Happy Halloween!

We've been looking forward to this preschool week all month long! My kitchen has been "decorated" with Halloween pictures for weeks in anticipation of the big Halloween Party and costume ideas have been thrown around like balls. We began on Tuesday learning more about rumply, dumply pumpkins and the spooky jack-o-lanterns they can become. Thursday was of course the great Halloween Party. Playtime became a chance to trade costumes and practice trick-or-treating. They told ghost stories (I wrote them down in their journals) and practiced riding the broom like witches. Lots of scary fun!

The children transformed their pumpkins into jack-o-lanterns while learning more about shapes.

Kyler was so excited to share his treat that he made all by himself!

Searching for hidden pumpkins. They all worked together and made sure everyone got a turn to find them.

Look Mom and Dad- the plants are growing. Checking the growth of their plants and tending them has become a new after snack routine. They can't wait to see how their peas are growing.

Porsche's spooky spider creation.

These three amigos were laughing and giggling so hard I had to wonder what they were up to. I soon discovered that they hid all the little pumpkins for me to find!

Working hard on gross motor skills by throwing beanbags at our pumpkins. They had to first identify the shape they were going to throw to, aim and celebrate when they hit the mark.

Cutest costume goes to... everyone!!

Spider Knight saving the day

Soccer playing fireman to the rescue

Doing the Monster Mash

These children LOVE to dance! If we get busy doing something else they always remind me that they need their music time.

What's the Weather??

Even though the weather this week was gorgeous there was rain and thunder & lightening at preschool this week. Your children are budding meteorologists!


Boston was so proud that he did this puzzle all by himself!

Snack time turned into a fun math lesson with counting pretzels and patterning the pretzels and raisins.

The children made weather pictures by blowing the paint around the paper with a straw to create the sun and of course the cotton balls were the puffy clouds. For Thursday's art experience we created weather forecast circles. I gave the children instructions then just let them create. While I was labeling the pictures for the children I asked Porsche if one of her circles which looked very stormy was a storm and she replied, "No, it's a Dragon!!" (she even used a scary dragon voice). These kids keep me laughing all morning long!

They all got a turn in creating rain during circle time.

Just after circle time we have play time. Today the children decided it would be messy day. I'm a firm believer in natural consequences so I stopped them and told them if they got everything out they would have to put it all back. They went on with messy day then shortly began the clean up process. It was a lot harder to clean up and not nearly as much fun. When we were just about finished Kyler gave a big sigh and said, "I don't think we should have messy day again." Lesson learned!!

The children were very interested in zoo phonics today so we did a through z. Here they are showing you the movement associated with the first letter of their name. We are working on name recognition and at various levels learning to write names.

The progress they are already making is so exciting. It was a great day for a picnic so we ate snack outside. Then the rainstorm came. Good thing we had some umbrella's handy. Little toes and ankles still got wet though! After the rainstorm the children played a game of catch where lightening and thunder were chasing each other. After a bit of this Boston just stopped and said, "I'm going to be the sun now. You all have to chase me!" And off they ran.

Oh I know there was so much more we did. My children (and me) end preschool tired, a bit dirty and with lots to talk to me about during the afternoon. Which is just how I like it. Hope your little ones like it too.

Old McDonald Had A Farm

What a fun week (I think I say that every week though). This week we learned all about where our food comes from and all the hard work farmers do for us. We sang "Old McDonald Had A Farm" more times than I think any one can count, found eggs the chicken laid with letters on them, had crazy popcorn for snack (pop popcorn with the lid off- it really does become crazy-the kids and the popcorn), worked on sound discrimination skills by shaking eggs with different items in them, read some great books about barnyards, pigs, ponies, and farm dancing, ground wheat to bake bread then baked bread, planted our own pea plants, and much more playing, dancing, running, etc. The children are becoming great friends and look out for one another.

Horrible picture but I just love the excitement showing in Boston's face. He sure loved pretending to be a farmer.
Farmer Kyler showing me his silly smile (this picture makes me laugh every time I look at it)

Gideon making a train out of puzzles. Boys and trains...

This week the kitchen area became a milk truck with three farmers delivering milk. The children came up with this idea on their own with no prompting except for our circle time about farms. This type of creative play engages them completely. Snack time is after play time which is about the only reason I could convince the farmers to leave their milk truck.

Finger painting mud for their pig pens.

Boston started by tentatively dipping a finger in the paint to swirl the colors around. After a while he delved in and eventually got both hands into action.

Lovin his messy hands!

The children watched in fascination as wheat kernels turned into flour. It was noisy though so they had to cover their ears.

Flour ready so onto the bread. The children did such a great job of taking turns and helping with the bread. I Hope they saved a bit for you to sample.

Our first "field trip" to Melissa Crumley's garden. I coudn't resist snapping a quick picture of them walking with their buddies.

The children wanted to know all about every single green sprout growing- what it was, how long it would take to grow, how it was planted, etc. Melissa's garden has recently been visited by bunnies so there wasn't quite as much growing but the children still enjoyed it and even got to see a lemon growing on the lemon tree.

Time to grow our own vegetables. First they had to make their pots their own.

Filling the pots with dirt.

Oh how they loved digging in the dirt.

Plant the seeds then water them and...

Ta Da! Growing our very own plants just like a farmer!

Bodies

We learned a lot about our bodies this week. They can do some amazing things! The children moved quite a bit this week, hence not too many pictures as they weren't still enough! We did have fun racing, playing soccer, throwing beanbags, jumping to the letters in our names, turning our bodies into letters, hopping, etc. I was delighted the weather was so pleasant and conducive to all this outdoor activity. Your children's bodies are growing so quickly and grasping so many new concepts. In just one month I've seen some pretty spectacular growth in them.

Porsche used her body to be the pretend doctor for this little baby.

Kyler used his hands to create a tall tower.

Gideon used his mouth to eat his face snacks.

Our lesson on Thursday merged into shape identification and so we brought out the journals and traced shapes and found the many shapes about the classroom.

Gideon so intent on writing in his journal. Though it may not look like much, these are the types of things that are some of the best ways to prepare them for writing legibly.

Sierra was focused on not only tracing the shapes but writing the names too.

Everyone loved balancing their bears on the "balance beam".

We even learned that our feet can paint too!

The balance beam became a bridge, then a ramp. These are creative kids!