Imagination Express Preschool

Dr Martin Luther King

2012-01-13T14:53:00.000-06:00

I loved our discussion today about Dr Martin Luther King.

I loved how the idea of segregation is so foreign to these kids

and seems so completely unjust and bizarre to them.

I told them a story my mom shared with me about being a little girl crossing the street with her father at a crosswalk. They were almost to the other side when a police officer stopped them and made them turn around and go back to the sidewalk and cross at a different place and in a different direction, because they were crossing in the wrong spot.

One little boy asked me, in complete amazement,

"Ms Tamra, is that story for real?"

We finished up our discussion with the following little clip on youtube . . .

And each child painted their own dream to make our world a better place . . .

Have a wonderful long weekend and, in honor of Dr King's birthday,

as a family, do something nice for someone else.

Think Before You Act

2012-01-13T00:08:00.003-06:00

Our January Social Skill is "Think Before You Act" as explored through the story of Chicken Little.

Part of our group discussion involved the children brainstorming things both Chicken Little and they could do when upset to show self control. These were so cute I had to share . . .

(it's supposed to be an acorn . . . in case you were wondering!)

Next time your child is in a situation that makes them upset,

remind them of our acorn and maybe they could practice one of these skills.

Great ideas on this list . . . I'm going to have to try some of them myself :)

J is for Jumping Jelly Beans

2012-01-13T00:06:00.001-06:00

Wow! Jumping Jelly Beans are fun!

To start our letter J adventures, each child chose 3 Jelly Beans (jolly rancher version . . . so no crazy flavors :) ). We then used them to create a bar chart and had a great discussion on greater than and less than concepts (our Math theme for January).

We ate some and then compared them again after the quantities changed.

I love these egg toppers from the 2 1/2 dozen containers! We use them in so many ways! This is just two of those side by side.

The Jelly Beans we tasted made us want to Jump, Jump, Jump so we took a trip to Jumpland!

(A big thanks Ms Morgan over at Brilliant Beginnings for this fun idea)

We took turns drawing cards with colors on them (just used my Candyland game cards) and jumping to that color until everyone made it to Jumpland. This was so much fun we will positively be doing it again . . . and again . . . and again!

The giggles were so contagious even Ms Tamra couldn't stop laughing!

We just couldn't get enough Jelly Beans, so we added some green frosting . . .

and made a journal page.

This is one that won't be going in their "Me books"--too much fun to eat!

At the end of the day there were several requests to do a Jumping Jelly Bean day again :) Too much fun!

H is for Hammer

2011-12-12T00:31:00.002-06:00

This was a FAVORITE center!

The kids absolutely loved working hard on those nails!

Much to my amazement, by the end of our rotations

all but one of the 15 nails had been hammered in completely.

Great little builders :)

G is for Games!

2011-12-12T00:08:00.000-06:00

Playing games is a GREAT way to explore the letter G!

We had fun rotating through game centers with our partners--

so much fun we didn't even realize we were practicing

important preschool skills like gross and fine motor,

spatial development, problem solving and team work!

Bean Bag Toss

Perfection

Don't Spill The Beans

Hungry Hippos

Blokus

(forget the rules . . . we just try to fit all the pieces on the board like a giant puzzle)

Boggle Jr.

Letter G . . . Games are Great!

On The Calendar: Nov 14-18th 2011

2011-11-13T21:06:00.001-06:00

Hip Hip Hooray for the letter . . .

Hibernation, Happy, Hammers, Hilarious Hair and Hats!

Monday Nov 14th

Snack: Tage

Weds Nov 16th

Snack: Tori

Friday Nov 18th

Snack: Lucas
Hilarious Hair and Hat day!
Make your hair hilarious or wear a hat.
Show & Tell: Letter Hh

**November Character Trait: "Let's All Get Along"
as explored through the story of the
Three Billy Goats Gruff**

Ms Tamra's Bookbag: Growing Up

2011-11-13T20:41:00.000-06:00

This wonderful, warm book is about a little bear exploring all the wonderful things he might be when he grows up. One thing he knows for sure . . . he always wants to live with his mom. This book is a great lead in for so many discussions--growing up, family, love and career/job possibilities. My favorite way to use this book, though, is one-on-one snuggle time with my own little cub! :)

F is for . . .

2011-11-07T21:10:00.000-06:00

Friends and their Fabulous Feet

Finger Painting FUN!

Journaling page: My Funny Foot!

Farms

And our FAVORITE . . . Fantastically Fun FOAM!

F is for Flag!

2011-11-07T20:33:00.000-06:00

We say the pledge every morning . . . so here's a recording of the kiddos

reciting it (totally on their own in honor of F week.

On the calendar: Oct 24th-Nov 4th

2011-10-22T20:10:00.001-05:00

Family, Fire, Flowers, Feet,

Field Trip and Food--it all begins with F!

