Addition Doubles 0-5 Finger Chant

We have been working on addition and subtraction for a long time now, but these are the first FACTS that we've attempted to begin memorization.

The children helped me come up with this little finger play chant for our 0-5 addition doubles. After just a couple of days they had them down.

Zero plus zero equals zero I know.

One plus one equals two it's true!

Two plus two equals four no more.

Three plus three equals six such tricks!

Four plus four equals eight that's GREAT!

Five plus five equals ten let's do it again...

We hold up the number on each hand then bring them together for the equation and then we have a movement that goes with the last part.

...I know. - point to head

...it's true! - say it convincingly and nod your head

...no more. - wave hands across one another in front of you

...such tricks! - spiral motion with first fingers going up and out

...that's GREAT! - say it loud and raise arms into air

...do it again... - make a rolling motion with hands

We are also working on negation, a number minus itself equals zero. They got that concept down very quick.

tags: math, maths, mathematics, numbers, counting, addition, facts, memorization, doubles, finger, finger play, fingerplay, chant, kindergarten, preschool, fun, education, teaching, homeschooling

Foiling Toddler Bin Dumping

While this is a place of PLAY, with few rules and where the children are encouraged to experiment and be inventive, when that curiosity leads to toys a foot deep and necessary items being damaged, then it needs to be controlled.

Once the children reach the preschool stage, then these measures are not necessary. 

Toddlers though...[sigh!]

they are DESTRUCTIVE!

Our toy bins are most often used as:

trains, planes and automobiles...

hats...

or jumping and climbing platforms.

Which unfortunately ruins them...

While these are all worthy activities, there are items SPECIFICALLY in our environment to facilitate these, and we have loose parts play all over outside. SO...

since we can't just put everything out of reach...

BIN UNIT

Initially I tried screwing the bins into the wooden dowels, but the dowels split, and the screws popped through if pulled upon with enough force. 

SO...plan B, which seems to be working wonderfully.

I marked the bins of our main unit  in the middle,

about a 1/2 inch higher and lower than the bar they rest upon,

drilled holes with my largest drill bit

And threaded zip ties through them, attaching at the bottom and cutting off with my wire nippers.

SHELVING BINS

For the shelving bins, I found these plastic baskets at the dollar store, thinking that the children wouldn't be able to stand on them, so they would hold up better. They do. However, this does not keep them from bin dumping them and using them as hats. 

So I again used zip ties, through a screwed in eyelet. The children can easily swing the baskets out to get to their toys, but they can't take off with them. 

They still get the toys all out, but now they have to do it one item at a time, not just up-ending it all at once. Additionally, since they can't take off with them, there is little incentive to remove all the toys unless they are actually PLAYING with them.

I left these ties long so that I can adjust them or remove the bins if needed, without wasting zip ties.

For the large dress up bin, 

I did screw it in, using good sized washers and wood screws to ensure that the plastic wouldn't rip out.

  

The children still climb in there, but it's a tight fit with the shelf above and they don't do it very often.

SHELVING

I have also found that I have to screw in shelves, because they will clear the shelves [dumping] to remove them from off the brackets to be used as bridges and the shelving unit used as a play house. The peg brackets, unfortunately, are also choking hazards, so it's important that the children can't get to them and remove them. 

I find it easiest to place the shelf in and mark the top and bottom, remove the shelf and pre-drill through the middle of the lines,

then screw in from the outside. This ensures that you hit the middle of the shelf and won't have screw ends poking out or possibly splitting the board.

While it would be idyllic if children would simply play with their toys, I like that my students are smart and inquisitive enough that I need to batten everything down or they WILL deconstruct and invent with anything and everything possible. 

It makes them much more interesting to teach.

Tags: toddler, bins, toys, play room, play, playroom, shelving, storage, daycare, child, care, childcare, preschool, homeschooling, parenting, bedroom, 

Ordinal Count Lesson

I try to work on ordinal counting environmentally, "Who's first? Who's second? Which is [Miss L]?" when standing in line for washing hands, lining up for red rover, etc. 

When playing, I'll say hand me the third block from your left or ask what is the color of the second block.

For younger learners, I still try to maintain left-right convention if the child is still working that concept. For older children, we will expand and show that ordinal count can go either way, or up and down, depending on which side is considered the starting point.

For the little ones, I will line up three items and sing, while helping/having them touch each item when appropriate [working left/right convention, so if you are sitting across from them, go your right/left with their hand(s)]:

First, second, third,
First, second, third,
They are in a line
They go first, second, third.

I also line up the little ones in a line and sing it while touching each of them as I sing, replacing their actual names within the song:

[Miss L], [Miss H], [Miss N]
[Miss L], [Miss H], [Miss N]
Are all in a line,
They are first, second, third.

