Preschool Playbook

9 and 10

2012-02-17T15:36:00.019-05:00

Our number books went home a couple of weeks ago, I just been slow to tell you about it. Sorry if you were waiting for the finished product.

The last two numbers we needed to add were 9 and 10. For number 9 we had a groundhog with 9 pieces of fruit. I was planning on cutting out some small fruits so the children could glue them with the groundhog, but I got lucky and found fruit stickers in our supply. So, the children just needed to add 9 fruit stickers.

They then added 9 beads to their number lines....so close.

We did number 10 right before Valentine's Day so of course we had to have a Valentine paper. I had a picture of a mailbox and we added 10 valentines. To do this I again had stickers. We had lots of valentine stickers so I let the children choose the ones they liked best and they put them on the paper.

And the final project---10 beads on the number line.

The children were so excited to take their books and number lines home to show their parents. I had made the cover for the book on the computer, so we just had to staple them all together. I hope everyone enjoyed their books. The children did a great job!

Happy Birthday to Honest Abe

2012-02-16T14:57:00.011-05:00

Our classes have started celebrating those two presidents from long ago that have birthdays in February. Being that his birthday was on February 12, we talked about Abraham Lincoln first. On Friday and Tuesday we will discuss George Washington.

I had separate activities for each class. My three-year-olds make a log cabin with popsicle sticks, some pre cut house parts(door, window, and roof), and a penny. We put tacky down where the main part of the house goes. The children cover this with popsicle sticks. They then add the remainder of the house, using some spreadable tacky to make sure the pieces stick to the sticks. Finally we take a bit of tacky and glue a penny in the window.

The Pre-K class had two projects. One was the handprint Lincoln that I made a while back. There is not a lot for them to do with this project unless they are really good with scissors. Mrs. M. cut the children arm/hand shapes out and they added the face and hat brim.

With me the children made a log cabin out of pretzel sticks. When I first saw this project it stated to glue the pretzel sticks to a piece of paper and then allow the children to add aspects of the outside--grass, trees, etc.

I wanted the children to be able to eat the pretzel sticks so I changed it up a bit. I used vanilla frosting for the glue and we just "glued" it to a paper plate. The children spread the frosting into a squarish shape and then laid on the pretzel sticks. They then spread a triangle shape for the roof and finished it off with pretzel sticks they had to break down to size.

Both classes got to examine the $5 and $1 bills and the penny and quarter. I also had a "money" sorting game out for them. I used pretend money as I don't have enough laying around for everyone.

Now it's time for fun with George. The Pre-K class will be making Tri-corner hats and the 3's will be painting the hand shaped cherry tree.

Happy V-Day With the Three's

2012-02-14T19:37:00.006-05:00

If you read yesterday, you may remember that I was worried that I may have overloaded myself, then the day turned out wonderfully. Well, today I thought I had everything under control and the end of the class was here in the blink of an eye. The day is a blur. It seemed to go by at warp speed. We did a lot, but my head didn't stop spinning until about 4:00.

The first order of the day was for the children to deliver their Valentine's to their friends. We had actually made the same bags the Pre-K class did, only the children traced their names. Mrs. T helped them to deliver their cards, along with a volunteer grand mom we had today. This activity ate up a big chunk of time for Mrs. T.

I had also set out items needed for the children to make Valentine trees. Mrs. T was going to overlook the children at this table while I made the parent's cards. Well, she couldn't get to the table and everyone wanted to do the activity so I started the children here. They all loved doing this although I'm not sure if it was too much sugar at the beginning of the day. I didn't let them eat the "trees," they took them home, but of course they all had to taste.

I then started the Valentine cards for parents with the children. This activity doesn't take too long and it's so cute. The children love giving the cards to their parents.

Snack seemed to take extra long today, maybe that's where I got behind. The leader had brought in individual bags of popcorn and Valentine cookies for everyone. They really seemed to be enjoying their snacks.

