We use Body Language

We use body language everyday. We practiced using happy body language, sad body language, angry body language, and even surprised body language.

We discussed the fact that humans are not the only ones that use body language.

We pretended we were cats today.

We learned how they use their bodies when they are happy, 

when they are sad,

when they are interested in something,

and when they are scared.

   

We have also become very good at team work!

I made a mistake but I like myself!

Today we read another adventure of our friend P J Funnybunny. Today he decided he just didn't like being a bunny anymore. He tried being a bear, a beaver, a moose, a dirty pig, a possum, and a stinky skunk, but he realized he made a mistake and realized he liked himself! He liked being a bunny. Sometimes we make mistakes, but we need to fix it and move on and be happy and like ourselves. We learned today to say 

" I made a mistake but I like myself!"

just like P J Funnybunny.

We are busy learning to write the numbers 1 and 2 this month. The number 1 was a breeze, the number two has been a little harder to master. Keep practicing at home and we will keep working on it at school.

In our homework folder today these two rooms are coming home. Ask us to explain to you how many kids sleep in the bedroom and how many kids play in the playroom. Then ask the big question -if you have two kids and you add one more kid how many kids do you have?

We designed our very own purple,blue patterns today. Each one of the children came up with some very unique designs.

One of the play stations this week is ABC sugar cookies. The boys have loved these. They are so amazed  that they recognize many of the letters in the jar!

Another popular station has been the dots. This takes a lot of thought and group discussion, I enjoy watching them work together.

My Circle of Friends

We can have many, many friends. Today we learned that there is always room for one more in our circle of friends.

Today our circle of friends made some beautiful purple and blue things together.

Ff is for Flamingo. We think Pink Flamingos are ffffunny!

Mia

 We are learning to use scissors. Heather is going to show us a few things to ease your child's frustrations at home:

 Make sure your child holds the scissors in his or her writing hand with the thumb up towards the sky.Your child’s thumb should be in the smaller hole and the second and third fingers (or pointer and long fingers) should be in the larger hole of the scissors. Then make sure that your child holds the paper with the other hand.

When cutting the hand that is not holding the scissors is called the Helper Hand. Make sure that your child uses the helper hand to turn and adjust the paper rather than moving the scissors around the paper. If your child is cutting with his or her right hand cut counterclockwise. If your child is cutting with his or her left hand cut clockwise.

                             Remember: Thumbs to the sky

                                                                                   

The Grouchy Ladybug

Today in our quest to learn more about feelings we read a wonderful story about an unlikable ladybug that will not share.  She is confrontational, ill-mannered, and just plain grouchy.  The story begins very early in the morning with two ladybugs arriving to feast on a bunch of aphids covering a leaf.  The grouchy ladybug will not share so she heads off angrily to pick on someone bigger to fight.  She travels for twenty-four hours and ends up right back where she started only somewhat more contrite and a little wiser for the wear.  In this entertaining story, there are lessons about the passage of time, relative sizes, and the importance of manners and being nice. 

Each child had a chance to decide whether they were more like the grouchy ladybug or the nice ladybug. We found several grouchy ladybugs in our preschool room today...let me introduce you:

                                   Grouchy Bridger

                                   Grouchy Heather

                                     Grouchy Gage

                                    Grouchy Haley

                                    Grouchy Alyssa

                                   Grouchy Zaden

                                   Grouchy Mia

                                  Grouchy Cayson

                                  Grouchy Noah

Playing games like match the number of spots on the Ladybug and making Patterns with Ladybugs and flowers made most of our grouchies go away.

Today, we also received our very first homework folders. Tonight we have real homework. We get to practice making patterns with mom and dad, we need to write Ff four times and return it to Miss Julie on Friday, and oh-boy, we get to count the eggs in the refrigerator.

Where do you find Happiness?

"Take your own party wherever you go!"
                                               -Ellis Family motto


This week we are talking about how special our friends are. Our friends have happy and sad feelings just like we do.

One of the greatest blessings of working with children and being a parent is to see the world through a child's eyes again. Children spend so much of their time listening and learning from adults...maybe, it would be beneficial for adults to take time to learn from the children around them. Learn how easy it just might be to find happiness in the simplest of things and how to rediscover the magic of make believe.

