tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-70872904520334161222024-03-19T05:53:33.905+10:30Teacher TypesEarly Learning Inspiration for Parents and TeachersTeacher Typeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01410200045408171918noreply@blogger.comBlogger363125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7087290452033416122.post-50076076306505098662019-01-01T21:23:00.000+10:302019-01-01T21:23:37.181+10:30My Last PostWow! It's been five years people!<br />
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Five years since I started this little blog. But sadly, it's time to say goodbye.<br />
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I know :(<br />
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Regular and loyal readers would have noticed that I've rarely been posting new content here over the last few months. I feel like I lost the joy and enthusiasm that I once had for my little space on the Internet (especially when Little Man stopped having day naps!). But I felt like I needed one last post, on my five year blogiversary to say goodbye, and not leave you hanging, wondering what happened to me.<br />
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As I return to 0.8 classroom teaching this year (4 days a week), I'll no longer have the time to devote to keep the Teacher Types blog going. The blog will still be here, you'll still be able to find it if there's something you're looking for (I seem to be still getting some great Pinterest traffic!) I just won't be posting new content any more. As we all know, we just can't do it all.<br />
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Thank you to those followers for staying with me all this time, at whatever stage over the last five years that you found me. Only a small handful of you were here at the beginning, and read my every word. You know who you are. Thank you also to the brands who have supported and collaborated with me in a variety of ways. Your trust and faith in me means so much and I'm very grateful to have had this opportunity to represent your brands with my community. Thank you also to the guest posters and the interviewees who have shared their words of wisdom with us all.<br />
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I'm a really sentimental person, so naturally, as I was feeling nostalgic, I looked back at some of my favourite and most popular posts in those five years. Some really significant milestones in our children's lives were documented here and I never want that to be erased.<br />
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When I first started in 2014 I wrote about discovery bottles, treasure baskets and the importance of reading aloud. All still things that are relevant!! After some busy bag ideas? I've got you covered - <a href="http://www.teachertypes.com/search?q=busy+bags" target="_blank">click here</a>. These play ideas for <a href="http://www.teachertypes.com/2014/09/were-going-on-bear-hunt-bringing-story.html" target="_blank">'We're going on a bear hunt'</a> are really popular!<br />
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2015 saw this <a href="http://www.teachertypes.com/2015/05/art-work-made-from-toddler-paintings.html" target="_blank">beautiful art work created</a> (which is still hanging in Miss M's bedroom). I reminisced over these <a href="http://www.teachertypes.com/2015/10/the-getting-dressed-everyday-tantrums.html" target="_blank">getting dressed tantrums</a> (thankfully now she LOVES new clothes and getting dressed up, however dressing Little Man is kind of like wrestling a really strong octopus). The end of 2015 saw us <a href="http://www.teachertypes.com/2015/12/my-pregnancy-story-arrival-of-our.html" target="_blank">welcome our Little Man</a> and our family was complete.<br />
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2016 was probably my biggest year for the blog (because I was on maternity leave). But from a parenting perspective it was the toughest time! I got some expert advice about the <a href="http://www.teachertypes.com/2016/08/montessori-reggio-waldorf-let-us-explain.html" target="_blank">Montessori, Reggio Emilia and Waldorf</a> approaches to educating young children (a great read if this interests you). The hot weather here in Adelaide right now made me this of sharing this <a href="http://www.teachertypes.com/2016/11/epic-water-play-ideas-for-summer-in.html" target="_blank">EPIC water play post</a> with you all to help your kids cool off this summer.<br />
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In 2017 I was teaching Year 2s and PE - which was a whole new ball game! I also had lots of fantastic opportunities come my way. We regularly visited Kid & Hub, Little Picassos and Wild Imagination, I wore Frankie 4 shoes and Miss M was the <a href="http://www.teachertypes.com/2017/03/the-story-of-bare-footed-ring-bearer.html" target="_blank">bare footed ring bearer</a>. I represented Teach Starter and shared lots of STEM ideas.<br />
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2018 was HUGE for our family with Miss M starting school. She has absolutely flourished and I'm so proud of her! I contributed craft activities to Inspire Book Box, while Miss M and I got creative with what we could make with a <a href="http://www.teachertypes.com/2018/02/its-never-just-cardboard-box.html" target="_blank">cardboard box</a>. We had an amazing Open Day at school and I managed to capture some of the wonderful provocations and 'living things' activity ideas that we used in Term 1 which I'll be sure to use again <strike>next</strike> this year.<br />
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Well friends, that's it, the final words to be typed on Teacher Types. I'll still be around on <a href="https://www.instagram.com/teacher_types/" target="_blank">Instagram</a> if you'd like to keep in touch and see what I'm up to.<br />
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Thank you again for reading my words.<br />
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Lauren xxTeacher Typeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01410200045408171918noreply@blogger.com67tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7087290452033416122.post-39177204534330388612018-11-11T20:37:00.000+10:302018-11-11T20:37:06.667+10:305 Ways to Use Letter BricksIt's no secret that LEGO and DUPLO are more popular with young children than ever. Little Man spends ages building towers with DUPLO and Miss M creates some amazing, creative constructions out of her LEGO. It's always a popular choice of activity in my classroom and is so open ended with infinite possibilities!<br />
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So naturally, if you can find a way to tap into this interest to incorporate some more Literacy and Numeracy with your own children or children in your care - why wouldn't you take that opportunity? Recently I connected with the small business <a href="https://www.limetreekids.com.au/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Lime Tree Kids</a>, and they were kind enough to send us some <a href="https://www.limetreekids.com.au/product-coko-lowercase-letters-educational-bricks-9911.aspx" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Coko lower case letter bricks</a> to feature on the blog. Both of my kids loved playing with them and it didn't take me long to come up with a list of 5 different ways to play with them!<br />
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The great thing with these bricks is that they still connect to regular DUPLO bricks as well as the base, so you can easily add them to your existing collection.<br />
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So when I first presented these to Little Man - this is what he did...<br />
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...followed by his rendition of the alphabet song, pointing at any random letter he wanted to. But this is great! This is where it all starts people!!<br />
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Miss M wanted to put them in alphabetical order, however we soon realised that our DUPLO base was not wide enough for every single letter. We also noticed there were multiples of some letters (the set comes with 50 bricks all together). This is so important as it allows for more combinations of letters and words to be made - as a straight 26 letter set can be quite limiting.<br />
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I then found a few of our interesting DUPLO pieces and together she and I made the words for them!<br />
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I thought for homework one night we would make some of her list words. By using some regular DUPLO bricks of different sizes, she was prompted to figure out how many letters were in each word. As you can see she's currently working on the ai, oa, ie letter blends as well as the -y sound.<br />
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Also available in this range are digraphs, word families, vowel sounds and letter blends. I want them all for my classroom! It's the perfect Literacy rotation activity. Just head to the <a href="http://www.limetreekids.com.au/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Lime Tree Kids</a> website and search "coko".<br />
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Want more ideas to incorporate Litearcy into your LEGO play? Try word building (literally) or match the capital letter to the lower case.<br />
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That's all for now!</div>
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Lauren </div>
Teacher Typeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01410200045408171918noreply@blogger.com47tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7087290452033416122.post-57309118312677028632018-08-19T16:45:00.002+09:302018-08-19T16:45:59.696+09:30BOOK WEEK 2018: Find Your TreasureBOOK WEEK is here!! I just love this year's theme <i>Find Your Treasure</i>, don't you? Taking place across the country from the 18th - 24th August, teachers are preparing their engaging activities and parents have (most likely) organised their child's costume.<br />
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To me, books themselves are <i>treasured items</i>. Your child's favourite book is a treasure. The one you've read to them over and over again, so often that they can recite it by heart. But of course there are some more literal ways to interpret this year's theme... here are some of my favourite activities!</div>
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<i>This is a sponsored post as part of my Brand Ambassadorship with Teach Starter. </i></div>
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<a name='more'></a>My two kids absolutely love going on treasure hunts in the back yard (ever since Easter - go figure?). It's actually one of the few times they can get along and play nicely together. So Miss M was so excited to design her own treasure map for her next treasure hunt with her brother.<br />
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I printed the <a href="https://www.teachstarter.com/teaching-resource/blank-pirate-map-worksheets/" target="_blank">blank pirate map worksheet template</a> from Teach Starter for her (and it comes in three options, small grid, large grid or blank). They also have this fun "<a href="https://www.teachstarter.com/teaching-resource/roll-create-treasure-map/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Roll to create</a>" which I think would be ideal for older students. </div>
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This Walt Disney quote is absolutely perfect for this year's Book Week theme...and Teach Starter has created <a href="https://www.teachstarter.com/teaching-resource/walt-disney-quote-bookmark/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">book marks</a> and a <a href="https://www.teachstarter.com/teaching-resource/walt-disney-quote-poster/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">poster</a> version for you to display in your classroom. I would laminate the book marks and add a little bit of glitter to make them extra special! Book Week is not complete without book marks!</div>
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Another great classroom display is this <a href="https://www.teachstarter.com/teaching-resource/book-week-bunting/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">book week bunting</a>. Perfect for the school library! </div>
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Last year Teach Starter bought out a series of <a href="https://www.teachstarter.com/teaching-resource/book-week-task-cards-find-treasure/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Book Week themed task cards</a> which covered several learning areas (my Year 2s loved them!). So I was pleased to see a new set for this year! The STEM ideas are awesome. </div>
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It's so fitting during book week to invite your students to create their own books - I don't know what it is but they always seem more enthusiastic doing these types of tasks than just a simple worksheet. And they get to take them home after and share their learning with their parents! This 8 page <a href="https://www.teachstarter.com/teaching-resource/book-report-mini-book-template/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">book report mini book</a> is great and examines many different elements of the book; the cover, characters, setting and a rating. </div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><a href="http://www.teachstarter.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Image credit: Teach Starter</a></i></td></tr>
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Want more ideas?</h4>
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<li>Put out some rainbow rice and ask children to search for (and count or divide) the hidden treasure. Adding in some magnifying glasses and other scoopy toys this one is sure to be a hit!</li>
<li>Go on a treasure hunt around the classroom, looking for sight words (or any other kids of treasures you can think of)</li>
<li>Make up a scavenger hunt around the school yard (for example, how many windows in the Library, what colours are the play ground, how many cubby houses are there? etc)</li>
<li>Select a well known character such as the Green Sheep, Possum Magic or The Very Hungry Caterpillar to hide somewhere in your school. Give your students a series of clues taking them from place to place all over the school and finally they'll find their treasured book character. Better yet, you could hide "Jenny" from <i>Rodney Looses It, </i>the CBA Early Childhood Picture book winner!</li>
<li>Create your own puzzle from a well known book cover design and each child in a group has to find one piece and then work as a team to put it back together. </li>
<li>What a fantastic week to introduce mapping as part of your Maths studies. Design your own treasure map on yellow paper and simply cut it out and paste onto blue card for the water background. </li>
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Happy Book Week everyone!<br />
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Lauren x</div>
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Teacher Typeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01410200045408171918noreply@blogger.com30tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7087290452033416122.post-48658524770534034842018-08-11T15:06:00.000+09:302018-08-11T15:06:53.895+09:30How I Started My Grimm's Wooden Toy CollectionSo many people within the Facebook groups I'm in, or on Instagram are often asking "What Grimm's product would you suggest to get started?".<br />
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Well, mine began way back in 2015 and I've been gradually adding items piece by piece. As you probably know, there's a lot to choose from! So let me share with you where our collection started and what my latest purchase was, and most importantly, where you can get them from here in Australia!<br />
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<i>Disclaimer: Some of these items have been gifted to me by various brands over the years, and some I've purchased myself. Grimm's really is my most favourite wooden toy brand. The quality is beyond belief. This is not a sponsored post. </i><br />
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My first item was the medium rainbow for Miss M's transformation to a big girl rainbow themed bedroom. If you're considering getting a rainbow (Grimm's signature toy) have a think about whether you want small (11cm), medium (17cm) or large (38cm) and which colour combination you want. If you want to use for small world play, then the small would be ideal. But if you want it for large scale block construction - go large.<br />
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Next I got the stacking bowls (pictured below - the mushrooms to the left came later). These have a lot of great potential for ordering by size, stacking, nesting and colour sorting. They have been used for both kids every since I got them three years ago and still going strong. Miss M even used them today to trace circles around for a mandala pattern she wanted to create.<br />
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After seeing how much we loved the medium rainbow - I knew I wanted to get my hands on the large one! I was lucky enough to be gifted the large rainbow by Brianna at <a href="https://www.thecreativetoyshop.com.au/" target="_blank">The Creative Toy Shop</a> when I shared this blog post - why I believe every classroom NEEDS one of these! Check it out <a href="http://www.teachertypes.com/2016/11/why-i-think-every-classroom-needs-this.html" target="_blank">here</a>. </div>
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Another awesome collaboration with <a href="https://www.thecreativetoyshop.com.au/" target="_blank">The Creative Toy Shop</a> lead to our <a href="http://www.teachertypes.com/2017/04/pegpeopleontour-giveaway.html" target="_blank">Peg People on Tour Challenge</a> with the 12 Rainbow Friends. So much fun! These are another Grimm's item which have been used so much at home and at school for imaginary play. Perfect for a dolls house and small worlds. They're currently quite comfortable on our transport themed discovery table in our classroom and are played with on a daily basis.<br />
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So I mentioned the mushrooms earlier, and here they are again. The idea is that the children have to match the mushroom tops to the stalks. Another cute addition to fairy worlds and small world gardens. Great for colour matching for toddlers too!<br />
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I'm pretty sure I ordered the forest trees at the same time as the mushrooms because I thought they would work so well together. There's also a green ball that comes with this set which can be used in many different ways. </div>
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The large butterfly puzzle was actually more challenging that I expected it to be. It really is spectacular to look at - but takes a lot of patience and persistence to put back together. Because each piece could either be up or down, left or right, there are really four different possibilities and only one correct place. I was thinking of printing and enlarging a photo of it to place on the board as a guide underneath. </div>
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However - we've been using it in the classroom lately as open ended block play. It's so interesting to see the constructions the children come up with with irregular shaped blocks!</div>
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If I were to confess my favourite Grimm's product it would have to be the pebbles. My friends at <a href="https://www.thecreativetoyshop.com.au/" target="_blank">The Creative Toy Shop</a> can never keep them in stock for very long they are so popular! I started off the moss (because, favourite colour).... but it wasn't long until I had the full set! (Keep reading). </div>
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To suit our ocean theme in Term 2 of this year I got the small waves stacker - but I kind of wish I got the medium as this one wasn't quite big enough for the discovery table. Would be great for the Kmart play tray though!</div>
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The gems are another personal favourite of mine. They're a beautiful addition to our wooden blocks. These beauties haven't made their way into school yet but I'm sure I'll find a use for them one day!<br />
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As I said I ordered the river and fire pebbles to complete the set and these have been played with so much! I also managed to score the limited edition purple "dream" pebbles at a local market - what luck! If you want to get your hands on these - be sure to get them as soon as they are in stock because they don't last long.<br />
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My latest purchase making it number 14 in my Grimm's collection is the house stacker. I actually got this one from <a href="https://www.oskarswoodenark.com.au/" target="_blank">Oskar's Wooden Ark</a>, a relatively new business based here in Adelaide (which saves me on postage!). </div>
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So what's next I hear you ask? What's on my wish list? I'd love to complete the elements collection by adding fire and caves. Also there's limited edition violet gem, I'm working towards getting the hearts by Valentines Day next year and would LOVE the semicircles to add to the large rainbow stacker and open up the ways it can be used even more. As I said at the start of this post, this collection has been a very gradual process. We couldn't afford to buy everything in one go! </div>
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Please head over to Instagram and share with me, what was your first Grimm's purchase? </div>
