Extra, Extra, Read All About It...

Over the past few years, I've gleaned a great deal of inspiration for my classrooms and play at home activities at Fantastic Fun and Learning. This website was created by a classroom kindergarten teacher turned stay at home mom to support educators and parents alike in playfully support early learning experiences. You can learn more about that here. Boy was I tickled (and somewhat star struck) to be asked to join the team of contributing editors! I'm so excited to announce my first article in a series all about loose parts play, "Everything You Need to Know About Loose Parts Play for Kids." This is a great "starter course" in setting up your environment at home or in the classroom to incorporate the use of loose parts. While you're there, check out some of the other great play and learning activities. We'll be back soon with a great Pesach themed science experiment. Until then...

Happy Playing!

Around the World: Kon'nichiwa From Japan!

 Kon'nichiwa from Japan! That's where our most recent Around the World adventure took us. My son loved seeing photos of Japanese school children in a non-fiction book we borrowed from our library all about Japan. This post, however, is about more than just our homeschool travel adventures... If you've been following along here for a while, you've probably read a lot about our learning activities and seen photos of an actively engaged and eager little student. Much of our time is like that, but not all of it! Teaching is a profession that requires one to play a number of roles and when we teach other people's children, we do a great deal of multitasking. Work is brought home and we spend a lot of time thinking, planning and troubleshooting both in and out of the classroom. When the home is your classroom and your student is your child, there are some additional roles we play. We don't stop being Mommy when we teach and our attachments and investments are as enormous as the love we feel for our children. All of the questioning, guilt, concern and pressure we put on ourselves daily as mothers and wives also becomes a part of our inner dialogue now as Teacher--and it doesn't end when the school bell rings! Add to that the fact that we NEVER leave the office--whichever office it is. When home is the classroom, there is teaching and learning to do, laundry and phone calls, dishes and cooking... One of the greatest accomplishments I've come to achieve in homeschooling this year is being able to quiet the unhelpful voice running through my head, and being able to relish the ability to adapt and change our plans as our family needs fluctuate.  Being able to give and receive support in groups of others in my position has been invaluable. Collaboration as a homeschool educator is not quite like it is in a school environment, but there is a great wealth of support and encouragement thanks to online groups and I am also truly blessed to have the greatest support and encouragement from my own family! So in today's post, you'll still see cute photos of my enthusiastic little pupil, but you'll also read about some of the less photogenic moments of our day and the parts that don't get caught on camera. I think that's quite important!
     My son has been VERY busy playing since we did a little remodeling/reorganizing in our play area and I've encouraged him to take his time with play activities rather than force school activities to happen in a particular time frame. We did fewer "formal" preschool activities toward the end of our week last week and more open playtime. I truly value that as one of the greatest benefits of our homeschool model. Life is full of opportunities to work--everyone needs a little more playtime! When he is particularly engrossed in an activity, I might work toward a transition by giving prompts, using a visual timer and singing familiar transition songs if we must move on to another activity or leave the house, etc. However, if we are not on a specific schedule and he is particularly engrossed in another activity, I might just set out materials to invite him to a school activity, let him know that it is available and then gauge his interest level from there. In times I have truly wanted a child (even my own) to engage with a material or activity and he/she is resistant or not interested, I've had greater success by sitting with the activity myself and saying nothing at all than with persistently encouraging the child to participate. So after going through our traditional Morning Circle mostly alone and then weathering the storm of tears that happened when my little student decided he did want to do Morning Circle after all, I held him on my lap and said "it really looks like you want to play with your toys and that's OK! It's so exciting to have our new drawers and your very own art center and there is enough time to do everything. We can spend some time playing and when you feel ready, we can do more school." And he was off to play as I set out some origami on our work table. Sure enough, he came over to the table after a few minutes, still mixing up a pretend cake from his kitchen and ready to try his little hands at folding paper into a few of his favorite animals!

