First Day Last Day
Love,
Ms. Kristen
It is never easy to say goodbye to a class. This has been a very special group. We started off small and grew in size and love. This class has learned so much over the year. And what a year it has been as their first formal school experience. These students are full of resiliance and spunk. Even with all the challenges that Covid brought our way, we pushed through and had an amazing year. Thank you for all of your kind words this afternoon. I am going to miss you all but look forward to seeing your children grow into their new classes in the fall. First Day Last Day God Bless you all! Have a safe, happy, and healthy summer. September will be here before you know it so enjoy every minute of your family time.
Love, Ms. Kristen Our room was totally transformed into a campsite, complete with a campfire, grill, camping chairs, and of course a tent! We had all the gear necessary to enjoy the outdoors as well, canteens, binoculars, and lanterns. We even had birds chirping and a river noises playing peacefully in the background. All we needed were the campers! We were also delighted to welcome the SAPD to school this morning. They put on a fun puppet show about stranger danger, how to call 911, and what to do if you were ever in a fire. The children loved the puppets and the police force really enjoyed the students. Outside we enjoyed chasing each other and gathering roly polys. We finished our day with lunch in the dark. We pretended we were having dinner at the campsite. We turned off the lights and changed our background noises to crickets and croaking frogs. We ate together and listened to camping stories. This was a real treat for the children and a nice way to calm down after such a busy morning. I am still having a hard time wrapping my brain around Friday being our last day of school! What a year it has been. We have grown so much, matured, and gained new skills. We have learned how to be friends and treat each other with respect. It has been an honor and my sincerest pleasure to work with your children. They will each take a little piece of my heart with them as they move on to different classes. I look forward to seeing their smiling faces and hearing their giggles in the halls next year. I hope they always stop by and say hi.
We will close out our year with a family picnic in the ravine behind the playground on Friday beginning at noon. Just look for our tent. Bring a blanket or chairs to sit on and a picnic lunch. Don't forget a camera and maybe some tissues. Let me know if you have any questions. I'll see you then. Our day was once again full of fun! These little heroes and princesses really got into character. Our visit to the Super Hero Room was also a hit! The boys and girls jumped on a trampoline, leapt through hoops in a single bound, read some hero stories, climbed through an extra long tunnel, and tossed some kryptonite into a target. All in all, full of adventure! One of the days highlights was Motor Skills with Ms. Amy. She brought in huge sheets of bubble wrap and the children crawled and ran over the bubbles to their hearts delight. She even gave us a piece to bring back to our room and we ended our day popping as many bubbles as we could. What an exciting activity. I have video from the Motor Skills class that I will upload to Remind or email you. They had a great time.
I am kind of in shock that next week is our last week of school! We will enjoy camping week together. We will pop some popcorn, blow bubbles, have some ice pops and soak in every minute together before the summer break. The children have grown up so much this year. They have become more independent and their play styles have developed right before my eyes. I hope you have enjoyed the visual record of growth throughout the year on the blog. These photos will remain for you to return to whenever you feel like looking back. Enjoy your weekends. See you next Wednesday. What an exciting day! We were dressed up all day as heroes or princesses. The children had a blast! We were busy checking our costumes out in the mirrors, flying high on the playground swings, and making good choices all day. There were several super hero games and toys set out as well as a new fairy play set. They were enjoyed by all. We also enjoyed our dramatic play area. This week it is the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle Pizza Shop. We enjoyed mixing up the toppings, cutting the pizzas, and putting them in pizza boxes to share with friends. Pretending to make pizza is one thing but making a real pizza to share is a lot more fun. We all washed our hands and headed the big table to make our own special class pizza. Every child had a hand in making the pie. We spread the sauce, added pepperoni, and topped it with cheese. Then Ms. Amanda helped us by taking it to the kitchen to bake. A few minutes later our pizza was done and we all had some to try. It was a huge hit with the children. Every bite was gone! It was a great day indeed. Our 4 and 5's classes have been preparing for their graduation this Friday. They were in the common space practicing some of our chapel songs. The kiddos are just drawn to the music and dance moves and couldn't help checking the other classes out and singing along. They couldn't see very well on their own so a few smart cookies figured out a solution. Please feel free to dress up again Friday as super heroes or princesses. We will be visiting the Super Hero room where there are game stations setup for the children. They can leap tall buildings in a single bound, toss Kryptonite, show their super strength, read some super hero books, and race one another. It is sure to be a lot of fun. See you then!
