{Checking Out} and Tracking Books to Read...

I always love to have a reading list of books I want to read and usually have quite the stack.  I find that in the summer I read more often, probably because I have more time.  Although I think I'm more of a book collector than reader...LOL!  

The notes pages in the back of my Erin Condren planner are perfect for tracking what books I WANT to read and what books I actually end up reading!  I used this hexagon section to track books I want to read.  

I used one of the lined notes pages to adhere this cute printable.  Here I keep track of the books I actually read.  I should be through more of them by now with all my extra time but somehow I'm not!  Oh well, I have ALL summer!

Here are some free printables if you are interested in creating a similar page...option 1, option 2 & option 3!

With our current pandemic circumstances how do you get the books you want to read or any books at all?  I don't like to buy every book I read.  I usually utilize the local library.  I know most libraries are currently closed but our local library is going to offer curbside pickup very soon!  They also have digital downloads available from their online catalog. 

You can also check your town for little libraries.  These are stand alone structures that usually look like giant bird houses...lol!  The idea is to take a book when you need one, but also to leave a book when you can.  We have one in our subdivision.  Plus there are several more in the neighboring town.  Not all little libraries are registered but you can try searching for some in your area here.

Some other ideas to get books are borrow from friends via porch drop offs and/or check Google and Amazon for free downloads. I also love checking the Dollar Tree. If you are venturing out, they sometimes have great titles for only a buck!

What's currently on your to read list?

Kites {Spring Unit}

Spring is definitely in the air here and we have been discussing all things spring in my preschool classroom.  One of our fun topics during this unit is kites!   Here are several ideas we've found to be fun and that the kids really enjoy.

make a kite...The kids get to color and then cut out a diamond shape.  We then attach a string and let them "fly" it around the room.  I like to hang them on the wall and display them for the length of the unit.  I think it is a good boost of self esteem for the kids to see their artwork displayed whether in the classroom or at home!

dot to dot kite...This printable is a simple 1-10 dot to dot that will help kids with number order, number recognition and simple line drawing.  We use this page as a wipe off.  Just place the printable in a clear, plastic sleeve and have kids use dry erase markers to complete the dot to dot.  Then simply wipe away and you are ready for the next student to try.

kite math game...I made this kite board for the kids to use by simple attaching small paper diamonds and a string to some poster board.  The kids must identify the number and then thread that many beads onto the corresponding string.

kite lacing activity...This Melissa & Doug shapes lacing set is a great for kids to practice fine motor skills and hand eye coordination.

kite puzzle...I made a simple kite puzzle by laying out some triangle blocks in the shape of a kite.  I then traced around each piece, creating a puzzle.  Now the kids can correctly place the triangles in the spaces to create a kite.

Check out these books to go along with the kite theme...

Stuck by Oliver Jeffers

Just a Kite by Mercer Mayer

Olivia and the Kite Party by Alex Harvey

Kite Day: A Bear and Mole Story by Will Hillenbrand

Biscuit Flies a Kite by Alyssa Satin Capucilli

{preschool} winter reads

One of the things my students look forward to each day are the stories I read at snack time!  The last few weeks we have been talking about winter.  Here are a few of our favorite winter themed books...

Little Penguin Gets the Hiccups by Tadgh Bentley.  This book is adorable!  Poor little penguin has a bad case of the hiccups and he tries everything to get rid of them.  I love that this book has a part where the kids can interact.  A must read!

Penguin on Vacation by Salina Yoon.  Penguin has had enough of the snow and ice, so he decides to head to the beach.  He meets a new friend that shows him what to do in the sand and sun.

Bear Snores On by Karma Wilson.  Bear is hibernating peacefully in his cave until his friends start coming in and having fun.  Does bear keep snoring or wake up?  I love all the fun Bear stories by Wilson.

Snowmen at Night by Caralyn Buehner.  This story makes you wonder if the snowmen we make really do stay put all night or not...lol!  We love talking about the snowmen and all the things they supposedly do when we are asleep!

There Was a Cold Lady Who Swallowed Some Snow by Lucille Colandro.  I love these old lady books.  Is there anything she can't swallow?!  In this story she swallows snow, a pipe, hat and more.  Do you think you know what cold surprise is at the end?

