Our PreSchool Blog

Flour is an important ingredient when it comes to baking cookies.  Today, we found a different use for it: practicing our letters!  As we focused on the letters K, L and U, the children got those fingertips moving to create the letters in the flour.  How many times can they write the letter?  Believe me, they would do this all day long if they could!  This multi-sensory activity definitely made for a memorable experience.

In preparation for a successful future in writing children must, regularly, be using the small muscles in their hands and fingers to strengthen them.  We used small blocks today during small groups along with shaving cream and wooden spatulas to help build these muscles.  Children are also acquiring knowledge and skills which will provide an important foundation for later learning.  From the wooden shapes, your child solves problems and gains confidence.  Building with blocks helps children learn what numbers stand for, and it encourages children to practice scientific, trial-and-error thinking as well as critical-thinking and decision making skills.  And of course…it was a lot of fun!

As Thanksgiving nears, it is that time of year to learn about Native Americans.  Ms. Penny and Mr. Ron joined our class today to teach us all about the Native American culture.  The children rotated between four centers: crushing corn to make corn meal, jewelry making, learning about weapons used to hunt, and corn shucking & eating.

In the first center, the children learned how to pick the corn off of the cob, gather it onto a rock (similar to a mortar) then using another rock (similar to a pestle), crush the corn into cornmeal.  The children learned how to work together towards a common goal by helping each other pick of the corn and crush it.

In the second center, the children learned Native American traditions when it comes to jewelry.  The boys and girls were able to try on different pieces, learn about the different textures, then make a necklace of their very own!

In the third center, the children were able to discover bows and arrows, arrow heads, different animal skins & furs, and real bear claws.  The children enjoyed learning about the need for Native Americans to hunt and gather their food.  Holding a bow the proper way showed the children just how difficult hunting can be!

In the fourth center, the children were able to shuck the corn, just like the Native Americans did, and eat it right off the cob.  This was our most delicious center!

The young 3’s counted at least 8!

We used 3 of our 5 senses to Taste, Smell and Touch!

We also discovered we can make pottery with “corn” meal!

Blocks come in different shapes, sizes and materials.

Building with blocks not only provides opportunities to create, cooperate and communicate but it also promotes social learning as children work together to share materials, space and ideas!

We build the blocks up……

and knock them down!

From the outside, pumpkins come in all different shapes and sizes.  On the inside, they are all the same.  During our pumpkin exploration today, the children were able to get oooey gooey with the insides and outsides of a pumpkin.  We had two different types: a French pumpkin, also known as a Cinderella pumpkin, and a Hubbard Squash.  Using their senses, the children encountered the smell, feel, look and even the taste of the pumpkins.  Using tools such as spoons to scoop, and magnifying glasses, our little scientists became pumpkin experts!  To follow up our activity, the children had the opportunity to describe their findings using pictures and letters.  The children enjoyed sharing their thoughts with one another!

Today, the children got in touch with their creative sides using a cob of corn to roll out some art!  Using different textures sparked curiosity and interest.  The children had the opportunity to explore the corn a little more in our sensory tub.  The corn can be manipulated and plucked off of the cob to follow up this creative art activity.  The United States is, by far, the largest corn producer in the world.  Here’s to home grown food made in the USA!

The preschoolers explored all different types of harvest vegetables from the farm today.  Cutting them open we found that some have seeds while others do not.  Some are soft and easy to cut through while others are hard and tougher to cut.  Some have prickles on the outside leaves and some even have a large pit in the middle!  Vegetables of all kinds were the exploration of the day!  We had a ball!

Recognizing his/her name is most likely the first word that a preschooler learns.  Once that is established, the next step is to learn the letters and the order they belong in.  Today, we reviewed the order of the letters by matching them to the name that was written above.  We then talked about what each letter was, and counted the amount of letters in his/her name.

Fall is a colorful time of year.  Today, the children were able to express their creative sides with Ms. Lori while creating their own fall tree.  The children discussed fall colors and why the leaves change colors.  Using our fingers to paint is always a memorable experience!

Apples or….apples?  Apples are a healthy snack, especially if you’re on the go.  Today we learned about how our yummy snack can differ: dried apples.  Using our taste buds and Smart Board, we made a graph that told us who liked fresh apples and who liked dried apples.  The results?  Fresh won by a landslide, but dried had a few votes!

As a preschooler, it is very common to mix up the letter N with the letter M.  How do we fix that?  Memorable experiences!  Today, Ms. Lori worked with the children on the letter N.  The children first practiced writing the letter, while discussing the sound it makes.  Using real hay, the children then built a nest, using real hay, for Nellie the hen.  As children recall these tactile experiences, they become more successful in deciphering between letters/sounds that can trip them up, such as N and M.