Our PreSchool Blog

We were stuck inside most of the day today so we thought we would bring some summer fun into the classroom!  During small groups today the children took to the pools and created their own water by cutting small strips of various colors of blue construction paper.  It was a HIT!  The children have mastered scissor safety and were very responsible with the way in which they controlled the scissors while in the pools to keep themselves and their friends safe.  Way to go everyone!

The children have been hard at work putting the finishing touches on their special holiday gifts for their families!  Just a sneak peek of our little elves at work for all of you.  Homemade gifts from our little ones are a true gift from the heart.  They can’t wait to bring them home!

Hand Made Wrapping Paper

Hmmm...what could we be creating with our Blocks?

We have been learning about the number ten this week.  We have learned a new song about the number ten and also how to spell it!  We also had the chance to use yummy marshmallows to outline the number ten while working our small motor muscles in our hands and number recognition for number ten.

As the winter weather quickly begins to come upon us, please remember that WE WILL GO OUTSIDE FOR RECESS IF THE TEMPERATURE IS ABOVE 32 DEGREES.  Giving the children a break from the structure of the classroom and an opportunity to be physically active is a vital part of our day.

Please remember to dress your children appropriately for the weather- no skirts without tights or slip on shoes without socks.  One very important thing to remember is a hat and mittens. WE ASK THAT YOU SEND MITTENS WITH YOUR CHILD IN LIEU OF GLOVES. Imagine, if you will, putting on 24 pairs of gloves onto 48 individual itty bitty preschool size hands.  It is, to say the least, very time consuming and takes up some of their playtime outside.  Please purchase mittens for school to help us with the preparation for recess.  In advance THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU FROM ALL OF US!

Fun with Friends

"Traffic Jam"

Friends are Forever

Chair Pose

Clock Pose

Ms. Laurel visited our classroom today for Yoga!  We had a great time singing (of course) Tick Tock Little Yoga Clock.  The kids FAVORITE song and yoga pose of all times!  They worked on all of their animals poses and learned the new Chair Pose.  The kids have loved using the new yoga mats and all the new songs Ms. Laurel has introduced this year during yoga!

Nice Work Will!

We practiced our scissor skills today using our yummy smelling gingerbread play-dough.  It’s important to remember  to keep the thumb pointing up to the sky, not letting our hands turn in upside down.  Scissor activities help develop the small muscles in your child’s hand that are important for writing.  Cutting letters out of magazines is a great activity to do at home on a cold winter evening.  Add a glue stick and some construction paper stapled together and you have everything you need to make your own letter book!  Have fun!

Great Job, Logan!

Our annual art has come and gone, but here are some pics to enjoy.  We really appreciate everyone joining us to celebrate all of the wonderful artwork the children had displayed.  They worked so hard and we LOVED seeing the kids take center state for the night!  We thank Ms. Penny for all of her hard work for the show AND with the children!

Dancing Moon and Running Deer came to visit us today to teach us all about the Southwest Native Americans.  We had the opportunity to pop the dry corn kernals off the cob and grind them on a matate.  A matate is the large stone on which the grain is placed. A mano is a smaller stone used to grind corn or other grains. It is rolled over the matate to break down the grains into a powder.  The powder is then used to cook many different things with.  We talked about all the different uses the native americans had for corn then we husked our own piece of cooked corn and enjoyed it as a snack.

Running Deer showed us all of the different types of tools and weapons that were used to hunt and provide food for the native american families.  We also got to see and feel a real deer fur and antlers along with a fox fur and skunk fur!  We explored and dressed up in native american jewelry and clothing and had a chance to make our very own piece of jewelry.  We learned that native americans would have used many different things to make their jewelry including shells, feathers, animal claws other things they would find in the area where they lived.

We learned that native americans did not have books like we do, they had “storytellers,” or people in their tribe that told stories to the young children.  These stories always had a lesson that the children could learn.  Dancing moon told us the story about “How Chipmunk Got His Stripes.”  It was an exciting story that taught us that we should not tease others or to brag about ourselves.  We will be reading other Native American Folk tales later in the week, including How Jackrabbit Got His Long Ears and Kissing Coyotes.  The preK children got to listen to a story on tape about another native american legend…The Legend of the Indian Paintbrush.

Using a Toothpick to Poke "Stars" into our Number Eight

Number Eight Constellations at the Light Table

Our focus this week is the number 8.  The children sat on the floor, placed their paper on the carpet, and used their fine motor muscles to poke holes through the paper along the lines of the number using a toothpick. This is a prewriting activity which allows the preschoolers to begin understanding the skill of writing.  We began at the top of the number (just as we would if we were writing the number with a pencil) and worked our way around to “write” the number.  When they were done, they took their papers to the light table to see the tiny stars in the shape of their number eight revealed.  This is an easy activity to be done at home with letters, names, shapes, or numbers.  You can give your child a flashlight and help them project the object on the wall!