Preschool

While grown-ups recognize that pretending helps children find their way into the world, many adults think of play as separate from formal learning. The reality is quite different. As they play, children develop vital cognitive, linguistic, social and emotional skills. They make discoveries, build knowledge, experiment with literacy and math and learn to self-regulate and interact with others in socially appropriate ways. Play is also fun and interesting, which makes school a place where children look forward to spending their time. It is so deeply formative for children that it must be at the core of our early childhood curriculum.

What does purposeful play look like? When you step into an exemplary pre-K classroom, you see a room organized by a caring, responsive teacher who understands child development. Activity centers are stocked with materials that invite exploration, fire the imagination, require initiative and prompt collaboration. The room hums.

New York Times, What a Preschool Should Look Like Op-Ed article by Bank Street College president Shael Polakow-Suransky and Professor Nancy Nager

We encourage you to read this full article from The New York Times. It affirms what we believe and do at BCD – purposeful play, exploration and discovery, creative, transformative thinking, initiative, and collaboration.

Our activity centers this week promoted all these things:

1. Color exploration – We painted using the water colors we made last week. We experimented with water and primary colors of food dye to create new colors. This inspired a lot of discussion and “what if’s.” We also had a discussion about the wonderful black and white photos of everyone that Ms. Sicurella took and why they are not in color. Ms. Sicurella also laminated color prints of the same photos, which led to interesting comparisons, connections and a memory game.

2. Painting – Our easels and paints center promotes exploration of color, line and composition, fine motor development and expressive communication.

3. Magnifying nature – We presented a center with different sized magnifying glasses and samples from our nature walks such acorns and other nuts, a fossil and pine cones. Your children loved seeing these familiar objects from a different perspective!

4. Dominoes – We put dominoes out to follow up on the dot project that Heather introduced this week (see below).

5. Our tree – This project over time to make our own tree was initiated by the children. We decided that to our cardboard tube we would only add things that a tree would have. This collaborative activity is very popular, as the children think about what they want to add and work with others to create it. They also make a lot of observations. For example, CJ said he learned something new, that a small pinecone can balance on the bigger one that is glued. We introduced fabric, too, and children drew or traced leaves on them and then used permanent markers to add veins. Nicolette observed that it looks like a real tree! This has given added purpose to our nature walks, too, and this week we found lots of big BIG leaves that we gathered and brought back for our tree. We also wondered why there are brown leaves on the ground but colorful ones in the trees. We wondered why water stands in dots (droplets) on leaves and where the bugs went. Isabel said that they are hibernating and Aidan explained that means when you rest and you go to sleep.

6. Writing table – We have paper and pencils on a table near our word wall that our 4’s use to make books. Sometimes they write and sometimes they dictate what they want written in their books. If they want to know how to write a word, we write it and put it on their word wall.

Topics depend on their interests and include everything from super powers to kitties!
                 

7. Important other centers that we will talk about in future blogs are Weaving, Dress up, Housekeeping, Dollhouse and Building (blocks, legos, marble runs, and the like.)

Circle time – Often we do not have a specific instruction block as our learning happens naturally in the rhythm of our daily activities. Every aspect of our circle time involves some kind of instruction. We integrate all aspects of social and cognitive development using music, French, math, language arts, social studies and science. After our greeting we read the morning message, we sing the days of the week song and say what day of the week it is. We say the date and we count the days we have been in school. We write and/or place the number on the wall. The numbers of the October calendar days alternate with yellow and orange so we figure out what color comes next in the pattern, too. We have also begun bundling the numbers of the days with straws. On Friday, for example, we had been in school for 36 days, which meant 3 bundles of 10 straws each plus 6 singles. We always say what the weather is, too.

We often take out our counting stones or our counting bears to count 1-10 and to practice one on one counting. Our 4’s are counting to 20. We also use circle time to practice letter formation basics using the Handwriting Without Tears method of big line/little line, big curve/little curve (which all letters have). This week everyone had a chance to make letters on the chalkboard and we all wrote letters in the air, too.

Books – We read books throughout the day, especially at transition times such as after recess or before rest. Our stories continue to reinforce social, emotional and cognitive skills and concepts. We read a rhyming, repetition book about ants, a “feelings” book by Mo Williams, sequencing stories by Richard Scary, a preposition book, and a colors story by Eric Carle. Isabel’s mom Heather read a counting, rhyming story about 10 little dots and the children discussed what the configurations of dots made. They extended the story by gluing black dots on paper and then making a drawing from it.
Sonya noticed that the dots on the dice look like people. CJ said that there are different numbers on the dots. Neha noticed the words on the pages. Noelle noticed 10 little dots. Nicolette said they looked like lollipops. Angeliz made a train and Isabelle said that the dot is a lightbulb (in the classroom.)

Art with Ms. Sicurella – Ms. Sicurella continued to work on a collaborative piece. The children are creating a design on a big piece of wood using various media – cray pas, different pieces of wood, tissue paper, and things with other textures and dimensions.

French – At snack one day this week your children spontaneously began to have conversations in French! What fun they had saying “Bonjour” and “Je m’appelle…” to one another! We had a big treat this week when Madame, the French teacher, came to our classroom to sub and did a full lesson of stories and activities with them. She was very impressed with their French and with their enthusiasm!

9^th Grade Buddies – How nice it was to have Ruby, Michelle and Evan, our wonderful 9^th grade buddies, back from their trip to Europe! They are terrific with your children. They are able to diffuse tension with humor, use diversion strategies when necessary, and be creative with their engaging conversations and activities. They love being with our class! As a special treat on Friday afternoon, they brought us a huge pumpkin carved with a nature theme (a tree!) complete with (fake) candles. We will miss them as they work in their classroom for the next two weeks but look forward to their return!

Some reminders:

Please dress your children appropriately for the weather.
We encourage you to send in processed-free and sugar-free snacks and lunches.

For those of you viewing this blog on your iphone or ipad, you can view the pictures here: https://www.flickr.com/photos/bcdtech/sets/72157647254977052/

This was a short week, but your children filled it with discovery, purpose and learning! Our morning center time was multifaceted. As always, children can choose what center they want. Choice builds independence and self-confidence and helps children plan and follow through on their activity. We brought in large branches for one of our center activities for children to decorate. They used the nature bins from our Grandparents/friends’ Day activity and transformed the branches with pinecones, flowers and nuts. Children also choose other items from our classroom. What beautiful, organic creations they made! What a beautiful way to “dress” our classroom!

We also had a shape-find activity that started indoors for centers and which we extended when we went outside. This was to find different shapes both inside and out. The most exciting find outside was a leaf in the shape of a triangle! The children made wonderful discoveries. Did you know there are many different shapes in nature? This activity became collaborative with a lot of discussion, comparisons and counting. A beautiful spider web with dazzling rain drops yielded fascinating observations about shapes. We were immersed in nature while developing important concepts.

Morning centers also include a station with paper for drawing and/or writing. This station has paper, pencils and crayons, and includes examples of how letters are shaped. Children work independently with structure and support (including the question starters we have talked about) from teachers.

Wednesday we placed a large cardboard tube on the table to see what the children might want to do with it. They decided to make a tree, and chose to use more of our nature finds in order to decorate it. They tied, glued, pasted, cut and colored. This activity provided sensory stimulation and small motor practice while enhancing your children’s aesthetic sensibilities and appreciation for the beauty of nature.

At circle Isabelle shared the acorns she had gathered and told us about them. Neha brought in nuts from India! What a treat it was to have CJ’s mom bring in pasta and clementines for lunch. Thank you!

We took a long walk with art supplies in tow. It rained lightly on and off. We talked about the rain, and some children wanted to know why they couldn’t see their shadows. We stopped at the picnic table by the benches, put down brown paper and took out paints. Some children painted. Some used leaves and printed with them. Some used pinecones to print designs. Symbolic, transformative thinking is an essential component to the Reggio approach. It opens up the mind for new possibilities and new ways of thinking about things. We understand that successful companies like Google even have a CIO (Chief Innovative Officer). We are preparing your children to be innovators of the future!

We seize teachable moments, like pausing to watch a big tractor down by the pond. We also read aloud several times a day to reinforce concepts, enhance vocabulary, model storytelling, calm and restore ourselves, and for enjoyment.

Another center we introduced this week is weaving. Over time we hope that all your children can try this. Weaving develops small motor strength and coordination. Weaving provides experience with directionality – right to left, top to bottom, over, under – and with following directions. Yarn is soft and provides a pleasant sensory experience. It is also flexible and forgiving!

