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Hand. Heart. Brain.

I was watching a video from a Transitional Kindergarten Conference in California earlier today, and I fell in love with something one of the speakers said.

And I quote..."If it hasn't been in the hand and the heart, it won't go to the brain."

I just love that! Kids are so hands-on and visual, and when we ask them to sit and use only their auditory learning skills, we are doing them no favors.  I have to remind myself of this fact every day when I am thinking about how to teach. When I think about the lessons that my kids remember most, those lessons were usually experiences that allowed the children to touch, see, hear, or do something new.

So I made this little poster for myself.  It's a reminder that when I want to get something into their brains, I need to get there through their hands and their hearts.

Click on the picture to download your copy.  If you would like a colorful version, just let me know in a comment, and I'll whip something up!

Illinois Blogger

I am linking up with Diane over at Fifth in the Middle.  She has created a section of her blog that is dedicated to connecting bloggers in each state.  Since I'm an Illinois blogger, I'm linking up with the rest of the midwesterners. 

Speaking of Illinois, I was at our state Pre-K and Kindergarten conference last week. What a fantastic experience! 

How often do regular people like me get to meet famous celebrities like Deanna?

Yep, that Deanna.  She's so cute and tiny, I look like a giant next to her! And I'm not that tall! I wish I could remember every single one of her fabulous ideas. I have already been trying some of them out this week at school.  

I would love to hear from other Illinois bloggers!

Jack Hartmann Freebie

We love Jack Hartmann in my classroom!

I wanted to start singing his song "Echo the Letter Sounds" from the CD "Get on Board the Transition Train".

I knew my littles would need a visual, though.  Kids need pictures to keep track of where they are in the song and what will come next. 

So I made these letter and picture cards to help them out.  

Of course you can use them for any activity that involves letter cards.  I used a black and white background to highlight the colored picture and save on color ink. 

I hope you love them!

Click on the picture below to download your copy!

Dinosaur Teeth

I tried something new for Dental Health Week this year.  I'm sure you've seen this activity floating around Pinterest.  I soaked eggs in Coke and Kool-Aid until they absorbed the color. (It didn't take long - only a minute or two.) 

I tried convincing the kids that these were dinosaur teeth, and that we were having to brush them for the dinosaurs.  It didn't work.  

As you can see, the kids used toothpaste and toothbrushes to get the eggs clean.  It works like magic! I gave them each a bowl to keep their egg from rolling and a little bit of water to wet the brush. 

I chose not to hard boil my eggs because I ran out of time.  Many of the eggs did get dropped, and they broke. We just cleaned it up right away.  I probably used 18 eggs total for 22 kids.  Not all of them were broken, but we threw them all out at the end. 

This activity is definitely a keeper! 

Valentine's Day!

Don't you just looove Valentine's Day?  It's exhausting and crazy, but the little ones just get so excited! We had two great parties in my classroom.  

What a fantastic group of parents! They put everything together. I didn't have to do a thing. 

And on top of all the beautiful Valentines I received from my littles, my husband had this delivered to school! He's working, so I won't get to spend time with him tonight.  He sure is thoughtful, though!

I'm off to eat some macaroni and cheese for dinner.  I hope your Valentine's Day was just fabulous!

Penguins

Have you tried the blubber bag?  I used lard as the blubber.  I took one gallon size Ziploc bag, put a small container's worth of lard in it, and then put another gallon size Ziploc inside.  That way, the kids have a buffer and they don't have to touch the lard.  You could also use Crisco.  

When we learn about penguins, one of the things I focus on is how they stay warm under such cold conditions.  

First, the kids feel the ice without any blubber buffer.  Then they use they blubber bag to feel how insulated their hand becomes.  

 Here I am passing it around.  

My 3s made these tissue paper penguins.  I just found a large blackline of a penguin and printed it on card stock.  I used it as center to introduce them to a penguin's markings. 

I hung them on my DIY bulletin board.  You can read more about that here. 

One of my smaller afternoon groups made the penguin in the middle by sponge painting on really large sheets of butcher paper.  I cut out the shapes and glued them together.  I think he might need some wings, though!