Here's what ahead the next 2 weeks:

Monday Oct 24th

NO SCHOOL (MISD HOLIDAY)

Wednesday Oct 26th

Fire Station Field Trip

**Please remember to meet at the fire station at 9 am and arrange for your child's transportation.**

Friday Oct 28th

Snack: Celebrate Christopher's Birthday!

Show & Tell: Letter F

**Don't forget to send in your family pictures!**

Monday Oct 31st

Halloween Party!

Come dressed up for some Halloween fun!

Wednesday Nov 2nd

Snack: Bode

**Tuition Due**

Friday Nov 4th

Favorite Foods Fancy Feast!

**Please send your child with a favorite food to share. We'll be eating these at a fancy feast!**

Show and Tell: something Funny!

E is for Elephant

2011-10-19T15:35:00.001-05:00

Did you know an elephant can put as much as 2 gallons of water in its trunk?

Or that a mom elephant is pregnant for almost 2 years?

Or that just like a human babies sometimes suck their thumb,
baby elephants often suck their trunks for comfort?

Check out this site National Geographic Kids Creature Feature
to learn more about Elephants,
watch a video of a baby elephant playing,
hear elephant noises
and even see a picture of elephants hugging.

We didn't get a chance to do this at school today,
so it would be a nice follow-up activity for you and your child to explore together!

We did, though, make these fun sack puppets . . .

I used the template found here, which you could also use to make an elephant mask too.

THE ELEPHANT GAME:

Everyone sits in a circle while one child skips around the circle.
The child pretends to be an elephant by using one arm for a trunk and the other for a tail.

Everyone sings:

1 elephant went out one day

Upon a spiders web to play,

He had such enormous fun,

He called for another elephant to come!

When the verse ends, whoever the child is standing behind then joins him/her holding hands
and skipping around the circle while everyone sings:

2 elephants went out one day

Upon a spiders web to play.

They had such enormous fun,

They called for another elephant to come!

Continue until everyone is up and then the final verse is sung:

____ elephants went out one day,

Upon a spiders web to play.

They had such enormous fun,

But the web it broke and they all fell down!

Everyone falls to the ground (and giggles, of course!)

E is for Exercise!

2011-10-17T14:27:00.000-05:00

Exercise is an important E word!

It helps us keep our bodies healthy

and our hearts, lungs, and muscles strong!

As one child exclaimed today,

"Ms Tamra, my breath is getting hot!"

Did you know if you give exercises funny names

(like The Jumpin' Jelly Bean)

it makes it even more fun and ensures lots of giggles?

Now let's all exercise!

Ms Tamra's Bookbag

2011-10-17T14:07:00.000-05:00

This book is a favorite at my house. The simple story of different animals being kind to each other starts with sharing an egg. Each animal in turn wants to do something kind for a friend. Sometimes that kindness is shown by giving something, sometimes it is by doing something. This simple read with bright pictures was a perfect tie in for our theme of the day--eggs, as well as our character trait for the month--good manners.

E is for Egg!

2011-10-17T13:56:00.000-05:00

E is for Exploring Excellent Eggs!

Ms Tamra had two eggs that looked just alike.

We talked about what animals/creatures come from eggs and which ones do not.

Then she showed us some tricks.

Did you know an egg in water sinks,

but if you put some salt in that water it will float?

Even though they looked the same,

one egg would spin and the other would not . . . why?

We opened them up and found our answer.

One egg was raw and the other cooked.

We also explored the different parts of an egg, its purpose

and how they had changed when cooked.

After all this exploration, we got to do our own egg tricks!

First we colored them with crayons very carefully,

Then we dipped them in the stinky water

(vinegar, water and food coloring) . . .

And ta-da!

Egg-citingly Egg-cellent Eggs!

On the Calendar Oct 17th-21st

2011-10-16T21:20:00.000-05:00

This week is all about the letter

Elephants, Eggs, Exit, Elfs, Envelopes and Everything Else!

So much fun with E!

Monday Sept 17th

Snack: Tori

Wednesday Sept 19th

Snack: Hailey

Friday Sept 21th

Snack: Natalie

Show & Tell: Letter E things (good luck! :) )

Looking Ahead:

Monday Oct 24th

NO SCHOOL (MISD)

Wednesday Oct 26th

Meet at the fire station (check email for details)

D is for Dress-ups!

2011-10-15T14:33:00.001-05:00

My preschoolers LOVE playing dress-up.

Seriously love it.

And I love hearing their funny scenarios

and interaction as they embark on their imaginative adventures.

What do you get when you mix

a tiger catching Spiderman,

an olympic winning Hulk

and a shield protected Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle

with
beautiful princess mommies?