Under My Hat I Have a Hood by Karla Kuskin.  This is a cute, rhyming story about all the things we put on to keep us warm in the snow.

The Little Snowflake by Steve Metzger.  It is the dream of the little snowflake to fall from the sky and land somewhere he will end up incorporated into a beautiful snowman.  Will his dreams come true?!  Such a cute "little" story.

There are so many more wonderful winter themed books.  I would love to hear what your favorite winter preschool reads are.

Back to school books...

Getting ready to start school or even going back to school can stir up all kinds of emotions in children.  Reading books with your kids about beginning school, making friends, and being separated from loved ones is a wonderful opportunity to talk about their feelings.  There are so many books out there that cover these topics but here are a few of our favorites.  From funny, and even ridiculous to quite serious these books are wonderful resources to get your child's year off to a great start!

Llama Llama Misses Mama by Anna Dewdney...The Llama llama books are some of my favorites!  This adorable rhyming story discusses how young children might feel on the first few days of school.

Foxy by Emma Dodd...Dog's Colorful Day is a favorite of ours by Dodd so I was excited to read this cute story about starting school.  A magical fox grants some wishes and helps little Emily get ready for her first day of school.

Miss Bindergarten Gets Ready for Kindergarten by Joseph Slate...This book is cute as it shows both sides of getting ready for school; the teacher hurrying to get her room ready and the students as they prepare for their first day.

Kevin Goes to School by Liesbet Slegers..At first Kevin is unsure of school and doesn't want his mom to leave him, but soon he makes a new friend and begins to enjoy himself.

The Wheels on the School Bus by Mary-Alice Moore...Who doesn't love The Wheels on the Bus?!  The teachers get involved in this cute and unique take on the traditional song.

Off to First Grade by Louise Borden...Your child will be sure to find someone to identify with as the students in this story deal with the excitement, nerves and feelings of anticipation that go along with starting first grade.

The Kissing Hand by Audrey Penn...This heartwarming book is a children's classic that helps parents and children at times of separation.  Such a great read before starting school!

First Day Jitters by Julie Danneberg...Sarah Jane Hartwell is scared and doesn't want to start over at a new school.  She imagines the worst but in the end there is a surprise twist that makes for a delightful ending!

I Am Too Absolutely Small For School by Lauren Child...Charlie is the best big brother to Lola as he helps her realize that maybe she is ready for school after all.

Check out my other articles on back to school...
Getting ready for kindergarten
Dressed and ready
Teacher gifts
Homework area

Summer Reads

I don't know about you but I'm always looking for a good book to read.  Now, I'm not the quickest at finishing books because I don't always make time for it but I always like having a good book on hand.  My favorite time to read is summers by the pool!  So what better time to start getting a pile together.  Here are a few books from my 2015 to read list...

The Best Yes: Making Wise Decisions in the Midst of Endless Demands by Lysa Terkeurst...I LOVED this book!  Such thought provoking, wise and often funny writing.  My favorite quote from the book is "We must not confuse the command to love with the need to please."  

Big Little Lies by Liane Moriarty...This is a new to me author and I thoroughly enjoyed her writing style.  This story is a murder mystery that intertwines the lives of three women whose children have just started Kindergarten.  Such a page turner!  I loved it so much I couldn't wait to dive into another one of her books.  I'm currently reading...The Hypnotist Love Story by her.

Eleanor & Park by Rainbow Rowell...I have seen this author on many must read lists.  This particular book is a young adult novel about two misfits finding love in the most unexpected of places.  

Last One Home by Debbie Macomber...I love her Shop on Blossom Street series and have read a few stand alone novels by her.  This story sounds a little different from her normal style so we will see if it lives up to my expectations!  

Bread & Wine: A Love Letter to Life Around the Table by Shauna Niequest... The perfect read for those who love food and connecting with family and friends around the table.  Plus there are recipes included!

I'd love to hear what books you've been loving lately or are on your to read list! 

summer {reading}

After school ending, Little Bit breaking her arm, sister's baby shower, family vacation and then a garage sale, I can finally say things are calming down around here...lol!  Summer is here...which means it's time for some summer reading!  Our local library has a summer reading program each year.  Kids can read for prizes.  You have to read or be read to for so many minutes a day.  In Little Bits age level it is 15 minutes a day.  There are prizes you can earn after reading for X number of minutes.  We did this last year and she had a blast.  This year I thought I would add another twist to get Little Bit more into the reading time. 

