NEWS
Discovery Gateway Museum
We had a great time at our field trip to the children's museum in Salt Lake! Thanks to all who were able to come fore making it great!
Black Island Farms Field Trip
We had a fun time on our field trip to Black Island Farms! We first enjoyed a tractor ride to the pumpkin patch, learning a little about the farm and it's produces as we went. Then we enjoyed bouncing in their bounce house, playing in the corn sensory bin, riding the mini train, sliding down the hay slides, and more!
Learning and Growing!
We have had a great few weeks! The kids are a delight! They are doing great at using our words and following directions and making good choices! We have been practicing counting and number sense in math. We have had lots of fun rhyming and learning how to read and write letters Xx, Ss, Tt, and so much more!
Field Trip with Heroes!
We love our Fire Fighters! They did a great job of teaching the kids some basics of fire safety, taking us on a tour, and teaching us to give the firemen a hug if they come to save us. I was proud of our students for being so great!
Spectacular Start
We've had a great start to preschool! We've been learning the ropes of preschool and focusing on having great behavior. The kids have been doing so well! We have had a great time with the letter Mm this past week and are getting in the groove of things.
Preparing for Preschool
Preschool is such an exciting step for you and your child! Here are a few things you can do to prepare for a successful start:
- Talk about it! Let them voice any concerns but keep the tone positive and excited when possible.
- Get them involved in the process of preparing and give them choices when possible. Let them choose what to wear the first day, pick out a small backpack or sack they can use to bring papers homes in (and help them put a picture of your family inside), etc.
- Practice. Play preschool with them. Going to storytime at the library is a great way to practice listening skills. If they aren't used to other kids their age, arrange some playdates to help develop important social skills. Practice independent skills like going to the bathroom and putting on their backpack.
- If your child is not used to being away from you, start leaving them with a friend or family member for short periods of time. This can help to ease an seperation anxiety on the 1st day of school.
- Saying goodbye on the first day is best if kept short. You can even practice a special goodbye handshake or hug ahead of time.
- Here's a fun list of books about getting ready for the first day of preschool: http://elemenopkids.com/getting-ready-for-the-first-day-of-preschool-books/
- Take them to our Meet the Teacher Night! See the calendar for exact dates and times for your class.
STEAM Camp!
We had a great time at STEAM Camp! STEAM is an acronym for Science, Technology, Engineering, Art, and Math. We incorporated all of these into a fun and engaging camp! We tinkered with math manipulatives and had different engineering challenges to welcome campers in every day. We were sure to include art on the agenda and had a science theme to explore each day.
The first day was all about chemical reactions. Campers built a volcano out of Lego's and then enjoyed the reaction of when an acid is mixed with a base in the classic vinegar and baking soda volcano. We ooo-ed and aaahh-ed at how dishsoap breaks the surface tension of milk as we made marbled milk paper. Finally, they took home a do-it-yourself "lava lamp" that featured water and Alka-Seltzer fizzing CO2 through oil.
Day 2 was all about simple machines. Our get to know you game incorporated a lever launching experiment. The kids go creative with the parachute challenge. We experimented with lots of different versions for a toy zip line. Our art utilized an incline plank and a marble. The kids took home a catupult they constructed.
Day 3 was all about water. A xylophone made with water in glass jars was utilized in our opening meeting. The kids excelled with the water slide challenge! We talked about water and oil as we made beautiful art. Our ice investigations were a hit, as the kids experimented with what melts ice fastest. Finally, the kids went home with seeds in a jar to observe and a Summer STEM booklet to keep the fun and learning going at home!
School Supplies
School Supply List
The following items will be individual supplies that will be sent home at the end of the year:
- A paint shirt or smock (labeled with child's name)
- 1 1/2" to 3" binder (clear pocket on outside over)
- 28 or more page protectors
Please send your child with the following items to share with the class:
- 1 or more boxes of crackers (preferably a healthier version)
- 1 or more cans of fruit (preferably in water or light syrup or fruit juice)
- Girls - 1 or more boxes of crayons
- Boys - a container of hand sanitizer
I encourage you to get a backpack or sack for your child to bring home any papers.
I would appreciate any of the following optional wish list items (I will also post items as needed on the Parent Board in the classroom)
- Water colors
- Paint brushes
- Glue sticks
- Scrapbook paper
- Washi Tape
- Clay
- Stickers
- Index cards
- Post-it Notes
- Beads
- White printer paper
- Dry erase markers
- Colored pencils
- Markers
- Ziploc Baggies (any size)
- Ream of colored paper (any color)
- Cardstock (any color)
- Small toys/items to be used as rewards
- Scissors
- Yarn
Service Camp
I loved Service Camp! We had some really great kids come! We did service for several different groups of people. We drew pictures and wrote nice notes on postcards to send to the elderly. Random Acts of Kindness can be so rewarding, so we painted happy and positive rocks to leave where it can spread a little sunshine. We had a great time making homemade doggie treats to share with man's best friend. To say thank you for the service we receive from Community Helpers, we made Kindness Cards to post on our trash bins. We made busy books for hospitals because wanted to reach out to cheer kids who are going through a hard time. We also enjoyed a small snack, a few minutes of free play, and a great story on service. We closed the day with a great discussion about service. What an inspiring day!
