Our PreSchool Blog

Today we talked about how important it is to brush our teeth!  For our art project today, the kids decorated their very own tooth brush!  As you can see here, they are having fun using the dot paints to make their tooth brushes colorful!

using dot paints to talk about brushing

introduction to mathematics and sequencing using patterns

The preschoolers had a howling good time today when they used the halloween cards to create different patterns.  We created AB patterns along with AAB patterns. Most children were able to extend the pattern I created, independently.  The next step is for the children to create and extend their own patterns.  We will continue patterning in math through the end of October.  They are doing a GREAT job.  Keep practicing at home…and have fun!  Helpful Hint:  Use the upcoming BUCKETFUL of halloween candy, before you begin to pass it out to the trick-or-treaters, to create yummy patterns (i.e. nerds-candy bar-lollipop; nerds-candy bar-lollipop; nerds-candy bar-lollipop).

This month we are talking about community helpers.  This week we are focusing on the denstist and mailman.  Today during group time we asked everyone who had been to the dentist before and how important it is to take  care of our teeth!  We also played a game with teeth!  Each tooth had either a shape or letter on it.  The kids had to close their eyes while Ms. Sarah hide the baby tooth behind one of the labeled teeth.  When they opened their eyes, each child had a chance to guess where the tooth was hidden by describing which tooth they thought it was behind.  This was a great activity for practicing letter recognition and our shapes and colors!

shapes and letters at the dentist

treasure hunting at the sensory table

This week we have added rice and colorful jewels to our sensory table!  The kids have loved feeling the texture of the rice and sorting through it to find the shiny and colorful jewels!  We had quite a crowd at the sensory table today scooping and dumping the rice over and over again!  The rice was used for many different things today.  Some kids were “building houses” while others were “cooking different foods.”  The jewels were also a big hit for finding “treasure” and talking about the different colors.

sorting ourselves by hair length, shoes by color and frogs by pattern

We had a ball on Friday sorting on our giant math grid.  We sorted our shoes by color and type of closure.  We sorted frogs by the patterns on their backs and size.  We also sorted geometric pattern blocks by color, shape and number of sides.  And for the finale we sorted OURSELVES!  We sorted ourselves by hair color, type of clothes we were wearing (pants vs. skirts), and hair length…Pre-K sorting activities are easy to incorporate into your child’s everyday play. You have so many opportunities to practice sorting with your child.  Your child probably does some of it naturally- putting green blocks together, lining up matchbox cars, or putting farm animals in a play barn. Click the first picture for some other great sorting ideas to do at home.

Our Thurdsay AM and PM classes had a chance to be chef’s as well to make pumpkin pie in a bag!  What a fun experience it was for them as you can see!

more cooking today, this time . . . pumpkin pie!

We made Pumpkin Pie in a bag today!  The children helped to measure and pour all of the ingredients into our special plastic bag.  The best part was that after we zipped up the bag, everyone had a turn to mush and mix everything together with their hands!  It was so exciting for them to see what it felt like as they were mixing the cold pumpkin pudding.  To make the crust of the pie, the kids also crushed up graham crackers on the table.

Preschoolers are ready for many mathematical discoveries. If you provide them with opportunities, then they will learn.  Preschool is a terrific time to lay the groundwork for mathematical thinking and understanding.  One core mathematical understanding is patterning.  We continued to practice our patterning skills today with Halloween Bats and Ghosts!  The children are gaining a better understanding of patterning but it is still a work in progress!  Practice makes perfect 🙂

ABB Pattern

AAB Pattern

AB Patter

ABB Pattern

AB Pattern

One of a child’s most anticipated days of the year is, of course, their birthday.  We look forward to celebrating along with them on their special day.  We were lucky enough to be able to celebrate two birthdays today!  Happy Birthday Olivia and Chase!  We love you!

Olivia's Special Lightning McQueen Cake was Delicious!

Celebrating with Special Halloween Cupcakes

The Early 3’s had so much fun today making pumpkin pie!  At snack time we put our graham crackers at the bottom of our cup for the crust, put our pumpkin pie mixture next, and then topped it off with some cool whip!