"Almost all children respond to music. Music is an open-sesame, and if you can use it carefully and appropriately, you can reach into that child's potential for development." Dr. Clive Robbins

Sunday, October 30, 2011

Halloween and Senses

Monday Come in Halloween Costume—It’s a Halloween Party!
Seat Work-Halloween Bingo
Practice writing names
Weather/Calendar
Introduce Theme and Letter and Number of the Day—Letter O and Number 0
Counting
Music Circle Time
Hello Song
Instruments—The Addams Family with bells
Social—“What are you going to be on Halloween Night?”
Counting—Spider has 8 legs
Music Appreciation/Readiness—Major and Minor sounds
Small and Large Movement Skills—Monster Mash
ABC/Reading—Musical Chairs w/ ABC’s & This is Halloween
Singing—Child Chooses Songs—Teach Have you seen the Ghost of John/ I’m a mean old witch with a Hat. 
Creating Project (arts and crafts)—Sponge Painting—Jack-o-lanterns
Free Time-choose activity inside or outside before snacks
Snack time—decorate your own Halloween sugar cookie
Reading Time –Halloween stories
Writing assignment (numbers and/or letters)
Group Motor Activity—Outside Ball Throwing and Catching
Math/Science Skills—Learn on top, under, in, out, before, after, up, down with our Halloween spider
Story time—Spooky stories. /Goodbye Song

Tuesday-Senses
Seat Work
Practice writing names
Weather/Calendar
Introduce Theme and Letter and Number of the Day- Letter O, and Number 0
Counting
Music Circle Time
Hello Song
Instruments—Indentify Instruments by hearing not seeing—then choose a favorite instrument to play for jam time. 
Social—Important Things sung to Twinkle Twinkle (Seeing, hearing, touching too, are important things to do.  
Smelling, tasting something new helps us learn the whole day through.  Seeing hearing touching too are important 
things to do.)  Discuss what we learn through our five senses)
Counting—I’ve Got 5 little fingers
Music Appreciation/Readiness—Treble and Bass Clef
Small and Large Movement Skills-Open and Shut Them
ABC/Reading—ABC Train with the whole alphabet
Singing—Child Chooses Songs
Creating Project (arts and crafts)-Fingerpainting
Free Time-choose activity inside or outside before snacks
Snacktime-Fruit Cocktail
Reading Time
Writing assignment (numbers and/or letters)
Group Motor Activity-Who’s Got the button?
Math/Science Skills-Guessing Smells blindfolded (onions, pickles, tuna, orange)
Storytime
Goodbye Song
Wednesday and Thursday
Seat Work
Practice writing names
Weather/Calendar
Show and Tell- Today we will share a favorite stuff animal they like to hold and love
Introduce Theme and Letter and Number of the Day
Counting
Music Circle Time
Hello Song
Instruments-Mary Had a Little Lamb—drum rhythm of rhyme
Social—have children show how they touch and cuddle their stuff animal
Counting—tap the child on the back with a drum stick have the child identify how many taps and then have them 
repeat that number on a drum.
Music Appreciation/Readiness—Grand Staff teach spaces and line notes
Small and Large Movement Skills—Tickle Time
ABC/Reading—Alphabet Rumba
Singing—Child Chooses Songs
Creating Project (arts and crafts)—textured coloring
Free Time-choose activity inside or outside
Reading Time
Writing assignment (numbers and/or letters)
Group Motor Activity- Senses Walk-Take Popcorn Snack with us for sense of taste
Math/Science Skills—guess an object by touching in a sack
Storytime
Goodbye Song

Announcements:  
  • Monday is Halloween and your child is welcomed to come dressed up today for our Halloween Party!  
  • November is here Tuesday I will send a new calendar home so watch for that and November monthly tuition is due this week.  
  • Wed and Thursday is Show and Tell, please have your child bring a favorite stuff animal they love to hold and cuddle with.  We are talking about all of our senses this week. 
  • Check your child's backpack for the photo release form and please turn that in by the end of the week.  I have taken a bunch of pictures from our pumpkin walk, so I'm hoping to go through them soon and send you each a few pictures on e-mail.  


