Posted by Teacher Ria in Teaching Resources, Toys and Playthings | 0 Comments

More Fun School Stuff From the Hardware!

Last August I wrote a post about toys and stuff from the hardware. In that post I listed several guidelines in choosing hardware materials that can be used as toys in the classroom. Just before the Christmas break ended, I found myself in the hardware again (this time for personal stuff in my room haha) then I found a whole bunch of new things to use for class. I particularly like going to the hardware stores in the mall, such as Ace Hardware or Handyman because they have a bigger array of things to choose from that are not as “raw” hardware materials as the ones in a real hardware.

Anyway, I went crazy buying those twist ties and plastic hooks. It used them to organize my wires behind the computer and all. For the classroom, its perfect for art activities! For example, we can use it to put together yarn for the hair of people figurines such as the one in this nativity scene (although this one has no hair since they have the veil):

Other things I liked in the hardware this time around:

• tubes like those for rubber hoses
• plastic containers of all different shapes and sizes
• S hooks
• clothes drying rack to display art work
• those small cutie door knobs

Oh I sooooo love the hardware. Go try it, it’s a great place to find stuff that are more affordable than real toys…but just as fun!!!

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Posted by Teacher Ria in Toys and Playthings | 0 Comments

Toy Feature: Pattern Blocks

One of my favorite preschool toys, next to playdough, are pattern blocks. I love how it gives the kids an endless realm of possibilities, as well as teaches them basic skills such as colors, shapes and one-to-one correspondence. I use this for all my classes, from toddlers to seniors, with just quick variations to cater to their blossoming cognitive skills and creativity.

My favorite way of using the blocks, of course, is just the free-flow do what you want kinda thing but every once in a while, I introduce “formal” learning through this. One example is having the kids work with a card with colored patterns drawn on it and letting them match it, just like this:

For older kids, I don’t color the cards or put lines any more

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Posted by Teacher Ria in Uncategorized | 0 Comments

Managing Grocery Store Tantrums and More

Okay…let me offer up a disclaimer before I go on with this post. Yes, I am not a mother and it may be easy for me to offer up these tips because I don’t have to deal with the whole parenting thing. However, I did raise my little brothers and I have dealt with enough children in the past twelve years to say these strategies have worked for me (yes, defensive much haha).

Anyway, one of the things that always gets me annoyed when I’m in the mall is when children throw those mega super duper over to the top tantrums. The one with the matching kicking and screaming and crying. What gets me more than the child’s behavior is often times the parents response. I have seen parents who grit their teeth and grab their kids to pull them away from prying eyes, I have seen those who spank so they stop, and even those who resort to bribery and threats so the kid stops.

Anyway, since I often used to take my brothers JJ and Eric to the mall, I had my share of those tantrums, especially with the latter. What often worked for me (and was more effective actually for JJ) were the following:

• Talking to them about limits to what they can choose in the toy store. I’d show them the money (example, a Php 100 bill) and tell them if the price tag of the item was lower than that, they could get the toy.
• In the grocery, I would avoid check out lines with kid-friendly point of purchase displays. You know how some check out lines have chocolates, candies and those kinds of things displayed there? Those were the ones I’d avoid. Often I’d pick the ones that had batteries, flashlights and things kids don’t like.
• Never threaten to leave them when they are upset. Some parents would say: if you don’t stop that I’ll leave you here or perhaps if you don’t stop the guards will get you. Trust me: all you do is aggravate the situation.
• Don’t give in to the tantrum because next time, it will happen again.

Those are things that I have managed to rely on with my brothers. Any other advice? Feel free to share

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Posted by Teacher Ria in Lesson Plans, Teaching Resources | 0 Comments

What Time Is It?

In class today, one of my little boys, Joshua, kept asking about “what do we do next, teacher?”. Every time I would answer him, he would follow this up with “but what time, Teacher?”. When I would give him a time, he would glance up at one of the wall clocks in our area (there are three of those large kitchen wall clocks visible from my table) and ask how I know that that was the time already.

Because of his interest in time, I decided to drop what I had plan and do an impromptu telling time lesson instead. One important thing I learned in my many years of teaching is that flexibility is key in making learning meaningful and memorable to children. Given the interest in time, we discussed how clocks tell us what time it is and how to read this correctly. We even made paper plate clocks so they could practice at home

For my class, I find that since they are able to follow skip counting by 5′s already, they can manage reading the minute hand in increments of fives, but for the younger kids, you can stop with “o’clock” and “thirty” depending where the long hand is pointing

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The 2011 Challenge

Now that I have less than 50 school days to go before I bid farewell to my preschool teaching career, I have decided to try my best to at least leave a little something behind for other preschool teachers to refer to in the future, or at least draw inspiration from. That was actually the goal of this blog when I first started it (the imparting of my experiences that is) but because I’ve been so busy, I don’t get to post as often as I’d like to.

But then, I have to take pause and recognize that I am not able to post not only because I’ve been so busy with work, but also I’ve been so busy with celebrating life’s great miracles (oh…and mysteries at times hehe!)…these include

• my best friends wedding
• another dear friends pregnancy
• yet another having twins
• welcoming new friends and opportunities
• touching base with friends from way back
• saying goodbye to people and things that no longer have a place in my life
• trying on new “hats” and “stilettos”

See…too many things going on. But now that my pending “retirement” is looming, I will try to make it a point to update this blog more often with relevant posts that will allow me to appreciate and honor my last few weeks as Teacher Ria. Expect toy/book reviews, recipes for classroom cooking activities, lesson plans and the like

♥,

Teacher Ria

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