Toddlers...and how to survive them

Listen to what your child says when she expresses her feelings, such as "I'm not going in there because there is a monster there!!" or "I don't want to go there because she never wants to play with me" or"Mama, what can I do to show you that I love you so much?" All these things show that your child is confident in expressing her likes and dislikes. Some children clam up and do things they don't like quietly. Some show their dissatisfaction but do not know how to verbalise them thus you end up guessing what the problem is. Watch your child. Which one is she?

Children pleasure in who they are and what they can do so give them the praise and attention and KNOW who they are and what they can do. Ask your child lots of questions to really get to know them. Ask them what their favourite food is. Ask them what they think they are good at. Ask them what their favourite colour, toy, book, person etc is. Ask them if they would like to try out new things like roller blading or diving, why and why not. If you were to make a list of your child's traits, both good and bad, can you make a list of fifty characteristics?

Observe how your child shows her feelings towards other people. Is she shy? Or is she confident when speaking to people? Does she take time to warm up? Or does she treat different people differently? Watch how she responds to other people's questions. Does she nod and shake her head or does she just glare back in silence? Does she respond with proper answers? This will give you a clue as to how confident your child is.

Teach your child about the different people around her, their cultures, their likes and dislikes, for her to understand that everyone is different. Then observe how your child uses this information in her day to day life. Does she pass it on?

Children are a blessing from God. They are not ours, just temporarily for us to take care of. So care for them with the best of your ability.


I am the mom of 4 wonderful kids, 3 boys and 1 girl. Looking at them, you know I have had many years working with and enriching the lives of children. I have an Associates (Magna Cum Laude) in Business Management, and a Bachelors in Early childhood Development and Education with a concentration in Child Psychology. I have almost 20 years in the Early Childhood field, and loving every minute of it! You can visit my site here

Discovery Bottles

What are Discovery Bottles?
Discovery Bottles are plastic water or pop bottles filled with different colorful materials.

Purpose of Discovery Bottles: To encourage observation skills, scientific concept

Discovery Bottle Ideas:

Wave Bottle: Turn this bottle on its side and watch as "waves" roll.
To Make: Fill 1/2 the bottle with cooking oil ( you can also use baby oil). The add water until the bottle is full. Add blue food coloring and hot glue the cap shut and you're finished!

Glitter Bottle: Shake the bottle and watch the pretty glitter move through out the bottle.
To Make: Fill the bottle with water. Add food coloring (your choice of color). Then add glitter. Hot Glue the cap shut.

Autumn Bottle: fall inspired bottle
To Make:Fill bottle with fall nature items (acorns, leaves, pumpkin seeds). Hot Glue cap to seal.
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Calm Bottle: Watching the glitter slowly float in the bottle.
To Make: Add glitter then fill the bottle about 1/2 full with clear corn syrup. Hot glue cap to seal.

Estimation Bottle: Child has to estimate how many items are in the bottle.
To Make: Fill bottle with several items (such as rocks, or sea shells) Be sure to count how many of the item you add so you can tell your child how close their estimation was.

Place the finished bottle on a low shelf so your child can observe the bottles as they wish.


I am the mom of 4 wonderful kids, 3 boys and 1 girl. Looking at them, you know I have had many years working with and enriching the lives of children. I have an Associates (Magna Cum Laude) in Business Management, and a Bachelors in Early childhood Development and Education with a concentration in Child Psychology. I have almost 20 years in the Early Childhood field, and loving every minute of it! You can visit my site here

10 Low or no cost resources for preschool teachers

1. Books. Visit your local library when it is having a book sale. You can usually buy books for just a few dollars. Some branches sell books all the time; others sell books only on occasion. This is a way to add to your classroom collection without worrying about due dates or fines. 
2. Online Videos. Whether you and the children want to watch pandas at the National Zoo (http://nationalzoo.si.edu/animals/giantpandas/default.cfm) or you are looking for ideas for teaching science (www.exploritorium.edu/webcasts/index.php), take a few moments to watch something new. 
3. Digital library of teacher resources. Access reading materials and multimedia resources through the PBS Digital Learning Library (www.pbs.org/teachers/dll).
4. Freecycle. Everything available through www.freecycle.org is free! Check the site to see if there is a group in your area. You need to join to view listings of available items or to post a listing, but joining is also free. Members offer lightly used items of all kinds-clothing, books, furniture, and so on. The purpose is to reduce waste while sharing resources in the community. You will have to pick up items you want. More information is available online. 
5. Traveling materials. The National Park Service offers traveling trunks of items connected to different national parks throughout the country. (see www.nps.gov/learn/trunks.htm). Museums frequently have materials related to their collections that they will lend to programs. 
6. Music. Use a free, online radio web site like Pandora, to play different types of music. You can create your own channels based on artists or genres and easily switch among them. For classical music, check out the children's web page for the Dallas (www.dsokids.com) or San Francisco )www.sfskids.com) symphony. 
7. Discounts. Several national chains offer discounts to teachers. They include A.C. Moore, Apple, Barnes and Noble, Books-A-Million, Borders, Half Price Books, Jo-Ann, Lakeshore Learning, OfficeMax, and Staples. NAEYC members receive a 20% discount on hundreds of books, videos, brochures, and posters int he NAEYC catalog and reduced subscription fees for Highlights High Five, a magazine for preschoolers. 
8. Paper. Ask local print shops for scraps, which they often give away at a very low price. Contact community businesses to see if they can donate outdated letterhead or envelopes for the children to use. 
9. Art Materials. By March, stores are looking to get rid of calendars for the current year. You can find ones You can find ones with animal or nature photographs or fanciful illustrations. Cut off the month portion and paste the illustration or photos in the classroom. Or offer these materials for use in art projects. 
10. Donations. Local businesses or associations, like Delta Kappa Gamma, give money or other resources to educators an schools. Sometimes a local restaurant, like a pizzeria, or other family friendly business will help you raise funds. For example, they may pledge a percentage of one day's proceeds to your program. Ask families to spread the word in the neighborhood and to patronize the business that day. This is an easy way to raise funds and to form partnerships in the community. 

Published in Teaching Young Children, a NAEYC publication. 

I am the mom of 4 wonderful kids, 3 boys and 1 girl. Looking at them, you know I have had many years working with and enriching the lives of children. I have an Associates (Magna Cum Laude) in Business Management, and a Bachelors in Early childhood Development and Education with a concentration in Child Psychology. I have almost 20 years in the Early Childhood field, and loving every minute of it! You can visit my site here