He loved looking through pictures in the origami animals book we borrowed from our library and picking a few of his favorites to try. At his age, his biggest role in folding was assisting with creasing and flipping over the paper when instructed. We happen to have some origami paper at home, but you could use (and even decorate) your own regular paper and cut it to a square in your desired size.

We made dogs, cats and bunnies! He loved "adding two noses" to this dog and playing with all of the animals throughout the afternoon. We even used blocks to build a little doghouse and playground for them.

Smiling at our creations! Origami is a great, mess-free activity that little ones can enjoy with help from a larger set of hands and older children can really get into independently!

We've loved learning about and viewing the flags from different countries as we "travel" around the world. This week, I created a journal activity for my son to "build" his own Japanese flags out of familiar shapes and materials. I provided one sample already done as well as a photo in a book we checked out from the library. I provided the remainder of the materials (3 pre-cut white rectangles, 3 red dot labels and a glue stick) on a tray. The first day I set this out, my son was so excited and dug right in! He did not even wait for instructions and got right to his own version of putting together the Japanese flag. And then I made a Mommy mistake. I intruded. I gave instructions on how to do it properly and he grew very insulted and frustrated. I was in a bit of a rush as well and about to head out to my very part time job and the babysitter was on her way. I suggested we put away the materials and try again another time when we were less frustrated and to be quite honest, I felt horrible about it. I thought about it as I was driving to work and as I was driving home. Why was I so hard on him? I wouldn't be so hard on another student? Why did it matter if he put glue on the sticker or glued it the "wrong way?" I also had provided a brand new activity with several variables and steps and not provided any step-by-step instruction in a way that he could understand at his developmental level. Lucky for me, my toddler has a much more positive attitude than I do with these things (and that's when he becomes my teacher)! I set it out the next day, we sat together and took it step by step and he was quite proud and pleased to try it again! After he completed putting the flags together and gluing them where he wanted to on the journal pages, we counted together the total number of Japanese flags: four in all. No, this was not the "picture perfect" teaching scenario--but what we did learn through the experience is that everyone gets frustrated and that it is OK (and even helpful) to take a break from our intense emotions and return to a situation later when the power of the waves has lessened.

And my other Teacher-Mommy snafu last week? My husband made AMAZING sushi for us for dinner on Thursday night and we scarfed it down before I could take a photo!

Today I wish you all happy parenting, happy teaching and happy learning--these are all part and parcel to an environment of happy playing!

Table Time Tuesdays: Journaling with Preschoolers

Journaling with preschoolers is a wonderful and increasingly popular activity. Even young pre-writers can engage with a variety of journaling activities and benefit greatly. This is one activity I am using more and more at our Table Time set ups in the mornings here. Additionally, journals are a great take-along activity when you are traveling or might have to wait at an appointment. Journals can be used with even young children in a variety of ways, and the benefits are multifaceted. Here are just a few:

• Little ones inherently have an interest in our grown up things--how many times does your toddler walk away with your pens and pencils or grab your day planner? Here's a chance to give them grown up things of their very own without worrying you may not be able to read who that meeting is with next Wednesday. 

  

  he got a hold of my pen, I gave him his journal to go with it

• For pre-writers, journaling can provide opportunities to practice fine-motor skills associated with holding writing utensils, practicing strokes and lines and even the skill of turning those pages.
• For beginning-writers, they are a great way to practice letters, spacing, and the many skills associated with developing penmanship.
• Journals can be used to respond to prompts or used in a child-led fashion. Creative story telling and picture describing can develop abstract thought and imagination. It is amazing from a teacher's perspective to see how and when children develop the understanding of how dictation works in describing their artistic responses to prompts or even their own creative ideas. Even my two-year-old is dabbling with dictation (although clearly in the preliminary stages)!
• I've had success with using journals in the classroom with processing conflict resolution or strong emotions. A child, for instance, who struggles at clean-up time to let go of his hard work in the block area can be given extra time prior to that transition to draw and dictate about what he built.
• Journals can meet the individual where she is at. Some children may come into a classroom already recognizing and writing their names while others are still mastering the skill of holding a writing utensil. Journals provide a discrete and personal location to practice and master these skills at a comfortable pace. More than once I've seen a "reluctant writer" sit with his journal and a name tag to practice and practice until he has mastered the skill of writing his name for the very first (second, third and forty-ninth) time!
• They are an instant keepsake! Children and adults alike love to look back on old entries and see their progress as well as reminisce about activities they enjoyed. Journals can capture family vacations, holiday fun, self portraits, first attempts at poetry and more.
• Art and writing are obvious skills that can be developed with journaling. Journals can also be a great tool for math activities, teaching about colors, shapes, letters, sight words and more. Pinterest is choc full of ideas and prompts for even the very young. I plan to share some of our journal activities here as well.
  
