Category Archives: Blogging

Most viewed posts of 2014

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Just like we have done the past couple of years, we enjoy seeing what our top posts were from 2014! We look back and evaluate what has been the most viewed on Google Analytics — and our resolution is to post more of what you are looking for!   So here we go, our TOP 5 posts, starting with #1 ….

#1: Counting and literacy with PETE THE CAT

GOODNESS!!  This same post ranked at the top of our list in 2013 as well!  There is no denying … our kids LOVE Pete the Cat (and so do we)!  We have personally used this story, activity and Book & Boogie MANY times throughout 2014 at conferences, schools, and professional development events.  Can’t get enough of Pete … check out our post that has an activity to go with the story “Pete the Cat and his Four Groovy Buttons”!!

#2: Celebrating Martin Luther King Day in preschool

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Our post from January 2012 ranked high again in 2014, featuring ways to talk to our youngest students about fairness, equality, friendship and peace. We shared some age appropriate art and learning activities from some of our favorite bloggers!

#3: Supporting preschoolers with transitions

This post followed right behind #2, providing tips and techniques for helping young children adjust to transitions more smoothly.  This post features information sent to us by Mary Tabb, formerly of the Early Childhood Consultation Partnership, which is a resource in CT  to support the social and emotional development of children.

#4: Celebrating Dr. Seuss in preschool

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Posted in March before NEA’S Read Across America Day, we featured Dr. Seuss books and activities to go along with them. We shared some of our favorites, like “My Many Colored Days” .. and a listing of some from others around the web!

#5: Planning Field Day in preschool

And for #5, we were excited to see that teachers liked reading our post for a planning Field Day event at their schools and child care centers!  Our version of Field Day has the children rotating through a variety of gross motor activities — and spending most of the morning outside playing and working together.

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This post helps with tips on planning to ensure your Field Day goes smoothly!

Thanks for following and inspiring us each day!  We wish you, your students and families a wonderful and prosperous 2015! — Laura & Tressa

Our top posts of 2013

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Just like we have done the past couple of years, we enjoy seeing what our top posts were from 2013! It is fun to take a look on Google Analytics from this perspective and see which posts generated the most interest.   So here we go, our TOP 5 posts, starting with #1 ….

#1: Counting and literacy with PETE THE CAT

This was no surprise to us … we LOVE Pete the Cat!  The books, the songs, and the learning that goes along with him!  (We even love to Book & Boogie with Pete!).  Check out our post review the story and fun activity to go with the story “Pete the Cat and his Four Groovy Buttons”.

#2: Supporting preschoolers with transitions

This post features information sent to us by Mary Tabb of the Early Childhood Consultation Partnership, (a wonderful resource in CT that is available to support the social and emotional development of children in your care and in your early childhood program.)  Learn about some tips and techniques for helping young children adjust to transitions more smoothly.

#3: Greetings on the first day of school

We were excited to see these adorable “Welcome back ROBOT” snacks made it in our top 5!

#4: Pets in the preschool classroom

Here was an older post that received renewed interest in 2013.  Many preschool programs incorporate having a classroom pet, as it provides a wonderful opportunity for learning about nature, science and living things.  This post shares information about two grant programs that teachers and schools can look into to help bring a pet into their classroom.

#5: Ready for Kindergarten Book Study: Counting and Number Recognition

Whenever we participate in an online book study, we enjoy the response and interaction we receive from those who visit our blog.  And this year, we are SO very pleased that this post made it to our top 5 … our post for the ” Ready for Kindergarten” book study (by our favorite blogger and author, Deborah J. Stewart, MEd of Teach Preschool)!

In this post, we shared some ideas on incorporating counting and number recognition activities in preschool play.

Thanks for following and inspiring us each day!  We wish you, your students and families a wonderful and prosperous New Year! — Laura & Tressa

Summer Book Exchange | The Year of Miss Agnes

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This summer myself and my daughter participated in a cool activity called the “Summer Book Exchange” (hosted by –The Educators’ Spin On It) – where we were paired up with another blogger to exchange a book and activities with each other to promote Summer reading.  We then read the book and do the activities that were sent to us and blog about it.  It’s a great way to learn about some great summer reads for kids of all ages and activities that you can do to go along with the books.

Over 30 bloggers are participating this summer .. so you can hop around and check out all the fun packages that were sent around by checking out the links at the bottom of this post.

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We were paired up with Jacquie (and her daughter) from the Edventures with Kids blog – and we were treated to a great package of items!

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We actually got 2 books (one was a bonus … woo hoo!) and some activities to go with each.  We will talk about the first book in this post, which is titled “The Year of Miss Agnes” by Kirkpatrick Hill. The wonderful part of our care package is that Jacquie and her daughter were familiar with this book, and some of the activities were wrapped, only to be opened at certain parts of the story.  What a SUPER incentive to dive right into the book!

