I love watching children play, interact, communicate, in good times and challenging times, there is much to learn with our eyes and our hearts wide open. So much of our adult"ness" can be seen in children. Jealousy, anger, harsh words, generosity, caring, cooperation...it's all present and all noteworthy. Often, as I give the children time to play creatively, uninterrupted, I get a glimpse of what they will become. It makes me love them all the more. I have many little natural leaders in my group, some followers when they believe the cause is worthy, like the photo above. This started out as one of my little girlies just dragging the board, by herself, across the yard. She had an idea in mind, though I am uncertain if she ever accomplished it or not... Once she realized how much more fun there was to be had with the help of her friends, and how much more she could practice her leadership skills with these little helpers, she was totally focused on this "game" lasting just as long as possible. In fact, it lasted all morning long, up until it was time to us to come inside and make some lunch. Pictured above you can see all the little hands and the various ages of participants and the object of their current affection...a simple 1x4 board. This board first entered our outdoor play space last summer as a make shift balance beam for the new walkers. It was so fun for them to try to stay "on board." They used it as a boat, airplane, rocket ship, paddle, balance beam, train, and car so many times I have lost count. But, what made this activity so special was it was the first time that the simple act of moving the board was the focus of the play. At first, the cute little blondie at the end was dragging it all around behind her. Then, insert the second cute blonde newbie 2 year old at the middle. This presented a challenge. The first child couldn't quite communicate to the second child exactly how she wanted the board to travel and was becoming quite frustrated. I waited...and waited...to see what the result would be. There were many possibilities...trantrum, teamwork, abandonment, bossiness, communication..I just waited. Then the last little fella' hearing the issue between and the two and becoming concerned that it might turn into an all out brawl inserted himself with a simple question that changed the tone of the event, "Can I help?" He was genuine...unassuming, and didn't suggest a fix...simply asked a question and waited for a reply... "SURE!" announced the excited little blonde 3 year old which was quickly followed up with the 2 year old repeating her enthusiasm, "SURE!" The open door of communication...so precious and so endearing. So...they traveled the yard, the oldest at the tail, the youngest at the middle and the middle child at the helm, all proudly working together, communicating, stopping for a rest together, then picking up and moving forward again. So much can be learned from watching children at play. All they really need is time, space, and caring adults surrounding them to help if/when they are invited to do so. Sometimes, of course, it is necessary to step in and navigate a situation for a little one that doesn't yet understand that they need it. But, it's magical moments like these where learning becomes a part of who we are and what we are becoming. In these moments we see that the world around us is just waiting to be discovered and that there are so many willing to walk with us and help us along the way. I wish you well and I hope you get to play today... -L
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Soooo...we are supposed to be studying the letter "W." I just ran across my GIANT tub of magnets and all things magnetic while cleaning and got all giddy all over again! I couldn't resist!! So, in keeping with our weekly alphabet themes, I had to come up with a "W." The result..."W"hat is a magnet?" Yes...it's a stretch, I know, but like I said...I CAN'T resist the allure of watching all those sweet faces amazed by the "magic" of a magnet. So...LET'S PLAY!!! I mean...just LOOK at that face!! That wild haired beauty was totally excited about her "fishing pole." We made magnetic fishing poles with circular magnets that had holes in the middle. This gave a great place to tie off the string, and tied the other end to a wide popsicle stick "pole." We then went ALL over the room hunting for items that would stick. During our discussion time, we learned that anything that sticks to a magnet contains iron. We tried windows and doors, trash cans and dolls, pillows, feet and hair. They LOVED that they "caught" the refrigerator! They worked and worked to try to pull the door open with their fishing poles. Another moment in time...Many of you that follow our blogs know my passion for play in the early childhood setting. I LOVE play...as Mr. Roger's says, "It's a child's work..." I couldn't agree more. As you read the captions on all our fun pictures notice all the vocabulary words we have learned. Push, pull, attraction, iron... This is math, language skills, motor skills, social/emotional skills, and science IN ACTION!! These do not need be difficult, or separate. They, like life itself, are intertwined. Luckily in a child's view of the world...it's all in a day of play.
