Free Preschool/Kindergarten Alphabet and Number Reference Sheet

I made this reference sheet for my daughter today, and I thought I'd share it at Google Documents here. After you click through to the printable page, just go to your print preview and set at 100% portrait, and it will print out correctly(full sized, centered, and large print). I have this one taped to the wall next to the computer for when she works at her educational cd-roms.

Preschool/Kindergarten Fun: Vintage Cut and Fold Bear

From Primary plans, Volume 6, 1908 Click to enlarge and print.

DIY Young Children's Pallet Bookshelf

 See picture: I used two of the pieces at left, and five of the pieces on the right( two for each shelf, and one on top to stabilize).

I've been collecting pallet pieces from Home Depot. These pieces were found free in the lumber area, discarded in the trash cans at the end of the aisle. With permission I've been taking these home for DIY projects. Yesterday I made a thin rustic bookcase for my young daughter's books. The thin shelves, which rested between the pallet pieces on the blocks, were the only things that needed attaching. The shelves were screwed down at both ends with a power drill and long dry wall screws. No sawing was needed; these came as they were.


The books shelf holds quite a few books. I was able to empty two very large baskets full of preschool/K books into this bookshelf. We've gained back a good chunk of living space, and it's easier to vacuum now. My daughter loves the ease of finding books and putting them back without the struggle of squeezing them into baskets.

Toy Subscription Services

Really? Toy sets for rent! Here is a list of toy subscription rental places that sends kits that revolve around themes for children up to age seven. I wish I had known about this. This service would be great for preschool at home. Anything you like you can pay for and keep, otherwise you sent it back and get a new set delivered to your home. The subscription prices are competitive, and are similar to the cost of a Netflix subscription or basic cable service - not a bad deal for learning.

Printable Vintage Preschool Cut and Paste

I got weary of looking for free printable young children's cut and paste activities for my daughter(the cut and paste queen), so I used ClipartEtc for free images to cut into pieces. Today we did E is for Elephant, and she reassembled and pasted together a few elephants. One of them has got his back legs pasted in the front(giggle). She seemed to enjoy this, so I'll probably pick another animal tomorrow. The elephant on the left was the easiest to cut apart.

Where possible, I cut away the tail, legs, ears, and head for re-assembly onto the torso. Afterwards, we had a chat about elephants and practiced writing the letter "E". ClipartEtc has an Asian working elephant pushing a log - great for social studies and a geography lesson. Free printable maps here.

Printing tip: Of the three download sizes offered, the largest one seems to do best for this activity. It comes out nice and sharp on a full page printout.

Library Finds: International Fairy Tale and Folktale Picture Books

Random fairy tale and folktale books that we enjoyed this week. All are from different countries which is great for extending learning to geography. Preschool - grade two.

Very short and a bit silly: Tikki Tikki Tembo, a Chinese tale. The boy's purposely ridiculous long name will get a giggle with younger children, especially while the parent struggles to pronounce it!

A classic Irish tale, beautifully illustrated and medium length for older "littles": The Children of Lir

Humorous retelling for young children: The Monkey and the Crocodile: A Jataka Tale India by Paul Galdone

A tale from Spain(Moorish Iberia):Miller, the Boy and the Donkey, Based on the La Fontaine fable by Brian Wildsmith

Exciting third person, lyrical retelling of the final, "and most difficult, labor of Hercules, known as Heracles in Greek mythology, in which he must go to Underworld and bring back the three-headed dog, Cerberus". Beautifully illustrated and just short enough to catch the interest of small children. Hercules


The Magic Grove: A Persian Folktale

Lusciously illustrated Persian(modern day Iran) tale, surprisingly Christian in tone, only because I'm ignorant of Persian values and morals(I'm sure). The characters of this lovely tale of love and compassion continue to choose others before themselves despite desperate hardships. They are rewarded in the end for their kindness to some fantastic birds(of grace?) whose lives are spared.

The age old classic Greek myth, King Midas and the Golden Touch











Source of world map.

Grenadian Spice Cake Recipe

I've got some leftover limes from Cinco de Mayo, so besides limeade, I'm making a cake using the lime zest. This Grenadian Spice Cake looks very good, and it has a rating of five out of five stars at allrecipes.com.