I ended the day by playing our Friendship game and letting the children check out the Valentine's from all their friends. They seemed to have had a nice day, it just seemed to go by so quickly for me.

Happy Valentine's Day!

Valentine's Day the Pre-K Way

2012-02-13T15:16:00.010-05:00

Today we had our Valentine celebration with the Pre-K class since they won't be at school tomorrow. It was actually a very nice day. It seemed I had a lot planned and I was afraid things would get hectic, but it went well.

The children had all brought their Valentines' in to school and Mrs. M helped them deliver them to the children's "mailboxes." These were bags that we made on Friday in school.

Over the weekend I made sugar cookies in the shape of a heart, one for each child--we ate the rest:). I then bought some icing in the tubes. Then I let the children each decorate their own cookie with the icing to take home.

Our craft was a Valentine wreath--another great project from the Mailbox. For the wreath you need:

One large paper plate with the center cut out

red paint

glue

hearts

yarn/ribbon

I had precut all of the paper plates. Each child got a paper plate and painted the "bottom" of the plate with red paint. I had actually mixed my red paint with some glue since the hearts were to be glued on after the paint.

Since I wasn't sure if some of the children had used enough paint to keep the hearts glued to the plate, I put a circle of glue around the plate. The children then added the hearts around to finish off their project.

I punched a hole in the plate and added a piece of yarn in case they wanted to hang them up. They were really cute, and not hard to make. Maybe a bit messy, but that's always par for the course.

We finished up the day with some Valentine's Day songs and checking out all the goodies in their "mailboxes." Happy Valentine's Day.!

Mitten Match

2012-02-06T19:02:00.007-05:00

During our winter unit I always like to do an activity that involves winter clothing. I have made a little person where we have to add clothes for winter, and we have done activities with Jan Brett's beautiful book, "The Mitten."

This year I changed things up just a bit. For this mitten project you will need:

1 piece of 9x12 construction paper, with one mitten drawn on half the paper

paint

I had drawn a mitten on one side of the paper. Then I let the children paint the one mitten any way they liked. After their mitten was painted, I folded the paper in half and they pressed the two sides together. You do have to make sure the children add plenty of paint to their mitten. If the paint is too sparse, it will not transfer.

They opened up the paper to find two mittens, and there was lots of oohs and ahhs.

Mrs. T and I cut the mittens out after they were dry. Then the next day when the children came to school I had spread some (not all at once) of the mittens out on a table. Mrs. T brought the children over to match their two mittens and glue them to a piece of paper.

I was worried that they might have forgotten what they painted their mittens like, but they did very well. I thought it was a fun game!

Jazzy Jellyfish

2012-02-05T14:30:00.005-05:00

Mrs. Ackerman's class was doing the letter J the same week we had our Beach Day. (I'm a bit behind and I haven't posted the Beach Day activities yet). Anyway, I thought her jellyfish was really cute and I wanted to share it with you.

For the project you will need:

a disposable paper bowl

paint

google eyes

glue

curling ribbon

Turn the bowl upside down so the children will be working with the bottom of the bowl. Mrs. Ackerman had the children paint the bottom of the bowl with some glitter paint. The glitter paint gave the jellyfish that sort of see through look, but I'm sure any paint will add pizazz to the craft.

The they glued to google eyes to the side of the bowl. Now I know jellyfish don't have eyes, but you have to admit they look pretty cute with them.

To make the jellyfish's' tentacles, Mrs. Ackerman bunched together a few strands of curling ribbon and they taped them to the inside of the bowl. (I wasn't actually there when they did the craft but I was thinking you could complete this step first if you wanted. I thought it might be easier if there wasn't paint all over the bowl.)

Let them dry and they are ready to "swim in the sea." I also thought you might want to string a piece of yarn or a pipe cleaner through the top so that they can be hung.

