The kids are too quiet

I have a running list of ALL.THE.QUESTIONS. that Jacob asks, usually at 5am. The title is "My Ears Hurt." Can gorillas juggle? Do whales have big poop? Can monster trucks jump over the moon? Just cows? Is the Easter Bunny sleeping right now? ?Does poop go through your brain? (We're 4 so poop is life)   Does a jelly bean sink or float? Finally! A question I could answer! Even better though, we could find out the answer with an experiment! "Sink of Float" was calling us.  I love this activity because while it's a really simple set-up, they are deep in a science lesson without realizing it.  SUPPLIES: -Varies toys and objects. Let them pick some out and then throw in a few extras like foil, a plastic utensil, and a rock.  -Large bowl or bin filled with water. -Paper and a marker. DRAW a large container on the paper and a line for the water. Write "float" above the water line and "sink" at the bottom.  PREDICT- H...

It hit me today. I've been getting annoyed and frustrated when I hear "will you play with me?" all day long. Not "watch me play." Or "stay in the room with me." But actually get in my world and play with me. We've worked really hard on teaching independent play. It's important for all the developmental goodness happening inside them. Play is the work of a child. We're here to support them and help them problem solve but it's not the same as playing by themselves. And it's def initely not the same as playing with peers. I don't genuinely enjoy digging in dirt or pretending I'm a ninja. That's why I provide them will all kinds of outlets to play with other kids. I'm not 4! But guess what? He's probably tired of playing with me too. He misses his friends. And I miss them for him. I don't have the right ideas or make the right noises. I don't put the animals in the right spot or create th...

If you say you don't have a quarantine sized abundance of recycled boxes, food packages, and general trash around the house, you're lying. If you really don't, I'd like to hire you as a life coach when this is over. We seem to be going through a painfully large amount of packaged food right now. I hope the benefits of dolphins in the canals of Venice can offset all the trash we're creating. Animals everywhere are living their best lives. Have you seen the lions quaranteaming on the roads in South Africa that are typically filled with caravans of safari tourists? I wish I could blame quarantining on my trash alphabet but this would not be the first time I made one of these. It's kind of a staple in a pre-k classroom.  That said, all those boxes and packages are the perfect companion to the Recycled Alphabet. What's a Recycled Alphabet?  It's a large scale alphabet where children sort and categorize different logos, labels, symbols, signs, and word...