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Welcome back! We are open for preschool and childcare. Please don't forget to sign your child up for a round-up appointment.

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Have some fun playing outside today before the rain comes for the weekend. If you have some dirt in your yard, try writing the letter "Dd" in the dirt.

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Jonah says that on spring break he liked playing at the beach with friends and finding clams.

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Make a milkshake. This also incorporates mathematics with measuring ingredients. You could have your child make their own recipe with pictures for letter "Rr" review. Post a photo enjoying your milkshake!

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Have your child decorate an envelope for letter "Ee." This is also a great way to explain what an envelope is used for. You could have your child write their name and address on the envelope is well which is also great practice for them. Post a photo when you're done!

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Ms. Tiffany and her husband have been working on the spare bedroom in their house. We painted the walls and put in a new floor!

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Hands are not for Hitting

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We have a weekly sensory bin in the classroom. Coming to the end of the year, this is a simple and great way for the students to work on all the letters!

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Do your kids love hands-on sensory activities? Then they'll love searching for and finding letters of the alphabet in this fun sensory bin. This alphabet sensory bin play experience is the perfect way for your little learners to boost those letter recognition skills.

Alphabet Sensory Bin

Any early childhood teacher will tell you that the secret to teaching young children to recognize letters of the alphabet is to use fun, hands-on activities. A sensory bin, table, or tub is an important part of any high-quality early learning environment.

This sensory bin packs a powerful educational punch because it also provides young children with opportunities to touch and feel the shape of the letters. Touching and feeling the shapes of the letters helps your kids become familiar with the letter shapes, which will help when it comes to learning their letters.

Just in case you're new to the sensory bin scene, you can learn everything there is know about the how, the why, and the what of sensory play here.

Alphabet Sensory Bin Materials

Here are the things I put in my bin, but you can use whichever filler you prefer or have on-hand.

The addition of a sun-bleached letter matching mat to this sensory bin is super helpful for practicing important visual discrimination skills.

Sensory Bins Can Be Messy

You may be thinking, "But sensory bins are so messy!" And you'd be right! I challenge you to think about the pros and cons of sensory bins before rushing to judgment.

The benefits of sensory play far outweigh the negatives. Are sensory bins messy? Yes, they can be, but there are so many more educational opportunities for your kids to learn through sensory play.

Instead of worrying about the mess, set yourself up for success. When it comes to preparing for sensory play think about the following:

Where is my sensory bin located?

What can I do to contain the mess?

What are the rules about cleaning up the sensory play area?

How can I teach my kids to clean up the sensory area?

Find a place in your home or classroom where a sensory bin makes the most sense. Tile or hard surface floors are best when it comes to messy play activities.

If possible, put a mat or plastic tablecloth under the sensory bin to "catch" anything that may spill out.

The next step is super important, introducing the rules of sensory play to your little learners. Be sure to address where the contents of the bin can and can't go (in the mouth, hair, floor) and where they can go.

And lastly, you'll want to have procedures in place that allow young children to independently clean up the sensory area when they're done playing. Little hand brooms and dust pans are perfect for cleaning up sensory bin spills!

Setting Up Your Alphabet Sensory Bin

First, cut a piece of dark colored construction paper (dark colors like black or blue work best) to fit the inside of your cookie sheet. Place the paper inside the cookie sheet, then place the magnetic letters on top of the paper and place it in direct sunlight for several hours.

Once the sun has bleached the paper enough for the letters to show up clearly, remove it from the sunlight and laminate the paper.

After the paper is laminated, attach it to the cookie sheet with tape so it stays in place.

Next, if you're using rice, color it using your color or colors of choice. In case you're not familiar with how to color rice, I've included my favorite recipe for you below.

Colored Rice Recipe

1 cup uncooked rice

2 tablespoons rubbing alcohol

8 drops food coloring

You could also use liquid watercolors, they are perfect for coloring rice in bright, vibrant colors - but they do cost more than food coloring.

How to Color Rice

Place the ingredients in a zip top bag, seal and mix until the color is absorbed evenly into the rice. Of course, if you're filling a large sensory tub with colored rice you will need to repeat the steps in the recipe several times. Then, line some cookie sheets with wax paper and pour your rice on top to dry.

After your rice is dry, pour it into your sensory tub or bin and mix in the magnetic letters. Now, children can search for the letters in the sensory bin. When they find a letter they can look at it carefully and match it to the corresponding space on the cookie sheet.

This activity will help children learn to identify letters of the alphabet. Before children can learn to recognize and name the letters, they first have to learn how to visually discriminate the similarities and differences of each letter.

If you place the letters inside plastic Easter eggs it adds an extra element of fun, however my little dish tub wasn't large enough to accommodate 26 plastic eggs.