A Day For Mr. Groundhog

2012-02-02T13:55:00.009-05:00

It can't be true. There is a rumor going around that the groundhog saw his shadow this morning. Now, I live in Pennsylvania, and there was not a spot of sun out there this morning. I think this was wishful thinking on someone as winter has decided to give us a bit of a break this year. I am definitely not complaining, but I know some people are really missing the cold and snow.

At school we helped Mr. Groundhog celebrate his big day by enjoying some fun crafts involving him. I really thought it was great how many of the children already knew about Phil, AND they knew what it meant if he saw or did not see his shadow. Some of the 3's even came to school today ready to tell me that the groundhog saw his shadow.

The Pre-K did their activities yesterday. We made the pop-up paper plate ground hog. We also played a game with hula hoops. I just made up something quick to the tune The Farmer in the Dell. It was--The Groundhog Finds His Hole. I put the hula hoops in a circle then we walked around the circle singing, the groundhog finds his hole, the groundhog finds his hole, Hi-ho the dairy-o, the groundhog finds his hole. Then when we stopped singing they all jumped inside a hula hoop.

For the three-year-old class we had flashlight day. All the children bring in a flashlight to play with during the day to make shadows. We turn the lights off so that they have a better chance of making shadows--it's fun. I also have the light table out. Then we made our shadow groundhog with the children's hands.

Well another Groundhog's Day has come and gone. Until next year.....

Today Was the Day

2012-02-01T15:16:00.003-05:00

Today was registration day for our school. I have actually been in a panic about it for about a month now. I don't know, but I think there must have been a baby boom going on out there. Our school was swamped with calls and requests for a position in the three-year-old class.

I have actually never dealt with an aspect of people "waiting in line" to get a spot for the upcoming school year. The last couple of years I had maybe 4 or 5 people waiting for me when I got to the school. Then the 3yr. class was usually full by about 10:30-11:00.

This year I received call after call after call and I started to worry. Everyone wanted to know how I was going to handle all the people. So I worried and I fretted, and finally we came up with a number system.

Cedarville fills on a first come-first served basis. So my dear sweet husband dropped some numbers off at the school on his way to work. I then arrived around 8:00 to start registration.

He told me when he got to the the school there were about 20 people waiting--this was around 6:45-7:00. Thankfully everyone was very polite and calm and the numbers were taken in order as the people had gotten there.

I then arrived to school and opened the doors at 8:00. All but one class was full by 8:27 this morning. Totally amazing to me!!!

I have to thank all our parents and the community that has put out a good word about our school.

I do have a question though to those reading and have experienced waiting lines before. What does your school do to keep everyone in order and have everything go smoothly? Our morning went smoothly, but I was wondering if there was something else I could have done.

Thanks so much.

Q, G, & S

2012-01-29T15:45:00.001-05:00

Pre-K is still working on their alphabet books. For the month of January they added the letters Q, G, and S.

For Q the children's page for their books was a Quail with a Quilt. The craft picture was also a quilt--Q is hard. I had cut out some fabric into squares. I drew a large square on the paper and had them glue 4 pieces of fabric to make a quilt.

Our G page was a Goose in a garden. I have no idea why, but this goose has got to be the saddest goose ever. I thought it might be nice to incorporate our senses unit into the craft picture. So since we had talked about sight, we made glasses. I had cut some circles, then cut out the insides. The children glued to circles down and glued googly eyes inside. The added the center and sides with a marker. I thought they were pretty cute if I do say so myself.

The letter S gave us a Seahorse in the sea. Since S was on beach day we made a starfish, or a sea star depending on your preference. I had put the work sea star on the picture because it had two S's in it. To make the sea star, I had cut out the shape. The children painted some glue on the sea star and sprinkled it with glitter.

Is the Big Day Soon?

2012-01-29T13:00:00.000-05:00

I know this site is devoted to the preschooler, but we all know before there is a preschooler there is an infant. A reader has asked to post some tips for parents soon headed to the delivery room for that new little person in the family.

How to Prepare for Delivery Day

After waiting for nine long months, expecting parents are ecstatic for delivery day to arrive. However, as the excitement levels rise with anticipation, so do their anxiety levels.