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Lauren x</div>
Teacher Typeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01410200045408171918noreply@blogger.com38tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7087290452033416122.post-77460209823060778932018-07-31T19:57:00.000+09:302018-07-31T19:57:22.801+09:30SCIENCE WEEK 2018!<i>Game changers and change makers...</i><br />
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Doesn't that theme just get you excited for Science Week? To me it's all about STEM, innovation, inquiry, investigations and experiments. We want to encourage our students to think outside the box, use their creativity and push the boundaries of what they already know and take for granted.<br />
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Science Week 2018 takes place of the week between 11th and 19th of August right around Australia. Some schools might choose to do lunch time activities in the Science labs, buddy class activities, rotations around the school or simply make extra time in their timetables for some super fun Science activities within their own classrooms.<br />
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<a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-HvPV7iBczn0/W1wFFSEjbhI/AAAAAAAA6l8/6Ee8gnkH2joyqTfiewiDRPDC5-4HILAPwCLcBGAs/s1600/DSC_6333.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1060" data-original-width="1600" height="422" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-HvPV7iBczn0/W1wFFSEjbhI/AAAAAAAA6l8/6Ee8gnkH2joyqTfiewiDRPDC5-4HILAPwCLcBGAs/s640/DSC_6333.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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<i>This is a sponsored post as part of my Brand Ambassadorship with Teach Starter. </i><br />
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<a name='more'></a>To help us all prepare for Science Week, the<a href="http://www.teachstarter.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"> Teach Starter</a> team has put together three mini Science experiment books, relating to three of the key scientific learning areas in the Australian Curriculum. Kids love having their own mini books to record their findings and then take home to show their parents - maybe even to recreate the experiments at home!<br />
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To make the books simply print out each page (four in total), fold them down the centre, arrange the pages in order and then glue them together - back to back. I started with the front cover first, then the back cover, and finally glued the middle pages together.<br />
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<a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-CUlvY2eZGt4/W16Ge8zBswI/AAAAAAAA6os/LoseWAUpvRchQznl6F7j9IkbL-IfpSN2gCLcBGAs/s1600/IMG_3724.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1600" height="640" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-CUlvY2eZGt4/W16Ge8zBswI/AAAAAAAA6os/LoseWAUpvRchQznl6F7j9IkbL-IfpSN2gCLcBGAs/s640/IMG_3724.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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Our Science theme for Term 3 in Early Years is "On the move" where we look at push and pull, rolling, sliding, spinning, swinging and bouncing. We were actually planning to do this egg experiment already. The bouncing egg is such a classic and simple experiment for all ages (and relates to the area of Chemistry). I'll be sure to report back on Insta with how it goes.<br />
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<i>If you're already a Teach Starter member, download the mini experiment book <a href="https://www.teachstarter.com/teaching-resource/make-an-eggshell-disappear-chemistry-science-experiment/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">here</a> (and if you're not - I highly recommend that you join up!).</i><br />
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You may remember earlier in the term we did the colourful flowers experiment - although it took me two attempts to get it to work (isn't that what experimenting is all about?). It seems that different types of flowers work better than others. Might be a good idea to test it out at home first, or try a few different types of flowers at school.<br />
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<a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/--8Whpzpbl0A/W2A40MhABZI/AAAAAAAA6pQ/tCsAoNbM5_0uNASaUvJ9L5R-uzMNHyRjgCLcBGAs/s1600/IMG_3746.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1176" data-original-width="1568" height="300" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/--8Whpzpbl0A/W2A40MhABZI/AAAAAAAA6pQ/tCsAoNbM5_0uNASaUvJ9L5R-uzMNHyRjgCLcBGAs/s400/IMG_3746.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<i>Here's the link to the <a href="https://www.teachstarter.com/teaching-resource/capillary-action-of-water-in-flowers-science-experiment-booklet/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">colourful flowers experiment booklet</a>, relating to the area of Biology. </i><br />
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I've always wanted to try the rainbow water density experiment - so what better time than Science Week? I'm really interested to see how it turns out with this method. The one I've previously seen used different types of liquids (e.g. oil) to create the colours. But this one uses different amounts of sugar added to the coloured water to change the density (Physics in action!). Once again I'll make sure I report back with the results!</div>
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<a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-ScjJqrNYbFg/W2A40em_PCI/AAAAAAAA6pU/Rom5d4j4Oq8cAaKDe3W8Ok5WRIcd0ybPQCLcBGAs/s1600/IMG_3747.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="298" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-ScjJqrNYbFg/W2A40em_PCI/AAAAAAAA6pU/Rom5d4j4Oq8cAaKDe3W8Ok5WRIcd0ybPQCLcBGAs/s400/IMG_3747.jpg" width="400" /></a><br />
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<i>Get the booklet for this <a href="https://www.teachstarter.com/teaching-resource/rainbow-water-density-tower-science-experiment-booklet/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">cool experiment here!</a></i><br />
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As I was researching and brainstorming some more ideas for Science Week, I tried to think of some other ideas that would relate directly to our theme such as;<br />
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<li>Make paper planes and measure how far they fly</li>
<li>Experiment with floating and sinking objects (funnily enough - this one also ties in with our key text study of "Who sank the boat?" by Pamela Allen)</li>
<li>Make a boat out of recycled materials and test how many marbles it can hold</li>
<li>Build a bridge with a variety of construction materials and test it's strength using different transport toys</li>
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I also has a browse through the booklet from the Science Week website for some other ideas for Junior Primary; </div>
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<li>Design a new board game for your peers</li>
<li>Discover how different materials change - get the students to come up with the investigation questions</li>
<li>Create a mask for a new and interesting creature </li>
<li>Ever heard of a Thaumatrope? Check it out <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tPBSeoT_AN4&feature=youtu.be" target="_blank">here</a>!</li>
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Well there's still a few weeks to prepare but I hope some of these ideas have given you a bit of inspiration of how you can incorporate more fun Science into your Science Week this year.<br />
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What's coming up next? Book Week! Literacy + Numeracy Week! Busy times ahead.<br />
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Lauren x</div>
Teacher Typeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01410200045408171918noreply@blogger.com27tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7087290452033416122.post-41275187323841342402018-07-28T15:16:00.000+09:302018-07-28T15:16:18.961+09:30Displaying Special Family MemoriesI'm sure I'm not the only mum that has absolutely stunning photos of my kids saved in folders on my computer - just waiting (begging!) to be put on display.<br />
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Photos of your kids are just so precious, and I must admit I have a few more around the house of Miss M than of Little Man - so that's why I chose this gorgeous photo of him (taken about a year ago mind you), to have printed on a canvas by <a href="https://www.canvaschamp.com.au/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">CanvasChamp</a>.<br />
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<i>This is a sponsored post in collaboration with Brand Meets Blog. </i></div>
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There are so many things I love about this photo. The fact that he's looking up at me and clapping his hands. The green grass, the light, and of course the fact that one of my best friends took it for me! He had just started to walk and entered a while new stage of toddlerhood. Photos and moments like this lovingly displayed in your home are such a special way to remember those significant milestones.<br />
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The print quality from CanvasChamp really does it justice, and not only this, but I noticed they're really affordable compared to some other options I've come across. Postage is quick, and they even have a promotion running at the moment where you can get a FREE 8x8 inch canvas print when you subscribe and place your first order of at least $25! Just to give you a rough idea, my print pictured here is 16x20 inch and costs $29. <a href="https://www.canvaschamp.com.au/free-canvas-prints" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">This link</a> gives you all the info on how much to spend to qualify for different sized free prints. Now that I've got this print of Little Man I really should get one of Miss M to match it. It also makes me think that we are due to have some more professional family photos taken...<br />
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<a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-la2MGuN0sHk/W1v8yC4tsdI/AAAAAAAA6lc/ThX6IfP-zW0a3Vo64zXfq4N9A1N6t3hswCLcBGAs/s1600/20180728_130929.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="480" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-la2MGuN0sHk/W1v8yC4tsdI/AAAAAAAA6lc/ThX6IfP-zW0a3Vo64zXfq4N9A1N6t3hswCLcBGAs/s640/20180728_130929.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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Another cool option I found was the split canvas - where the one photo is split over several canvases. Would make such a visually appealing feature. Although I think only certain photos would work with this option - like a landscape. They even have hexagon prints! If you're looking for something a little different to <a href="http://bit.ly/BMB-CanvasPrints" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">canvas</a>, CanvasChamp also have photo boards, <a href="http://bit.ly/BMBAcrylicPrints" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">acrylic prints</a> and <a href="http://bit.ly/BMBMetalPrints" target="_blank">metal prints</a> (we actually have one of our wedding photos on a metal print. It looks so modern!).<br />
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With Father's Day approaching, photo gifts are always a good idea - you could also check out their range of calendars, mugs, photo books and pillows.<br />
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<a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-m-VghftW4Is/W1v7RObufzI/AAAAAAAA6lM/32R63xwQ1wwmJUsLoH_LeylStGU4EQzZACLcBGAs/s1600/20180728_130835.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="640" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-m-VghftW4Is/W1v7RObufzI/AAAAAAAA6lM/32R63xwQ1wwmJUsLoH_LeylStGU4EQzZACLcBGAs/s640/20180728_130835.jpg" width="480" /></a></div>
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Meanwhile, with a freshly tidied toy shelf, this little guy has been happily playing with our magnatiles for ages! Trucks are still a favourite at the moment, and pictured here you can also see our new discovery bottles, puzzles and play animals. Remember, I'm always sharing regular play ideas and our favourite toys over on my Instagram page!<br />
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Lauren xTeacher Typeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01410200045408171918noreply@blogger.com28tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7087290452033416122.post-23094612642189391322018-07-04T20:27:00.001+09:302018-07-04T20:27:23.538+09:30Learning the Alphabet before starting schoolChildren’s minds are like little sponges, soaking up anything and everything they are exposed to in the early years. There are so many ways to introduce them to the letters of the alphabet in their leading up to formal schooling. They will, of course do a lot of this in their first term of school, but being familiar with the alphabet will give them that little head start.<br />
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Now I’m not suggesting to bombard them with worksheets and make them write their letters ten times over – if you’ve been following me for a while you’ll know that I’m all about play based learning and I have done so many alphabet posts before (just search “alphabet”). I also want to advise you not to put pressure on your child or yourself that they “must know every letter before they start school”. Some children take longer than others, and some will be ready before others. These days there is also a huge age variation among Reception/Prep classes. Some children might be four and a half, some children might be approaching six years of age. Today’s post is more about proving a print rich environment using some of the fantastic products from Bright Star Kids.<br />
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<i>This is a sponsored post as part of my Brand Ambassadorship with <a href="https://www.brightstarkids.com.au/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Bright Star Kids</a>.</i><br />
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Alphabet Wall Stickers</h4>
It’s not hard to see why <a href="https://www.brightstarkids.com.au/learn-the-alphabet-wall-stickers.html" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">this is one of Bright Star Kids’ top sellers</a>! I absolutely love these alphabet wall stickers and I think they would be fantastic in a child’s bedroom, play room or even in a classroom, kindergarten or child care centre. They are single individual stickers, so you can arrange them in any way you like. Just capitals, just lower case, both together as pictured here or make your child’s name. As you can see there is also a number caterpillar as well!<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.brightstarkids.com.au/learn-the-alphabet-wall-stickers.html" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Image credit</a> - click to shop</td></tr>
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Speaking of learning names – this is usually your child’s first exposure to letters. Identifying the starting letter in particular, and then the remaining letters in their name. It’s often the first thing a child writes and recognises. So if nothing else, being familiar with their name is a great starting point rather than being overwhelmed with the 26 letters of the alphabet.<br />
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Better yet, many of the products from Bright Star Kids come personalised with your child’s name, like these alphabet posters with your child’s name at the bottom.<br />
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Alphabet Posters</h4>
Another great addition to your child’s bedroom or play room is <a href="https://www.brightstarkids.com.au/alphabet-poster.html" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">this alphabet poster</a>. Just put it on the back of their door or a prominent position where they will look at it regularly. An easier and smaller option if you didn’t want to go with the wall stickers.<br />
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Alphabet Flashcards</h4>
Oh my there are so so many ways to use these double sided <a href="https://www.brightstarkids.com.au/alphabet-flash-cards.html" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">alphabet flash cards</a> in play based learning! Match them to objects, pebbles, alphabet blocks or magnets (anything really!). Hide them around the room for an “alphabet hunt”, older children could try putting them in alphabetical order, make their name or simple words… Plus they’re totally portable! Pop them in a busy bag and take them out and about with you.<br />
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Alphabet Puzzle</h4>
Puzzles are a must have for every child. Once again <a href="https://www.brightstarkids.com.au/abc-jigsaw-puzzle.html" target="_blank">these alphabet puzzles</a> are personalised with your child’s name. These puzzles are a great stepping stone between the simpler toddler puzzles with only a few pieces – to your traditional kind. It only has 12 interlocking pieces and would be suitable for 2-6 year olds. Whenever I’m doing puzzles like this with Miss M, we start with the corner pieces, followed by the edges and then fill in the middle. Just like I was taught when I was little!<br />
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Alphabet Tracing</h4>
If your child is anything like Miss M, and they enjoying sitting down and writing/drawing, they’ll love the <a href="https://www.brightstarkids.com.au/abc-personalised-tracing-book.html" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">alphabet tracing books from Bright Star Kids</a>. It’s another personalised product with your child’s name proudly printed on the front cover which will give them a real sense of ownership of the product. They can trace both the capital and lower case letter and identify one word that begins with that letter. There is also a simpler colouring in book version.<br />
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With some of these resources in your home, there will be plenty of incidental opportunities to talk about and teach your child the letters of the alphabet.<br />
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LaurenTeacher Typeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01410200045408171918noreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7087290452033416122.post-90144376499549484052018-06-25T13:43:00.000+09:302018-06-25T13:43:56.463+09:30Fun and Fabulous Four Seasons ActivitiesI'm really interested to know, how do you go about teaching the four seasons? Does it come under your Maths curriculum when you are learning about days, weeks, months and time? Or does it come under Science when you're examining the weather, Earth and space? Or maybe it's a little bit of both. Do you do it all in one unit? Or spread it out over the year so your Summer lesson plans take place in the Summer time? I don't think there is a right or wrong approach, I am just genuinely interested! Please let me know via the comments below or over on Instagram.<br />
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Anyway, regardless of when and how you teach it, here are some fantastic resources for Junior Primary level you might want to try!<br />
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When setting up your classroom at the start of the year, months of the year visuals and birthday charts are always a must have! I love how the seasons are reflected within the <a href="https://www.teachstarter.com/teaching-resource/months-of-the-year-poster/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">months of the year labels</a>, each of which is subtly different to the last, adding a point of interest and discussion. Children can also use these as a stand alone activity where they need to place them in order or group the seasons. The <a href="https://www.teachstarter.com/teaching-resource/seasons-in-the-southern-hemisphere/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">poster</a> below would make a great addition to a class calendar display as well!<br />
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<a href="https://www.teachstarter.com/teaching-resource/months-of-the-year-poster/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="640" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-oUodmqFBQc8/WzBKL4d04rI/AAAAAAAA6b8/h6sVES4apJQLu0borkNuIvIbSoYT3ThsACLcBGAs/s640/IMG_2719.jpg" width="480" /></a></div>
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When I was browsing Teach Stater the other day (as I always do), I discovered that they have four seasons resources for both the northern and southern hemispheres which I thought was a great feature! These <a href="https://www.teachstarter.com/teaching-resource/four-seasons-spinner-activity-southern-hemisphere/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">spinners</a> look like a fantastic classroom resource. I would ideally make up a few of them to have as a small group activity. It's also available as a black and white version for the children to colour in themselves. All mine needs now is a split pin!<br />
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<a href="https://www.teachstarter.com/teaching-resource/four-seasons-spinner-activity-southern-hemisphere/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="640" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-8xAkm9Ouiiw/WzBKMPlM6hI/AAAAAAAA6cA/ZDUQ7009y1Uavcjl1PTVbIsonltH1gSbQCLcBGAs/s640/IMG_2721.jpg" width="480" /></a></div>