Homework Challenge:  Because our senses are so important for us to learn, I would encourage you and your child to talk about your senses this week. Here is an example you could do at home.  Did you know our tongue has 3,000 taste buds, have them look at their tongue to see all their taste buds.  When we taste foods we taste things bitter, sweet, sour, or salty.  You can make lemonade together and have them try the bitter lemon rind, the sour lemon fruit the sweet sugar and then the final finished lemonade deliciously sour/sweet.  You can also take your child on a walk blindfolded and have them identify cars, leaves rustling, wind, and dogs barking just with their hearing sense. 


Tuesday, October 25, 2011

Teacher Volunteer

I am really excited to have Rochelle Webb who will be volunteering her time to help in our classroom every Monday and Wednesday.  She will be a great asset to our preschool and it will be nice to have an extra hand to help.  She came with us to the pumpkin walk on Monday and I was so grateful for her help and I can see she is wonderful with children!  Here is some information so you can get to know her a bit.

 I was born in Ogden, Utah, graduated from Sky View High School. I started attending USU, when I met my husband, Scott Webb. We have been married for seven years, traveling around the world with the United States Marine Corps. I have changed my major a few times to say the least and found out that I have a spot in my heart to work with children and become a teacher. I started working on my education degree while we were stationed in Okinawa Japan for three years. Since my husband is deployed and I am staying with my parents for the duration of the deployment, school has been placed on hold. Once I move back to North Carolina, where we are currently stationed, I will start back up with my studies. Since I am only in Smithfield for a few months, four months left, I find myself wanting to get back into the classroom again. However, since my time here is brief, and I know how hard the hiring and training process is for a new school, I find that my best option is to volunteer at a preschool, to continue my teaching education. I have worked with children all of my life, from being a babysitter in my younger years, to working with CAPSA in Logan, to being a full time nanny for a wonderful family during my stay in Okinawa. I am excited to work with your children.  --Rochelle Webb

Friday, October 21, 2011

What do I want to Be and Halloween!

Monday:
Field Trip Day.  Meet at Preschool at 9:15 am wearing shirts—bring car seat!
9:30—Leave for Pumpkin Walk
10:45—leave to go back to Preschool
11:00—pick up your child from Preschool
If you are meeting us at the pumpkin walk please find us by the North Entrance West of the cut out characters. 

Tuesday and Wednesday 
Seat Work
Practice writing names
Weather/Calendar
Introduce Theme and Letter and Number of the Day—C & 9
Counting
Music Circle Time
Hello Song
Instruments-Harvest Drumming—with “Law of Harvest”
Social-“It’s Autumtime”—talk about what changes happen in the fall
Counting-
Music Appreciation/Readiness—Dynamics!
Small and Large Movement Skills- Harvest Dance:  follow the leader dance
ABC/Reading- ABC hide and seek
Singing—Child Chooses Songs
Creating Project (arts and crafts)—Write Letters Stamp and Mail them.
Free Time-choose activity inside or outside before snacks
Reading Time –Little Red Hen w/Fantasia and Symphony Group
Snack time—Make Scones with Dough made with Little Red Hen Story—Fantasia and Symphony
                        Ants on a Log-Allegro Group
Writing assignment (numbers and/or letters)
Group Motor Activity—Obstacle Course outside
Math/Science Skills—Uncle Wiggly Game
Story time/Goodbye Song
Thursday—Come in Halloween Costume—It’s a Halloween Party!
Seat Work
Practice writing names
Weather/Calendar
Introduce Theme and Letter and Number of the Day—C & 9
Counting
Music Circle Time
Hello Song
Instruments—The Addams Family with bells
Social—“What are you going to be on Halloween Night?”
Counting—Spider has 8 legs
Music Appreciation/Readiness—Major and Minor sounds
Small and Large Movement Skills—Monster Mash
ABC/Reading—Musical Chairs w/ ABC’s & This is Halloween
Singing—Child Chooses Songs—Teach Have you seen the Ghost of John/ I’m a mean old witch with a Hat. 
Creating Project (arts and crafts)—Sponge Painting—Jack-o-lanterns
Free Time-choose activity inside or outside before snacks
Snack time—decorate your own Halloween sugar cookie
Reading Time –Halloween stories
Writing assignment (numbers and/or letters)
Group Motor Activity—Outside Ball Throwing and Catching
Math/Science Skills—Learn on top, under, in, out, before, after, up, down with our Halloween spider
Story time—Spooky stories. /Goodbye Song
Announcements:
We are lucky to have a college student, Rochelle Webb, who is going to be volunteering in our classroom to get some experience with preschool children.  She will be coming on Monday with us to our field trip to help out and then she will start coming to help in the classroom as well.  She will be a great addition to our preschool.  I will have her introduce herself soon!
I will be sending a note home with each of your children about putting pictures we take at preschool on the blog.  If you can read this, sign and send it back that would be great.  
On Thursday of this week and Monday of next the children may come in Halloween costumes if they would like.  This is optional.  We are calling it our Halloween party but we really are doing basically the same structure as usual, just adding a Halloween Theme.  
Homework Challenge:  
Technology can be very helpful to teach concepts.  I have found some websites that have some great games that the kids enjoy and also teach good skills.  I wanted to share one with you.  This website is designed for many ages.  The youngest is for Kindergarten but I have my three year old working with it and it's fine for her.  Check it out.    http://www.abcya.com/
Also you can get great apps on your phone that are nice to have when you are waiting in line or for your food at a resturant.  Here is one that has a teaching tool for numbers, letters, colors and shapes.  It's called JANES ABCs.  You can get it on most phones.  It's only $.99 so it's way cheap and fun for the kids.  Here is a link about the app.  http://bestappsforkids.com/2011/10/janes-abcs-123s/
Do you have a favorite website or app for your kids that is both fun and educational?  Please share and I will pass the word on.  Thanks!