A whole lot of fun and lots of stifled teacher laughter!

I need a hidden recorder so you can get a peek . . .

trust me, it's hilarious!

Ms Tamra's Bookbag

2011-10-14T15:02:00.000-05:00

This is another book in the baby loves jazz series that I love.

In this book (and accompanying Jazz CD) charlie bird plays different kinds of jazz while counting animals.

Listen and dance as two tiny turtles play trumpets

seven smelly skunks play saxophones.

Beautiful illustrations, fabulous music and silly alliterations make this book a winner.

In fact, when I read this to my class as a part of our numbers unit,

my plan was to read the book and skip the music--

but the kids begged to dance.

And so we did.

And loved it!

It appears we are a jazz loving preschool class!

D is for DInosaur!

2011-10-12T14:41:00.001-05:00

Dinosaurs are a FAVORITE around here. We learned all about Herbivores and Carnivores and took a closer look at Velociraptor, Tyrannosaurs Rex, and Stegosaurus. We learned about Paleontologists and how they learn about dinosaurs by studying bones and fossils.

Here's a funny snippet from circle time . . .

Ms Tamra: "Have you ever seen a dinosaur?"

Kids: responded with a mixture of "no's" and "I did at the museum!"

Ms Tamra: explains that dinosaurs lived a long time ago, before their were any people. I then ask, "So if they lived a super long time ago, how do we know about them?"

Child L: "Cause our mom's tell us!"

Ms Tamra: "And how did our mom's learn about dinosaurs?"

Child L: "Cause they saw them a super long time ago!"

Here's a peek at these kids during center time . . .

We has so much fun with dinosaurs, we'll study them some more on Friday!

D is for Dog and Dad

2011-10-10T14:42:00.001-05:00

For our introduction to the Letter D, Carson's Dad came for a visit!

Then we learned the letter D Song . . .

Letter D Song

(by Miss Tamra-- sung to the tune of "On top of Spaghetti")

"D is for dog, /d/ /d/ /d/

D is for daddy and dinosaur too!"

Did you know the letter D looks like a dog?

We drew Letter D dogs on the chalkboard

and then had fun making our own dog ears . . . .

and wearing them the rest of the day!

C is for Creepy Crawly Caterpillars!

2011-10-02T23:24:00.000-05:00

The Classic Creepy Crawly Caterpillar book . . .

So much fun! We can read this one again and again and again!

Calendar Oct 3rd-7th

2011-10-02T21:09:00.000-05:00

It's October fun and numbers this week!

Character Trait for the Month: Manners are Important

We'll be using the story of

Goldilocks and the Three Bears

to explore manners all month long.

Monday Oct 3rd

NO SCHOOL (MISD Holiday)

Weds Oct 5th

Snack: Eddie

TUITION DUE

Fri Oct 7th

Snack: Weston

Show & Tell: Anything!

Calendar for 2011-2012

2011-09-30T09:21:00.002-05:00

Calendar

We follow the McKinney Independent School District (MISD) calendar. If MISD is closed for a holiday, staff development day or bad weather day, we will also be closed.

Here is the schedule for the 2011-2012 school year:

Aug 22nd (Mon): School Starts
Sept 5th (Mon): Holiday
Oct 3rd (Mon): No School
Oct 24th (Mon):No School

Nov 21st-25th(M,W,F): Holiday
Dec 12th-13th (M,T) Parent Teacher Conferences
Dec 19th-Jan 2nd: Holiday
Jan 16th (Mon): Holiday
Feb 20th (Mon): No School
March 12th-16th (M,W,F): Holiday
April 6th (Fri): No school unless it was canceled earlier in the year for bad weather
May 14th-15th (M,T): Parent Teacher Conferences
May 18th (Fri): No school unless it was canceled earlier in the year for bad weather
May 28th (Mon): Holiday
May 30th (Wed): Last day of school

Note: In the rare case I have to cancel school because of personal/family illness, classes will be made up on Tuesdays & Thursdays.

C is for Cookie Monster!

2011-09-26T14:29:00.000-05:00

When talking about the Letter C today, I kept having kids tell me . . .

"C is for Cookie Monster!"

So, for their at home viewing pleasure . . .

Here is Cookie Monster's C is for Cookie!

On the Calendar Sept 26th-30th

2011-09-25T21:45:00.000-05:00

Let's learn all about the letter . . .

Caterpillars, Cowboys, Cats and even Crunchy Carrots!

But as someone very wise once said . . .

"C is for Cookie, that's good enough for me!" --Cookie Monster

Monday Sept 26th

Snack: Hailey

Weds Sept 28th

Snack: Natalie

Friday Sept 30th

Snack: Bode

Show & Tell: Letter C

B is for Baby

2011-09-23T13:19:00.001-05:00

Which Baby is which of your preschool Buddies?

