Our PreSchool Blog

The Toddlers are learning about winter this month. The boys and girls explored the “iceberg” with penguins, sea lions, and polar bears. The ice was cold to touch, but they loved to watch it melt!

Today the Toddlers had so much fun with Ms.Joanie during music! Each child was given a chance to play the rainbow colored bells. They did a great job waiting for their turn. We talked about how we use our ears to hear instruments and songs.

To continue with our unit on senses, we read the story “My Five Senses” during group time. This is an interactive book where the children point out how they use their senses. The boys and girls got the hang of it as they followed along with the book!

I hear with my… ears!

I touch with my… hands!

I smell with my… nose!

I taste with my… mouth!

Throughout the month, the Toddlers have been learning all about their senses. Today we focused on touch. The boys and girls molded and manipulated playdoh while strengthening their fine motor skills. We also worked on sorting today. We practiced placing soft and hard balls into the correct container. The children did a great job determining where the objects belong.

This month we are learning all about our senses! During group time this week, we have been reading the story, “Polar Bear, Polar Bear, What Do You Hear?” The children like to chime in on all of the noises the animals make throughout the book. During our art center today, the boys and girls used their fine motor skills to add white rice to the polar bears body.

The preschoolers explored the great outdoors today on a nature walk during small groups. We explored and discovered using our senses. Ask your preschooler what special pieces of nature they collected on such a beautiful fall day!

The preschool and Pre-K families took a ride to the pumpkin patch at Iron’s Fruit Farm yesterday.  We trekked through the muddy fields in search of the perfect pumpkin!  Some were round, some were tall, some were big and some were small!  What did your perfect pumpkin look like?

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 boys and girls look forward to music and movement every day. They love to “shake out their sillies” and “drive in their cars”. Once a week we have the pleasure of having Ms. Joanie and her special guest, Elmo play music with us! Music helps children develop memory skills and language and literacy skills. Music and Movement helps develop listening skills, auditory discrimination, and concentration. Young children use this time to express feelings and emotions while increasing self esteem. Check out the children using their fine motor skills to strum the guitar as they sing along to some of their favorite songs!

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!