tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-91593049385410678062011-11-27T15:57:48.836-08:00Marinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01893299661405811787noreply@blogger.comBlogger571100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9159304938541067806.post-48894790128616021132010-11-11T06:28:00.000-08:002010-11-14T14:43:55.587-08:00

We do a lot of cooking and food preparation in my class. Cooking provides endless opportunites for math and science exploration; kids are also more apt to try new foods if they have a hand in preparing them.Cooking with three-year-olds can be daunting, what with the finger licking, the coughing into the food, the 12 kids all wanting a turn at once, the one child that always wants to throw the

Marinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01893299661405811787noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9159304938541067806.post-31666484525456026432010-09-10T17:42:00.000-07:002010-09-10T17:51:27.131-07:00

I walked in on this conversation in the restroom the other day...Sasha: "So, you guys, I have GOT to tell you something"Her girlfriends: "Ooohh, what? Tell us!"Sasha: "I am totally getting married!"Jill (excitedly): "To who??!!"Sasha: "I am going to get married to Paul." (Paul is a classmate)Sara (dubiously): "I don't think you're allowed to get married when you're little. I think you have to be

Marinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01893299661405811787noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9159304938541067806.post-81837399569767161502010-08-29T08:30:00.000-07:002010-10-29T17:03:04.060-07:00

As cell phones have now become a necessary item for most families, it becomes the teacher's responsibility to teach her students proper cell phone protocol, and establish firm rules about student cell phone use in the classroom.In preschool?That above paragraph is a standard blurb that comes home from my daughters' junior high and high schools. I read it every year, warn my daughters that if they

Marinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01893299661405811787noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9159304938541067806.post-91300891503103698682010-08-19T21:42:00.000-07:002010-08-19T21:51:33.991-07:00

I had a milestone this year. It was the first year in four that I didn't get peed on on the first day of school.Getting peed on, or puked on, are normal occurances in the life of a preschool teacher. After a while, you get really good at figuring out how to avoid these things, but it usually takes a few weeks when the school year starts.Three-year-olds all have their individual "I need to pee"

Marinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01893299661405811787noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9159304938541067806.post-283368020582534102010-08-19T19:57:00.001-07:002010-08-19T20:52:27.443-07:00

Every year I am faced with the daunting challenge of setting up my room for the upcoming year. Why, I ask myself, is this so hard?I have the same furniture, in the same room, as I have had for the last several years. So, why oh why is this such a hard task??A couple of years ago, a colleague's daughter was in my room as I complained that I couldn't remember how the room was arranged the previous

Marinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01893299661405811787noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9159304938541067806.post-27974756736372606652010-07-28T16:55:00.000-07:002010-07-28T17:12:11.260-07:00

The school year is about to start again, and I am...ambivalent. Or so I thought...The school year, for me, is like a race that starts in August and ends, with me breathless, in May. I feel like I am running no holds barred for 10 months straight.Just managing my own childrens' activities is a full-time job, most of which is spent in my Suburban, shuffling them from place to place. On top of that

Marinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01893299661405811787noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9159304938541067806.post-69080463173944344392010-06-01T08:45:00.000-07:002010-06-01T09:09:07.532-07:00

One of the topics I cover each year with my class is Wind and Air. This is fun, because this is a relatively abstract topic, especially to a 3 year old.I start out the unit with the question, "What is wind?"Some of the responses...."It is outside""It makes it cold""You can break it" (this one made me chuckle....)We then headed outside to see what clues we could seeto figure out whether or not

Marinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01893299661405811787noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9159304938541067806.post-87837098358322404582010-05-31T09:40:00.000-07:002010-05-31T10:49:05.198-07:00

The school year has ended. And it was a wonderful year. Every couple of years I have a class that is simply perfect. This was one of those years.Why was it perfect? Maybe it was because I went back to school this year, and it was fun and exciting to test out my new theories and practices. Maybe it was because I knew the majority of my students since they were in utero, and therefore felt really

Marinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01893299661405811787noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9159304938541067806.post-34311247510050048092009-09-07T11:24:00.000-07:002009-09-07T11:37:14.399-07:00

This week we studied the sun. I always start out the week by asking a question pertaining to whatever we are studying. This week my question was, "What does the sun do?". Here are the the responses I got...It gets into your eyes.It burns your eyeballs so you have to wear sunglasses.It follows you.It makes our mouths hot.Makes you stay inside.It stays in the sky.If you stay in the sun too long it

Marinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01893299661405811787noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9159304938541067806.post-66968694434236603182009-08-19T20:10:00.000-07:002009-08-19T21:34:13.880-07:00

School has started, and it is just as fun as ever. I love getting to know a new bunch of kids, and then tracking how much they grow over the next ten months.This year's class has a lot of kids I have known since they were in utero. I find it miraculous that a mere three years ago my students were tiny babies that I held in my arms and cooed over, and now I am expecting them to pour their own

Marinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01893299661405811787noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9159304938541067806.post-36309994093607296122009-07-17T08:00:00.000-07:002009-07-19T18:49:30.383-07:00

Ok, couldn't think of a good title for this blog...So, our summer program has been progressing wonderfully this year. The kids and grown-ups have all been having a great time.Last week, one of the classrooms was set up to be a grocery store. The kids were given a grocery list of items they needed to collect to prepare their snack. For example, one day the snack was Banana Dogs. On their list was

Marinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01893299661405811787noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9159304938541067806.post-12233351149216107302009-06-28T18:57:00.000-07:002009-06-28T19:18:42.364-07:00

Every year, I do a unit about Transportation. As part of this unit, we have a discussion about traffic lights. It is a good opportunity to talk about spatial relationships, colors, and introduce perennial favorite, Red Light/Green Light.I get out my red, yellow and green circles, and arrange them on my white board, putting them in the correct order. We talk about how the red light is on top, the

Marinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01893299661405811787noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9159304938541067806.post-35094149604796565502009-06-19T11:01:00.000-07:002009-06-19T14:04:33.295-07:00

It is no secret that I truly love my job. I can talk non-stop about preschool, and the kids, and what they're learning, and how they're growing, for hours. And one of the best parts is watching these kids grow. Not physically, although that is always amazing, but socially and emotionally. We teachers work very hard to provide our students the tools they need to navigate in the world. We strive to

Marinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01893299661405811787noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9159304938541067806.post-86480722314993548412009-06-19T09:43:00.000-07:002009-06-19T11:00:11.222-07:00

Imagine coming to preschool for the first time. You arrive at a brand new place, filled with a lot of kids you don't know, and a lot of grown-ups you don't know. The grown-ups seem nice, but why do they come on so strong? Why do I have to give this lady a high five? I have no idea who she is. She's my teacher? And a teacher is what exactly? And, wait a minute, MOM IS LEAVING ME HERE??????? With

Marinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01893299661405811787noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9159304938541067806.post-79986185387202287672009-06-08T21:21:00.000-07:002009-06-23T16:18:10.034-07:00

Our little preschool offers an after school program, where children can stay for an extra two hours after the school day is over. They can play on the playground, do crafts, and generally just have fun. They also get to eat lunch, which they bring from home.I had the privilege of working Stay 'N' Play this year, and got to eat lunch with the students nearly every day. This is always fun. A

Marinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01893299661405811787noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9159304938541067806.post-80684543643040070322009-04-29T20:02:00.000-07:002009-04-29T20:46:56.105-07:00

At our little preschool we have two raised gardens - one is for planting and one is for digging. The Planting Garden is where classes transplant their bean sprouts, plant seeds, and observe how cool it is to see what you plant actually grow. The Digging Garden, is for, well, digging. We put earth worms in the Digging Garden, as well as lady bugs. This year we have had a ton of pill bugs, and our

Marinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01893299661405811787noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9159304938541067806.post-74244576187016662962009-04-02T20:07:00.000-07:002009-04-02T20:58:58.442-07:00

Last summer, I ran over my cell phone. A rather silly story you can read about here. My husband pieced it back together for me, and even though it never worked again, it looked like it should. It had been sitting on my desk, useless, for months (I am not one to really ever put things away...) when it hit me that I could put the useless cell phone in my dramatic play center. The kids would

Marinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01893299661405811787noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9159304938541067806.post-84800428516246847032009-03-17T07:32:00.000-07:002009-04-02T20:07:16.130-07:00

This past weekend my family and I went camping with a group of friends. Correction - the friends were camping, my family and I met them at the campsite and spent the day. I...am not a camper. Sleeping in a tent? On the ground? In the cold? With bugs? Um...not for this preschool teacher. Blegh.Anyways, back to my story. Because it is such a small world, a family that attends the preschool was

Marinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01893299661405811787noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9159304938541067806.post-91366128972730796932009-03-17T06:06:00.000-07:002009-04-29T20:48:46.443-07:00

As part of my unit on electricity, I decided to talk a little about static electricity as well. Static electricity is a fun concept, there are lots of experiments to demonstrate it in action. And while I had pages and pages of fun demonstrations, I wanted to at least introduce the some of the science behind it.So, I did some research. As I read through the information, my brain slowly started to

Marinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01893299661405811787noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9159304938541067806.post-67790907773279189012009-03-16T21:25:00.001-07:002009-04-29T20:52:50.030-07:00

Our little preschool has a pet, a little desert tortoise named Patton. This little guy is on loan from Mrs. M's son, and he lives in our garden. The kids take great joy in watching him walk around the garden, feeding him lettuce, and being told "Look with your eyes, not with your hands!"Last November, Patton went missing. Now, desert tortoises usually hibernate during the cold part of the year,

Marinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01893299661405811787noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9159304938541067806.post-51680808061607338192009-02-27T20:08:00.000-08:002009-03-16T21:24:07.233-07:00

This week my theme was Electricity. I have never taught Electricity before in preschool, so this was my beta test. Could I break the whole electricity thing down into concepts three and four year olds could grasp? Well, I was going to give it a try.I had an electricity kit that I had received at my Steve Spangler Science in the Rockies conference last summer. The unit included a UFO ball,

Marinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01893299661405811787noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9159304938541067806.post-42361601518608816422009-01-10T05:29:00.000-08:002009-01-10T05:58:38.345-08:00

I haven't written for a few weeks - I actually stayed away from the computer for most of my winter break. Weird for me, but I did spend some good, quality time with my family.But preschool is back in session, and so is my need to share it with you.The day before school let out for break, we had a small Christmas celebration. We made cookies, had a small gift exchange, and most exciting of all,

Marinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01893299661405811787noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9159304938541067806.post-50010111195763717842008-12-14T12:31:00.000-08:002008-12-14T12:42:28.217-08:00

My class has been doing a lot of pretend play the past few weeks revolving around Christmas. I set up a wrapping center in my room, complete with gift wrap, ribbons, bows and lots and lots and lots of tape. This served as the jumping off point for a game that has continued all week - Santa delivering presents. There are elves that wrap the presents, children who sleep while waiting for Santa, the

Marinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01893299661405811787noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9159304938541067806.post-33860376441267913982008-12-06T11:25:00.000-08:002008-12-07T19:18:20.802-08:00

I am celebrating a birthday in a couple of months. And the number is kind of a big one. I have found that if I practice saying it a couple of times a day in the months leading up to the fateful day, it is easier to accept it once I get there.One of my students turned 4 yesterday. She walked onto the campus her head held high, a spring in her step, and a smile that lit up her face. As she walked

Marinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01893299661405811787noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9159304938541067806.post-33233258780488117882008-12-06T10:40:00.000-08:002008-12-07T18:52:24.443-08:00

