Technology Use in Pre-K

  I use computers in my classroom daily. At times I am there to guide and direct my students. Other times they are using the equipment independently.  Either way, I control the sites that they are visiting and the information that they are accessing.  I have a firm policy that they only use the sites I have designated as "OK" and they know that they will be promptly removed for visiting other sites. Some of the sites that I find most useful are:

http://www.starfall.com/
http://www.pbskids.org/
http://www.nickjr.com/

Many children's book authors have sites that are great also! Here are some really great ones.

http://www.janbrett.com/
http://www.berenstainbears.com/
http://www.seussville.com/
http://www.gailgibbons.com/
http://www.stevenkellogg.com/

Here are some very thought provoking discussion on technology use in prekindergarten/preschool that I found on the web.

 http://teacher.scholastic.com/professional/bruceperry/using_technology.htm

http://www.brighthub.com/education/early-childhood/articles/68859.aspx

http://www.washington.edu/accessit/articles?1167

http://www.thefreelibrary.com/The+role+of+computer+technology+in+teaching+reading+and+writing%3a...-a0223823304

Color My World

While teaching a unit on color blending, the children in my class enjoyed the following activities:

1. tie dye shirts (we wear them every Monday) Each child picked from 4 designs, helped to rubberband their own shirt, and then squirted the paint! They absolutely love them

2. rainbow pudding snacks (I used vanilla pudding and we used food coloring to create a variety of colors)

3. coffee filter water color blending (use an eye dropper to drip water color paint slowly onto the coffee filter and the colors will bleed together and form new colors)

Cosmetology

While studying careers, we created a beauty/barber shop in our dramatic play area. Since I work at a career high school (that happens to have a cosmetology department) we ended the unit by having a "spa day." The children loved being pampered. Since most schools don't have this advantage, you could adapt by having a cosmetology class come to your school or maybe a local beautician and their staff.