Process Art in Preschool 4

 

Never be afraid to get messy! Today in Preschool 4 the kids worked on a really fun process art activity. Process art allows the children to learn through discovery and exploration. They use unusual tools and their own creative techniques for making art as they focus more on the process rather than the outcome. While doing this, children are developing skills like critical thinking and problem solving. Learning how things work by doing! We love this form of play and love getting messy!

Together in Peace

 In recognition of MLK day this week classes were encouraged to have conversations about topics like diversity, peace, inclusion, love, and dreams. As teachers, we have the power to influence our future citizens and decision makers. We have the responsibility to have the conversations and expose them to a world that isn't always nice. With that, comes our job to encourage their contribution to this world to be a good one. One that makes a difference and leaves a mark. One of kindness and love. This is what it looked like this week! I love the learning that happened this week. 

Building Houses for the 3 Little Pigs

 

Our Frog Street theme this week was The 3 Little Pigs! Preschool 2 worked very hard applying their knowledge from the story to their structures in real life! After hearing the story read aloud throughout the week, the children were given the opportunity to collect materials from nature that could be used to build a house that would keep the three little pigs safe. They collected materials like rocks, sticks, leaves, and classroom materials such as aluminum foil. Next they worked together to plan and construct a house for the pigs. When asked about their choices of materials, children were able to explain that leaves are too easy to blow down, but rocks are hard and tough. We love seeing the real life application that comes to fruition after a week of instruction. Children are using new vocabulary and are able to elaborate on their projects showing proof of their learning! How exciting is it to see the foundations of learning applied at such a young age! We are proud of the hard-work and intentionality of our teachers and students. 

Sound and Rhythm

 

Sound and Rhythm Drumming School came to visit us and we learned so much! This week in class we have been listening to music from around the world and learning how to move our bodies to the beat! Today we had a special visitor, Mr. Clifford, that demonstrated many different types of instruments for us. We saw drums from Africa, instruments that you shake, strike, scrape, and much more! We even had the chance to play a few of his drums! This experience is helpful to us because tomorrow we will be making our very own instruments to keep in our classroom! I wonder what we will come up with!  

Festive Fun for all ages

 

As we walked down the halls today, are hearts were filled with so much joy. At the beginning of December, I tasked our teachers to make this season magical for our children. They have truly blown me away with their effort and commitments to packing in as much fun as they can before sending the kiddos off for a fun little break! Today the children played dreidel and will get to take home their own game pieces and chocolate coins! The toddlers learned about winter and painted their own trees covered with snow! Many classes created washi tape menorahs, too! Finally, we used gift wrapping bows of many sizes to do measuring activities! A variety of lessons were taught with this one simple item! We saw children measuring items around the room, grouping/sorting according to size and/or color, and even measuring themselves! I loved see our infants involved with this! 

Holiday Celebrations

 

Today our friends celebrated the holiday season together! We ate yummy food, played dreidel, did book exchanges, and so much more! 

Decking the Halls!

 

Our teachers have exhausted their creative energy making our hallways as festive as EVER! We have had so many rainy days lately and the kids have loved getting into the holiday spirit with all the crafts and activities that they teachers have planned. Stay tuned for more fun pictures as one post just could not fit it all!  

Christmas Around The World

 Ms. Alexis in Pre-K 1 is sharing holiday traditions from around the world with her students. They started with La Befana, a folktale from Italy. The Christmas Witch can by and left goodies in the shoes of sleeping children. I can't wait to see what tradition the explore next! 

 

Why is the Sky Blue?

 

Miss Shellie taught us a great lesson focusing on the color spectrum and answered the question of  "Why is the sky blue?". The demonstration included milk (the atmosphere) and water (the air). She placed a prism and flash light to the side of her model to show what happens to colors as the sun sets. Science demonstrations are always super engaging for the children. Not only do they get a great lesson, but they are also developing skills like speaking and listening and concentration. 

Learning Our Colors

 

Toddler Three is working on their colors! Teachers have daily buckets of items varying in size and texture with one thing in common... the color YELLOW! The kids are doing a great job exploring and tinkering with all the items. This is a great way to expose them to categorization and language. Thank you, Teachers! 

Three Billy Goats Gruff - Circle Time and Learning Tables

In Pre-K 2 students are extending their circle time lesson into learning tables. They read 3 Billy Goats Gruff as a whole group. Afterwards, students divided into small group for various related activities. In the pictures you will see a literacy activity where children are building the word 'bridge' out of blocks. Children also participated in a stem activity where they were able to use teamwork to build a bridge and test the strength using beans. Lastly, students played a bridge gross motor game where their friends traveled under the bridge just like the characters in the story. Developmental goals such as real-life application, story re-telling, and problem solving, and collaboration are all practiced through these activities. Thank you teachers for the thoughtful and intentional planning.  

 

Donate What You CAN!

 

Our Food Drive is off to a great start! We love the engagement from families and teachers! We have our boxes set up and ready to go at the front of the school and the can are rollin' in! This weeks teachers have discussed the topic of giving back with their students. They know that giving back can look many different ways from donating cans this week to helping out at home! Teachers have helped them create signs and videos to encourage parents to bring in items. The class with the most items at the end of the month will win a PIZZA PARTY! We can't wait to announce the winner!