Our PreSchool Blog

A new month means a new theme: Go Green!  As we learn about recycling, the children explore the new activities in each center.  We spent time today learning about the new activities and how they are used.

With Easter just around the corner, we, fittingly, used our cooking day to dye Easter eggs!  The children had the option of drawing on their egg before dying it or just dipping it into a variety of fun Easter colors.  Once our eggs looked egg-stra perfect, the boys and girls learned about how to hard boil an egg.  Looking at the difference between a hard boiled egg and a raw egg, the children decided hard boiled looked much more appetizing!  They got to put their taste buds to the test when each one had the opportunity to crack open their own hard boiled egg, slice it up, and eat it.  It was a delicious experience!

Throughout the year, we have been learning about different country’s habitats.  Everything from the tundra of Greenland to the Great Barrier Reef of Australia taught us how different animals thrive in different living conditions.  This month, we had the zoo come in for a special visit.  This time, we got to pet a baby alligator and a hedgehog!  We learned that alligators like to live in dirty water (yuck!), and hedgehogs live in sand.

A cooking day is upon us once again!  The weather has turned and it’s time to head outside and enjoy the sun and warmth.  Here is an easy snack to put together and bring on those long walks, hikes or car rides:

Talkin’ Trail Mix:

Ingredients:

1 cup Chex Mix

1/2 cup pumpkin seeds

1/2 cup shredded sweetened coconut

1/2 cup dried cranberries

1/2 cup yogurt rasins

1/2 cup chocolate chips

1/2 cup almonds (we did not use these in our mixture today)

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

On a foil lined baking sheet, combine almonds, pumpkin seeds, and coconut. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes or until coconut is golden brown. Remove from oven and let cool thoroughly.  Combine all of the ingredients into a bowl, mix and enjoy!

In the rainforest, there are lots of animals that use their tails for practical purposes.  One example is the monkey.  Monkey’s swing from tree to tree using their tails.  Today, Miss Krista, our zoo animal expert, introduced us to two animals that have significant uses for their tails.

Meet Angelina: She is a type of bird called a galaf.  She likes to be in trees with bright pink flowers.  She eats seeds, nuts and fruits.  Her tail has two uses: to balance in trees and to help slow her down to land when she is flying.

Meet Cornflower:  He is a blue tongued lizard.  He uses his tongue to smell.  He eats flies, worms, flowers and loves snails!  His tail is used to help him climb rocks.

Join us this summer for another great selection of camps for both preschool and toddlers.  Download our registration forms and choose from any or all of the eleven weeks this year.

Click Here for Our New 2011 Summer Camp Brochure and Registration.

There are lots of unique dishes that come from Brazil, but none as tasty as biscoitos de maiz.  These cornmeal cookies are popular in Brazil, and easy to make.  The children enjoyed making this yummy Brazilian representation!

Biscoitos de Maiz (cornmeal cookies)

2 cups cornmeal

1 cup sugar

1 egg

1/2tsp salt

1 ½ sticks unsalted butter

¼ tsp vanilla extract

1. Place the cornflour, salt and sugar in a large mixing bowl and mix well.
2. Add the egg and vanilla and blend thoroughly then add the butter and mix well.
3. Set aside for 15 minutes to rest.
4. Preheat oven to 375.  Line 2-3 cookie sheets with parchment paper
5. Form the dough into 1-inch balls and place on the lined baking sheets, spreading well apart. Bake for 5 to 7 minutes. Cool on a wire rack.

On our first day of March, the children enjoyed learning about their new center activities.  Taking time to teach the boys and girls the correct way to do an activity ensures that they are getting the most out of their learning.  We also spent some time outside today working on our listening skills and following directions.  The children were delighted to be out in the warm sunshine!

As we roll into March, it’s time to introduce new activities in our centers!  Today, the children learned how to use the activities in our math, literacy and art centers.  So many ways to practice our letters and numbers!

A new month means new activities in our centers!  The children had the opportunity to rotate around the centers to learn the new games and activities.  Being able to do the activities properly ensures that the children are learning and practicing the skill the activity is meant to teach/reinforce.