A bit of messy sensory today with our toddlers! Using shaving cream on the table and letting the toddlers use their creativity to move it around and feel it is a great sensory activity. It allows them to feel and create at the same time. Using these two senses at the same time does wonders for their development. This is also an easy activity for at home too!
It's a snowy wonderful Monday here at AOSL! We have lots of kids who stayed home to enjoy the snow day today, however, many came to school ready to enjoy it here as well. Preschool 2 went out this morning to check it out and have a little snow ball fight. It is important for the kids to experience all types of weather and get creative with what they think of it!
Children need to play outside every day, even in winter. Going outside to run, jump, yell, and wiggle allows children to use their large muscles and work off extra energy. Moving out into the fresh air is also healthier for children than keeping them inside a closed building where germs can easily spread. What a fun day!
We love enrichment time! This week we are working on hand & eye coordination as the children use their fine motor skills to grasp a fishing pole, pick up a fish & drop it in a bucket. The kids had a blast with Ms. Shellie with this one!
Painting aids children acquire hand-eye coordination, an important skill in their age. Painting can help children learn sizes, shapes, patterns and designs. These are all critical aspects of their curriculum during pre-school years. Painting helps children develop their decision-making skills as well. It's wonderful to see the imaginations soar with kids as they get creative!
Outside play in an important part of our day at The Academy. We encourage our teachers and staff to play with a purpose while outside with their class. Whether they are doing relays with the push toys, drawing with chalk or racing down the slide. Keeping the children engaged while being physically active does so much for their development.
Baby, it's cold outside... but we still love it! Outdoor play is an important part of our day here at The Academy for all ages. It is important to develop large motor skills so each child can experience the world around them. It promotes cognitive, speech and sensory development so they can complete tasks and functions on their own. Here at The Academy we use it to our full advantage, even on the not-so-hot days!
Preschool 1 is filling their wall space with all their Christmas and holiday art! Letting the kids use their own creativity and different textures of paint, made for some very unconventional trees. Watching the kids' perception of decorations unfold onto their own tree is very inspiring to see.
Preschool 1 was busy serving up their friends this morning! They were using the play food in table centers to act out being servers, cooks and customers. Imaginative play is important at this age. Each individual child has their own idea of how a concept will play out and using this is a great example of how their perception is towards what they see.
With a new season moving in on us, the kids are happy to be doing seasonal crafts! This week they made polar bears in Preschool 3. The kids used a non traditional paint brush, a fork, to spread the paint and be creative with their ideas of how the fur on a polar should look. They also used the pre-cut pieces to design the face and ears. Our Preschool 3 kids really let their creative side come out with this one!!
We love to explore activities that include the multitude of ways Christmas is celebrated around the world. Ms. Kassidy & Ms. Tracie's class played with dreidels that a sweet classmate brought in for everyone! They even enjoyed chocolate coins called gelt. It was so much fun learning about Hanukkah & we are so thankful that Elior was able to share her holiday traditions with her class!