The Baby Song

by Ms Tamra

(sung to Once There Was a Snowman)

Once I was a baby, baby, baby,

Once I was a baby,
Small, small, small!

Now I'm growing bigger, bigger, bigger

Now I'm growing bigger,
Tall, tall, tall!

We were supposed to have a guest

appearance by this funny baby . . .

but she slept through the entire class!

And just for fun . . .

here's proof even Ms Tamra was little once too . . .

B is for Backyard!

2011-09-23T12:54:00.000-05:00

Thankfully we've finally had a break in our

100 plus degree weather--

Just in time for B week!

What did we do?

B is for Bunches of Blue Bubbles . . .

I used Ms Morgan's fantastic bubble recipe

and just added blue food coloring,

poured a little in plastic cups,

passed out the straws

And let the kids BLOW!!!

What a BLAST!

(but positively an outside activity!!!)

B is for Big Blue Ball Game

The kids run around the backyard,
Ms Tamra throws the Big Blue Ball
If it touches you, you have to go stand at the tree
until a friend gives you high five and rescues you.

We love this game!

Sometimes Ms Tamra is a Dragon

and the ball is a fireball . . .

or she's a shark and it's a bubble . . .

or . . .

well, you get the idea :)

Ms Tamra's Bookbag

2011-09-21T22:21:00.000-05:00

Here's another fantastic book to enjoy with your preschooler . . .

It's time for a long winter nap and baby bear just can't fall asleep!

I love how sensitive and loving Momma bear is as she comes up

with different solutions to help her little bear.

The book has such a peaceful, loving feel and rhythm to it

that it also makes a great snuggling or bedtime book.

Could be used to lead into discussions about

Bears, Caves, The Moon, or even Mom's!

B is for Bee!

2011-09-21T22:06:00.001-05:00

What better way to learn about the letter B
then through exploring Bee's?!?

Here's a great link to read more about Bee's
with your preschooler creature feature bees.

Then have a blast dancing to this song . . .

In our class, after learning all about Bee's,
we turned letter B's into Bees

And did lots of singing and dancing to our letter B song:

(to the tune of Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star)

Busy, Beautiful, Buzzing Bee's

Letter B says /b/ /b/ /b/

Busy, Beautiful, Buzzing Bee's

Letter B says /b/ /b/ /b/.

And just because these kids are so cute,

here's a peek at some of our center fun

(love how they pose for the camera :) . . .

**{Parents, don't forget to send in your child's baby picture for Friday!}**

A is for Apples!

2011-09-19T23:08:00.000-05:00

Here's a few peek of our apple discussion last week . . .

We made a bar graph comparing the colors of apples brought in (red, yellow or green) . . .

Explored the inside of the apple

and found the apple star full of seeds . . .

We also compared (and tasted!)

different kinds of apples,

voted for our favorites and made a treat

by mixing cinnamon and sugar in a bag with apple slices . . . yum!

We had a lot of fun tearing up paper for our apple craft . . .

(tearing something with your preschooler? Make it a little easier by cutting little slits in the paper first. This helps little fingers be able to grip and pull the paper better).

Sprinkled cinnamon on the top to make our letter A's smell like pie . . .

The finished products . . .

Our preschool classroom sure smelled

cinnamon-y delicious the rest of the day!

B is for . . .

2011-09-19T22:49:00.000-05:00

Seriously love this book by Scott Emerson and the illustrations are gorgeous!

I wish I could have taken a picture of the captive looks on the kids faces while I read.

Equally adorable is the concentration this little guy is using to trace his name :)

Calendar Sept 19-23rd

2011-09-18T22:56:00.000-05:00

Our preschool adventures this week are all about the letter

Bees . . . Buttons . . . Balls . . . Babies . . . and Bears!

Oh Boy!

**Please bring or email a baby picture before Friday! These will not be returned (any time soon and not in the same condition they arrived :) ). One printed right off your computer is just fine. **

Monday Sept 19th

Snack: Carson

Weds Sept 21st

Snack: Tori

Fri Sept 23rd

Snack: Lucas

Show & Tell: Letter B

Calendar Sept 12-16

2011-09-11T22:54:00.001-05:00

This week at preschool it's all about the letter

Apples . . . Alligators . . . Astronauts . . . Ants

. . . sounds like an Awesome Adventure to me!

Here's what's on the calendar this week:

Monday Sept 12th

Snack: Christopher

Wednesday Sept 14th

Snack: Natalie

Friday Sept 16th

Snack: Weston

Show and Tell: Something that starts with the letter A

**Please bring an apple to school**

Snack:

L is for Listening Ears . . .

2011-09-09T22:17:00.000-05:00

Reading this book . . .

was a great lead-in to a discussion to this months social skill of being a good listener.