I came across this pin about a summer reading incentive program and thought it looked like something Little Bit would enjoy.  There are printables that you can download and print after subscribing to HowDoesShe.  I printed the Bingo and the coupons, but made my own Reading Star banner.  The one in the download was just too big for where I was going to use it.  I just cut some pennants out of white cardstock...which I should have made more colorful!...and hung them up on our white board.  One just says {reading star}.  The others are to write names of books that we read together. 

Once I told Little Bit about the Bingo she couldn't wait to get started!  It has lots of different ideas of places, days, etc. to read.  For example: wearing a hat, sitting in your favorite chair, on a Monday or under a tree.  Once we complete an item from the Bingo card, we mark it off with a dot marker....just cause they are fun to use! 

 

Here she is reading in her bed.  This was the first space she got to mark off on her bingo card.  What we have been doing is the hubs or I read to her for 15 minutes, she looks for some words that she knows and then has time to browse the books on her own.  

Then once she completes a row she gets to select a prize coupon.  I wrote different "prizes" on the coupons for her to earn.  A few are: get a new book, go bowling, see a movie in the theater...then when she fills in the whole board the grand prize ticket is a trip to the water park.  This is an extra special treat because we didn't get season passes this year and she will have her cast off  in a few weeks and be sooooo ready to jump and play in the water! 

She is one away from earning her first prize already....can't wait to see what she picks!

quit {clowning} around...

A few weeks ago we had a couple weeks of fun with CIRCUS as our theme!  It was so fun using all the bright colors and things involved in a circus.  I know I'm not going to be able to share everything we did here but I'll give you a few highlights! 

We wanted to make our rooms more Circus-like, so one thing we had the kids do was cut lots and lots of triangles.  Then we hung them up all around the room for banners.  I also hung up some streamers and plastic table cloth to make a tent like focal point area.  Balloons were another fun element of the decor!

One of the first things we had the kids do was color acrobats.  Then we cut them out and hung them hanging from straws and yarn from the ceiling. 

We made these shape clowns, using a paper plate and foam shapes.  The kids cut out the large triangle for the hat.  We had them pick 2 shapes for eyes, a red pom pom for the nose and then 3 shapes to create a mouth.  My kiddos love to use dot markers, so we used those to add some hair and red cheeks.

 

We even had dress like a clown day!  I do love getting to dress up fun and playful...and the kids had a great time with this!

We talked about animals in the circus....one being elephants.  This elephant headband was super easy to make and oh so cute!  Little Bit was in my class this day so she proudly modeled her headband for me!

Blogger rotated this pic...ugh!  I made this fun circus sensory bin for the kids to play with.  I included some bright colored pom poms, pipe cleaner rings to jump through, animals and a little boy eating ice cream!

This was a color matching activity.  The kids were to use the tweezers to pick up a pom pom and then place it on the correct clown nose. 

Other activities...
We used packing peanuts and dropped them into buckets.
Acted out a circus...each kid got to pick what character, animal, they would be in a circus and then acted like them.
Sang some fun circus themed songs.

We enjoyed some fun circus snacks too!  We tried cotton candy and circus peanuts.  Also, I made up this circus snack mix that the kids really enjoyed.  I used this idea on Pinterest as my inspiration and went with what I had on hand.  We are peanut free so I couldn't add those and we can't have popcorn with the 3 year olds so this is what I included...

Circus Snack Mix
clown hats...bugles
tight ropes...pretzel sticks
hoops...fruit loops
animals...frosted animal crackers
clown noses...red m&ms

I used about 1 cup of each...and had plenty for 12 kids with some leftover.

Circus Books...
C is for Clown by Stan & Jan Berenstain
The Circus Comes to Town
You See a Circus, I See... by Mike Downs
Tightrope Poppy the High Wire Pig by Sudipta Bardhan-Quallen

fun with {castles}

I asked Little Bit for a list of topics she wanted to read books about this summer and this is what she came up with....castles, princesses, butterflies, flowers, unicorns, rainbows.  All of which are very fun and girly!  ;)   I'm also going to throw in some general summer themed books as well. 

So we started off with castles.  Here are the books we checked out from the library...

The Princess and the Pig by Heather Amery

The Girl in the Castle Inside the Museum by Kate Bernheimer

Over at the Castle by Boni Ashburn

We Just Moved! by Stephen Krensky

She loved all these books very much...especially the first 2 listed.  We Just Moved was fun since we are going to be moving soon!

We also did a few activities...

castle building {we used our wooden blocks to build castles for the little princesses}

shape castle {used this idea from pinterest and gave Little Bit some shapes to create her own castle.  She ended up cutting more shapes to add and used some buttons.}

castle coloring page

castle maze

What fun books/themes do you have planned with your kids for the summer?  We are gearing up for our local library's summer reading program too.  Be sure and check to see if your local library has one you can get your kids involved in! 

Easter reads...

Here are a few Easter books we have been enjoying this week...

There was an old lady who swallowed a chick by Lucille Colandro

Happy easter, mouse! by Laura Numeroff and Felicia Bond

Easter at grandma's by Emily Bolam

Splat the cat: where's the easter bunny? by Rob Scotton

Fancy nancy's elegant easter by Jane O'Connor

I printed off some Easter coloring pages for Little Bit and we also made a bunny mask!

For the mask I just cut a paper plate in half, cut out eye holes and attached some ears. Then let Little Bit color and decorate it! After she was done, she was hopping around like a cute little bunny!

Then I hid eggs around the basement for her to find. Think we did this about 4 or 5 times! She has done 3 egg hunts around town and we are off to visit family so more hunts will be in the near future! Hope you all have a wonderful Easter!

{paper} polly...

We recently checked out Polly's Pink Pajamas by Vivian French from our local library. I just love when you can judge a book by it's cover...this one looked cute and the story turned out to be too!
It is about a little girl who loves her pink pajamas so much that she wears them all the time. But when she gets invited to a friends party she realizes she doesn't have any party clothes to wear. She goes around to several different friends borrowing articles of clothing, trying to find an outfit for the party. Everything she gets is either too big or too small and so she is sad....until she finds out the party is actually a pajama party!

Little Bit loved the story! So we decided to make an activity out of it....who doesn't love paper dolls?! ;)

I found a printable paper doll template and got to cutting! We tried to match the clothes in the book as best as possible. Here is Polly all decked out in her borrowed clothes.

Here she is in her pink pajamas! ;)

Little Bit had fun coloring the face on Polly and helping pick out the papers for her clothes. She is loving dressing her up!

fun with {squares}

We just loved the book My Heart is Like a Zoo by Michael Hall....so when I saw he had a new book we requested it from the library straight away...

It is called Perfect Square and it is perfectly delightful! ;)

It is about a square who is just happy being a square but then gets cut, ripped, crumpled and holes poked in. It journeys through a week and shows what he is turned into each day. We decided to recreate 2 of our favorites from the book...

I gave Little Bit a square of yellow paper and let her rip it into pieces. Then I drew some stems on a white piece of paper and she glued the scraps of yellow on the stems to make flowers.

For this one Little Bit wadded up a square of purple paper then flattened it back out. I helped her rip it in half and then she glued it together to make a mountain. Then we each drew some clouds in the sky.

She really enjoyed the book and these projects!

FREE {organized simplicity} & 2012 book list...

One of my goals for 2012 is to read more! Those who know me personally, know that before I had Little Bit I worked at the local library for 6 years! I love books but I just don't make enough time to read. It would take me months to get through a book. Well I have a long list of books fiction and nonfiction that I would like to read so I decided to make reading more of a priority this year. I have been setting aside time most nights to read before going to bed. Here a few of the books on my list...

A Turn in the Road {currently reading}

The Help

The Best of Me

David: Seeking a Heart Like His {currently reading}

Grace for the Good Girl

One Thousand Gifts

Organized Simplicity {You can get a free Kindle Edition on Amazon.com right now! Don't have a Kindle, don't worry. I have the Kindle app on my phone and that's how I read the electronic books I get for free. There is also a PC version you can download.}


The Perfectly Imperfect Home

We will see how far I get with this list and if anything else gets added to it! I for sure know there will be more decorating books added to this list once we get into our new house!

What are you reading or hope to read this year?