I have started helping out a little bit at Esther and William’s school

I have not really done anything yet

But I have got the education bug badly

If it were not for Bea I would definitely be making my way back to the classroom

As it is I do have Bea and would in fact like another baby

And so the plan formulating in my mind is this

Get on and have our last baby in the not too distant future

Make the most of these years with Bea and all our children

While also plotting and planning and preparing for a return to the classroom

The bulk of my teaching experience has been in upper key stage two

Though I did two years in Y2 which I loved

But now I think I would very much like to go back to teaching

In the early years!

I would like to teach reception and year 1

To be able to do that well

I need to gain both experience and qualifications

And I am really excited about doing both

Today I have been busy planning to turn our garden

Into an early years outdoor learning space

Our playroom is already like an early years classroom

I have also been collecting ideas for an early years teacher tool kit

That will be as useful at home now as it will be in a classroom in the future

Here are the contents of my Early Years Teacher Tool Kit to be!!

Digital Camera
Teachers can do many things with a simple digital camera that enhance teaching, learning and assessment. As a parent I would be lost without my camera. It helps me to record what we do each day and make resources for our home learning. At the moment I am relying on the camera in my iPad but have my heart set on one of these super zoom cameras!

Blu Tack
For displaying children’s work quickly, planning more permanent displays and for giving to children to fiddle with on the carpet to make sure that they keep their hands to themselves. I have found that this simple thing can help children to focus more when listening on the carpet.

Post It Notes
A cheap resource that can be used in so many creative ways to promote learning at school and at home

Notebook
Every teacher needs somewhere to scribble their information and ideas. I am a night owl when it comes to planning so this could be the perfect little book of notes for me!

Coloured Pens
For marking and modelling writing, doodling in staff meetings, creating mind maps. Every teacher should have a set of pretty coloured pens.

Highlighters
So many things needs to be highlighted when teaching or preparing to teach. Reading materials, planning and assessment notes, minutes of meetings. Highlighters are also a great tool when teaching reading and writing. Older children can be taught how to use a highlighter pen as a tool for learning.

Sticker Selection
Who doesn’t love a sticker? At home we have stickers for everything including great reading and great tidying up. We have tried stickers charts for behaviour and trying new foods. Stickers are magical with small children. They can motivate, reward and surprise. They can be used in so many ways and there are so many fun types of sticker to choose from. I love, and always have from classroom to hometime, Super Stickers!

Song/Story Sack
Here’s my song sack
Here’s my song sack
What’s inside?
What’s inside?
Esther put your hand in
Esther put your hand in
Sing a song
Sing a song
Esther got a song sack for Christmas inspired by her Reception Class Teacher who uses such a sack for music lessons and carpet time at school. The cloth bag contains a range of puppets and soft toys to inspire the singing of songs and rhymes. Esther loves to play the teacher and she also loves to use the props to sing us lots of songs. I think the song sack is a wonderful idea. We use it to choose songs to sing, we have added lots of props of our own and so now we can use the sack to choose a song, a rhyme or a story. A fantastic idea and resource that can be adapted for children of all ages.

Feely Bag
There are so many ways to use a feely bag. You can buy one or make one, any cloth bag will do or a decorated box could become your feely box. You can use feely bags with children of all ages starting with baby. It is great for sensory activities and recognising objects by how they feel. It is great for exploring shape and developing speaking and listening skills, also good for practising turn taking and helping children become good problem solvers.

Picture Story Books
You can never have too many picture books in my opinion. When I was at university my dissertation was about the use of picture books with older key stage two children. I would love to now do a Masters in Children’s Literature and again focus on the power of the picture book. I am going to be writing a lot about books on my blog this year and how they can be used in creative ways to explain complex things to young children and grown ups too.

Puppet/s
Every good teacher needs a puppet.

Puppets have so much value in any play and education setting
The best baby and toddler classes we have attended have used puppets to encourage children to join in
At the moment we go to Spanish lessons that feature lots of wonderful puppets to encourage the children to practice their new vocabulary
In the classroom I always had naughty puppets so that the children could tell them the right way to behave or to do something
I always had a shy puppet so that the children could be their voice
I now use similar techniques with Esther and William
And they love it
We have some books with puppets inside and these are very popular
We have puppets to tell the stories of famous picture books
Puppets are great for getting children to talk
Puppets encourage children to ask questions
Puppets teach children about social interaction
Puppets give children the opportunity to develop a character and tell a story
We use puppets as props for storytelling and for songs

Every good teacher needs a puppet.

Ball
Using a ball in the classroom requires planning and caution and a class who can understand the rules and participate safely. Using a ball to choose a person to speak next in a discussion is great fun. You can also stick sounds to a ball for phonics games, or questions to a ball to reflect on learning. If you are not confident throwing a ball with your class, you could roll a colourful beach ball instead.

Cloak
A cloak can be used to change your character in an instant. Great for drama and role play, magical for storytelling, fantastic for getting children to share their own work while wearing the magical cloak. I am a fan of all things that can be used to change the feel of a classroom for a while, adding sparkle, awe and wonder. With the cloak I would definitely also have a magic wand, magic bells and a fairy door!!

Twinkl Subscription
For display materials and classroom resources, you cannot go wrong with Twinkl
You can read my review of their service here

Tuff Spot
Everyone should have a Tuff Spot, at least one! You can find ideas and inspiration for yours here

Messy Play Ingredients Chest
At our house we have a cupboard but for school I would have a chest that could easily be accessed and moved around

Glue Gun

Staple Gun

Hole Punch

Laminator

Guillotine

Book of Poetry
Poems are great to pull out when you have an unexpected five minutes
I have loved Please Mrs Butler for as long as I can remember, I also like all The Works collections too. Great to have in a collection ready for use at anytime.

Book of Short Stories
I recommend Short and The Story Shop

Book of Thunks!
Questions to get pupils and teachers thinking. I also love Would You Rather books for time fillers that make you think and get even the most reserved children talking.

Spotify Playlists
Music is a powerful tool in teaching and learning. It is also great fun. Music can be used to speed children up, slow them down. I love having special music for tidy up time, music for handwriting, a countdown song for getting ready for PE. Children love to work to music in art and design. Music should be incorporated to different elements of the day not just saved for music lessons or song time. There are some great ideas here and here.

Patience, Understanding and a Sense of Humour
Perhaps the most important tools of all. Keep these to hand, keep them plenitful and in good condition and you will not go far wrong. In the classroom or at home.

These things would make up my teacher toolkit. I would love to know what would be in yours.

If you would like to know more about the kind of teacher I am and would be, you can read my personal statement here. It is one of the most popular posts on my blog.

I definitely have the bug again.

The education bug again.

I definitely have the bug!

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