Wednesday, October 19, 2011

Field Trip Plan--Notice time changes!

Here is the Plan--Let me know if you have any concerns or questions!
Thursday Group
9:45--  Meet at preschool and load in all carseats--remember to wear your preschool shirts!
10:00--Leave Preschool
10:15--Arrive at Pumpkin walk
11:15-- Leave Pumpkin walk
11:30--Pick up children at preschool
This is a short day because I originally planned to take this day off of preschool because of UEA and my school kids are home for the day.  But because of the pumpkin walk schedule we are adding this extra day so we won't have a fall break.

Monday Group
9:15--Meet at preschool and load in all the carseats--remember to where your preschool shirts!
9:30--Leave to go to the pumpkin walk
9:45--Arrive at Pumpkin walk
10:45--Leave Pumpkin walk to go home
11:00--Pickup up children at preschool

Pumpkin Walk Details:  The pumpkin walk is at Elk Ridge Park:  Address is 1100 E 2500 N in North Logan.  If you are meeting us there please meet us at the large Pumpkin mural entrance that faces North.  We will wait here.  I will have my cell phone with me--435-512-4193.   Call me if you have trouble finding us.  We will meet here at the end as well so you can easily find us to take your child home.

Last minute Instructions:  We want everyone in their preschool t-shirts so we can easily be identified and located if lost.  Please let me know if you are planning on taking your own child to and from the pumpkin walk so I know not to wait for them at preschool and we have enough seats in the cars.  Just a quick reply via e-mail would be great even if you have talked to me about it already.   Talk to your children about staying with the group.  I will also do this before we leave and put everyone in partners so we will stick together.  If you can be sure to take your child to the bathroom before you bring them that would be helpful as well.

Thank so much!  The pumpkins they decorated look so cute!  You may want to attend this as a family.  Here is the website with more information about parking in the evening.  