We wish you well...keep on playing. -L I can't imagine a better time of year to talk about the letter "T" and trees, tape, and twigs. What a perfect example of springtime than to be able to see a birds nest built with twigs up close! Let me back up a bit so that no one thinks we robbed a momma bird of her little babes!! Over the past winter and early spring a friendly wood pecker decide that the side of our house was the perfect place to display his expertise. Night and day we could hear him drilling holes in the siding of our house. It sounded like a jack hammer in the walls, especially at 5am! But, not quite knowing what to do, we waited him out, figuring he would tire and move on...that he did. However, other critters opportunistically commandeered the space and took up residence. Specifically, robins... Once the little eggs hatched the chirping in the walls became quite LOUD...at...all...hours...of ...the...night... At this point a very nice man came out of professionally removed the nests, fixed the holes in the siding and in the process allowed our little preschoolers to have a peak at the downy covered babies. We looked at the nest and observed all the twigs intertwined together. We talked about how mother birds build their nests with spit, dirt, twigs, and weeds. We talked about the importance of trees keeping the babies safe from animals that might hurt them. We listened to them chirp and watched them wiggle around the nest. We talked about how the momma feeds her babies and then the hunt for worms was ON! This was a great introduction to our letter "T", tape, twigs, and trees study and the children were EXCITED! We were so thankful for the time we were allowed to see these babies up close (careful not to touch) until they were place in a location safe and close to their original "hole in my wall" habitat. We will also report that the mother found the babies and immediately began her care for them again... Natural play...and why it's important"Children learn by constructing their own knowledge about the world, not by memorizing facts." (Piaget 1962). Getting children out to play is not an effort to take a break from them, but rather a very important part of their education. Digging for worms, finding the bugs, roots, and different types of rocks in the ground and the discovery of birds, bushes, growing plants, nests and grasses are all a necessary element of child development. I have attached a link to a long, but good article in the importance of nature for children. Click on the title below to direct you to this informative article by fellow Kansas Citian, Randy White
Young Children's Relationship with Nature: Its Importance to Children's Development & the Earth's Future by Randy White "The toy in the child's hand is alive." If you have a preschool aged child you have certainly read the book series by Laura Numeroff, "If You Give a Mouse a Cookie." This is our take on it. This is one of my personal favorite activities for a child. A box... A box is a world of imagination to a young child. If you give a child a gift, and it comes in a box large enough for them to crawl into, they will likely ditch the gift and go for the box. The box is a boat, a ship, a cave, a car, a rocket, a house, a bed, a safe place. It is always, in my observations, a place of safety for a child, a refuse and a help for whatever scenario they have conjured. Feeding and caring for ten children requires purchases to be made in bulk, so thankfully, usually by months end, we have an ample supply of boxes. I do try to make certain I have enough boxes for each child to have their own. Sharing at this age is very difficult. At times, we can utilize them as objects of sharing, but along comes one of our little 1's and share time is over... :) Why is playing with boxes is an important part of the learning process?We know it's fun. We know it's the nature of young children to toss the toy and play with the box. We have all felt that little sting as well meaning parents, grandparents, and yes preschool teachers when we have spent quite a lot of money on a new toy and the box is what they have a BLAST with until it's unrecognizable and tossed into pieces into the recycle bin. Why, though? What is the draw that young children have to the box?
They desire to create the world around them...just like we do. Think about it, we decorate our homes (big boxes), our cars (sometimes big boxes), even our coffee mugs (little boxes) at a pottery class with our own style, with the things that touch our hearts and speak to us emotionally. Creative, imaginative play is practice for later adult world events like homemaking. We each desire to have our own "box" or space that is uniquely ours; something that speaks to us and others and says, "This is me, what I like, and what's important to me." This type of imaginative play is vital to the self-confidence. It is an essential building block in the foundation of thinking. This "thinking" teaches children to problem solve emotionally/socially with other children; to think about spatial relations in reference to ALL the stacks of toys or friends they attempt to put into their box space; to redesign and redirect their materials for to meet their goals for a variety of play that will ensue individually or as a group. So...the next time you are trying to decide how to spend $20 on a fun new toy that will keep your child busy for hours, go to your local moving store and pick up a big box, step back, and watch the fun confident that your decision is appropriate, imaginative, and GREAT for their development! As always...we wish you well - L "Be careful what you teach, it might get in the way of what they are learning...Magda Gerber" The above quote from Magda Gerber is definitely what we have been experiencing around here lately. There are times when, as a homeschool momma, a pre-k teacher, and an all around servant of small children (I wear that proudly!!) that I have to take a step back and see what's working and what isn't. As our little group grows and changes from season to season and our old routines become...well...old...I am posed to put my thinking cap on and determine what our best, next course is. During the winter months the children have been content with arts and crafts, letters and numbers, playdough and cooking, parties and paints, but as the temperature's rise, so does their longing for the outdoors. Their natural inclination for the undiscovered and yet to be touched. They need...NEED...to own their time, their activity, their autonomy. Part of this is the age of the children, moving from 1's and 2's to 2's and 3's, this is a natural progression of development. Autonomy, the ability to choose, to think, to reason, to be under no "man's" or "preschool teacher's" clock. Ms. Melissa and I have discussed how rowdy our storytime's have become, how they just want to PLAY! We still fit in our storytime, but it has morphed more into group-story-making-up. Their recognition of the world around them, their own creativity, and how they can imagine a story is much more exciting now than sitting around listening to a book. So, group-story-making-up it is... This happens indepently of me some of the time, as an extension of their peer to peer play, and at other times, I have learned to utilize it as a means of teaching the days lessons. Not a day goes by with these children that I am not their student. They teach me far more than a classroom, more than a mentor, more than a book ever could or ever has. All they ask is that I listen with my heart rather than my ears to what they are wanting to learn, to what they need. And...on the days that I remember this, we have grand success. On the days that I allow "what I am teaching to interfere with what they are learning" even though we may have measurable academic advancement, I have not touched their heart with learning. When I do, what they learn becomes so ingrained in them, that they will