Thursday, April 5, 2012

Inspiration from Around the Blogosphere

I love to repurpose and recycle things. I like to make my own teaching resources. It's often cheaper and I can customize them. Also, I don't get too stressed if something happens to a homemade resource (as much as I do when something happens to a purchased, more expensive resource).

Here are four ideas from this past week that have inspired me...and reminded me how much I like to make my own resources.


PreK and K Sharing: This Is a Hole Lot of Sensory Play - Deborah of Teach Preschool always inspires me and this post on the collaborative blog reminded me to think about different ways to engage kids in more familiar activities. Deborah mentions Tom's blog Sand and Water Tables, a truly inspiring place, too.


GM Glimmerglass: DIY Busy Board - The busy board in this post is directed more toward younger preschoolers...but I can see possibilities in my classroom as well. I'm thinking control board for an airplane cockpit or an electronics board for other play. Or just a lot of levers and switches for fun exploration. Since you can use whatever you want, I'm seeing a lot of fun (and a trip to the hardware store).


Literacy & Math Ideas: Make Learning Center Bento Boxes - Again, I'm not sure the exact idea in this post is what I need to do. But the concept of this post is fantastic. I'm thinking about all kinds of smaller activities that could become part of a learning bento box. My mind is racing.


Share and Remember: Press Here Book and Collages - This post reminded me of one of my newest favorite books, Press Here, and my idea to make my own version. Now I need to get out the paper and dot stickers. Or maybe the kids could make their own (as Deborah's kids did).


Now, I guess I need to get busy! What has inspired you this week?