Ducks 'n a Row

preschool

How To Take Attendance At Your Event The Easy Way

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When hosting a group event such as a school open house, scout troop meeting, business seminar or church workshop – anything where the attendees will be handed written material – use this technique and you will quickly know who did or did not show up. It is a simple process of elimination.  

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How to take attendance the easy way

Moms know a whole lot of tricks to make life easier, don’t we! Well, this one I learned as a high school guidance counselor and, later on, as the administrator of a PreK – 12 school. We would have such large events that, when sharing important written information such as the parent-teacher handbook, it was challenging to know who received it and who did not. This technique worked perfectly every time and became a great way of taking attendance!

The simple tip: label it! Yes, whether you write out their names by hand or print off some snazzy labels, put those take-homes into a nice envelop and print their names on the cover. Hand the packets to each attendee. The names of those who did not get theirs are on the outside of the leftover packets.

360 PCS Removable Labels, 14 Colors Self-adhesive Rectangular Stickers Water/Oil/Tear Resistant with Perforation Line for Food Containers Kitchen Restaurant Storage Organization (8 Sheets, 2 Sizes)

colored removable labels

 

 

Here is an EXAMPLE:     Today is our annual “meet the teacher” get together for preschool. I wrote a nice 2-page introduction with important FAQ’s like the school hours, what to wear (i.e. if your child comes to school wearing sandals, bring sneakers for gym), food, what fun we will have, etc. Then I printed out copies to give to all of the parents, my teaching assistants and the principal.

Now, I could have labeled the actual page – that method works fine – but today’s meeting is outdoors so,  I chose to use envelopes to protect the letter from the elements. On the outside of each one I wrote “To The Parents Of …” and the child’s name.

*Using the child’s name (first name or first + last name) is helpful since children do not always have the same last name as their parents or guardians.  

After the event is over, I can easily figure out who wasn’t there as I will still have their labeled envelop!  I can then either email or mail the information to them or have it ready to hand to them on the first day of school. So simple.

And that’s my little attendance taking tip!

 

5 Attractive Styles of Teacher RECORD Books — VERY durable cover!

 

Enjoy!

 

 

 

Note: this author is an Amazon affiliate. What does that mean? Well, anything that you buy from Amazon by first clicking on an ad, link or using an Amazon search window on Ducks ‘n a Row will, at no extra cost to you, result in a small commission for me. In advance “thank you!” … Sinea

Sending out a lot of envelopes soon?  Here is how to seal them WITHOUT licking them!

Wedding announcements

 

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O is for Ocean Kids Activity That Fizzes

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Ocean day is the most fun we have had in our preschool class ever – and that is saying a lot – we have LOTS of fun every week! This ocean fizzing sensory experience is a great activity for pre-k, kindergarten and even first grade. It appeals to a child’s natural fascination for the secret world under the sea, their love to play in water and it teaches them a little bit of science, as well!

Note: be sure to check out our paper plate, bottle cap O is for Ocean craft, too! Told you we had a great day 🙂

kids, preschool activities
Now, don’t be overwhelmed by all the parts of this activity. It is so easy to put together and worth every bit of the effort. Your kids will love it!
My assistant, Katie, first discovered this on Pinterest – it was originally created by Fun At Home With Kids. She sent me the link and I was wow’d! There was no doubt, we HAD to do this.
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This blog contains Amazon affiliate links ♥
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Overview: you will build an “oceanscape” for your students to observe, touch and play with “sea creatures.” They will also discover what happens when vinegar mixes with baking soda (FIZZ!!!)

 

kids, kindergarten, preschool, sea, ocean, kids science

Supplies

baking soda “rocks” that you will make
baking soda (large box)
towels
smocks
The bin that we previously used for a colored rice sensory table was perfect for this activity. It is actually a garment storage container that has wheels (wheels are NOT necessary but it just has them) and a lid.
You’ll want to protect your floor. We purchased and inexpensive plastic table cloth meant for a sea themed birthday party. It was a beautiful drop cloth for this activity. A plastic shower curtain liner would work just as well.
preschool, kindergarten, first grade, sensory play, ocean, sea

How To Make Baking Soda “Rocks”

Scoop dry baking soda into a large mixing bowl.
Gradually add water till it is a consistency that can be molded into balls.
Place a plastic sea creature toy or small sea shell inside the baking soda ball and mold it with your hands like you would a snow ball.
Gently place it on a tray to dry.
For effect, you may want to use a sea shell to imprint the outside of the damp baking soda rock.
Allow them to dry for at least 24 hours till hard.
Note that you still will want to handle them gently.

Vinegar Bottles

These plastic condiment bottles will be filled with white vinegar and a couple of drops of blue food coloring.
kids science, kids sensor play

How To Set Up Your Ocean Scene

Spread the table cloth/drop cloth on the floor.
Put the empty plastic bin on top of it.
Arrange rocks, glass gems and sea shells around the bin.
Stage plastic sea animals all around.
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Time for your children to come in and see!*
*To keep the vinegar smell off their clothes, cover them in a big t-shirt or smock with sleeves.
 
sea life, baking soda and vinegar, under water, water play
Now, gently place baking soda rocks in the dry bin.
Give a blue tinted, vinegar filled condiment bottle to each child.
Have them squirt a rock and see what happens.
  This is the science part! Baking soda + vinegar = fizz 
Watch it fizz and see the look of delight on their faces!
After a while, the plastic sea creature will “emerge” from the rock.
Now fill the dish pan with cool water and gently pour it into the bin.
Let them play and have fun!
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Letter X is for Xylophone Preschool Craft

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As a preschool teacher, I have found the end of the alphabet to be quite challenging for themes. Our class has featured a different letter of the alphabet every week, from A – Z.

Now, our Z is for Zoo day [which is the final day of school] is easy. Think of the many possibilities; they are as diverse as the many creatures who LIVE in the zoo!

Letter W is for Weather day is another one that we really enjoy. There is so much to do!

Letter X is for Xylophone preschool craft #preschool

But I have found that X and Y are both hurting for good preschool craft ideas. So, this year I decided to combine two letter X’s. We featured X marks the Spot – our Dress Like A Pirate [or princess] day – and tacked on the Letter X is for Xylophone for the craft.

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You will see that the primary activity for  X marks the Spot is great fun. The children follow a treasure map that leads them to an “island” where there is a real treasure.  You can get all the details here => Letter X Marks The Spot Preschool Treasure Hunt Theme.   

Dressing like pirates and princesses and going on a treasure hunt really don’t need a huge craft project to compliment them. This little letter X craft can be built around discussion about xylophones and how to play one. If someone has a toy xylophone at home that they can bring in, all the better!

Fun and easy Letter X is for Xylophone #preschool craft! #kidscrafts Share on X

Letter X is for Xylophone Preschool Craft

 

Supplies

Card stock paper

Colored construction or copy paper

Letter X template

Crayons

Glue Stick

Preschool craft letter X is for Xylophone #kidscrafts

Directions

Print copies of the letter X template onto white card stock – one for each child

Color the inside of the X. Encourage the children to use their imaginations and do designs inside. My little group of artists almost always look at my design and try to duplicate it but we did have a few very original creations!

Cut rectangles from four different colors of paper. Each rectangle should be a bit shorter than the next. We were limited in time so I pre-cut them for the children.

Demonstrate for the children, using a glue stick,  how to “color” straight lines across the letter X and then press the colored papers onto the glue; place shortest rectangle at the top finishing with the widest piece at the bottom.

It is just that easy!

Oh, curious about letter Y?  We did Letter Y is for Yellow and learned about colors. 

Enjoy!

 

 

 


 

Letter U is for Under the Sea Fizzing Sensory Activity for Preschool

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Every year our preschool class learns about ocean life. Sometimes I teach the topic using the letter “O is for Ocean.” Other years, I build the day around the letter U and teach it as “U is for Under The Sea.” Either way, it is so much fun – especially with this under the sea fizzing sensory activity!