Preparing for delivery day in advance is essential to making sure that the day goes smoothly and does not have any unnecessary stressors.

Aside from attending regular doctor appointments, attending a childbirth class is one of the most important steps in preparing for the big day. A childbirth class will teach the expecting parents about what to expect during pregnancy and during the delivery process. In addition, the class will likely teach breathing techniques and different birthing positions.

Reading books is an important aspect of preparing for delivery day. Expecting parents should read books about the entire process in order to understand what is normal and what to expect. This will provide peace of mind and the feeling of more in control of the situation.

In addition, preparing a birthing plan prior to delivery day can also be very helpful. The birth plan should include information such as where the expecting parents would like the birth to occur, who can attend the birth and any plans regarding medication.

Parents should also think about whether or not they would like to participate in cord blood banking. Banking cord blood allows the blood from the umbilical cord to be stored for future use. It is typically used to treat blood and immune system diseases of the child or a sibling.

Lastly, the parents-to-be should make sure that they have a bag packed and ready to go for when the delivery day arrives. There are many items that should be in the delivery day bag. These items include, copies of your birth plan, a list of people to call after the baby arrives, a baby book, camera, personal items such as toothbrushes, nursing bras, an outfit for the baby to wear home, clothing for the parents and a blanket for the baby. The expecting parents should also be sure to remember items that do not fit in a bag, such as a car seat for the new baby.

Giving birth can be both exciting and stressful but a little preparation will help avoid a great deal of stress in the long run.

"This article was written by Katie Moore. Katie is an active writer within the blogging community who discusses maternity, motherhood, prenatal health, child birth and other topics within this niche.

If you have any questions or would like to connect with Katie please contact her via twitter @moorekm26."

Continuing Winter

2012-01-26T22:33:00.007-05:00

Even though the weather here has been mild for winter--I'm not complaining by the way--we are still continuing our winter discussions in the three-year-old class.

Our first fun winter craft was one of my favorites--the Ivory Snow Snowman. My favorite reason to make this? They smell soooo good. The children also find the texture after the snowman dries different and fun.

After our snowmen dried, the got all "dressed up" to go home--and boy did some of them get dressed.

This week we were discussing our wildlife--the winter birds and hibernating animals. First on Tuesday we made Cheerio bird feeders to put outside for our fine feathered friends. (I don't have pictures--Tuesday was a whirlwind.)

Today we made a bear and cave for him to hibernate in. For the cave I had the children watercolor the back of a paper plate brown, black, or mixed. This will be the cave.

Then I gave them a bear I cut out of construction paper. The children covered the bear with glue, we laid him in some yarn, then added a stick to the back so he can go in and out of his cave.

To make the actual cave I folded the paper plate in half and put two staples on each side near the fold. I then put a slit in the fold and slipped in the stick the bear was on. Then the bear cold go in and out of his "cave."

I had to share this snack we had on Thursday. I know I may be late to the party, so sorry if you already saw these. They were Trix treats in a cone. It looks like you make the Trix treats like you would Rice Krispie treats, then put them on a cone. They looked really cute.

Our shape books are coming together. We did the triangle and rectangle. The first two days we cut the shapes out and glued them on their paper with their song. The second day we made a kite out of triangles for the rectangle and a top hat with rectangles.

I think I have you all caught up with the 3's--until next week.

Adding 6, 7, and 8

2012-01-25T22:35:00.008-05:00

During the month of January we have been adding some new numbers to our book in Pre-K. We have gotten all the way to number 8--numbers 9 and 10 left.

We'll start with six. For six we put 6 buttons on a snowman. Our last step was to add the beads to our number line.

For number seven we gave 7 fish to a penguin. I have lots of fish stickers at school so the children just added 7 fish stickers, colored the paper and wrote their numbers. Then we added another row of beads.

Finally, for number eight we put 8 spots on a butterfly and put eight more beads on the number line.