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Miss M and I loved doing this tree craft activity! It's such a clever way to show the changing of the seasons throughout the year. Follow the <a href="https://www.teachstarter.com/teaching-resource/four-seasons-tree-activity/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">link</a> to see the finished product!<br />
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<a href="https://www.teachstarter.com/teaching-resource/four-seasons-tree-activity/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="640" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-nH-NMbpfDok/WzBKPyTcooI/AAAAAAAA6cI/KVgQy-ZYvpEz0zQ2txBkW6N1-AwiMjndwCLcBGAs/s640/IMG_2731.jpg" width="480" /></a></div>
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A fantastic way for children to record their understanding of each seasons is with these open ended <a href="https://www.teachstarter.com/teaching-resource/season-trace-and-draw-worksheet/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">worksheets</a>. The sheet comes with a coloured border or in black and white - so Miss M decided to do both of them and recorded the four seasons in different ways, firstly with the weather and sky, and secondly with the trees. I loved her attention to detail, for example adding orange to show the hot summer sun and wiggly lines for the wind in Autumn.<br />
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How cute are her trees?!?<br />
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For more ideas head to the <a href="https://www.teachstarter.com/blog/seasons-activities-for-the-classroom/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Teach Starter blog</a>, or <a href="http://www.teachertypes.com/2016/09/activity-ideas-for-four-seasons-wrap-up.html" target="_blank">this post</a> I did a few years ago for some more hands on ideas! </div>
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Lauren<br />
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PS I have a very exciting giveaway coming up with Teach Starter plus some other fantastic businesses! Make sure you're following me on <a href="https://www.instagram.com/teacher_types/" target="_blank">Instagram</a> to find out more!Teacher Typeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01410200045408171918noreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7087290452033416122.post-60185433363745895642018-05-29T19:42:00.002+09:302018-05-29T19:42:12.634+09:30Why Pretend Play is so ImportantWe have had our little play kitchen for three years now and it's still played with regularly by both of the kids. Little Man loves to chop the fruit and make coffees, while Miss M feeds her dolls. Pretend play is such an important part of early childhood development for so many reasons (which I'll get into later in the post).<br />
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After a while though, it's always good to change things around and provide different play opportunities. We were lucky enough to be gifted this Large Retro Grocery Store thanks to <a href="https://www.tinytinyshopshop.com.au/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Tiny Tiny Shop Shop</a>. So we've relocated the play kitchen to another part of the family room to make room for the shop and to provide some new play opportunities. The kids are absolutely loving it and they are surprisingly playing really well together!<br />
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<a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-P4EWepM4j6k/WwvewGWbImI/AAAAAAAA5lk/kj6dMDSS03ki_tDmGCO0dLlcsWAwKSdggCLcBGAs/s1600/Play%2Bshop%2Bkids_Fotor.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1060" data-original-width="1600" height="422" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-P4EWepM4j6k/WwvewGWbImI/AAAAAAAA5lk/kj6dMDSS03ki_tDmGCO0dLlcsWAwKSdggCLcBGAs/s640/Play%2Bshop%2Bkids_Fotor.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<i>Gifted for the purpose of this review. </i><br />
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<a name='more'></a>So on the first day that they were playing with it, I wrote down everything that they said (it reminded me of back in my uni days when I would take running record notes on the children I was observing). And it was really interesting to watch them interact and especially to see how much Little Man was learning from Miss M. (So Little Man's words are in italics and quotes, and Miss M's are in plain text. Hopefully you can follow along!).<br />
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Do you want me to put some food in there for you?<br />
<i>“Pop in here”</i><br />
Alright. I’ve got some things for you in here. Ooh looks what’s Inside<br />
<i>“I tip in there”</i><br />
What have you got in here?<br />
<i>“Maybe those"</i><br />
You’ve got some carrots don’t you?<br />
<i>“Let’s buy it”</i><br />
Alright. I’ll do it. I’ll pop your credit card in and I’ll put your number in. 1475868<br />
Now you can buy it. There you go. Bye bye<br />
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Would you like to buy some more food?<br />
<i>“Yep please. </i><i>Buy That one.”</i><br />
Would you like to buy some milk?<br />
<i>“Pop some those in there. </i><i>Pop some these in there”</i><br />
Alright alright alright. Let’s get another one.<br />
There you go, would you like to buy it?<br />
Alright I’ll do your number. 147568<br />
<i>“I buy this one.</i><br />
<i>I buy that one”</i><br />
<i>“Buy it M”</i><br />
Alright I’ll buy it.<br />
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* Roles reversed based on who had credit card machine.<br />
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<i>“Want some food M?</i><br />
<i>1234586</i><br />
<i>Buy it now M. </i><i>Buy that M”</i><br />
I would like to buy this carrot<br />
<i>“Yep”</i><br />
And another carrot and one of these, three sausages. I want one apple<br />
<i>“Yep”</i><br />
One banana . No I already had an Apple.<br />
I want one mushroom and one of these.<br />
Now my bag is full I need to get another bag to put my groceries in.<br />
<br />
* Little Man started saying the numbers on the credit card machine.<br />
<br />
Can I buy all of these? I’ve got lots of money.<br />
Let M put her special numbers in.<br />
<i>“No!”</i><br />
E can M buy all of this now?<br />
<i>“Um yep”</i><br />
Can you do my number in?<br />
<i>“Um no”</i><br />
Do you want me to tell you my number? Pop the card in.<br />
<i>“Ok”</i><br />
Put 1 in.<br />
Where is 1?<br />
147<br />
891011<br />
<i>“No!”</i><br />
147568<br />
<i>“Yep!”</i><br />
Good boy. Now can M go pop it in her house.<br />
<i>“Um yep.”</i><br />
<i><br /></i><i>“Want buy something else?”</i><br />
*and the play continued...<br />
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<br />
So how can "shop play" be an educational experience for young children?<br />
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<h4>
Literacy Development</h4>
<ul>
<li>As you can see from the above conversation and interaction between the two kids, shop play provides a great opportunity for language development. </li>
<li>Older children can write a shopping list of things they’d like to buy at the store</li>
<li>They can also try to create labels for the items in the grocery store</li>
</ul>
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<a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-LD9akOAGqzg/Wwvey_NKzdI/AAAAAAAA5lw/-UrieFKXq2cU-kDD4gNYpaem2mOxRdBlACLcBGAs/s1600/Play%2Bshop%2Bshopping%2Blist_Fotor.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1060" data-original-width="1600" height="422" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-LD9akOAGqzg/Wwvey_NKzdI/AAAAAAAA5lw/-UrieFKXq2cU-kDD4gNYpaem2mOxRdBlACLcBGAs/s640/Play%2Bshop%2Bshopping%2Blist_Fotor.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<h4>
Numeracy Development</h4>
<ul>
<li>Counting coins and money (adding up money for older children). </li>
<li>Counting how many of each item they would like to buy, eg two apples and three bananas.</li>
<li>Writing price tags on food items. </li>
</ul>
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<h4>
Social Skills</h4>
<ul>
<li>Negotiating and turn taking, who will be the shopkeeper and who will be the customer. </li>
<li>Using manners; please and thank you when making your purchases</li>
<li>Host a tea party and share out the food evenly</li>
</ul>
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<h4>
Health</h4>
<ul>
<li>Sorting the food into healthy food/sometimes food or sort the food into food group categories. This can include how you set up the grocery store. </li>
</ul>
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<a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-YvN4edk8AG4/Wwvew_28fgI/AAAAAAAA5lo/wOGdNjNgX54fVJbhYpMjkbO6b_UPvAXiQCLcBGAs/s1600/Play%2Bshop%2Bcredit%2Bcard_Fotor.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1060" data-original-width="1600" height="422" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-YvN4edk8AG4/Wwvew_28fgI/AAAAAAAA5lo/wOGdNjNgX54fVJbhYpMjkbO6b_UPvAXiQCLcBGAs/s640/Play%2Bshop%2Bcredit%2Bcard_Fotor.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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The <a href="https://www.tinytinyshopshop.com.au/large-retro-grocery-store-bu-vilac" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">vintage grocery store</a> itself is really cute! It has little shelves for all of the products to go on and a window opening for the shop keeper to stand behind. The little chalkboard is perfect for writing the daily specials and my kids favourite part is the card reader!! (I love how they’ve made it modern). The wooden food is of a beautiful quality, I can tell from experience that it’s the kind that will last. And the set also comes with some sturdy cardboard box products as well with easily identifiable pictures. There are heaps more kitchen accessories available to compliment the grocery store <a href="https://www.tinytinyshopshop.com.au/kitchens-accessories/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">here</a>.<br />
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<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-RzGn8MDU7GU/WwvevLm0wgI/AAAAAAAA5lg/nrS5e0tT4xgNskAbk9FUPSux_NV3PX_LgCLcBGAs/s1600/Play%2Bshop%2B01_Fotor.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1481" height="640" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-RzGn8MDU7GU/WwvevLm0wgI/AAAAAAAA5lg/nrS5e0tT4xgNskAbk9FUPSux_NV3PX_LgCLcBGAs/s640/Play%2Bshop%2B01_Fotor.jpg" width="592" /></a></div>
Teacher Typeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01410200045408171918noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7087290452033416122.post-42181508726392398042018-05-28T19:41:00.000+09:302018-05-28T19:41:03.165+09:30Outstanding Oceans: Ideas for Junior PrimaryAt school this term we are bridging the gap from "<a href="http://www.teachertypes.com/2018/04/a-wrap-up-of-our-term-1-living-things.html" target="_blank">Living Things</a>" in the garden, to "Living things under the sea". It's another one of my favourite topics with so much scope across several learning areas - and it's just so pretty! All that blue looks amazing in the classroom (just like my discovery table pictured here).<br />
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<a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-OYnD6kvrLNA/Wv-gqKIQdPI/AAAAAAAA5L4/28_XENvfqW4Wlcp5gWOeXE8GF8ftxsJmACLcBGAs/s1600/IMG_1810.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1080" height="640" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-OYnD6kvrLNA/Wv-gqKIQdPI/AAAAAAAA5L4/28_XENvfqW4Wlcp5gWOeXE8GF8ftxsJmACLcBGAs/s640/IMG_1810.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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Here are just a few fun resources from <a href="http://www.teachstarter.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Teach Starter</a> to get the ball rolling if you're keen to try an Ocean unit of work with your Junior Primary class.<br />
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<i>This is a sponsored post as part of my Brand Ambassadorship with Teach Starter. </i><br />
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<a name='more'></a>Teach Starter regularly offers great freebies, just like this <a href="https://www.teachstarter.com/teaching-resource/jellyfish-craft-template/" target="_blank">Jellyfish craft</a>. This would be such a great activity to do for the day (or week) you are learning about the letter "j"! Although we basically finished our alphabet work last term, this fun jelly fish craft looks like a lot of fun to tie in with our ocean theme. Miss M was keen to try it out for me (like she often does!). It looks so pretty with water colours and glitter! All it needs now is to have some scrunched up paper stuffed in the middle to give it that 3D effect and staple around the edge.<br />
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<a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-SAIvk3KkEfE/WwvUOc4LJTI/AAAAAAAA5lQ/odpyysuwop4EekyVt-5TS3q0xZ6WBD6MwCLcBGAs/s1600/IMG_2053.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1600" height="400" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-SAIvk3KkEfE/WwvUOc4LJTI/AAAAAAAA5lQ/odpyysuwop4EekyVt-5TS3q0xZ6WBD6MwCLcBGAs/s400/IMG_2053.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
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I'm always looking for ways to integrate several subjects and lessons together which is where theme learning can work really well. Such as with a simple sheet like <a href="https://www.teachstarter.com/teaching-resource/marine-animal-counting-worksheet/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">this one</a>, the children can practise their counting, recording (either as a tally or a numeral), create a graph from their data, label the sea creatures, explore which creatures live under the sea, on the land or both, and obviously colour it in! A possible four subjects integrated into one lesson (and a super easy one to leave for a relief teacher) or in maths rotations when you need a small group of children to work independently. I'll be sure to share Miss M's finished product over on Instagram.<br />
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<a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-X35tgjY4LUY/WwvUGfakn9I/AAAAAAAA5lM/3uu9Zc4gqGUjg0rqE9UaMiwLfGz1yYQSwCLcBGAs/s1600/Screen%2BShot%2B2018-05-28%2Bat%2B7.29.18%2Bpm.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="591" data-original-width="416" height="640" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-X35tgjY4LUY/WwvUGfakn9I/AAAAAAAA5lM/3uu9Zc4gqGUjg0rqE9UaMiwLfGz1yYQSwCLcBGAs/s640/Screen%2BShot%2B2018-05-28%2Bat%2B7.29.18%2Bpm.png" width="450" /></a></div>
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We used these <a href="https://www.teachstarter.com/teaching-resource/colour-fish-posters/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">coloured fish</a> as part of a sensory activity with ocean coloured rice in our tuff tray. The kids absolutely loved it and it was a great way for them to practise reading each colour! We're also planning to place a paper clip on each one and use a magnet want to play a fishing game. Once played with we'll add them to our discovery table or use them for a colour matching or sorting task.<br />
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<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-1Mt9H3S1QEE/Wv-iWHBVFJI/AAAAAAAA5ME/OWCTVWvE8fAHdAehn4evbijlSAkJ-M9ewCLcBGAs/s1600/IMG_1973.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1600" height="640" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-1Mt9H3S1QEE/Wv-iWHBVFJI/AAAAAAAA5ME/OWCTVWvE8fAHdAehn4evbijlSAkJ-M9ewCLcBGAs/s640/IMG_1973.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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Another great addition to a discovery table or word wall are these <a href="https://www.teachstarter.com/teaching-resource/ocean-marine-word-wall-vocabulary/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">ocean vocabulary words</a>. A print rich environment is so important in the early years! The children could also match sea creatures to each word (comes with a total of 30 words - not all sea creatures).<br />
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<a href="https://www.teachstarter.com/teaching-resource/ocean-marine-word-wall-vocabulary/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"><img border="0" data-original-height="509" data-original-width="361" height="640" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-hbw_Dv4cVwI/Wu-3eoYrQHI/AAAAAAAA488/ZKiMCqF94r4cahEE5oUZiSnUqCtrFfUSgCLcBGAs/s640/Screen%2BShot%2B2018-05-07%2Bat%2B11.48.03%2Bam.png" width="451" /></a></div>
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For small group work, it's always fun to tie in the group names with the term theme. These <a href="https://www.teachstarter.com/teaching-resource/grouping-posters-animals/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">group posters</a> would be perfect for group organisation! There are 11 different sea creatures in this set, and there's also matching desk name plates too. You'd be the most organised teacher ever if the students desk name plate matched their group! (We love to be organised!!). </div>
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<a href="https://www.teachstarter.com/teaching-resource/grouping-posters-animals/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"><img border="0" data-original-height="283" data-original-width="400" height="451" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-LIpVj2ZyJsc/WvpRa_r7NWI/AAAAAAAA5Hs/qDKmsvniqrIzKgMD-gqSnNW0c05MDTLMwCLcBGAs/s640/Screen%2BShot%2B2018-05-15%2Bat%2B12.43.30%2Bpm.png" width="640" /></a></div>
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One of the roles I'm loving this year is teaching Music and Movement to all of the Junior Primary classes at my school. These <a href="https://www.teachstarter.com/teaching-resource/ocean-themed-movement-cards/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">ocean movement cards</a> will be perfect to use with the Early Years students who are learning about oceans this term. 12 cards are included in the pack such as; wobble like a jelly fish, glide like a stingray and waddle like a penguin. Fantastic movement words! I can't wait to see what the children come up with, and I'll be sure to find some suitable background music as we move and dance around being sea creatures!<br />
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<a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-9_cuyvlvv_U/Wu-q6G22j_I/AAAAAAAA48s/OUXUpPzSnpsCSIdyXbYgY0wvNh0sdy6_QCLcBGAs/s1600/Screen%2BShot%2B2018-05-07%2Bat%2B10.54.27%2Bam.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="527" data-original-width="749" height="449" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-9_cuyvlvv_U/Wu-q6G22j_I/AAAAAAAA48s/OUXUpPzSnpsCSIdyXbYgY0wvNh0sdy6_QCLcBGAs/s640/Screen%2BShot%2B2018-05-07%2Bat%2B10.54.27%2Bam.png" width="640" /></a></div>
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This term we're also studying the book "The Smallest Turtle" by Lynley Dodd to compliment our unit. We have been looking at the life cycle of a turtle (which follows on from the life cycle of caterpillars and plants we did last term), how a turtle hatches from an egg, and how it lives on the land or in the sea. Also did you know that May 23rd is World Turtle Day? Thanks Teach Starter for always keeping me up to date with all of these significant and special days.<br />
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<a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-TOKqD8_MkzE/WvpP8ScIF3I/AAAAAAAA5Hg/hReNk7VCtKgQiXsqFwqW5FfEZQY79N3EACLcBGAs/s1600/smallest%2Bturtle.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="193" data-original-width="261" height="472" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-TOKqD8_MkzE/WvpP8ScIF3I/AAAAAAAA5Hg/hReNk7VCtKgQiXsqFwqW5FfEZQY79N3EACLcBGAs/s640/smallest%2Bturtle.jpeg" width="640" /></a></div>
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For some more ideas for younger children, check out <a href="http://www.teachertypes.com/2016/06/10-ocean-themed-activities-for-your.html" target="_blank">this blog post</a> (from way back when in 2016!). I wrote this post just after Finding Dory came out! How is that two years ago?!? The paper plate fish in this post are super cute!<br />
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Is "Under the Sea" one of your themes this year? Let me know below or leave me a comment on Instagram!<br />
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Lauren xxTeacher Typeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01410200045408171918noreply@blogger.com75tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7087290452033416122.post-31985449946617149522018-05-21T07:14:00.000+09:302018-05-21T07:14:34.799+09:30Learn and Grow with the New Officeworks RangeDon't you just love wandering the aisles of Officeworks? All that pretty colour coded and matching stationery makes me feel like I could be the most organised teacher ever. Miss M shares my love of pretty stationery and is always so excited to simply just buy a new pen or notepad, but Officeworks recently launched their new <i>Learn and Grow</i> range, opening up a whole new world of kid's products and I'm sure it will fast become one of their favourite shops too!<br />
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<i>Please note, this is not a sponsored post, although we were lucky enough to be invited to the launch of this new product range which included a very generous goodie bag! I couldn't help but show you some of the products in more detail here on the blog. </i><br />
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<a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-DS3BK0j2R9Y/Wv5QXrtC2AI/AAAAAAAA5I0/DwW3lRC3rbQN_ZVNyY3F0DFlggnWH522QCEwYBhgL/s1600/IMG_1446.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="640" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-DS3BK0j2R9Y/Wv5QXrtC2AI/AAAAAAAA5I0/DwW3lRC3rbQN_ZVNyY3F0DFlggnWH522QCEwYBhgL/s640/IMG_1446.jpg" width="480" /></a>
