The young 3’s counted at least 8!
We used 3 of our 5 senses to Taste, Smell and Touch!
We also discovered we can make pottery with “corn” meal!
The young 3’s counted at least 8!
We used 3 of our 5 senses to Taste, Smell and Touch!
We also discovered we can make pottery with “corn” meal!
Blocks come in different shapes, sizes and materials.
Building with blocks not only provides opportunities to create, cooperate and communicate but it also promotes social learning as children work together to share materials, space and ideas!
We build the blocks up……
and knock them down!
There is never a dull moment when our friends from the Cincinnati Museum Center join us for the day! In keeping with our farm theme, Ms. Deann brought a lot of (pretend) furry friends that live in the barnyard or the backyard. The entire presentation is interactive as each child gets his/her own barnyard or backyard animal to hold on to. One-by-one, the adult version of the animal is pulled out and matched with its baby. Each child was able to come up, learn the proper names of the animal and its baby, and discuss if it is found in the backyard, barnyard or pond.
At the end, Ms. Deann brought a very special furry friend – a live bat named Griffin! The children learned the term “echolocation” and what that means. Before they got to see Griffin, they were able to use a finger puppet bat and bug to actually play out how echolocation works. Just another day on the farm!
Math is always a little more fun when there is food involved! This time, we used paper plate pumpkin pies (next Tuesday we will be baking the real thing!). Everyone loves add a little whipped cream to make a pie extra delicious. Using some cotton balls and our imaginations, the boys and girls topped their pies according to the number in the middle of the pie. Ms. Lori challenged the children by starting with lower numbers, then switching them out for higher numbers. By the end of this activity, we were all ready for yummy Thanksgiving treats!
The children kept themselves very busy in small groups today with droppers and paint! We put our fine motor skills to the test with pinching the tops and dropping the paint in just the right spot. The children were very focused and worked hard to use a steady hand. Practicing the pinching, letting go, then pinching again, became easier and easier each time. Once this process was established, the boys and girls were able to focus on how much paint they wanted to suck up in the dropper. Water color paint can be runny on paper, but the children got an excellent fine muscle work out with this process.
A good art project teaches a child that his creativity is limited only by his own imagination.
The children have made a plain brown turkey into a beautiful turkey with lots of feathers!
It takes a lot of small-muscle control in order to rub on the glue and stick on the feathers!!
From the outside, pumpkins come in all different shapes and sizes. On the inside, they are all the same. During our pumpkin exploration today, the children were able to get oooey gooey with the insides and outsides of a pumpkin. We had two different types: a French pumpkin, also known as a Cinderella pumpkin, and a Hubbard Squash. Using their senses, the children encountered the smell, feel, look and even the taste of the pumpkins. Using tools such as spoons to scoop, and magnifying glasses, our little scientists became pumpkin experts! To follow up our activity, the children had the opportunity to describe their findings using pictures and letters. The children enjoyed sharing their thoughts with one another!
Recognizing his/her name is most likely the first word that a preschooler learns. Once that is established, the next step is to learn the letters and the order they belong in. Today, we reviewed the order of the letters by matching them to the name that was written above. We then talked about what each letter was, and counted the amount of letters in his/her name.
Fall is a colorful time of year. Today, the children were able to express their creative sides with Ms. Lori while creating their own fall tree. The children discussed fall colors and why the leaves change colors. Using our fingers to paint is always a memorable experience!
Apples or….apples? Apples are a healthy snack, especially if you’re on the go. Today we learned about how our yummy snack can differ: dried apples. Using our taste buds and Smart Board, we made a graph that told us who liked fresh apples and who liked dried apples. The results? Fresh won by a landslide, but dried had a few votes!
Cutting with scissors is a skill that takes time to develop. Since the beginning of the year, the children have learned how to safely hold scissors when not using them, how to properly hold scissors when cutting, and how a line can be followed to help guide your cutting. We are still working on the latter. Today, the children did an excellent job trying to follow the lines while cutting out a barn. Following lines to cut out specific pictures or shapes gives the children purpose for cutting. When they finished, they glued the barn onto red paper, and then practiced tracing their names.
Working on more fine motor skills, Ms. Lori had the children make (adorable!) cotton ball sheep! The children used their fingertips to pull the cotton apart and glue it onto the sheep. Manipulating objects with fingertips is an excellent way to build fine motor muscles. These sheep are being used as classroom decoration.
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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