Paint Sticks: A New Favorite

My wife is the perfect match for me. We have taught together in early childhood classrooms in our church for a while. Now she even buys things for our classroom without my asking - or without even telling me until the box arrives. Recently she purchased some paint sticks - tempera paint in a "lipstick" type format. (We bought them from Amazon.)

We have been using them for the past couple of weeks...and I'm sold. I always like for kids to have similar experiences with different types of media. So we use (at various times and sometimes at the same time) crayons, markers, colored pencils, gel pens, chalk. We've even used charcoal pencils and pastels. While the drawing is a similar activity, each medium gives a different type of experience because the lines are different and the way the marks interact with the paper is different.

These tempera paint sticks are fun and easy to use. The colors are vibrant. And my girls enjoyed the ones that had glitter in them. (As you know, the only way I use glitter is encased in something else!)

The paint isn't wet like using regular tempera on a brush. Make a line and the color stays in place without running or smudging. Of course, if you rub, it may smudge a little. But overall it's very clean to use.

If you like to make wide swaths of color - like my kids - then the surface does stay tacky for a while. That means that if you press your arm on it or another piece of paper on it, it will stick. But you can carefully peel it off with no mess. (Well, maybe you'll have to wash your arm a little.)

Since my kids like to draw right on the edge of the paper, they got lines of the paint on the table. But it washed off quickly and easily with a wet paper towel. (And, yes, I enlisted some kids to do that, too.)

I'm glad we have added these paint sticks to our art collection. They are definitely keepers.

And, after we used them for the first time, I saw this post about using them for tape resist pictures (from Pre-K Pages).

Favorite Things: 5 Books I Love

I love picture books. I have to make myself get books from the library instead of purchase every book I like. (I have this problem with adult books, too.)

But picture books are so much fun and reading them with children is so enjoyable. I would say there's almost nothing like reading a book aloud to a group of kids and getting fun response and feedback. It was one of the things I really loved with second graders and first graders as well as my younger kids.

Here are just five of my favorites. (Choosing 5 was a challenge!)

Click, Clack Moo, Cows That Type by Doreen Cronin
Who doesn't love the idea of cows typing? Plus the art of negotiation and conflict resolution.

The Snowy Day by Ezra Jack Keats
A boy enjoys a snowy day. This classic book is the standard for children's picture books.

Chrysanthemum by Kevin Henkes
A great book to use to talk about names. And to talk about differences and acceptance.

Fox in Socks by Dr. Seuss
My kids love this as a read aloud. The rhymes and the wordplay are such fun. Even if sometimes hard to read aloud.


The Three Little Wolves and the Big Bad Pig by Eugene Trivizas
A twist on the traditional story - the wolves build houses and the pig destroys them. (Even using dynamite at one point) But it all works out in the end.


What books do you love? I'm always on the lookout to add to my list.

More picture books (only a couple of duplicates!)

Favorite Things: Chenille Stem Fish

This week we used again one of my favorite things - chenille stem fish.

We've always enjoyed using a fishing pole made of a dowel rod, yarn/string, and a magnet. We would catch construction paper fish with a paper clip. (I always put tape around the clip so it won't come off. That's a disappointing catch!)

But a few years ago, I saw the idea for chenille stem fish on Inner Child Fun. I think I literally slapped my forehead. What a great idea!

The chenille stems have wire inside so they're magnetic. The fish I used were formed by some of my kindergartners in the past. The girls that played this game enjoyed catching and releasing the fish several times.

Of course, we had a tackle box with plastic "bait" (frogs, snakes, lizards). We had a "real" fishing net. We had a basket to hold our catch before releasing it. We had a few paper fish, too.

But we love those chenille stem fish. I can reform them at any time. Or add a few stems for the kids to make more fish. And we can catch them by the tail or in the middle - not just at the mouth!

My "fishergirls" had great fun! (That's what one of them called herself.)

I Love Blocks

I love blocks. If you search through the archives of this blog, you probably could figure that out without my writing the words. Blocks are some of my favorite things. We use lots of different things with blocks. But we love to just build.

The three children in my class this week reminded me why I love blocks so much. I had put out the blocks and some plastic lids. I made a J on the floor. (J related to our focus this week.) One child did what I "planned."

