Interested in a giveaway?

I'm finally getting ready for a giveaway! Stayed tuned for Saturday, November 22 for my "Thankful for PreK" post! Are you a prek or kindergarten blogger who would to participate? Leave a comment or email me at yayforprek@yahoo.com and I'll send you the details!

Tricks and Treats Blog Hop: Painting in PreK!

I'm participating in a fun blog hop to welcome in October, thanks to Mrs. Plemons' Kindergarten!  Check it out this weekend for great teacher "tricks" that will make your life easier and a "treat" from each blog!  I'm sharing a trick I just recently starting using in my class...and I'm not sure why I haven't been doing this all along!  This is a simple idea, but I often forget about it every time we begin a new theme.

My kids love to paint during our center time, I normally supply them with large paper, paintbrushes, a few jars of paint, and let the creativity fly.  Lately I've been reading lots of posts on directed drawings...an interesting idea but not age appropriate for all of my students (yet).  I decided to start simple, with directed painting!

Let's paint an apple! Sitting down with the kids and painting this apple step-by-step made a huge difference, compared with just displaying  a picture of an apple in my painting center.  I'll definitely allow the kids to paint freely from time to time, but they have such a sense of pride in their pictures when I give them a little direction. Check out these apples...

This little guy was having some fun!  

I'm loving these paintings, not bad for pre-kindergarteners in September! I guessing that the "Art Center" will be probably popular this year!  I hope that you're able to use this trick in your classroom, and here's a little treat for you, too!

Check out this FREE Apple ABC Pocket Chart Game in my TpT store.  My students love to "hide the worm" behind the letters, then take turns identifying the letters to find the worm!  We play this game together as a group, and then add it to our literacy center for independent and partner play. I hope that you can use this game in your classroom.  Enjoy hopping through for more tricks and treats!

An InLinkz Link-up

JellyBeadz - Sensory Table Fun!

Have you seen JellyBeadz yet?  They are so cool!  I ordered some from Amazon last week and played with them at home with my four year old.  I'm planning on bringing some to school soon for the sensory table, I think that my students will love them!

They start out really small, a little bit goes a long way!  We put a few tablespoons in a large, clear, plastic tub filled with water.

We got out the squirters to help them along!  They're slowly absorbing the water and getting bigger!

Then your little brother notices what's going on and joins in! 

Pretty soon your big sister gets off the bus and plays for a little bit.  Then she remembers that a friend at school gave her a lollipop, so she runs up to her room to hide and eat it in peace. 

Time for the potato masher, they're getting even bigger now!

Pushing through the potato masher is fun, we scooped them up and counted for a long time!

By the end of the night, the JellyBeadz were the size of marble!  We've been playing with the same batch for about a week, and they're still in excellent shape.  Have you used JellyBeadz in your classroom?  I'll love to hear some ideas!   

500 followers on Facebook!

Follow me on Facebook!

I'm soooooo close to 500 followers on my Facebook page! Thanks for all of your support! I'm planning a celebratory giveaway...stayed tuned!

Back to School Sale and my new bundle!

Is it sad be be so excited about a TpT sale? Teachers, I'm sure you understand! I hope that you're grabbing some great products to help this school year. I just posted a bundle that I use all the time in my classroom! I created my "I can learn the alphabet" and "I can learn the numbers" books a few years ago and I love them! I copy and bind these in September and then I have my workbooks ready for the whole school year. These sheets are the perfect complement to your hands on lessons, the students can spend a few minutes working on letter and number formation after your fun games, songs, stories, and art projects.  I like to date the sheets and then use them to show progress at parent meetings.  Grab this bundle today or tomorrow for less than $4.00 and you're ready to print and go!

Find it here

"What's your GNOME?" Handwriting Freebie

I just uploaded a name writing freebie to TpT, "What's your GNOME?" These gnomes are so cute, I had to use them in my classroom this year!  This freebie includes nameplates (lined and unlined) and a few versions of a handwriting worksheet.  Write each child's name in the top box of the worksheet, make several sets of copies, and allow your kids to practice writing their name underneath!  I love providing my PreK students with this model, kids can write their name five times or once a day for a week! You can grab your freebie here!

Don't forget to enter my giveaway for the new MADE pattern, "First Day Dress and Top"! Scroll down for the Rafflecopter!

Sewing for my classroom and MADE pattern giveaway!

      Now that school is over, I'm ready to relax and have some free time to spend on some of my interests...reading, gardening, sewing, and drinking iced coffee! I actually really like to sew, but don't have too much time to dedicate to it. So, when Dana from MADE asked for some volunteers to test out a new dress pattern for her, I figured it was a great opportunity for me to kick start my summer sewing goals. Have you read MADE? You really should! It was one of the first blogs I started reading, I was so drawn to her style and fun color choices. 

I make these bats for my house every year!

I want to make these for my next party or to use in  my classroom!

I love the projects she makes for her kids' school!

 
I made the dress and it turned out so cute!  Dana's patterns are user friendly with lots of pictures, perfect for beginners!  She even has tutorials on her YouTube page that are sooooo easy to follow!

Check out the pattern on MADE!

 Now that I'm back in my sewing groove, I'm ready to start some projects for my classroom!  My goal is to switch things up a little bit this year with some fun patterns and bright colors.  I'll be working on a new reading bench, curtains, storage covers, and pillows!  Here's a sneak peak...

Photos and fabric from the Online Fabric Store!

Do you have any summer sewing plans?  For your classroom or home? Dana has generously offered to give away two copies of her new pattern "First Day Dress and Top"!  Enter below and good luck!

a Rafflecopter giveaway