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!

Today the Toddlers worked on the cognitive development skill of matching. Matching is the ability to perceive that two items are identical. It hones in the concept of sameness and differences. During group time we read the book “Animal Babies on the Farm”. The boys and girls did a great job matching the animals based on the sound the animal makes! Next we dug through the sensory tub and tried to find matching mom and baby farm animals. Look around your house and see if your child can find things that match!

The Toddler room has be transformed into a farmer’s paradise. The play house is now a big red barn, there is a farmers market full of fruits and veggies, and tractors galore at the transportation center. The boys and girls have had a field day exploring with farm animals in the sensory tub full of chicken feed!

Today the Toddlers started talking about life on the farm. During group time we read “Color Farm” by Lois Elhart and sang “Old McDonald had a farm”. The boys and girls love chiming in on the animal sounds that they knew! The letter this week is “O” for October and owl. Our thematic vocabulary was incorporated into our art center today. The children made handprint owls using pink and blue paint. We reviewed those colors and practiced hooting like owls as we worked!

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!

Since we’ve been talking about water, we couldn’t leave out the ocean and all of the creatures that call it home! During group time we read “Mister Seahorse” by Eric Carle. The boys and girls were fascinated by the hidden fish in the pictures. During art center, we reviewed our colors and the boys and girls used their fine motor skills to sponge paint all over the paper. They loved the mess they were making and we loved the product that came out… check out our very own Mr. Seahorse!

The Toddler room explored the theme of water throughout September. The boys and girls enjoyed reading “10 Little Rubber Ducks” by Eric Carle and the “Wide-Mouthed Toad” by Keith Faulkner. Although we were busy working on our masterpieces for the art show we were able to slip in a few water creature crafts too. The children made rubber ducks out of potato stamps using yellow paint. There were lots of giggles as their hands were covered in slimy green paint to make frog feet!

One of our objectives in the Toddler room this month is to go over the concept and vocabulary “in and out”. The boys and girls practice this everyday. Whether it be playing in and out of the play house, putting objects in or out of the sensory table, or going in and out of the classroom… the children are putting the words in to motion each day! Our friends had a great time putting the balls “in” and “out” of the bucket.

In the Toddler room, the children have been going over the shape of the month… a Circle! During group time, the boys and girls have been looking around the room for circles. Today, Ms. Bree-Anna read the book “What is Round?”. It highlights objects in everyday life that are the shape of a circle. For example a nickel or a balloon! The children also used their fine motor skills to paint a circle yellow. Go on a scavenger hunt around your house and look for all of the round objects!