never forget it. They may forget the subject matter or the situation, but they will never forget the kindness, the love, the life lessons of friendship, sharing, caring for one another, or the ease of childhood that they experienced while under my watchful eye. This will be a LONG blog post. I am going to attempt to catch everyone up on all the activities we have engaged in over the past several weeks. And, I hope, you will see between the lines of the A,b,c,'s and 1,2,3's and see the joy, the looks, the excitement for learning. THIS is my #1 goal as a "student" and "teacher" of and to these sweet children; a love for learning... "Today I shall behave as though this is the day I shall be remembered." Dr. Suess If you follow us on Facebook, you know many of the fun, educational and all around messy activities we do on a daily basis, but if you don't and rely on our blog I have absolutely NOT been on the ball recently. I LOVE to write about what the children are doing, how they are growing, how they see the world around them, and why we do what we do. But, from time to time, the needs of my children supersede all else. This has been such a time. As a homeschool momma, business owner, blogger (wanna-be), toddler climbing post, and all around multi-hat juggler (as we all are!!), my time to actually sit down and write seems to be thrust to the wee hours when all are sleeping. Recently, my little girl has been in a "NO SLEEP" zone and pushed the limits of caffeine consumption to a record high for the adults in her life. She, like many 2's and 3's, wants our full devotion, especially when all her little friends have gone home for the evening. Recently, as I sat with my computer lap and asking her for "Just one more minute, honey and Mommy will be done," it hit me...THIS TOO SHALL PASS... All too often I have heard that phrase quoted as a means to encourage someone to just keep going despite the odds, that the life event they are experiencing will not last forever and that they can endure it with persistence. But, this season of her little life will be gone in the blink of an eye. This time to enjoy each season as though it was her first, to taste the snowflakes, jump in the puddles, make dirt soup, draw letters in the sand, look for animals in the clouds...this too shall pass...and I don't want to miss a beat, not a single look, discovery, or experience. Sometimes, it does me well to remember that she just wants me...perfect or not, prepared or not, fully caught up on my work or not...me...just...me... and I wouldn't have it any other way. This blog is not only for our daily activities, but also to view each child as a gift...and some pictures capture that quality so well, that I have no choice but to pause and take a moment to appreciate it. Originally, I snapped this quick picture as my little girl sweetly picked yet another handful of her favorite "flowers." I say that loosely as we all, as adults, know these are weeds, lawn pests that we diligently seek to exterminate and scowl at our neighbor's yards for possessing. Well, like most pre-school aged children, she LOVES these bright yellow, easy to pick, readily available supply of Dandelions. She usually can't remember the name so she lovingly squeals "Lion FLOWERS!!!" And, no matter where we are or what we are doing, we are subject to wait for her as she delicately picks to her fill, each...one...she...can...find... As you can imagine, this can be quite a wait. It is so precious, she will only love these for so long until her tastes for "real" flowers develop and she is "educated" to the fact that most consider these "good for nothing" weeds. But not today... Today we will pick the "flowers" and appreciate them through her eyes. Today we will give them a place of high esteem in a small vase with fresh water among the other flowers we have on our windowsill. Today we will revel in her innocence and recognize that this stage passes far too quickly. In her right hand, she holds her brightly bloomed "lion flowers" and in her left she named these her "ball flowers." I had to ask her several times until I fully understood what she was saying (she is still a card carrying member of TotTown and hard to understand at times..) She said, "Look! These are just wike a ball!" "Day are wound, just wike a ball!" OHHHHHH!!!!! Ball flowers! Of course!!! Yes, I knew that!?! So, in the vase also sit the "ball flowers." Anytime a well meaning older child has attempted to explain to her that "Those are just weeds, honey." I quickly point out to her how yellow and fluffy and pretty her flowers are and she happily continues picking her prize. At times we are all childlike, aren't we?? We hold onto something that others see as silly, insignificant or trivial. And isn't it better, in those times, to uphold the person and their values rather than to tear down what they hold so dear? What seems like a weed to be destroyed to one may be the only bright yellow fluffy flower that someone has left to hold. And you know what? God sees beauty, just like my little girl...beauty in the bloom at each stage, each phase, each age; it still has beauty and purpose. Luke 12:27 (NIV) “Consider how the wild flowers grow. They do not labor or spin. Yet I tell you, not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these... I wish you well... Each day is a day filled with the opportunity for play and learning. It's funny to me that those words are seperate... Play IS learning and real learning takes place through play. The following article Want to get your kids into college? Let them play... By Erika Christakis and Nicholas Christakis is a great example of why play-based, teacher facilitated learning is essential to success. In my hands ON experience with children I can attest to the following, "Through play, children learn to take turns, delay gratification, negotiate conflicts, solve problems, share goals, acquire flexibility, and live with disappointment. By allowing children to imagine walking in another person's shoes, imaginative play also seeds the development of empathy, a key ingredient for intellectual and social-emotional success." Erika Christakis and Nicholas Christakis Just some of our "play" today... In this picture a few of my sweet girls were experiencing the differences of several sensory terms. We observed that the some of our newly made playdough was hot, warm, cool, and cold. We also added gold and emerald glitter allowing each child to choose which color and pointing out the names of each color to add to their white uncolored playdough. We then discussed how to knead the dough. Following this, since it is St. Patrick's Day week for us, we talked about the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow and how we might go about finding it. We imagined several ways we might find the pot of gold and what we would do with a pot of gold. We practiced taking turns with the tools, pounded out pots and smushed them down to create something new. We also learned a new song: I LOVE this picture we took this morning. The children were all a chatter about building their roads, bridges, ramps, train tracks, and towers. They were excitedly working with us and together. We counted how many "blocks tall" the towers were. We counted how many "blocks long" the roads were. We practiced proactive noticing of one another's accomplishments and how challenging their work was they they "DID IT!" with high fives all around. The following article confirmed what I already knew; why meaningful play and conversations with the emotionally present and well trained early education professionals in their lives DRAMACTICALLY enhances learning. Please take a moment to read the link posted. If you child is enrolled with us, it will help explain the term "rigorous cirriculum" and show you real indicators of how we meet that each day. What is a “Rigorous” Preschool Curriculum? March 7, 2013 by Irene Sege