Hi Everyone,

Activities are a buzz in Preschool!  In harmony with Responsive Classroom, our Pre K friends continue to learn about the tools and activities that are available in the Berkshire Room.  This week, the children began reading the Pre K Morning Message and we took a peek at the September calendar.  It is really hard to believe that it is already September 14th!

On Monday, the children talked about what it means to make a “Self-Portrait,” which is drawing a picture of one’s self.  They suggested that when we draw a picture of ourselves, it should include eyes, a nose, a mouth, ears and hair.  As these were our first attempts, we will talk more about including the rest of our bodies next time.  We will make new Self-Portraits approximately every 6 weeks.  They will be posted in the Berkshire Room.

Also this week, the children experimented with eye-droppers.  They transferred water from one cup to another using these tools.  Once they understood how eye-droppers worked, we used them to decorate bears cut out of blotter paper.  As they worked comments such as “The blue turns into green when the yellow goes on,” and “The colors go together!”  “It’s beautiful!”  We used the primary colors red, blue and yellow.  We will work more with and explore these colors in the coming weeks.  These colorful bears are displayed in the Berkshire Room, as well.

We have started discussions and explorations of apples.  On Wednesday, Mrs. Cooke told them the story of the Boy and the Little Red House with No Doors, No Windows and a Star Inside.  The children were quite excited to see what happened when she cut an apple in half and we could actually see the star that holds the seeds.  Later that morning, the children used cut apples to make apple prints with red, orange and yellow paint.  These bright creations are posted in the Berkshire Room.

 

On Thursday, we used my famous “Apple, Peeler, Corer, Slicer” to peel and cut apples for our mini apple pies.  Each child had the opportunity to turn the crank and peel an apple.  They worked as a team to make the pie dough and mix the cinnamon, sugar and flour for the filling.  We baked the pies in muffin tins.  What a delicious treat!  Some children had their pies for dessert after lunch, while others brought their pies home to their families.

 

 

Neal and Vincent took their first pretend trip to Letterland this week!  Letterland is the language arts program we follow in Pre K.  Primarily, each letter of the alphabet is represented by a character from Letterland.  This week we met “Annie Apple.”  You can hear the sound that “a” makes at the beginning of Annie’s name.  She lives in the apple orchard in Letterland.  She has a friend who is an acrobat and one who is an astronaut.  She also has antelope, alligators and even an anteater who live in the orchard.  “Apron Man” takes care of all the talking apples and he tends to them on the apple stand which is in the shape of  “A.”  Next week we will meet Bouncy Ben!

After doing our “work” each day, the children are invited to select their own activities.  This week, they have chosen to prepare and serve dinner in the Pretend Area and build a giant train track on the Earth Rug.  The track was so big  and it took such a long time, and lots of thought, that we decided to keep it up for two days!  While the children worked, we heard them using their words to solve problems.  Cooperation was key in this project.

 

 

Important Reminders:

  • Preschool goes outdoors each day.  Please be sure children have sweaters or coats as the mornings are often chilly.
  • Please replenish extra clothes when necessary.  Children should have a full set of clothing, including socks, undergarments, shirts and pants. 
  • Leaving a sweatshirt or sweater for days that may be chilly indoors may help your child feel more comfortable.
  • It is a good idea for children who wear dresses to also wear shorts or leggings.
    Please be sure to send in a refillable drink container for us to fill with water.  In our efforts to be green, we try to refrain from using plastic cups.
  • Please be sure to send appropriate flatware in your child’s lunch.
  • Including a variety of snack items is encouraged for young growing children.
  • If your child needs to have an item warmed up, please be sure it is in a microwave safe container.
  • Leaving an extra pair of sneakers or other shoes in school is a good idea. 

Dates to remember:

Monday, September 17th, No School, Rosh Hashanah

Wednesday, September 26th, No School, Yom Kippur

Thursday, September 27th, Back-to-School-Night, 6:15pm, parents only, no childcare is provided

Friday, October 5th, Grandparent and Grandfriend’s Day, dismissal at 1 pm, details coming soon!

Monday, October 8th, No School, Columbus Day

 

Have a Nice Long Weekend!

Ellie