Here, I am saying FIRST, SECOND, THIRD and they are giving me five as I go through the line, then we will change positions and do the same thing. 

For the preschoolers, for the activity today, we lined up 10 food items from the dramatic play area onto our chalkboard table. I asked them to ordinal count the items. I was thinking and not being present yet in the lesson. So of course, they start rote counting. I shake my head and before I can get out an explanation, they started rote counting in Spanish. I started laughing. "Noooo, ORDINAL COUNT is when we do FIRST, SECOND, THIRD."

I could see their confusion clear and they methodically went down the line with no problem.

Then we played, mixing it up. They were allowed to touch, pick up, and move around the objects as we proceeded. We did about 6-8 questions per round.

1st round: Questions such as: 
"[Miss A], can you tell me what item is third?"

2nd round: Questions such as: 
"[Miss H], can you pick an item and tell me what is it's ordinal place?"

3rd round: Questions such as: 
"[Mr. G], can you tell me if the fifth item is a fruit, vegetable, protein or grain?"

Then I added the chalk labels and we did a rapid fire tell me an item and its ordinal position. They all talked over one another, which is always fun, and LOUD.

4th round: Questions such as: 
"[Miss A], which item is to the LEFT of the 7th one?...So what ordinal position is [item]?"
"[Mr. G], which item is second after the banana?...Which ordinal position is it in the WHOLE ROW?"
Tags: math, mathematics, early, ordinal, count, counting, preschool, pre-k, homeschool, toddler, child, care, daycare, teaching, kindergarten

Sweet Chili

I have NEVER found a person who didn't like this meal!

It is a fall & winter favorite of my children, my students, and potluck dinners.

Serve with cornbread.

This was a regular dish at our house growing up, but my mother made it with a can each of butter beans [yuck! to me], pork n beans, and kidney beans. 

I changed it up to my liking, and made some alterations that enable me to throw it together in 15 minutes, 5 minutes with pre-cooked meat for the children. 

It IS better if cooked in the traditional manner and in a crock pot over night to let the flavors meld. I make it this way for fall get-togethers.

SWEET CHILI - quick
30 oz can pork-n-beans
15 oz can black beans
1 pound ground turkey or hamburger, browned
1/2 cup ketchup
1 tablespoon mustard
1/4 cup brown sugar
1 teaspoon onion powder 
1/4 cup real bacon bits [optional]

Combine, heat and serve.

SWEET CHILI - slow
30 oz can pork-n-beans
15 oz can black beans
1 pound ground turkey or hamburger, browned
1/2 cup ketchup
1 tablespoon mustard
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup onion, minced 
3 strips bacon, diced  

Place in crock pot overnight on low.
Tags: recipe, meal, quick, 15 minute, crock pot, crockpot, chili, sweet, sweet chili, beans, hamburger, nutritious, easy, party, fall, tailgate, football, cookout, child care, daycare, dinner, supper, lunch, cooking, one pot, 1 pot

What Children Learn in the Garden

Gross Motor 

• Hauling dirt, compost, mulch
• Digging 
• Moving plants 
• Weeding
• Picking produce 

Health Knowledge

• Good/not-so-good foods 
• Need for exercise 
• Clean air 
• Clean environment 
• Clean hands & bodies
• Bacteria in the environment 

Nutrition 

• Nutritional value of different foods 
• Which foods are good for what parts of your body

Here's what I came up with in about 10 minutes last night. 

LIFE

Environmental Stewardship: 

• We need to keep our water and soils clean
• Some plants may not be around if we don't collect and plant their seeds
• We need the insects 
• We have to be careful with chemicals so that bugs, plants and people won't be hurt
• How to keep animals out of the garden without hurting them
• The natural world is important to protect

Farming/Gardening Skills:

• How to germinate seeds
• How to plant, weed, cultivate, amend soil, crop rotation, etc.
• How to collect and store seeds
• Companion planting
• Pest control
• Different plant needs

Self Reliance:

• Ability to provide food and natural products for yourself and others

SCIENCE

Biology

• Life cycle of plants, animals and insects
• What lives in the soil
• Decomposition
• Biomes

Botany

• Plant physiology
• Common and scientific plant names
• Pollination
• Plant classifications

Environmental Science

• Composting
• Reduce, reuse, recycle
• Environmental awareness

Entemology

• Insect identification
• Insect anatomy
• Pests vs helpers
• Bug/insect classifications

Meterology

• Weather
• Weather patterns
• Cloud formations
• Temperature, rainfall and wind assessments

Scientific Method

• Predicting - What will happen if we give this one extra water?
• Discussing - Why do you think that is? What if we give it too MUCH water?
• Experimenting 
• Discussing results
• Comparison to other experiments - Did the water make more of a difference or less of a difference than adding compost?