Children are still connected, they have the original 'app' to find happiness. As you spend time with your child this week working on homework, connect with them and 'download it for free.'

                                   Noah, Gage, Zaden, Heather

                                    Jude giving Haley a hand

Our story today was about Fran the blue Fish. She was a pill to her friends Wally the Whale, Trudi the Trout, and Cooper the Crab. She refused to play with them, which made them so sad.  When Trudi, Wally and Cooper started having fun blowing bubbles and popping them...then Fran wanted to play. She yelled at them "let me play", but they swam away because they were afraid to play with Fran because she was so mean, this made Fran the Fish sad. Ask your child what Fran did to fix this big mess she made, and help everyone be happy.

                                        Fabulous work by Bridger.

Today was also Ff day. We made an art project of Fran the Fish so your child can tell you all about the adventure, show you how well they can make the uppercase F, tell you the sound that F makes, and maybe even tell you some words that begin with the letter F. (Yep, I know, they are brilliant!)

We have been practicing our writing and making patterns. As you are eating dinner, make a pattern with your veggies, or maybe with your tubby toys at bath time, or even a pattern with their shoes as you are cleaning up tonight. We made a pattern of blue, purple, blue, purple, blue today.

                                      Awesome work by Heather

As the children were putting their papers away in their backpacks today I noticed many of them still had all of their work from the past week inside. As part of homework, review the activities, crafts and papers that your child brings home. Display it proudly on the refrigerator or other grand place, where they can see how important their work is. They are sooooo excited to share their hard work with you.

Friends

 Today we learned that we have many friends at school. We learned that our friends are sometimes the same and sometimes different. We read a story about a bear and a mouse that became friends, and they were REALLY different . Ask your child if they want to treat their friends like the nice bear or the mean bear, and talk about ways they can do that.

 The uppercase 'F' is for FUN!!! We began our sounds with the letter F. Have your child look around your house to find things that begin with the f, f, f, sound.

 Each day we practice writing in our journals. This is a very quiet and serious time. It would be great if you kept a pencil and pad of paper where they are able to practice when they ask.
* Parents, first Homework Assignment:Practice writing lines, circles, etc., holding pencil correctly.
*Homework folders come home starting Monday. Be sure and look these over with your child every school day. There will be a simple homework assignment each evening that you and your child can do. Do these assignments when you are not rushed, and it is a pleasant experience for both you and your child. I think I would rather you skip an assignment rather than make it a rushed and uncomfortable experience. We want 'homework' to be a pleasant experience for years to come...this is where that love begins.

Finally, we played the game 'Where can I find new friends?' This game is in your child's backpack. Let them place the cards around the room. Then roll the cube and go hunting for the picture it lands on. These are all places we can say 'Hello' to people and make new friends.

SuperStar Start!

Recipe for the best First Day ever:

10 Excited Kids
Crazy SuperStar song
Big Red Pencils
Polka Dot Name plates
Plenty of glue sticks
Old friends
New friends

Mix well until smooth, slowly add new rules,
sprinkle with a few new concepts and let rise to
new heights!

                                     2012-2013 SuperStars


Today we learned that when we try something new, we sometimes are nervous, and so is everyone else. So we practiced saying 'Hello' with our people puppets.

                    One is me, and the other is my new friend...Hello!


We explored the new games of the week and practiced sharing with our Superstar friends.

                                      Bridger and Heather

                                          Noah and Haley

                                        Gage and Cayson

                                         Mia and Alyssa

                                           Jude

                                           Zaden

Best First Day EVER!!!!!

Welcome to Preschool

I am so excited for preschool to start this year! This group is so ready to go! The program I am using this year is one I am sure you will be as excited about as I am. It does however require a minimal amount of your time to help your child reach their full potential. We will be starting preschool classes Wednesday, September 5th, and class will be from 9:00 am to 12:00 noon on Monday, Wednesday, and Fridays. These will be very structured class periods . Each month, in addition to our math and reading programs, our curriculum will have a focus theme. These engaging themes allow will allow your child to play, explore and learn about different concepts in their expanding lives. These units are designed to inspire your child to dig deep and explore their 5 senses in all new ways.