  
  

We brought our journal along on many summer excursions. Here we used it on a color scavenger hunt at our local Botanical Gardens to dictate/record what we saw in each color. I carried as well a pencil case with colored pencils-this was one of my son's first attempts with a pencil and had a lot of fun doodling and testing out lines and strokes with the new material.

While I directly teach about letters in English and Hebrew in our homeschooling, I often end up introducing colors and shapes more through exposure than formal lessons. Here I am introducing the color red and the shape of a circle along with a variety of mediums in the shape/color to see how my son will respond. Oftentimes I find journals to be an amazing assessment tool as well--with minimal instruction and adult-intervention, you can truly see and meet a child where he is at.

A peek at his "finished product." With older children, you might encourage "tracing" the circle with the red circle stickers and coloring in the circle with red, etc. My main "goal" here is exposure to shapes and colors in order to build recognition and vocabulary around it.

This was a favorite as we talked about the Five Senses and the sense of touch!

Although you can add a great deal to the basics, all you really need to start a journal with your child is a blank (even recycled) notebook and any writing/drawing/coloring materials you have on hand. Here's a brief list of general suggestions when it comes to journaling with preschoolers:

• Keep journals and if possible, a selection of materials to use with them at child-reach so they can be accessed independently.
• Never force a child to use their journal. If a child is reluctant, come back to it later. Many times, just leaving it where it can be seen and accessed is enough to draw their interest. In the case of children who are more reluctant or hesitant to begin, do not underestimate the power of seeing you, the adult try it out. Yes, journals are a wonderful tool for grown-ups as well!
• Take it with you! Got a family vacation or an expected wait an an appointment or restaurant? Pack your journals and a pencil pouch with some writing utensils. Instant entertainment!
• Pens, pencils, crayons, markers and colored pencils would be the obvious materials to use with a journal. Some less traditional additions are ink/stamps, paper/glue for collage, stickers, magazine cut outs, photos, or recycled greeting cards.

Happy writing, drawing, dictating and recording and as always, happy playing!

Shabbat Theme & My Five Senses Part 2

Our homeschool bookshelf and basket are stocked with favorites from home and some borrowed from the library that relate to our current themes. We incorporate reading formally and informally--both at set times and throughout the day as my son chooses books to be read aloud.

The night before a homeschool day, I pack a few of our special books and activity materials in my son's school bag. He was so excited to take it from the hook (at his level) and open it up to see what was inside waiting for us today!

Our folders also hold important materials for the day ahead.

Our big kick-off to Homeschool Preschool ended up happening with a bit less fanfare than I'd planned due to an unplanned and brief stint as substitute preschool teacher for myself and substitute preschool student for my son. Lack of planning and all, I think it was the perfect opportunity and transition for us. My son did beautifully in a "traditional" classroom setting, and I got to see (as a neurotic teacher-mommy) that he does indeed have the ability to adapt to classroom structure and routines even having been at home with me. When the time comes that he does enter a classroom environment I think we will both be more than OK! And as much as I love the structure and flow of a traditional classroom setting, I also love the ability to move at our own pace at home. School at home can happen in one large chunk of time or in smaller chunks throughout the day as we see fit. Working outside of the house for shorter hours allowed us time in the afternoon to engage in learning activities And today, on our first full day at home together, we were able to go through our morning routines and activities, break for the ever so important library visit and Story Time, return for some more learning and play and break again for some lunch and a nap. I love that my son had the idea today to bring a book outside. He was so excited to use his new homeschool bag that we made together a few weeks ago, he grabbed his board book copy of "Pete the Cat Wheels on the Bus," packed it inside and asked for help to carry his toy school bus and a few Fisher Price passengers! There are so many benefits from both the traditional early childhood classroom experience as well as the play at home experience. I'm so blessed to have had a glimpse into both worlds and I think both my son and I are eager to continue on our journey this year. Here's a peek at our next installment of our first Homeschool theme: Shabbat & My Five Senses. Wherever your day happens to take you, I wish you joyful learning and happy playing!