Friday, October 14, 2011

Fall Fun


Seat Work
Practice writing names
Weather/Calendar
Introduce Theme and Letter and Number of the Day
Counting
Music Circle Time
Hello Song
Instruments—Autumn Concerto by Vivaldi Louds and Softs
Social—“Try to Remember” –
Counting—Hickory Dickory Dock
Music Appreciation/Readiness-, ABC Snake
Small and Large Movement Skills- Leaves are Falling (with scarves
ABC/Reading—ABC Sing to me
Singing—Child Chooses Songs
Creating Project (arts and crafts)—Pumpkin Decorating
Free Time-choose activity inside or outside before snacks
Snacktime--Apples
Reading Time
Writing assignment (numbers and/or letters)
Group Motor Activity—Walk outside looking for signs of fall
Math/Science Skills—Harvest Counting
Storytime
Goodbye Song
Seat Work
Practice writing names
Weather/Calendar
Introduce Theme and Letter and Number of the Day
Counting
Music Circle Time
Hello Song
Instruments-Harvest Drumming—with “Law of Harvest”
Social-“It’s Autumtime”—talk about what changes happen in the fall
Counting-Hickory Dickory Dock
Music Appreciation/Readiness—Dynamics!
Small and Large Movement Skills- Harvest Dance:  follow the leader dance
ABC/Reading- ABC hide and seek
Singing—Child Chooses Songs
Creating Project (arts and crafts)—Leaf Rubbings
Free Time-choose activity inside or outside before snacks
Reading Time –Little Red Hen
Snacktime—Make Scones with Dough made with Little Red Hen Story
Writing assignment (numbers and/or letters)
Group Motor Activity—Obstacle Course outside
Math/Science Skills—The Apple Game
Storytime
Goodbye Song
This week we will have child help design a part of the jack-o-lantern.  We will only use markers and then I will do the cutting at a later time.  The pumpkin walk has been a Cache Valley tradition since 1983.  I’m excited to participate by designing and carving pumpkins that will be used along the walk ways.  I am going to make a sign to put by our pumpkins that acknowledges each of our preschool children.  I was planning on just using first names but if anyone is uncomfortable about that please let me know and I will leave your child’s name off the sign. 
Homework Challenge:  Now that we are starting to put on jackets, and shoes and socks I have found it is a lot harder to get my own kids out the door because of the time it takes to put everything on.  Does your child know how to put their own coat on?  Can they put their own shoes on?  My three year old and I are working on it and if I take a little more time to start heading out the door I am so much more patient with her.  If we are in a hurry then I just do it for her so I challenge you to take a little more time and use the time to teach how to put their jacket on, and how to put shoes on.  Lacing will be a project for another day (or year =) )  

Friday, October 7, 2011

Flavorful Food

October 10-13th—Flavorful Food—Letter D and Number 7
Seat Work
Practice writing names
Weather/Calendar
Introduce Theme and Letter and Number of the Day-- Letter D and Number 7
Counting
Music Circle Time
Hello Song
Instruments—All Around the Kitchen
Social- Muffin Man
Counting-Blue Jello’s
Music Appreciation/Readiness—ABC sing with me
Small and Large Movement Skills- Peanut Butter and Jelly (with story book)
ABC/Reading-- I like to Eat…Apples and Bananas
Singing—Child Chooses Songs
Creating Project (arts and crafts)—Food Collage
Free Time-choose activity inside or outside before snacks
Snacktime-ABC crackers
Reading Time
Writing assignment (numbers and/or letters)
Group Motor Activity-Hokey Pokey
Math/Science Skills-Sorting Foods into Food Pyramid
Storytime—When you give a pig a pancake
Goodbye Song
Wed and Thursday
Seat Work
Practice writing names
Weather/Calendar
Spotlight for Andrew on Thursday-Happy Birthday!
Introduce Theme and Letter and Number of the Day
Counting
Music Circle Time
Hello Song
Instruments—Drum Shake Shake (Waltz’n)
Social—Favorite Foods—(Shortnin Bread)
Counting-5 little monkeys swinging
Music Appreciation/Readiness—Play back my rhythm
Small and Large Movement Skills—Dance Director (Polka)
ABC/Reading—Pease Poridge Hot
Singing—Child Chooses Songs
Creating Project (arts and crafts)—Homemade Tortillas
Free Time-choose activity inside or outside before snacks
Snacktime—Make Quesidillas with our tortillas
Reading Time
Writing assignment (numbers and/or letters)
Group Motor Activity—Freeze Dance
Math/Science Skills--Sequence
Storytime—The Very Hungry Caterpillar
Goodbye Song
We have one mom who has volunteered to drive to the pumpkin walk for Monday but we will need one more mom or dad to help drive for the Monday group.  Both Monday’s groups will be going together to the pumpkin walk.  I do need just one parent who can take at least two kids in there car on Thursday 20th.  Plan on bringing your child’s car seat or booster the day of the field trip so we can be safe in the car.  I also want everyone to wear their preschool t-shirts so we can be easily identified.   
Homework Challenge:  We are talking about food this week.  Meal time can be a very challenging time with young children.  One thing that helps in our family is to expose the children to many different foods and not to cater to what we know they will eat.  It's ok to give them very small portions.  Praise them for trying it and being brave to do new things.  Talking about why we eat fruits and vegetables hopefully will help the whole family eat healthier. When I was younger I loved when my aunt would encourage me to eat by building a house in my tummy.  We had to eat the brown food for the walls of the house, the red for the flowers, the green for the grass etc.  This can be a fun game to encourage eating food.