Pump, Grease Guns, Clip Boards, White Shirt with Ford/Chevron Patches, Car Service Diagrams, Diagnostic Diagrams, Receipt Book, Car Magazines, Tool Catalogs) PVC Pipe Blueprints Cones Caution Tape Construction Zone Sign Hard Hat Area Sign

Tape Measure

Balance

Hard Helmets

Walkie-Talkies

Tool Belt

Goggles

Science

Pulleys

Gears

Place a long, cardboard tube, like a

large mailing tube or the tube used in

carpet rolls, at an angle with the top

end at table height and the bottom end

on the floor. Allow children to place

small toy cars near the top and send

the cars rolling down the incline inside

the tube and onto the floor.

Sensory Table

Bury small treasures in sand or dirt

and give each child a small dump truck

or excavator toy. Allow them to un-

cover the goodies, and let the children

take the trucks and treasures home.

Music

Sing to the tune of "So Early in the Morn-

ing." "This is the way we hammer the

nails, hammer the nails, hammer the

nails; this is the way we hammer the

nails, so early in the morning." Use

hand motions like you are hammering

a nail. Try others like: saw the wood;

turn the screw; stir the paint; paint the

walls; stack the bricks; and drive the

truck. Ask the children what else is

done on construction sites.

(www.prepetualpreschool.com)

Technology

Videos at www.kidmazing.com

I Love Cat Machines 1

I Love Big Machines 2

Airplanes & Flying Machines

Games at: http://

funschool.kaboose.com



Select the Preschool tab



Select Built for Fun



Select Games

PAGE 4
Ask Pat

Dear Pat, I was reading last month's column about transitions and was hoping you could share some practical strategies for implementing them. -In transition

come the "if... then" person. This will allow them to generate ideas of how to get the last child/children to lunch/ breakfast.

Dear In Transition,
Try the following strategies and ideas:
Whisper to the children that you are going to close your eyes and that you would like the children to use their "silent mouse feet" to tiptoe to a particular place.

Use songs/rhymes: For example: Sung to the tune of "If You're Happy and You Know It"
If you're ready for a story, find a seat; if you're ready for a story, find a seat; if you're ready for a story, check your
hands and then your feet; if you're ready for a story, find a seat.

Use the alphabet chart: Children are seldom referred to by their last names. Point to a letter and say, "If your last name begins with (say letter) you may line up wait for a few seconds and then actually call the last name. Children are attentive to something new that relates to them.

Use the following rhyme while waiting for everyone to be seated so all can start snacks at the same time:

Incorporating letter names: Point to (and say) a letter and instruct the children whose name begins with that letter to go to the table/ lineup, etc. Children have to determine independently if it is time for them to move.

Use if...then statements: For example, "If you have on glasses, then you may get in line or go to the table." This is a great way to reinforce colors, discuss different types of clothing , etc. Once the children are familiar with this routine, allow them to be-

Put your hands in the air, in the air; put your hands in the air, in the air; put your hands in the air, but we don't want to leave them
there!
Sooo...put your hands in your lap, in your lap;

put your hands in your lap, in your lap;
put your hands in your lap and we'll get ready for our snack;
put your hands in your lap, in your lap.
Instead of having some children waiting at the table while others wash their hands, let them help set the table, i.e., place the napkins, plates, and eating utensils at each seat, etc.
Create a cue that all children know. For example, lights off means everyone freezes where they are. Once everyone has responded to the cue, clearly explain what you want the children to do. Then turn on the lights, and the children respond to what you directed them to do.
Before you start Circle Time, say this poem with the children. (It will prepare them to listen.)
Wiggle your fingers, Wiggle your toes, Wiggle your ears, Wiggle your nose, (wiggle nose w/
fingers) Now that we have had our fill, It is
time to sit still (fold hands neatly in your lap).

