Dinner's On Us!

For the littlest family members, having dinner at the table with parents does several awesome things. First, it helps promote language skills as you talk with them about their day. It also helps them develop patience and dexterity through the use of utensils. And it helps them develop social skills that include manners and taking turns. 

We take pride in family meals at our school, which is why we offer breakfast for our families each and every morning. Last Friday, we took it a step further and provided DINNER for our families as well. 

They grow up so fast. Make memories around the dinner table, while you can!

Families leaving with their pizzas!

Mrs. Laura...boxing up pizzas!

Pizza and breadsticks. Yum!

The Magic of Hand Puppet Play

Hand Puppets are ideal for developing speaking and listening skills. Children often communicate more easily with puppets, giving them confidence to express their ideas and feelings. Shy children can become acquainted with others through the roles they take on. Children are free to try on new personalities and take them off again, with a puppet on their hand, broadening their own in the process. Scary animal hand puppets like lions and sharks or shy ones such as a tortoise can help children master uncomfortable feelings. Puppet play provides an opportunity to gain some control over their world by working out fears and frustrations.

Hand Puppets are a natural and fun extension of the pretend play that young children engage in so readily. With a little encouragement from our teachers, hand puppets help our students develop some important learning skills. Hand Puppet play is imaginative and open-ended and equally freeing for our teachers! 

We encourage all of our families to put on a puppet show at home. Puppets can be made out of socks, t-shirts, brown paper bags, and more! Don't forget the puppet theater. The magic lies there! 

 

Valentine's Day 2k18!

No one is quite sure where the origins of Valentine's Day first came from. There were at least three Saint Valentine's from the early Catholic Church who were martyrs. The day of St. Valentine could have been named after any one of them. The day became associated with romance sometime in the Middle Ages. In the 1300s English poet Geoffrey Chaucer wrote a poem that linked the day with love. In the 18th century sending romantic cards on Valentine's Day became very popular. People made elaborate handmade cards with ribbons and lace. They also began to use hearts and cupids as decorations. The holiday spread to the United States and in 1847 the first mass produced Valentine's cards were made by entrepreneur Esther Howland. 

Couples generally celebrate the day with gifts and going out to dinner. Traditional gifts include cards, flowers, and chocolates. Decorations for Valentine's Day are generally in red and pink colors and include hearts, Cupid with his arrow, and red roses. Cupid is a popular symbol of the holiday because in mythology his arrow strikes the heart of people and causes them to fall in love. In the United States children often exchange Valentine's Day cards with their classmates. These are usually just fun, silly cards or about friendship rather than romantic love.

Whatever the true story behind Valentine's Day may be, we love the hearts, candy, parties, and spreading love at Seaboard Lane! 

Mardi Gras 2018!

The term Mardi Gras can often refer to the two weeks leading up to the final day which is called Mardi Gras Day or Fat Tuesday. The Monday before is sometimes called Fat Monday or Lundi Gras. The celebration goes by different names throughout the world. Other names include Pancake Day, Fat Tuesday, Shrove Tuesday, and the Tuesday of Carnival. Pancake Day comes from England where it was common tradition to use up all the eggs, milk, and butter in the kitchen prior to Ash Wednesday. These ingredients were often used to make pancakes. The official colors for the holiday are green, gold, and purple. Green stands for faith, gold stands for power, and purple stands for justice. Private clubs called krewes organize the events and parades in New Orlean

Read more at: http://www.ducksters.com/holidays/mardi_gras.php
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The term Mardi Gras can often refer to the two weeks leading up to the final day which is called Mardi Gras Day or Fat Tuesday. The Monday before is sometimes called Fat Monday or Lundi Gras. The celebration goes by different names throughout the world. Other names include Pancake Day, Fat Tuesday, Shrove Tuesday, and the Tuesday of Carnival. Pancake Day comes from England where it was common tradition to use up all the eggs, milk, and butter in the kitchen prior to Ash Wednesday. These ingredients were often used to make pancakes. The official colors for the holiday are green, gold, and purple. Green stands for faith, gold stands for power, and purple stands for justice. Private clubs called krewes organize the events and parades in New Orlean

Read more at: http://www.ducksters.com/holidays/mardi_gras.php
This text is Copyright © Ducksters. Do not use without permission.

The term Mardi Gras can often refer to the two weeks leading up to the final day which is called Mardi Gras Day or Fat Tuesday. The Monday before is sometimes called Fat Monday or Lundi Gras. The celebration goes by different names throughout the world. Other names include Pancake Day, Fat Tuesday, Shrove Tuesday, and the Tuesday of Carnival. Pancake Day comes from England where it was common tradition to use up all the eggs, milk, and butter in the kitchen prior to Ash Wednesday. These ingredients were often used to make pancakes. The official colors for the holiday are green, gold, and purple. Green stands for faith, gold stands for power, and purple stands for justice. Private clubs called krewes organize the events and parades in New Orleans.

Read more at: http://www.ducksters.com/holidays/mardi_gras.php
This text is Copyright © Ducksters. Do not use without permission.

The term Mardi Gras can often refer to the two weeks leading up to the final day which is called Mardi Gras Day or Fat Tuesday. The Monday before is sometimes called Fat Monday or Lundi Gras. The celebration goes by different names throughout the world. Other names include Pancake Day, Fat Tuesday, Shrove Tuesday, and the Tuesday of Carnival. Pancake Day comes from England where it was common tradition to use up all the eggs, milk, and butter in the kitchen prior to Ash Wednesday. These ingredients were often used to make pancakes. The official colors for the holiday are green, gold, and purple. Green stands for faith, gold stands for power, and purple stands for justice. Private clubs called krewes organize the events and parades in New Orleans.

