Fun food projects

Learning happens in many ways in our classroom!  Food projects are a super fun way to bring in fine motor skills while also adding more knowledge on our weekly lessons.

In October, we tasted the different types of apples and graphed adjectives describing the apples.

Last week, we made dreidels out of marshmallows and chocolate pieces.

We have a great time incorporating fun food projects into our lessons.  We prefer to use less sugary snacks, but also understand enjoying a sweet treat for something special is nice.

Thank you parents that have helped bring in items for our students to enjoy making fun food projects!

Indoor Gross Motor

Gross Motor development is an important part of being in Pre K!  Not only does this time allow our students to release their energy in an active way, but we are helping them to learn and perfect some of their foundational skills!

Hopping, skipping, galloping, balancing; this list could go on!  We do these items through fun songs like Going on a bear hunt, Hurry hurry drive the fire truck, and Animal Action (we will post videos throughout our colder months of these fun songs!) but we also can bring a little bit of outside when we can :)

Check out the fun your little ones are having

Seeing their faces light up when we opened the door with the bikes (and helmets too!) was joy!  This is a time that is also gives us as teachers more one on one learning to help students that could benefit greatly from a bit more practice on a bike with pedals.  Making a small obstacle course was a lot of fun for them!

Giving students a ping pong ball, straw, and cup to combine a bit of experimenting and gross motor was awesome!  Using the straw and crawling after their ping pong ball, trying to blow the ball into the cup, bouncing the ball into their cup, and then working with a partner to bounce into their cup brought a lot of trial and error.  It also brought a lot more excitement and movement into cold days!

Who doesn't love parachute fun?!?!  They look forward to when it comes out!  Ask them about their favorite game of "Three Little Pigs!"

Class book exchange and Surprise gift basket for Miss Debbie

As a part of our Holiday party, our students will be participating in a book exchange.  If you would like your child to participate, please send in a wrapped book (valued $5 - $7) by Wednesday, December 17th.  This way we can have everything prepared for our Holiday party the following day.

A gift tag will be in their folder on Tuesday, December 9th.  Please use this tag to label the wrapped book your child brings to the class.

If you choose a book that is gender specific, please label on the gift tag.

**Encourage your child to show off their writing skills and write something special inside their book like "Love, --your child's name--"  What a great memory down the road for them to save.

Surprise gift basket for Miss Debbie

Our Pre K classes are putting together a surprise gift basket for Miss Debbie.  If you would like to add to this gift basket, please bring in your special item by Wednesday, December 17th.  We will put it together to look extra special for her.

Looking for ideas?  There is a staff flip book available at the front desk lobby with each teacher's likes.  Stop by and check her page out.

Here are some helpful ideas as well:  Miss Debbie collects snowmen and Santas.  She loves receiving encouraging notes and letters.  She drinks coffee and LOVES to bake.  She also enjoys reading magazines like Women's Day, Martha Stewart, or other similar ones.

Tacky Sweater Contest, Have you voted?

Our staff did an awesome job making and wearing some awesome tacky sweaters.  In our lobby area we have a bulletin board decorated with each of our teachers in their sweaters.  At the lobby desk is a red and white bag, please stop by and vote on your favorite tacky sweater!

Miss Beth

Mr. David

Miss Jill

Miss Scooter

Miss Shelly

Miss Marie

Miss Terry

Miss Danielle

Holiday Videos

To view the Holiday videos that will be shared in our classroom, please visit a previous post on this blog at:

http://www.cfcdcprek.blogspot.com/2013/12/holiday-videos.html

Teddy Bear Parade

Our Pre K students had such a blast parading around the school showing off their teddy bears!  Then the opportunity to run around with their floats outside was the cherry on top!

Thank you parents for your help and organization of the floats.  They looked awesome and each student was so proud of their work!

Our shyest of the group came alive when they got to tug around their float.  More opportunities like these will continue to strengthen their public speaking skills.  

It's so fun being 4 (and some of us are already 5!).

Home Depot Field Trip

What a great time we had at the Home Depot field trip!

Students were able to get a tour of the store, watching them move large pieces of wood to a top shelf on the machine was probably their favorite part of the tour!  Can you blame them?

Doing the project was the highlight!  What a treat to have you all join them to build something!  Thank you for taking the time out of your days and celebrate them being four years old (some of us are five already too).

Showing off businesses, like The Home Depot, to our students help them to understand more of the world around us, most importantly their own community.  Here are some great memories of the trip.

Watching the paint staff mix paint and get a lesson on paint from the Bear rep was fun.  Everyone enjoyed getting paint sample sheets to take home!