Image from Allrecipes.com

Update: This was very good, a bit plain for children, definitely a good tea or coffee cake. My tween son loved it, but my preschool daughter was looking for something more. It had a nice hint of lime, but I'd have rather had a stronger lime flavor. If I make this again I'll add lime juice and more zest.

Recipe: Homemade No Yeast Donuts

I made some bean burgers for dinner, and decided to use up the leftover pan oil to make some donuts. From my favorite Amish cookbook:

3 - 3 1/2 cups flour
1 cup sugar
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
2 eggs
1/2 cup butter or oil
1/2 cup cream(I used whole milk)

I ended up adding more flour because I used some leftover beet juice to color them pink. This is so easy, just mix everything together and shape into circles. I roll mine into a ball, flatten and poke a floured finger through the middle. I made a few letters for my preschool daughter as well. Make sure your pan oil comes up to at least the half way mark on your donuts. I heat my oil to medium, but every stove is different. You don't want it to get too hot, or it burns the outside, too cool and the middle doesn't get done. Don't make them too thick or they don't cook evenly.

Watch them carefully as they fry in the oil, flipping them with some tongs when they look brown. Place cooked donuts on plate with paper towel, and sift some powdered sugar over the top.

These donuts taste a bit like funnel cakes.

Preschool: Treat Your Cat Gently - Cut-out and Poem

I Love Little Kitty
I love little Kitty,
Her coat is so warm,
And if I don't hurt her,
She'll do me no harm.

So I'll not pull her tail,
Nor drive her away,
But Kitty and I
Very gently will play.

She shall sit by my side,
And I'll give her some food;
And she'll love me because
I am gentle and good.

I'll pat pretty Kitty,
And then she will purr;
And thus show her thanks
For my kindness to her;
But I'll not pinch her ears,
Nor tread on her paw,
Lest I should provoke her
To use her sharp claw.
I never will vex her,
Nor make her displeased -
For Kitty *doesn't like
To be worried or teased.
- Anon

See here for printable version.

*There's a grammatical error at the end of the printable version at the above link. It should read, "For Kitty doesn't like to be teased.",  or maybe, " For kitties don't like to be teased.". 

Update: I found the original which is actually by Jane Taylor(not Anon)  in public domain, and it has the proper grammar at the end. See Poems by grades(1-4), 1907. To print this page, simply right click on the image of the page at the link, and print or save. If you don't right click on the image of the page, the entire screen will print.

You could also just copy and paste the one here on my post. It's in public domain.

Check here for cute vintage cat clip art. We've used this resource to cut and paste pictures on worksheets, stories, poems, etc. It's free for non-commercial purposes.

Zero Cost Preschool Math

Source: montessorionabudget.blogspot.com via Sarah on Pinterest

My daughter is too old for this, but the simplicity of this idea caught my eye. I think those are toilet paper rolls holding the number places. The sticks are nice for little hands to hold, and not likely to be a choking hazard like small round counters. Fun for children to collect and break as well.

Free Preschool Printables: Veggies and Fruit Traceables

The bunny was from a Google image search, and the veggies(fruit also) from this site. They were colored, cut, and pasted. The original printables were/are traceable with dotted lines.

Free Curriculum-based Instruction Online

Myrnie of I Wonder Woman directed me to Head of the Class, a curriculum-based instruction with videos, multimedia, applications, and worksheets for free. I tried the Kindergarten level samples and liked it. The programs are described as supplements to education, so it won't be an all inclusive learning resource. Currently they offer content for preschool - fourth grade with grades five through eight coming soon. There are no downloads, but there is a required free sign-up for a password.

"Head of the class Mission

To create and provide curriculum-based instruction on the Web which enhances and improves the way PreK-8 students learn.

To provide parents and teachers with the Web-based interactive tools and resources they need to accelerate learning and improve educational performance in the 21st century.

Curriculum-Based Instruction

Head of the Class provides curriculum-based instruction by grade level. We have aligned our instruction to the various state curriculums.

Within Head of the Class you will find thousands of pages of instruction, hundreds of videos, hundreds of multimedia presentations, thousands of worksheets, as well as application programs which target learner success.

Individualized Instruction

Head of the Class provides a curriculum which parents and teachers can customize to individual learner needs. If you want your learner to have more math or reading, you simply select the levels you desire.

Head of the Class provides built-in assessment tests, the results of which customize the learner's curriculum. In other words, Head of the Class will automatically adjust a learner's curriculum to maximize learning. "