We began with a tray of puzzle pieces and we reviewed each item and repeated them several times. Then I covered the tray with a bandana and used my "magic wand". When you tap it on the table it makes this great sound. I covered the tray and when I removed the bandana I would secretly grab and item from the tray. The children were amazed and excited to tell me what piece had gone missing. The were really good at recalling. They also enjoyed repeating the magic words to have the piece magically reappear! I just love the wonder in their faces!
We had a wonderful time yesterday celebrating all things rodeo! The children enjoyed time in the Rodeo Room and a delicious Cowboy Lunch! A huge shout out to the parent volunteers that came and made this experience so much fun for our children. During our art time we decided to paint a watercolor sunset for our cowboy silhouette. Next we decided to build a farm for the animals with blocks which then turned into a tower building session. It is exciting to see the children develop an interest in the block section and then try to build towers taller than they are. Then we were off to the Rodeo Room Experience. The children began around the "campfire" and Ms. April told them about ranchers and what cowboys do. We looked at some of the clothing they wear and why it is useful for the job they do. Then the children were free to explore several stations set up for them. They could choose what they wanted to do. There were stick horse races, a branding stations (with paint), lasso the bull, bucking broncos, a milking station and a photo booth where the kids could sit on a saddle. Everyone had so much fun! Back in the room we sat around the table to play a little memory magic game. They children were mesmerized! This memory recall game is fun but also so important for visual memory and recall skills that set the foundation for reading. We will be playing this more often going forward as everyone LOVED it! We began with a tray of puzzle pieces and we reviewed each item and repeated them several times. Then I covered the tray with a bandana and used my "magic wand". When you tap it on the table it makes this great sound. I covered the tray and when I removed the bandana I would secretly grab and item from the tray. The children were amazed and excited to tell me what piece had gone missing. The were really good at recalling. They also enjoyed repeating the magic words to have the piece magically reappear! I just love the wonder in their faces! Our Rodeo Day came to an end with a delicious lunch provided by our parent volunteers. Thanks to everyone who contributed eggs. It is truly one of best days of the year for our kiddos! Looking forward to next week when we discuss life on the farm. There is so much more to learn!
Howdy! We had a rootin' tootin' good time today! The boys and girls embraced their inner rancher and throughly enjoyed today's theme. The room was full of new games. A farmers market was set up in dramatic play. There were plenty of farm animals to play with and of course a visit from the trick roper, Kevin Fitzpatrick. Kevin Fitzpatrick is a very talented trick roper. We had a great time watching his tricks. I will send along a few videos from today in GroupMe. A couple of our siblings may be featured in the video clips too. Back in the room we discussed a ranchers job and how they keep track of their herd of cattle. We talked a little about branding and looked at some photos in a book about ranching. They we moved over to the big table to work with play dough. I have these great letter and number stampers from Lakeshore that we "branded" our play dough with. Everyone had fun finding their letter. We finished the morning exploring the centers and building in the block area. Friday will be another action packed day. We look forward to spending some time in the Rodeo Room and enjoying a Cowboy Lunch which will be provided so you only need to send in a water bottle. Please remember the dozen eggs we are contributing to the lunch. Feel free to dress the part again. Everyone looked adorable today.
The boys and girls enjoyed another day in the car shop as they eagerly awaited some ride time with each other. During our art time we decided to make a stop light with torn paper. Tearing paper is such a great fine motor workout. Several children grabbed the paper strips with their fists trying to pull the paper apart. This usually brought on some frustration and "I can't do it!" was echoed. I asked everyone to put their papers down and watch as I demonstrated. I showed everyone how to use their pincher fingers to grab the paper strip and pull one hand back and one forward as the paper rips with ease. Once we knew how to rip the paper the success level tripled. Soon everyone had a nice pile of torn paper scraps. Then each child was given a paper with three circles traced on it. We talked about the colors of the stop light and what order they came in. Then everyone was free to squeeze their glue and add their paper scraps to create a stop light. They were adorable when finished. Then it was back to some free play as we waited for our Motor Skills class. Before our playground time we took out some brown play dough and pretended it was mud. We used transportation cookie cutters to press out fun shapes. Playing math games and learning to identify numbers is a common activity during our circle time. Today we were on the hunt for the Spotty Puppy hiding behind a fire truck. Finally we were ready for our picnic and Wheels Day celebration. The kids had so much fun riding together. Thank you for joining us today! I think the children loved it and I was impressed at how agile they all are on wheels!
Below you will find the rotation schedule for next weeks Rodeo festivities. If you are signed up for our room or a siblings room you will find your name on the list below and what shift you will be at. Let me know if you have any questions. It is sure to be another fun filed week! Today was an exciting day for everyone. When the children arrived I had them sit on the floor outside the room so we could discuss a few things. I told the boys and girls that this week we were turning the kitchen into an Auto Repair Shop and that there was a car in the room for them to try and fix. I wanted everyone to understand that the car needed to stay in the car shop and not ride around the room. We also needed to understand that there was only one car and 7 children. I made it clear that we all needed to share and take turns. By setting these ground rule before we entered the classroom set the day up for success. I was so impressed with how well everyone played cooperatively this morning. Just sitting back and listening in the Car Shop provided some great entertainment. Overheard today... "Did you have a car accident?" "I can fix your tire." "My car broke, he will fix it for me." "I need some gas in here." "I need to back up forward a little bit." "I'm at the gas station to but oil in my car." "My car is broken. I got stuck in the mud." At one point one of the boys tried to shimmy his way under the car to check out the engine from below! We were really into fixing cars today! There were many other activities to keep us busy today. Centers were all transportation themed, puzzles, construction vehicles and kinetic sand were in the sensory tub, toy cars, and even an airport set were available. Lots of choices and a little something for everyone. Somewhere in the middle of all of that fun, we had a fire alarm. Everyone handled it really well. We got outside quickly and safely. We are getting to be pros at fire alarms. During art we painted with a monster truck. The thick wheel treads left cool patterns in our paint. We could chose between driving our truck through white paint, aka snow or brown paint, mud. I also put out trays with beads for some lacing. If the children wanted to they could come make a necklace. Some preferred to keep playing while others made two, three, and even four beaded necklaces. We are eagerly anticipating Wheels Day on Friday. We will meet outside the side entrance under the big trees in front of the worship center. I'll have a map for you on Friday during drop off. There is a nicely shaded area with smooth sidewalks. The facilities team will also cone off the handicap parking area for the children to ride up there if they wish. Parents are invited to meet us outside at about noon. Please bring a favorite riding toy and helmet when you come meet us for lunch. We will eat a picnic style and enjoy some ride time together before heading home. Please text me with any questions you may have. See you Friday!