I am very proud of how well the children have been doing with their number books. I also think the pages are very cute, if I do say so myself.

Taste and Smell

2012-01-25T21:06:00.006-05:00

We culminated our five senses theme today. I ended it with what I called a "World Taste Day." It really wasn't a world taste day, the name just had a good ring to it.

I had sent a letter home last week asking parents to send in one food item that their family really liked. They didn't have to make anything special or be too extravagant. I also didn't need the families to send in much of the item as it was for "tasting."

Here's what our day involved:

I had made some coffee to fill the room with the aroma of coffee as the children entered. I also made popcorn, they smelled the popcorn when they came in, but not the coffee. I had also brought in vanilla and a lemon.

Our families added; cheez-its, red peppers, green olives, pizzelles, some kind of Italian cake, chocolate morsels, lime jello, veggie pirate bootie, french fries, and Guatemalan rice.

When the children came to school I had put the table together so they looked like buffet tables. All the food was placed on one table. The children sat down around it. Our first order was to smell all the items on the table.

After we finished smelling everything, it was time to taste. The children got plates and put items they wanted to try on their plates, then they sat down for a feast. It was one child's birthday so we got to finish up our feast with a cupcake. Boy, were we full!

This was a new event for me, so I wasn't sure how it was going to go. But, I think it turned out really well. The kids seemed to enjoy it and I don't think it was too hectic. I hope they enjoyed themselves.

Hearing

2012-01-24T21:00:00.000-05:00

Pre-K just loves their games. To present the sense of hearing I played a game where the children had to try to figure out what object I had by listening to its sound. They could have done this forever.

Another game I played with was a match the sound game. I actually had gotten this a few years ago, but I'm not sure from where. It is a game with 12 blocks, inside each block is something that makes sounds when the blocks are shaken. The object of the game is to find the two blocks that make the same sound. Talk about fun, I let each one have a turn while the rest of us listened along. These 11 little ones sat for each time and got so excited when the like sounds where found. They were also very sad when it was time to go and the game was over.

The craft I had for the day was to make a tambourine. For this we used:

2 small paper plates

beads

markers

tacky

glue

crepe paper

I had the children write their names on the back of one plate and then decorate them.

After the plates were decorated the children put a couple of handfuls of beads. (We have a closet full of beads, but there are many things that could be used). After the beads were in, I put the tacky all the way around the edge of one plate. Then the children placed the other plate on top of the glue.

Just for some extra pizazz I had the children add some pieces of crepe paper around the edges. The children put some regular glue in spots around the edge of the plate, then place on the pieces of crepe paper.

We had to let them dry for a while, but boy were they fun to shake when they were done.

The Sense of Touch

2012-01-23T19:47:00.008-05:00

Today we did touch. I think the substance we touched most this afternoon was water. I wanted the children to be able to experience different textures, so I tried to have many different items available for them to feel.

Here is an example of what they could experience:

First, I had made a texture collage a couple of years ago which I had available for them.

On another table Mrs. M had shaving cream experience.

The sand table was open.

I had a big bin of pom poms available for them.

Play Doh was available on another table.

Finally, I had purchased something called Silly Squares from Discount School Supply and we used them today. They were really neat, but I should have read the instructions more than 1/2 hour before he class started. It states that it takes hours for the squares to reach their full size.

Silly Squares are these packages of tiny, tiny squares which are sticky and feel a bit like dried Jello. Then you add water to them and they magically expand. During this time they feel a bit more slimy.

Our craft today was finger painting. I hate to admit it, but this is one of my least favorite activities. I know, I know, it's very important, but it sure can make a mess. Anyway, there was a little surprise with our finger painting. First they enjoyed the paint alone, then it was time for the surprise. Mrs. Nodolski added a bit of kosher salt to help them have a different experience.