Spending time on these trips with friends is always the best!  As a parent, having the opportunity to see how your child reacts and connects with others is important.  These moments are some they will remember for a long time.

But the moments each of you get to spend with them is a great treasure too!  They feel so important and loved when they are surrounded by their classmates and their parent(s).  They talk about each of you so much, that showing you off to everyone else is such an honor to them!

Thank you!

Grandparents too!

** If you took any pictures you want added to our class book of the trip, please feel free to email them to Miss Shelly **

Teddy Bear Parade Details

National Teddy Bear Day

November 7th

     

In celebration, Pre K classes will have a teddy bear parade.  Help us celebrate by decorating a homemade float for your child's favorite teddy bear.

Keep in mind:

•    Include a string to pull the float around the facility
•  Remember bigger isn't always better, we have 20 students in our classes and bigger also means more space required
•   Remember your bear!  Have a place for your bear to sit/stand. 
• Choose a theme and work together to build a float.  This is your child's project, their thoughts and input on their float is important to them!  Help them to understand the steps in planning and execution.
• Wheels are great, but not mandatory.  A shoe box pulls on the floor with a string too!

Watching your children grow in confidence and public presenting is very important to their growth!  What better way to practice by sharing something they love and take pride in creating!

** Please bring in your teddy bear floats on Friday, Nov. 14th.  DO NOT bring in your floats before Friday class **  PSII student will bring their floats with them to class at 12:15, please do not drop off to hold in the classroom.

Orr's Farm Field trip

Please make sure you are at the farm with time to meet up with our group and become comfortable before beginning the tour.  Our tour begins at 11:30 a.m.  There are also bathrooms located by the Country store and portable bathrooms by the corn maze and slide area.

CHEERS school is NOT providing transportation to the farm.  The guardian that will be staying with the student is responsible for transportation.  REMINDER:  the guardian must stay with your child throughout the trip.  We have discussed with students this week the safety rules of the trip that include staying with adults throughout the maze and other areas of the farm.

Weather is calling for good weather!  Low 60's.

If you have any questions, please feel free to email Miss Shelly.  She will be doing her best to reply quickly over the weekend.

Includes

• Hayride to Pick-Your-Own Pumpkin Patch (make sure your child uses the rest room before the trip, we don't want them to miss this hayride!!!!!)
• Small Pumpkin from the "Green Patch" which is about 5-6 inches diameter
• Small Corn Maze
• Learn about Varieties of Pumpkins, Gourds, and Winter Squash
• Sample Hot Apple Cider
• Goodie Bag with Coloring Book, Crayons, Sticker, and Small Toy
• One Free Classroom Pumpkin for Each Class (we will carve and bake the pumpkin seeds next week)
• Groups are welcome to bring picnic blankets and have lunch here as well (teachers will not be directing or leading those that want to stay for picnic lunches or those that want to arrive early for lunch)
• Restroom Facilities Provided (indoor facilities available by the market store and portable toilets available throughout the farm.  PLEASE help us be most prepared and arrive with time to bring your child to the restroom if needed)
• Located about 5 miles from Poorhouse Farm Park if groups want to visit their campgrounds/playground for lunch afterward (directions available at the end of this blog post)
• Photo Opportunities (BRING YOUR CAMERAS!!!!)

All groups are welcome, however our haywagons are not currently wheelchair accessible. Please contact us if you have any further questions.

 Please have each child wear an identification tag which includes their name and the name of the school. Stress the importance of dressing properly. They may need to wear boots or coats, depending on the weather.

Miss Shelly and Miss Scooter will have pumpkin name tags at the farm.  We will make sure your child receives this for the trip.

Directions

South on I-81

Take Exit 13 (West King Street); Turn right onto Rt.15/Tuscarora Pike and head west for 1.7 miles; Turn left onto Arden-Nollville Road for 2.3 miles south; Turn right onto Orr Drive at our sign; Straight on Orr Drive for 0.7 miles.

North on I-81

Take Exit 8 (Tablers Station Road); Turn left off the exit ramp onto Tablers Station Road and head west for 1.8 miles; Turn right onto Arden-Nollville Road and travel north for 0.7 miles; Turn left onto Orr Drive at our sign; Straight on Orr Drive for 0.7 miles.

Street Address:

Orr’s Farm Market
682 Orr Drive
Martinsburg, WV 25403

September 30th - October 3rd

This week our book for Pre K was "If You Take A Mouse To School."  Pre K students loved playing school and mouse throughout the centers this past week.  Here are their two favorite centers.

