FDK Learn and Play

This January I experienced a teaching first - I studied Lunar New Year (also called Chinese New Year) with my kindergarten class. Let me tell you, we all loved it and learned so much! I had a little one join our class this year, having moved here from China, as well as a few other students who are also of Asian descent, so I knew I wanted to try it this year. However, as it isn't something from my own culture, I needed to do some learning on my own first. From there, I created some resources that I wanted to use with my class, which you can find here if you are interested:  https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Kindergarten-Lunar-New-Year-Pack-5115304 . The storytelling area in my classroom is very popular, so I chose a book to model it after and then collected the materials needed.  The book "Ruby's Chinese New Year" is a really fun story, it talks about traditions of the Lunar New Year as well as explains the twelve animals of the Zodiac. I chos...

Do you incorporate sensory play into your programming? I understand why people don't - it can seem daunting to figure out what materials to use, and I know people worry about the mess. But I've been tinkering around with sensory play since 2012, and I'm going to share my tips on how to make it meaningful, engaging, and best of all - EASY!  First up - the container! When I first started in kindergarten I used the large sand/water table that was in the room, and I only filled it with (you guessed it!) sand or water. Now, I do still use the large table, but typically I have wheeled it outside or used it with larger scale activities. What I have found works for me now is a clear storage bin (I buy the 32 litre size) with a lid that latches. There are a few reasons I like to use these bins. First of all , they are large enough for the kids to really get in there and have a good time with the materials, but they are small enough that typically only 2 - 3 kids can play together...

If you have checked out my Instagram feed at all (@fdk_learnandplay), you'll see that I'm a huge fan of using sensory bins in the classroom. I find them to be so engaging for young learners, and a great entry point for all kids to join play. I also like to use them often for story retelling opportunities. I am planning to a post to really delve into my thoughts on sensory bins, as well as how I set them up in the classroom, but for now I thought I would highlight some Christmas bins that I have done. Tis the season, right? I absolutely love using my collection of gingerbread themed books in the classroom, but my favourite one for retelling in kindergarten is the classic "Gingerbread Man" story.  For this bin I used white rice as a base, and added in some cinnamon and real sprinkles to give it that "Christmas baking" feel. I added some authentic baking tools - a pan, rolling pin and gingerbread cookie cutter. Next, I added in elements from the story suc...