<i></i></div>
<a name='more'></a><i><br /></i>So I'm going to try and give you a glimpse on what's on offer in a few simple categories.<br />
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<h4>
For the little ones</h4>
<i>Melissa and Doug</i> puzzles (pictured below) are just fantastic and I've been wanting to get some for a while now. We got the 0-9 number puzzle, and one thing I really like about it is the pictures underneath the numbers, as well as the number word. I'll have to add the other two to our collection now. They'd be great to use at school too. Little Man also enjoyed playing with the fuzzy felt story board of the pirate and the "treasure" (he's been obsessed with treasure hunts ever since Easter). Fuzzy felts are such a nice quiet time activity. Egg chalk is another great one for little toddler hands.<br />
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<a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Do3xLeSwhxU/Wv6KoPgSE7I/AAAAAAAA5JM/a6GQeE2HbGgMk-eczbwAmi_myTMztAo1gCLcBGAs/s1600/Melissa%2BDoug%2Bshape%2Bpuzzle.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="300" data-original-width="300" height="200" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Do3xLeSwhxU/Wv6KoPgSE7I/AAAAAAAA5JM/a6GQeE2HbGgMk-eczbwAmi_myTMztAo1gCLcBGAs/s200/Melissa%2BDoug%2Bshape%2Bpuzzle.jpeg" width="200" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-rb8IVDpVv08/Wv6KoBo-d2I/AAAAAAAA5JQ/WQGUm1DsZHwXBH8R6z5CMI5ahdyC4H-ewCLcBGAs/s1600/Melissa%2BDough%2B123%2Bpuzzle.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="300" data-original-width="300" height="200" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-rb8IVDpVv08/Wv6KoBo-d2I/AAAAAAAA5JQ/WQGUm1DsZHwXBH8R6z5CMI5ahdyC4H-ewCLcBGAs/s200/Melissa%2BDough%2B123%2Bpuzzle.jpeg" width="200" /></a><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-ZopV_jEXQGY/Wv6KoHvjyhI/AAAAAAAA5JI/ZluTekdR2wczoij1mcdKVAlcBjBMXk93gCLcBGAs/s1600/Melissa%2BDough%2BABC%2Bpuzzle.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="300" data-original-width="300" height="200" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-ZopV_jEXQGY/Wv6KoHvjyhI/AAAAAAAA5JI/ZluTekdR2wczoij1mcdKVAlcBjBMXk93gCLcBGAs/s200/Melissa%2BDough%2BABC%2Bpuzzle.jpeg" width="200" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Z5vPiwgYuJk/Wv5QX0CgpSI/AAAAAAAA5Is/4mSATT9CBSIjLoyxsP6_WLdWUqJSWS4lwCEwYBhgL/s1600/IMG_1450.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="400" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Z5vPiwgYuJk/Wv5QX0CgpSI/AAAAAAAA5Is/4mSATT9CBSIjLoyxsP6_WLdWUqJSWS4lwCEwYBhgL/s400/IMG_1450.jpg" width="300" /></a></div>
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<i>Little Man practising his cutting skills at the Learn and Grow launch event!</i></div>
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<h4>
Art Supplies</h4>
Officeworks have included some of their own branded products such as paint and play dough. Miss M recognised that we had been given the three primary colours and was so excited about the large bottles because she could make any colour she wanted. The following day we got the paints with some large paper, rocks and shells for some large scale outdoor painting fun (which turned into water play and potion making). The paints are washable and super easy to clean (off of the pavers - don't tell James).<br />
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<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-EC2DXeu30vk/Wv5QhOOPHrI/AAAAAAAA5I0/DHoOurcEJyAAZs4lFrZF4t5RYhU0MgmRQCEwYBhgL/s1600/IMG_1495.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="400" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-EC2DXeu30vk/Wv5QhOOPHrI/AAAAAAAA5I0/DHoOurcEJyAAZs4lFrZF4t5RYhU0MgmRQCEwYBhgL/s400/IMG_1495.jpg" width="300" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-cLByxJwEvNE/Wv-eq45d8uI/AAAAAAAA5Ls/fMLv6c9ONXAGY5GDoCU1EdQX0fe_nksMgCLcBGAs/s1600/IMG_1522.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1600" height="400" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-cLByxJwEvNE/Wv-eq45d8uI/AAAAAAAA5Ls/fMLv6c9ONXAGY5GDoCU1EdQX0fe_nksMgCLcBGAs/s400/IMG_1522.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
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There were also some cool new Crayola products I hadn't yet tried yet including...Slick Stix twistables and paint brush pens. The water colour pencils were something new Miss M hadn't tried before so we've been having lots of fun experimenting with these. I remember loving them as a kid myself.<br />
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All the basic craft supplies you would normally need for home or the classroom such as pom poms, feathers, glue are included in this impressive range.<br />
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<h4>
Sensory</h4>
As you all know - sensory play is a favourite in our household - especially play dough. As I said, Officeworks has released their own brand of play dough (super soft and squishy in gorgeous pastel colours), but they also stock the usual Play Doh brand stuff too. Slime Baff, plasticine and air drying clay are also available. (Does anyone else's kid watch Mister Maker and ask if you can "go to the shop and buy air drying clay? Well now you know where to get it from! Haha!)<br />
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<i>Miss M loved the play dough table at the Learn and Grow launch event!</i><br />
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Educational</h4>
Miss M and I got to have some really nice time together during the school holidays to follow her interests and do some activities that were inspired by her ideas. Just one example was this piece of cardboard covered in stars and hearts that she found in the recycling bin at my school (of all places), and she then decided to stick one letter of the alphabet inside each shape. Plus she even colour coded them! We counted how many there were to make sure we had enough shapes and discovered there were some left over! These alphabet stickers would also be great for making sight words.<br />
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In our goodie bag we also received a clock, play money and a dot to dot activity book (but there is a huge variety of activity books in store and online). You can also pick up teacher stickers and stampers to use in your classroom.<br />
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So no longer is Officeworks only for grown ups! It will likely become your little one's new favourite shop!<br />
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See the whole <a href="https://www.officeworks.com.au/shop/officeworks/c/education" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Learn and Grow range here</a>.<br />
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Lauren :)Teacher Typeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01410200045408171918noreply@blogger.com14tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7087290452033416122.post-19985874242012688782018-05-19T12:45:00.000+09:302018-05-19T12:45:26.772+09:30Teacher Carry All Review + GIVEAWAY!One thing that most teachers have in common is that we seem to cart everything except the kitchen sink to and from school. Folders, planners, student books and papers to mark, picture books, toys, resources, laminating, art supplies, ingredients, materials, storage, not to mention our lunch and drink (because, you know, we need to remember to eat and can't survive on coffee all day!)<br />
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I was in desperate need of a new teacher bag, so I was thrilled to recently discover the <a href="http://www.teachercarryall.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Teacher Carry All</a>! Keep reading for all the info AND a sneaky giveaway that's happening over on my <a href="https://www.instagram.com/teacher_types/" target="_blank">Instagram</a> RIGHT NOW!<br />
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<i>Kindly gifted for the purpose of this review. </i><br />
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<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-uA2TM10JvZw/Wv-PGYgVbXI/AAAAAAAA5Kw/h4cDP6mAEMwY6ayc0oyQl5ufDjh_UmdJACLcBGAs/s1600/teal_TCA_CC.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1000" data-original-width="1000" height="400" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-uA2TM10JvZw/Wv-PGYgVbXI/AAAAAAAA5Kw/h4cDP6mAEMwY6ayc0oyQl5ufDjh_UmdJACLcBGAs/s400/teal_TCA_CC.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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These super cool bags are available in either cotton canvas or water resistant nylon fabrics and in a variety of stylish colours such as hot pink, apple green, purple, teal, grey, navy and more! I opted for the gorgeous and bright sky blue in cotton canvas and I must say I was impressed with how it lived up to it's promise. I can fit in so much more than my old bag. It's really good quality, sturdy and I'm sure will be long lasting!<br />
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The bags are really wide at the base, which allows everything to fit in really neatly. I love the side pocket for my drink bottle and I've been keeping essentials like my purse, phone and keys in one of the outer pockets for easy access (there are outer pockets on both sides). I also love that my lunch box fits in and I don't need to carry it separately. Pictured above you'll see the two different strap options, and I usually use the longer one as it's a bit easier to carry when it's full of stuff!</div>
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A new addition to the range are these satchel bags. They can still fit in just as much as the other carry all bags, but are in this different satchel design. I hear that these are very limited though!</div>
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Becky, the creator behind these awesome bags is kindly giving away a rust coloured 'mini' teacher carry all bag to one of my followers! To enter, head over to my <a href="https://www.instagram.com/teacher_types/" target="_blank">Instagram</a> page and follow these steps...<br />
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<span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>•<span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>like this post<br />
<span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>•<span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>Be following @teacher_types and @highteavintage_teachercarryall on Instagram<br />
<span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>•<span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>Tag a teacher friend who needs a bag like this in their life!<br />
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<a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-SrqySOFMNKU/Wv-PHN_p7tI/AAAAAAAA5K0/8BU0kxf8UaUwor5EyB1Ow62an1lOBIPjQCLcBGAs/s1600/newMiniNuch-c14-orang-burnt-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1300" height="368" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-SrqySOFMNKU/Wv-PHN_p7tI/AAAAAAAA5K0/8BU0kxf8UaUwor5EyB1Ow62an1lOBIPjQCLcBGAs/s400/newMiniNuch-c14-orang-burnt-1.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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Giveaway is open WORLDWIDE (however residents outside Australia must be prepared to pay for postage). Giveaway begins 19/5/18 and ends 22/5/18 at 8pm ACST. This giveaway is in no way endorsed or affiliated with Instagram.<br />
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Thanks again to Becky from Teacher Carry All!</div>
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Lauren xx</div>
Teacher Typeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01410200045408171918noreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7087290452033416122.post-73197051654029416502018-05-11T12:50:00.001+09:302018-05-11T12:50:52.777+09:3010 Grimm's Products for Under $40You probably know by now how much I love Grimm's wooden toys and I'm always adding to our collection. Some people assume that these gorgeous products are out of their price range - (<i>first of all let me assure you that they are <u>totally</u> worth it due to their uniqueness, quality and open ended play opportunities</i>). But if you're looking for something a little less expensive than the trademark large rainbow (which is usually around the $130 mark) and you still want to start your Grimm's collection, then I've found some gorgeous ideas for you! All from my favourite Grimm's stockist <a href="http://www.thecreativetoyshop.com.au/?rfsn=449567.47e7e&utm_source=refersion&utm_medium=affiliate&utm_campaign=449567.47e7e" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">The Creative Toy Shop</a> who I'm proud to say I've been working with since they opened!<br />
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<i>This post contains affiliate links. </i><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8px;"><i><a href="https://www.thecreativetoyshop.com.au/collections/grimms-spiel-holz/products/copy-of-grimms-2017-building-set-pebbles-moss?rfsn=449567.47e7e&utm_source=refersion&utm_medium=affiliate&utm_campaign=449567.47e7e" target="_blank">Click to shop</a></i></td></tr>
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My current favourite <a href="https://www.thecreativetoyshop.com.au/collections/grimms-spiel-holz/products/copy-of-grimms-2017-building-set-pebbles-moss?rfsn=449567.47e7e&utm_source=refersion&utm_medium=affiliate&utm_campaign=449567.47e7e" target="_blank">Grimm's product is the pebbles</a>! I have them in Moss <i>(pictured above on our discovery table) </i>and I've just placed my order to get the <a href="https://www.thecreativetoyshop.com.au/products/copy-of-grimms-2017-building-set-pebbles-river?rfsn=449567.47e7e&utm_source=refersion&utm_medium=affiliate&utm_campaign=449567.47e7e" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">River</a> and <a href="https://www.thecreativetoyshop.com.au/products/grimms-2017-building-set-pebbles-fire?rfsn=449567.47e7e&utm_source=refersion&utm_medium=affiliate&utm_campaign=449567.47e7e" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Fire</a> ones as well to complete the collection. Children love to balance them, place in order and add to small worlds. There's something to intriguing about a pebble shape that's crafted from such beautiful and tactile wood.<br />
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The <a href="https://www.thecreativetoyshop.com.au/collections/grimms-spiel-holz/products/grimms-2017-rainbow-mushroom-sorting-game??rfsn=449567.47e7e&utm_source=refersion&utm_medium=affiliate&utm_campaign=449567.47e7e" target="_blank">mushroom sorting game</a> is one of the products that we own and I use it regularly to set up imaginary play for the kids. Miss M has used them in a fairy garden, and they can often be found on Little Man's train table as part of the forest scenery. He is at the ideal age to place each lid onto the mushroom stump.<br />
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<tr><td><a href="https://www.thecreativetoyshop.com.au/collections/grimms-spiel-holz/products/grimms-small-stacking-tower?rfsn=449567.47e7e&utm_source=refersion&utm_medium=affiliate&utm_campaign=449567.47e7e" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" target="_blank"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="426" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-dPY7e8uiASE/WvElIz0YfyI/AAAAAAAA5E8/V9sduoyh1aA90ycPxNKDmLllp3mh8yAPACLcBGAs/s640/Grimm%2527s%2BMushrooms%2Band%2BStacker.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8px;"><i>Click to shop stacking tower</i></td></tr>
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One of the first Grimm's products I got was the <a href="https://www.thecreativetoyshop.com.au/collections/grimms-spiel-holz/products/grimms-small-stacking-tower?rfsn=449567.47e7e&utm_source=refersion&utm_medium=affiliate&utm_campaign=449567.47e7e" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">small stacking tower</a> and we've found heaps of different uses for it; great for ordering by size, place them inside each other, create a tower, use as containers for colour sorting, sensory play and so much more!<br />
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<tr><td><a href="https://www.thecreativetoyshop.com.au/collections/grimms-spiel-holz/products/grimms-2017-mixed-forest?rfsn=449567.47e7e&utm_source=refersion&utm_medium=affiliate&utm_campaign=449567.47e7e" rel="nofollow" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" target="_blank"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1067" height="640" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-2PLK8UBGpOE/WvElJkoD1uI/AAAAAAAA5FA/9aqP2hmF80QQZpvgLL81-A0in0k711AAQCLcBGAs/s640/Grimms%2BForest%2Band%2Bstacker.jpg" width="426" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8px;"><i>Click to shop mixed forest</i></td></tr>
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<br />The <a href="https://www.thecreativetoyshop.com.au/collections/grimms-spiel-holz/products/grimms-2017-mixed-forest?rfsn=449567.47e7e&utm_source=refersion&utm_medium=affiliate&utm_campaign=449567.47e7e" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">mixed forest</a> is another gorgeous addition to small world play. It comes with these 7 pieces as pictures above in all different shades of green and different shapes.<br />
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Great for toddlers are the <a href="https://www.thecreativetoyshop.com.au/collections/grimms-spiel-holz/products/grimms-tower-roses?rfsn=449567.47e7e&utm_source=refersion&utm_medium=affiliate&utm_campaign=449567.47e7e" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Tower Roses</a> and <a href="https://www.thecreativetoyshop.com.au/collections/grimms-spiel-holz/products/grimms-wooden-house-coral?rfsn=449567.47e7e&utm_source=refersion&utm_medium=affiliate&utm_campaign=449567.47e7e" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Coral Wooden House</a>, but there are lots of similar varieties of shapes and colours all for a similar price. Ideal for first or second birthdays!</div>
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<a href="https://www.thecreativetoyshop.com.au/collections/grimms-spiel-holz/products/grimms-tower-roses?rfsn=449567.47e7e&utm_source=refersion&utm_medium=affiliate&utm_campaign=449567.47e7e" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"><img border="0" data-original-height="376" data-original-width="193" height="320" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-JRFmdUZda4g/Wswpng9YQ7I/AAAAAAAA21I/U551Hbn_BB4O5wKUgUh0qXj_QfAVG0ILQCLcBGAs/s320/grimms-tower-roses-wooden-toys-the-creative-toy-shop_grande.jpg" width="164" /></a><a href="https://www.thecreativetoyshop.com.au/collections/grimms-spiel-holz/products/grimms-wooden-house-coral?rfsn=449567.47e7e&utm_source=refersion&utm_medium=affiliate&utm_campaign=449567.47e7e" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"><img border="0" data-original-height="400" data-original-width="332" height="320" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Ls8s0EbOYAM/WswpoaPXChI/AAAAAAAA21Q/Nd9OXDY1-38o4UF8M6DVkeYGOJzeSX9IgCLcBGAs/s320/grimms-wooden-casa-coral-wooden-toys-the-creative-toy-shop_grande.jpg" width="264" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://www.thecreativetoyshop.com.au/collections/grimms-spiel-holz/products/grimms-wobbly-conical-tower-pink?rfsn=449567.47e7e&utm_source=refersion&utm_medium=affiliate&utm_campaign=449567.47e7e" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">The wobbly conical tower</a> is another great one for toddlers and it's also available in <a href="https://www.thecreativetoyshop.com.au/products/grimms-wobbly-conical-tower-blue" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">blue</a>. I like how it's that bit different to the regular stacker toy that your child probably already owns!<br />
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<a href="https://www.thecreativetoyshop.com.au/collections/grimms-spiel-holz/products/grimms-wobbly-conical-tower-pink?rfsn=449567.47e7e&utm_source=refersion&utm_medium=affiliate&utm_campaign=449567.47e7e" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"><img border="0" data-original-height="400" data-original-width="262" height="400" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-ueItusF2hoI/WswpnwJjpOI/AAAAAAAA21M/ZYNjD0zk1o8Nv7dbJkj2F8dGuvHEj9nRgCLcBGAs/s400/grimms-wobbly-conical-tower-pink-wooden-toys-the-creative-toy-shop_grande.jpg" width="261" /></a></div>
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A great one for babies is the <a href="https://www.thecreativetoyshop.com.au/collections/grimms-spiel-holz/products/grimms-bead-grasper?rfsn=449567.47e7e&utm_source=refersion&utm_medium=affiliate&utm_campaign=449567.47e7e" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">rainbow bead grasper</a>. The colours, the texture, the smooth balls and the sound it makes as they bump against each other is so inviting! You'll probably be playing with it too! Keep this one in mind for a unique baby shower or baby arrival gift!<br />
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Currently in my classroom I have the <a href="https://www.thecreativetoyshop.com.au/collections/grimms-spiel-holz/products/grimms-small-stacking-water?rfsn=449567.47e7e&utm_source=refersion&utm_medium=affiliate&utm_campaign=449567.47e7e" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Small Stacking Water</a> set up on our Ocean discovery table. It's such an inviting place for the children to play and explore our theme.<br />
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If you are really desperate for a rainbow but can't afford the large, there is a <a href="https://www.thecreativetoyshop.com.au/collections/grimms-spiel-holz/products/grimms-small-stacking-rainbow?rfsn=449567.47e7e&utm_source=refersion&utm_medium=affiliate&utm_campaign=449567.47e7e" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">small one</a> available measuring 11cm across (pictured here minus the purple centre piece). This was the very first Grimm's product I purchased and it's been played with for many many hours ever since then (at home and in the classroom).<br />