Here is an observation from the day which surprised me: they are a very clean class. They loved the pom poms, the sand table, and the Play Doh but, the shaving cream, finger painting, and silly squares where more like a, "Do I have to?" Not all of them wanted to experience the Silly Squares or the shaving cream. Since the finger painting was our activity it was set for all, but I think there was a total 2 out of 11 that could have stayed all day. The rest sort of touched it, then said, "I'm done."

It was a very busy messy day, but I think they got to experience quite a bit.

Kids Tooth Brushing Chart

2012-01-22T19:00:00.001-05:00

A reader has sent me an education widget to put on my blog that encourages preschool age kids to brush their teeth. Children (or parents) use it to print out a personalized brushing chart that helps them remember to brush day and night.

I figured since dental health month is just around the corner I would post this. It might be fun to print out and let little ones keep a record of their teeth brushing. I hope you enjoy it. Happy brushing!

A Public Service by Dentist Advisor

Five Senses: Sight

2012-01-21T13:51:00.005-05:00

Pre-K has begun their five senses unit. I have decided to take a sense a day and concentrate on it--except for taste and smell, I am combining that day.

The first sense we concentrated on was sight. It is actually fun doing these. I know many times you introduce the three's to different units and they go along, but there isn't that special spark. With Pre-K they were so excited to do the activities.

First I had the children close their eyes and had them try to figure out what certain items were by using the sense of touch and hearing. They loved it. They wanted to keep going. We played the game "I Spy" and they actually knew what they were doing--another game that could have gone on for quite a while.

Our craft for the day was to make binoculars. For the binoculars you will need:

2 toilet paper rolls

1 strip of construction paper--I used 4x9

glue

markers

The first step was to have the children decorate the strip of paper with the markers. I let them do this to personalize their binoculars.

After they were done decorating they turned the paper over and put glue all over the piece of paper.

I had them take the two rolls and place them in the middle of the paper. We then folded the sides up--like wrapping a present, to cover the rolls.

Just to make sure that the paper stuck to the rolls, I put something on top of them to press the paper to them.

If you wanted to you could probably add a piece of yarn so that they could wear them around their neck.

Guest Post--Preschoolers With Food Allergies

2012-01-19T14:02:00.003-05:00

Here is an article by Heather who is an ex-nanny. She is offering some advice to parents who have children with food allergies. When it comes time to send those little ones off to school many parents can have questions. I hope you might find some tips in this article.

Preschoolers With Food Allergies

Sending your child off to preschool when they have a food allergy is a nerve-wracking experience. As if letting your child go isn’t overwhelming enough, knowing that you’re sending them somewhere where they could potentially encounter the forbidden food and have a severe allergic reaction, is enough to keep a parent up at night. However with some preventative measures the experience can be a pleasant one instead of a tense one… well, as pleasant as letting your child go for the first time can be.

1. Do your homework
Check out preschools ahead of time to see if they’ve ever had children with specific food intolerances and allergies before. This will help you figure out if they’ll be able to help your child should they come in contact with the food or if they won’t know what to do. Your child needs to go somewhere with people that will be able to help should an emergency situation arise.

2. Prep your child
Make sure your child understands that they cannot have certain foods and that it is dangerous for them if they do. Let them know that they shouldn’t just readily accept food from others and that they need to talk to the teacher before eating snacks that are passed out. It’s important for your child to be aware of the consequences of ingesting the food and that they’re an active part of avoiding the food.

3. Talk to the teacher ahead of time
Your child’s teacher needs to be aware of the situation so that they can effectively ensure that your child isn’t exposed to the food. This will help them police snacks being given out and lunchtime activities so that your child doesn’t accidentally take a food that is harmful to them.

4. Pack lunches and snacks ahead of time
Instead of hoping that your child doesn’t eat food at school with the offending ingredient, prepare them ahead of time by packing their lunches and providing snacks for them that they can eat when everyone else has snack time as well.

It can be frustrating for a child who is starting school for the first time, trying to fit in, and make new friends, to have a food allergy. It is important though to take as many precautions as possible to ensure their school experience is happy and joyful experience.

