More Chicka Chicka!

Hi!  I've realized that I'm probably not going to have the time to blog every single day like I had hoped.  Sometimes we just have a lot of busy busy days in which I don't get much for free time.  It's the nature of the career.  A lot of the kiddos in my child care are sick with their first viruses and colds of the season.  I'm planning on taking extra vitamin C today.  

We had a new boy start yesterday.  When a new child starts, I like to take the child's first day and let the kiddos get to know him.  Yesterday we did choice play, outside play, and the usual stories and  music.  I find that this helps a new child feel more welcome and get a sense of that warm atmosphere that I strive to reach.  
I pushed my chicka chicka curriculum to today.  The kids have already done a chicka chicka coloring letter page, which I printed off www.makinglearningfun.com.  I love this website!  I use it a lot.  Go to the THEME section and find chicka chicka boom boom.  Make sure you have a laminator so you can save your games and printables for next year.  

The kids are listening to my assistant read chicka chicka boom boom and chicka chicka 123 right now and will be making a handprint chicka chicka tree.

Next I have a chicka chicka letter find.  I printed the letters in chicka chicka theme off makinglearningfun.com.  

After naptime (since it's COLD today! BRRRR!) we'll go outside.  

This is similar to the handprint chicka chicka tree we're creating today:

Chicka Chicka Boom Boom week!!!

Hi there!

For this week, I have chosen Chicka Chicka Boom Boom as the theme.  There are some great ideas out there on the internet on this theme.  The kids had a blast with this theme last year. 

Yes, today is Monday.  I'm behind a day this week in my curriculum due to a virus that had whipped through my daycare last week.  Priority on Friday was to clean clean clean and we got the kiddos to help us out. My long term goal is to plan for the following week on Friday during nap time.  Usually I'm pretty good at this unless we have crazy days like last Friday.  And over the weekend, I haven't been feeling well.  I find that if I play the curriculum for more than a few days prior to the week starting then the kids tend to lose interest.  I like to get the older preschoolers involved with helping me pick activities as well.  I do plan the curriculum themes as I make the calendar prior to the end of the previous month.

Today the kids took turns with the activity boxes that we have made up (blocks, pattern box, garden box, sensory box, etc), read stories, listened and danced to some music, and had some choice play.  We were unable to go outside today due to the rain.  After the kids wake up from their nap, we'll read Chicka Chicka Boom Boom and prep for tomorrows activities.  We use www.abcmouse.com in our child care (a big hit!) and I'll be working with 1 or 2 kiddos on that this afternoon, too.  

I was just looking for activities for this week.  Tomorrow we're going to shoot for a chicka chicka boom boom handprint tree, some letter writing for the older preschoolers, hopefully outdoor play, maybe a letter hunt (either indoors or outdoors), another round of www.abcmouse.com for the next two kiddos in line, etc.  The details for tomorrow will be in tomorrows post.  I'll also post pics of the kids work too.  

Onto planning!  Kids are napping!  :)  

Thanks for reading!  :)

Suggestions?  Comments?  Please leave them below.

Jenn

The first post, ideas, and plans for this blog... (INTRO)

Good day friends!

I wanted to create a blog to share my ideas on what I do in my family child care.  I have long term plans to turn this into a book, but for now, I think it's wonderful to keep the ideas fresh in the mind by blogging them!

I welcome any readers to comment, give feedback or suggestions, and share with your friends/co-workers.  

About me:

I run a family child care in my home.  I work from 7am until 5:30pm, Monday through Friday.  I have a full time assistant, Deanna who I may mention in some of my blogs.  I currently have children that range from 10 months to 4 years old but I've had infants as young as 2 months and school age children as old as 5 years old (Not including my own 8 year old daughter).  I've been running my daycare since July 2006 and I love every moment of it.  I get to work with children and also be available and home for my own child's upbringing.  This is very important to me.  When I was a child, my mother did not work.  I was never in a child care.  However, in modern day (man that makes me feel old!!!  I'm 35 LOL!), both parents are forced to work to make ends meet.  My goal for my child care is to provide a smooth, caring, loving, and warm as possible yet a fun, exciting, and educational environment for young children in my care.  

I do strive to further my education, trainings, climb the Massachusetts state Quality Rating system, and accreditation.  I do have my CDA (Child Development Association) accreditation and I'm working towards getting accredited in the NAFCC (National Association for Family Child Care).  I also have my Associates of Applied Science in Early Childhood Education and I'm working on my bachelors.  I belong to the Universal PreK grant program in Massachusetts.  I'm busy busy but I wouldn't have it any other way.  

Ok so I'm going to close this intro so I can go on to my activities with the kiddos.  I'm typing this during snack time.  

Thank you for reading!  XOXO and Please comment or leave feedback.  Also I am totally happy to answer any questions you may have.  

Jenn

www.thelittletrainfamilychildcare.com