Once we put on our own bunny ears . . .

we used our super good listening ears to go on an adventure all around the school.

Watch out! Don't let Mr McGregor hear you!

Seriously the cutest group of bunnies EVER . . .

Our absolute favorite listening activity of the day?

Listening to this song over and over!

We just couldn't get enough of it!! :)

Chicka Chicka Boom Boom!

2011-09-07T21:50:00.001-05:00

We had so much fun reading this book we had to read it again!

Then we made our own Chicka Chicka Boom Boom trees.

I gave each child a brown paper strip,

5 small green rectangles, glue, scissors, and alphabet stickers

and let them do the rest.

I love how each child's picture is so unique!

This was a fantastic fine motor activity . . . all that cutting, gluing, and sticker placing

kept little fingers and hands busy!

Here's a little peek of other fun . . .

See you Friday! Don't forget it's Show and Tell day! :)

Calendar: Week of Sept 5th

2011-09-05T06:42:00.001-05:00

SEPTEMBER:

Social Skill: Use Listening Ears (explored through the tale of Peter Rabbit)

Math: Review basic shapes

One-on-One time: Finish beginning of year assessments

MONDAY (Sept 5th)

NO SCHOOL (Labor Day Holiday)

WEDNESDAY (Sept 8th)

Intro to Sept Social Skill (Listening Ears)

Snack: CELEBRATE EDDIE'S BIRTHDAY!

FRIDAY (Sept 9th)

Intro to Letters & Sounds

Snack: Hailey

Show and Tell: Anything you want :)

C is for (more) Color Creations!

2011-09-02T21:25:00.000-05:00

We started out the day listening to this great Alphabet Pals book . . .

Penelope pig wants to paint her pig pen purple . . . but Zac keeps mixing the wrong colors.

Will she ever get a perfectly purple pig pen?

Then it was time to try our own magical color mixing with paint . . .

Each hand was painted a different primary color (ex. left hand red, right hand yellow) and put on the paper to make a print. Next, hands are rubbed together (while saying magic words, of course!) and a new color appears!

I try to do new things each year so kids who come multiple years get fresh activities, but this is one is such a favorite it's a guaranteed repeat :)

C is for color

2011-08-31T13:44:00.001-05:00

We started off today's exploration of both color and Jazz Music with this fun book . . .

I got this at a music teachers convention two years ago--
but you can get it online.
I LOVE it and the kids do too!

After reading the story, we listened to the accompanying CD and drew pictures of whatever the music sounded like in the color we heard.

Everyone heard something different--

We had a pink dancing princess, a big brown bear,

and even a green trumpet!

Then we ended up with an impromptu dance--

the kids LOVED the Jazz music!

One of our gross motor activities for the day used these simple plastic lids with flashcards taped on the bottom.

We put them upside down on the floor and marched around listening to our new favorite Jazz music.

When the music stopped, we ran to put our toes next to a circle, then got to flip it over and name what was on the bottom.
We'll use this game throughout the year with letters, and numbers.

Did you know that some colors are made by mixing other colors?

Ms Tamra used a green marker to draw a big green dot on this coffee filter then she used a straw to drip a little water on it.

When it dried, we could see that the green had yellow and blue it in!

We also did this with orange and purple.

We'll do more with mixing color magic on Friday :)

Finally, here's a picture of Ms Munching Mouth . . .

She LOVES to eat letters!

During our one-on-one assessments this week, the kids named letters as they fed them to her.

There were lots and lots of giggles as she almost nibbled little fingers :)

See you Friday!

Crazy Colors

2011-08-29T14:02:00.000-05:00

This book is a fantastic way to start a discussion of color.

Each child picked a color and we'd read about an animal featured in that color.

Who knew frogs were blue?

Or there's a bird with blue feet?

The number one highlight of the day was our magical exploration of colors using Ms Tamra's magic powder and clear liquid . . .

(vinegar & water; food coloring covered with baking soda . . . shhhh! don't tell!)

As you stir and say the magic words exciting things happen . . .

and then a color magically appears!

Here's a peek at a couple of centers . . .

Can't wait to see what Wednesday has in store!

Calendar: Aug 29-Sept 2

2011-08-28T15:31:00.001-05:00

Here's what to look forward to this week . . .

Colorful Colors!

We'll be exploring the wonderful world of color through paint, light, a little magic and of course lots of fun! In addition, Ms Munching Mouth will be back to help Ms Tamra finish assessing capital letter knowledge. She is quite the hit with the kids--I'll post pictures as soon as I can find my camera battery charger :)

Mon 8/29

Snack: Tori

Weds 8/31

Snack: celebrate Bode's birthday!

Fri 9/2:

Show & Tell: Anything in your favorite color

Snack: Lucas

September Tuition Due

First Day of School!

