What’s better than sitting down and enjoying the fruits of your labor with good friends? We had such a wonderful time today enjoying each other’s company as we finally got to eat the foods we had been working so hard to prepare. The children enjoyed their homemade applesauce, homemade bread with their own handmade butter, fresh green beans, corn, mashed potatoes and turkey. We ate our entire fresh fruit turkey we worked so hard to make…and of course our mini pumpkin pies.
The K Prep students did the first entry in their journals today about what we were thankful for, after reading Bear Says Thanks. We saw a lot of family faces in those entries!
Journal writing is one of the foundation blocks of our language arts philosophy. Each week, the children have a set time to write in their journals. The journal serves as a valuable learning tool. The children are beginning to get their ideas on paper and learn first hand the power of words. Research shows that journaling is one of the most effective ways to teach and learn phonics.
Children at the beginning stages often use “scribble writing” or random letters to represent words. As they progress, they will begin to use the letters that represent the sounds in the words that they are attempting to write (“btrfli” for butterfly). We make good use of the children’s growing phonics by helping them listen carefully to the words they wish to use. Our ultimate goal is for each child to learn to communicate on paper whether it is through words or illustrations.
Children draw pictures as the main part of their communication at these early stages. Drawing helps them find the words they might want to use in their writing. We saw a lot of words in these first entries….very impressive!
The K-Prep class participated in investigating and exploring a pumpkin during science this week! Lots of learning and fun!
The KPrep class has been learning about the scientific method and doing experiments! After watching a video, we went through the steps of the scientific method as we conducted an experiment together. Our first experiment is below! We were trying to find out which liquid would clean the dirty pennies best (vinegar was the winner!).
The KPrep class has been learning about the forest habitat this month. Recently we have been focusing on the brown bear. We read “We’re Going on a Bear Hunt” and made a bear hunt treasure map!
We have changed out our centers in the preschool and kprep room for the month of October! Here are a few of the centers below.
The Light Table Center
Students can practice identifying their letters and forming words on the light table.
The Art Center
Ms. Taylor made pumpkin scented play dough for the art center! Students can make shapes and prints in the play dough.
The Block Center
There are many forest themed animals and different natural blocks to use at this center. It really brings out the students’ imaginations and creativity.
The Library Center
Students can read books or listen to them on tape in our comfy library center.
The Dramatic Play Center
This center resembles a home environment and lets students use their imaginations to take care of baby dolls.
The Tower Center
There is currently a superhero theme in the tower! There are many books, superhero cars, action figures and more!
The Manipulative Center
This center allows students to put parts together and create different objects. This center often promotes teamwork.
The Writing Center
This center has different, fun writing utensils and a new word wall! The students can practice writing new words or writing letters to friends. The classroom mailbox is located at this center as well!
Our reading group book this week was titled, Birds, by Bruce Larkin. We focused on the sight words this and is throughout the book. The students were also introduced to the reading strategy, looking for a small word in a big word (i.e. is in this). After reading the book all week, we created our own sentences and designed an illustration to match. The students also put into practice their new knowledge of creating an interesting illustration by adding details. They did a GREAT job!
Creative Tots has specialized in the private education of both toddlers and preschool age children for over 15 years. We began in the heart of Madeira and now also have a new Mason location. We are specifically designed to focus on early childhood development for children ages 18 months to 5 years.
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