Each preschool classroom throughout the month of February will be dedicated to exploring people that changed the world either through their writing, their inventions or their music. Each week our classrooms will be exploring someone new, allowing students the opportunity to learn from not only their teachers, but also from the  inventors, authors and musicians of our history.

The Blue Room will take students on an amazing journey through authors who, through their writing and creative characters, have changed the way we see and experience the world. We will explore such famous authors as Aesop and his fables and Beatrix Potter and her delightful “Peter Rabbit.”

In the Green Room preschool students will be creating their very own laboratory, as well as have the opportunity to “invent” in their lab on a weekly basis. Our little scholars will also be introduced to some of the most famous inventors and inventions in history starting with Thomas Edison and the light bulb, and will be encouraged to think about the question, “What if  these inventions were never invented?”

The Red Room could be where your preschooler enjoys themselves most this month because the Red Room is all about music! Each week our students will be introduced to a different genre of music. They will not only become familiar with how each genre sounds, but will also get to “know” some of the most famous musicians in history. Students will be encouraged to dance and create art that they feel represents the era of music being studied, starting with the Swing Era!

From reading this short description of what is in store for our preschoolers, you can see that we have an amazing month planned and we couldn’t be more excited!  Should you have any questions or concerns throughout the month please give us a call or speak with your Director; we love hearing from you!

We will leave you with this quote from Thomas Edison: “I have not failed. I’ve just found 10,000 ways that won’t work.” May it inspire you to find your own unique ways to change the world!

**For a more detailed description of what is happening in each of our classrooms on an weekly basis, please click on the links for the “Red Room”, “Blue Room” and “Green Room” on the right-hand side of this page.

Should you find that you are having difficulty in creating the perfect play scenario for your child, please feel free to e-mail me at meghan@fusionkids.com. Good luck and have fun!

From the moment you decided to embark on the journey of parenting, you also, in that moment decided to be a teacher. You are your child’s first and best teacher. You know them better than anyone: their strengths, their weaknesses, what makes them happy and sad. You are the perfect person to teach them the ways of life including educating them. Our society too often passes the blame for educational failures onto the teachers and the educational system, and while both may potentially contribute to a students’ educational failure, the true reason is in fact much closer to home.

On that magical day when our children are born, we begin educating them. We teach them how to walk and talk, to say please and thank you. As they grow older we teach them how to be independent and use the potty on their own, tie their shoes and brush their teeth. As their teacher, don’t we owe it to our children to also begin giving them the tools they need to be successful students? In this internet-age all of the information we need to navigate the task of educating our children is at our fingertips. So, you may ask, what is the first step?

The first step in educating your child starting with the pre-kindergarten years is knowledge. You must first know what the expectations are of your child once they reach Kindergarten. In the state of California these expectations are called “content standards” and are readily available for viewing at the State of California’s website: http://www.cde.ca.gov/be/st/ss/. The standards are organized by subject matter and provide a detailed description of what is expected of students at every grade-level. While the language used within these standards can be daunting to read, they will give you an understanding of the skills your child needs to acquire before entering first grade.

Assessing the amount of time you can commit to educating your child is an important second step. For households with two working parents, there is little time in the day to effectively teach all that is expected. For these parents, sending their child to a quality preschool may be the best choice. For other households, where a parent is home throughout the day and the amount of time they have to dedicate to teaching their child is greater, enrolling in preschool part time or a “homeschool preschool” approach may be the best fit. Whatever choice you make as a parent keep in mind that being your child’s teacher does not always mean that you are the one teaching them. Being your child’s teacher means that you are taking an active role in their academic career and placing them on the path to educational success.

The third (but far from final) step in educating your child is to bring school home. If you have decided to send your child to preschool, it does not mean that you have been excused from your teaching duties. You must still reinforce concepts that are being taught in school. While you may not be able to reinforce all of the information that your little one is learning at school, you can make sure that your child is excelling at the basics by creating a fun, daily routine that involves any or all of the following exercises:

• Alphabet writing/recognition
• Name writing (first and last, capital and lowercase letters)
• Letter sounds
• Color recognition
• Shape recognition
• Spatial awareness (left, right, above, below, etc.)
• Number writing/recognition
• Counting objects
• Money recognition
• Rhyming words
• Reading a story

By taking an active role as your child’s teacher you will ensure that not only are you and your child ready for Kindergarten, but all of the educational adventures ahead.

Author:

Meghan Hamilton

Fusion Schools

Other resources:

“Let’s Get Ready for Kindergarten!” by Cedar Valley Publishing

“Let’s Get ready for First Grade!” by Cedar Valley Publishing

CA Content Standards website: www.cde.ca.gov/be/st/ss/

“My son, Tanner said the other day, ‘Well, Mom, I now know that a palentologist digs up dinosaur bones AND looks at them on a computer!’ His brother, Caiden, replies, ‘Tanner, you forgot that a palenotologist also uses special tools to study the dinosaur bones and sips a mocha when they do this…’ (Hhhmmm, wonder if their mom is a Starbucks fanatic!)”

“I picked the “ABC Train” book to read to my son, Drew, the other night. As I started reading, Drew got excited and said “Mom that’s an “A”, thats a “B”, “C” etc. As I turned each page, Drew was able to name almost every letter!! He is learning so much and surprising me every day! Thanks Fusion.”

