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
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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!