http://eyeonearlyeducation.org/2013/03/07/what-is-a-rigorous-preschool-curriculum/?goback=.gde_1807282_member_220765181 When we started talking to the children about what they would like to study about with the letter "J," we came up with LOTS of ideas. Our first intention was to study dinosaurs of each letter for a while. Their fascination with dinosuars is OFF THE CHARTS! But, as we were discussing LOTS of things that started with "J" we happily landed firmly on JAM! I knew that there would be lots of questions about jam, since we have a SUPER smart group of kiddos. Soooo, as the questions started I soon realized that we were going to be knee deep in the stuff by the end of the week. They wanted to make jam. Making jam with preschool children seems...well...daunting. BUT, we did it! We made some delicious jam and we also were able to talk about units of measure, ingrediants and how they mix and melt together to create something wonderfully scrumptious! I researched LOTS of recipes looking for just the right one to try with our young group. We needed something super easy, relatively quick that tasted GREAT! I came across one that simply called for strawberries and sugar. Here is how we did it... Strawberry Jam 8 cups thawed, sliced strawberries (I used the frozen ones from Sam's) 4 cups sugar 1 package strawberry Jello gelatin First, we let the strawberries thaw and then we mashed them until they were totally squishy. We then added the fruit and sugar to a big pan and brought the mix to a boil. Once boiling we brought it down to a simmer (uncovered) and gave it a stir every little bit. Mind you, we are in the charge of 10 preschool aged children. This includes diaper changes, potty breaks, snacks, play changes, sharing practice, meals, storytime and the occasional temper tantrum. So, when I say stir "every little bit," this means that you CAN forget about it for 20mins and then suddenly catch an amazing whiff of strawberry in the air and suddenly PANIC that it may be scorching on the stove, run over and give it a stir and yes, it will still be wonderful... this is NOT a sensitive recipe that requires your constant attention. After it simmered for a couple of hours it was apparent that it was NOT going to thicken like the recipe said it would...think...think...think... So...we decided to give the gelatin a whirl. Amazingly, it worked! Once cool (ish) we spooned it into our jars and continued to allow it to cool. Once it had set up overnight in in the fridge it was perfect. I meant to do that!?! The children were SOOOOO excited to showcase their creation to their families. They were delighted to report back to us when they had tried their homemade jam with their family. It's so fun when children get the opportunity to experience new things, create something that makes them feel accomplished, and I get the privledge of being there helping them do it!!! This looks like GREAT fun for us and our children here in KC! Click on the pix and it will take you directly to the groupon link for Wonderscope Children's Museum. This Groupon will give you deep discounts to a fun and interactive time for your family! See you there!!! Use this link and help our little school raise funs with no cost to you! http://www.groupon.com//raf/UserReferral_rp/121015/10r1act/lk/uu48522504
During the week leading up to Valentine's Day we have been talking about how we love, who we love and who loves us. This, of course, brings alot of discussion about grandparents. These two books have been class favorites of MINE since I purchased them a couple years ago. They are sweet stories about how Grandmother and Grandfather spend extra time with us and how that time is an expression of L.O.V.E.! Even at such young ages our little preschooler's understand this. These two books are memorized at a very young age. They have a great pattern and meter. I would absolutely recommend adding them to your home library. Your children would LOVE it!!! "A person's a person, no matter how small."Dr. Suess This is such a precious quote... It reminds us that even our sweet little ones have feelings, desires, demands, curiousities that should be listened to and explored. To allow for the opportunity for ALL our little ones to participate in an activity, sometimes we have to think "outside of the box." Normally a chalkboard would be attached to a wall. This really only allows for a couple of children at a time to utilize. This is also a very difficult skill for a one year old to master when trying to hold a piece a chalk AND color. Think, think, think...we solved this issue by keeping our chalkboards and dry-erase boards "mobile." They simply sit out and when the children want to color, we place them on the floor. This allows for ALL our children, no matter their age or skill, to participate in chalk play. Yes, they get it ALL over their clothes, but they don't seem to mind and neither do we! After all...play IS learning! We used these most recently to draw our letter V and L, write our names, and practice shapes, colors, patterns and coloring inside and outside of an object. Since it is Valentine's Day holiday time, we have been drawing LOTS of hearts, big hearts, little hearts, blue and green and red hearts! Just take a look at the sweet pictures of our little ones at play on the boards... Math, language arts, fine motor skills, and more!"Children are great imitators. So give them something great to imitate." There is nothing I would rather teach children to imitate than love... With love we are safe and able to fully express all of who we are and will become in the security of that love. We can make mistakes. We can be great. We can fail. We can grow. We can give. We can receive. With love we can teach and be taught. Love frees our hearts to be open and expressive because of it's forgiveness, because of it's strength. Love can be hurt, but thank God it can also be healed... We had a wonderful week of loving, giving, creating and expressing our love for others. Happy Valentine's Day everyone...I hope you have loved... -L
Why I do what I do... This month (January rolling into February) has been FULL of challenges. We have had illness with just about everyone of our preschoolers, plus my own family (even as I write). Family care is just that...FAMILY! I love what I do because we do take care of, love, and learn from one another. Each day with these sweet babes brings me new lessons on faith, joy, hope, and of course PATIENCE :), but you know...mostly...about having the "eyes of a child." This sweet picture just makes me smile. These two girlies are the very best of friends. They love to love and they love to fuss with one another, but they ALWAYS are the BEST of friends. The eyes truly are "the window of the soul." Never is that more apparent than in the eyes of a child. Children, for the most part, are so easy to please. They just want us...our love, our attention, our affection... Sometimes, in the business of "trying to get it all done" that gets pushed to the backburner. It's easy to let all the day's "responsibilities" muddle up the few precious moments of connection we have with our children each day. But, each day is new in it's own right. Make today the day you see the world through your sweet babe's eyes. Let today be the day they get US, fully, with intent and the purpose of showing them that we SEE them. Read a book, sing a song, dance, play in the dirt...you will be glad you did :). Now...on with the show! Fun little hog...thanks for an early Spring (I hope!)