Our Sense of Hearing:

Here are a couple of books we used today to explore our sense of hearing. The Sounds of my Jewish Year is an old favorite of my son's and yet he was so excited to unpack it from his homeschool bag this morning--as though it were brand new! I brought along Hearing, one of a great set on The Five Senses we found at our local library. The photos and simple text were a great way to start conversation about the sense of hearing and explore/expand vocabulary. 

These homemade egg shakers (dollar store "easter eggs" filled with rice/beans/bells and duct taped shut) are a regular installment here when we daven together in the morning or do other music & movement activities. It's a fun and fabulous DIY project that will be sure to get a lot of use. Today they were a great tool to explore different sounds together.

I used a couple of bells threaded through a pipe cleaner and some duct tape to create our jingle brushes. It made painting (an already beloved activity here) even more fun!

We are working on a book together throughout this theme I've titled "My Shabbos Five Senses Book." In addition, we are using many of our senses to create some special crafts and materials to decorate our family Shabbos table. My son was so excited to get to paint his own set of Shabbos candlesticks--and even more excited to hear his painting in action with our homemade jingle brushes.

The finished product, plus a layer of Mod Podge and some added LED lights shaped like candles for play. These could also be used as a display item or used with real candles (obviously out of child reach).

"Where are your ears?"

Themes in Depth: Shabbat Theme & My Five Senses Part I

This is one of my son's favorite Shabbos books. He requests it each week and we have also had a great deal of fun acting out the story as a play activity in our home. He loves to help clean and to use his toy shopping cart and brown paper bag to gather pretend food and challahs for the Shabbos meal. He also loves using his toy Shabbos sets to prepare his own Shabbos table, "light candles," and "make kiddush." We are intended to start each week with its end--Shabbos--in mind. It's a beautiful concept that sometimes gets lost in the shuffle of preparations and chores--yet our youngest household members are often the ones who remind us of the true gift that observing Shabbos is each and every week.

Shabbos is something we observe every week in our house and something my son genuinely looks forward to. In our family, it means the table gets dressed in its most beautiful white tablecloth to sport our Shabbos candles, homemade challahs, kiddush cup and grape juice, and some delicious Shabbos meals prepared by both my husband and myself (sometimes with our son's help). We also dress in our best and enjoy the coziness of intentional, uninterrupted family time together. That may well be the number one reason my son begins asking for Shabbos at the beginning of the week!
This is also a time when we refrain from certain activities that are disallowed on Shabbos, like turning on electronics, using our phones and computers, writing and drawing, cooking and cleaning, driving and working and more. Growing up in a home that did not observe Shabbos in this way, I often felt that it came with a list of "don'ts" that was altogether too long. As an adult, I've come to appreciate quite a few of the items on that list of "don'ts," but I also want to make sure that keeping Shabbos in this way is something my son continues to feel positively about as he grows older and aware of the "outside world" that continues in our temporary absence from it. We make Shabbos a time for having extra special treats and spending time with neighborhood friends and genuinely making sure to really engage with our son and have fun together. I also see that value in him having a part in creating and preparing for the ways we honor Shabbos each week.

