Our PreSchool Blog

Today the Toddlers had a blast digging in the sandbox outside! Sand play promotes physical development. Large muscle skills develop as children dig, pour, and scoop sand. Eye-hand coordination and small muscle control improve as children manipulate sand play tools such as shovels and buckets. Sand play also promotes social skills such as sharing and working together. Exploring in the sandbox is considered open ended play which allows the child to use their imagination and play in any direction that they might like. Watch as the children build on these developmental skills!

The Toddler class was able to spend some time outside today… enjoying the amazing fall weather! The playground is a natural place for physical development as well as for social and emotional development. Young children need challenging playground experiences to develop early self-confidence along with large muscle skills and coordination. The boys and girls are learning to share and take turns… they’re making new friends along the way!

Despite the dreary rainy day yesterday, the Toddler room was still buzzing with fun and excitement! The children had a blast exploring at the sand/water table. They used their fine motor skills to dig deep to find treasures underneath the styrofoam peanuts. The also socialized and practiced sharing, as they took turns using the table. The boys and girls also had a blast practicing their gross motor skills to jump and skip on bubble wrap. The popping sounds caused lots of giggles in our room!

We learned about the volcanoes of Hawaii today during science small groups.  After watching a video clip of a REAL volcano erupt we talked about magma that is found in the center of the earth and when it come ups and out a volcano, we call it lava!  We cut a playdough earth in half to reveal the layers of the earth with the magma at its core.

As we began practicing our letter and letter sounds cards this week there was one question that the children kept asking after practicing the letter X…”What is an X-ray?”  Luckily we have a light table and Doctor on call to help us out.  The children explored x-rays of the human ankle, spine and brain!  We also compared the x-ray of the human leg to an x-ray of a lizard.  Teachable moments are sometimes when children learn the most.  Take the time to answer your preschoolers many questions they throw at you during the day and you will be amazed at what they remember!

We have been learning about the green sea turtle during our study of hawaii.  We had the opportunity to watch baby sea turtles hatch, dig their way out of their nest and scurry to the open sea!

After reading Oliver’s Milkshake today we made a healthier version…fresh berry smoothies.  Delicious!

Adding Fresh Berries

Don't forget the yogurt!

Hmmm...do I like it?

Who will help me, ask the little red hen.  Well, unlike the goat, pig, and dog, all the children leant a hand to make our home made bread today!  That meant that we all are able to enjoy the fruits of our labor….delicious!   We also made our own homemade butter!

Pouring the ingredients in the bag

Kneading the Dough

Vegetable soup was the recipe of the day today!  We read Growing Vegetable Soup, then chopped and sliced our way to a delicious pot of Veggie Soup.