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PS – I have a new give away coming up!! Be watching…
Earlier this spring, I posted about my morning work schedule. I constantly am changing my schedule to make everything fit! As the kiddos start to be able to listen longer, work longer, and so on, my schedule changes to meet their needs. One thing I always struggle with is having enough time to fit it all in!
One thing that I have noticed from many other schedules that other bloggers have posted is that there is no rest time or free play time. We are lucky enough that our district has not told us to let those important times in a 5 year olds day go! I know that if I eliminated these times in the day, I would have more time to fit things in, but I’m just not ready to let them go! (And I don’t think my little babies are ready either!)
So, I allow for 25 minutes of rest time in my schedule (this time evolves into quiet reading, dictation, additional writing, etc. as the children mature – but it is always dark in the room with quiet music!), and an additional 30-40 minutes of free play at the end of the day. The free play is just that – free play! I have a separate time for literacy and math centers. Sometimes, I will pull small groups to do art projects or other activities (as well as individual assessments). I also have about 25 minutes for recess. Throughout the day we have lots of songs and dancing too!
I am wondering --- what does your schedule look like? How do you fit it all in?
Here is a sample of my schedule/lesson plans from the beginning of the year:
(Yes, I know, my plans are detailed – I have to do it that way otherwise I forget!!)
{Click HERE if you would like to download them}
And, from the end of the year: (As you can see, both rest time and play time have shortened –“to get ready for first grade!”)
{Click HERE to download}
With all that said, I would LOVE LOVE LOVE to see your daily schedules and hear about how you fit everything in! Do you have a play time and rest time? Did your district require you to cut those times out?
Link up with me and share your schedule! (Be sure to grab my button for your post!)
Do you do portfolios for your kiddos? Man, they are a lot of work, but they are SO worth it in the end!
Every year, I invite the children’s families in for our “Celebration of Learning.” The children sing some songs that we sang throughout the year, sometimes we show them our calendar time and look through their art portfolios. This year we sang, Will.I.Am’s What I Am. Have you heard that song? Oh my. I had to stop singing with the kids many times to hold back the tears!! I was so amazed and proud of who they had become and all of their accomplishments!
I take a lot of pictures throughout the year, and I always do a slide show of the kids. I made a DVD for each one of them to bring home as well. Being on an Air Force Base, many of my students leave after being at our school for only 1 or 2 years. This year, I had to say good-bye to at least 5 of my kiddos. Sad 
On to their portfolios the most important part of the day! Throughout the year, I collect samples of work: monthly calendar pages, number writing, letter writing, self-portraits, and of course, writing samples. I also stuff in (literally!) any other special books or activities that we do throughout the year. I managed to snap a few photos of some of their work:
I have put together some of my favorite pieces to put in their portfolios each month. If you are interested, you can check it out here. {Note, the sheets shown in the pictures are not the same as in the pack, the ones in the pack are much cuter! 
I LOVE seeing the growth in their self-portraits throughout the year! So fun! (Notice the high heels and eye shadow in the last picture – love the details!)
This little lady came in knowing NO letters or sounds and just a few numbers. She left Kindergarten reading above the first grade benchmark! Wowza!
How do you celebrate success in your classroom?
Here is the Will.I.Am video – LOVE IT!
I apologize for the lack of posting lately! I promise I will catch up on everything that I have not blogged about over the past couple of months: Easter printables, Plants/Seeds, Butterflies, Zoo and everything in between. We finished school last Thursday (Friday was clerical) and I just need to spend some time doing nothing. This year has been exhausting for me and May is always a difficult month for me working through the anniversary of the death of my daughter as well as her birthday. On top of everything, I am dealing with some medical issues and just need some time to take care of myself.
The last day in my classroom I spent cleaning, organizing and rearranging. I wanted to try out new furniture placements before I left for the summer otherwise I would be thinking about it all summer. (Does anyone else do this?!) Unfortunately, this is the year for “deep cleaning” of my wing so EVERYTHING on the walls had to come down. The take-down is the easy part – it will take at least a day to put it all back up – in the stifling August heat in a building with no air conditioning…I’m sweating just thinking about it! So for now, this is the arrangement for next year. We’ll see how many new floor plans I can dream up!
