The students made 10 groups of 10 straws and cups to make 100. We have been working on counting to 100 by one’s and by 10’s. Through our exploration of our 100, the students decided today that counting a large number, like 100, is easier when they group the items they are counting, and skip count!
We are excited to announce our Summer Playdate Series! Everyone loves a playdate, but the kids want to have them more than parents like to host them. Let us play host this summer . . . that means no mess, no noise, no cleanup and no negotiations about who gets to come over. We have decided that summertime at Creative Tots should be more about what the kids want. The kids want to play. The kids want to see their friends. The kids have spoken and we have listened. They think that anything to do with “camp” might just be a little too much like school. Let your kids explore they way they are built to explore . . . through playing in the summertime with their friends. So, grab a friend and join us!Throughout the early years of life, children notice and explore mathematical dimensions of their world. They compare quantities, find patterns, navigate in space, and grapple with real problems such as balancing a tall block building or sharing a bowl of crackers fairly with a playmate. Mathematics helps children make sense of their world outside of school and helps them construct a solid foundation for success in school. We used the fun of our season to explore how tall each character was, recorded the data we collected and compared our findings with each other! Learning through exploration allows for meaningful experiences to build future learning on. Learning together is fun!
Phonemic awareness is the ability to notice, think about, and work with the individual sounds in words. We know that a student’s skill in phonemic awareness is a good predictor of later reading success or difficulty. We have continued our study of phonemic awareness through the exploration of word families. Our first word family of focus was the -at family. After becoming familiar with our at family reader, the students enjoyed buddy reading throughout the classroom. Reading and rereading text allows students to become more proficient in fluency and and have more practice with the reading strategies they have learned so far!
Exploring classroom centers is some of our students favorite time of day! We change the centers once a month, and the children are so excited to explore all the new activities and experiences each month. Learning centers are an important part of preschool. Learning centers are defined areas with activities, within a classroom, where children can explore and learn with hands-on materials. Learning centers allow for independently guided play with peers, social interactions and problem solving practice. Research shows that young children learn best through active, hands-on play; learning centers engage children and make learning fun. Children manipulate materials, explore ideas, discover consequences, build, create and express themselves through art. To parents it may look like children are “just playing,” but this is play with a purpose. Through carefully planned learning centers, children learn important concepts and life skills in ways that are meaningful to them.
Notice the “snow” that’s EVERYWHERE? It’s the favorite new center for January…the Antarctic habitat in the sensory table. It may be everywhere…messy is the most fun!
Creative Tots has specialized in the private education of both toddlers and preschool age children for over 15 years. We began in the heart of Madeira and now also have a new Mason location. We are specifically designed to focus on early childhood development for children ages 18 months to 5 years.
Click below to learn more about our program offerings:
