Our PreSchool Blog

The letter O makes the /o/ sound, as in octopus.  The short o sound is most commonly found in three letter words, such as hot, top and lot.  Today, the boys and girls brainstormed some letter O words while stringing their very own letter O’s using Fruit Loops.  It was a tasty  way to practice the /o/ sound!

Spring is just around the corner, so what better way to usher in the new season than with a refreshing drink!  The boys and girls did a nice job slicing the lemons and adding all of the ingredients.  They even helped press the buttons on the blender!  The recipe below yields 4 cups.

Ingredients:

2 limes

1/2 cup sugar

3 tbsp. sweetened condensed milk

3 cups water

ice

Directions:

Wash limes thoroughly.  Cut off the ends and slice into 8 wedges.  Place limes and all ingredients into blender.  Blend, and then strain out rinds.

The children were at it again as we poured and stirred our way into salad dressing!  This easy recipe makes a yummy dip for veggies or can be used for salad.          Creamy Feta Dressing & Dip (yields 1.5 cups):

–5 oz. feta cheese

-1/4 cup milk or buttermilk

-1/2 cup sour cream

-1/2 cup mayonaise

-2 tablespoons white wine vinegar

-2 cloves garlic, finely minced

-1 teaspoon of chopped, fresh dill (1/4 tsp. dried)

-1 teaspoon dried oregano

-salt and pepper to taste

Mash the feta and milk together until you get the consistency of cottage cheese.  Next, add the remaining ingredients and blend well.  Let sit, covered, in the refrigerator to blend  flavors.

How do you create a memorable experience?  By writing letters and numbers using shaving cream!  The boys and girls had an ooey gooey time using their pre-writing skills to create the letters Y, Z and T, along with numbers 2, 3 and 4.

We used the small motor muscles in our hands and fingers throughout our small group activities to help prepare for our future of writing!

Using our multi-sensory approach, playdoh and dry erase markers helped the children practice writing letters T, Y and Z.  Using different textures and different manipulatives helps enhance the motor memory.

We started off our week on a healthy note!  These little chefs really got into the cooking mode while chopping and mixing a delicious Aussie Rice Salad.  It wouldn’t be complete without sampling a little taste of our ingredients along the way.  Using fresh red peppers, onions, cilantro, corn and peas, the children were able to add more or less of what they liked.  This is a recommended recipe to all!

Aussie Rice Salad

-3 cups jasmine rice, cooked

-1/2 cup peas

-1 onion, chopped

-1 small can corn

-1 red pepper, diced

-bacon bits

1/4 cup soy sauce

1 tablespoon mayonaise

1 tablespoon allspice

1 tablespoon fresh cilantro or coriander

As we travel through The Great Barrier Reef this month, we will be discovering sea life of all kinds.  Today, the children put their fine motor skills to work while creating starfish and designing their own fish from The Great Barrier Reef.  Fingertips were in full gear while positioning glue and sand just right to make a star.  Next, the boys and girls practiced their pencil grip while uncovering color on their very own scratch fish.

Our little scientists geared up to learn about two of the three properties of water.  We started with measuring an ice snowman first thing in the morning.  By the time we were ready for small groups, our snowman shrunk!  Discussing temperature and how ice turns into water (and vice versa), the children discovered why the snowman was melting.  We also compared a glass of ice to a glass of water in height and weight.  The boys and girls did an excellent job of recording their findings.   What budding scientists!

How many different ways can you write the letters X, W and V?  Today, the children got hands on with their pre-writing skills!  Using mini chalkboards, playdoh, wooden lines, magnet boards, stickers and crayons, the boys and girls practiced making their letters in creative and memorable ways.