I am looking forward to having the summer off – to not worry about classes, reading what I WANT to read, and just enjoying time with my family! I plan on attending the Minnesota Early Childhood/Kindergarten conference in May, and then shortly after that hop on a plan for our annual trip to Norway.
For all of you that are still in school – the end is near! Here is a fun little book that I like to do with my kids at the end of the year. The original packet came from Green Gables Kindergarten and I have modified it ever-so-slightly! (Click on the picture to download – be sure to leave a comment if you download!)
Happy Summer!
PS – I am afraid I have to admit as I was looking at the pictures of my classroom, I have thought of another idea for furniture placement! Ahh…the curse has begun!
Check out this adorable new video from Softsoap! What a fun and catchy way to help children remember to wash their hands. I know I will definitely be using this adorable video next year when we start school!
Eight more days of this school year. Phew. I am R.E.A.D.Y.!
I finally can cross this off of my list:
And now I have to do this:
I have a whole slew of things to post, but I have just been exhausted lately! I just finished up putting the final touches on my kiddos’ portfolios and CAN NOT WAIT for our Celebration of Learning next week! Which reminds me that I have to get going on the slide show…
There’s never enough time….
Have a great week everyone!
The last two weeks have been a whirlwind for me! After I finished this beast: (all 80 pages of it)
I started having visions of sugarplums dancing in my head…these are my sugarplums:
It’s recital week. That means rehearsals, hair, bobby pins, tights, shoes….AND it’s my daughter’s 9th birthday tomorrow!
{LOVE these girls!}
So, in all of this craziness, I realize that I had forgotten to post May calendar songs! Without further ado…
The first song is my “fancied up” version from Kim Adsit’s Calendar Pack. She has a song for every month! If you want to get started with calendar book, you really should pick up her resource – she has got everything you need to get started and keep adding to your calendar book throughout the year! The second song is from Jessica Meacham’s site.
P.S. Tomorrow is FRIDAY!
As always, leave me a comment if you download – comment love makes the blogging world go ‘round!
We drew pictures of what we did in the morning (day) and what we did at night. Here’s how this conversation went:
Me: “Tell me what you do during the day.”
Kinder: “I get dressed.”
Me: “Okay. Why don’t you have any clothes on?”
Kinder: “You have to be naked to get dressed!”
Made me smile
I laughed out loud at this one….."not tooting gas….” he he!
It’s nice to have those little laughs when the stress of this starts to take hold:
Anyone else working on benchmarking right now? When those are done, it’s on to end of year assessments…
We drew pictures of what we did in the morning (day) and what we did at night. Here’s how this conversation went:
Me: “Tell me what you do during the day.”
Kinder: “I get dressed.”
Me: “Okay. Why don’t you have any clothes on?”
Kinder: “You have to be naked to get dressed!”
Made me smile
I laughed out loud at this one….."not tooting gas….” he he!
It’s nice to have those little laughs when the stress of this starts to take hold:
Anyone else working on benchmarking right now? When those are done, it’s on to end of year assessments…
So, I know there have been server issues on TpT tonight, so I’m extending my sale through tomorrow! I hope to stock up on some of the things that I wasn’t able to purchase tonight too!
I am done. Finished. Finito. Ferdig. (That’s Norwegian)
I have been working tirelessly (well, I am a bit tired) on my final project and presentation all day today.
Wanna see my Prezi? That’s my presentation for tomorrow. I will present my final project for my adviser and other members of the Education department tomorrow. Wish me luck!
I know you just can’t get enough of our ND weather. Seriously? Snow? Again? This is the 7th (yes, SEVENTH) consecutive month of snow here. Fingers crossed that it will be gone by tomorrow.
I’m putting the final touches on my grad paper today, plus my presentation tomorrow AND one more paper to write for another class. I hope to be back later today with some posts, downloads, and a big SALE!
Isn’t this adorable?! We will totally be making these next week!
I found it on Skip to My Lou
Hint: Use hot glue and not the sticker on the back of the magnet tape! Hot glue will hold much better!!
Click {here} for labels for the back of your flower!
I left a space at the bottom for the child to write his/her name.