2011-08-22T22:22:00.003-05:00

What a great first day of preschool! Here's a glimpse at a few of our first day activities--

Moko the monkey introduced us to this fun book . . .

which was read as Miss BinderCOOL gets ready for PRESCHOOL, of course! :)

Like the characters in the story,

we noticed that each of our names starts with a special letter.

We added our names to the preschool word wall . . .

which naturally lead to a discussion with counting, comparing and contrasting . . .

letter T won the most names contest!

We had lots of fun learning about our new friends by

discovering the five items they'd put in their bags . . .

and we played with new friends and toys. . .

while filling in the spaces with lots and lots of giggles and silliness! :)

Can't wait to see what Wednesday holds in store!

G is for Game

2011-02-23T14:08:00.002-06:00

G is for Game!

Here are some of my favorite (with the rule adaptations) for preschoolers . . .

Blockus.

The kids try and fit ALL the pieces on the board like a giant puzzle.

This requires team work as well as excellent fine motor skills!

Don't Spill the Beans.

Partnerships work together to see how many beans they can get on top before it spills. Each time trying to beat their previous record.

Again, this emphasizes team work and counting skills while practicing that ever tricky pincher grasp.

UpWords.

The kids put the letters on the board and stack similar letters on top of each other.

More fine motor practice, letter recognition and team work!

L is for LOVE

2011-01-26T10:13:00.000-06:00

When Moko came out of his treasure box today, he was crying. He was sad and scared because he'd made a big mistake.

"It's okay" one of the children offered, "we'll still love you!"

Moko wasn't so sure--but after a lot of convincing from the kids that no matter what the kids would still love him, he finally confessed. He had promised to bring his magic bag full of letter L fun, but had forgotten. The kids were very understanding and offered lots of hugs and "it's okay"'s and "we still love you!"'s.

That reminded Moko of one of his favorite books . . .

What a great opportunity to discuss the mistakes we make and how our families love us no matter what.

L is for Lots of Ladybugs

2011-01-25T11:20:00.000-06:00

After introducing letter L, his sound, and one of Ms Tamra's silly chalkboard illustrations we practiced writing our own L's and l's.

Here's a simple tip: Laminate blank name cards or even make your own using cardstalk. With wet erase markers (I like these SO much better than dry erase--clean up is a cinch!) your child can practice writing their name, letters, drawing shapes, writing words, etc. Have some diaper wipes near-by for quick and easy wipe down and they are ready to go again!

Our easy and super fun ladybug art project . . .

Open the wings to find

lots of little ladybugs!

We started out with white oval's with letter L's to trace, added red ink thumb prints, and used fine-tip sharpies to turn those into lady bugs. We glued 3 black strips of paper to each side, a black circle head with more black paper scraps for antenna's then glued all of that on a black oval and attach wings with brad's. Black crayon spots on top completed our project. The kids absolutely loved this one!

Letter U is for Umbrella

2011-01-19T21:24:00.000-06:00

Want to know what U says? Scrunch down low by your feet, hold some balloons in your hand and say, "U says, uh-uh-uh-uh-uh-uh-uh-" (stand a little taller with each "uh" until your on your toes) "uh-uh-UP into the air!" (and let your balloons fly away).

Today we were visited by an indoor rainstorm . . .

We took turns standing under the umbrella, being squirted with water, as we sang,

"Rain is falling all around,

On the housetops, on the ground.

Rain is falling on my nose,

On my head and hands and toes."

Watch out! Sometimes the rain slips under the umbrella and gets your nose!

And of course we had to top it off with a fun art project . . .

The supplies . . .

(I poured the blue paint in a bowl and really watered it down)

The kids then traced the U handle and the little u and covered their umbrella's with U's of all colors and sizes.

Then it was time to move away the chairs, turn pictures upside down and get messy! I just spooned a little paint across the top of the pictures (which was now the bottom) and the kids used straws to blow the rain all over! It as a huge hit!

For more entertainment, you can always use this method . . .

Here's a sampling of our stormy letter U umbrella's . . .

Hold on tight or they might just carry you "uh-uh-uh-uh-up into the air!"

Funny, Fabulous Letter F!

2011-01-12T18:10:00.000-06:00

The Letter Ff is so much fun to explore! Here's a sampling of our adventures today . . .

What happens when you mix five sets of fantastic feet . . .

fabulous flowers . . .

and furry feathers?

You get some very fantastically fabulous oh so funny feet!

Snack time involved a visit to the letter Fancy Letter Ff restaurant where we ate fruit and food flowers on Ms Tamra's fancy dishes and had a fizzy drink! We had to use our best manners, were served by a very funny but fancily dressed waiter, listen to fabulous classical music and watched a fancy but funny dance :).