 September 2012: Friends and Feelings
Welcome your children to a wonderful new year of school and help them learn important lessons about friendship, taking turns, understanding differences and saying sorry. Your children will practice team-work as well as many different ways to communicate their feelings. Show happy with only your face. Practice using a phone and even write a letter to a penpal. We will even learn the importance of 911. Friends and Feelings is a special and warm way to start a great year.
October: In the Orchard
Children will love exploring the colors, tastes, smells and sounds inside an orchard. Climb up an apple tree, count seeds, discover roots. Then, compare the many different fruit trees growing in our make-believe orchard. From cherries to kiwis, children will be delighted to eat up learning. The adventure continues as they uncover silly animals living above, below and in the orchard. Porcupines, raccoons and squirrels will guide them to back of the orchard where nut trees and other unexpected adventures grow.
November: On the Go
Hop on your tricycle and pedal on down the road. This experience will keep your mind and body moving. Learn about traffic signs, maps and how to fix cars in your own make-believe service station. Go by road, then by sky. Float up in a hot air balloon then land on a tugboat in the middle of the sea. When you think you can’t go any further, think, “I can” and ride a little engine that could. This unit includes a safety week where we will explore personal safety, when it is safe to cross the street, car safety and we will learn our address and phone number incase we need to give it to a police officer. Stranger danger will also be included.
December: Sights and Sounds of Winter
Celebrate the holiday season with music and beauty. March and beat a drum, hear the horns and the harp. Dance with joy inside and out. The sounds continue as you follow the animal tracks down the snowy path, tip toe on crackling ice and hear the hoofs and bells of horses. When you hear the teapot whistle, come back inside for a treat. Sit by the fire, eat cookies and explore the shadows of late afternoon.
January 2013: Going on Safari
Pack your bags, put on a hat and get ready for a big adventure to the African grasslands. In the National park you will see elephants, zebras and maybe even get kissed by a Giraffe. Wow! They have very long tongues. Learn about people who live in the great savannah. Celebrate their art, make beads, learn to drum and don’t forget to sleep under a mosquito net! If Africa seems far away, find your own safari in your backyard. Hunt for beetles in the grass, make your own shelter and relax in the shade.
February: Food and Fitness
If your children are hungry for learning, they will love this delicious experience. Follow food from the farm to the truck that picks it up, then on to the market, bakery, and all the way to your table. Learn the basics of measuring, pouring, stirring and chopping. After a well-balanced meal, go outside for a marathon of jumping, kicking, catching and relay races. Everyone is a winner in this learning adventure.
March: Bees and Butterflies
Your children will be as busy as bees as they buzz from flower to flower, gathering sweet ideas. Learn how to be a beekeeper and listen to the bees communicate. Then, follow a bee inside your own make-believe honeycomb. Get to know the queen bee and other jobs in the hive. Outside, watch a brand new butterfly appear. Hear stories about a caterpillar who was wrapped up in a chrysalis and went through a process of metamorphosis. Experience the life cycles of bees and butterflies this spring with your children.
April: Cowboys, Dunes and Deserts
Pull up your boots, put on your cowboy hat and head to the Super Star Station Rodeo! After practicing your rope skills, wander out into the dunes of the Sahara Desert. Explore the Mojave Desert while riding your bumpy burro. Learn ABC with an armadillo and count the sneaky little lizards. Sit for a while in the shade of a cactus, but be careful not to fall asleep because the desert comes to life at night. In this action-packed theme, explore sandy ideas near and far away.
May: Bubbles, Boats and Floats
Your children will love splashing up their imagination in this water filled theme. Experiment with what will sink and float. Children will make a mini canoe and create a pretend river. Take building lessons from a beaver, then swim on down to the lake. Fish for letters, count ducks and then hurry home to get squeaky clean. Fill a bucket with soapy water. Wash your hands, dishes and even a dirty dog. Water is an important natural resource. Your children will learn how to preserve, appreciate, and protect our water.

Each theme has focus colors, shapes, numbers and letters of the month. Plus, each theme features a different music genre in an integrated music &movement program. These will be listed and updated each month on our blog along with pictures, our preschool calendar and our progress. 

The first week of class homework folders will be coming home. These will answer most of your questions about our reading and math programs. If you have any additional questions…you know where to find me!