Math

• Comparison of size, shape, color, height, weight, growth, etc.
• Classification of plants, insects, animals, seeds, produce, etc.
• Counting seeds, plants, rows, produce, rainfall amounts, etc.
• Economics of how much we save by growing our own food and why - shipping, labor, etc.
• Estimation of how much items weigh, how much water they need, how much rainfall we had, etc.
• Equations - If we have 4 blueberry plants on this side, and 4 blueberry plants on that side, how many do we have in all? If we have 4 rows of 4 bush beans, how many do we have in all?
• Graphing of temperature, rainfall, plant growth, weekly circumfrence growth of  a pumpkin, etc.
• Measurement of rainfall, shadows, height, weight, circumference, pounds of produce, etc.
• Geometry - shapes in the garden, building boxes, paths, etc. 
• Statistics - Did we get more or less beans than peas? Was it a LOT more, or a little more? If they took up the same amount of space, which one is the better producer? Which one should we plant more of next year? - YES, the one we LIKE THE MOST!
• Time - tracking the sun across the garden, seasons, planning, plant growth, cycles
• Tracking growth, production, chores

PHYSICAL

Fine Motor  

• Planting seeds and plants 
• Weeding 
• Picking produce 
• Collecting seed 
• Picking up bugs

Observation 

• Awareness of even the smallest element in the environment

Sensory 

• Seeing butterflies, bees, colors, shadows, sunbeams, changing shapes
• Feeling the wind, the many plant textures, soil vs. clay
• Hearing the birds, insects, leaves rustling in the wind, mulch crunching with each step
• Tasting the many flavors of herbs and produce
• Smelling the herbs, soil, flowers, produce

LANGUAGE ARTS

Narration

• Talking about their observations, ideas, experiments
• Educating and advising the younger children
• Discussing and negotiating about chores and responsibilities
• Asking questions, explaining to others

Reading

• Plant markers
• Seed packets
• Graphs, charts, instructions

Vocabulary

• Plant names & parts
• Insect names & parts
• Gardening terminology
• Discussion vocabulary

Writing

• In the dirt with sticks
• Drawing pictures of plants, insects, animals, ideas
• Plotting out the garden
• Observations, graphs, notations

SOCIAL

Negotiation

• What to plant
• Where to plant
• What to harvest for lunch
• What to do with what we harvest
• Who gets to do what when

Patience

• Waiting for seeds to germinate
• Waiting for plants to grow
• Waiting for produce to mature
• Waiting for our turn

Responsibility

• The garden must be watered
• The weeds must be pulled
• The produce must be collected
• The seeds must be collected

Team Work

• Working with others to plant, harvest and care for the garden

Work Ethic

• Doing your job, even if it isn't the job you wanted
• Working with your group, even if you would rather go play
• Handling your responsibilities with a good attitude

ART

Crafts

• Crafts for the garden - stepping stones, signs, totems, sculpture
• Crafts from materials collected from the garden
• Painting and drawing about the garden

Colors

• Names of colors
• Comparisons of colors
• Color changes

Light

• Observation of light vs. shadow
• Color changes in various lights
• Reflections
• Rainbows
• Light on different textures

Movement

• Wiggling of a worm
• Nodding of a sunflower head
• Wind bending a tree
• Falling apples
• Floating of a butterfly
• Dancing through the garden

Above all they learn...

APPRECIATION FOR NATURE

of which, they are a part.

Follow Connie -'s board Plants / Garden Theme on Pinterest. Tags: preschool, garden, gardening, pre-k, home, child, children, kids, kid, daycare, care, theme, unit, math, language, science, sensory, movement, senses, five, 5 senses, 

Harvest Time - Marinara & Salsa

It's been rainy and muddy, and we have all been struck with hand, foot & mouth disease. Ugh! So the garden has been neglected for the past week. 

With the heat of summer, the garden was just bursting with goodies this morning that we needed to pick ASAP!

So, all hands on deck for harvesting!

We got a nice haul of an assortment of peppers and tomatoes, an acorn squash, beans, some cantaloupe and watermelon.

Tomatoes, however, were the agenda for the day. 

I do not seed my tomatoes prior to cooking. If that is your preference, please do so. While my marinara recipe is chock full of fresh herbs, dried can be used. As with any recipe, use what you like, what you have, and do it the way you want. Only in baking does one need to follow a recipe fairly exact.