Under the sea lesson for #preschool - so much fun!

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This preschool lesson includes an Ocean Paper Plate Craft that little children just love to make, teamed up with this ocean fizzing activity.  As we are winding down at the end of school, I read them the adorable story “The Pout Pout Fish [A Pout Pout Fish Adventure]”  It makes for a perfect day.

Children's book - the pout pout fish

Adorable children’s story about The Pout Pout Fish 

You know how children love surprises? Well, there definitely are surprises built into this sensory experience.  The children will each discover a hidden treasure inside their own baking soda ball [how-to make them below] that you have placed in the sensory bin. Just give each student a squirt bottle filled with white vinegar, tinted blue with food coloring. Have them squirt their baking soda ball until it dissolves, revealing a little plastic undersea animal toy, which they can keep.

Think about it. This under the sea fizzing experience introduces them to basic chemistry – vinegar, when it meets baking soda, FIZZES!  Of course, before you are finished, add water to the bin to let them play. Kids LOVE to play with the toys in the bin.

O is for Ocean activity for #kids #preschool

How To Create Your Under The Sea Experience

Now, don’t be overwhelmed by all the parts to this activity. It is so easy to put together and worth every bit of the effort. Your kids will love it!

Overview: you will build an “oceanscape” with sea creatures for your students to observe, touch and play with. They will also discover what happens when vinegar mixes with baking soda (FIZZ!!!)

FUN Letter O is for Ocean fizzing sensory experience for kids! #kidsactivities #preschool #sensoryplay Can also be used for Letter U is for Under the Sea Share on X

O is for Ocean preschool fizzing fun #preschool #sensory
Supplies
baking soda “rocks” that you will make
baking soda (large box)
towels
smocks
Big book of OCEANS for kids
The bin that we previously used for a colored rice sensory table was perfect for this activity. It is actually a garment storage container that has wheels (wheels are NOT necessary but it just has them) and a lid.
You’ll want to protect your floor. We purchased and inexpensive plastic table cloth  meant for a sea themed birthday party. It was a beautiful drop cloth for this activity. A plastic shower curtain liner would work just as well.
How to make baking soda rocks for the under the sea ocean experience #preschool

How To Make Baking Soda “Rocks”

Scoop dry baking soda into a large mixing bowl.
NOTE: One 8 oz. baking soda box will yield approximately 3 baking soda balls. 
Gradually add water till it is a consistency that can be molded into balls.
Place a plastic sea creature toy or small sea shell inside the baking soda ball and mold it with your hands like you would a snow ball.
Gently place it on a tray to dry.
For effect, you may want to use a sea shell to imprint the outside of the damp baking soda rock.
Allow them to dry for at least 24 hours till hard.
Note that you still will want to handle them gently.

Vinegar Squirt Bottles

These plastic condiment bottles will be filled with white vinegar and a couple of drops of blue food coloring.
O is for Ocean fizzing experience for #preschool #ece #STEM

How To Set Up Your Ocean Scene

Spread the table cloth/drop cloth on the floor.
Put the empty plastic bin on top of it.
Arrange river rocks, glass gems and sea shells around the bin.
Stage plastic sea animals all around.
Time for your children to come in and see!
*To keep the vinegar smell off their clothes, cover them in a big t-shirt or smock with sleeves.
** Be sure to use full strength white vinegar. Cleaning vinegar is diluted and will not give the fizz effect that you are looking for. 
Kids sensory bin for teaching about under the sea life #oceans
Now, gently place baking soda rocks in the dry bin.
Give a blue tinted, vinegar filled condiment bottle to each child.
Have them squirt a rock and see what happens.
  This is the science part! Baking soda + vinegar = fizz 
Watch it fizz and see the look of delight on their faces!
After a while, the plastic sea creature will “emerge” from the rock.
Now fill the dish pan with cool water and gently pour it into the bin.
Let them play and have fun!
Adorable under the sea preschool craft with blue paper plates, bottle caps and fish crackers. #preschool #kidscrafts #kindergarten

