Category Archives: preschool

Gloria’s Necklace, Part 2

Yesterday’s tragedy of breaking Gloria’s beloved necklace, the one Milly gave her years ago, was a lesson in a whole lot of things – from how do you fix a problem, to doing the right thing, and caring for others.  … Continue reading

Posted in behavior, Diversity, Expressing words and feelings, Giving, Gloria, Inspiration, preschool, Teaching young children | Tagged , , , , , , , | 72 Comments

Gloria’s Necklace, Part 1

Today was not a good day.  Everything broke.  It started with the key to our favorite game, Cranium Cariboo.  We call it “The Ball Game”.  It is THE game, and of course it’s no longer made.  The purple key to … Continue reading

Posted in art, Giving, Gloria, Inspiration, joy, preschool, Teaching young children, The Arts | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 64 Comments

Roots

My artist friend at Mountain Roots Studio in Asheville, North Carolina, makes trees out of twisted wire.  Her trees have deep, pronounced roots.  I’ve always liked that.  Roots.  That’s where it all begins.  Without roots we have nothing. I liken … Continue reading

Posted in art, behavior, Expressing words and feelings, Giving, Inspiration, preschool, self esteem, Teaching young children, The Arts, wonder | Tagged , , , , , | 67 Comments

Best Buddy

Here is a photo of me and my Best Buddy, fifteen years ago. Yes, Best Buddy.  That’s what we called each other. As the years went on, we saw each other occasionally, and we always called each other Best Buddy. … Continue reading

Posted in Expressing words and feelings, Giving thanks, Inspiration, joy, music, preschool, Singing, Student alumni | Tagged , , , , , | 58 Comments

Early Morning Dad

Bright and early, Dad and his son arrive at school to play in my classroom before classes begin. No morning rush. Putting a puzzle together for a short while is far more important. I long to go back in time … Continue reading

Posted in behavior, Early Education, Expressing words and feelings, Gloria, Inspiration, joy, Kindness, Love, preschool, Teaching young children | Tagged , , , , , , , | 74 Comments

The Sticky Bun Lady

Christmas Eve every year for the past thirty years the sticky bun lady delivers her special Christmas treat. Her children were my preschoolers thirty-something years ago. She made her famous sticky buns with the class and the rest is history… … Continue reading

Posted in Expressing words and feelings, Giving, Giving thanks, Kindness, Love, preschool, Student alumni, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , | 43 Comments

The Real Meaning of Christmas

Our astronaut / veteran / Navy Captain / pen-pal has been ill and hospitalized.  I had to tell the children.  Life can throw you a bunch of curves, and learning how handle adversity is a life lesson.  That’s why I … Continue reading

Posted in Early Education, Expressing words and feelings, Giving, Inspiration, Kindness, military, preschool, Teaching young children | Tagged , , , , , | 81 Comments

TV and Reading

Many years ago, Finland purchased old American TV shows.  One was “McHale’s Navy”. The problem was, they didn’t have the money to change the language from English into Finnish on the show.  Instead,  they put in subtitles.  The printed word … Continue reading

Posted in America, Early Education, preschool, reading | Tagged , , , , , , | 62 Comments

Joy, at the End of the Day

It’s Friday at 5:00 PM.  We’ve had a full day (and week) at school.  In the last hour we painted a gigantic box that will become a lunar module next week and fly to the moon. Yesterday was the Cold … Continue reading

Posted in behavior, Early Education, Expressing words and feelings, joy, preschool, Teaching young children | Tagged , , , , , , | 77 Comments

How The Grinch Stole Christmas

One of the most beloved children’s Christmas stories is How the Grinch Stole Christmas, by Dr. Seuss.  It has been a child favorite ever since it was written in 1957. I read the book aloud to my preschool class today.  When … Continue reading

Posted in Book Review, books, children's books, Early Education, Expressing words and feelings, Giving thanks, Inspiration, Kindness, picture books, preschool, reading aloud, reading aloud, Teaching young children | Tagged , , , , , | 71 Comments