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The story is set in Alaska in 1948, and features a young girl (Fred) and her life there.  There is high turnover for teachers in their remote Alaskan town (in large part, due to the “fishy” smell of the children’s daily lunches, LOL!).   The new teacher Miss Agnes is clearly not like the rest, and makes learning fun and exciting!   Fred and her classmates begin to enjoy their lessons and learn to read and write — but they worry Miss Agnes will leave like teachers past.

Miss Agnes throws out their old textbooks and brings in all new school supplies, which is very exciting to the children in the story, as they were not used to having new boxes of crayons, colored pencils and paints to use.  My daughter was equally excited to start using her new supplies … and was using the wipe board right away as I started reading the first few chapters, jotting down things she was learning about the people of Alaska.

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As we continued the story, Miss Agnes introduces the children to a large map to engage the students in learning about their home state, as well as other countries such as England, where Miss Agnes is from.

As we completed Chapter 7, we got to open up a bag that contained a large map and colorful pointer (my daughter guessed that was what it would be after we read the chapter!).   We looked up our home state of Connecticut,  Alaska, England, Italy and other countries.  It was great to watch her be so excited to look up these places on a map … and then she eagerly wanted to find a place to put the map in her room!

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We also completed the first page of the enclosed packet, where she wrote down all those things she learned about Alaska so far.

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As we continued to read on in the book, we paused after Chapter 8 to learn a bit of sign language, just like the students in the book were learning because one of the young girls in the story was deaf.  Our packet included a printout of the sign language alphabet.  My daughter liked going through the alphabet, and we found the letters to spell out our names.

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One of our last activities after we read the book was to do a little bit of sewing, as that is what the people in the story needed to know how to do, so they could sew up their socks, make mittens and the like as they lived in a very cold climate.

We received a cute sewing kit to make a small felt purse … and even though I would consider myself “sewing-challenged” … I was able to show my daughter how to do a running stitch, and together we did a halfway decent job.  And she even said to me afterwards “thank you for teaching me to sew!”

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This was our first time doing the Summer Book Exchange .. and I would totally do this again!  So much learning came both from the READING and the DOING of the activities.  I want to thank Jacquie from the Edventures with Kids for putting together such a thoughtful care package.  (And we even have the bonus book to read later this summer!)

Want MORE summer reading books & activities?

Check out the book and activities we packaged up for Jacquie and her daughter at KC Edventures!

And I encourage you to also follow the Summer Book Exchange Pinterest Board!

Our top posts of 2012

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bestof2012Just like we did last year, we thought it would be fun to see what our top posts were from 2012! It is fun to take a look on Google Analytics from this perspective and see which posts generated the most interest. A key part of our blog has always been featuring guest posts from others in the early childhood field that we network with – so that we can share a broad range of advice, expertise, tips and ideas. It was great to see that many of our guest posts made it to our top 5 most popular ones! So here we go, our TOP 5 posts, starting with #1 ….

#1: Pre-K teacher tax deductions

Maybe not the funnest topic to talk about (TAXES), but our readers were very interested in tax deduction information as it relates to teachers (and it showed, as it was shared all over Pinterest)! Financial consultant, Steven Daar approached us with this topic, and we asked him to give advice that would specifically help preK teachers understand what expenses they can deduct on their own income taxes. His advice is clear and easy to follow, and we very much appreciated his expertise! Since we are coming into the new year, the post is again timely – so if you didn’t check it out in 2012, head on over now to take a look!

#2: The parent-teacher conference (part 1)

parent-teacher conferenceAnother guest blogger topped our list in 2012! Veteran educator and public speaking coach,Charlie Margolis shared his ideas and insights about how to have a successful parent-teacher conference. Another timely topic, as we enter into the new year! Charlie also had a PART 2 post on this topic, definitely worth checking out (see his fun “helpful hint” at the bottom!).

 

 

#3: Handling undesirable behaviors in preschool

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Image used here with permission from Bill Corbett

Another guest blogger, with another hot topic … undesirable behaviors. Parenting coach, Bill Corbett answered the following question from one of our readers … “At my school, children seem to be copying the wrong behavior from one another. Let’s just say, it’s not behavior that is desirable. I need to come up with a positive behavioral plan that HAS worked for others. Any suggestions?” Check out the post to see Bill’s response!Handling undesirable behaviors

Because of the high level of interest in this topic … we thought it would be great to get additional strategies from veteran educators and early childhood bloggers that we network with. So, if you would like to see additional ideas on this topic from Vanessa Levin, Rick Ackerly, Barbara Street, Matt Halpern and others, check out Undesirable behaviors PART 2 (which was our #6 top post) and Undesirable behaviors PART 3.