Introducing the Sensory Bin

Before you introduce the sensory bin, you may want to consider reading an alphabet book to your students. You probably already have a basket of alphabet books in your classroom library you can choose from. Reading a book aloud before introducing the sensory bin is a great way to connect the academic aspect to the playful aspect of learning.

When it comes to alphabet books, my personal favorite is Chicka Chicka Boom Boom by Bill Martin Jr. and John Archambault. The sing-song way this story is told, along with the colorful illustrations have made it a classic, must-read book for the Preschool and Pre-K crowd!

More Sensory Bin Ideas

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Alphabet Sensory Bin for Letter Recognition

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Do your kids love hands-on sensory activities? Then they'll love searching for and finding letters of the alphabet in this fun sensory bin. This alphabet sensory bin play experience is the perfect way for your little learners to boost those letter recognition skills.

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Fine Motor Practice using the letter "y."

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Fine Motor Practice using the letter "y."

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Clifford the Big Red Dog for letter "Rr" this week!

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Clifford the Big Red Dog for letter "Rr" this week!

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It's time to go back to school! The first day of school is a fun time filled with new friends, teachers, and adventures. We've been busy creating lots of new things to color, cut, trace and solve.

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Thousands of printable coloring pages, worksheets, and mini books. Customize and create your own original pages for free.

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Kindergarten Roundup / Welcome to Mountie Nation

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Can use wood cut offs, sticks, rocks, ect.

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Easy Outdoor Toddler Activities [Video] | Outdoor activities for toddlers, Toddler outdoor, Preschool outdoor activities

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Sep 9, 2019 - Twin Mom Refreshed is a place where you can find easy, simple, and play based toddler activities and healthy toddler meal ideas

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Lead Teacher: Tiffany Stachnik

tiffany.stachnik@nwschools.org

517-817-4749

Director: Kristy West

kristy.west@nwschools.org
517-817-4727

Secretary: Mary Huffman

mary.huffman@nwschools.org
517-817-4741

Brightwheel: Send message ( I typically will not respond after 6:00 p.m. unless it is urgent)

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A great way to see the classroom and your child's environment! For those who are close to full potty training this is a good time to meet their future teachers.

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Modernize workflows with Zoom's trusted collaboration tools: including video meetings, team chat, VoIP phone, webinars, whiteboard, contact center, and events.

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Looking for a fun new way to engage the little ones? There are a variety of fun kids activities available here! These activities are a great way to keep them occupied and help them learn new skills. What's more, parents and teachers can also use printable kids' crafts and activities that kids of all ages are bound to enjoy.

JumpStart has a variety of fun activities for kids. Engage the young ones with these activities and make learning fun!

Activities for Kids - Fun, Simple and Educational

To ensure that kids are learning the right things and not whiling away their time aimlessly, parents and teachers can keep the little ones busy with educational and beneficial activities for kids.

With activities available for a wide variety of subjects including math activities, science activities and reading activities, to other adventure activities, music activities and art activities, parents and teachers have plenty of options. These help kids recognize their interests and abilities and mold their personalities. Most activities for kids are simple, easy, and not even messy. They are also a great way for parents and teachers to bond with the kids as they guide the little ones through these activities, sometimes even participating along with them.

Preschool Activities

You can spark a preschooler's imagination with interesting preschool activities. Simple, easy and fun, activities for preschoolers set the foundation for better learning and development. Both informative and productive, fun preschool activities will build your preschoolers' confidence and plant the seed for a lifelong love of learning.

Activities for Kids of all Ages

Kids of different ages have different requirements, abilities and levels of skill. Keeping in mind the unique characteristics of kids of different ages, you can choose from our age-specific and grade-based kids activities. Watch kids learn and develop new skills as they play a host of different activities!

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Looking for a fun new way to engage the little ones? There are a variety of fun kids activities available here! These activities are a great way to keep them occupied and help them learn new skills. What's more, parents and teachers can also use printable kids' crafts and activities that kids of all ages are bound to enjoy.

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Name Practice Sheets

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The students enjoyed this simple number game in the classroom!

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ABCya! * Learn to Count | More Than, Less Than Activity

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ABCya! Counting Fish | Count the number of fish and click the correct number answer. More than and less than prompts help children determine the correct answer. Score report after each stage

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Great activity for patterns, counting, and virtual building

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Demonstrate key math concepts in your classroom using our new virtual manipulatives!

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They love this simple game!

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Monster Mansion Match - Letter Match is a fun educational game for kids to practice matching uppercase and lowercase letters. Uppercase letters and their matching lowercase letters are written on friendly monsters in the windows of the mansion. Kids can play by memory or while seeing the letters. The letter names or letter sounds are pronounced for kids as they play the game.

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We have a weekly sensory bin in the classroom. Coming to the end of the year, this is a simple and great way for the students to work on all the letters!