PRE-K TEACHING TIMES

VOLUME 6, ISSUE 5

PAGE 5

Big Machines: Small Group Activities

Blueprints Differentiated Instruction
Focus: Creative Arts Content Standard: CDIc: Shares details about personal creations (Painting/drawing, 3D sculptures, blocks structures)
Materials Needed: Small wood scraps of various sizes, shapes (Look at hardware and craft stores for scraps.) Blue paper, pencils, Elmers glue Large sheets of cardboard to serve as a base for structures Pictures of wooden structures, e.g., log cabins, barns, cabins, homes, bridges, ships, etc. (Look online or in architecture/design magazines Copies of blueprints or architectural designs Various real & found materials: corks, chenille stems, bark, moss, cartons, tongue depressors, lids, fabric scraps, etc. Optional: Craft paint
Beginning the activity with all students: 1. Show photographs to students.
Discuss the types of buildings, structures they see. Discuss the features of the buildings such as doors, windows, steps, shutters, siding, etc. 2. Introduce materials to the children. Ask children to think about what they could create with the wood pieces. Beginning to Mid-Range: 1. Day 1: Allow one group to use scraps to practice creating different structures. Give each child a cardboard base, and once they have a design they like, allow them to glue the pieces together. Allow structures to dry overnight; 2. Day 2: Allow children to paint their designs and/or to use the real & found materials to decorate their structure.

3. Record childrens descriptive narratives of their designs on note cards children make, and add the content standard. Display the narratives with the designs!
Mid-Range to Advanced Range: 1. Day 1: Using blueprints or archi-
tectural designs, discuss with students how builders and designers first think about how they want their structures to look, then draw it on paper. To introduce this concept, use paper and chalk to create a design of the Pre-K classroom. Indicate how to add doors, windows, etc. 2. Allow children to think about their own designs, and using chalk and blue paper to create a structure they would like to build. 3. Day 2: Based on their completed blueprint designs, allow children to practice building the structures. When ready, allow them to glue the pieces together. Allow structure to dry overnight. 4. Day 3: Allow children to paint their designs and/or to use the real & found materials to decorate their structure. 5. Record childrens descriptive narratives of their designs on note cards children make, and add the content standard. Display the narratives with the designs! Physical Science with Trucks Content Standard: SD 3c: Explores simple machines; SD 3d: Investigates different types/speeds of motion Materials Needed:
One of the following books: My Big Machines Book, DK Publishing (can be found at Amazon.com), or Big Book of Construction Machines by Heather Alexander.
Trucks of various types (dump trucks, bulldozers, bobcats, landmovers, etc. )
Texture table filled with sand and/ or dirt. You can use two plastic tubs, one filled with dirt and one with sand.
Shipping tubes for matchbox sized

trucks or ramps for larger sized trucks. Large hollow blocks typically have ramps that can be used.
Plastic containers, rulers, pebbles, smaller rocks. (Rulers can be used to ,,level dirt/sand). Beginning the activity with all students: 1. If a parent is involved in construction, ask him/her to visit the class to help introduce the topic. 2. Ask the visitor to bring a variety of tools or pictures of machines they use. Take photos of the visitor. 3. Explain big machines, and how they are used to build and mold the land around us. Photographs downloaded from the internet can be used to illustrate these concepts as well. Allow children to share their own experiences with observing big machines at work. All ranges and experience levels can be mixed heterogeneously for this activity 1. Read one of the aforementioned books or a similar one to the small group. Remember: reading in small group is to be planned and implemented in Georgia Pre-K at least once weekly. This activity should be noted on lesson plans indicating the book and an enrichment activity to help in concept development. After reading, discuss what the children learned from the book. Discuss how big machines work and move. Using a ramp, explain how the machine works to pull materials up to work sites. If using smaller matchbox sized vehicles, use a shipping tube to demonstrate how tubes can be like tunnels to move trucks quickly from one area to another. 2. Set up the plastic tubs/sensory table with sand or dirt. Tell children you to experiment with the materials by filling their vehicles and moving materials from one side to another. Children can move sand, dirt, and pebbles and place materials into plastic containers. Encour-

PAGE 6
Big Machines: Small Group Activities, (continued)

age children to use the rulers and other tools. 3. On a notepad or note cards, record observations about childrens discoveries. Discuss fast and slow, in and out, etc. with the children.
Enrichment: Ask children how they can make trucks travel faster on the ramps (by

creating a taller ramp by adding blocks to raise the end). Create ramps of different heights and guess which ones will makes trucks travel the fastest. Discuss ramps/bridges that connect buildings to buildings and make one with your
students.

