Friday, January 3, 2020

S is for Snow ideas

Letter of the Week A-Z Series: S is for Snow Winter Activities for Kids -

Winter has arrived and just dropped the most snow we have seen in years on our house. I am not a fan of snow because I hate being cold, but my kids love it and whenever I release them into the great outdoors they head straight into a snow-dive.

20 Winter crafts for kids

20 Fun Preschool Winter Crafts

Inside: This collection of preschool winter crafts is pure fun! Perfect for the classroom or the kitchen table, and as part of your winter theme. As the temperatures are dropping (it's in the low 30s where I live right now), I am thinking of all the activities I can add to our winter unit!

How to make snow dough

How to Make Snow Dough - Buggy and Buddy

Snow dough is a fun sensory material to add to small world play and also makes a great play material all on its own. This playdough recipe is perfect for 'snowy' play due to its bright white color and somewhat crumbly texture.

winter play dough mats

Winter Play Dough Counting Mats - Pre-K Pages

Free winter play dough mats to help your kids develop number sense and fluency within ten.

Thursday, January 2, 2020

more winter ideas

Winter Sensory Bin - Days With Grey

I love referring to the book, Loose Parts to help explain the importance of movement. "When we know how things move, we can predict what caused the movement and what we can do to control it. When we control the way things move, we restore a sense of order to chaos that is caused by unpredictable and random movement."

Melting Snowman Science Winter Snow Experiment

A very Frosty snow experiment! What's better than using materials you have around. It's winter time and guess what? We have plenty of the fluffy, cold, white stuff to make good use of for science activities. Why not set up a little STEM snow experiment with a snowman indoors.

Wednesday, January 1, 2020

Rae Pica's challenging behaviors online course complete

My accomplishment for the new year.




References from Rae Pica's training


uAdams, Susan. 2013. “The 10 Skills Employers Most Want in 20-Something Employees.” Forbes, October 11. www.forbes.com/sites/susanadams/2013/10/11/the-10-skills-employers-most-want-in-20-something-employees/#4027b87b6330.

uBitsko, Rebecca H., Joseph R. Holbrook, Rheem M. Ghandour, Stephen J. Blumberg, Susanna N. Visser, Ruth Perou, and John T. Walkup. 2018. “Epidemiology and Impact of Health Care Provider–Diagnosed Anxiety and Depression among US Children.” Journal of Developmental and Behavioral Pediatrics 39 (5): 395–403.

uButler, Shelley. 2005. “Circle Time Is the Right Time.” Early Childhood News 17 (1): 28–30. www.earlychildhoodnews.com/earlychildhood/article_view.aspx?ArticleID=537

uCherry, Clare. 1981. Think of Something Quiet: A Guide for Achieving Serenity in Early Childhood Classrooms. Belmont, CA: Pitman Learning.

uCrain, William. 2001. “How Nature Helps Children Develop.” Montessori Life, Summer 2001.

uJaques-Dalcroze, Émile. 1931. Eurhythmics, Art, and Education.
Translated by F. Rothwell. Edited by C. Cox. New York: A. S. Barnes.

uHannaford, Carla. 2005. Smart Moves: Why Learning Is Not All in Your Head. Salt Lake City, UT: Great River Books.

uHanscom, Angela. 2017. “The Real Reason Why Kids Fidget.” Huffington Post, December 6. www.huffingtonpost.com/angela-hanscom/the-real-reason-why-kids-fidget_b_5586265.html

uInstitute of Medicine. 2013. Educating the Student Body: Taking Physical Activity and Physical Education to School. Washington, DC: National Academies Press.

uJensen, Eric. 2000. Learning with the Body in Mind: The Scientific Basis for Energizers, Movement, Play, Games, and Physical Education. San Diego, CA: Brain Store.

uKamenetz, Anya. 2015. “Vindication for Fidgeters: Movement May Help Students with ADHD Concentrate.” National Public Radio, May 14. www.npr.org/sections/ed/2015/05/14/404959284/fidgeting-may-help-concentration-for-students-with-adhd.

uKohn, Alfie. 1992. No Contest: The Case against Competition. Boston: Houghton Mifflin.

uKristof, Nicholas D. 1998.



uMalone, Karen, and Paul Tranter. 2003. “Children’s Environmental Learning and the Use, Design and Management of Schoolgrounds.” Children, Youth and Environment 13 (2): 87–137.

uMiller, Darla Ferris. 2016. Positive Child Guidance. 8th ed. Boston, MA: Cengage Learning.

uMoore, Robin. 1996. “Compact Nature: The Role of Playing and Learning Gardens in Children’s Lives.” Journal of Therapeutic Horticulture 8: 72–82.

uOrlick, Terry. 2006. Cooperative Games and Sports: Joyful Activities for Everyone. Champaign, IL: Human Kinetics.

uRatey, John J. 2008. Spark: The Revolutionary New Science of Exercise and the Brain. New York: Little, Brown.

uSarver, Dustin E., Mark D. Rapport, Michael J. Kofler, Joseph S. Raiker, and Lauren M. Friedman. 2015. “Hyperactivity in Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD): Impairing Deficit or Compensatory Behavior?” Journal of Abnormal Child Psychology 43 (7): 1219–1232
uSkibbe, Lori E., Janelle J. Montroy, Ryan P. Bowles, and Frederick J. Morrison. 2019. “Self-Regulation and the Development of Literacy and Language Achievement from Preschool through Second Grade.” Early Childhood Research Quarterly 46: 240–251. doi.org/10.1016/j.ecresq.2018.02.005.
uSobko, Tanja, Zhenzhen Jia, and Gavin Brown. 2018. “Measuring Connectedness to Nature in Preschool Children in an Urban Setting and Its Relation to Psychological Functioning.” PLoS ONE 13 (11): e0207057. doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0207057.
uSummerford, Cathie. 2009. Action-Packed Classrooms, K–5: Using Movement to Educate and Invigorate Learners. Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin.
uTaylor, Andrea Faber, Frances E. Kuo, and William C. Sullivan. 2001. “Coping with ADD: The Surprising Connection to Green Play Settings.” Environment and Behavior 33 (1): 54–77.
uTrambley, Elisabeth. 2017. “Breaks in the Elementary Classroom and Their Effect on Student Behavior.” Master’s thesis, California State University, Monterey Bay. digitalcommons.csumb.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1133&context=caps_thes_all.
uWhitehead, Alfred North. 1967. The Aims of Education and Other Essays. New York: Free Press.
. doi.org/10.1007/s10802-015-0011-1.

 “Correspondence/Uncompetitive in Tokyo; In Japan, Nice Guys (and Girls) Finish Together.” New York Times, April 12: 7.

RTI education week link

https://www.edweek.org/ew/articles/2016/01/06/four-steps-to-implement-rti-correctly.html?fbclid=IwAR1zYXZrb-4HtNhgQVYxEGNC9tm2XAQImQ5qFik5TE...