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Do your kids love hands-on sensory activities? Then they'll love searching for and finding letters of the alphabet in this fun sensory bin. This alphabet sensory bin play experience is the perfect way for your little learners to boost those letter recognition skills.

Alphabet Sensory Bin

Any early childhood teacher will tell you that the secret to teaching young children to recognize letters of the alphabet is to use fun, hands-on activities. A sensory bin, table, or tub is an important part of any high-quality early learning environment.

This sensory bin packs a powerful educational punch because it also provides young children with opportunities to touch and feel the shape of the letters. Touching and feeling the shapes of the letters helps your kids become familiar with the letter shapes, which will help when it comes to learning their letters.

Just in case you're new to the sensory bin scene, you can learn everything there is know about the how, the why, and the what of sensory play here.

Alphabet Sensory Bin Materials

Here are the things I put in my bin, but you can use whichever filler you prefer or have on-hand.

The addition of a sun-bleached letter matching mat to this sensory bin is super helpful for practicing important visual discrimination skills.

Sensory Bins Can Be Messy

You may be thinking, "But sensory bins are so messy!" And you'd be right! I challenge you to think about the pros and cons of sensory bins before rushing to judgment.

The benefits of sensory play far outweigh the negatives. Are sensory bins messy? Yes, they can be, but there are so many more educational opportunities for your kids to learn through sensory play.

Instead of worrying about the mess, set yourself up for success. When it comes to preparing for sensory play think about the following:

Where is my sensory bin located?

What can I do to contain the mess?

What are the rules about cleaning up the sensory play area?

How can I teach my kids to clean up the sensory area?

Find a place in your home or classroom where a sensory bin makes the most sense. Tile or hard surface floors are best when it comes to messy play activities.

If possible, put a mat or plastic tablecloth under the sensory bin to "catch" anything that may spill out.

The next step is super important, introducing the rules of sensory play to your little learners. Be sure to address where the contents of the bin can and can't go (in the mouth, hair, floor) and where they can go.

And lastly, you'll want to have procedures in place that allow young children to independently clean up the sensory area when they're done playing. Little hand brooms and dust pans are perfect for cleaning up sensory bin spills!

Setting Up Your Alphabet Sensory Bin

First, cut a piece of dark colored construction paper (dark colors like black or blue work best) to fit the inside of your cookie sheet. Place the paper inside the cookie sheet, then place the magnetic letters on top of the paper and place it in direct sunlight for several hours.

Once the sun has bleached the paper enough for the letters to show up clearly, remove it from the sunlight and laminate the paper.

After the paper is laminated, attach it to the cookie sheet with tape so it stays in place.

Next, if you're using rice, color it using your color or colors of choice. In case you're not familiar with how to color rice, I've included my favorite recipe for you below.

Colored Rice Recipe

1 cup uncooked rice

2 tablespoons rubbing alcohol

8 drops food coloring

You could also use liquid watercolors, they are perfect for coloring rice in bright, vibrant colors - but they do cost more than food coloring.

How to Color Rice

Place the ingredients in a zip top bag, seal and mix until the color is absorbed evenly into the rice. Of course, if you're filling a large sensory tub with colored rice you will need to repeat the steps in the recipe several times. Then, line some cookie sheets with wax paper and pour your rice on top to dry.

After your rice is dry, pour it into your sensory tub or bin and mix in the magnetic letters. Now, children can search for the letters in the sensory bin. When they find a letter they can look at it carefully and match it to the corresponding space on the cookie sheet.

This activity will help children learn to identify letters of the alphabet. Before children can learn to recognize and name the letters, they first have to learn how to visually discriminate the similarities and differences of each letter.

If you place the letters inside plastic Easter eggs it adds an extra element of fun, however my little dish tub wasn't large enough to accommodate 26 plastic eggs.

Introducing the Sensory Bin

Before you introduce the sensory bin, you may want to consider reading an alphabet book to your students. You probably already have a basket of alphabet books in your classroom library you can choose from. Reading a book aloud before introducing the sensory bin is a great way to connect the academic aspect to the playful aspect of learning.

When it comes to alphabet books, my personal favorite is Chicka Chicka Boom Boom by Bill Martin Jr. and John Archambault. The sing-song way this story is told, along with the colorful illustrations have made it a classic, must-read book for the Preschool and Pre-K crowd!

More Sensory Bin Ideas

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Alphabet Sensory Bin for Letter Recognition

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Do your kids love hands-on sensory activities? Then they'll love searching for and finding letters of the alphabet in this fun sensory bin. This alphabet sensory bin play experience is the perfect way for your little learners to boost those letter recognition skills.

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I was cutting it close to five minutes in this video. We only get 5:15 seconds to record a book. I thought this book was great because it brings up the topic of emotions and how we must validate them. Remember even though they are only four, they still feel all these emotions!

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Please feel free to share something you and/or your family did over spring break!

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Stop the Spread of Germs