In our little homeschool, we are exploring the theme of Shabbos through the lens of our five senses. We are working together on a book incorporating each of the five senses in connection with Shabbos symbols or activities:

• We see the Shabbos candles burning: my son will be painting his own set of wooden candlesticks to use for play. 
• We hear the Shabbos blessings and songs: although we do not use instruments or play music on Shabbos, we sing a lot of fun and beautiful songs together!
• We feel the sticky challah dough: my son will be lending a hand (or two) in shaping some yummy cinnamon raisin challah rolls to freeze and save for the upcoming holidays. We will also be sanding and painting a wooden challah board and decorating a cloth challah cover.
• We taste the delicious Shabbos meal: my son is always eager to take charge of quality control in the kitchen when we are cooking and baking together for Shabbos and making sure everything is delectably up to par.
• We smell the besomim (spices) at Havdalah: we will be decorating and filling a small plastic box for besomim to use at Havdalah.

Since we do not do art projects or cook on Shabbos itself, I wanted to make sure to include some materials and activities my son could use and play with during Shabbos as well as during the week. While we put away electronic and battery operated toys during Shabbos, we also make sure to take out some Shabbos-friendly ones as well to make the day extra special. Here are a couple of new ones I put together at home that he has really enjoyed:

We do have a store-bought plush Shabbos set that my son loves to play with and pretend about setting the table with. I saw this idea done by another Jewish preschool teacher and decided to make my own set of Shabbos photo blocks at home. I used photos found online to print and laminate and hot glued wooden blocks to the back of each. We will be making similar sets for holidays as well. 

This is another adaptation of a printable activity found on the Jewish Homeschool Blog I've previously posted on. I cut out and laminated the pictures as well as the "Shabbat Table" page and added velcro circles to the back of each picture and the table page for a move-able and reusable activity.

Even in weeks that Shabbos is not a theme we are exploring in depth, we have some added family routines to make the day extra special and to help alleviate some of the potential for stress as we cook, clean and prepare:

• TOYS & PLAYTHINGS: I try to keep our "not-Shabbos friendly" toys and materials on our top shelf, leaving extra space for the few battery-operated toys or puzzles that may also need to be moved out of sight over Shabbos. Right before Shabbos, I drape the scarf over the shelf. The idea is if it's out of sight, it's hopefully out of mind!
  
• CREATING A SENSE OF NOVELTY: To counter that, I also keep certain toys and books less visible during the week and am mindful to make them accessible and ready to use over Shabbos. These may be Shabbos themed toys and books or just a puzzle or some blocks we haven't used in a while. I know some families who keep a Shabbos box of just-for-Shabbos toys to use each week and many families before a long holiday will do a toy swap for added excitement. Remember--it doesn't have to be new to be novel!
• ATTITUDE CHECK: My husband and I try very hard to maintain a positive attitude as we get ready and not express frustration or negative feelings about it. That can be hard to do when you are feeling anxious and running out of time! I think my son is my greatest reminder to prepare for Shabbos b'simcha. He genuinely gets joy out of helping to clean and cook! When the going gets tough, we turn up some fun music to help get in the Shabbos spirit.
• ENLISTING HELP: That said, we encourage his help even when it can simultaneously be a hindrance and take more time. Even very little ones can dust and wash a table, help wash veggies and fruits for salads and assist in setting the table.
• "ME DO IT!" We are in the phase of that phrase right now. As much as we can, we like to say "yes," and make it a positive experience. He can't light his own candles now, but he can decorate and have his own candleholders. He wants his own special kiddush cup, so each Friday morning, I give him a plastic disposable cup from the Dollar Tree or party store and he decorates it with stickers to use at the Shabbos table. He wanted to participate in making kiddush the way he sees his Tatty do it, so I made him his own laminated sheet of the Shabbos blessings complete with pictures to help him identify what each is for.
• MAINTAINING ROUTINES Keeping Shabbos and Jewish holidays is an exercise in balancing our need to maintain certain routines for our toddler and allowing for some stretching of the rules to honor the celebratory nature of the day. We try to keep to bed and naptime routines on Shabbos and holidays. Nothing makes for a greater disaster on a long Shabbos day or holiday than a very overtired and unhappy toddler! That said, in the summer when Shabbos begins very late, that means my son is asleep before it even begins. We make him his own little kiddush and Shabbos party to ensure he doesn't feel he has missed out. We also try to make him his own havdalah on Sunday morning, though admittedly this is one we have forgotten repeatedly. On the other end of that, we do allow a bit of lenience when it comes to the start of bedtime or naptimes on occasions when we have guests or are visiting with friends. We are a bit more lenient with the number of tasty treats offered on Shabbos. 