Mentor Teachers Lead the Way

PQA Item B5: Multiple Set-
tings Are Provided for Dra-
matic Play Throughout the
Year
Dramatic play supports active engagement for children offering opportunities to turn experiences into understanding. A purposefully planned dramatic play area strengthens skills in joint planning, negotiation, problem solving, selfregulation, and goal seeking. Evidence suggests that high-quality pretend play and social and linguis-
tic competence are clearly linked.
Mentor Teachers recognize the varied interests and experiences of their children, so by providing multiple settings and themes for dramatic play throughout the year, they increase the possibility of engaging more children in this important activity. Play engages many areas of the brain because it involves emotion, cognition, language, and sensorimotor actions. It has been suggested that when children lack

opportunity to experience such play, their long-term capacities related to metacognition, problem solving, and social cognition as well as academic areas such as literacy, math, and science may be diminished. The following themes and settings for dramatic play are recommended by Georgias
Pre-K Program mentor teachers.
Santas Workshop/Gingerbread Bakery For the workshop we have Santa hats, Santa shirts, wide black belts, Christmas aprons, reindeer antlers, large sack for packing toys, stockings, black boots, old boxes, tape, wrapping paper, tools, holiday greeting cards, small tree for trimming, tree skirt, and soft non-breakable ornaments. For the bakery we provide aprons, spoons, muffin tins, cookie sheets, whisks, bowls, durable food containers, holiday tins, holiday cookie cutters with class made play dough scented with nutmeg and allspice, holiday plates, cups. (Most of these items can be purchased cheaply after

the holidays in preparation for next school term.) Connie Ellington/Barrow County ELC
Baby Nursery A favorite dramatic play theme in my room is "The Baby Nursery." Children dress in nursery smocks and care for the babies in the nursery. The center consists of all the real materials needed to feed, dress, bathe, and rock babies. We set up a baby bath tub with towels, real (empty) containers of powder, lotions, baby soap, bath toys, hair brushes, etc. There is a changing station with clothes, diapers, baby bag, and blankets. Parents donated real bottles, formula cans, baby food containers, baby dishes, and pacifiers. I include baby themed board books so that the children can "read" to the babies as they rock. Environmental print consists of baby sale flyers from local stores, a measuring chart, and labels from food and baby supply containers. In the future I hope to add some type

PRE-K TEACHING TIMES

VOLUME 6, ISSUE 5

PAGE 7

Mentor Teachers Lead the Way

a scale for weighing babies. The children are always sad when we close the nursery to convert it to a new theme. Ivy Chapman/Glyndale Elementary School
Beach Scene It is an annual "tradition" to turn DP into a beach near the end of the school year. I fill a kiddie pool with sand from the beach (if beach sand isnt available, you can use play sand). Real beach sand contains real shells and things to dig for, but these items can be purchased at a dollar store. Parents supply their child sized lawn chairs, beach towels, flip flops, beach bags, empty sun screen bottles, sunglasses, etc. We accept ANYTHING "beachy." I bring in big coolers children can sit on, smaller lunch sized coolers/ lunchboxes and of course flippers, masks, snorkels, and a large beach umbrella. The kids LOVE that they can really sit alongside the "beach" and put their toes in the sand. We play a CD of ocean sounds or seagulls. For those who are squirming at the thought of large amounts of sand in your classroom the answer is to put a tarp under the kiddie pool. Our only rule here is that the children are not allowed to GET IN the sand no sitting in it, etc.; only feet and hands are okay. This allows for easy clean up with a simple towel dust off and/or rinse in the sink. This is really quick and easy to set up (less than 10 minutes) and brings some really amazing observations as the children discuss what they do with their families at the beach, recall things they have seen, heard, etc. Ellen McNeil/NSB Kings Bay CDC