#4: Oh, the things you can reuse!

Earth Day is celebrated in April each year, and last April many of us from the Preschool Blogger Network got together to share books and activity ideas related to Earth Day, recycling and repurposing. This post was put together in preparation for that … and it generated a lot of hits, because EVERY DAY can be Earth Day. Here we shared some of our favorite recycling projects that we’ve done, and that other bloggers allowed us to share here.

This topic is so relevant … we set up a “Green Room” page on our website to feature additional resources and ideas for teachers on recycling and going green in the classroom.

#5: The MAD DOT challenge!Mad DOT challenge

This challenge just seemed “irresistible” to us!! Donna and Sherry over at Irresistible Ideas For Play Based Learning posted about the MAD DOT CHALLENGE they were doing along with their friend, Marc Armitage. The challenge … to take something that is completely white, give young children a bunch of DOT stickers … and let them stick to their hearts content! See how our classes took on the challenge!

Thanks for following and inspiring us each day! We wish you, your students and families a wonderful and prosperous New Year! — Laura & Tressa

Welcome to the SEEDS Blog!

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SEEDS BlogWelcome to our blog! We plan to use this blog as a way to interact with parents and early childhood professionals. We hope this will be a useful resource for you to ask questions, seek input and ideas and get support from each other. Some specific features of our blog include:

Sharing early childhood crafts, games and activities
We’re sharing ideas for lesson planning or to use with your preschooler at home. We will showcase ideas from our SEEDS Idea Search tool, ideas from other early childhood bloggers and also incorporate your ideas into the website as well.

‘Ask the Expert’ posts and Guest bloggers
We invite YOU to ask your early childhood-related questions and we’ll have a panel of experts to provide you with answers and feedback. You can ask your questions by commenting on blog posts, or via the ‘Ask the expert’ submission form on the right. We have also gotten to know some great preschool bloggers and early childhood professionals, and sometimes we will invite them to share their expertise with us here as well.

Highlights from early childhood events
We realize not everyone can attend every workshop, conference or event, so we will share some great information that we learn from these events here on our blog.

Finding ideas and information
There are several ways for you to search our blog to find the information you are looking for:

Hot topic links: Using the links across the top of blog directs you blog posts of popular topics.

Search our blog: Use the search input box on the top right to enter in a keyword you wish to search.

Recent content: Check out our most recent posts along bottom right column.

Most importantly, we want this to be a useful resource to our readers, and we encourage and appreciate your input on what you would like to see here. Please share your ideas with us by commenting below or sending us an email.

Welcome to The SEEDS Blog!

Book & Boogie – Here come the trains!

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Book & Boogie
We are having fun this week with our “Book & Boogie” ONLINE VIDEO SERIES, where we feature stories and music and movement components that work well together for teachers and caregivers to use with their preschool groups.

So far, we featured our Warm up & Cool down, and a fun story / music combination about Dinosaurs. Next up … chugga chugga choo choo, here come the TRAINS!

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This video features a book and song component to go with a discussion about trains. You can make the story more fun and engaging by having the children repeat the train sounds that they hear as you read.

We will feature one of the videos each day this week on our blog … but you can also have easy access to the ENTIRE collection at www.bookandboogie.com.

CREDITS

Book: “A Train goes Clickety Clack” by Jonathan London

Music: “Chugga Chugga Choo Choo” – Choo Choo Soul, Choo Choo Soul

Sponsor: CPR Training Professionals, LLC
CPR Training Professionals, LLC was created to meet the training and education needs of healthcare professionals and families who need and want CPR training.
Filmed and edited by: Dan Wills

Do you want to be a featured “Book & Boogie” sponsor? Click here to learn how!

New project underway!

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New projectTressa and I had fun today working on a new project that we are looking to bring to our website REALLY SOON! It’s a program that we’ve been doing locally here in Connecticut, but we wanted to find some way to be able to share it online for any early childhood teacher, parent play group or recreational organization to use and have fun with. We got the ball rolling today … and big thanks to Dan Wills (danscottwills.com) for his patience, expertise and sense of humor through this part of the process!

We aren’t ready just yet to unveil what we are doing, but here’s a sneak peek into our session today!

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Pinterest early childhood link-up

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Pinterest early childhoodAre you on Pinterest?? Do you like to follow other preschool teachers, parents and blogger boards to get ideas for your classroom, play group, homeschool, birthday party (… the list goes on, doesn’t it?!). If you are looking for some great pin boards to follow that are related to early childhood ideas, concepts, practices … then here’s where you can start!

Debbie Clement at Rainbows within Reach has started a link-up inviting ECE pinners to post a link to their pin boards – and she invited us to help spread the word! Check out the awesome, growing list below and find a couple of new pinners to follow!

