Pre-K Map Theme

 While we are slowly working our way through some purchased curriculum this year, I decided to also add in some themed activities that either go with the seasons/holidays or go with Archer's interests. This summer he took a huge interest in maps, so I found some materials and we added in a lot of map related activities. Here is some of what we did.

I got this puzzle out on a whim this summer. Archer ended up loving it. The first time through he needed a lot of help, then he started doing it on his on, frequently.

We found some continent puzzles at Books a Million and I could not resist when he asked for them. He chooses to get them out frequently and is learning lots of country names.

This floor puzzle is also a big hit. 

We read several book on maps and our world, including some readers. 

The Scrambled States of America is a favorite!

We played this Following Directions game to practice right and left and North, South, East and West. We also played a game where he told me to move forward/backward/left/right to move me around the house.

He was very into his WaytoPlay roads for over a week, so I used dry erase notecards and some number erasers (Target dollar spot) to make some equations. He used a little dump truck to drive numbers to their places.

His Building Site game was the closest we had to a "map" game.

I found this great map unit from Keeping My Kinders Busy. We did a lot of the pages slowly over the course of the month and Archer really enjoyed them.

We also got this great interactive map (although for some reason Iowa has potatoes instead of corn). 

You Tube Videos:

Pre-K Apple Activities

While we are slowly working our way through some purchased curriculum this year, I couldn't resist doing some fun themed activities. We have so many fun resources, I decided to split the fall theme into Apples, Leaves/Fall and Pumpkins. Here are the apple activities we did.

Books! We always read tons of books, so having a theme is no different. Because the picture is a bit small, I put out Ana cultiva manzanas, Ten Red Apples, Clifford Picking Apples and Pumpkins, Apples and Pumpkins, I am an Apple, and How to Make Apple Pie and See the World. I also had out Meet the Sight Words The Apples and a fall sight reader Going to the Apple Orchard.

Apple Tree Roll and Cover activity. This year I got out the version where you add two dice together.

Playing My First Orchard and saving the fruit from the raven.

This Apple Pie Counting Stew from Pocket of Preschool was a big hit. He enjoyed following all of the recipes and then we added up the number of ingredients at the end of each one.

I printed these One Less/One More sheets from somewhere on the internet and cannot find it again. 😬 They wouldn't be hard to make yourself. I set them up with some number tiles and apple table scatter.

Apple money practice page from 1plus1plus1equals1. He still mixes up nickels and quarters, but other than that does well.

Before and after worksheet from  1plus1plus1equals1.

Greater than or less than gluing activity, also from 1plus1plus1equals1. I had never shown him the symbols, but he did great!

Apple Lifecycle Activity from Montessori for Everyone

Apple Cuisenaire Template

Apple Maze from Busy Bee Kids Printables. This one was probably too easy. Next time I'll print a harder one.

Riding behind the tractor at the apple orchard!

 

Fall Pumpkin Number Matching

 

Fall is in the air! Since my little guy loves math activities, I made him a pumpkin themed number matching activity. There are trucks numbered 1-20 and corresponding pumpkins with tens frames, dice, tallies and a written number. You could present them all at once or in groups to make them more manageable.

Print the Fall Pumpkin Number Matching Activity HERE

Fall Cuisenaire Templates

As part of trying to incorporate hands on math activities, I have been making Archer Cuisenaire Rod Templates. He enjoys matching the rods and then really enjoys counting up each color at the end. These are some fall templates I made.

There are color and black and white versions of five different fall images.

Print the Fall Cuisenaire Templates HERE:

Some other fall resources:

Improve Your Career Development With These Tips

This is a contributed post. 

Did you know that over the course of your life, you will spend over 90,000 hours at work? That’s a lot of time spent doing something to earn yourself the money you need to eat and live. As you are going to spend so much time at work and earning cash, the best thing that you can do is ensure that your career is developing the way you want it to.

You wouldn't get your teacher certification and then not work to be a head tutor or a deputy headteacher, leading to headteacher. There is always progression to be had in any career but if you want to improve your chances, these are the tips that you will need:

Image Source: Pexels

1. Make sure that you have clear deadlines for your goals. You don't need to work toward being a certain age and then hit the goal you want to hit, but you need to create some goals for yourself so that you are working toward the success that you want. Goals offer you the chance to focus, and you need to get specific about it. There is such a thing as setting SMART goals, and these can really help you. A deadline offers you the chance to be accountable for yourself, and this eliminates the wasted time and effort you would spend.

2. Invest in you! You need to develop your career and if that means paying into yourself to get a further qualification, go ahead and get it! You need to make sure that you are taking the time to develop your functional skills, and the best way to do that is to take courses and improve. Your ability to learn doesn't stop after a certain age, so be smart about it and get yourself into learning. Your skills are more marketable if you have them in the first place. 

3. Make sure that you use your current role. Speak to your current employer and make sure that you are in the spotlight for a potential promotion if there is one to be had. You know that most employers will give preference to current employees, so ensure that you are right in there and are getting the best from your current role first. Got a great idea on how to solve teacher shortage issues or increase engagement from students in math class? Share it and show them what you’re capable of.

4. Find a mentor. You are never too old to have guidance in the career that you want, and the best way to get that is to find a mentor who is doing what you want to do. You can then work to ensure that you are having the career doors opened for you. They’ll help you to expand your personal and professional network and you can then be in a position to better realize your potential.

5. Get it all on paper. From your goals to your progress that you have made, you need to get it all down on paper. You have to think about how much satisfaction comes with the career advancement that you have. It’s satisfying to be able to see how far you’re getting with your career plans.

Pumpkin Seed Sight Word Fine Motor Activity

 

September is well under way and I am getting to excited for fall! I made this fun pumpkin seed sight word activity to give my little guy another fall related hands on activity. He has been able to read all of his sight words for a long time, but I we're just starting to work on spelling words and I think the linking aspect adds fun fine motor practice!

I printed all the cards and laminated them (I've had my laminator for over 10 years and it is still going strong!). Then I used a hole punch to make room for the learning links. I have a "low force" hold punch and have found that if I take the bottom punch catcher off, I can see where I'm punching pretty easily.

To keep him from being overwhelmed, I only presented some of the words at a time.

He thought it was like hooking up train cars, so he loved it and insisted on finishing every word.

Print your Pumpkin Seed Sight Word Activity Here

Some other fall resources: