Our PreSchool Blog

We are working on patterns this month in our Preschool Classroom.  The kids used the counting bears to create all different kinds of patterns during small groups today.  We completed AB, ABB, and AAB patterns by size and color (i.e. large-small-small; yellow-green; red-red-blue).  Some of the children caught on very quickly and were creating their own patterns independently before we knew it!  Way to go boys and girls!  Patterning is fun activity to practice at home, especially in the kitchen.  Click on the picture for some ideas…have fun!

ABB Pattern

AB Pattern

AAB Pattern

Shape, pattern, and texture are properties important not only in art but in science and math as well. Preschoolers need engaging opportunities to explore these concepts.

Evelyn is very concentrated on exploring the pumpkins and gourds from our science shelf!  She is using her magnifying glass to really study the different bumps on the pumpkins.  She was talking about the different colors and shapes on the pumpkins and even moved positions to get a really good look!

The first time I saw a light table was at a Reggio Emilia inspiried preschool in New York City.  Every classroom had one and I began to wonder what they were all about.  After researching the various ways these could benefit preschool age children in their learning process, we decided to get one for our own classroom.

Today as I walked by our light table I overheard a child saying, “Let’s count the squares!  While the other child responded, “I’ll count the diamonds then we can count them together!”  They were referring to various translucent geometric shapes that had been placed on the light table for the children to manipulate.  We have been talking about classifying and sorting objects by different attributes (color, shape, size, number of sides, etc.)  What I was witnessing was the children taking what they had learned in small groups and applying it to their other classroom experiences.  Great work kids!

Our light table allows children to experience everyday objects in a whole new way.  In the coming months we will be using the  light table for a multitude of activities as well as free choice play with ever changing manipulatives.  Here are some of the activities that may take place at our light table this year:  building our names and sight words with special translucent letter tiles, exploring and creating colors with color paddles, using various stencils, using the light table to trace our letters and names, manipulating shapes to become more aware of spacial relationships through the use of translucent geometric pieces while discovering the basics of geometry,  viewing x-rays of various types of animals and shells, and finger painting on parchment paper (just to name a few).  These should be great experiences for your children and ones that they will not soon forget.

We have been graphing the weather over the past three weeks and the children have been drawing their own weather cards to help keep track of our crazy Cincinnati weather.  Graphing activities for Pre-K (and Kindergarten) include collecting data and organizing it in a variety of ways.  This is one way we will be practicing this skill throughout the year.  We will be using these weather graphs to compare and contrast the differences in our weather throughout the different months of the year.  We will also be using them when we talk about the terms, Greater, Fewer, and Equal.  These graphs will be used to make predictions of future weather as well.  When children are making guesses (predictions) about what might happen in different situations, they are learning about probability. The more experiences they have with concrete objects or situations the more accurate their guesses will be in the future.

Sunny Days

Cloudy Days

Practicing one-to-one correspondence skills as well as visual recognition of numbers this week

Well, the year has begun and our little ones have not missed a step.  The children have been doing a fantastic job getting to know their new (new to some) classroom and all the different procedures and routines in “the big kid room!” We have kicked off the year with a math focus on numbers one, two and three.  As we attempt to hang onto summer just a little bit longer, we used ice cream cones to work on our one-to-one correspondence skills as well as visual recognition of these numbers.  We will be focusing each month on three new numbers and using them in all sorts of fun activities as we gain confidence in our all our math skills.  We also worked on some of our secret art pieces for the art show, but you’ll have to wait until November to see them!