Enjoy!

non-toxic plastic sea animal toys
 

 

M&M Math – Teaching Math With Candy Is Fun

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M&M math graphing for #kids

Math Graphing Activity for Kids! This beginner graphing activity teaches children how to use a graph in a delicious way – CANDY! Remarkably, my preschoolers did NOT eat theirs. Amazing! Of course, I told them not to but no one even sneaked any. What a good bunch of kiddos I have in my classroom…

preschool, candy graphing activities, kids activities, Math
My students were allowed to take their candies home, along with the graph, so that they could practice with their parents. Somewhere along the line, those M&M’s had to have been eaten. Of course, other candies or colored cereal can be used for this fun graphing activity but I am partial to M&M’s and this free printable was made just for them!
kids math, candy graphing, M&M Math, preschool

 

M&M Math & Graphing For Kids

Supplies
White cardstock
Color printer
M&M’s milk chocolate candies
Small paper cups
Plastic wrap

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preschool, kids math, candy activities

I pre-labeled each cup with the child’s name.
The plastic wrap is to seal it up for them to take their candy home.

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Montessori math manipulatives game for adding and subtracting

A fun way to practice our math skills!  

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preschool, kindergarten, math
kids math

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M&M Graphing Lesson For Preschoolers

  • Print a copy of the graph in color on white card stock- one for each child.
  • Pour some M&M’s in a small paper cup – one cup per child.
  • Sit your students down at a table with their graph and candies.
  • Explain to them that they should sort through their candies and place a line of candies on the same bar of the color they are holding. i.e. green M&M’s go on the green line, red on red and so forth.
  • Have them count how many greens, how many blues, how many reds. .

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So, your little ones just got a “taste” (pardon the pun) of how to use and read a graph plus a counting exercise – with a snack afterward!

What other ways can you think of to use this graphing activity with young children?

 

This year I made snowman cookies for a movie night party.
M&M’s were the
buttons for the snowman tummies!

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How To Teach Preschoolers About The American Flag

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The first day of preschool in my class is dedicated to learning how to be a preschooler. We have lots of fun as we play getting-to-know-you games and learn the daily classroom routines.  I also teach them about the American flag and we say the Pledge of Allegiance.

Teaching the pledge of allegiance to children #preschool

The Pledge of Allegiance  is an important part of our daily routine but 3 and 4 year olds are pretty much clueless on what a country is, let alone why we have a flag and solute it. So, we start by discussing that our country is called the United States of America. I show them our flag and then we learn the Pledge of Allegiance.

With 3 and 4 year olds, it is important to teach the concepts in small little bites. Their attention spans are short. Often the greatest challenge is in identifying our right hand to put on our hearts. A couple of brilliant preschoolers started putting both hands on their heart knowing at one of them was the right one! That was OK with me. LOL 

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American Flag shirt for little kids

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Touching moment for me:  at our school orientation  this year a mom told me that her little girl, who had been in my class 2 years prior, was the champion of her new school the next year. When they said the Pledge of Allegiance on their first day, she was the only student in the class who knew the pledge and she said it perfectly. Her new teachers were amazed. That story was such a blessing to hear.  Patience and repetition pays off!

I just bought new book about the American flag, Why Are There Stripes on The American Flag by Martha E.H. Rustad, to use with my lesson this year. It has enough words in it that I will have to abbreviate it a little bit when I read it to my class.  I don’t lose my young audience. If the story has too many words, I lose them. The book is actually perfect for 1st graders but certainly can be adapted to preschool and kindergarten, as well. The illustrations are so pretty and bright. My little kiddos will love it!


The Pledge of Allegiance

I pledge allegiance to the flag

of the United States of America.

And to the republic for which it stands

one nation

under God

indivisible

with liberty and justice for all.

In addition to teaching the pledge of allegiance and about the flag, we make a very cute American flag craft using Cheerios as stars. Learn how to make it here>> American Flag Craft for Preschoolers

American flag craft for preschoolers #crafts

Another thing we did is we had a parade! We marched around the classroom waving little US flags and singing You’re A Grand Old Flag (mostly the teachers sang but the kids had fun, too!)