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So that's about it! If any of these items are out of stock, be sure to follow Brianna at <a href="https://www.instagram.com/thecreativetoyshop/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">The Creative Toy Shop on Instagram</a> to keep up to date when the next Grimm's restock will be. The popular items always sell out quickly!</div>
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Any specific questions about any Grimm's products, feel free to leave a comment below, send me an email or an Instagram DM.</div>
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Lauren.</div>
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Teacher Typeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01410200045408171918noreply@blogger.com26tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7087290452033416122.post-20973139400613216572018-04-22T10:48:00.000+09:302018-04-22T10:48:42.450+09:30Mother's Day Art, Craft & Gift IdeasWell we are half way through the school holidays here in SA which only leaves a few weeks to get the Mother's Day gifts sorted! How quickly is this year going???<br />
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I've found some super cute ideas during my Pinterest scrolling that I really wanted to share with my teacher and early childhood educator followers. You might recall that last year my Year 2 students and I combined science with our Mother's Day gifts and created <a href="http://www.teachertypes.com/2017/05/homemade-bath-bombs-for-mothers-day.html" target="_blank">home made bath bombs</a>. I also wanted to remind you of this post from the <a href="http://www.teachertypes.com/2016/04/super-simple-mother-day-craft-dad-i.html" target="_blank">previous year</a> - these ideas are super simple, perfect for dads to do with the kids at home.<br />
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Anyway, now for some new ideas! This first one is of course from Teach Starter which is always my first stop when looking for resources. This <a href="https://www.teachstarter.com/teaching-resource/mothers-day-flower-paper-craft-activity/" target="_blank">flower paper craft</a> is so simple but so effective.<br />
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<a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-bFVvXYW3vXg/Wtlh_tQ7fcI/AAAAAAAA3iI/IjwvYi9ATz0bCyGwyyzrHmAvqVWtWlvOwCLcBGAs/s1600/Screen%2BShot%2B2018-04-20%2Bat%2B1.13.30%2Bpm.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="444" data-original-width="350" height="400" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-bFVvXYW3vXg/Wtlh_tQ7fcI/AAAAAAAA3iI/IjwvYi9ATz0bCyGwyyzrHmAvqVWtWlvOwCLcBGAs/s400/Screen%2BShot%2B2018-04-20%2Bat%2B1.13.30%2Bpm.png" width="315" /></a></div>
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Mums always love something their little one has painted, and a painting on a canvas it makes it that bit more special. Often people are often looking for age appropriate painting ideas that they can do with very young children. So here's a few options for different ages;<br />
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<li>For babies, put a few blobs on paint on a canvas (ensure they are colours that will go well together and not turn to brown when mixed), cover the canvas with glad wrap and invite the baby to touch and squish the paint all over it. Remove the glad wrap and allow to dry.</li>
<li>A great idea for toddlers is to put lines of painters tape to make patterns on the canvas and let the toddler either use their hands or a paint brush to fill in the white spaces. Again, once dry, remove the painters tape to reveal the masterpiece!</li>
<li>Preschoolers & school aged children can generally paint whatever they like! A family portrait or self portrait would be lovely, as would a flower or garden scene. Recently I saw a gorgeous idea at the Little Picasso's Art Studio here in Adelaide - the canvas was completed painted in one block colour, and once dry, the portraits were done in white over the top. It was such a lovely effect (you can sort of see the examples in the background of this picture).</li>
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<a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Bug9McGWHmI/Wtvfn0CZOyI/AAAAAAAA4S4/j5cr3SLVYvUf-U0nOsmpuCnXMAGbesfhACLcBGAs/s1600/IMG_1527.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1600" height="400" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Bug9McGWHmI/Wtvfn0CZOyI/AAAAAAAA4S4/j5cr3SLVYvUf-U0nOsmpuCnXMAGbesfhACLcBGAs/s400/IMG_1527.jpg" width="398" /></a></div>
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My teaching partner has organised these little trinket boxes from <a href="https://www.cleverpatch.com.au/products/details/papier-mache-box5" target="_blank">CleverPatch</a> for our children to make which I think they'll love making (and the mums will love receiving!). Another cute product I found at CleverPatch are these <a href="https://www.cleverpatch.com.au/ideas/details/adorable-porcelain-heart-dishes" target="_blank">porcelain heart dishes</a> (they remind me of my love heart shaped wooden bowls). CleverPatch is pretty quick with shipping - obviously check their shipping page on the website for specific locations, but if you order now you should get it in time for the kids in your class to create their gifts. </div>
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<a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-_ULi6UTOmG8/WtmL_VBkHBI/AAAAAAAA3sw/uY_RVISEQY8r518F3mlte5HHN8YWxSr1QCLcBGAs/s1600/large_square-Adorable-Porcelain-Heart-Dishes_91455_2.1447970697.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="960" data-original-width="960" height="320" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-_ULi6UTOmG8/WtmL_VBkHBI/AAAAAAAA3sw/uY_RVISEQY8r518F3mlte5HHN8YWxSr1QCLcBGAs/s320/large_square-Adorable-Porcelain-Heart-Dishes_91455_2.1447970697.jpg" width="320" /></a><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-TPECgPNRLfA/WtljqE05BCI/AAAAAAAA3iY/LRw97P1uwYM1JwoFbYjxctOAAd0pfCeBgCLcBGAs/s1600/trinket%2Bbox%2Bclever%2Bpatch.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="960" data-original-width="960" height="320" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-TPECgPNRLfA/WtljqE05BCI/AAAAAAAA3iY/LRw97P1uwYM1JwoFbYjxctOAAd0pfCeBgCLcBGAs/s320/trinket%2Bbox%2Bclever%2Bpatch.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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These pipe cleaner hearts by <a href="https://fun-a-day.com/fine-motor-valentine-craft-beaded-name-hearts/" target="_blank">Fun a Day</a> caught my eye a while ago (and thanks to Instagram's handy save feature I could find them again!). Pictured here children make their name with the beads but for Mother's Day they could do Mum, Nanna, or "I Love You" or simply just thread any colourful beads on that they like.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://fun-a-day.com/fine-motor-valentine-craft-beaded-name-hearts/" target="_blank">Image Credit</a></td></tr>
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There's something so adorable about buttons! We use them all the time as loose parts in the classroom, but they are always a fantastic craft material. How cute are these <a href="https://www.thebestideasforkids.com/button-art/" target="_blank">flower cards</a>?<br />
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Miss M and I loved this piece of art from <a href="https://www.artycraftykids.com/art/kandinsky-inspired-heart-art/" target="_blank">Arty Crafty Kids</a> so much that she wanted to try it herself (see below)! Inspired by Kandinsky (traditionally done as concentric circles) this love heart art would be perfect for Mother's Day, either on a canvas or framed. Miss M decided she wanted to do hers in a cirlce/heart pattern, and used watercolour paint (see below). If you follow the link below, you'll actually find a template you can print out to help create this art.</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.artycraftykids.com/art/kandinsky-inspired-heart-art/" target="_blank">Image Credit</a></td></tr>
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<a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-egDxsZeyyts/WtvfoEgL66I/AAAAAAAA4S8/LAbX4QLb838tktLHypQl5VafUOCuVNfnwCLcBGAs/s1600/Heart%2Bart.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" data-original-height="1111" data-original-width="1600" height="277" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-egDxsZeyyts/WtvfoEgL66I/AAAAAAAA4S8/LAbX4QLb838tktLHypQl5VafUOCuVNfnwCLcBGAs/s400/Heart%2Bart.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<i>(Is it wrong that I want to frame this and give it to myself for Mother's Day??)</i></div>
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Tea drinking mums will love this cute card! What a clever idea to use little egg cartons to create mini tea cups. They even have a real tea bag inside! (I'm sure that part of the present will entitle mum to have a hot cup of tea uninterrupted). I just love this one from <a href="http://intheplayroom.co.uk/2015/03/16/drink-it-all-in-with-twinings-and-tea-cup-cards/?epik=0hJkpE_IW3_p1" target="_blank">In the Playroom</a>. </div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://intheplayroom.co.uk/2015/03/16/drink-it-all-in-with-twinings-and-tea-cup-cards/?epik=0hJkpE_IW3_p1" target="_blank">Image Credit</a></td></tr>
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Here's one last idea that I think is absolutely adorable. I imagine it would be quite an involved process with several steps; painting the blue sky background, photographing the children, cutting out the hearts and finally gluing it all together. But it certainly is heart melting. Mums, Nannas and Grandmas would love it!</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://horadebrincaredeaprender.blogspot.com.au/2015_05_01_archive.html" target="_blank">Image Credit</a></td></tr>
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What have you got planned for Mother's Day this year? Let me know in the comments below. </div>
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<i>Lauren xx</i><br />
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<i>P.S. On a completely unrelated note, this year I am once again supporting <a href="https://www.witchery.com.au/ocrf-white-shirt" target="_blank">Witchery's White Shirt Campaign</a> in the lead up to Mother's Day, as I lost my own mother to Ovarian Cancer. 100% of the money from the sales of the Witchery white shirts goes to the Ovarian Cancer Research Foundation. </i><br />
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Teacher Typeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01410200045408171918noreply@blogger.com27tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7087290452033416122.post-89957681239046566252018-04-20T17:21:00.003+09:302018-04-24T13:33:43.264+09:30Top Tips for Teaching ShapeToday we're talking about SHAPES!<br />
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It's probably the second biggest Mathematics unit in your term after Number. Children are usually exposed to the basic 2D shapes well before they start school (quite often thanks to the Play School windows), but it's so important that we as Junior Primary teachers give them a good foundation of both 2D and 3D shapes. As I was planning this post, and how to incorporate some Teach Starter resources, I came up with four key points to keep in mind when planning learning experiences for young children.<br />
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<li>Make it hands on</li>
<li>Make it real life</li>
<li>Make it purposeful</li>
<li>and make it fun.</li>
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<a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-cmn0QwZmIWg/Wt6pCHCs-mI/AAAAAAAA4d8/PnELTNM4XecOQ4AjwsK7V46kHQs7stjOgCLcBGAs/s1600/IMG_1619.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="480" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-cmn0QwZmIWg/Wt6pCHCs-mI/AAAAAAAA4d8/PnELTNM4XecOQ4AjwsK7V46kHQs7stjOgCLcBGAs/s640/IMG_1619.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<i>This is a sponsored post as part of my Brand Ambassadorship with <a href="http://www.teachstarter.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Teach Starter</a>. </i><br />
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Make it Hands On</h4>
To gain a deep understanding of shape - children need to hold them, explore them, feel, touch and use their senses. This is particularly important when they are learning the difference between 2D and 3D shape (I always say to my class "A 2D shape is flat like a piece of paper, and a 3D shape is something you can hold in your hand, like a ball or a box").<br />
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My class are always drawn to the play dough table when I put it out, so I'm sure they'll love these <a href="https://www.teachstarter.com/teaching-resource/shape-playdough-mats-fine-motor-development/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">2D shape play dough mats</a>. In this resource comes circle, square, triangle, star, pentagon and hexagon with one large shape and three small shapes. Some cookie cutters added to this activity would give children the option of creating the shapes in different ways and further provoke their thinking.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Notice how Miss M has matched the coloured play dough to the coloured mats? So like her #teachermum ;)</td></tr>
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I would also like to try providing a variety of loose parts with these mats instead of the play dough. By ensuring that the loose parts you provide are a variety of different shapes and sizes themselves, the children can experiment with which materials work best for each shape (e.g. a long straight peg would work for the edge of a square, where as small pebbles would work better for a circle).<br />
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Another fantastic STEM idea is to combine the play dough with your loose parts, like this...<br />
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Make it Real Life</h4>
Another really great starting point when you are introducing a unit for work on shapes is to look for shapes that occur in your environment; whether it be in the home, the classroom, the school yard or the wider community. Use these handy posters from <a href="https://www.teachstarter.com/learning-area/numeracy/shape/2d-shapes/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Teach Starter</a> attached to a clip board, and tick off or record (depending on the age of the child) the shapes you see around you. We like to call this a "shape walk" or a "shape hunt"... If your kids are a fan of <i>We're going on a bear hunt</i>, simply replace the word 'bear' with the word 'shape' as you are walking around and exploring.<br />
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<a href="https://www.teachstarter.com/teaching-resource/2d-shapes-poster-bw/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"><img border="0" data-original-height="507" data-original-width="358" height="320" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-kmj9h8s8d4M/WtmX7tAGKBI/AAAAAAAA3uk/HKNX_R4wdigbOq_XkVvxNdXOokqAPi5HACLcBGAs/s320/Screen%2BShot%2B2018-04-20%2Bat%2B5.03.20%2Bpm.png" width="225" /></a><a href="https://www.teachstarter.com/teaching-resource/3d-objects-blue-print-poster-bw/" target="_blank"><img border="0" data-original-height="253" data-original-width="359" height="225" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-FYtCVYvAjow/WtmX7XPWBLI/AAAAAAAA3ug/ALrOadzG65E0jPKSnJHxggg6vO40cb6twCLcBGAs/s320/Screen%2BShot%2B2018-04-20%2Bat%2B5.02.53%2Bpm.png" width="320" /></a></div>
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Make it Purposeful</h4>
I attended a Maths professional development day last year, and the number one thing I took away from it was to make maths <i>purposeful</i> for young children. Meaning; give them a job to do. Make them feel important, useful and helpful. Let them see the relevance in the task you have assigned to them.<br />
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This is why I love this <a href="https://www.teachstarter.com/teaching-resource/2d-shape-maths-investigation-crazy-cubby-house/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">design a cubby house idea</a>! I believe it's intended for Year 1/2s but younger ones could certainly attempt it on a simpler level. What kid wouldn't want to design their own cubby house? The students are asked to design it using 2D shapes, and colour the shapes in according to the instructions. They are then required to present their design to their classmates and complete a self reflection.<br />
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Make it Fun!</h4>
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Above all, the wise words of Reggio Emilia educators "Nothing without joy" is always at the back of my mind, and your shape unit should be filled with fun! Even something as simple as a rotation lesson where the children spend 10 minutes at each activity can work really well. Perhaps one group is tracing and labelling 2D shapes on paper, one group is constructing a tower with building blocks, one group can sort objects by their shape, another group is creating larger shapes with pattern blocks while the last group is working collaboratively to build a castle with magnetic tiles. These are my favourite types of lessons where every learning minute is maximised! And the kids love it too!<br />
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How do you approach teaching shape to your students? I've love to hear your ideas.<br />
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Lauren</div>
Teacher Typeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01410200045408171918noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7087290452033416122.post-84978286311547186252018-04-20T12:48:00.002+09:302018-04-20T12:48:46.165+09:30A Wrap Up of our Term 1 Living Things UnitI don't know about you - but we had THE BEST time in the Early Years in Term 1. So much learning happened. So many new things, new friends and new experiences.<br />
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For a few years now, our key theme for Term 1 is "Living Things" alongside our author study of Eric Carle. Of course we are always evolving, adding, changing and updating our programme, but the overarching theme has remained the same. It's just such a good starting place for the first term of school.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Eric Carle Animal Alphabet flash cards + alphabet pebbles + alphablocks</td></tr>
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<br />Way back when I first started blogging in 2014, I did a post about our Eric Carle Author Study (read it <a href="http://www.teachertypes.com/2014/04/author-study-world-of-eric-carle.html" target="_blank">here</a> - my how much my blog has changed and evolved since then!). In this post I go through 5 of the key texts which are all about insects/living things in the garden. Today's post is a bit more general and to show you some other things we've been doing (incase you missed them on Instagram).<br />
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There is so much scope for early learning with The Very Hungry Caterpillar. In the invitation/provocation pictured below, the children were asked to retell the story by using the pictures, story stones and days of the week blocks (pictures available from <a href="http://kizclub.com/storypatterns/caterpillar(C).pdf" target="_blank">Kiz Club</a>). </div>
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At the beginning of the unit, we brainstormed a list of living and non-living things. I turned these into the two posters you can see either side of the mirror for the children to continually refer back to. </div>
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This is our Discovery table, a beautiful feature of our classroom, which is also constantly changing. The moss rocks and circles were from Daiso, bugs, green leaf placemats and hexagon mirror all from Kmart, flat square mirror from IKEA (can't remember where the smaller mirrors were from but they aren't hard to find). Grimm's Moss pebbles and Rainbow Pebbles both from <a href="https://www.thecreativetoyshop.com.au/" target="_blank">The Creative Toy Shop</a>. </div>
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Another lovely way to begin this unit is a nature walk to explore your school yard environment or local park to search for living things. Take photographs or document the children's observations. They could even take a clipboard and paper to sketch the things they see. </div>
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One of my favourite Instagrammers Casey from <a href="https://www.littlelifelonglearners.com/" target="_blank">Little Lifelong Learners</a> is also a pro at creating Australian Curriculum unit plans and resources so I tried out the <a href="https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Australian-Curriculum-Living-Things-Animals-Plants-and-Their-Needs-3499171" target="_blank">Living Things pack</a> for this term and I was really impressed! There was so much content here so you can pick and choose what suits you and your students. The printables are clear, visually appealing and some are differentiated to suit different learning needs (e.g. some have labels some do not), plus there are other resources such as labels, signs, posters and books. A great blend of worksheets, hands on learning and experiments/investigations. </div>
