Thank you to everyone who came out on Friday for our first annual Harvest Festival! We are so lucky to have such wonderful families here at Tots and we always look forward to the times we get to spend with everyone outside of the classroom. There were some GREAT costumes! Thanks everyone!
Feeding the Goats
AARG!
Apple Prints
Dinosaur Fun
Happy Halloween!
Feeding the Bunny
With a cherry on top....
Memories for a Lifetime!
As a farewell to Fall and the month of October, the PreK class explored the interesting parts of some of our classroom’s pumpkins. We opened up some of our Science Center’s ghords and pumpkins and learned about each one of their different parts. From the gooey pulp inside and the curving ribbed lines outside, we really enjoyed taking a closer look at the pumpkins. Once we were finished exploring the kids were given lables and their own picture of a pumpkin. Together we takled about all of its parts and put each lable next to its corresponding part. We also have our pumpkins and ghords in the sensory table this week, the children can have one last chance to scoop out the seeds and gooey insides!
taking inventory
the anatomy of a pumpkin
The Preschool class had a great time today working together to make our class pumpkin and bat, but it was no easy task! We had one very large white pumpkin and an oversized white bat that needed coloring in, however we didn’t use crayons, markers, or paint for this job! We got out our scissor and started snipping away at strips of orange and black paper. Each time we made a snip with our scissors we were able to add a small piece of color to our pumpkin and bat. Leaving a patch of white was out of the question, so the preschoolers put their developing fine motor skills to the test and worked very hard at getting the color just right. The PreK class was happy to help in finishing up during their afternoon class. It was a TEAM effort by all and we had a great time making them!
This week we have some creepy, crawly, colorful spiders in our sensory table. There are over 100 spiders hiding in the table and the children love searching for the small creatures. Once they’ve found a colorful spider they place it in the corresponding color bucket with the tongs. This spooky spider activity is great for a our fine motor skills!
Today in small groups we used our fine motor skills to string a bead pattern onto our halloween necklaces. Fine motor muscles are very important small muscles located in your child’s hands that need to be developed in order to hold a pencil properly and attain the ability to write successfully and without difficulty. Scissor activities also help build these muscles needed to write. If you find your child having trouble holding scissors properly, holding a crayon or large marker incorrectly, small muscles activities are needed to help build the muscles. We include these activities into our daily curriculum through scissor “skill” activities, prewriting activities, playdough activities, through the use of stickers (it takes these small muscles in the hand to peel the stickers off the paper), beading, and the use of tongs in the sensory tables and center games…etc. Click on any of the pictures for other small motor activity ideas. Have fun!
Reading My Pattern
I did it!
Checking My Work
Stringing a Pattern
Preschoolers are ready for many mathematical discoveries. If you provide them with opportunities, then they will learn. Preschool is a terrific time to lay the groundwork for mathematical thinking and understanding. One core mathematical understanding is patterning. We continued to practice our patterning skills today with Halloween Bats and Ghosts! The children are gaining a better understanding of patterning but it is still a work in progress! Practice makes perfect 
ABB Pattern
AAB Pattern
AB Patter
ABB Pattern
AB Pattern
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