However you honor and celebrate family traditions, know that these are the memories that are forever being etched into your little ones' hearts. One of the greatest ways to foster great memories is through play and time together. Happy playing!

Make it at Home Monday: Counting Apples

We're off to school! As in, down the stairs and into the living room... Yes, we are officially kicking off our Homeschool Preschool adventure tomorrow. We are not glued to a schedule or even a set of goals, but rather taking it a day at a time and continuing to use play and child-led exploration to incorporate Jewish and secular themes into our daily routine. I am very much a planner, but I believe in starting small and expanding rather than backtracking and dealing with feelings of discouragement. For now, I have one small activity specifically planned for most days and then a proverbial bag of goodies we can expand and extend on if we have the time and energy for it.

Whether you teach at home, outside of the home, or just want to incorporate some thematic activities at home to expand on what's happening in your child's classroom or a seasonal event, there is a vast array of educational materials you can access, purchase and make at home to facilitate skill development through play. This is starting to sound complicated and expensive, you are thinking. And you are right--it can be. I've often dreamed of somehow starting a toy lending library in our community, but that particular dream is one I keep on the back burner for now. In the meantime, I make a lot of my own learning and play materials by combining items I have in the house (or can purchase inexpensively from a dollar store or discount store) and free educational materials you can access online from a variety of like-minded bloggers, parents and educators! Additionally, thrift stores are often a great resource for gently used toys, educational materials, books, craft supplies and more.

For this kick-off DIY post, our very first Make it at Home Monday, here's how I made our Counting Apples material:

 I accessed these free printable apple counting cards via  a Jewish Homeschool Blog. This particular blog is one I frequently use for a great deal of wonderful Jewish themed learning materials and ideas for both the classroom and home. Pinterest is another great tool for searching theme related printables and in a pinch, you can create your own using personal photos or images from the internet. I cut and laminated the apple cards, which could be used in a variety of ways on their own (sequencing, counting and saying the number of apples on each card, etc). Nonetheless, I like to combine flashcards with three dimensional objects whenever possible--and as an added bonus, this is no longer just a math material teaching one-to-one correspondence and sequencing skills; it's now a fine-motor activity as well.
I used small tongs from the dollar store party section and some decorative apples I found last September in a craft store. The wooden tray is also one purchased from a craft store and the basket is recycled from a batch of cherry tomatoes. I try to limit any purchases to items I can use in a variety of ways or use again and again. In addition to saving money and on space, repetition of exposure to materials (like tongs for instance) encourages solid development of skills being targeted (in this case, fine motor skills).
The idea of Counting Apples is to use the tongs to pick up the apples corresponding to the number of apples on each card. My toddler has had a lot of success with using the tongs and the size is perfect for his little hands. If that is frustrating for a child, however, I would remove the tongs and have him use his hands directly. You can select a card for the child or have the child select a card and match the number of apples to that on the card. If you don't have toy apples lying around, you could use real ones, cut ones from paper or use red pompoms instead.
As a rule of thumb, I don't "force" my son to use a certain material or to use it for a certain length of time. Many times I just put one on the shelf for him to discover and explore. When he finds it and starts to check out what it is, I might sit and show him how it can be used. At first my son had a lot of fun just using the tongs to pick up and move the apples from place to place and I allowed and encouraged that. I later showed him how he can use them to count and match the number of apples on each card. If a particular toy or material seems to be frustrating a child, I might put it away and try again another day with it. My main goal is for learning to be a positive and child-led experience in our home (as well as when I teach outside of the home). As always, happy playing and learning!