A couple of my students celebrated birthdays this week. We make a big deal out of birthdays in my class; we make cupcakes! The birthday child gets to choose what kind of cake and frosting he wants (I always have a couple of choices on hand), and then we make the cupcakes as a class.This is a great exercise in beginning recipe reading. Cake mixes now have the pictures of the ingredients right on

Marinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01893299661405811787noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9159304938541067806.post-86314967085416877042008-11-28T19:17:00.000-08:002008-11-28T19:52:10.030-08:00

In Scottsdale, Arizona, it is sunny a lot. I mean A LOT. It never rains, and rarely are there clouds in the sky. Try doing a unit on It Looked Like Spilt Milk; the students all lay on their backs, look at the sky and say, "Clouds? What clouds?"I gave up doing the weather as part of my circle time after two years of..."What's the weather today?""Sunny and hot"The student who got to say "Cloudy" or

Marinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01893299661405811787noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9159304938541067806.post-85223726115897519892008-11-25T20:06:00.000-08:002008-11-25T20:31:57.534-08:00

My first year of teaching, I posed this question to my three-year-olds, naively thinking that they would be well-versed in Pilgrims, Indians, the Mayflower and such. What I got in response to my question was a sea of blank stares, with one exception. Interestingly, I had one student that year who was able to explain to me exactly what Thanksgiving was; this student had just moved from Australia -

Marinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01893299661405811787noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9159304938541067806.post-41701000795872542362008-11-25T05:23:00.000-08:002008-11-25T19:59:45.478-08:00

I love listening to three year olds describe what is important to them. As part of my Thanksgving theme, I asked my students to talk about their parents. I asked them to "tell me about your mom and dad". And here is what some of them said....My mom looks the same as me in a different wayMy dad is tall and he has a neck. He works sometimes.My mom has red hair and clothes and earsMy mom has brown

Marinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01893299661405811787noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9159304938541067806.post-74936543301688555992008-11-15T21:09:00.000-08:002008-11-16T08:30:22.191-08:00

As part of my unit on cows, I talk about corn. Because cows eat corn, you see. So, we talk about corn, and all the different things we eat that come from corn, usually steering clear of high fructose corn syrup. But it's fun to help the kids discover that corn on the cob, popcorn, tortilla chips, corn flakes and corn bread are all made from corn. It blows their minds, and I usually have a couple

Marinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01893299661405811787noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9159304938541067806.post-23776230949270882952008-11-15T21:02:00.000-08:002008-11-15T21:09:25.394-08:00

In preparation for the big all school field trip to the dairy farm, all of the teachers did units on cows.Mrs. M.: "Does anyone know how you get milk from a cow?"A small hand shoots up, "You grab onto the cow's penis and pull real hard!"Mrs. M.: "Ummm....noooo....anyone else?"I am happy to report this student now has the correct understanding of how the whole milking the cow thing works..

Marinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01893299661405811787noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9159304938541067806.post-32494004484623818042008-11-15T19:22:00.000-08:002008-11-15T20:59:10.948-08:00

For years, my little preschool made an annual trip to a local dairy farm. The school would close for the day, and the entire campus (students and their families) would make a pilgrimage to what seemed like the middle of nowhere (it was actually about 20 minutes away, but it felt like a whole other place). Once there, we would spend the day learning about cows; what cows eat, how much milk cows

Marinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01893299661405811787noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9159304938541067806.post-90417101438029826142008-11-07T18:31:00.000-08:002008-11-16T09:46:56.016-08:00

First of all, the following idea was not mine at all. All credit goes to the wonderful Mrs. M., who is a fabulous kindergarten teacher. Not too long ago, we added a really cool, humongous, concrete turtle to our playground. This cute guy was in desperate need of a name, so we asked all the parents to come up with some possibilities. From that, we teachers chose the three we liked best, and

Marinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01893299661405811787noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9159304938541067806.post-16374735079327695442008-11-03T17:12:00.000-08:002008-11-03T18:51:38.076-08:00