Pre k students used a stencil to trace the pink circles then cut them out.  Using glue they then put together their "mouse" using pom poms for the nose and wiggly eyes.  Their creations are hung up on the classroom bulletin board within the classroom.  Come on in and check them out!

During free choice/center time, there is a craft option available for 2 children to do at a time.  This enables one on one attention for students that might need scissor practice and also a more quiet atmosphere for students that might need a break from large group activities.  Our mouse craft was the option this week.

In our housekeeping area, we turned around our kitchen and made the area into a small classroom.  Just like the mouse in the book, our Pre K students "went to school."  EVERYONE wanted to be the teacher and it was so awesome seeing their imaginations take off pretending to do our daily graphing activity and writing practice.

 We also wrote thank you notes to the firefighters and police officers that we visited as well as came to visit us.  Teaching our students to be thankful and how to show their appreciation is a task that we work hard on in the classroom setting.  What do you do at home to do this?

Creating fun experiences for Pre K student to practice writing letters, their name, and drawing shapes is always so much fun!  Friday our afternoon class was able to use shaving cream as a canvas. (Morning Pre K will be doing this during the month of October).

Have you considered doing this in the bathtub?  Squirt shaving cream onto the walls of the shower and let your little one show off their handwriting skills and write their name.  Encourage upper and lower case letters.  You can even make dots and encourage them to write their numbers.  Your clean up will be a simple swipe of the shower head.

Tip Toe Studios Class Picture

Pre K Class Pictures 

Friday, October 3rd

** Reminder **

Individual make up pictures can also be done.

Payment forms were emailed to parents as well as available at drop off tomorrow.

September 23 - 26

This week in Pre K we've had so much fun discussing our Community and helpers!  Don't miss out on seeing the post on the Police Station visit and Fire Department visit 

In the classroom our students are having a great time exploring and learning how to make smart choices (both behaviorally and to explore more learning).  In our morning class, we've added Miss Terry to our class for the morning routine.  Her presence gives our classroom an extra set of hands in helping our little ones learn how to make choices that will set them up for success.  Miss Terry will spend one more week in our classroom for the additional support.  In the afternoon, Miss Marie has also been a great support during the last two weeks.  What a great support they are proving as we continue to work with our Pre K students in understanding more about limits and smart choices!

In our technology center, we have worked in small groups for our students to understand how to use a mouse, sharing the computer, and navigating on a website.  The sound of one student successfully sharing and working together while navigating without a frustration of "wanting to do it their way" is a wonderful accomplishment!  

At the Ipads this week, the students were able to focus on apps that involved fighting fires, building a community, and cleaning teeth.  Working on apps that focus on our themes enable our students to add more to our weekly topic.  They love to share during small group and circle about their thoughts and activities in these areas.

In the art center, students were able to use straws (each student used their own straw and threw it out when they were done) to dip into watered paint and blow onto their paper.  Exploring what happened to the paint if there was a lot compared to a little bit is one amazing tip to carry on throughout their art projects this year.  They loved to see bubbles appear on their paper and then popping them for a cool addition to their painting.

We opened up our small Legos this week as well.  This is a center that will be available once or twice each week.  Working on creating their own communities this week enhanced our weekly theme.  Using their fine motor skills to connect and take apart adds additional support to their growth. We cannot wait to see what more they will create and build!

During small group our students were able to make letter sound connections as the teacher gave a letter sound and working in small groups they decided what letter they would look for.  The teacher asked for students to "dot" either the capital letter or lower case letter once found.  They worked together as a group to remember what each letter looked like.  One letter not dotted was the lower case "a" (mainly as the printed letter was not the correct lettering that our program teaches so it would avoid their confusion).

Don't forget to check out our blog on our Fire Department visit and Police station visit.

Firefighter visit and Police Station tour

Getting a special visit by the Fire Department and visiting the Sheriff's office this past week is a highlight for any four or five year old!  What an amazing time our students had, something they couldn't stop talking about this week.  These memories proved to be awesome, as in our center themed areas they were re-enacting what they had learned.  Mission Accomplished :)

Thank you to Jefferson County Sheriff's Office for allowing us to come visit and meet the K9 unit.  Easily our student's favorite part was the K9s, watching the dog open the door with his nose was the biggest hit!  Hearing the sirens and getting the opportunity to hit the buttons in the car was also awesome!

 

Thank you also to Citizen's Fire Company, where Miss Scooter volunteers, for visiting both our morning and afternoon classes!  Getting the opportunity to hear what to do in case of a fire and seeing a firefighter in their attire (so we are not scared of them) was a great lesson.  THEN the opportunity to tour the truck and sit inside of it was a great experience.  They were so thrilled!