Then the kids began to build. They built independently, totally on their own and with no interaction with one another.

I watched all the learning that was going on. Kids tried different configurations and arrangements. They moved blocks around and made them "just right" for what they wanted to do.

They used every single block. We pulled some more blocks from the supply room and they incorporated them into their structures. The lids also worked into the various buildings.

One boy explored symmetry. He kept building things, adding the same things to each side or to the middle to keep balance.

One boy kept working to create a roof on his building. He figured out how to keep blocks suspended across his walls.

One girl built a rectangular wall. She worked and worked to get the triangles to balance on the columns she made in the middle of the building.

Blocks are so versatile. They allow children to explore in their own ways. They encourage different ideas and lots of creativity.

My group worked with blocks almost the entire time this week. A couple of kids did a few of the other things but the block center was the "happening" place this time. No fancy plans or unusual materials. Just lots of play and exploration.

And the best part? When we knocked down all the structures!

Favorite Things: White Boards Again

A while back (actually a long while back), I wrote that our small white boards are one of my favorite things to use in the classroom. In recent weeks, I've been reminded how great these tools are.

These boards have been the source of some of our recent literacy play. They allow children to explore and experiment without the "stress" of being permanent. Mistake? Erase and go at it again. The boards can be a great way to relieve stress - just scribble away for a few minutes.

I have enjoyed watching children use the white boards for their versatility. Here's one of my friends working recently. He stayed working at the table for 30-45 minutes. (He did little else that morning.)

He drew a picture of someone. He told me a brief story about this person. He colored in all the open areas. (Developing narrative skills.) Then he erased.

He began to print words. He printed some of his favorite words. (I know they are his favorites because he writes them frequently.) I was nearby, talking to another child and working with them.

"Mr. Scott," my friend said, "I don't know how to spell entertainment." We talked about that for a minute. I asked if he wanted me to write in on another white board and he could copy it. He agreed. I slid the word over to him.

"Hey," he said, "it has 3 Ts!" I replied, "And it has 3 Ns." He looked again. "And 3 Es," he continued. "And 1 R, 1 A...." He continued through the rest of the letters that we not mentioned. (More literacy play!)

He added the word to his board. He drew around the words for a while. He erased one word, then another, then another. (Developing more control over his fine motor skills.)

I had to move to other places in the room. I noticed my friend still sitting at the table working. His hand was moving back and forth, like he was scribbling. I walked over. He was coloring in his latest work.

I watched. He looked up. I said, "I have seen that before. Are you drawing something that you've seen before?" He said yes. I left him alone to work.

Later I was back at the table where he was still working. I noticed that he was writing numbers. He had started at 1 and was writing them in order. He noticed me and began saying the numbers as he wrote them. (Developing numeral and sequence skills)

He continued to write. Sometimes he said the number. Sometimes I said it. Then a I made a mistake. I said the wrong number. "No," he said. I corrected myself. We continued in this way for a while. Sometimes I would say the wrong number (out of sequence). He would giggle and I would correct myself. Sometimes I would say a nonsensical number (forty-eleven, seventy-J). He would giggle and tell me no. I would correct it.

At one point, the board was full. He flipped to the other side (also writable surface) and continued.

We reached 100. He continued. He wrote to 109. Stopped. Sat for a moment, thinking. He wrote 10 and thought. I said, "One hundred ten." He wrote a 1 in front of the 10. (Huge surprise for me. That's good thinking!) He continued to 113. The board was full. Both sides.

We showed Mrs. Cindy was he had accomplished. He erased the board. (Sorry, no pictures. I was too involved in what we were doing.)

"Now what will you do?" I asked casually.

He wrote 114 and continued on for a while. Then we had to clean up.

I love following a child's lead in what to do. That's not always feasible or possible. In many cases we must redirect or refocus.

But small white boards are magical. They allow children to do whatever they choose. They can draw. They can write words and stores. They can practice number skills. They can explore their own ideas.

Best. Tool. Ever.

Favorite Things: Wood Pieces and Objects

We love blocks. We use them all the time. In fact, I feel more secure when the classroom has blocks in it. (I think even all workshops and teacher training sessions should have blocks in them!)

