Thursday, August 28, 2008

Green vs. Red


Today we had a taste test to see which apple tastes the best....the red or green. Here are the results!
learning objective: participates in creating and using real and pictorial graphs;begins to compare the numbers of concrete objects using language("same" or "equal" , "one more", " more than", or "less than")

Allie and Applesauce

Just another way to experience the letter "Aa"!

I gave each child a copy of the Allie Aligator merged letter( the letter and the animal) and 1/4 cup of applesauce. We talked about how the letter looks like a circle and they each traced the letter with me...of course with the applesauce! This was a fun activity even if some do not like getting their fingers messy! I wonder what they will do with banana pudding next week!



learning objective: begins to associate the names of letters with their shapes

Apple Prints

Apple Prints!

This week we have been studying the letter "Aa" so we decided to make a stamp from an apple.
First we made predictions on what would be inside the apple when we cut it open. We talked about what we found and pointed out the "star" in the middle! After the students stamped their paper they told me what the stamps looked like to them.




learning objective: makes predictions, shares ideas about personal artwork.

Tuesday, August 26, 2008

Counting


Along with learning a number each week, we will also study a number. We will start from 1 and go to 26(for each letter of the alphabet). I will provide a variety of ways to explore that number using different manipulatives. This week we are looking at the number 1. Since this is a relatively easy number to grasp I also introduced number sentences for those who were ready for more.

Monday, August 25, 2008

Rainy Day!

Since the rain kept us from going outside to play we used the rain to help us "paint" pictures. First we drew pictures using markers and then held them outside in the rain for 10 seconds.


The we took a tissue and dried off the excess drops. The rain made the colors run together!


Allie Aligator


With Zoo Phonics we will be studying a letter each week. During the week we will do many activities to explore the letter, how it is made, what it sounds like, the animal and signal for that letter and other fun learning adventures!
Today the children colored a picture of Allie the Aligator, cut it out and glued it to a paper bag to make a puppet.
Each week we will also have a bullentin board with the letter of the week. The students are to bring in words and/or pictures with that sound in them. The sound can come at the beginning or anywhere in the word. For example, the sound /a/ is in "apple" and "cat".
learning objective: becomes increasingly sensitive to the sounds of spoken words

Sunday, August 24, 2008

It's Me!


In this activity the children created "themselves" using paper plates, glitter, yarn, stickers, buttons and paint! Their little bodies turned out so cute! One even had hair on his chin. When I asked why, he said, "my Daddy has hair all over his head and I want mine to be like my Daddy."


We even added glasses to Addy's. Be sure to look at these when you come to school this week!

Learning Objectives: begins to use scissors; uses a variety of materials to create own artwork

Friends


This week we discussed "friends". Each day we did a fingerplay titled "5 Little Friends". On Thursday the children helped cut out "friends" from magazines. Then they each counted out 5 cut-outs and 5 cards to glue their friends onto. After the cards dried I put them in a bag along with the fingerplay so they could share it with their families.
5 Little Friends
5 little friends playing on the floor
One got tired and then there were 4.
4 little friends climbing in the tree
One jumped down and then there were 3.
3 little friends skipping to the zoo
One went for lunch and then there were 2.
2 little friends swimming in the sun,
One went home and then there was 1.
1 little friend going for a run
Decided to take a nap and then there were none!
Learning Objectives: arranges sets of concrete objects in one-to-one coorespondence

Friday, August 22, 2008

Tuition Schedule


Tuition Schedule 2008-2009
Learning Adventures Preschool

August (8 classes)
FT $70.00
PT $37.50

September (17 classes)
FT $140
PT $75.00
School closed on 1st.

October (16 classes)
FT $140
PT $75
School closed 13th and 14th

November (14 classes)
FT $140
PT $75
School closed 26 &27

December (12 classes)
FT $105
PT $60
School closes 22nd

January (14 classes)
FT $140
PT $75
School closed 5th and 19th

February (15 classes)
FT $140
PT $75
School closed 16th

March (18 classes)
FT $140
PT $75

April (13 classes)
FT $105
PT $60
School Closed 6th-13th

May (8 classes)
FT $70
PT $37.50
School ends 14th

Wednesday, August 20, 2008

Daily Schedule 2008-2009

It has been a great "First Week" of preschool this year! I have put together a schedule that I believe will work for us.

9:00-9:20 Morning Work- the children will arrive and do "work" at the table while they wait for the others. Some examples of this "work" are playdoh, drawing, puzzles, unifix cubes, etc.

9:20-9:30 Circle Time- the children get an ABC mat and sit around the easel. During this time we see who is here, graph the weather and discuss what learning activities we will do today. We will also have short phonemic awareness lesson from our Zoo Phonics program.


9:30-10:20 Centers- now the children are allowed to play in the various centers that are set up in the classroom. There is housekeeping, blocks and transportation, dress-up, art, science, literacy corner, puzzles and games and a sensory table.


Also during this time I will do an activity with a small group. It will be focused on our theme and/or letter of the week. Sometimes it will be something the children can take home and other times it will be a learning game such as memory or letter bingo.


Chase and Nolan are playing in the Blocks and Transportation center.


Trent and Addy are painting in the Art center.
10:20-10:35 Snack and Storytime- after playing in centers we take a break to use the bathroom, wash our hands and have a snack. While the children are eating I will read stories to them. We read their favorites and I also try to read a couple that go along with our learning objectives for that day. While reading we predict the endings, discuss rhyming words, talk about what happened to the characters, etc. We usually can read 2-4 books.
10:35-11:25 Centers The children go back to playing in the centers. I will generally do another activity with small groups.
11:25-11:45 Circle Time-the children clean up the centers and gather around the easel for another circle time. During this time we will do finger plays and/or sing songs. I will also do a group activity based on science, math, social studies, and that ties into our letter of the week. This will sometimes be followed with a group activity at the table to enforce the concept we just discussed.
11:45-12:15 Lunch- the children line up to use the bathroom and wash their hands. Then they eat lunch.
12:15-12:45 Outside Play- after lunch we clean up and go outside. They can ride scooters and tricycles, play in the sandbox and clubhouse, swing and slide, draw with chalk, etc. They love working their large muscles.

12:45-12:50 Clean up and Dismissal - after cleaning up the outside toys the children will come inside and wait for their parents.
12:50-1:00 Independent Reading time- after cleaning up our outside toys the children come inside and read. This is a quiet time as they wait for their parents to pick them up.