!!As a preschool teacher and care provider I can not pass up an opportunity to celebrate a holiday. Groundhog's Day is one (just one) of my favorites. Its fun, silly, and hopefully produces some GRAND results for an early Spring! We dove right in and talked about shadows. For these little ones to understand what that rascally rodent must do, they first need to grasp the basics...shadows... This gave us an opportunity to gather the flashlights and stand in the dark, the light and to compare each other's shadows. First, we had to process finding a shadow and the ingrediants needed to produce one...light, dark and an object to reflect. Of course, on the first sunny day we were all standing at the big picture window waving, jumping, noticing that my shadow is very tall and that Nora's shadow is very small. We sang this little Groundhog Day song to the tune of I'm a Little Teapot. I see a little groundhog furry and brown He's popping up to look around. If he sees his shadow, down he'll go. Six more weeks of Winter - OH NO!!! To this little tune we also made our groundhog puppets as seen in this picture. They were fun to pop up and down and up and down. We had to repair them several times since the younger children mostly loved ripping their little arms off :). Our puppets were Dixie cups inside of a brown bag, attached to a popsicle stick that was poked through the cup and the bag. We explained that groundhog's live in burrows under the ground and the brown bag was just like his little hole in the ground. We further discussed that when the groundhog popped his little head out of his hole he would look all around, but if he saw his shadow he would scurry back down into his burrow for another six weeks of cold winter. We talked about what we would do if he didn't see his shadow and we had an early Spring. This led into a discussion about the clothes we wear in the cold and in the warm. We also talked about the types of games and activities we like to do when it's warm or cold outside. We also (again more Dixie cup crafts) made these little puppets once we saw just how fragile our previous guys were. These held up much better. With this lesson we discussed the body parts of a groundhog. We learned that his teeth were much larger than our own and that he needed large teeth to help him when he was eating and building his home. We also learned that groundhogs are cousins with the mouse. Since they are mammals they have live babies and do not lay eggs. They eat bugs and worms and use their very large teeth like an ax to chop logs. We practiced putting our little groundhogs in the light to see if they would "cast a shadow." Sure enough they did!! So, speaking of hearts, love and hugs... It's PARTY TIME!!We LOVE celebrating a birthday. One of our sweet little ones was turning 2 so we HAD to make sure he knew we think he is EXTRA special! We decorated the room, baked ice cream cone vanilla and chocolate cupcakes, set the places, stuffed the treat bags, placed Mickey Mouse all about, wrapped the gifts and WAITED! Of course, this would be the day that he would sleep EXTRA long for nap so we waited...and waited...and waited... Woohoo!!! He finally woke up!! Let the games begin! In preschool/todller land parties are over in a flash of sugar, giggles and squeals. Eat, unwrap, play...this pretty much sums up a party for ages 1-5. They especially love the "play" part of the party. We danced, we sang, we ate again. We blew up our punching balloons and wiggled and jiggled them. We played our toy flutes and broke out the new chalk. What a DELIGHT to be able to witness the PURE JOY of a toddler realizing that a party is JUST FOR HIM! This was precious indeed. I think I had just as much fun preparing the party and watching it unfold as the children did experiencing it. This pic was my favorite of the week and shows off our "G" is for ground learning unit perfectly! This week we talked about the ground. It's a natural choice for the children. They have watched the grass grow and fade, the rain fall and be soaked up, and now the snow fall and melt. We have planted seeds and watched them grow. We have harvested our SINGLE surviving vegetable plant...our oddly shaped cucumber that tasted a bit like the ground it came from! We have made mud and watched as the drought browned and scorched the flowers and plants. All of these events have brought lots of questions and now...the GROUND is cold, frozen and hard. So when we came upon the letter "G," once again, and we were discussing different things that started with the letter "G," we determined that the ground would be a fun topic of study. In this picture we have made a worm farm. We talked about the purpose of the worms in the ground. We learned that worms are decomposers and we made up a sweet little worm song. We read about worms and found out what they like to eat and how they move. During this week my little girl came down with the flu as well, sooo...we didn't get to finish all our wormy activities, but not to worry, Spring is right around the corner! A worm farm? Well...I'm glad you asked!The first part to any respectable worm farm is, of course, the dirt! And who wouldn't want to bring a bit of the outside INSIDE for some scientific sensory exploration?! We used what's called "organic soil." I found this quite humorous since...really...what soil isn't? BUT, I wanted the BEST for our worm friends and opted to purchase a bag of "organic" soil. We poured about half the bag into our biggest plastic bin (with a lid that had pre-drilled holes for air). For a while we just let the children experience the dirt. The younger ones dug right in. The older ones were curious and just wanted to move onto adding the WORMS! Soooo....we did just that... Twenty little earthworms...Since we were talking about the ground and earthworms, we kind of took a divergent path and got in depth about our wormy friends. We learned that eartworms are decomposers, that they help turn dead plants into dirt and help the ground to grow new living things. We also learned that earthworms only have a sense of feeling. That they move through the ground finding their way around with just how things FEEL to them. We praticed only using our sense of feel. In this lesson we closed our eyes to see if we could tell what was wet and what was dry. We discussed that we have "senses" and that we were NOT using our sense of sight, or smell, or hearing, but rather, our sense of FEEL. Each child took a turn, eyes closed, stating which cloth was dry or wet. We further observed that we could find our way across the table to the wet cloth just by feeling our way...just like a worm. Our wormy friends were a BIG hit. We measured their length with "non" conforming standards of measurement. We used paper, blocks, crackers (we didn't eat them!((the worms or crackers!!!)). We decided that the worms were different sizes around and different lengths. We looked at them through our magnifying glasses and we could see their rings. We also made up an earthworm song... (To the tune, I'm a Little Teapot) I'm a little earthworm soft and slow, through the earth I like to go. I'm a decomposer so you know, I'll eat the plants from down below! The Seeds Go Down, Into The Ground!First...click the title above to see the CUTEST little girls around sing this sweet little song about seeds growing in the ground! Ok...so we also did (and are still doing) ALOT of study about the ground. This includes seeds. How are the grown, what do they need, how fast will they sprout, can we water them again...why not???? Children LOVE dirt, this is such and EASY topic to hold their attention with. ANYTHING they can water and water and water is going to get LOTS of TLC (maybe a bit much). However, despite all the GREAT love our preschoolers have shown these beans they are GROWING. We closely examined the roots coming out of the beans. We noticed that the roots were indeed going "DOWN" into the soil and, as of the post...we didn't yet have any stems. We will continue to nurture our plants and update our progress. This week wasn't connected to any letter and just developed with our children's natural amazement to what Mother Nature brought us to enjoy over the holiday break...SNOW! Since the windchill was in the teens and twenties and our little babes are quite young and vulnerable we decided to bring the snow IN for some science, discovery and play! I like to MOVE IT!