“My 5yr old, Dylan, went (to Fusion) for 3 years; he absolutely loved it and misses everyone. Now that he’s in Kindergarten his teacher says (that) he is the best student that she loves getting Fusion students. I agree; you guys are excellent.Next Gavin will get to enjoy learning and growing with all of you ”

“We went to a book store yesterday and found “The Rescuers” book. Elliott pulled the step stool to the middle of an aisle, sat down and said ‘It’s circle time Mommy and Daddy. I’m Mr. Dante.’  The hardest (for him) was Christmas break. He kept asking if it’s “blue” school time yet. I just love the environment you guys provide!”

“Brayden came home from school the other day and told me he learned about dinosaur habitats! I asked him what a habitat was and told me ‘It’s a place where dinosaurs live… There are volcanoes, swamps, and forests. And dinosaurs eat plants or meat!.’ What was funny us that I usually have to pry the answers from him but this month he hasn’t stopped talking about dinosaurs!!! We love Fusion Schools!”

My Daughter, Madison, started at Fusion just last summer; she had always stayed home with me until then. I think what stands out the most from what she has learned are her days of the week. Every morning she asks what day of the week it is and if it’s a Monday. She then says, ‘Oh man no school today, but tomorrow right mom?’ She only goes Tuesdays & Thursdays! It’s to cute. Her counting and general learning has excelled dramatically and (I enjoy) those great little moments when she comments on something that I would have had no idea she would understand,  know what it is, or how it works! Fusion has been great!”

The winner of our contest accumulated 102 “likes” on their comment. That person is… drum roll please… ALLYSON BEELER… and here is the comment that received all those likes:

“ My daughter, Bella, was sitting on the toilet, trying to do her business and singing. She told me, ‘I did a lot of singing; all the new songs I learned at school.’ I love to hear her sing.”

Congratulations Allyson and Bella! Thank you for participating in our contest and bringing so many people to Fusion School’s Facebook page! All we can say is, “WOW!”

Thanks again to all of the families who participated in this contest! We enjoyed reading each and every one of your stories about your little scholars. We will be posting more of your stories on our website soon! If you just can’t wait and want to read the stories now, head on over to our Facebook page and find the picture that says, “Win.” All of your fantastic stories are posted underneath the picture.

Be on the lookout for more contests like this! Continue to spread the word about Fusion Schools and we will do another contest soon!

Playful Patterns, aka: Preschool in a Box is one of my ‘new’ favorites from Discovery Toys. This set isn’t new-to-me as we’ve had a set in the family for 25 years, but it’s newly amazing to me. With a preschooler at home, I genuinely see what this set brings. It’s art, puzzle-play and geometry all rolled into one. Playful Patterns encourages important math, reading and thinking skills that can easily be introduced to toddler and preschool-age children. This set is also great for motor development in the young child.

The Blue Room will be dedicated to reading stories in which dinosaurs are showcased as the main characters and/or subject matter. Stories like “Patrick’s Dinosaurs” and “The Missing Dinosaur Bone” are sure to spark some imaginations this month! Students will also have the opportunity to write their very own story at the end of the month based on what they have learned from the reading and telling of other stories.

In the Green Room, students will transported into the Mesozoic Era. Their classroom will be turned into a Jurassic Park with ancient grasses and trees. This “Jurassic Park” that students create will facilitate many of their lessons throughout the month with students creating their own “herds” of dinosaurs and participating in the “foraging” for food as a carnivorous or herbivorous dinosaurs. The month will end with an exploration of what happened to the dinosaurs along with explanations as to how we, as a society, have learned so much about these extinct beings.

The Red Room this month is dedicated to learning about and mimicking the work of David Krentz, a famous animator who has worked on movies such as the animated hit, “Dinosaur.” David Krentz is also know for his work as a sculptor. Students will be learning how to create art through different mediums each week using the work of David Krentz and pictures of dinosaurs as their guide. Students will learn about animation, sculpting and painting and will end the month by participating in a dinosaur art show, exhibiting their creations from the month.

We definitely have an exciting month ahead of us. For more detailed descriptions of what is happening in each classroom please take a look at the pages here on our website dedicated to each room (Just click on the pictures on our homepage!). Should you have questions along the way please do not hesitate to speak with your Director. Thank you for your continued support of our schools; we LOVE what we do!

So, just how will we determine the winner?

What we are looking for is not necessarily the picture that is colored the best. We are looking for pictures that are obviously colored by the child themselves; where it is apparent that the child has been given full creative reign of the picture. We want your child to really use their imaginations and think of ways to make their picture stand out from the rest! While we need to be able to tell that the picture was completed by the child, it is still a great family activity to partake in! Everyone can get involved in the creative process!

We will pick the 10 most creatively “colored” pictures to be entered in a drawing for the $50 shopping spree to Toys R Us. The actual winner will be picked at random and notified by e-mail and/or phone. Should you have more than one child who wishes to enter, please feel free to make copies of the picture. Children aged 3 to 18 years may enter.

We will be announcing the winner on Monday, January 2nd, 2012. That means all entries MUST be turned in by Friday, December 30th, 2011!

So, put your creative caps on, and get started! Good luck and have a very Merry Christmas!