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Postcard Exchanges

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This fall, we have been participating in a post card exchange that was organized by Teach Preschool on Facebook. In order to participate, we needed to send postcards about our hometown/state to a number of other preschools/daycares/homeschools around the country and in some cases around the world. We spent some time learning about where we live, and now we are having a great time learning about all of the places where our new postcard friends live.

We opted not to post a map and mark it on the wall, as this is an ongoing project that will last at least 6 weeks. Instead, we are using our large U.S.A. Map floor puzzle when we read our postcards. This way, the children have the opportunity to start learning the shapes of the states and where they belong.
This puzzle has been a favorite for quite some time and our older 3s and 4s have no trouble getting started with it. They can even recognize places they are familiar with.

I love to sit and watch as the younger children's learning is often scaffolded by the the older ones. Look at the box, see where it goes. "Yup!, That's where to put it."


Each of the children chose their favorite post card today:





A big THANK YOU to Deborah at Teach Preschool for organizing this wonderful educational opportunity and to all of the other participating places.
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Anonymous said…
wonderful - wonderful- wonderful ---amazing Amy !
how would i get my dayhome involved in this ?
light and peace
autumn mama
October 28, 2010 at 2:44 PM
Amy A @ Child Central Station said…
Do you follow Teach Preschool on Facebook? I know Deborah was talking about coordinating another exchange at some point. I just signed us up when she mentioned it there. We are also participating in a Where in the World Postcard Exchange that I will update on later hosted by another blogger friend.
October 28, 2010 at 4:26 PM
Anonymous said…
sounds good - i haven't been following teach preschool on facebook... i will try to check it out !

light and peace
October 28, 2010 at 4:34 PM
Deborah said…
How fun - I love seeing the post cards. I plan to stop by our KGTN class this tomorrow and take photos of the cards they have received and then I will blog about it too! I am so glad you joined the exchange and Love the Floor Puzzle - what a great idea!!
October 28, 2010 at 5:53 PM
Pam said…
I see our card in the pictures- Fall in East Texas is all about color and football. We have loved getting cards and sharing with the whole school by displaying them in the hall.
October 28, 2010 at 7:09 PM
Amy A @ Child Central Station said…
Thanks Deborah again for making this possible! The puzzle really helped to make the abstract idea of other places and states a little bit more concrete. A map for preschool children is a very abstract concept, and when they could hold the pieces in their hands it really helped make it more interesting to them. It was also fun to talk about places children have visited and find them on the map before we talked about where the post cards came from.
October 28, 2010 at 7:27 PM
Shanna said…
I am a new follower via blog hop. PLease visit & follow me @ http;//www.mommiesandbeyond.com
choochoo1717@hotmail.com
Have a great weekend!
October 29, 2010 at 1:28 PM
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