I don't really do much of a Halloween Theme during Halloween time, but I do use this time of year to talk about two facets of Halloween celebrations - spiders and pumpkins. My Spider Theme this year went quite well. I think most of my students learned a thing or two, which, of course, is always a goal when teaching.I use what my mom calls the "Velcro Method" of teaching. I throw out a whole bunch

Marinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01893299661405811787noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9159304938541067806.post-14100894527711897192008-10-30T06:03:00.000-07:002008-10-30T06:42:13.161-07:00

As the school year starts, my little students are inundated with new information and new experiences. Because they are so overwhelmed, I try not to say "No" to them too often, instead using their actions as an opportunity to teach them about how things work in preschool."At school, if you want a toy your friend is playing with, we don't take it from them and then hit them with it.""At school,

Marinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01893299661405811787noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9159304938541067806.post-34821057948430203712008-10-27T20:29:00.000-07:002008-10-27T21:14:50.778-07:00

This past weekend I went out of town. Because of this I missed a day of work, something that rarely happens. My director was my substitute, and she came in the day before, and let the class know she would be taking my place for the day. Wow! Was my class ever excited. They immediately wanted to count how many sleeps it would be until Mrs. S was their teacher. They began to wonder aloud..."I

Marinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01893299661405811787noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9159304938541067806.post-56193949219995893342008-10-21T20:39:00.000-07:002008-10-21T21:33:50.236-07:00

As I rambled about in my last post, teaching about Fall in the Arizona desert is a challenge, to say the least. And even though I have abandoned it, my colleagues (who teach older children) have forged onward, hoping to someday come up with the perfect way to talk about Fall to children who live in a climate where that season simply doesn't exist.Last week, one of these dedicated women walked

Marinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01893299661405811787noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9159304938541067806.post-80292485076655996842008-10-21T19:48:00.000-07:002008-10-21T20:22:32.262-07:00

When I first started teaching (not really all that long ago), I felt it was important to teach my students all about the seasons. Spring, Summer, Winter and Fall. I mean, these were basic facts, and everyone needs to know them, right?Summer was easy. It is a kazillion degrees in Scottsdale, Arizona in the summer, it is easy to teach that. Summer = Hot. You swim in the Summer. You pile on the

Marinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01893299661405811787noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9159304938541067806.post-52741066460850954302008-09-20T12:28:00.000-07:002008-09-20T13:48:34.273-07:00

Every year I try to find a way to explain the concept of germs to my students. I feel that a basic understanding of what germs are, and how they spread, would make it easier to encourage the covering of coughs and washing of hands, as well as discourage the licking of toys and each other.For awhile, I read "Those Mean Nasty Dirty Downright Disgusting but...Invisible Germs"; this book does a

Marinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01893299661405811787noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9159304938541067806.post-33095090187628223742008-09-12T20:51:00.000-07:002008-09-12T21:03:13.595-07:00

As I have alluded to in several posts, I had the amazing opportunity this summer to attend Steve Spangler's Science in the Rockies, a three day conference that focused on how to get kids excited about science. It was an amazing experience, and I came home armed with the knowledge and supplies to start teaching science to my preschoolers.So, I had the knowledge, I had the supplies, but how to

Marinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01893299661405811787noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9159304938541067806.post-42830113777689259972008-09-05T15:01:00.000-07:002008-09-05T16:31:20.317-07:00

Preschool doesn't really feel like preschool until a naked child wanders out of the bathroom. Well, today it happened, and now I feel like my year is finally under way.Going to the potty is a big deal when you are three. Going to the potty at school when you are three is huge! There are some cool things about the potty at school - the toilet is really small, the sink is the perfect height, and

Marinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01893299661405811787noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9159304938541067806.post-89073696225835132132008-08-17T20:47:00.000-07:002008-08-19T07:44:57.300-07:00