Do YOU have a Pinterest board with early childhood related pins to share?

You are all welcome to join the fun! The ‘rules’ are simple! This is a Link-UP. Please add your DIRECT LINK to your pinboard collection. So, hop on board and post a link to your pin board below … and find a couple of new pinners to follow!

Vote for the GROUP here on the SEEDS Blog

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bestgroupblogWe are humbled, honored and super excited to have been placed on the short-list of nominations for TWO Edublog Awards this year!! These types of awards are a way for educational bloggers (and those that follow them) to recognize and show their appreciation for the resources and knowledge that these bloggers take the time to share each and every day. When we started this blog back in May, our plan and intent was to use this blog as a way to interact with parents and early childhood professionals. We wanted this to be a useful resource for people to ask questions, seek input and ideas, and get support from each other.

Flash forward to today … and we are on the list for BEST GROUP BLOG … woo hoo!! The BEST part about that is Tressa and I get to share this nomination with all those who participate on our blog with their expertise and experiences! So just in case you haven’t yet met them … here are the people who have shared with us on our blog since we started in May!

Bill Corbett of Cooperative Kids
We have been so fortunate to meet Bill back in January 2010 when he was the keynote speaker at our Early Childhood EXPO. Since then we have collaborated with him on various projects, including being guests on his cable TV show and panelists during a presentation at a recent CT AEYC conference. Bill is the author of the book series “Love, Limits, & Lessons®” and the founder and president of Cooperative Kids. Bill serves as our parenting expert and has provided some great posts answering questions submitted by readers of the blog.

Colleen Brunetti of Little Hands, Big Ideas
Colleen is our Early Literacy (and Signing) expert and a Masters level educator with a heart for kids who need that special boost! She has worked as both a special educator, a reading specialist, stay at home mom and is now the owner of “Little Hands, Big Ideas”, which specializes in sign language for kids, caregivers, and teachers. Check out some of Colleen’s posts on signing and early literacy.

Shannon Perry of SoccerShots
Shannon is our fitness expert and shares with us his experience on keeping young children active and healthy. Shannon is a former collegiate and professional player with 10 years experience working with children of all ages and is the Soccer Shots Connecticut Director. Check out Shannon’s posts on fitness.

Mary Tabb of Early Childhood Consultation Partnership©
The Early Childhood Consultation Partnership©, is a wonderful resource that is available to support the social and emotional development of children in your care and in your early childhood program. Mary Tabb is a consultant for the group who has given us permission to post some articles and information that the Partnership has put together and distributes to early care centers in their area. The work Mary does, and the information that she shares with parents and early childhood providers is so important to the development of of young children. Check out the posts we have on social-emotional development.

If you enjoy the information that we (and all our contributors) share here — we would love for you to take a minute and vote for us as BEST GROUP BLOG! You can vote once per day from now until Tuesday, December 13, 2011. Also please check out and vote for all the other ECE bloggers on the list who were nominated in various categories (see our Facebook page for a list of all ECE blogs nominated).

Do you have a question you would like answered by one of our experts? Do YOU have early childhood expertise that you would like to share here on our blog? If so, use the blue submission form on the right to send us an email! We’d love to hear from you!

Edublog Award Nominations 2011

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Edublog Award NominationsSince I am new to blogging … I am just learning about the Edublog Awards this year. It is a way for educational bloggers (and those that follow them) to recognize and show their appreciation for the resources and knowledge that these bloggers take the time to share each and every day. I would like to show my appreciation for just a few of the educational bloggers that I follow!

Best individual tweeter: Deb Chitwood @DebChitwood of Living Montessori Now
Deb is great at sharing information via Twitter and Facebook! It takes a lot of time and dedication to maintain that connection with educators via social media – and Deb does a great job!

Best educational use of a social network: Teach Preschool
Hands down, this goes to Deborah J. Stewart!! I feel so fortunate to have “virtually” met Deborah and to be able to network with her on Facebook and Twitter. I CONTINUE to learn from her everyday! Deborah is so gracious with her knowledge of social media and how to use it to share information and ideas with parents and early educators.

For Best Teacher Blog: Little Illuminations
Ayn Colsh is a dedicated early childhood teacher, who truly loves what she does (and it SHOWS!). I love to see the pictures of her class and the experiences she shares with them!

For Lifetime Achievement: Pre-K Pages
Before having our own early childhood website and blog … I have known of Pre-K Pages and benefitted from the wonderful resources there for my own lesson planning. Now entering into the cyber-teaching-blogging world myself – I have personally benefitted from getting to know Vanessa Levin, and I continue to be inspired by all the work she does on her site to benefit the early childhood field!!