We have begun a collaboration with Sasha, the art teacher. She will come to our classroom to do projects with the children. Working with an artist (atelierista) is a Reggio approach element that we fully embrace because, as Reggio practitioners explain, artists see the world in new ways and are masters of transformative thinking and composition. Sasha found a new way to build on the collage concept we had been working on. She introduced paint brushes, other kinds of brushes and other things to paint with such as feathers and shape sponges. This activity helped children to see how we can extend an idea.

Please continue to gather and send in nuts. You can add pinecones, too! And please be sure your children has clothing appropriate for the weather! As our classroom can also be chilly, it helps to have your child wear layers.

Ms. S and Ms. Kane

For those of you viewing this blog on your iphone or ipad, you can view the pictures here: https://www.flickr.com/photos/bcdtech/sets/72157647254977052/

What a busy week we had with many activities out of our routine. It is not always easy for preschoolers to make this many transitions and adjustments, but your children did a wonderful job! Tuesday we had a full day field trip to Ioka Valley Farm to take a hayride, navigate a corn maze, eat lunch, feed the animals and pick pumpkins. Wednesday was picture day. Thursday we had visitors during the day to look at the layout of our classroom. Friday was Grandparents’ and Grandfriends’ Day.

We hope you enjoy the photos of our field trip. And for comments, we are going to share the main activity your children did with their grandparents/friends. Unfortunately because Vicky was sick, we had just one teacher, Amanda, and she was not able to get many photos. The explanation for our activity will also serve to give you more insights into our program.

Berkshire Country Day

Grandparents’ and Grandfriends’ Day

Preschool Classroom

October 10, 2014

Welcome to our classroom! Our activity today will be working with your grandchild or grandfriend to see the ways we integrate developmentally appropriate concepts and skills.

Concepts:
sorting and classifying objects by size, color, shape and/or type
comparing objects which is bigger, smaller, wider, etc.
sequencing objects from small to large
counting practice (many children this age do not yet match an exact number to
numbers of objects but adults can model this by counting out loud while pointing to objects)

Skills:
following directions
taking turns

Directions – Place a set of twigs, flowers, seeds evergreens and pine cones on the table. Do one or all of the activities.

1. Have your grandchild/friend sort them with you. You might want to ask, “What are the ways we can group (or organize) these?” This can be done multiple ways and can be done once or many times. You decide. Talk with and listen to them to see their thinking. Follow their lead.

2. “Which one is…?” Game. Take turns pointing to (or picking up) which object is the… Ask, “Which one is the biggest? smallest? heaviest? lightest? fattest? skinniest? roundest? softest? hardest? smoothest? darkest? most colorful? tallest? shortest?”

3. Over/Under Game. Say and do, one at a time, “I wonder if we can put…a twig under a flower; a twig over a flower; a pine cone next to a twig; a flower in between two twigs; a lot of twigs around a flower, etc.” You can vary the objects to practice following directions, and understanding prepositions. Follow your child/friend’s lead. Some children will want to do this again and again. Others will want to move on.

4. Additional activities:

Sequencing: “Can we take all the sticks (or pine cones) and line them up smallest to largest?”
Counting: “Let’s count all the twigs. all the pine cones, etc.”

5. Aesthetics. Ask, “What kind of design could we make using these objects?” Let your child/friend take the lead on this one, and let us know when you are done, so we can take a photo of your masterpiece!

What have we accomplished? These activities have integrated language arts (communicating, comparison vocabulary, preposition vocabulary), math (classifying, sequencing, comparing, counting,), social studies (developing relationships, family and community, taking turns, following directions, developing awareness and compassion for the earth), science (investigating and exploring familiar objects), and art concepts and skills using multisensory objects from our natural world.

These are some of the ways we incorporate developmentally appropriate work and play into our program. At a small independent school such as ours we can allow this to unfold at a natural, unrushed pace and we can use materials that come from our earth. We consider ourselves fortunate that we are not bound by plastic toys and work sheets. In education speak this is called “authentic learning.”

Extension of these activities might be reading about patterns and objects in nature, taking a walk outside and viewing things with new eyes, talking about what we see, sketching, painting and print-making, and gift-giving in nature (making pine cone bird feeders and the like.)

Thank you for coming in today. It means a lot to your grandchild/friend and to us!

Ms. S and Ms. Kane

For those of you viewing this blog on your iphone or ipad, you can view the pictures here: https://www.flickr.com/photos/bcdtech/sets/72157647254977052/