Tot School: Use What You've Got & Put It All Together

Wow, what a week! I truly hope this peek into my planning process has been helpful for you. I've enjoyed sharing my experience of planning a new class with you!

How to plan a fun learning experience for your kiddos:
Day 1: Make a theme list. Choose your first theme. (I picked SPRING.)
Day 2: Choose your books and request them from the library.

Day 3: Find printables, crafts, and activities to match the theme.

Day 4: Pull items from around your house and create activities.
Day 5: REST! (preferably with chocolate)

I teach signing classes on Tuesdays and Wednesdays, so I usually start thinking about my next theme and requesting books on Thursdays. I research over the weekend and prep new items on Mondays after the girls go to bed. Tuesday afternoon is a chance for me to dry-run the craft with my own girls, so that I'll have a sample or two to show parents. (We do crafts during center time, so my girls have plenty of activities to keep them busy during this part of class.)

Without further ado, here is the lesson plan for my SPRING-themed class:

* Song: Baby Signing Time theme
* Family introductions (if necessary) & updates
* Introduce signs: spring/garden, dirt, seed, plant, flower, sun, water, grow, rain, worm
* Book: I See Spring by Charles Ghigna
* Song: Sunny Day by Elizabeth Mitchell
* Movement break: The Ants Go Marching
* Game: SPRING Bingo
* Book: Wake Up, It's Spring by Lisa Campbell Ernst
* Song: Grow Little Seed by Rachel Coleman
* Movement break: Fingers, Nose and Toes by Cedarmont Kids
* Song: Colors of the Rainbow by Rachel Coleman
* Craft & Centers (picture and details coming soon)
     Flower Fingerpainting
* Clean-Up Song
* Bubbles
* Parachute
* ABC Song
* Review (5 Spring Flowers) & Questions
* Song: The More We Get Together by Cedarmont Kids

I'm excited to have some new center ideas! My students range from 18 months to 5 years, so it's important to have a variety of activities that will meet each child's developmental needs and give every family an opportunity to practice their new signs.

Spring Centers:
Yellow & purple eggs: sound matching (six pairs of eggs with various objects inside)
Blue & yellow dry erase pockets: addition practice & fingerspelling page for the Kindergartners
Orange, blue & green eggs: build-a-word with magnetic letters (toddlers can practice letter recognition)
Pattern block templates: bird, rabbit, flower, sun (reversible)
Craft stick "puzzle" with red, yellow, and orange ABC pattern
Flower arranging
Pom-pom color sorting with tongs
Flower count & clip cards with clothespins