MARINARA

I blanched the tomatoes...1 minute in boiling water, remove with a large slotted pasta spatula, and place into cold water.

You can really pack them into the pot.

If you cut the stem end off, then they just smoosh out of their skins easy peasy. 

I thought it would be a great sensory experience and a way for them to participate. For some reason, my non-squeemish kiddos wanted NOTHING to do with this process.  

Most of these are San Marzano tomatoes, evidently the best for marinara, if the current ads for Olive Garden are to be believed. Plus, I did check into it before I decided which to plant this year, and got the same info.

However, there are also a couple Better Boy, some cherry tomatoes and Romas in this lot. To ensure the salsa wouldn't be too juicy, I ran my immersion blender through some and set them in a colander over a bowl, covered, in the fridge to drain for the rest of the day. The rest I put in the crock pot on low for the marinara.

After nap, we collected the rest of our ingredients...

Garlic! This elephant garlic was given to me by my grandfather 20 years ago. It just keeps growing.

We gathered some larger cloves and re-planted the baby ones.

What does it smell like? "ONION!"

Close enough!

The garden is intended for extensive learning and to be a sensory explosion.

Since we have them, we just collected all the Italian-type herbs we grow that I thought would go well together. I had already collected basil yesterday, and we added...

Thyme and flat-leafed parsley,

oregano,

and rosemary.

Since they usually experience one plant at a time as they explore and forage, it was good for them to get a chance to feel and smell them as a group. A totally different sensory experience.

Many children are overwhelmed when they smell fresh herbs, but these children have been around them since birth, so to them, it's familiar and welcome.

I tossed our herbs and garlic into the crock pot.

Our onions didn't survive this year, so that was the one veggie that I purchased that went into the marinara. I chopped it, one of our smallish chocolate bells, and a small jalapeno that went in as well. 

It all got a whirl of the immersion blender and left to cook on low for about 12 hours, with the lid propped up on wooden skewers to let some of the liquid escape. If you don't want to do this, then drain your tomatoes as I did for the salsa.

Adding the fresh herbs at the beginning led to a very mild, amalgamated flavor to the marinara. This is good for storage, as it allows me to pep up the flavor according to what I will be cooking with it later. If I want more of a taste of rosemary, then I can add that when I re-heat, likewise with any herb. It makes the sauce more versatile. 

I looked at a few marinara recipes and took what I wanted from them and combined them into my own.

The elephant garlic is much milder, so even though it is bigger, it still takes as many cloves as regular garlic.

Marinara
 6 cups fresh tomatoes, blanched, peeled, seeded
1/2 cup fresh basil leaves
1/4 cup flat leaf parsley
1 rosemary stem, leaves only, removed
3-4 stems thyme, leaves only, removed
3-4 stems oregano, leaves only, removed
1 small jalapeno chopped
1/2 large or 1 small bell pepper chopped
1 large yellow onion chopped
5 cloves garlic 
1/4 teaspoon fennel seed  
1 1/2 tablespoon brown sugar
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1/2 teaspoon salt [may need more]

Place all in a crock pot and blend with an immersion blender. Let cook a minimum of 3 hours on low.

Note: For the most intense flavor, add fresh herbs in the last hour of cooking, and blend again at end of cooking.

We are not allowed to can for child care, but we can freeze. I use my silicone molds to freeze individual portions. Each one holds exactly 1/3 cup. A serving is 1/4 cup, so this provides a little extra. I cover them, put them in my freezer [after digging out room], hit the "QUICK FREEZE" button, and pop them out later. They go into a labeled one gallon freezer bag. I can take out exactly as many as I need, so less waste.

SALSA

I use Ree Drummond, The Pioneer Woman's salsa recipe as my basis.

The garlic [not shown, I had to go dig some more up], flat-leafed parsley, jalapeno and onion were all chopped with my Pampered Chef chopper [which I LOVE! These stay sharp and don't break down using them as I do, directly on plates and cutting boards.]

It keeps everything a fine, even consistency, without the ingredients losing their individuality within the salsa. Ree uses her food processor, but I like mine a little more chunky. And the food processor is just such a pain to clean!

I had to buy cilantro, because ours bolted early, and this is what it currently looks like...

The children have been practicing those fine motor skills collecting the seeds for next year.

The salsa came out WONDERFUL!

I made the children chicken nachos, just added some taco spice to the chicken, and smothered them in the salsa.

Mr. G said, "This is the BEST. LUNCH. EVER!!"

It was right up there, anyway.
Tags: garden, gardening, preschoolers, pre-k, child, care, daycare, home, homeschooling, salsa, marinara, fresh, herbs, children, harvest, harvesting, farm, table, food, cycle,