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I just love any science experiment that involved food colouring (and so do the kids!). The white flowers in coloured water experiment is always a winner... although I must admit that my first attempt didn't quite work successfully (must have been the wrong type of flowers...?). So we tried again and luckily these ones worked much better. It's all part of the learning and experimenting process isn't it?</div>
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Planting seeds and watching them grow is also a must with this unit. Cress seeds, grass seeds and beans usually work quite well and don't take too long to sprout. I usually plant them in cotton wool so that the students can see the growth. It's also a great opportunity to learn about procedures, record the steps and also document to growth of the seeds over time. </div>
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For "Show and Tell" midway through the Term, the children needed to share two living and two non-living things with the class. This is what Miss M came up with. </div>
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This is our class tree; one of my favourite things about the classroom, which so far has been the family tree (pictured here) where the children drew their family portraits on the leaves, then it became the Easter tree as a celebration of new life, and currently it's the Autumn tree as we explore the change of the seasons. </div>
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One of the cute new resources I've been using is these memory match wooden disks from <a href="https://mylittleset.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">My Little Set</a>. This particular garden set comes with two of each picture (20 in total) and the children need to find the matching pairs. We also used to it sort living and non-living things and create all sorts of circle patterns when combined with a variety of other loose parts. </div>
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Last of all, the children were lucky enough to visit a farm on their very first excursion which was another great opportunity to get up close and examine some living things. They got to see pigs, sheep and chickens as well as wander through the orchard and vegetable gardens. Miss M's super talented teacher created a farm invitation to play on our tuff tray. She used oats, brown rice and hay with some cute farm animals and labels. The kids absolutely loved it!</div>
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There is so much more I could talk about, and even some ideas and plans that I just didn't have time to fit in! Looking forward to sharing more about where we are heading next term!</div>
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Lauren xx</div>
Teacher Typeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01410200045408171918noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7087290452033416122.post-4768014203923496962018-04-10T12:03:00.002+09:302018-04-10T15:55:34.888+09:30A Little Penguin's Guide to Life {Book Review}When the title of this book first popped up in my Facebook feed, it immediately caught my eye. I was intrigued! I fell in love with the book even more when I received it, turned to the first page and began reading it to my children.<br />
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*cue heart melting<br />
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<i>A Little Penguin's Guide to Life</i> is a children's book about life's most important lessons (ten to be precise). In the words of the creator herself, it's more than a picture book. It's an emotional developmental tool. Think of it like a handbook.<br />
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The book has been written and developed by Chantelle and Ali Terai, and 'Little Penguin' is based on their son Marcel. He was at the forefront of their minds when writing the book. Chantelle, like me is a school teacher and Ali who has previously worked in education and now runs his own business. They are just your ordinary couple who dreamed of creating something special - and they have! So that's why I'm helping them to spread the word.<br />
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<i>Kindly gifted for the purpose of this review. Not sponsored. </i><br />
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So to give you a bit more of an idea of the content of the book, I'll take you through some of the key life lessons it covers.<br />
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<li>The importance of family and knowing that they will be there to support and protect you no matter what. </li>
<li>Resilience; how to cope when things are scary, what to do and who to turn to.</li>
<li>How talking about your problems is one way to help make them better.</li>
<li>Follow your heart, it will lead you to do the right thing.</li>
<li>What to do if someone hurts or upsets you. </li>
<li>Be kind to others.</li>
<li>Persist, keep trying, don't give up!</li>
<li>Celebrate your achievements, even if you don't come first.</li>
<li>And finally, to reach for the stars! We want our children to set their sights high, to work towards their goals, to dream big and knowing that with the support of their loved ones, their dreams can be achieved.</li>
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It just warms my heart. I think my favourite page was this one, about paying back an act of kindness three fold.<br />
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Each page or life lesson is written as a carefully constructed rhyming couplet, a pleasure to read aloud and a joy for children to listen to. It's the perfect bed time story when you settle down with your little one and talk about their day. </div>
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The enchanting illustrations are by a French illustrator, Nicolas Lonprez. The Little Penguin is absolutely adorable and his facial expressions make him a very relatable character for young children and helps them to identify how he might be feeling in certain situations. The final page in particular when Little Penguin is reaching for the start, just seems to leap off the page.<br />
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Most suited to the home for parents to read, but I still see a lot of potential for teachers and early childhood educators to read this book to their preschoolers and first year of school students. It's a great opportunity to remind them that a teacher is another trusted adult who they can talk to about their problems. Plus, some of the life lessons in the book are really common issues that pop up in the first year of school as children are navigating their relationships and developing their social skills. It would make a great addition to the school library.<br />
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The reading guide at the end of the book was actually really informative. If you're looking for some more discussion points or questions to ask your child for each page/life lesson, then this is where you can turn to. Each page from the book is rewritten in the guide with the corresponding illustration, explanation, and suggestions for further discussion.<br />
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<a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-LijNBMW0two/WsrW2phtb9I/AAAAAAAA2x4/KtYQaQ2SxN0weT0gnbfK4DBrG_40Cw8kwCLcBGAs/s1600/IMG_1261.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1350" data-original-width="1600" height="540" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-LijNBMW0two/WsrW2phtb9I/AAAAAAAA2x4/KtYQaQ2SxN0weT0gnbfK4DBrG_40Cw8kwCLcBGAs/s640/IMG_1261.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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Meet the family behind this gorgeous book and hear a bit more about their journey and how it came to be.<br />
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This book really is a guide to life for young children. These basic social and coping skills together with reminding them of the importance of family lays the foundations for them to succeed and flourish in all other areas of their life.</div>
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To get your copy, visit the website <a href="https://littlepenguinsguide.com/" target="_blank">here</a>. This is not a sponsored post, all opinions are entirely my own and I genuinely could not recommend this book highly enough. It's amazing!<br />
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Lauren xTeacher Typeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01410200045408171918noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7087290452033416122.post-54075125411783896362018-03-22T19:37:00.001+10:302018-03-22T19:37:02.187+10:30Excellent Easter Activities for All Ages!Easter is so much earlier than usual this year. It's certainly crept up on us and will be here before we know it! So it's time for me to start planning and thinking about the activities we are going to do in the classroom and at home.<br />
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Part of my role at school this year is preparing our morning "provocations" activities for all four Early Years classes. This means 5 activities per class, with enough materials in each activity for a small group of four children to use. So that's a total of 20 activities for more than 80 children! After a week, we rotate the set of activities around to another class to always keep them fresh and interesting.<br />
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I've decided to put together some Easter provocations for us all to use for the week leading up to Easter. There's going to be a mixture of fine motor, sensory, loose parts, alphabet and number. Plus there are so many more amazing ideas I've come across, although I might not be able to get all of them done! Still worth sharing though :)<br />
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So the first suggestion I have in the lead up to Easter this year is to keep your egg cartons! I've discovered so many cool ways to use them in your Easter activities. One of which is the pom pom colour sort using plastic eggs and these funky fine motor tools from <a href="https://www.thecreativetoyshop.com.au/products/fine-motor-skills-set">The Creative Toy Shop</a>.<br />
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We are really getting stuck into learning sight words at the moment so I know that the kids will love this idea. Sight words are written on small bits of paper and hidden inside the plastic eggs. Then all of the eggs are in a sensory bin filled with green shredded paper. Rainbow rice would work too!<br />
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The kids can mix and match each half of the plastic eggs to make all sorts of patterns and combinations. Then they can record their work on these sheets, which come as part of the Easter STEM pack from <a href="https://thestemlaboratory.com/product/easter-stem-challenges/">The STEM Laboratory</a>. There is some seriously cool stuff in here and as you probably know, STEM is huge at the moment so it's always great to make it topical and relevant.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Image Credit - <a href="https://www.instagram.com/playdough2plato/">Playdough 2 Plato Instagram</a></i></td></tr>
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Do you all know the lovely Emma from <a href="https://www.happyhandshappyheart.com.au/">Happy Hands Happy Heart</a> play dough? She once again has a limited edition range of Easter scented play dough including pink toasted marshmallow, hot cross bun as well as the regular chocolate all natural play dough which she has available all year round.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Image credit - <a href="https://www.instagram.com/happyhandshappyheart" rel="nofollow">Happy Hands Happy Heart Instagram</a></i></td></tr>
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Play dough mats are always a winner and I especially love this set from <a href="http://shop.picklebums.com/product/easter-play-dough-mats/">Picklebums</a>. There are six different though provoking picture starters such as "Who is hatching out of the egg?", and "Who does these ears belong to?". My favourite though is the decorating the tree.<br />
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Speaking of Easter Trees, we started this tradition last year, and I believe <a href="http://www.kmart.com.au/product/easter-white-twig-tree-1m">Kmart</a> once again has them for sale. We have this gorgeous tree as the centrepiece of our classroom and our plan is to have it changing as the year goes on. It has already been our family tree where the children drew pictures of their family on leaves.<br />
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I found these chick, egg and basket dot picture printables from <a href="https://www.theresourcefulmama.com/easter-dot-activity-printables/">The Resourceful Mama</a> but decided to laminate them and use glass pebbles to count and place on each circle instead of using dot markers. Maybe I'll even put out both options for the kids?<br />
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To encourage some more learning through play opportunities I added some literacy and numeracy activities to our provocations kits as well. This simple alphabet matching game is from <a href="http://www.kizclub.com/activities/eggmatch(C).pdf">Kizclub</a>, and the number tracing is from <a href="http://printables.atozteacherstuff.com/2425/hatching-chick-number-trace/">A to Z of Teacher Stuff</a> (I also laminated this one for children to use white board textas on).<br />
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I came across this brilliant idea from <a href="https://www.instagram.com/beckys_treasure_baskets/">Becky's Treasure Baskets on Instagram</a> (she's based in the UK), but I soon found that these clear eggs are available from <a href="https://www.spotlightstores.com/party/party-decorator/room-table/decorating-accessories/daisy-chain-hanging-fillable-egg/p/BP80422554">Spotlight</a>! Great for filling, decorating and hanging on the Easter tree.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Image Credit - <a href="https://www.instagram.com/beckys_treasure_baskets/">Becky's Treasure Baskets Instagram</a></i></td></tr>
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These would have to be the cutest Easter baskets I've seen! Made by Kate from <a href="https://www.thecrafttrain.com/yoghurt-pot-baskets/">The Craft Train</a> from a yoghurt pot, they are just adorable. Plus the bead threading onto the pipe cleaner is a great fine motor activity for our students. I must remember to ask our parents to start saving these!<br />
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<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-fMRtjbHw9_0/Wq8xMoUo0-I/AAAAAAAA1cs/Lbdt4a9tvvo0_lKvlm-b-1dZudCRQaS-wCLcBGAs/s1600/EASTER-yoghurt-pots.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="650" data-original-width="650" height="400" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-fMRtjbHw9_0/Wq8xMoUo0-I/AAAAAAAA1cs/Lbdt4a9tvvo0_lKvlm-b-1dZudCRQaS-wCLcBGAs/s400/EASTER-yoghurt-pots.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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Finally, is another beautiful creation from Kate at Picklebums. I just love the water colour effect on these Easter egg pattern designs and they would look gorgeous hung in the classroom as a garland. We are loving using water colour paints at the moment so these are definitely on my to do list, and bonus is that it's a <a href="https://picklebums.com/easy-easter-decoration/">FREE printable</a>! Thanks Kate xx<br />
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Well, I'll be sure to share some of our activities in action over on my <a href="https://www.instagram.com/teacher_types/">Instagram</a> page in the week leading up to Easter. In the meantime I hope I've shared this post with you all giving you enough time to get yourselves organised!<br />
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Let me know which activities you're keen to try?<br />
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LaurenTeacher Typeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01410200045408171918noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7087290452033416122.post-62834735158068915362018-03-18T17:55:00.002+10:302018-03-18T17:55:29.732+10:3010+ Ways to Learn Numbers with a Hundreds BoardThe hundreds board is one of the most fundamental mathematics resources for Junior Primary. It perfectly demonstrates the base 10 number system to young children, encourages counting and makes number patterns easy to find and identify. There are so many ways to use them so I've rounded up my favourites to share with you today!<br />
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<i>Sponsored by <a href="http://www.teachstarter.com.au/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Teach Starter</a> as part of my Brand Ambassadorship. </i><br />
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First of all let me say there are HEAPS of different hundreds charts with all different colour schemes and themes that you can get from Teach Starter. The <a href="https://www.teachstarter.com/teaching-resource/tranquil-watercolour-numbers-1-to-100-chart/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">tranquil watercolours</a> is one of my favourites (and the watercolour theme pack has been one of their most popular too!).<br />
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So when it comes to actually putting the hundreds charts to good use, here are some ideas for all ages!</div>
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The Missing Number Game</h4>
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I always do this game with my Receptions in the second half of the year when they are a bit more confident and comfortable with numbers to 100. They work with a partner and all they need is a small gem or counter with their hundreds chart. One person closes their eyes, and the other places the counter over one of the numbers. The first student then opens their eyes and has to guess which number is being hidden by looking at the numbers around it. They can continue taking turns and this usually keeps them busy for 5 - 10 minutes. </div>
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I'm thinking of a number...</h4>
This game could be played with the whole class, in small groups or with a partner. One person is thinking of a number (to make it harder it could be any number on the chart, or to make easier, give some guidelines e.g. a number between 20 and 40). Then the class/group/partner has to try and guess the number. Cross off each number is guessed to help them keep track of where they're up to. A great way to practise "higher and lower" too!<br />
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Skip Counting</h4>
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As I said, hundreds charts are great for seeing number patterns such as counting by 5s and 10s. A great strategy is to colour in counting by 10s in one colour, 5s in another and 2s in another. Children will notice that some numbers are coloured in more than once! An alternative to this idea to make it clearer is to simple draw the square around the numbers. We want children to observe the multiples of 10 in the far right column and so on...</div>
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Write All Numbers 1-100</h4>
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Giving your child (or students) a <a href="https://www.teachstarter.com/teaching-resource/black-white-hundreds-board-2/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">blank 100 chart</a> and asking them to record as many numbers as they can, gives you a fantastic snapshot into their understanding of number. You can see how far they can go, can they self correct if they see an error with the number pattern? Are their numbers accurate (are there reversals, are any numbers inverted e.g. 21 for 12)? For a slightly easier version like <a href="https://www.teachstarter.com/teaching-resource/hundreds-boards-missing-numbers/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">this example</a>, the students are given some of the numbers and they need to fill in the missing ones. This will help them to keep on track with the pattern.<br />
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<a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-omZVwCLtaTw/Wq4Sh3cFvSI/AAAAAAAA1bs/F-AZzi5QsBspeyxzPo1f8-pxV-o02BQXACLcBGAs/s1600/Screen%2BShot%2B2018-03-18%2Bat%2B5.44.33%2Bpm.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="527" data-original-width="372" height="640" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-omZVwCLtaTw/Wq4Sh3cFvSI/AAAAAAAA1bs/F-AZzi5QsBspeyxzPo1f8-pxV-o02BQXACLcBGAs/s640/Screen%2BShot%2B2018-03-18%2Bat%2B5.44.33%2Bpm.png" width="450" /></a></div>
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Create a Puzzle</h4>
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I think this is such a brilliant idea! All you need to do is print or photocopy your hundreds charts in two different colours. One sheet remains in tact and the other is cut up in various ways. Students could cut horizontally keeping the numbers in groups of 10, or vertically to look for number patterns. They could even cut the chart into all different sorts of shapes (as long as they stay along the lines) to create their own puzzle. Or a puzzle for a partner to complete! What an awesome Daily 4 maths activity!<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Image credit - <a href="https://www.playdoughtoplato.com/hundred-chart-puzzles-colorize/">Playdough to Plato</a></td></tr>
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Counting forwards and backwards</h4>
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A really important skill we teach in the Early Years is to begin counting from various starting points (e.g. not always at 1). Because if children can do this, it helps them later on with addition and counting on. With the aid of a hundreds chart, you can guide your students to the number you want them to start counting at. They need to find it, follow your instructions as to whether you want them to count forward or backwards, and stop when you instruct them to. </div>