Author Bio
Heather Smith is an ex-nanny. Passionate about thought leadership and writing, Heather regularly contributes to various career, social media, public relations, branding, and parenting blogs/websites. She also provides value to hire a nanny by giving advice on site design as well as the features and functionality to provide more and more value to nannies and families across the U.S. and Canada. She is available at H.smith7295@ gmail.com.

Winter Snow Globe

2012-01-17T14:21:00.000-05:00

Many times my children have come home from school with an art project that was a "copy" of a famous artist. Mrs. A. came up with a project that plays on that premise.

Mrs. A. had a calendar with some pictures done by young artists. She found one that that the children could make and we could also incorporate winter with. It was a pretty snow globe.

To make the snow globe we had:

One circle from white construction paper

One red base from red construction paper

dark blue construction paper

crayons

glue

glitter

We first showed the children the picture and where it came from. Their first step was to draw a winter scene inside of the white circle. Some said they couldn't draw, I encouraged them to draw anything that reminded them of winter.

After they were done drawing, they glued the red base and white circle to the blue paper.

For the next step I had children spread a thin layer of glue with a Q-tip. Then the children sprinkled glitter on the glue. One thing we had to be careful with was getting too much glue on top of the beautiful picture they drew. I think they turned out beautifully.

To help incorporate more fun with snow, we added "snow" to our sand table. Last year we purchased some Insta Snow. It is great stuff. You put a small amount in a container, add a small amount of water, and magically you have a good amount of "snow" for the children to play with--it's even cold.

Week in Review

2012-01-16T19:19:00.007-05:00

As many of you know, I have been posting the events of my three-year-old class since 2008. Since many things are a repeat, but I know there are many new readers, I like to recap the three's week with you.

Last week we started our shape books, added a page to the Me Book and enjoyed our Wee Workout day. When we have Wee Workout, we don't get too much extra done.

The shape we started was square. I like to start with a shape that has straight lines so that the children can cut it more easily. Day one of the shape is the children cutting out the shape and adding our special song. Day two of the shape is creating something using the shapes.

Tuesday they did their cutting--I'm very glad we had a week of practice. The children did really well. There are still some that I have to keep correcting the hold, and others that need assistance with moving forward while doing "open/shut," but all in all they did well.

Thursday the children made a quilt with the squares. I have squares cut out and they glue squares over a "sleeping bear" to make him a quilt. I also had out a big sheet of paper and many different size squares so that the children could help make "Super Square" to hang on the wall. Last year these activities were very popular. This year we were searching for takers.

The final activity was the I Know My Colors page for the Me Book. For this page I have circles of the different colors cut out. I ask each child the name of the color and give them the circle. When they are finished they glue all the circles down to look like a caterpillar. After they are all glued, they add some finishing touches.

Sparkly Snowflakes

2012-01-15T14:52:00.007-05:00

Every year our previous Pre-K teacher made the most beautiful snowflakes to hang on the wall this time of year. I loved them so much I wanted to make them myself. I contacted her and she said she cut them from tissue paper and sprinkled on snow like glitter. The glitter I used was called Cello Glitter. I got it at our local craft store.

Anyway I got together:

white tissue paper

scissors

glue

light blue construction paper

snowflake like glitter

First I cut the large pieces of tissue paper down to about 10 inch squares. Then I folded them up triangularly so that the children could cut out triangle shapes. Well, the tissue paper was giving me trouble with cutting. I ended up having to help many of them. (I later read something about using coffee filters for cutting snowflakes out of, I might give this a try next year.)

I then helped them put glue on one side of the snowflake--the paper being so fine made it hard to transfer it to the construction paper back.

Finally we put glue on the snowflake after it was on the paper and sprinkled the glue on it.

I will say that the project on the wall is beautiful, but I wasn't overly happy with how much the children could do of the project. I thought the tissue paper being thin would make it easier for them to cut when it was folded up--it wouldn't be so hard to get through all the layers, but it didn't seem stiff enough.