What an exciting start to the morning with our new drop off location. The children thought it was pretty special to be just like the big kids. Inside we learned about ocean life. We had the opportunity to explore several ocean animals up close and personal. The children loved the vivid photographs and related items. We also played a guessing game. I read the children riddles and they tried to guess the answer. They could check to see if their answers were correct by seeing what animal was in the bag. This was big hit. Everyone had a great time guessing. Our scissor skills have come a long way this year. Most of the time we are cutting small strips of paper. Some of the children are beginning to explore cutting longer strips that involve multiple cuts at once. Today we decided to try a curved line. We made our own jellyfish. Some of the children were worried that they couldn't do it. I told them to try, they might surprise themselves. Overall, I was very happy with their efforts and our school of jellyfish looked amazing hanging from the ceiling. And yet again we enjoyed several ocean games, pancake parties, and time making sandcastles in the sensory bin. Next week we will be taking about Super Heroes. Princesses are also welcome. Feel free to dress up or wear your favorite hero or princess t-shirt or costume. Our dramatic play area will be transformed into a pizza parlor (The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles love pizza!). I'm sure it will be another exciting week! See you then!
This morning we enjoyed cooler than normal temperatures on the playground. At the beginning of the year, I remember having to be right next to the children as they navigated the climbing structures. They needed help figuring out what to play or how to play. Some of the children wouldn't even go down the slide unless they had my finger for security or climb the spiral without my hand on their back for reassurance. This morning as I observed the children, it dawned on me how much they have grown right before my eyes! They are playing with one another, calling for each other by name, helping a friend when needed, and engaging in meaningful play together. Their confidence on the play structures has increased tremendously. They are not babies anymore. They are ready to take next year on with confidence. Back inside we began talking about what next year will be like as they move on to older classes. I teach the Life Skills class with Ms. Amy on Mondays. We do a lot of cooking and science experiments together. This week we made pancakes in class and I had plenty of mix leftover. I decided to do a mini Life Skills lesson with the children so they could get an idea of what they will be learning with me next year. To say that they were excited is an understatement. We began by reading the story, "If You Give a Pig a Pancake". Then every child was able to add the ingredients and mix the batter. Next, we discussed some kitchen safety in regards to hot surfaces. I showed the children how the griddle works and used their batter to make pancakes. The children then poured their own syrup and throughly enjoyed eating the pancakes. I find the children will often try something they don't normally eat when they have a hand in making it and the whole class is trying it as well. I look forward to continuing to watch these kiddos grow and learn next year in Life Skills. After all of the real pancake fun we turned our dramatic play area into a pancake shop. Everyone loved making, serving, and eating more pancakes. Our theme this week is Oceans and we did take time to learn about sea turtles and their life cycle. We read several fun ocean themed books and played some fine motor activities. But pancakes were by far the hit of the day! Looking forward to more ocean study on Friday.
This was another great day together. We enjoyed outdoor time, visiting the art museum, making symmetry butterflies and playing together. I hope you enjoy the snapshots from today.
I also want to take a moment to thank you all for the extremely generous gifts for Teacher Appreciation Week. I am speechless! This has been a challenging year in many respects but I have love every minuted of working with your children and watching them grow into the capable learners they are. I look forward to seeing them next year and teaching them in Life Skills on Mondays. Thank you for trusting your beloved children with me a few short hours each week. God Bless you all and Happy Mother's Day. What an exciting day! We had a visit from the Critter Guy. He brought some interesting friends with him today for us to meet. This presentation couldn't have been timed better as we are studying insects this week. Not only did we meet some fascinating creatures but it really spurred our interest in the subject. We were hunting all over the playground for insects to safely observe in our bug boxes. Inside, we explored several insect specimens I have collected over the years. We also enjoyed some insect stories, sorted bugs, and created something secret for Mother's Day. Pictures of that project will not be posted today. The children would be so upset if I ruined the surprise. Friday we will tour the Art Museum. Everything looks amazing and the children worked so hard to make such beautiful works of art. You are welcome to tour the exhibit in the B2 wing just after drop off on Friday morning. We will visit the exhibit a little later in the morning as a class. Looking forward to another buggy day, Friday!
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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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