Happy Thanksgiving

I think Thanksgiving is right up there at the top of my list of favorite holidays.  I love how much we get to focus on our blessings- and we have them in abundance.  I love hearing what the children are really thankful for.  I hear them say they are thankful for their families, friends, food, flowers, play dates, story time before bed (I've never heard a child say they are thankful for tv!).  

 Gideon and Kooper finding adding feathers to their turkeys (the numbers were hidden in the pilgrim hats).

 Gideon racing to play Frisbee after checking on their plants that are growing so well.  They look forward to watering their plants and observing their growth each day. 

 Cute Avah trying to stay warm.

 Thomas showing off his thankful turkey.

 Kooper building a log house just like the pilgrims did.

 Princess Kara preparing a wonderful tea party for us all.

 Thomas in one of the many dress-ups he loves.

 Getting ready to bake pumpkin pie.

 Cleaning up afterwards.  This was a very hands-on day so pictures of all our cooking were limited to before and after- sorry.

 Happy Birthday Kooper!

 Kara getting her turkey feathers on just right.

 Our Thanksgiving Feast.   They were great chefs and prepared a wonderful feast of fish, corn muffins, carrots and pumpkin pie.  I was so proud of the children when they tried new things and especially with how polite they were during the meal- we could have been in a fancy restaurant with how great their manners were.  Before we ate we talked about all that we are grateful for and I for one am so grateful for these little children that brighten my home with their laughter, their eagerness to learn, their kindness and generosity to others and their desire to do the right thing.  My heart is full of thanks when I think of them all and you wonderful parents who share them with me.

Dinosaurs Roar

There was lots of dinosaur roaring going on at a preschool this week.  The children learned all about the extinct creatures that once roamed the earth.  We categorized them according to herbivore and carnivore, measured them to see how big they were in comparison to our world today, sang songs about the, stomped like dinosaurs during music time and we even shared some of our favorite stories about them. It was a dinomite week!

 Kooper showing off the dino puzzle he did all by himself.

The children just after they finished putting another big dinosaur puzzle together, which they quickly dismantled.

 Dino tag.

 Camden getting creative decorating his dinosaur.

 Gideon and Avah watching their volcano's erupt.

 Digging for dinosaurs.

 Thomas inspecting the bones.

 Gideon identifying the bones.

 Kara working hard to get her fossils just right.

 Thomas making sure his baby dino is all covered up in the soap egg.

 Camden measuring during playtime.

Gideon building during playtime.

Happy Halloween

 We had a fabulous Halloween here at Preschool.  We celebrated with many fun Halloween themed activities that unfortunately I didn't get too many pictures of.  We played Boo Bingo, bowled over ghosts with a pumpkin, read many spooky and not so spooky tales, sang some fun songs, danced a bit and of course showed off our great costumes.  The children's behavior was amazing, especially considering the excitement Halloween brings.  They are the best!

 Gideon using various shapes to create the ultimate Jack-o-Lantern.

 Camden & Kara counting pumpkins. 

 Searching for the baby pumpkins that they hid from each other.

 Cutest kids ever!

 We just had to have a fun party snack and eating donuts off string fit the bill.  They giggled and giggled as they tried to catch their treat. We also did some candy counting and graphed out the colors of  our m&m's.  

 Avah scooping out the innards of our pumpkin.  The children helped me choose just how to carve the pumpkin.  

 Focusing on getting the little bitty beads placed on the pegged shapes.

 Kara counting out spider rings and hiding them in pumpkins.

 Kooper counting spiders too.

 A ball, a "bat" and a boy :)

 Stirring, stirring and stirring their "potion".

 Thomas working on his balancing after he created a balance beam.

 Camden and Kara totally focused on their spiders.

Spiders everywhere!

Community Helpers

There are so many helpers in our communities that is is difficult to spend just one week discussing them.  We focused on fire safety and mail carriers this week.  If you haven't already discussed your family emergency plan with your children, now is a great time.  They feel safe when they know what is expected of them, especially during times of crisis.  Our second day was spent learning all about mail, how it gets here and the wonderful job mail carriers do for us. The children were all extremely engaged with this class and were fantastic!

After spending a lot of time discussing fire safety we went on a fire hydrant hunt.

Of course we had to stop and explore the beautiful natural world around us. 

There were lots of fires to put out during playtime outdoors.

Camden keeping the little house safe.

Gideon creating flames from paper and then later paint.

Thomas not so sure about that drop of paint on his finger.  Art is wonderful for the personal creative expression that it provides.  Each child is so very different and in this medium they can express those differences freely.

Kooper the mail carrier ensuring the mail is delivered to the correct mailbox.

Thomas wrapping up packages.

Camden using the boxes in a race.

Delivering the mail via scooter.

Kara writing a lovely letter to her family.

Exploring all the numbered mailboxes before mailing their very own letters.

Preschool buddies!

Mailing more during playtime. A few boxes, bubble wrap and blank envelopes and you have yourself a mail center that will keep your children engaged for hours!