Read more at: http://www.ducksters.com/holidays/mardi_gras.php
This text is Copyright © Ducksters. Do not use without permission.

The term Mardi Gras can often refer to the two weeks leading up to the final day which is called Mardi Gras Day or Fat Tuesday. The Monday before is sometimes called Fat Monday or Lundi Gras. The celebration goes by different names throughout the world. Other names include Pancake Day, Fat Tuesday, Shrove Tuesday, and the Tuesday of Carnival. Pancake Day comes from England where it was common tradition to use up all the eggs, milk, and butter in the kitchen prior to Ash Wednesday. These ingredients were often used to make pancakes. The official colors for the holiday are green, gold, and purple. Green stands for faith, gold stands for power, and purple stands for justice. Private clubs called krewes organize the events and parades in New Orleans.

Read more at: http://www.ducksters.com/holidays/mardi_gras.php
This text is Copyright © Ducksters. Do not use without permission.\

At the Academy of Seaboard Lane, we strive to celebrate, explore, and introduce all of our students to various cultures, customs, and traditions. This week, we celebrated Mardi Gras!

The history of Mardi Gras can be traced back to the Middle Ages. During these times people would eat heartily the night before they had to start fasting on Ash Wednesday. Mardi Gras was introduced to Louisiana when French-Canadian explorer Jean Baptiste Le Moyne Sieur de Bienville landed just south of today's New Orleans on March 2, 1699. Since it was the night before Mardi Gras, he named the landing area "Point du Mardi Gras". In 1703 the first Mardi Gras was celebrated at the small settlement of Fort Louis de la Mobile.

The history of Mardi Gras can be traced back to the Middle Ages. During these times people would eat heartily the night before they had to start fasting on Ash Wednesday. Other traditions sprang up during the Middle Ages including the serving of the king's cake in 12th century France. In early England, this day was a religious day where people confessed their sins in order to get ready for Lent. Mardi Gras was introduced to Louisiana when French-Canadian explorer Jean Baptiste Le Moyne Sieur de Bienville landed just south of today's New Orleans on March 2, 1699. Since it was the night before Mardi Gras, he named the landing area "Point du Mardi Gras". In 1703 the first Mardi Gras was celebrated at the small settlement of Fort Louis de la Mobile.

Read more at: http://www.ducksters.com/holidays/mardi_gras.php
This text is Copyright © Ducksters. Do not use without permission.

The term Mardi Gras can often refer to the two weeks leading up to the final day which is called Mardi Gras Day or Fat Tuesday. The Monday before is sometimes called Fat Monday or Lundi Gras. The celebration goes by different names throughout the world. Other names include Pancake Day, Fat Tuesday, Shrove Tuesday, and the Tuesday of Carnival. The official colors for the holiday are green, gold, and purple. Green stands for faith, gold stands for power, and purple stands for justice. Private clubs called krewes organize the events and parades in New Orleans.

We celebrated Mardi Gras/Fat Tuesday with fun masks, colorful beads, lots of noise makers, and a giant school-wide parade! 

Monthly School Family Meeting

Every month we get our entire school family (our teachers and support staff) together for a meeting. This month's meeting was centered around vision boards and overall goals for our teachers and their classrooms. All of our teachers presented their boards and brought us all to tears, displaying their passion and love for early childhood education. Some teachers listed eating healthier to be a better example for their students. Others listed things such as more arts and crafts, more listening, and more outside of work learning to perfect their crafts. Whatever their goals may be, we are excited to watch and see what becomes of 2018 for our entire staff!

Astronauts in Training

Last week, our friends in Pre K went on their first ever space mission.
Their mission was to apply all the knowledge they learned about space last week to complete a special set of tasks. All parents, grandparents, cousins, neighbors, and friends were invited to watch! Here's a few snapshots of some of the tasks they had to complete.

One task was to collect moon rocks!

Each friend had a chance to choose a planet to visit and blast off in the rocket ship!

Collecting moon rocks!

Collecting moon rocks!

Another task included sliding down the slide and balancing on the anti-gravity balance beam.

Ready for take off in her spacesuit!

Fun on the anti-gravity balance beam!

We LOVE science!

Fostering a love for science begins early. Science explorations teach children the skills and vocabulary they need to make great scientists. Preschoolers learn best by doing, and we encourage our budding scientists by teaching important science words and concepts that all scientists use.


Our friends in Preschool 3 put on their scientist thinking caps and conducted a cool experiment. They made CRYSTALS! They were so engaged in the activity, that they didn't even realize all of the learning they were actually doing.

Here are some of the new words they learned during their exploration:
Observe:
Our preschoolers find many science concepts fascinating, but they learn more about the concepts if they learn to observe closely. We teach our students how to use all their senses to observe the world around them by noticing differences and similarities about the size, color, shapes and location of any object they collect.
Explore:
We show our preschoolers how to learn science by exploring. While exploring science can sometimes get a little messy, it will helps them one use their natural curiosity to learn more.
Experiment:
We let our students know that they can formulate their own questions and use experiments to find out the answers.

Growing crystals!

So surprised at the outcome of their experiment!