Tornato in a bottle! (another extention on our weather unit)

This is one to add to the science area. I'd prefer to use two clear bottles but this is what I had to work with. I filled them 3/4s way with water and then added blue food color and some glitter. I'd recommend an actual drill to make your whole and lots of super glue! I used a pocket knife to make a 1/2' whole. A drill would have been SOO much nicer.. Tornato in a bottle tutoral..

Time-out does it work?

Heres a free webinar about time-outs and how unhealthy they are. Recently T has started coming home telling me they put him in the corner at school. Nothing boils my blood more... unless they were using a ruler or something. It just seems like torture to me. I should send a link to the school principle asking him to change his discipline tactics, seriously!
If your interested in what early childhood professionals are saying heres the link.
http://www.earlychildhoodwebinars.org/presentations/time-out-for-exclusionary-tactics-in-ece-settings-leading-with-heads-and-hearts/ 

Let me know your thoughts on time-outs and other forms of discipline.

SLIME!

We made slime for the boys birthday party! They are having a ghost busters themed birthday party so we decided that slime would be a wonderful thing to give to the kids coming to it. Plus I get to take the left overs to the classroom! Heres a great recipe to make it at home with your kiddos or in your classroom.. for a more slimy version we used clear gel Elmer's glue instead of white glue. Have fun!

My Little Gems: Making GLURCH (Creative Play for Kids)

A great rewards system!

Looking for a great rewards system? Try this! We use a clear jar and fill it up with beans. Every time your child or children meet a goal let them scoop a tablespoon of beans (rice, marbles, rock marbles) into the jar. Once the jar is full then reward them with something fun! At home my boys get a scoop for doing chores, having a good day at school etc. In the classroom we use the jar for classroom participation, helping clean etc. At home my boys got to choose their reward (T chose a DSi game and E chose to get a 4 year old version of a DSi) In the classroom when our jar is filled we get an icecream party!   (Its a great math project too!) Make sure to use a clear jar so they can track their progress.