Later in the day...and the week...We do lots and lots of fine motor skills practice that take the shape of many different forms of "play." They don't realize that its learning...it's so organic and self-directed that it doesn't seem like anything other than having a GREAT time. Here the girls are using scissors and papers to cut out anything they like. The older children asked that I draw different shapes, objects, etc. for them to cut out. This was a wonderful opportunity for me to make every moment count. I drew a butterfly, a heart, a house, a tree. These are simple shapes, but incorporate alot of angles, curves and edges that maintained their focus for quite some time. When they would accidently cut too short or long, we would simply draw again and try again. Lots of great fine motor practice and fun occurs during simple moments like these.... MY favorite pic of the week!We decided to make snowmen. This was a lesson in counting, size recognition, color and again...a discussion on seasons and tempurature. What makes this MY favorite picture of the week is the DETERMINATION on all those little faces. As you can see they each have a FULL bottle of glue and the green light to SQUEEZE! This is just the way they like it...uninhibited, no rules, no worries, let the mess ensue! It's also a time when you could almost here a pin drop they are so engaged in their "edu" play! We started with the BIG circles, then the medium sized and last, the small circles. We stacked them one upon the next, added some black circles eyes and smiles and then some more scissor practice to cut up scrap paper into LOTS of snow for our snowman pictures. These turned out super sweet, the children were so proud of their accomplishment and ready to show them off to their families upon arrival. I forgot to mention...These two books about snow were the class favorites during this week. We read "The Jacket I Wear In The Snow," MANY times each day. It's a cute little book with a great meter. It talks about all the things we wear when we go out in the snow and concludes with the "tear that fell from my eye," along with "this is the Mommy that wiped the tear that fell from my eye." We also discussed how snowflakes are frozen rain, which is why snow turns back INTO water when it gets warmer. From this we talked all about snowflakes being "unique." That meant that each one was different, none are the same, just like people. We practiced making each one of our snowflakes different too with glitter, glue, paints, and stickers. Sure enough, not one of them looked alike! "The whole art of teaching is only the art of awakening the natural curiousity of young minds for the purpose of satisfying it afterwards." Anatole France What to do...what to do...Fortunately, my "classroom" is my home...there is a secluded safety in knowing that all the children in my care are tucked away in our little cul-de-sac... That being said, I am very aware that danger can strike anywhere at any moment. Do we have a plan for if a stranger come barrelling through our door...yes! Do we talk about and think about what we would do, where we would go, how we would keep the children safe...yes! Thankfully, the times I have been faced with keeping a group of children safe were not met with a gun in my face, but rather a disgruntled, non-custodial parent who had spent a bit too much time belly-up to a bar. It has happened, it probably will again, and thankfully, THANK GOD, I have been able to diffuse the danger and think fast enough to keep everyone safe and under my protective watch. In light of the recent loss of the precious lives in Connecticut I look intently at the children while they rested and thought, "What would I do if a gunman shattered our front door?" "How would I return these children safely to their frantic mommas and daddies at days end?" I have prayed, I have cried, I have sought God for the answer. This, I believe, is His reply for us...at this time...2 Timothy 1:7 "I have not given you a spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind." This, to me, says it all. Our children, in our presence, must feel the safety they have in us being UNfearful. Our confidence gives them the courage they need to explore the world they live in and, as they are ready and are mature enough, begin to understand that dogs bite and bees sting. But while they are still so small, let's protect their innocence. They cannot protect themselves. I have a ban on discussing anything but L.O.V.E. and F.U.N. while these little children are in our presence. We can make our plans "A" and when that fails, our plans "B" and "C," but all they need to know, at this tender age, is that we will love and protect them. The world will see to it, all on its own, to show them otherwise. But, while they are little, and while they are mine, they will see love... Now...onto the fun! "D" is for DECK THE HALLS...and the floors and windows..and..and..and!This week we began studying the letter "D" and since it IS Christmastime, we decided that "D" is for "Deck The Halls!" Decorating is an EASY task with preschool children... Just ask one to help you "decorate" anything and you will have more help than you can handle :)))!! We started by decorating our take home felt Christmas trees. We talked about colors, we talked about shapes, we talked about sizes and comparisons and placement and fish! Fish?? Yes, fish... The children wanted to decorate their tree with FISH! Fortunately that is an easy shape for me to cut out, so they each went home with pretend baubles for their blue spruce and FISH! Soooo CUTE! We also "decked" out our numbers for a numbers book we are creating...
