Lesson Resources List

Long time no post! I have been so exhausted by the time I have gotten home from work this week that I haven't been inspired to make anything! Since I have been so busy with work, I thought, why not do a post on some of my planning resources!

There are excellent pre-k resources out there on the web. Especially sites that offer free printable activities. They are perfect for small group time. All I have to do is print them out on card stock paper and laminate! I have found sites that are MUCH better than others, and ones that I find are more resourceful for certain themes and not others. **P.S. I have not be paid in anyway to talk about these sites. I am simply sharing out about some great resources I have found.

Here is my top list so far in my teaching career:

1. Kids Soup
       * This site is actually a membership site, but it is 100% worth every penny. The site advertises a free trial period and then a rate of $2.15 per month, which comes out to be $25.80 for the year. I've been very fortunate that a co-worker of mine already has a membership and she allows me to use her log-in! (Go halves with a co-worker if $25.80 is too much for you!) This place is great. There are crafts, activities, games, resources and more. There is no limit on what you can print and they have a ton for each theme! They offer coloring pages which are great for our table time. It's nice to find a coloring page that I don't have to copy and paste and re-size myself! There are also great worksheet activities for your higher students. While visiting, click a theme on the left. They do offer a small selection of free activities for each theme as well!

2. PreKinders
      * PreKinders is a free website that I cam across during my college years while looking for some lesson ideas. First, the appearance of the site is great. This is a big deciding factor for me. If a website doesn't look like it is put together well or things do not line up, I don't usually spend the time to look around on it. I know that might sound like I'm missing out on a lot, but I'm a very visual person and I need things to look nice. PreKinders offers a handful of themes, most of which I did this school year, along with the seasons and holidays. They have free printables under each theme and they even offer a list of books for each theme. A lot of their activities remind me of something you might see in a Montessori classroom because they use a lot of small manipulatives.

3. Pre-K Fun
       * Pre-K Fun is a site I came across this school year. It seems to be still in the works. They have two sections under their themes. One for Pre-K and one for Toddler. They have a huge list of themes, but unless the theme is linked, you can't click on it. Which leads me to believe the site is still in the works. Some themes offer more than others, but I have come across some pretty neat things on this site. Some themes even offer a free printable bulletin board boarder. It would be a little tedious printing them out and cutting, but some are pretty cool. I would definitely keep this site on your radar even if you don't find anything the first time you visit. I really hope for them to be excellent once they have all of their themes together!

4. abcteach
      * I have mixed feelings about this site. They offer about 50/50 free and then membership activities. I do not have a membership, so I am just "shopping" their free items. The reason I have mixed feelings is because I typically turn up empty handed, but I feel that is just for my age group. I've come across some things here and there such as file folder games that are good for my guys. I would definitely check it out of you are a kindergarten teacher. There are a lot of writing prompt work sheets under the free section!

5. Hummingbird Educational Resources
       * A friend of mine found this website while we were in college. She shared it with one our classes as a resources. It really does offer  A LOT. The only reason it made the bottom of my list is because it is very wordy. There is a lot of read through. I prefer the themes they have listed that offer pictures to go with their activities, but not all of them do. So if you don't mind sitting through and just reading the ideas, this is an excellent source! They do offer a list of books for each theme, and then a few other activities that I believe their website sells!

I hope you find these resources to be as helpful as I have my first year teaching. With only three weeks left for the students I'm nearing the end! It's so hard to believe the year is almost over with. AND I SURVIVED! There are going to be a lot of changes into our pre-school program next year and I won't be teaching just 4 year olds again. Once I understand what exactly I will be teaching, I'll be sure to share out!

I'm off to shower and get ready for a round of golf with my boyfriend this afternoon. Wish me luck because it has been FOREVER since I even touched my clubs!