A while back I wanted to supplement our collection of wooden blocks. I went to a local craft store and wandered down the wooden objects aisle. I collected various items to use with the blocks from time to time.

We have wood trim pieces and spools and "candlesticks" and "flower pots." Over time, dowels and wavy craft sticks have migrated into the box.

The kids use these materials in various ways. Sometimes the items supplement regular building projects.

Sometimes we experiment and explore different ways to build, using only these items.

This random assortment of wooden pieces and objects have become some of our favorite items to use with the blocks. I really like the way these items challenge kids to think about blocks, building, or construction in different ways. Creativity comes up as kids investigate and discover how to use the materials.

Now that I think of it, I may need to make a new run to the craft store. I'm sure there are a few new wood pieces that could add to our building experiences!

Practicing Care

This year's group of kids seems to love playing with the baby dolls. If we just have the basics or more elaborate play, they just love it.

Every year kids enjoy the dolls. They are some of our favorite things.

But this group is really enjoying using the dolls. If we have only 1 or 2 out, they will ask for all of them.

As I watch my kids use and play with the dolls, I notice that they are practicing being caring. They carefully wrap them in blankets. They carry them close from place to place. They feed them and change the clothes to something more "suitable" (as defined by the current parent).

Practicing ways to care for someone else is important. Dolls don't care if you drop them on the floor or hit their heads on the wall. Dolls don't care if you forget about them for a little while so you can paint a picture or play a game.

But kids can show concern for the dolls. They can think about needs and ways to meet them. They can begin to think beyond themselves.

Dolls may not be "real" but the skills they develop certainly are.

Masking Tape Three Ways

I've blogged before about how much we love colored masking tape and how we use it for all kinds of things. Recently my class has used tape in three different ways.

First, we made letters. Well, the kids didn't use tape for this one; I did. I made letters on the floor. They used lids and blocks to outline the letters.

However, I could have given tape to the kids and they could have created the letters first. Hmm. May need to do that next time.


Next, we used tape to create a poster. I had printed a featured word on paper. They decorated around, on, and over it.

My kids love to use scissors, so this activity was a bonus. We used tape AND scissors. I enjoyed seeing how each child would approach the task and use the materials in his own way...with his own ideas.


Then, we did our all-time favorite use of tape - we made roads for our cars. This time the road system went from the carpet to the tiled area of our room. We even had water and lava created, dangerous roads certainly.

A discussion broke out when one boy was using the tape to create the sides of the road ("Drive between the tape") and another one was using the tape for the roads ("Drive on the tape"). The difference was worked out and cars traveled around safely.

We love tape. It's one of our favorite things. We use it all the time. Sometimes we pull it out and use it in unplanned ways.

Here are some other ways tape has been used in my classroom---

• Paint Over Tape
• Tape and Scrap Paper
• More Tape Roads
• More Building Letters

Do you have new ideas for us?

Favorite Things: Lids

A couple of years ago I had a periodic blog series of favorite things. (Here's a quick round-up of some of my favorite favorites.) I decided that I need to bring back those periodic posts. And, for the first one, I'll feature something that I have blogged about a lot and use regularly - my bag of lids.

I started saving lids a few years ago with no particular purpose in mind. I have amassed quite a collection. In the past two weeks we have used these lids for--

Making letters

Making groups of ten

In the past we've used them for these and other things.

We used them as a base for an art exploration.

We used them as game pieces.

We used them to build.

We used them to explore shapes.

We count them, sort them, and sometimes ignore them for other things.

I have grown to love my bag of lids.

Others have used lids in interesting ways, too.

• Deborah at Teach Preschool has done lots of learning with lids.
• Crafty Journal made homemade stamps.
• Picklebums made a music stick (instrument).
• Learning4Kids lists 10 quick ideas for lids.

How have you recycled and repurposed lids?

Favorite Things: Baby Dolls

Baby dolls play an important role in our classroom on a regular basis.

Using dolls, we get to practice caring for others...practice family roles.

Sometimes with few other things...sometimes with lots of other things.

We rock and snuggle with them.

We care for them and play with them.

We put them to bed.

We feed them. (Well..sort of)

We drive them to different places.

We even read to them.

Our dolls are an important part of our room. We are learning important skills for our adult lives...and we are playing and learning right now.