We began our morning by decorating our "mailboxes" for our Valentine treats. The children had to find their seat by reading their name on the bags. They took some time to decorate the bags with all kinds of stickers Then we brought them over to the wall and stapled them in place. The boys and girls then got to deliver their treats to their friend's bags. It was an activity enjoyed by all! Everyone enjoyed center time. Several children took a real interest in the blocks center. Blocks are always available but I usually don't see the children take interested in them until after Spring Break. Today there was a lot of cooperative work and laughter taking place. My favorite part was the tower with a toilet on top! The children also asked for some more playdough time. Today we were interested in making long snakes and even turning some of them into snails. Such great fine motor activities. Our Valentine's Party was a huge success. Keeping it simple is the key with this age group. The kids loved making Valentines with stickers, playing a sweet game together and had a wonderful Chick-Fil-A lunch with fruit. Thank you so much to our host parents. The kids and I loved it! If our weather next Friday is as nice as it was today our Wheels Day will be a huge success. I am really looking forward to our Transportation Unit. We will learn all about planes, trains, and automobiles. There is a little something for everyone. One of the most exciting additions will be that our dramatic play will be transformed into an Auto Body Shop. We will even have a car to "work on". The kids are going to LOVE IT! We will finish out the week on Friday with Wheels Day. We will meet our parents outside the side entrance to the preschool where we will enjoy a picnic lunch together. We will also have about 20-30 minutes to ride our bikes, trikes, and scooters together. Don't forget your helmets!
Hope you all have a wonderful Valentine's on Monday. See you next week. It was good to have a full class again today. The kids were so excited to be together. There were a bunch of new offerings on the tables as the children made their way into the room this morning. After washing their hands and putting their bags up we got right to "work" playing. I think one of their favorite centers today was the shape mailbox sorting game. Children kept coming back to it all morning long. They also had a great time at the salad bar. (I needed to squeeze some healthy into this sugar filled week.) During art today the children had free rein over the glue bottles. Their task was to cover a heart with colored paper squares. Some loved being able to squeeze away. I think they get mesmerized watching the glue ooze from the bottle. Others were pretty good at controlling the impulse to squeeze out every last drop. While our glue project dried we whipped up some chalk art to bring home today. Some of the children enjoyed it so much they made multiple pieces. After music we had an opportunity to work with Bubble Gum scented play dough. It made the whole room smell so good! We added some heart shaped gems, X's and O's, scissors, and silicone heart shaped baking cups to further our imaginative play. We were making cupcakes, burying gems, and cutting to our hearts content! We are all looking forward to our Valentine's Day Celebration on Friday. Lunch will be provided and the kids will come home with a bag full of goodies and cards.
I am attaching a photo of the new revised conference schedule. I know it was thrown together quickly today so if anyone needs to make a change don't hesitate to let me know. Looking forward to sitting down with each of you. It was wonderful to have the whole class together today. There was an excitement in the room today that just felt good! As you can see we enjoyed one more day of robots. The children that were here last week were excited to show the returning students what they had learned. During circle time we had another opportunity to work with the robot kitty. Everyone patiently waited their turn to pet the kitty and listen to him purr. At the art table we painted with magnets. The kids were amazed at how the magnet could make a metal object move through the plastic tray. Someone even commented that it was magic! Combining science and art is always fun. Today the children used a giant horseshoe magnet to move magnetic marbles through paint. And we couldn't leave Ozbot out! We made him some new maps. Some students worked on cutting while others had a turn with Ozbot. We also enjoyed some fresh air. Tomorrow is looking like it will be quite the wintery blast so it was nice to run around today. I am looking forward to our conference times on Friday. If the weather is a factor I will communicate through the GroupMe app. If anyone feels the need to cancel please let me know and we can reschedule things. I also have some gaps in the morning schedule if anyone would prefer a later time slot just text and I'll move things around.
Next week we will celebrate Valentines. Our class party will be on Friday at lunch time. Lunch will be provided during the party. Feel free to send in Valentine cards or treats. The kids will be making card bags on Wednesday. Stay warm! See you on Friday. |
Why Blog?Here you will find little snippets of our days together. When my children were in preschool and would come home I would always ask, "So, what did you do today?". All they ever said was, "Played." That didn't tell me much. I hope this blog will be a place to share what we have done and help you ask more directed questions of your child. You will see first hand just what we do after you kiss your little one goodbye in the morning. It will also be a great place to visit and see just how much your child has grown and learned throughout the year. Archives
March 2024
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