Chinese Take-Out When we study the Chinese New Year celebration, our dramatic play area transforms into a Chinese restaurant. Props include traditional Chinese children's clothes for waiters, Chinese carryout containers, menus, chopsticks, and placemats with the different animals of the Chinese zodiac. We make play eggrolls from painted tubes and lo mien from yarn. I include many Chinese food products purchased from the Asian food section at my grocery store. Asian children puppets are accessible and Chinese music plays in the background for "atmosphere." Books reflecting traditional and modern Chinese culture are placed in the area.
We end our experience with a visit to a real Chinese restaurant. Shelley B. Yeatman/Live Oak Elementary
Arctic Fish Camp I set up an igloo tent bought at IKEA. I fill an extra sensory table that I have with foam packing peanuts and rubber worms. Paper fish with paper clips attached are provided for fishing with poles that have magnets attached to them. I also add Styrofoam balls as snowballs, mittens, scarves, coats, and boots. A small tub of "Insta Snow" adds to the overall experience. Cooking/campfire items, books on arctic animals and arctic life, stuffed arctic animals, sleeping bags, and lanterns are accessible. The walls around the fish camp are decorated with pictures depicting scenery of the arctic region. Kimberly Statzer/Palmetto Elementary
Tea Room The students have a blast playing

restaurant! We made our own menu using clip art, and the students help with the pricing. We also make order forms. An extra table and chairs is set up with fancy table covers, placemats, and new, fancy dishes for place settings. Each table has a flower arrangement and plastic candles. We add uniforms and "waiter" clothes as well as cooking aprons and chef hats. Lot of sparkling jewelry and fancy dresses/ jackets and ties for dress-up supports children in dressing for the Tea Room experience. The most exciting change comes by adding REAL food...like dry rice, beans (several colors/kinds), noodles (several kinds), and corn, each in their own canister. The students have fun measuring for,, mixing, and serving their guests. After dramatic play time children can sort the materials or you can just add the mixed things to the art area for collage materials! Becky Thomas/Harris County BOE
Pre-K Idol The next Pre-K idol can be found in your classroom! Our props include microphones, clothing, scarves, wigs, glasses, and musical instruments. A tape player/CD provides music if the performers need backup sound. We make instruments and music from different cultures available. Cardboard walls can be set up around the performing area decorated with pictures of the children taken as they perform. Jennie Estes/Colquitt County Pre-K
Becoming a Princess One of the ways I have changed my dramatic play is by creating a princess themed area. Using large

Mentor Teachers Lead the Way

pieces of cardboard to create walls, we drew a cave on one side and a castle on the other. We then added two princess themed prop boxes. One was the paper bag princess prop box that included the book and pillow cases that we ripped up and painted brown to look like the book. We also provided a Cinderella princess prop box that included large glittery dresses that you can get inexpensively at the thrift store, wands made out of paint stirrers from Home Depot, and the book Cinderella. We then encouraged the students to think about how the princesses were different, how they were alike, and how they both acted. The students really loved it! We used this when we were talking about fairy tales/nursery rhymes in the classroom. Lisa Darrow/The Sunshine House #159

Fishing Props I use are: actual kid-sized fishing poles (with hook removed); a tackle box filled with plastic worms, corks, bobbers, fishing lures (with hook removed); minnow bucket; cricket cages; life jackets; hats; and minnow nets. Also I put water in my sensory table and add live minnows allowing the children to catch and observe. It is so much fun! Try creating a boat using a large cardboard box. Binoculars, fishing magazines, camera, thermos bottles, gumboots/galoshes, sunglasses, lunch boxes, lake maps, fish pictures, fish puzzles, and a Go Fish game really add to the excitement of this area. Karen Carpenter/Children's Friend #17
Winter Wonderland A student favorite was creating a Winter Wonderland. We covered

the cupboards with white butcher paper (allowing all cabinets to still open for storage of Winter Wonderland props). Children tore strips of blue, purple, and white paper to create icicles. They hung the icicles on the "glaciers" (a.k.a. the furniture). To review previous lessons, we wore camouflage, provided art materials so children could create arctic animals and hang them in the area. We hung a mosquito net from the ceiling for displaying snowflakes children created. We placed various hats, gloves, mittens, scarves boots, earmuffs, etc. in the area.
Paper was used to create snowballs which children used for snowball fights. The snowball fights were their favorite, and they really liked getting dressed in the hats, mittens, and gloves! It was too funny! Jennifer Mazarky/Coralwood

www.decal.ga.gov