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Learning the decades</h4>
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This is currently where we are at with Miss M and her understanding of number. She is really confident at counting, but always hesitates when she gets to 29, 39, 49 etc as she struggles to remember which of the decades comes next. I've printed out an A3 hundreds chart, laminated it and stuck it in her bedroom for her to practise.</div>
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Mystery Pictures</h4>
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I am so excited about these <a href="https://www.teachstarter.com/teaching-resource/hundreds-board-mystery-picture-task-cards/" rel="nofollow">BRAND NEW mystery picture cards</a> that Teach Starter has just released. Students need to follow the code on the card, and colour in certain numbers in the right colours to reveal the mystery picture. There are 32 of them all together! So awesome!<br />
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<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-gNfKhYq4kNc/Wq4Jr3k5N1I/AAAAAAAA1bM/kdzihhZkHJ8jsv2H3nAU9ABGH7I1Ulh7wCLcBGAs/s1600/hundreds-chart-mystery-picture-activities-blog-header.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="628" data-original-width="1200" height="334" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-gNfKhYq4kNc/Wq4Jr3k5N1I/AAAAAAAA1bM/kdzihhZkHJ8jsv2H3nAU9ABGH7I1Ulh7wCLcBGAs/s640/hundreds-chart-mystery-picture-activities-blog-header.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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Odd and Even</h4>
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Children usually learn about odd and even in Year 1, and colouring in all the odd numbers in one colour and evens in another colour is a great way to practise and once again (I must sound like a broken record) look for the <u>number patterns</u>! There are just so many to be found!!</div>
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Prime and Composite Numbers</h4>
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For older students, Teach Starter has created these <a href="https://www.teachstarter.com/teaching-resource/prime-numbers-assorted-backgrounds/" target="_blank">prime and composite number posters</a> for students to refer to at a glance. It's a tricky concept to grasp, so your visual learners will find this resource especially useful. Ideal to place on your maths "working wall". </div>
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<a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-0aRWyC5lRzQ/WpTJaJReUUI/AAAAAAAA0n4/kp9yyt4PuNwiJGAzBQ-aSC7babHl14hgACEwYBhgL/s1600/Screen%2BShot%2B2018-02-27%2Bat%2B1.28.13%2Bpm.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="560" data-original-width="392" height="640" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-0aRWyC5lRzQ/WpTJaJReUUI/AAAAAAAA0n4/kp9yyt4PuNwiJGAzBQ-aSC7babHl14hgACEwYBhgL/s640/Screen%2BShot%2B2018-02-27%2Bat%2B1.28.13%2Bpm.png" width="448" /></a></div>
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Desk Mat</h4>
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For children to be able to refer to their hundreds chart at a glance, it's a great idea to include it on their desk mats. Teach Starter has created <a href="https://www.teachstarter.com/teaching-resource/literacy-numeracy-visual-aid-mat-low-colour/" target="_blank">this one</a> with heaps of other useful information that your students will be constantly referring to throughout the day.<br />
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<a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-hl8S5lNe5nY/WpTJaD5KO3I/AAAAAAAA0n8/ePfdC-XfXj46NlJWM8NeDSGkLaAeG0qOACLcBGAs/s1600/Screen%2BShot%2B2018-02-27%2Bat%2B1.14.02%2Bpm.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="592" data-original-width="838" height="452" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-hl8S5lNe5nY/WpTJaD5KO3I/AAAAAAAA0n8/ePfdC-XfXj46NlJWM8NeDSGkLaAeG0qOACLcBGAs/s640/Screen%2BShot%2B2018-02-27%2Bat%2B1.14.02%2Bpm.png" width="640" /></a></div>
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Make your own!</h4>
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One final idea I found by <a href="https://www.instagram.com/cintaandco/">Cinta and Co</a> on Instagram is to create your own hundreds chart using popsticks for each columns or row. Such a brilliant idea with lots of possibilities. Great for Year 1, 2 or 3 I'd say. </div>
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<a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-XHEQQurqdTs/Wq4JIOR10uI/AAAAAAAA1a8/tXaXEeFT80Q0OqZlO9r3xmdpsPQDdnGggCLcBGAs/s1600/Screen%2BShot%2B2018-03-18%2Bat%2B5.06.38%2Bpm.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="596" data-original-width="595" height="400" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-XHEQQurqdTs/Wq4JIOR10uI/AAAAAAAA1a8/tXaXEeFT80Q0OqZlO9r3xmdpsPQDdnGggCLcBGAs/s400/Screen%2BShot%2B2018-03-18%2Bat%2B5.06.38%2Bpm.png" width="398" /></a></div>
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Further Reading...</h4>
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I read this really interesting article by <a href="https://thestemlaboratory.com/15-brilliant-ways-use-hundred-chart/" target="_blank">The STEM Laboratory</a> about why we should teach young children beyond 100 (it's also where I found some of the ideas I've shared today!). I had never really thought of it this way, but when you think about it, lots of children think that 1001, 200 or 110 are the numbers that comes after 100. Or some may think that 100 is where numbers stop. </div>
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Have you got any ideas to add? How do you your hundreds charts?<br />
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LaurenTeacher Typeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01410200045408171918noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7087290452033416122.post-23498351969891962732018-03-01T20:12:00.000+10:302018-03-01T20:12:35.654+10:30LATEST Book Release from Zanni Louise!<i>*1st March launch</i><br />
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You may have heard of the Australian author Zanni Louise as I've reviewed two of her books before; <a href="http://www.teachertypes.com/2017/04/archie-and-bear-book-review.html" target="_blank">Archie and the Bear</a> and <a href="http://www.teachertypes.com/2015/08/too-busy-sleeping-book-review.html" target="_blank">Too Busy Sleeping </a>(which is still a favourite of Miss M's - she's actually bringing it in to school for show and tell as her favourite book). Well, today on her launch day, I'd like to introduce you to a new super fun and quirky character who has just started school.<br />
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Everyone, meet Tiggy.<br />
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<a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-31FEPB62jIc/WpS-y8eZokI/AAAAAAAA0ng/ty1lhoJbajIUuf0NwT_HaXg_JU3fs19fACLcBGAs/s1600/Tiggy-detail-550x498.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="498" data-original-width="550" height="361" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-31FEPB62jIc/WpS-y8eZokI/AAAAAAAA0ng/ty1lhoJbajIUuf0NwT_HaXg_JU3fs19fACLcBGAs/s400/Tiggy-detail-550x498.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-gnRs8oVaINI/WpS-y5pxoMI/AAAAAAAA0nk/hZWl-1r6kykMcQo5JybUF-ptppKPzZABgCLcBGAs/s1600/Tiggy-detail-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="914" data-original-width="914" height="400" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-gnRs8oVaINI/WpS-y5pxoMI/AAAAAAAA0nk/hZWl-1r6kykMcQo5JybUF-ptppKPzZABgCLcBGAs/s400/Tiggy-detail-1.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<i>"Tiggy's special magic paintbrush can help her solve any problem... except sometimes her magic paintbrush creates brand new problems for Tiggy and her imagination to fix!"</i><br />
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<i>Kindly gifted for the purpose of this review. </i></div>
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So far there are two titles to kick off the "Tiggy" series (and they are so great I really hope there will be more to come!). I can see the kids at school becoming hooked on them!</div>
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Let's begin with <i>A School Day Smile which </i>takes the reader through Tiggy's first day of school (being so relevant and relatable for Miss M as she started 4 weeks ago!). Tiggy is feeling a little bit nervous, so she decides to take her magic paintbrush out of its hiding place (her sock lol) and paints a smile on her face - but this means she can't talk! Oh no! Her smile is stuck on and she cannot open her mouth. She needs to use her magic paintbrush to make it right. Of course as you'd imagine, she ends up having a really positive first day of school as she finds her confidence and makes friends. </div>
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My favourite line in this book: <i>"Tiggy things Miss Green should be called Miss Red because of her hair". </i>Zanni has such a way of writing to give us an insight to how young children think quite literally about the world. </div>
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The second book, <i>A Pet Called Nibbles</i> takes place on "Bring your pet to school day", which gives us the really unique perspective for a child who doesn't have a pet of their own. Tiggy begins to feel a little worried and maybe even embarrassed, but decides to use her magic paint brush (once again hidden in her sock) to create a special and exciting pet of her own. A dragon! The dragon she has painted causes a bit of trouble along the way, and Tiggy needs to use her magic paint brush again to solve the problems. As the reader is on this journey with Tiggy, we are immersed in her world with her special new pet. <i>We</i> can see it! But it appears that no one else in her class can, so we are left wondering if it is really real? Or is it just Tiggy's imagination? The reader can make up their own mind!<br />
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My favourite line in this book: "<i>Tiggy doesn't know whether the dragon likes photos. But she's sure Miss Green won't want a dragon in the classroom". </i><br />
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Spot on Tiggy. A teacher would not want a dragon in their classroom ;)<br />
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These books are the perfect step from traditional picture book, to a junior novel. The would be ideal for a confident reader (6-7 years old) to read independently, and they aren't too long to read aloud. One of my favourite things about the books, is the illustrations by Gillian Flint. I absolutely love how the pictures begin in black and white and once Tiggy uses her magic paintbrush - we start to see some colour. This helps the children to identify what is real and what is magic!<br />
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I read both of the books to Miss M this week, cuddled up on the couch after school and she absolutely loved them. I'm looking forward to seeing her read them independently when she advances with her reading.<br />
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<a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-s-P6KXIE-20/WoZHvl8mUqI/AAAAAAAAz0w/cqcR1vpmxKwe9yp3Y774alfGGbh-fvupACLcBGAs/s1600/tiggy-and-the-magic-paintbrush.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="326" data-original-width="514" height="404" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-s-P6KXIE-20/WoZHvl8mUqI/AAAAAAAAz0w/cqcR1vpmxKwe9yp3Y774alfGGbh-fvupACLcBGAs/s640/tiggy-and-the-magic-paintbrush.png" width="640" /></a></div>
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Zanni Louise you've done it again!<br />
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Read more about the author, illustrator and Tiggy books <a href="http://zannilouise.com/tiggy-and-the-magic-paintbrush/" target="_blank">here</a>!<br />
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Lauren xxTeacher Typeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01410200045408171918noreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7087290452033416122.post-27457872849186489412018-02-27T12:38:00.003+10:302018-02-27T12:38:52.337+10:30It's never just a cardboard boxI am constantly amazed at the creativity of young children to see the possibilities in ordinary things. Various recyclable materials and other bits of "junk" can be magically transformed into imaginative worlds and crazy new characters.<br />
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A while ago, Miss M's school books arrived in a cardboard box, measuring about 60cm x 40 cm x 5 cm high (plus an identical lid), and I thought to myself, I can't just put it in the recycling bin, surely we can make something out of them! They were the perfect size for creating a small world, so that's exactly what we did.<br />
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<a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-R3bmF1V58b0/WoZLCC3rrVI/AAAAAAAAz2A/-CJIt6tOuZY7q0m1iSLl8v4Szpaz-mMcACLcBGAs/s1600/IMG_9430.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="640" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-R3bmF1V58b0/WoZLCC3rrVI/AAAAAAAAz2A/-CJIt6tOuZY7q0m1iSLl8v4Szpaz-mMcACLcBGAs/s640/IMG_9430.jpg" width="480" /></a></div>
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The Plan</h4>
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First up, we needed a plan. This is a crucial step in the design and technology process. What was going to be our theme for each box? What kind of small world did Miss M want to create? Her first idea was a doll's house for her dollies. So she mapped out a floor plan with each separate room of the house - bathroom, bedroom, play room, kitchen etc... (this was great for teaching her about the concept of a "bird's eye view"). Next we chose some pastel colours to paint each room (colour mixing is always fun!). When it was dry, I outlined the sections with a black permanent texta to make them show up a bit more. Finally it was time to add decorations and furniture ready for the dolls.<br />
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The plan for the second box was to be a "jungle" small world. Again she planned out each section of the box including a pond, a desert, mud and trees/grass, painted them, and added details. We glued pebbles around the edge of the pond and added salt and glitter to the blue water. The "sand" turned out so beautifully as a mixture of real sand and yellow/orange glitter. I bought some fake greenery to stick to the edges of the forest as well as chocolate brown play dough for the mud. I could have also used some fake grass, but we didn't really need it. </div>
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The Play Experience</h4>
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Again I was amazed at the creativity and story telling that came about when Miss M began to play with her finished small world. She decided to hide the "treasure" (just a few green gems and pom poms) inside the play dough jar, and used the pop sticks to create arrow shapes for the animals to follow and find the treasure. Once the animals all made it to their destination, she divided up the treasure equally, but discovered there was one left over so she said "there is one piece for you to share". Did I hear you say "MATHS!"!! Learning through play at it's best people. This activity was art, design, technology, maths and geography all rolled into one experience. </div>
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Little Man often plays with the jungle small world as well! But he has turned it into "Dinosaur Land" (as dinosaurs are his current obsession). He likes to make the "roar" noises and put them in and out of the box over and over.<br />
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Both of these boxes can easily be updated and changed with the simple addition of other materials and resources. The dolls house could become a hospital, a vet or a supermarket. The jungle could become a playground or a fairy land! I am so excited by all of the possibilities.<br />
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So next time you have a cardboard box, milk bottle, cardboard tube from the end of the glad wrap roll - don't recycle it. Keep it and see what your child comes up with!</div>
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Lauren x</div>
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Teacher Typeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01410200045408171918noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7087290452033416122.post-17404857376672446322018-02-26T13:36:00.001+10:302018-02-27T11:20:15.607+10:30What Type of Learner is Your Child?<i>We know that all children learn differently, but did you know that there are four (possibly even more) distinct different learning styles? In today's guest post we discuss the four main types of learners to help you identify which category your child falls into. Once you figure that part out, then you can aim to specifically teach them or guide them with their learning in the way they learn best,</i><i> thereby giving them the best possibly outcome. </i><br />
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How to Find Your Child’s Learning Style</h4>
When it comes to helping your child with their learning at home, it can be difficult to find the right way to teach according to the types of learning. There are different learning styles and many parents don’t know what style their child prefers. It’s important to be aware of your child’s learning style to maximize your time and efficiency of teaching at home.<br />
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The Four Types of Learners</h4>
The four learning styles were developed by Neil Fleming, a New Zealand teacher and researcher. Fleming created a popular theory, <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1877042810020926" rel="" target="_blank">the VARK model</a>, which focused on how students preferred to learn in order to make learning more effective. The four types of learning are Visual, Auditory, Reading and Writing, and Kinaesthetic.<br />
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Visual Learners</h4>
Visual learners do best when seeing the information mapped out. A visual learner does well with charts and diagrams. If your child is often doodling or drawing charts while he studies and plays, he’s probably a visual learner. When tested, a visual learner will recall images that they’ve use to remember information.<br />
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<li>Resources to help your visual learner: Keep a whiteboard in your home or classroom so that you can create mind-maps and draw graphs. You can find plenty of <a href="https://www.havefunteaching.com/" rel="" target="_blank">free printable charts and diagrams online</a>. To help your child study, create flashcards to review the information taught that week.</li>
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Auditory Learners</h4>
Auditory learners like to speak out loud about the concepts they’re learning or hear their lessons. Your child is likely an auditory learner if you hear them talking to themselves, reading out loud, or repeating phrases they’ve heard.<br />
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<li>Resources to help your auditory learner: Have your child read a lesson out loud or create rhymes about the concepts they’ve learned. You can also utilize an <a href="https://www.weareteachers.com/best-podcasts-for-kids/" rel="" target="_blank">educational podcast</a> so they can listen and learn more about what you’ve taught them.</li>
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Reading and Writing Learners</h4>
Reading and writing learners learn best when they (you guessed it) read and write. If your child writes out lists and is a bookworm, you’ve got a reading and writing learner on your hands.<br />
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<li>Resources to help your reading and writing learner: Find a book that goes along with your lesson to give to your child to help them learn further. At the end of each day, have your child write out what they’ve learned in their notebook, and they can study by rewriting those notes later.</li>
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Kinaesthetic Learners</h4>
Kinesthetic learners are hands-on learners; they retain information best when they can use their hands to learn.<br />
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<li>Resources to help your kinesthetic learner: You can easily substitute a lesson by watching an <a href="https://offers.pureflix.com/christian-homeschool-curriculum-movies" rel="" target="_blank">educational homeschool movie</a> so your child can learn about a subject by seeing the concepts illustrated through video. Or try incorporating learning blocks or a hands-on experiment into your day.</li>
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<i>We could delve so much deeper into this topic by examining how and where the child learns best. Do they prefer to be out doors, do they prefer to work on the floor rather than at a desk, do they need to take their time in order to complete a task, or do they need to be challenged? Do they respond a certain way to sensory input? Do they like to work alone? Do they like to collaborate with others?</i><br />
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<i>I think I'd be placing Miss M between the reading/writing and visual categories. She always has a pencil in her hand, loves colouring and drawing, and enjoys practising writing letters and words - but prefers to copy them (or sometimes I'll tell her the letters and she'll write them down). But then again we are in the very early stages of her school so I'm sure more about her learning style will evolve as time goes on. </i></div>
