Dental Health Month

February is Dental Health Month!

At preschool we celebrated by...

** Reading books about teeth and going to the dentist

** Sorting foods that are healthy for our teeth and foods that are not healthy for our teeth.

(I got these great pictures ready to print and sort from a blog.  I now cannot find the blog or post!  If you know where they came from, please let me know...I would love to give credit!!!)

** We painted with toothbrushes.  This was a BIG hit with my preschoolers.  I gave them the 3 primary colors and they practiced mixing and making new colors.  If we would have had more time, I would have loved to paint with floss as well.



** We also created BIG mouths with teeth showing.  I got the printable from the Mailbox Magazine.  We added white glitter to the teeth to make them sparkle.  I am sorry I did not get a picture of this :(

Here are some great Dental Health ideas and printables from some of my favorite blogs:

--Monkeying Around: Dental Health Resources

-- Musings of Me: Dental Health Unit (this unit is huge and is FREE!)

--Preschool Playbook:  More great Dental Health ideas!

--What the Teacher Wants: a 'tiny miny unit' on Dental Health

Do you have a posting or printable on Dental Health?  Please share with us in the comments below!

New Circle Time Additions

Here are some new additions I have recently made to our Circle Time routine. 

With over half the school year over my preschoolers had mastered the Days of Week and Months of the year songs we sing at every circle time.  Therefore, I thought it was time to add another element.  So, I added the Money Poem with coin props on sticks.  I have had these coins for awhile now, but I recently saw them at the Dollar Tree (in case you want your own)! .  I hold up the corresponding coin when reciting each part of the poem.  I also turn the coins several times to show each side of the coin (I glued the coins back to back with a tongue depressor in the middle).

Our monthly song chart: February:

Want to see more about Song Charts?  Click HERE

Want to see more about Circle Time?  Click HERE

60 Sensory Table Ideas

Sensory tables or bins are all around the blogosphere right now.  Not only are they fun, they also help children learn valuable skills through play.

Jonti-Craft Inc. is a company that makes and sells sensory tables.  On thier website you will find 60 sensory table ideas for free!  You can view the ideas online or request a cd.  There are some really great ideas, click here to check them out!

High Contrast Images for Infants

With a new baby due in a matter of weeks, I have really been in the nesting mood.  Not only cleaning, but getting everything all lined up!  Today, I found the black and white images that I had used with C.  I loved these visual stimulation cards and recommended them often to new parents when I worked as a parent educator.  The black and white pictures shown are from http://www.funbabygames.com/, also check out these black and white images, they are free to print.

There are several different ways these images can be used.  First,  I like to tape images next to the changing table.  It is a great visual stimulant during a diaper change.  You could also punch a hole in the top and hang them from an overhead gym.  We used ours often during tummy time.  I just propped them up, using a book.  This was great because it encouraged C to lift her head to see the images. 

As shown in the picture, I created 'puppets' using black and white images.  I called these tracking puppets.  They are attached to a tongue depressor and you have your infant try to 'track' or follow the picture as you move it side to side and up and down. 

There are also some great black and white board books that I just love.  Tana Hoban created these books and they are most likely available in your local library.  These books are great to 'read' with baby or prop up during tummy time. 

Lastly, have you heard about the Infant See Program?  It is a nationwide program of Optometrists that offer FREE vision exams to infants (ages 6-12) months.  Check out their website: http://www.infantsee.org/.  Check to see if there are any providers near you.  They also have some great information on their website as well.  We did this with C and it was very reassuring that her eyes were healthy!

It's a Blizzard Out There!!!

No really!  Here in the midwest we are enduring our first blizzard in many many years.  The temperatures are too cold to go outside and play so.... we brought the snow inside!

First, C played with her plastic animals in the snow.  We had the animals make tracks in the snow!

Then, we used tongs to pick them out of the snow.

We even made a mini snowman!  He has raisin eyes, M&M nose and a cashew smile!