Then one of the students reminded waitress Tamra that FIRE starts with F, so we added candlelight do our meal :)

And here's a little peek at the kind of craziness that happens at school--

Letter F with funny feet, flowers, feathers, fuzz, fire and a flag!

N is for Nest!

2011-01-12T10:13:00.000-06:00

Nn is for neat, nifty nests!

We watched birds making nests and eggs hatching on youtube . . .

then--POOF! We became birds and went outside to gather supplies for OUR nests!

Back inside we were hard at work . . .

(Tip--if doing something like this--the glue won't hold everything to the paper. Finish the final project by covering it with clear contact paper :) ).

After all that hard work, we were HUNGRY birds. Check out this adorable snack provided by a parent . . .

Yep, nests are not only nifty and nice but DELICIOUS! :)

Registration now open

2011-01-05T12:22:00.000-06:00

Now enrolling for Fall 2011.

Only one class is available and space is limited.

Enrollment is on a first come first serve basis, with priority given to families with children currently enrolled.

If you are interested please click here for more information: Fall 2011 Enrollment

T is for Terrible Troll!

2010-10-19T09:10:00.000-05:00

We had so much fun learning about the letter Tt!

First we had a play in our puppet theater about the Three Billy Goats Gruff. I used this narration

and these puppet patterns (I used just the heads, enlarged & colored them and put them on popsicle sticks). The kids LOVED it!

We also had a TON OF FUN acting out the story again and again and again (complete with a bridge and trolls under it). These kids make great goats and trolls!

Finally, during Art time, we made our own Terrible Letter Tt Trolls . . .

A is for Amazing Alligator

2010-09-29T13:05:00.001-05:00

We learned all sorts of interesting facts about Alligators today! Do you know that Alligators babies hatch from eggs and that the mother will carry the babies in her mouth?

Here's some more interesting facts as well as a video and alligator sounds!

We also made these fun alligator puppets.

Want to make one too?

Here's the links to the pieces that you'll glue to a brown lunch sack.

Alligator Puppet Body

Alligator Puppet Head/Tail

B is for . . .

2010-09-27T13:28:00.000-05:00

B is for Baby

and one will be coming

to our preschool this spring!

So when things get a little behind on here . . . now you'll know why :)

A is for Apples!

2010-09-27T12:22:00.000-05:00

We sorted apples brought from home by color, size and shape. We tasted samples and explored their seeds and cut them in half perpendicular to the core to find the apple star!

Then we made APPLESAUCE!

Want to try? It's super simple and even more delicious!

First: Peel and core your apples

Next: Cut in small slices

Then: Simmer in about 1/2 to 1 Cup water until soft & squish-able

That's the cooking part . . . then we transfered the mushy apples to another container (that wasn't hot!) so the kids could take turns mashing them.

Add sugar and cinnamon to taste . . .

ENJOY!

S is for SPIDERS!

2010-09-27T12:04:00.001-05:00

It was a scary, spooky, spider-y world at preschool on Friday!

We got in the mood by reading this book:

A super fun pop-up book . . . kids love it!

We learned all about spiders and watched a movie about the largest spider in the world:

National Geographic Kids: Goliath Tarantula Spiders

(BTW . . . that is an excellent site to explore animals with kids! Lots of great stuff!)

And we made our own spiders . . . from number 8's with 8 eyes and 8 legs!

Glueing and attaching all those eyes and accordian folding the legs was great for our fine motor skills, and as one child told me, "This is fun Ms Tamra! You always do fun stuff with us!" Ahhh. . . melt my heart :).

YIKES! My table is covered with drying spiders! These will be hung from the ceiling in our classroom for the spooky month of October.

Finally, here's a spider song:
(sing to "The Farmer in the Dell")

The spider spins a web
The spider spins a web
Round & round, up & down,
The spider spins a web.

She spins it in and out,
She spins it in and out,
Round & round, up & down,
She spins it in and out.

She spins it back and forth,
She spins it back and forth,
Round & round, up & down,
She spins it in and out.

She spins it good and strong,
She spins it good and strong,
Round & round, up & down,
She spins it good and strong!

Ms Tamra's Favorites: Letter Factory

2010-09-22T11:49:00.000-05:00

If your child comes home today and says they watched a movie . . .

Well, we did!

One of my most favorites:

This is a great movie that helps introduce kids to not only the letters of the alphabet but the sounds each makes as well. The kids had a lot of fun singing along, laughing, and even dancing with the leap frog family.

S is for SLIMY SPAGHETTI!

2010-09-20T10:51:00.000-05:00

It's all about Spaghetti at preschool today!

We ate Spaghetti for snacks . . . what slimy, messy fun!

At the last minute, I decided to skip the sauce . . . good thing :)

And then made Spaghetti paintings!