The kids went home with a secret mission to do service around their own homes. You can find a link to the printables here: http://www.melissaanddoug.com/blogpost?postId=the-secret-service-activity-a-lesson-in-kindness
My dad taught me to pick up trash wherever I go, to the park, on a walk, anywhere. To make being a helpful citizen more fun, the kids were sent home with this Cleanup Scavenger Hunt printable: http://www.mykidsadventures.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/09/jb-cleanup-treasure-hunt-list.pdf
Our Doggie Treats are healthy for our canine friends, but also kid-friendly. The recipe and details are here: http://www.peanutbutterandpeppers.com/2013/10/09/peanut-butter-and-pumpkin-dog-balls/
Hogwarts Camp!
We had a magical time at Hogwarts Camp! We all had fun and even got some good learning in, too! Here's a simple summary of what we did:
Classes:
We told fortunes and peered into a crystal ball in Divinations. The first day of Potions, we experimented and on the second day we crafted slime to take home. Wingardium Leviosa was practiced in Charms class as we made our balloon owls fly. In Choir, we sang each others names with the aid of instruments. Herbology was spent caring for Mandrake Roots. We saw many creative creatures we crafted in Care of Magical Creatures. Finally, we had magical wizard duels in Defense Against the Dark Arts.
Treats and Snacks:
Hogwarts wouldn't be complete without tasty treats! We snacked on House Elf Crackers, Mrs. Sprouts carrots, Polyjuice Potion, Butter Bear, Bertie Bott's Every Flavored Beans, and Chocolate Snitches!
Extras:
The students used their fine motor skills and creativity creating owl post, Harry Potter bookmarks, painting wands, and more! There were Harry Potter themed STEM challenges that challenged and delighted. Being sorted into houses added an extra element of fun. We worked together to complete the Sorcerer's Stone Challenge. The kids had fun thinking about Would You Rather Questions, Harry Potter style. They passed the trivia questions with flying colors. Quidditch was a great success!
The camp was wonderful! Thank you for being a part of it! For those interested, we played a modified version of this Quidditch: http://www.summercamppro.com/harry-potter-camp-ideas-part-3-the-extras/
We learned some fun Muggle magic tricks that even our youngest campers could preform at home with a little prep from their parents. Those tricks can be found here: http://www.whatsupmoms.com/activities/toddler-activities/play-5-magic-tricks-kids-can-do/#.WWjsgIjys2w
Acting Camp!
Each child will get a role in a play we will create as a group on the first day. Students will get the script on the second day of camp. Each day we will grow as actors and rehearse our play. The camp will end in the best way possible, with a performance for our families!
The show must go on with Acting Camp!
Acting Camp begins next week, and lucky for you there are still spots available! Using my many years of experience doing theatre with kids, I'll help the kids grow as actors while we explore the art and put on a small production for families!
In this camp, we'll use fun and engaging ways to develop five tools we use as actors (voice, body, imagination, cooperation and focus). We'll play theatre games, dance, experiment with puppets, explore with costumes, create art for scenery, use masks and props, practice improv, and so much more!
SeaQuest Aquarium Field Trip
We had a great time at the last field trip of the year! We had a great guide who gave the kids lots of interesting information and provided opportunities to interact with the animals, from petting snakes and turtles to feeding trout and stingrays!
Summer Camps
I am excited to open up summer camps this year! Not only have I taught in public schools and my own preschool for over 7 years, but I also have several years as a camp counselor with the Girl Scouts of America at Trefoil Rand and for the Utah Children's Theatre. I use my passion and experience to bring your child a fun and enriching summer experience! To get more information and to registrar, go to the Summer Camp page.
Preschool Play
This year I adapted Eric Carle's "Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See" for our own preschool version. This kids picked which animal they wanted to be and parents provided the costumes. Working on the play was a great way to help them practice many skills including public speaking and working together as a class to create something wonderful! Thanks, Families, for all your support! You can go to our Facebook page to see videos of the different classes.
Last Weeks of School
The last few weeks of school were filled with fun and learning! We reviewed our alphabet with lots of games and activities. We continued to practice blending and reading simple words. We worked on cutting and name recognition and other skills that will be helpful in Kindergarten. In math, we finished our unit on measuring and reviewed what we've learned with fun games like Tenzi. The students enjoyed doing their favorite centers one more time, like pattern beads and kinetic sand in the art center, costumes and construction in the dramatic play center. We enjoyed our alphabet bag show and tell and practicing for graduation and our play. Whew! We ended the year with a bang!
Dinosaur Museum
We had a great field trip to the Dinosaur Park and Museum in Ogden! We got to make some dinosaur art and play on the dinosaur playground and explore the museum, both inside and out!
Qq and Jj
We are now through learning new letters and are reviewing and preparing for Kindergarten and next year!
For letter Qq, we were quick and quiet. We did quilt art and painted with Q-tips. In our dramatic play area, we had a queen's castle with lots of fun costumes for quests and adventures.
With letter Jj, we jumped and jived, did art with jewels, and played in a jungle. My favorite part was watching the kids tell the jokes they'd been practicing!
We also celebrated Easter and spring with an hunt for eggs filled with letters and Easter art. I just love being with these cute kids!
Lots of Learning
Sadly, I lost most of my pictures from the last few weeks! We had lots of fun learning the letter Uu, using a parachute to go up and under! We were vets and experimented with vehicles during letter Vv week. We had a great grocery store and did art with green glitter for letter Gg week. Letter Yy week we had a yellow carnival, did yoga, and collected data on what we thought was yummy and yucky. And all the while we've been playing with rhymes and practicing addition and subtraction.
New Playground!
The weather was finally good enough over the weekend for us to build our Christmas present to the preschool! I chose the Big Backyard Treasure Cove set largely because it complies with all safety standards (http://www.bigbackyard.com/commitment-to-quality/).
The kids love it! I love that they love it! Such a great addition to our preschool!