He's making a list and checking it twice!This sweet project gave me an opportunity to do something I LOVE doing in a day, spend a few moments totally focused on each and every child individually... We made lists for Santa and (mommas and daddies!) of each child's favorite things. I paid special attention to those items each child favors heavily in their days with me. I painted each little hand and pressed it upside-down on a legal sized envelope, added stars and and trunk to make a hand-print Christmas tree. We then continued making handprints onto heavy cardstock to insert into each envelope so that each family would have a little keepsake of this years likes, and their little prints for posterity! Each child was so excited to complete these. I think the families were just as delighted to receive them as the children were to give them! Oh Christmas Tree...Soooo...when I am going through the daily "to-do's" list with my sweet assistant I USUALLY say, "This project will be an explosion...but its just SOOO GOOD for them!" And then I go onto explain why we need to fingerpaint, cut playdough, mix ingrediants for hours on end, glitter glue, splatter paint, chalk the entire backyard (trees included), write our names with dirt, mud, branches, crayons, glue, chalk, dry erase markers...you name it. That is the daily conversation I have with my teachers... Everytime I say it I feel a little de'ja' vu (imagine that!!)! This little project did not disappoint... We used stickers, PUDDLES of glue and plastic gemstones. We then cut and taped the cardstock into standing trees so that each child could have a Christmas tree for their own room at home. As I cut and reattached the gemstones kept popping off everywhere. I even drank one as I guzzled my 5th cup o' joe! It took me just a second to realize what I had swallowed. I was just thankful it wasn't some crazy bug :)! But, it was a fun project and it turned out so sweet... Santa, Santa, HO! HO! HO!As a child of the 70's and 80's I just LOVE it when I get to revisit some of my childhood favorites! Since the holiday's are upon us, and who doesn't L.O.V.E. a good cookie...AND we were studying the letter "C" last week, it seemed a given that this blast from the past would pop up! We decided to cover the topic of cookies, as in the Gingerbread Man primarily, to fully experience letter "C" week. We watched this cute little clip numerous times and practiced singing it just like Cookie Monster! We sang it HIGH and LOW and with all the growly monster goodness we could muster. We also practiced our sign language C and reviewed letters A and B as in the video below... Moms and Dads, practice these at home as well for added emphasis and memory retention, but don't be discouraged if your little one can't keep up with the video. It's hard for us adults to keep up. We are all learning together! The ASL AlphabetRun, Run, Run As Fast As You Can!We have been reading several different versions of The Gingerbread Man this week and coordinating activities to emphasize different aspects of the book. One of the children's favorite "tag-a-long" activities has been Gingerbread Man Chase! The children pretend to be different characters from the book; the fox, the old woman and old man, the cow, the horse, etc... We then assign several "gingerbread folks" as the ones to be chased. The gingerbread folk squeal while running, "Run, run, run as fast as you can! Can't catch me I'm the Gingerbread Man!" The other children pretend to be their characters and say, "But Gingerbread Man, we just want to talk to you!" Then, the chase is ON! The run, squeal and chase one another and in the fray they forget who is who and its just a big game of RUN! It has been so fun to watch. They take so much time carefully deciding who they want to be and then when everyone is running and chasing and laughing and having fun, they forget and simply enjoy the moment. I love watching their play. What else did we do this week???Welcome Miss Melissa!We want to take a moment to welcome a new helper. Ms. Melissa comes to us with youthful energy and sweetness to spare! We are so happy she is with us and she is a great addition to our school family! WELCOME!!!
The holiday season is here and the children are excited for all things turkeys, trees and toys!!! The past couple of weeks we paused on the letter "B" as it made a perfect topic for this time of year to discuss "Blessings." During our lessons regarding Thanksgiving we learned that the holiday of Thanksgiving is a time to gather together with friends, family and other people at church, school, shelters and hospitals to give thanks to God for everything we have and to remember to say "Thank You!" to others that help us too. We discussed that a "blessing" is something good that we have, or love. We named, each day, many "blessings" to help the children understand that a "blessing" can be a toy, a home, a person, a pet, food, feeling healthy and strong and LOTS of other things. As we would go around the table each day naming "blessings" and we came up with some pretty cute ones!! One of my favorite blessings was learning that one of our little ones is going to be a big sister soon :))!! Congrats to you and your sweet family!!! Just a few of the things we are thankful for...
