Our PreSchool Blog

children created and extended their own patterns

Our focus in math during the month of November is patterning.  The children were introduced to patterning last year during their preschool classes and this year the children are creating their own patterns and extending them independently.  The children used different types of manipulatives today to create various patterns.  Some children were still most comfortable doing a simple AB pattern based on color while some children created more complicated patterns based on size or type of animal (using the pet manipulatives set).  Using everyday objects in the kitchen are a great way to reinforce patterning at home.

counting pegs

The children have been practicing their counting with these wonderful counting peg boards.  This activity is great for practicing number recognition and one to one correspondence.  We also talked about the color of each peg.  The kids were using their fine motor skills all morning long as they practiced their counting!

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!

Rhyming Game at Our Literacy Center

Block-Rock

Truck-Duck

We introduced the topic of rhyming last week in Preschool.  Rhyming is a tougher concept to learn than many people think.  Some children pick up on it very quickly while other need a lot of practice.  We played a rhyming matching game in small groups and the children now have the opportunity to play the game independently at the Literacy Center during free choice time.

Why do we teach rhyming words? Of course they’re fun to say, but the concept provides educational benefits as well. Learning word families that sound and end the same help with decoding words in text as your child begins to read. If a child knows the word “cat” and she understands word families (or rhyming words), she will likely be able to figure out words such as hat, sat, bat and mat as she reads.  Preschool is a wonderful time to introduce the concept of a rhyme so that later when word families are introduced, the concept will be easily understood.

Picture books with rhyming patterns are easy to find on the shelves of the library and offer a fun way to introduce the concept of rhyming. As you read the book to your child, emphasize the rhyming words. After you have read the book, mention that it contains pairs of words that sound the same. After rereading the first line with rhyming words, ask your kids to identify the pair that sounds the same. Continue reading, asking them to listen for rhyming pairs. A stop sign cut from red construction paper is a fun way for them to let you know they hear a pair. When they hear two words that sound the same in the text, the stop sign goes up so you can identify the pair. Here are some Books that are full of rhyming words to get you started:

• Dr. Seuss books
• Books by Sandra Boynton
• Chicka Chicka Boom Boom
• Each Peach Pear Plum by Janet Ahlberg
• Sheep in a Jeep by Nancy Shaw
• Down by the Bay by Raffi

Your  librarian can suggest more rhyming books that are at the correct age level for your children.

Horse Pose

We started using our new Yoga mats this week and we love them!  Children can gain enormous benefits from yoga.  Our yoga program encourages children to be children. This is so very important in the academic world we live in today.  During yoga class they have the opportunity to imitate animals and nature through music and movement.  Children love to use their imaginations, create and explore. Yoga gives them an opportunity to use their imaginations as they relax, play and dance.  It also encourages their natural abilities and interests, while helping them to develop strength, flexibility and an overall sense of well being.

balloon dipping and the letter "Bb"

Thursday morning we used balloons for an art project to reinforce our letter of the week!  The kids were able to dip balloons into purple and yellow paint to make balloon prints on their papers!  As they pushed the balloon onto the paper we made the letter B sound.

teaching letters with balloon prints

During the Early 3’s class, Walter has decided to do an activity from the science/math shelf.  For this activity Walter is using the different circle cards to match them to his circle mat.

counting and shape matching with the shape mat

little chef

When your child takes center stage for Show and Tell, he or she is learning by doing. The experience is designed to teach and reinforce skills your child will use throughout life, like talking, explaining, and logical and creative thinking. By guiding your child in choosing an item to talk about, you can be sure the experience stimulates the youngster’s imagination.

Show and Tell works better when kids take items that aren’t toys. After all, most toys aren’t news; children play with them at home and school every day. Your child’s presentation will be much more exciting – to him or her and to the audience – if it’s about a post card or letter received in the mail, for example, or something made at home with Mom or Dad.

Other cool items to send: a photograph of a favorite person or from a special trip, a non-toy gift from a relative or friend, a one-page story you and your child have made up together, a picture of Mom or Dad as a child, or a natural object from outdoors, like a piece of quartz or a big pine cone.

Also, consider helping your child prepare a short talk that doesn’t need a “prop.” Why not tell about last year’s vacation or a day of helping with yard work, or make an entirely imaginary tale? It doesn’t have to take a lot of time to get ready. A little creative thinking makes it fun for everyone.

Remember these ways to help: Start early to choose something to tell about. Think ahead about what to say about the item. Maybe even rehearse a bit with your child. You’ll be glad you got involved.

how many cookies in the cookie jar?

Today at our manipulative table, we set out cookie jars with the numbers 1-5 on them.  The kids had fun putting the corresponding number of cookies in each jar.  Here is Eve putting five cookies into her cookie jar and counting each one as she put them in!  The cookies also had a certain number of chocolate chips on them which was good practice for counting.

Today the kids have loved playing with the birthday cakes and candles!  Putting the candles into the cake is a wonderful way for the children to practice their fine motor skills.  Each cake has a different number on the front of it which is great for counting how many candles go on each cake.  We had a lot of birthday candles blown out today!