Our PreSchool Blog

One-to-One Correspondence

Practicing Uppercase M & N

Do You Eat Grass?

We started full swing today after our Thanksgiving Break.  We began a new book this week called, “Do you eat grass?”  We focused on one-to-one correspondence, comprehension, and sight word recognition during our first reading today.  We also began working on writing our numerals from one to ten.  We will continue working on this skill during the month of December.  Consider practicing at home to help support our learning in the classroom.  We also focused on the letter Mm during our writing small group with Miss Katie.  The kids did a great job….keep working on those homework folders!

children created and extended their own patterns

Our focus in math during the month of November is patterning.  The children were introduced to patterning last year during their preschool classes and this year the children are creating their own patterns and extending them independently.  The children used different types of manipulatives today to create various patterns.  Some children were still most comfortable doing a simple AB pattern based on color while some children created more complicated patterns based on size or type of animal (using the pet manipulatives set).  Using everyday objects in the kitchen are a great way to reinforce patterning at home.

Letter Bb is our letter of the week this week and we “wrote” it with our feet today!  We took turns walking our letter Bb while the other children came up with words that began with the /b/ sound.  We focused on the similarities and differences of the uppercase B and the lowercase b.  We also learned that whenever we write a letter we always start at the top of the letter and pull down.  The children began at the top of each letter and walk it the same way we would correctly write it on paper.

Children learn best in many different ways.  Some children are auditory learners, learning best while listening.  Some children are visual learners.  These  children learn best when there is something visual to go along with something new that is introduced.  Other children are kinesthetic learners.  These children typically learn best by moving, doing and touching.  They are naturally good at physical activities like sports and dance. They enjoy learning through hands-on methods.  Kinesthetic learners learn best through doing including manipulating items, simulations and role plays, and other methods that physically involve them in the learning process. They enjoy and learn well from experimenting and first hand experience.  Always keep this in mind when working with your child at home.  Incorporating an activity that best fits your child’s learning style will make the experience more fruitful and more fun for both of you!

Walking our Letter of the Week

Today in small groups, we practiced the movements the children need to form different letters in the alphabet.  We worked on slanted, vertical and horizontal lines on our map of the forest.  Then, we had a chance to use our fun Magic Wipe Boards to practice writing our names!  They did a great job.  Writing with your child even at this young age is a wonderful activity to become more accustomed to holding the pencil/marker correctly and building the strength in the hands that is needed for more fluent writing in the future.  The best place to start is with the letters in their name!  There is also a wonderful series of prewriting and letter writing books by Kumon.  Click on the pictures below to view different books in this series.

Some Children Wrote their Name Independently

Practice Makes Perfect

Pencil Grip is Important!

“Following the Road”

I did it!

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).