My Thanksgiving Book...During Thanksgiving week we focused on the history of Thanksgiving as we made this book. This was quite a project as we have a very young group, but it turned out SO CUTE!!! The story inside is one sentence on each page and what we learned about Thanksgiving. Page One is pictured to the left. Page Two says, "The Pilgrims sailed on a boat to discover a new land." We discussed that a pilgrim was a person that wanted to be able to say prayers to God in his own way and left his home to find a land where he could do that. Page Three says, "The boat was called the Mayflower." We learned that they sailed an a large boat and that it was the Mayflower. Page Four says, "They sailed to Plymouth Rock." We learned that they finally spotted dry land after months and months of seeing nothing but ocean and water. Page Five says, "They made friends they called Indians." We discussed that the people already living on the land knew how to grow food and hunt for food and that the Pilgrims were hungry and sick and that the Indians helped them to eat and be healthy in the new land. The final page says, "The Indians helped them plant lots of vegetables and they shared with each other on a day we call Thanksgiving." We learned that the Pilgrims and the Indians decided to have a great big meal together to say "Thank you God and Thank you friends," and that we do this each year too to remember that everything good we have comes from God. This week we ditched the letters and did ALL THINGS HALLOWEEN!!! Did you carve a pumpkin with 10 children?? YES!!! Did you paint bats?? YES!!! Did you taste, smell and feel pumpkin guts?? Sorta!!! Did you color, paint, dance, dress up, bake, party and read?? Absolutely!!! During this cram-packed week we did our Halloween hardest to pack every itty bitty bit o' fun into each day. I think it was a grand success! Pictured here is my FAVORITE fella' with his prize pumpkin. This year was the FIRST year that he was in charge from, start to finish, in the fine tradition of carving a Jack-O-Lantern. His pattern choice was the creepy castle that took hours to complete. Thankfully, he was able to finish his veggie sculpting prior to the party and excitedly displayed his skills. You can see him beaming here just moments after he dashed inside to notify me that he needed to capture this before it "melted." Such a fun time of year... Kid- 0 - latern!When we paint, everyone is involved...no matter how old or young. Ususally, everyTHING is involved too. It's a wonderful sensory activity and great for building creativity and fine motor skills. It is also a wonderful way to discuss vocabulary words like cool, smooth, silky, and squishy. It's absolutely the BEST way to teach colors, textures and words like spot, dot, line, curve, etc. Our children ADORE painting and I love giving them every opporutnity to do it. This little cutie pie has just recently discovered the joy of painting. It happened for her when she, as a rather small toddler, realized that I would give her baths in the sink (which she LOVES) post painting. So now when we break out the paints, LOOK OUT, this babe will colorize every square inch of the walls, tables, floors, other children, dog...you name it. Then, when she is done, we set her in the sink for a scrub and she giggles and laughs, splashes and soaks. No lack of sensory experiences for our children, NO SIR! Does your child get to do this? They should! If you don't want the mess in your home, find a great pre-k program in your area and always pack an extra set of clothes for your little sugar! Happy Halloween!!! PARTY TIME!!!I will only post a few of our Halloween pix here. If I posted everything it would take us ALL day to get through every little cute photo. If I have not yet added you to our private photo viewing account and you (mom or dad and grandpa/grandma would like to be added, just give me a call!)
The fun stuff leading to party day...We painted, glittered, gutted, glued, and stickered real pumpkins but we also took the opportunity to discuss emotions with this project... Each child received a pumpkin cut out and several shapes to make eyes, noses and mouths. We talked about the fun of Halloween and how it would make us feel to get candy, see scary costumes, go to parties, etc. As you can see there are many emotions pictured on these little fella's! CUTE!!! "Handy Bats!" We made these adorable bats with white handprints on black paper that we cut out and stapled together. We hung these from the ceiling as the children enter and they proudly pointed out their bats each day trying to figure out which set belonged to them. We talked about the sizes of our hands and guessed which bats must go with each child based on size...great little comparison, pre-math activity! Please remember if you would like to print pix from our party and you do not have access, give me a call or email and I will resend our photo sharing account information. Have a GREAT week! It's almost unimaginable that we have completed the alphabet once again! Its doesn't seem possible that we could be another 26 weeks down the road and almost to 2013! Each day is so full of that the days, weeks and months simply melt into one another and here we are nearing another Thanksgiving. Our letter Z week was full of zebras, zig zags and zany fun! We cut, colored, painted, played, glued, glittered, and sang our way through. Pictured here was just one of our Z activities. We used our blue painter's tape to further reinforce the "Z" shape and then we painted our black cardboard "Z's" white. Once dried, we peeled the tape to reveal the black underneath. This gave the "Z" a zebra stipe from beginning to end. Some of our lessons are planned... |
At the end of one of our days after discussing the type of footprints a zebra makes we decided to make some "prints" of our own. The children discovered that if they colored their hands with the chalk and crawled across the floor their "prints" would appear just like a zebra's in the dirt. They squealed, "Look, Ms. Donna!" "We made prints!" By the end of this fun little lesson we had prints through the kitchen, the hall, living room, playroom, walls, windows and doors. Thank goodness for Windex! | We got out the golf tees to practice making zig zags in the playdough. They LOVED these and you could here a pin drop as they were very concentrated on making patterns, poking, adding and subtracting the tees. We also sang Happy Birthday MANY times as we added counted how many candles each child had placed on the "cake" they made. This became an excellent impromptu math lesson and a FUN way to practice using the words "add," "subtact," and "equals." |
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"There isn't anything more full of hope, joy and peace than a child's smile... It captures the mundane and makes it extraordinary." - LaDonna Woolsey
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All
A Little Bit Of This And That!
A View You Can Use!
A-Z Alphabet Theme
C Is For Cookie!
Continents And Countries
Curiosity
Curriculum
Dandelions And Darlings...
Happy Halloween!
Help For Tired Mommas...
Holidays
Letter M Monkey
Letter N Newts
Letter O Olympics
Letter P Is For People
Letter Q Is For Queen
Letter S
Letters Learning
Letter T
Letter U
Letter W
Letter X
Play Based Learning
Preschool
R Is For Rainbow
Sensory Play
Teaching And Learning
Turtles And Trains
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