Our PreSchool Blog

Follow Along!
  • Bugs, Bugs, Bugs

    Spring is the perfect season to do an insect study.  The toddlers have painted, colored, and created  insect crafts.  We have read stories and sang songs about butterflies and bumblebees.  We have also played some fun games that reinforce counting and color recognition.

     

  • Rainbow Rice, Shape Review, and The Very Hungry Caterpillar

    Rainbow rice is the new sensory material for our sensory bins.  Fun exploration for our toddlers (and siblings too)!

     

    Our Shape Review included lacing button shapes, shape match- up mat, shape collage, shape cards complete with an interactive zoom to give live feedback, shape stories, and more!

    Our live zoom also included some gross motor bean bag fun!

    Eric Carle’s The Very Hungry Caterpillar is a classic favorite for all.  I read the story via video and retold the story using magnets.  The toddlers were provided with materials to craft their own caterpillar and fun temporary tattoos too!

     

    Distance Learning Creative Tots Toddler Style:

     

     

    The geese are wondering where the tots are!  We miss you!

  • Winter in the Toddler Room!

    The toddler class is making the most of our time indoors on these cold days.  We have enjoyed some extra center time, baked, painted, crafted, crawled through an arctic cave and bounced “snowballs” on the parachute!

    Sensory play supports language and cognitive growth, fine motor skills, and problem solving skills.  It aids in enhancing memory functioning and  is great for calming.  The sensory tub and discovery bins are popular in our room.  This is truly hands-on learning!

    We provide an environment that is safe and interactive.  Learning centers allow children to understand the social world, develop communication skills, and build relationships.  Our classroom is designed as an invitation to play and explore.

    Our dramatic play center was converted into a veterinarian office.  The toddlers enjoy pretending to take care of the puppies.  They use new vocabulary, take turns, and get a little puppy snuggle.

    Creating is important for the toddlers.  They improve their fine motor skills, experimenting with materials is the foundation for science, and it provides a sense of pride which boosts self confidence.  We often do crafts in small groups which allows for instruction and discussion of shapes, colors, letters, counting, and theme vocabulary.

    Cooking with children provides practical experience with many skills such as following directions and measuring.  It helps toddlers develop fine motor skills, eye hand coordination and even early concepts of math and science.  We make chocolate chip muffins when talking about the letter M then oatmeal cookies when focusing on the letter O.  The toddlers also tasted chicken soup with rice after reading the book by Maurice Sendak.  Fun process – yummy product!

    Large motor skills helps children gain strength and confidence in his/her body.  It also helps them to get exercise and physical activity, which is important for a healthy lifestyle.  The toddlers love to play outside but the parachute and tunnel are a special treat!