Teach about the American Flag and the Pledge of Allegiance for #preschool -- here is how! #kids #USA Share on X

More>> ☑️ Preschool Crafts, Lessons and Ideas for You Here!
Save them, pin them, use them! ♥

Enjoy!

Teach preschoolers about the American flag

9 Fun Shaving Cream Activities That Preschoolers Love

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Fun activities for kids using shaving cream

This blog contains affiliate links. ♥

Last week my preschool class had loads of fun free-playing  with shaving cream! I wanted each one of them to have their own pile of fluff to play in so I bought  lightweight 12″ round plastic serving trays, one for each of them.

The trays so light, though, that they would have moved all around the table and the predictable mess could have become a catastrophe! Can you imagine sliding trays full of foam in motion? There goes the floor!

So, before the children came into the classroom, I took packing tape and made a big loop for each tray. I stuck it to the bottom of each tray and stuck the tray to the top of the table in front of each seat. It was perfect! They played to their hearts’ content and nothing moved. I love it when a plan comes together!


9 Fun Ways For Kids To Play With Shaving Cream

Do your children enjoy playing with shaving cream? There are so many things you can do with it. Here are 9 great ideas they will love:

DIY Puffy Paint For Kids – Artful Parent

DIY Toy Car Wash – Paging Fun Mums

Fake Snow – Playtivities

Free Play with Shaving Cream – Ducks ‘n a Row

Marbled Eggs – Ducks ‘n a Row

Shaving Cream on a Window – Simple Fun For Kids

Shaving Cream Paint – Ducks ‘n a Row

Shaving Cream Rain Clouds – One Little Project

Shaving Cream Wrapping Paper – Mess For Less

What fun activities have your kids done lately with shaving cream?

9 fun activities for #kids using shaving cream! #preschool #tips Share on X

Enjoy!

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Best Puzzles Preschoolers Love To Do With No Frustration

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Preschoolers love doing puzzles but some puzzles don’t love them back. I have watched dozens of 3 and 4 year olds eagerly tackle puzzles in my classroom and I can say without exception that some puzzles are better than others. A few just need to be thrown away! Here are some puzzles for preschoolers that they will love and play with over and over again.

Preschoolers love doing puzzles - here are some tips on the kinds they will like the best!

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There is one puzzle that, if it were not a Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles puzzle, I would have thrown away a long time ago. My kids love TMNT so I don’t have the heart to part with it – yet.

I bought the puzzle from a discount store for one dollar. Typically the puzzles at that store are great but this one is impossible. It is one of those flat puzzles that you make on its own board, which is a style that is very good for young children.

This particular puzzle’s design, though, was very poorly done. The edges of the puzzle do not match the body of the puzzle at all. There is no way to find clues to which piece goes where. It does have the shapes etched out on the cardboard but it is so frustrating that few of my children stick with it to the end.


A similar puzzle in my collection did hit the “circular file” I gladly pitched it right into garbage can! The puzzle had the design lightly printed on the cardboard base, which is perfect for preschoolers, except they printed the WRONG PICTURE on it! My kids are smart. Whenever one of them would grab this puzzle from the cupboard and recognized that it was the one with the misprint,  it was pushed aside for another selection. I don’t like throwing anything away but this one was just taking up precious storage space.  It was time for it to go.

Puzzles for preschoolers

24 Piece Puzzles Are Great For Preschoolers

My preschoolers love the 24 piece puzzles that you just pour out onto the table and look at the picture on the box. I have at least a dozen of them featuring all sorts of popular characters like Princess Sophia, Winnie the Pooh and Toy Story.  By the end of the school year, nearly everybody can make them without help. The beginning of the school year is a different story. My class includes 3 and 4 year olds. Three year olds are at various levels of development. Some are just not ready for a 24 piece challenge.


