08.22.07
Posted in Mommy Nature's Home Preschool at 4:19 pm by Administrator
We’re having a great first week (with all of our classmates)! Although we’ve delayed a few activities, we’ve managed to keep busy! Some of the activities that the children have really enjoyed so far are…
Each day, I scramble someone’s name using magnetic letters and we have to figure out whose name it is while referring back to the names written on post-its. I was impressed at how well the children did! Then, of course, we sing a song using that child’s name while he/she dances along. Very cute!
The kids also really enjoy the Morning Meeting Journals so I hope to expand on them in September when I create their new calendars and weather charts. Next, I’ll add in some pattern pages, along with alphabet activities.
They also appreciate having weekly jobs. The little ones are a little slow going when passing out items but I think once they get the hang of it, they will actually feel somewhat productive and purposeful in their jobs.
Funny, they didn’t really appreciate the sloppiness of paper mache making! I thought they would really get into it, so I planned it as an outside activity. The activity turned into me making the paper mache pinata. That’s okay, though. I think I’ll have some help when it dries enough to paint and decorate.
Tracy, Joshua and Katie’s mom, came to read to the kids at lunchtime today. They really enjoyed it. It’s wonderful for them to experience other readers and you are all encouraged to participate! If you’d rather come and share a different activity or hobby with the children, that would be great, too. They all enjoy seeing their parents become involved with their class and learning from other parents. (The same holds true for grandparents, as well!)
On to curriculum, I’ve introduced the theme and animals that will be supporting our curriculum this year and the kids are really latching on. Next week, we’ll focus on the /a/ sound (”Allie Alligator”) while still talking about the other letter sounds. I’ll try and remember to send the reminder note home, but next week’s Show ‘n Tell will be to bring anything that starts with the /a/ sound (short a).
I’ll be sending an activity home each week as “homeplay” (vs. homework :). These activities will be designed to help you see what your child is learning and offer enrichment activities for your child. You may choose whether or not to return the activity to school for “my review” (and a sticker).
Oh! If anyone is web savvy enough to understand how to use a web cam, would you like to volunteer some time to help me? My mom gave us a web cam, primarily so she could see the girls more often, which we’ve used with some success, but I’d like to incorporate it more into our lives – like periodically broadcasting (for our group’s parents/grandparents) our Morning Meeting for you to enjoy. Or, if you have extra time at work where we could “play” – with me broadcasting and you trying to view - that’s fine too. It could be a fun addition to our activities here.
All of the kids have adjusted quite well to the new school year and are eager to see their friends and learn each day. They interact well together and are caring towards one another. I’m so blessed to have such a precious group of children to have as students for myself and playmates for my children.
“Miss Gina”
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08.16.07
Posted in Mommy Nature's Home Preschool at 11:10 am by Administrator
Wow! I can’t believe that we’re already starting a new year! For curriculum purposes, our year will begin next Monday. That way, our other three friends will be able to participate in the introductory activities as well. Until then, we will be getting reuinited with our friends – including our new friend, Karsen – reviewing class rules/behavior guidelines (I never have much of a problem with this since I have such a great group of kids!), and learning new classroom routines.Some of our new routines include:
Morning Meeting Journal - Depending on the ability level/age of your child, his/her journal will include coloring pages, free write/draw pages, calendar, patterning, counting activities, etc. Many of these activities will directly correlate to our Morning Meeting activities (calendar, letter of the week, etc.).
Spot Who's Here Today - Each day when your child arrives, he/she will move his/her "name spot" onto the ladybug on the entry door. This will offer us numerous opportunities for counting and graphing discussions.
Job Jungle - Each child will have a weekly job which will change each Monday. Whether it is counting out plates at lunchtime, helping with the calendar or feeding the guinea pig, your child will be gaining valuable skills as well as creating a stronger sense of belonging in our classroom family.
Check-out Literacy Bags - I first heard about this from Tracy, then began hearing about them in a few online teacher groups that I'm a member of. These are themed bags that the children will be able to check out for "homeplay". They will include a book and a variety of activities to go along with the story (like activity sheets, games, music CDs, toys, etc.). I've got several now that are nearly ready and plan to have a good variety by the end of September. Each bag will include a folder with a parent journal to share with me favorite activities from the bag, tips from you for extras to include, and questions you have. This should be a fun activity to extend our learning.
Vilonia Safari Passport - I've adapted an activity that Tina uses and adjusted it to the pre-K level. Each child will be issued a passport and will be responsible for obtaining "visas" from various businesses in Vilonia. This will provide real-life opportunities to discuss community workers/helpers with your child as his/her understanding of our community moves from the abstract to a more tangible level of comprehension. This is an activity that is meant to last all year, to be completed at your leisure and be a learning activity for the whole family.
Parent Check-out - I have set aside an area on top of my bookshelf to store books and CDs that I have found useful and hope to share with you. The collection includes curriculum music CDs, parenting books, and fun activity books to do with your children. You are welcome to borrow any of these things.
I would love to start a Toy Trade, if anyone would be interested. For this, each person brings a toy to trade, say once a month, for another toy. The following month you trade back and the owner can decide whether to put it back in the toy trade for the current month or to take that toy home and trade a different toy. Obviously, we would not trade favorite toys, as that would simply upset the children! But most children enjoy their toys even more when they are not played with for a while and then brought back out. We could make this a fun evening – potluck, etc. Anyone want to “play”?
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