Then I also didn't think about the tissue paper folding all together when we were trying to glue it to the blue paper.

I hope to try this craft again next year with some variations so that the children have more that they can do with it.

Plucky Little Penguin

2012-01-11T19:13:00.009-05:00

Our theme for the beginning of January is winter--of course. Although, it is just beautiful here. We have been actually able to enjoy some outdoor play since the beginning of January. I don't really mind, but I'm sure there are those that do.

Our first winter project was an adorable little penguin. You will need:

Black construction paper

White construction paper

Orange construction paper

scissors

glue

black crayon

For preparation, I did the following: On a piece of black construction paper draw an oval. On half a sheet of white construction paper draw a smaller oval. Then cut out two small circles to represent eyes. Also I cut out 2 wing shapes from black paper and a beak and feet from orange paper.

For time purposes I had precut everything but the ovals. If you have more time, I would let the children cut out more.

I gave each child the predrawn ovals and had them cut them out. Then I gave them all the pieces to glue together to make their penguin.

The final step was to add an eye with black crayon inside of the white circle.

I have to say the children thought these were adorable and couldn't wait to take them home.

Taking Home the Color Books

2012-01-06T21:30:00.000-05:00

The children in the three-year-old class finished the pages of their Color Books right before our Christmas break. We weren't able to finish the book totally because we didn't get to the cover. Today we finished the cover. I usually use this opportunity for a bit of evaluation. The cover has 9 circles on it. I put out crayons of all the colors and then ask the children to color a circle red, or green, or blue, etc. I want to see if they can pick out the correct color. I was super impressed. There are always a couple of children that have trouble with a couple of colors, but this year they all got them right. GOOD JOB!

We didn't do any specific crafts this week. I like to take this week slow--let the children get back into the swing.

The only other task I had them do was a cutting activity. I had noticed that many of the children still had trouble with their scissors when we did a craft in December. January we start to do Shape Books. For the shape books there is a lot of cutting involved so I wanted to practice.

On Tuesday I had them cut a short line horizontally. Thursday they cut a longer line vertically. I think they were practicing over the Christmas break. They did great!

Are You Ready?

2012-01-05T21:01:00.006-05:00

I just wanted to write a quick reminder out there to my readers that may have children ready for preschool. January is the month most schools are getting ready for registration for the following school year.

At our school registration opens to present and church members the third week of January. We then open registration to the public on February first. Registration is very similar in the schools in our area.

So if you are thinking of registering your child for the 2012/2013 school year, this is the month to be ready to go. Visit some schools, talk to some friends, and do some research. If the schools around you are anything like ours, their is a very good possibility they will be full by the end of the day February 1. Our 3yr. old class was full at 10:30 AM on February 1 last year.

I have an older post that might help you with what to look for: http://www.preschoolplaybook.com/2009/01/registration-for-next-school-year.html

There is a book that might have helpful information too, here is the link about the book: http://www.preschoolplaybook.com/2010/08/book-review.html

I wish you well.

We Love "O"

2012-01-04T14:39:00.001-05:00

Before we left for Christmas break, we finished up our final letter of the year--O. They love O. Who doesn't? It's easy to write and easy to recognize. Now, we didn't come up with as many O words as some of the other letters, but we didn't have any trouble writing an O either.

Letter O was an Octopus in the Ocean. The children had to add 8 rectangle legs to their octopus to finish him up. He turned out very cute.

For out take home activity I also made an Octopus. I had cut out a circle for each child to glue to their paper. They then had 8 drops of tacky and added some yarn for legs. They finished off the picture with a capital and lower case O. I thought they turned out cute.

I had forgotten to share our Wet-Dry-Try experience with you. When we did the letter C, it was the first time I had introduced the children to this technique. The letter is pre-written on a chalkboard. The children take a small sponge and trace the letter--wet. Then they take a paper towel trace the wet area of the letter-dry. Finally, they take a piece of chalk and write the letter-try. They loved it.