Colorful Jigsaw Puzzles With 2-8 Pieces Are Great For Little Puzzle Playing Beginners

Wanting everyone to have frustration-free fun making puzzles, I ordered some new simpler ones that I love …. and so do they! Some were from The Learning Journey and some were made by Galt.

Both brands of puzzles have large pieces, which are easy for little hands to work with. I love the adorable cartoony pictures! The colors are vibrant and the pieces are very durable.

Find the perfect jigsaw puzzles that your #preschoolers will love! #kids #ece Share on X

In each case, all four puzzles come mixed together in the same box. There are puzzles of very few pieces – 2 or 4 pieces – on up to 8 piece puzzles. Perfect! What I love about The Learning Journey’s puzzles is that there are numbers on the back of the puzzle pieces that correspond to the number of pieces in the puzzle.

So, if you are making the 2-piece Ocean theme puzzle (which is this adorable sea turtle) you just look on the backs and find the two pieces with the number “2” on them. It helps my little kiddos learn to identify numbers, too.  I bought the Ocean set and the four Dinosaurs puzzles, too.Puzzles that are fun and easy for preschoolers to do #ad

The Galt  brand puzzles do not have that, which is really too bad, however the pictures on the puzzles are so distinctive that it is simple to sort through to find which ones go together. [For instance, in the Farm set you just look for cows or pigs or lambs or chickens on the pieces. It is quick.] I bought both the Farm set which includes puzzles with 4, 6, 8 and 12 pieces and so does their 4 in a box Vehicles puzzles.

Vehicles puzzles for preschoolers #ad

Picking Out The Right Puzzles For Preschoolers

Types of puzzles that are best for young children vary.  Here a some of the most popular styles:

 

Do your children like puzzles? What are their favorites?

Firetruck floor puzzle for kids #ad

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Enjoy!

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Fun Things To Teach Preschoolers About Frogs

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Frogs are fascinating! Their big bulgy eyes, strong hopping legs and super strong swimming power are more than enough to keep a child’s interest. Add watching one EAT A BUG and the day is complete! We just studied the Letter F is for Frog in my preschool class. Let me tell you what we did.

Letter F is for Frog preschool lesson

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critter barn for carrying and observing bugs and toads and frogs

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One fascinating thing about frogs is their life cycle. We learned it in a few ways. I showed the children a diagram of the life cycle and pointed out that, after they hatch from eggs, they begin looking like little fish. They agreed that tadpoles look just like fish! I sent them home with a picture of the life cycle of a frog that they could share with their families.

Next, we saw a brief You Tube video that taught about amphibians but it concentrated primarily on frogs.  (see it below)

For our daily lesson,   I read  “Frogs” by National Geographic Kids to our class. It is full of beautiful pictures.  This book is perfect for teaching a lesson about frogs for students in preschool, kindergarten and the younger primary grades.

Nat Geo Kids FROGS book

 

Now this was special>> one of our students caught a frog in her yard and she brought it to school, so we had a real live frog for everyone in our class to see. And my students got to see how to capture a frog, too. LOL Yes, I opened the container for the children to get a better look at the little guy and he hopped out. Gee whiz, frogs can MOVE FAST! Thankfully, I got him safely back into his container. Disaster overted!

Getting movement into our day: we hopped like a frog as we walked down the hallway at school all day long!

5 Fun Facts About Frogs

Frogs are amphibians

Frogs hatch out of eggs.

Frogs breathe through their skin.

A group of frogs is called an “army.”

Baby frogs, called “tadpoles”, look like little fish.

*More fun facts about FROGS here.

If you live near a creek or a pond,  take your kids frog-hunting. Put together a little critter habitat for your frog to live in at home for a while before you release him back in the wild. If you do not have easy access to frogs, you can buy a kit and watch it grow!

Give your preschoolers a day of fun learning all about FROGS! #STEM #preschool #kindergarten Share on X

Want a really fun frog craft to do with your kids? This F is for Frog Preschool Craft is very special. The frog “hops” on its lily pad!

Enjoy!

 

 

 

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