Teacher Typeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01410200045408171918noreply@blogger.com15tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7087290452033416122.post-91065389826413692532018-02-16T14:23:00.002+10:302018-02-16T14:23:22.500+10:30Our latest craft contributions for Inspire Book BoxDid you know that I'm one of the regular contributors to <i>Inspire Book Box</i>? Every second month I'll come up with an art and craft activity that ties in with the theme and key text from that month's book box. I really love how children's reading and literacy is being extended into the arts (and cooking too!) through these comprehensive packs. Here's my <a href="http://www.teachertypes.com/2017/08/be-inspired-by-inspire-book-box.html" target="_blank">previous post</a> with my very first activity contribution + review.<br />
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<i>Inspire Book Box is </i>so much more than a book delivery. It's almost like a mini unit of work carefully curated and themed to match the picture book perfectly, and that's why I'm so proud to be part of the team. It really warms my heart to see other children all over the country enjoying my activities after their Inspire Book Boxes have arrived in the post!<br />
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<a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-A_XbmsrVLVw/WlGRmfUT6nI/AAAAAAAAu10/OnDrJhnsyusrG6JGtGvFBFCNm2OQZFu8QCLcBGAs/s1600/IBB%2BMagic%2BTree%2B02.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1600" height="400" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-A_XbmsrVLVw/WlGRmfUT6nI/AAAAAAAAu10/OnDrJhnsyusrG6JGtGvFBFCNm2OQZFu8QCLcBGAs/s400/IBB%2BMagic%2BTree%2B02.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<a name='more'></a>So this is what we've been doing over the past few months...<br />
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The Magic Fingerprint Tree Art</h4>
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A brief synopsis of the story <i>The Lonely Giant...</i><br />
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<i>In the middle of a vast forest lives a giant who spends his days hurling and heaving, smashing and bashing. Over time, the animals flee as their homes vanish, the birdsong dwindles away to silence, and, finally, the forest itself disappears. Now the lonely giant misses the crackling warmth of a fire and the sweet songs of the yellow bird —-- but will he realise it’s up to him to restore what he loves?</i></div>
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I adored doing this activity! We coloured in the tree and branches, and then use finger prints to decorate the leaves with paint. The glitter added just a touch of magic to stick with the theme. </div>
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I love these examples of art work from <a href="https://www.instagram.com/learningatheart/" target="_blank">Learning at Heart</a> and <a href="https://www.instagram.com/mumma.life/" target="_blank">Mumma.Life.</a></div>
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Family Portrait Popstick House</h4>
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<i>At My Family Table</i> is a beautiful story about the uniqueness of family, and how your family can be whoever you choose it to be. So we made the activity a family portrait inside a popstick house frame. It was a great guided drawing activity where children could carefully draw each family member.</div>
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Step 1, glue the popsticks in place to create the house frame. Next draw the family portrait and cut to size, glue it in place and finally - decorate! Remember, everything you need to create the craft is included in the box. No small detail is overlooked!</div>
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What a gorgeous example from <a href="https://www.instagram.com/mistyandbabies/" target="_blank">Misty and Babies</a>...<br />
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<a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-RRmmZofUYB0/WoZU0zFMkqI/AAAAAAAAz3Q/6owrRqyy6tgpQIiSU3XukEQxo_GfZHPFQCLcBGAs/s1600/LRM_EXPORT_20180216_140433.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="266" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-RRmmZofUYB0/WoZU0zFMkqI/AAAAAAAAz3Q/6owrRqyy6tgpQIiSU3XukEQxo_GfZHPFQCLcBGAs/s400/LRM_EXPORT_20180216_140433.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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Sky Painting + Bird Peg</h4>
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My latest art and craft activity for the January "Bigger Hands" box was inspired by the book <i>Meeka.</i> Meeka is a sweet little bird who hangs around the local farmers market, nibbling on extra food and crumbs whilst making friends with the locals, until he finds himself in a sticky situation!</div>
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I decided to make this activity a bit of a two-in-one. Children were invited to paint white clouds in their skies using a feather, whilst gluing the other two feathers onto pegs to create little birdies. Green grass and stickers of things that "fly" were added to decorate the sky picture. When completed, the bird pegs could be used to hang up the picture!</div>
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Thanks to <a href="https://www.instagram.com/ellazaye_n_havanah/" target="_blank">Ellazaye_n_Havanah</a> for tagging me on Instagram so I could see your fantastic art experience!</div>
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<a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/--vPb0LuTcF8/WoZFvpzfmdI/AAAAAAAAz0I/RpPM-zca8bgVD--X2YiS5lUyj7-hD1cFwCLcBGAs/s1600/IMG_0298.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="750" data-original-width="750" height="320" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/--vPb0LuTcF8/WoZFvpzfmdI/AAAAAAAAz0I/RpPM-zca8bgVD--X2YiS5lUyj7-hD1cFwCLcBGAs/s320/IMG_0298.JPG" width="320" /></a><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-7IqqEhypmf0/WoZFvpG6oDI/AAAAAAAAz0M/wzLV8AMggIwQNrqk0dW5rNzgVYFjkQu_wCLcBGAs/s1600/IMG_0244.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="722" data-original-width="750" height="307" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-7IqqEhypmf0/WoZFvpG6oDI/AAAAAAAAz0M/wzLV8AMggIwQNrqk0dW5rNzgVYFjkQu_wCLcBGAs/s320/IMG_0244.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<i>So if you're interested in signing up to Inspire Book Box, keep in mind you can go with a "Little Hands" box suitable for 0-2 year olds, a "Bigger Hands" box suitable for 3-6 year olds, or a "Many Hands" box which can either be tailored to two children of different ages, or more than one child of the same age (ie there will be enough craft materials for both of them to create something). </i></div>
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<i>Visit the <a href="https://inspirebookbox.com.au/" target="_blank">website</a> for more details!</i></div>
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<i>(Not sponsored, just love). </i></div>
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<i>Lauren</i></div>
Teacher Typeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01410200045408171918noreply@blogger.com28tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7087290452033416122.post-52587178492695461722018-02-13T12:08:00.002+10:302018-02-13T12:08:47.347+10:30"I Want to be an Artist" {My Creative Child Review}You might remember when I took Miss M to an art class at <a href="http://www.teachertypes.com/2017/03/easter-art-for-kids-little-picassos-art.html" target="_blank">Little Picassos last year</a>. These beautiful art experiences for young children are held at Glenelg and Hyde Park studios (both of which are not near me!). So I was thrilled when I found out they are offering subscription art kits from their new side business called <a href="https://www.mycreativechild.com.au/" target="_blank">My Creative Child</a>, because it means Miss M and I can create beautiful art together at home.<br />
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<i>The February Art Pack was kindly gifted for the purpose of this review. </i><br />
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Everything you need to create the art is included, already cut to size or pre-prepared, and the materials are of a beautiful quality (Miss M got her first set of oil pastels which she's so excited about, now that she's a school girl).<br />
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There are 5 activities included in the pack, all carefully planned out and tied in with a particular theme for that month. I noticed a similarity between the activities and the art classes themselves; let me explain more..<br />
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Activity 1: Warming up</h4>
For the first quick activity, the children have to create different lines, patterns and love heart shapes with a lead pencil on the paper. Tracing at first and then having a go on their own. I remember the art teacher saying to me at the Little Picassos class, that children need to be given a bit of guidance and back ground knowledge to help them create their art pieces later on. You'll see where this ties in...<br />
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Activity 2: Valentine's Day Heart Art</h4>
Being the February kit, one of the activities was themed around Valentines Day. This activity involved gluing, drawing and water colour painting, and what a stunning result! I absolutely love it!<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Glue, draw, paint, finished!</td></tr>
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Activity 3: Fun fishy art</h4>
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Sticking with the oil pastels and water colours, we were invited to create a gorgeous colourful fish (which Miss M quickly decided would be the Rainbow Fish) when she began doing do her squiggly lines and fishy scales in the rainbow order. This activity reminded us of our warm up task where the child is asked to practise different types of lines and patterns. After she painted it with the upmost care (and when it was dry) we decorated it with different textured collage materials. I was really impressed when Miss M decided she wanted a zig zag line, but needed to measure and cut the strip of paper to the right size.<br />
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Activity 4: Beach Huts</h4>
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Miss M was really keen to do this one because she wanted to paint and craft on the canvas (like a real artist). We used painters tape to create the three sections of sand, sea and sky and I really loved how the paint came unmixed in little tubs for the children to mix themselves! Once dry, used collage materials to create the beach huts. She decided to have three, one for her, one for her brother and one for us. She thought carefully about the colours and patterns that each of us would like and what colours would match and go together.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A work in progress</td></tr>
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Activity 5: Nature Mobile</h4>
I really liked how this activity was quite different from the others to add even more variety to the whole package. The children are guided to thread the variety of natural materials through the string. We have hung our finished mobile up in the cubby outside :)<br />
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So we did the activities from this kit over two weekends (I didn't want to rush her and do it on a school night). We have both really loved it and I'm seriously planning to sign her up for a subscription for her 5th birthday! There are a few options that you can choose from with My Creative Child which I'll outline below.<br />
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<li>Firstly you may wish to simply order a kit of art supplies.</li>
<li>A <i>monthly art pack</i> like we got to sample can be ordered singly, or as a 3, 6 or 12 month subscription. </li>
<li>The <i>Art Lesson</i> is a box is ordered as a one off, and this allows you to pick your theme e.g. rainbows, ladybugs or space!</li>
<li>Finally you can also order birthday party packs! What a fantastic idea for an art loving child and their special friends. </li>
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Thanks so much to the lovely team at Little Picassos and My Creative Child for ignighting a love of visual art in our little people. </div>
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Lauren :)</div>
Teacher Typeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01410200045408171918noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7087290452033416122.post-43025486050467830942018-02-06T12:29:00.001+10:302018-02-06T12:29:56.060+10:30"Nothing Without Joy" - Reggio Emilia ExplainedIf you've been following me on <a href="https://www.instagram.com/teacher_types/" target="_blank">Instagram</a> (first of all - <i>thank you!</i>), you would have heard me talking about the Reggio Emilia approach and how we are incorporating this teaching philosophy into our Early Years classrooms this year. I am so excited about this path we are heading down, and I really want to share more about it with you all!<br />
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Back in 2016, I had three lovely guests join me here on the blog, to explain the Montessori, Reggio Emilia and Waldorf educational practices, and it turned out to be my second most viewed post EVER! (<a href="http://www.teachertypes.com/2016/08/montessori-reggio-waldorf-let-us-explain.html" target="_blank">Here it is again incase you hadn't seen it</a> - but after you'd read it please come back!).<br />
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So there are three key principals to Reggio Emilia which I will outline below.<br />
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<br class="Apple-interchange-newline" />Nothing Without Joy</h4>
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To me, this statement means that every single activity, lesson or experience you plan for your children should bring them "joy". It should be inviting, exciting, interesting and thought provoking. It should encourage creativity, critical thinking, collaboration.</div>
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If learning is child led and based on their interests, they are far more likely to be engaged in what they are doing. It's the teacher's job to facilitate their learning, and go on their journey <i>with </i>them, building and scaffolding on what they already know, and stretching them further. Plus, the children may have a whole different end result to what you initially planned or imagined - but that's ok! Embrace it!</div>
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In a Reggio Emilia space, children's work is presented with great care, almost like an art gallery. Self identity panels are an important addition to the space, as children will develop a sense of belonging and ownership of their classroom.<br />
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The Environment as the Third Teacher</h4>
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In the Reggio Emilia philosophy, there are believed to be three teachers. The teacher, the child and the environment, which is how the idea of "the environment as the third teacher" came about. It should be set up to encourage independent and collaborative learning, inquiry, hands on activities, sensory experience, discovery, learning through play and so much more!</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The beginnings of our "discovery table"</td></tr>
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Here's just a few key dot points as to what makes a Reggio inspired learning environment<br />
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<li>Lots of natural light; think light bright and airy. </li>
<li>Try to keen the space uncluttered and minimal. You'll find that the children create less mess when there is less stuff, and they'll use the materials more purposefully with less to choose from. </li>
<li>Avoid bright colours and stick with natural tones. Wood, cane, hessian, white and greenery is a good colour pallet to begin with.</li>
<li>Include items from nature like sticks and stones, cane baskets, wood and things you might find at an op shop (here's just a few of the items I've been gathering lately - how awesome are those leaf platters for sorting?)</li>
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<li>Add some living things to the space, whether it be a pot plant or a class pet. </li>
<li>Make the classroom feel homey, with rugs, cushions, soft furnishings, lamps, curtains, couches etc.</li>
<li>Photography is a great way to capture, record and document the student's learning journey. </li>
<li>Set up invitations and provocations for the children to do (we like to do this first thing in the morning as they arrive before we begin our "formal" lessons). These activities could involve loose parts, sorting, patterns, transient art, sensory play...anything really! But above all it should look <i>inviting</i> to the child, and should require no explanation. Here's a couple of examples from our classroom...</li>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sort the pebbles into big and small, count how many and make a pattern.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Place the correct number of gems on to each number</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Loose parts for sorting, patterning or transient art. </td></tr>
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<h4>
The 100 Languages of Children</h4>
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Every teacher knows that children learn differently, and that there is no "one size fits all" approach. Reggio Emilia not only acknowledges this, but celebrates it! And this is what is meant by "the 100 languages of children". In short there could be 100 different possibly ways to complete the same task or master the same skills. As teachers it's our job to get to know our students, figure out how best they learn, and cater for their needs. Are they a visual learner? A kinesthetic learner? A read and write learner? An auditory learner? Opened ended activities are the perfect way to ensure that all your student's needs are being met.<br />
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<h4>
Further Reading</h4>
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There are some other fantastic articles I've come across if you'd like to read more about this approach to educating our youngest learners. Reggio Emilia has been around for decades (it was originally developed in Italy), however it is becoming more popular across schools and early learning centres these days, as teachers are embracing it with open arms, and are seeing the benefits!<br />
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<a href="https://www.teachstarter.com/blog/reggio-emilia-approach-classroom/" target="_blank">Teach Starter</a> explains some simple ways for you to incorporate this approach into a typical everyday classroom (because of course you can pick and choose the elements which suit you, and come up with a blended approach. There is no rule that you must dive in head first and completely reinvent the way you teach).<br />
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Kate is a homeschooler from <a href="http://www.aneverydaystory.com/beginners-guide-to-reggio-emilia/main-principles/" target="_blank">An Everyday Story</a> and she explains the main principles of Reggio Emilia in a bit more detail than what I have here.<br />
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This video sums it up really really well (and it's so sweet). Worth a watch if you have time!<br />
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And of course some of my favourite Instagram friends have some amazing ideas over on their pages;<br />
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<li>Suze at <a href="https://www.instagram.com/invitationtoplay/" target="_blank">Invitation to Play</a> was probably the one person who started me on this journey (so thank you Suze!). She knows all things Reggio, and has even developed her own hashtag #invitationtoopshop and shows us how we can use thrifted items to create gorgeous Reggio inspired learning spaces at home! She also has some fantastic products in her <a href="http://www.invitationtoplayaus.com/" target="_blank">shop</a>!</li>
<li>Casey at Little Lifelong Learners is so talented at setting up play spaces in her home and is the expert in toy rotation. She also has some fantastic Junior Primary <a href="https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Store/Little-Lifelong-Learners" target="_blank">printables</a> available - which all relate to the Australian curriculum.</li>
<li><a href="https://www.instagram.com/littlepinelearners/" target="_blank">Little Pine Learners</a> is one that I only came across recently, but I love everything Tara posts! She has fantastic resources you can use in the classroom for provocations in her <a href="https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Store/Little-Pine-Learners" target="_blank">TpT store</a>. </li>
<li><a href="https://www.instagram.com/naturallycuriouschildren/" target="_blank">Naturally Curious Children</a> has some fantastic ideas to use natural materials in your teaching and learning. </li>
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Throughout the term I'll be sharing heaps more on Instagram, in particular, the way we set up our morning provocations. So stay tuned for that!<br />
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Lauren x</div>
Teacher Typeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01410200045408171918noreply@blogger.com2