Well, school has started. And can I just say? It's awesome! I was so nervous (see previous post), but after only a few hours with this new group of kids, I know that it will be another fun year. Each and every one of them is wonderful, and I look forward to getting to know them, and their families, this year.The first week of school has a lot of the same things that happen year after year. There

Marinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01893299661405811787noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9159304938541067806.post-72446334033376381262008-08-03T00:03:00.000-07:002008-08-08T13:34:39.384-07:00

This summer I had the amazing opportunity to attend Steve Spangler's Science in the Rockies, an amazing three day conference that taught me how to make science an exciting experience for kids. Check out Steve's website here: http://www.stevespanglerscience.com/. Also, to see photos and video of what I, my colleagues and 175 other teachers did, visit here: http://web.mac.com/stevespanglerscience/

Marinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01893299661405811787noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9159304938541067806.post-6097481029957424482008-08-01T22:36:00.000-07:002008-08-01T22:43:53.741-07:00

Separation anxiety.I always tell people that my oldest daughter had terrible separation anxiety. That it was hard for her to be away from me. When she started preschool, it was terrible - she would cry and beg me to stay, and I would, sometimes for the whole day.Looking back, I now think it was me with the separation anxiety. I hated leaving my daughter with anyone that wasn't me - only I knew

Marinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01893299661405811787noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9159304938541067806.post-26921943011684538022008-06-28T09:10:00.000-07:002008-06-28T09:57:46.429-07:00

I had a parent ask me for advice this week on how to make her child stop biting her friends. Ahh, biting, an issue that is always fun, and not at all embarrassing for the parents, to deal with.I remember the first time my oldest daughter was bitten in preschool. Being my first child, and not being a biter herself, I was absolutely horrified that this happened. What horrible child did this to my

Marinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01893299661405811787noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9159304938541067806.post-8151688751383892012008-06-10T22:06:00.000-07:002008-06-10T22:23:49.100-07:00

This week I took my my kids to the community pool which is conveniently located across the street from my house. We like this pool, it has an awesome play structure, big water slides and a high dive, features which the pool in our backyard doesn't offer. And, since we live in a small(ish) town, inevitably we see friends when we go there. Another feature our backyard pool doesn't offer unless I

Marinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01893299661405811787noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9159304938541067806.post-38548937673639464332008-05-28T22:38:00.000-07:002008-05-28T23:08:56.152-07:00

At the end of the year, a perk of being a teacher is you get some pretty cool gifts. My favorite gifts are the ones that somehow commemorate my students. Being able to look back and remember those little faces from years past is so cool.This year my class made me a scrapbook. It is absolutely awesome. It has an amazing photo of each child, a picture they drew, and questions that they answered

Marinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01893299661405811787noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9159304938541067806.post-39895047206818436482008-05-25T20:35:00.000-07:002008-05-26T07:54:09.832-07:00

During the last week of school, we always have a Pajama Day. And this day is exactly what it sounds like - we all wear our pajamas to school. And everyone must wear their jammies, including me as well as the parents that are working in the classroom that day.Pajama Day always stresses me out. Even though I know it is coming, I am always caught off guard, and find myself running to Wal-mart the

Marinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01893299661405811787noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9159304938541067806.post-7210481272436098692008-05-24T21:24:00.000-07:002008-05-27T08:13:38.836-07:00

My school year has ended. This is a bittersweet time of year for me. I am filled with pride as I watch each of my little ones use the tools I have given them. I watch them play together, compromising and negotiating the use of popular toys, comforting each other when knees or feelings get hurt, remembering to wash hands not only before eating, but after peeing as well. These kids can sit at

Marinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01893299661405811787noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9159304938541067806.post-5717025063758875902008-05-06T07:19:00.000-07:002008-05-06T07:23:24.742-07:00

Brody: I am going to the Diamondbacks game tonight, and I am going to eat dinner there!Mrs. A: (joking) Wow, Brody - are you going to have a hot dog and beer?Brody: I don't like beer.Henry: I like bee-yah! (raising hand excitedly)Brody: Henry, you need to give that up, it's bad for you.

Marinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01893299661405811787noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9159304938541067806.post-14544791092508032202008-05-03T15:42:00.001-07:002008-12-08T16:08:27.122-08:00

We recently had my favorite of all events at our little preschool: Art Night. Art Night is a celebration of the childrens' art. We hang it, museum style, in the church hall for all the families to enjoy.There is something so amazing about children's art. I have a hard time trying to pinpoint why I love it so much. Is it because their art is so pure? Three-year-olds don't say to themselves, "I

Marinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01893299661405811787noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9159304938541067806.post-11483713824540802852008-04-29T12:23:00.000-07:002008-05-03T12:13:35.095-07:00

"Please don't lick the toilet"Blegh. While I have certainly used all 5 of those words separately, I never had the opportunity to use them in quite that way. Especially "lick" and "toilet" in the same sentence. But as the little boy was exploring the toilet orally, I found the need to say that phrase. And funny, I had to say it more than once, with growing exasperation, because he wouldn't stop.

Marinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01893299661405811787noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9159304938541067806.post-2901553162081439672008-04-17T12:34:00.000-07:002008-04-17T15:04:07.649-07:00

As I have mentioned before, it is currently spring in Arizona, my favorite time of year. (I do really love summer as well, I am one of about 12 people who live in this state that actually enjoys the triple digit temperatures). With spring comes absolutely glorious weather, beautiful desert blossoms, itchy eyes and runny noses, and a classroom full of three year olds that have gone absolutely

Marinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01893299661405811787noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9159304938541067806.post-21346664288443175512008-04-09T21:43:00.000-07:002008-04-10T15:00:03.718-07:00

As springtime rolls into summer here in Arizona, I start the slow transition from long pants to shorts. I have to make this transition slowly, so as not to blind my students and coworkers. Legs that are as white as mine need to be revealed slowly, over an extended period of time - not just so they get used to being out in the open again, but so that traffic accidents caused by the glare from my

Marinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01893299661405811787noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9159304938541067806.post-9508745909598810642008-04-08T15:21:00.000-07:002008-04-10T21:44:53.014-07:00

I got to see The Wiggles this week. Please, don’t roll your eyes, and look at me sympathetically. I wasn’t dragged there by an obsessed three year old. My kids were actually dragged there by me, an obsessed 40 something year old.I love The Wiggles. Not the “gosh they are a great children’s group” type of love, which they are, but the obsessive must have all of their merchandise and cds and DVDs

Marinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01893299661405811787noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9159304938541067806.post-74883610339750967812008-04-08T13:30:00.000-07:002008-04-10T06:59:59.329-07:00

Every year I do a Transportation theme, which as happens with things you do year after year was starting to get boring. For me not for the kids. And I worry that if I am bored then my enthusiasm will not be where it needs to be. Three year olds are perceptive - if my eyes are glazing over and rolling to the back of my head, you can be sure theirs will too. Or that they will just start running

Marinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01893299661405811787noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9159304938541067806.post-25608963328849054232008-03-27T07:44:00.000-07:002008-03-27T15:10:06.689-07:00

“I refuse to argue with a 3 year old”This is what my daughter’s preschool teacher said to me when I commented on her deft handling of a particularly obstinate student. “Well,” said this veteran teacher, “I am the grown -up, and she needs to know that some rules aren’t negotiable”.This hit a chord with me. At the time I was a first time mom of a three year old who battled with her daughter

Marinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01893299661405811787noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9159304938541067806.post-17383147367475076322008-03-26T05:41:00.000-07:002008-04-08T15:28:07.247-07:00

I am a teacher. Of three year olds. This gets me into that elite group of wonderful, self-sacrificing people that find it to be their life’s passion to educate our young people. I admire these people, and know for a fact I could not do their job. To teach in our schoolsystem, with all the politics, and the behavior issues and the lack of pay, I know I am not cut out to be one of those teachers.

Marinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01893299661405811787noreply@blogger.com1