Sorry, this isn’t a teaching post, but it is about a cause that is near and dear to my heart. Today is National SIDS Awareness Day, and I wanted to share my store with you on how SIDS has affected my life. Five years ago, on May 15, I received the worst phone call that a mother could ever get. I was teaching and my daycare provider called me and told me that my daughter, Nora, was not breathing. The doctors were unable to resuscitate her. On the day she died, I was planning on buying birthday invitations because her birthday was only 10 days away. Instead, I found myself making funeral arrangements the next day.
The coroner’s cause of death was SIDS (Sudden Infant Death Syndrome). Which is a diagnosis of exclusion. There were no other factors in her death, and they could not determine how or why she died. She simply went to sleep for her morning nap, and never woke up.
There is mounting evidence that suggests many SIDS babies are born with brain abnormalities that make them vulnerable to sudden death during infancy. Studies of SIDS victims reveal abnormalities in the “arcuate nucleus,” a portion of the brain that controls most of the baby’s major bodily functions such as heart rate, breathing, temperature and the ability to wake from sleep. This abnormality makes babies unable to cope with challenges in their environment that a healthy baby would be able to overcome. These challenges include tummy sleeping, bed sharing, use of soft bedding, overheating and tobacco exposure. (www.firstcandle.org)
I didn’t think it was possible for a nearly one year old to succumb to SIDS. I have since educated myself on SIDS, and this is the reason for my post.
It is not my intention for you to feel sorry for me or to make you feel scared or worried about your own children. I just want you to educate yourself. Current research has shown that there is absolutely nothing we can do to prevent SIDS.
There isn’t a day that goes by that I don’t think about Nora. The loss of a child is something that no parent should ever go through. It is my hopes that in educating you about SIDS, you will take the time to hug and kiss your children every day, because life does change in a blink of an eye.
If you or someone you know has lost a child, and want to talk, I am always there to listen. There is a first-of-its-kind book that is in the final stages of printing in which I have shared the story of Nora’s death and the path that I have taken to heal. I am not completely healed yet, and I don’t think I will ever be. The e-book is available for purchase here: (click on the picture)
The paper version of the book will soon be available for purchase. I will keep you updated on the status.
Thank you for letting me share my story and my Nora with you.
Is there anything parents can do to prevent SIDS/SUID?
Currently there is no way to predict which newborns will die from SIDS and no way to prevent it in all cases. However, there are lifesaving steps parents and caregivers can take to help protect their baby from SIDS, suffocation and accidents during sleep:
Never use wedges or positioners to prop your sleeping baby up or keep him on his back. These devices have not been tested for safety and have not been shown to be effective at keeping babies on their backs. These devices are particularly dangerous when your baby starts wiggling around during sleep.
It is important to note that bed sharing has not been found to be protective against SIDS, in fact current research indicates that bed sharing increases a baby’s risk to die by as much as 40 times. Research does, however, suggest that room sharing is protective against SIDS. Keep your baby next to where you sleep in her own separate space for at least the first six months. This provides greater safety for the baby and makes it easier to breastfeed and share closeness with your baby.
While the exact safety mechanism is not yet known, there are many possibilities for this finding. One is that the presence of a pacifier in the mouth may discourage babies from turning over onto their stomach during sleep. Because moving or turning may dislodge the pacifier, it may encourage babies to stay on their backs. Another is that the pacifier and/or sucking reflex helps keep the tongue positioned forward, keeping the airways open. Pacifier use can also help quiet a restless infant who might otherwise move more aggressively around the crib. Because pacifiers stimulate the upper airway muscles and saliva production, it is felt that pacifier use may keep babies from falling into a deep sleep, which is protective against SIDS. Regular pacifier use is protective against SIDS even if the pacifier falls out of the baby’s mouth when he or she falls asleep.
Data analyzed by scientists at the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences suggest that breastfeeding can reduce the risk of death for infants in their first year of life. Looking at infants between 28 days and one year of age, researchers concluded that promoting breastfeeding could potentially prevent up to 720 post-neonatal deaths in the U.S. each year. Researchers compared CDC records of 1,204 children who died between 28 days and one year of causes other than congenital anomalies or cancer with those of 7,740 children still alive at one year.
Source: First Candle