End of Summer: Easing and Honoring the Transition

The end of the summer season means a lot of things for a lot of people. Bit by bit (hopefully here soon!) the nights get crisper and the days grow just a little shorter. Water park and pool visits make way for county fairs and Autumn harvest picking. For many, it means back-to-school. For some, it means going back to work. For the first two years of my son's life, I was preparing to go back to teaching outside of the home and this year, I am gearing up for our own little home-school adventure together. I had initially planned to run our Mommy & Me Camp right into the onset of "school" starting, but it felt awkwardly seamless and overfilled. I needed some down time and I feel we all need some end of summer fun in its purest unplanned form: like just past bedtime runs in the park and spontaneous Sunday day trips and extra visits to favorite museums and play areas.  Unplanning is a gift I see the value in giving yourself over and over again, in appropriate doses, as needed. I'm a super planner--I LOVE to plan. Planning our curriculum of themes and learning topics for the school year ahead was a breeze for me. Implementing can sometimes be another story. It can be hard to let go of plans--even those written intentionally in pencil--without feeling a sense of guilt or failure. And that said, I see the importance of teaching my son all the letters of the alphabet--when Plan A doesn't flow, you go to B, and there are 24 more letters after that!
So these last weeks of summer, I washed off our schedule on the chalk wall, took the calendar off the hooks below it, returned the theme related books from my son's book shelf and basket and stocked them full of his all time favorites. We are planning a little and playing a lot. We move a little more slowly and linger a little longer because that is how I best remember the summers of my own youth. And since "school" is something my two year old really has yet to have any concept of and home-school is new to us both, I wanted him to have a tangible part in getting geared up and excited for that adventure soon to come.
"Back-to-school" is a phrase that can elicit a number of emotions: excitement, separation anxiety, wistfulness, nervousness, joy and many more. Whether I was the student, the teacher, the mom separating from her son, or any combination of those, I've tried to use play and creativity to honor those feelings and ease transitions. When I taught outside of the home, my son and I each had a key ring with laminated family photos on it to carry and peek at during times we missed one another. Many of my students have found something like this helpful as well, and it can discretely be kept in a lunch box, bag or cubby. Making or purchasing matching family bracelets can also be a fun way to carry something close to you during the day that brings feelings of familiarity and comfort. Helping to personalize and organize school materials can bring a feeling of home and personal ownership to a classroom. Although my transition this year is toward making my home into a classroom rather than the reverse, the projects we've worked on this week can easily be transferred the other way around as we gear up for all that the back-to-school season entails.

Best of luck, happy playing, and enjoy these final thirst quenching slow sips of summertime serenity!

We are using a paper chain countdown to the start of our home-school. Each day, we will pull away one chain as we count down the days of the next two weeks. Because Pete the Cat is a school time favorite and my feline BFF, he's there, too!

Crafting in front of my son is no longer a spectator sport for him. He now has creative ideas of his own! He needed a couple paper chain links for his "hand."

He also needed his own Pete the Cat to color and carry around like a paper doll. So yes, many of my projects take twice as long and are now twice as fun!

Our chalk wall is no longer home to our camp schedule, but now home to a countdown poem! We use countdowns in this house for holidays, family trips, birthdays and all kinds of exciting milestones. We've done a variety of methods and it's a fun way to honor feelings of excitement and difficulty waiting for something.

I have a collection of recycled tote bags my husband rescued from going to the dump where he works (no, I didn't quite say he went dumpster diving, but when you're married to a preschool teacher...). They make great gifts for family members, students and now great Mommy & Me school bags for us! I love apple season and with Rosh Hashanah and Autumn around the bend, it is a theme I always explore at the beginning of school years. It seemed a fitting medium to use for our school bags. Fabric painting with toddlers can be a little frightening--smock up!

And to avoid paint covered apples being mouthed and eaten, I offered a snack of sliced ones to be enjoyed before and after our project. (Please see only the bowl of sliced apples and not the adjacent bowl of sugary snack cereals).