The letter H is one of the easier letters to write. Writing it in crayon, pencil and marker is excellent practice. Writing it in paint makes it a memorable experience. Today, Ms. Lori showed the children how to create a capital H and a lowercase h using art dot painters. The children caught on quickly and enjoyed using these special art utensils!
We explored math today in preschool during small groups. We talked about different constellations (or parts of constellations) during group time and viewed them on the smartboard. Then, we tried our hand at creating our own “Number Constellations.” We used our fine motor skills (important for successful writing in the future) and poked holes in black paper to create different numbers. Then we traveled over to the light table to view our creations.
Math is always a little more fun when there is food involved! This time, we used paper plate pumpkin pies (next Tuesday we will be baking the real thing!). Everyone loves add a little whipped cream to make a pie extra delicious. Using some cotton balls and our imaginations, the boys and girls topped their pies according to the number in the middle of the pie. Ms. Lori challenged the children by starting with lower numbers, then switching them out for higher numbers. By the end of this activity, we were all ready for yummy Thanksgiving treats!
The children kept themselves very busy in small groups today with droppers and paint! We put our fine motor skills to the test with pinching the tops and dropping the paint in just the right spot. The children were very focused and worked hard to use a steady hand. Practicing the pinching, letting go, then pinching again, became easier and easier each time. Once this process was established, the boys and girls were able to focus on how much paint they wanted to suck up in the dropper. Water color paint can be runny on paper, but the children got an excellent fine muscle work out with this process.
From the outside, pumpkins come in all different shapes and sizes. On the inside, they are all the same. During our pumpkin exploration today, the children were able to get oooey gooey with the insides and outsides of a pumpkin. We had two different types: a French pumpkin, also known as a Cinderella pumpkin, and a Hubbard Squash. Using their senses, the children encountered the smell, feel, look and even the taste of the pumpkins. Using tools such as spoons to scoop, and magnifying glasses, our little scientists became pumpkin experts! To follow up our activity, the children had the opportunity to describe their findings using pictures and letters. The children enjoyed sharing their thoughts with one another!
Today, the children got in touch with their creative sides using a cob of corn to roll out some art! Using different textures sparked curiosity and interest. The children had the opportunity to explore the corn a little more in our sensory tub. The corn can be manipulated and plucked off of the cob to follow up this creative art activity. The United States is, by far, the largest corn producer in the world. Here’s to home grown food made in the USA!
This month, as we focus on the letters M and N, the children are working hard to remember the distinct difference between the two. Word associations are a great way to practice. Today, using a word sort, each child identified the picture or letter, decided if it began with a M or N, and then put it in the corresponding bowl. The children learned first hand how tricky some sounds can be!
The preschoolers explored all different types of harvest vegetables from the farm today. Cutting them open we found that some have seeds while others do not. Some are soft and easy to cut through while others are hard and tougher to cut. Some have prickles on the outside leaves and some even have a large pit in the middle! Vegetables of all kinds were the exploration of the day! We had a ball!
Sorting items is usually done by their obvious attributes: shape, and color. Today, Ms. Courtney challenged the children by suggesting different ways to sort squares, and then letting the class decide which way was best. The children came up with the first way: to sort them by color. After that was complete, suggestions were made, and they decided to sort by how many holes were in each square (very clever!).
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.
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