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! 

What does literacy look like for infants?

 

Our infant teachers do a FANTASTIC job exposing our littlest learners to print. Children see their names, colors, shapes, numbers, etc. throughout the classroom displayed at eye level. Goals for early literacy include knowing the correct direction to hold a book, knowing to turn pages, and knowing to scan the pages before turning again. As they get older, they'll learn to ask questions about the pictures and eventually be able to tell the story in their own words. Early comprehension starts in your lap! Thank you, teachers, for consistent and engaging circle times! You make us proud!

Class Thankfulness Tree

 

With Thanksgiving approaching quickly our school decided to make class thankfulness trees! Each class designed their own tree to display for families and other staff members to read and enjoy. It's very heartwarming to have conversations about gratitude and thankfulness with children. Its a concept that can be hard to grasp at such a young age, but our teachers are doing a great job involving the kids in many activities that allow them to express their thankfulness. It is our hopes that the parents will read their comments and know how thankful their kids are for them and the lives that they provide for them. 

Community Helpers Week!

 Our Frog Street Curriculum is focused on community helpers this week. Thankfully for us, the fire station in our neighborhood was able to come out and give us all an up-close tour of their truck and talk to us about what they do, fire safety, and their tools/gear! The children got to look at all the lights and even touch the jackets of the firemen! It was an exciting morning! Thank you Fire Station #3! 

Enrichment! learning all about the human body

 

Miss Shellie and the kids are making their way through their human body unit! Today they learned all about blood vessels. In previous lessons they've talked about our lungs and making healthy food choices! Shellie does a wonderful job creating lessons and demonstrations that really stick with these kiddos! Thanks for all you do Miss Shellie! 

Fall Fun

This fall at school has been full of fun! As teachers we know of the responsibility that we carry to make this time of year magical! We have various sensory bins set up to engage all of our age groups, a pumpkin decorating contest, and scarecrow dress up day! Needless to say, smiles are easy to come by around here! 

National Children's Health Month

 

October is National Children's Health Month! We have a lot planned to highlight many ways to maintain a healthy lifestyle! Here you will see many of our age groups and how they practice physical activity each day at school. In addition to our scheduled outside time, we often utilize our enrichment space and gross motor area for physical activity daily. Later this week, we have a healthy snack planned for a grab-n-go and a dental health sensory bin to offer! Staying healthy is lots of fun! 

  

Family Engagement!

 

This week we had two fun after school events planned! Our children are LOVING the book fair and having such a great time viewing and choosing books with their parents! Another fun activity that we did was celebrating National Chocolate Milk Day! Cartons of milk to-go with fun straws! We love a good Grab & Go around here! 

Learning to Set the Table

Social Emotional development is very important for toddlers. Today our Toddler 3 class is working on meal time routines and manners. After reading and interacting with a story focused on homes, families, and routines, the class engaged in play! You will see the toddlers setting the table and sitting for a meal together. Dramatic/imaginary play is a key element in play at this stage. You will see them pouring for themselves and their friends and also using utensils. Another important skill is learning something new and applying it across settings. I love that they read the book and then had the opportunity to show what they know! Our teachers are working hard to incorporate real-life learning into everyday! 

 

Attributes of Shapes!

Let's talk shapes! Preschool 3 is being exposed to many different shapes as they work to learn the different attributes. They are making shape collages, using play-dough to make shape cookies, and making pictures using shape tiles! Not only are they identifying shapes and learning the names, but they are also developing language such as sides and edges. Building a foundational knowledge of sorting and identifying attributes is a skill that children will continue to develop and apply as they progress through school. Starting early gives our little learners great exposure for their future math goals!  

Here are my eyes!

Toddler 4 had a blast looking at themselves and discovering their eyes! Each child looked closely at his or her eyes and discussed their eye color with Ms. Avery. Once they understood their eye color, they worked together as a group to find friends that had the same color eye as them. I love that this activity involves building community among the students, while also embracing what makes each child unique to themselves! Way to go Toddler 4!