This was a really fun way to work those every important fine motor skills, experience new textures, and color mixing!

CALENDAR Sept 20-24th

2010-09-19T13:32:00.000-05:00

It's all about the Letter Ss this week!

Here's what you can look forward to . . .

Mon Sept 20th:

Slippery, Slimy Spaghetti! We'll eat and paint with a kid favorite . . . spaghetti!

Weds Sept 22:

Super Silly Socks!
Parents: Don't forget to send your child with one white sock to make their super S puppets!

Thurs Sept 24:

Spiders! Spiders! Those Sneaky, Special Spiders!
Don't forget to bring your letter S show and Tell!

Note: Morning class--our snack schedule got a little off. Instead of following the calendar these last few days of the month, just watch for your child to bring home the snack bucket . . . if you get it, bring snack the next school day. Thanks for your flexibility! :)

M is for Moose & Mail

2010-09-17T19:33:00.001-05:00

Here's the M book for the day . . .

This book also helped us review counting and numbers. The kids enjoyed it because we had used the Mouse Paint book a few weeks ago with our color unit and so they remembered their mice friends :). (morning class did not read this book, because we read a show and tell book)

We talked about mail and practiced mailing stuff . . .

and made these Moose pictures . . .

and in close of our M week . . . here's a movie for our favorite M word . . MOM!

Magic Secrets REVEALED!

2010-09-15T21:31:00.006-05:00

We had a blast at our Mom's and Muffins Party! We ate muffins, drank milk, read this book . . .

and, what I think was the kiddos most favorite . . . experienced Marvelous MAGIC!

Because . . .
there is nothing as rewarding as the look of awe and excitement on a 4 year-old's face when watching magic,
and because I love you all so dearly and want YOU to be able to experience that. . .

AND MOSTLY BECAUSE M is for Magic . . .

And . . .

Although a good magician NEVER reveals her secrets . . .

I am NOT a good magician . . .

SOOO . . . here are some magic tricks to awe the preschoolers in your life :)

Turn Water into ICE!

Supplies:

Cup/Mug (one that CANNOT be seen through!)

Sponge

a little bit of water (1/8 cup-ish)

Ice (I used a regular cube . . . but I think small cubed ice might have a better effect)

Set-up:

Squish the sponge into the bottom of the cup and wet your ice-cube
(Something I didn't do . . . so it stuck to the sponge a little :) ).

Put ice in cup.

For your Audience:

"My breath is so magically cold, it can turn water into ice!"

Pour the 1/8 C of water into the cup . . .

Blow on it and say the magic words (while the water soaks into the sponge)

Turn cup upside down and

watch in amazement as only ice comes out!

Penny in the Neck

Supplies:

A penny

Set-up:

None

For your Audience:

"I will take this penny, push it through the skin in the back of my neck and have it come out my mouth!"

Let kids check out the back of your neck to see if they can see the magic hole and look in your mouth to make sure you aren't hiding anything.

What you do:

Reach both arms back behind your head, with at least one elbow hidden from the audience by your head. While you act like you are pushing the penny through your skin, hide it in V-part of your arm made by folding your elbow (I don't know what that is called or how to describe that!)

Show the audience your empty hands (while keeping your elbow folded and hiding the penny).

Act like you are pulling the penny out of your mouth while flinging your arm open so the penny goes flying through the air.

(That probably only makes sense to those of you who have seen the trick . . . sorry!)

Disappearing Quarter
The easiest way to explain this one is the Youtube video that taught me :)

Exploding Water
How it works:

1) Fill several clear containers (I used plastic drinking cups) with about 3/4 cup water and 1/3 cup vinegar. (the ratio can be varied, but more vinegar= more fiz= more fun! PLACE CONTAINERS on a BAKING SHEET, as this WILL MAKE A MESS!!!!

2) place one small drop of food coloring on a metal spoon (don't use clear, since you can see the color on the other side), then place a heaping teaspoon of baking soda on top, or enough to make sure the food coloring is covered.

3) Have a child come up and pick a spoon to stir in a cup of "water".

It will fiz like crazy and remain clear while fizzing, so make sure they keep stirring.

Once the fiz has settled down, the color will show up.

I will be using 6 different colors. red, green, yellow, blue, orange (one drop yellow and one drop red), and purple (one drop red and one drop blue)

(notice the water on the bottom of the baking sheet? It WILL bubble over and make a mess. Paper towels would be a good idea to bring...)

I have a few more tricks that didn't come out this time . . . i'll have to find another time to use them :)

Happy Magic Making!

M is for Marvelous Mouse!

2010-09-13T15:58:00.000-05:00

At preschool this week it's all about the letter Mm!

Today Moko pulled out his magic bag full of things that start with the letter Mm: Money (and a little magic!), macaroni, mustard, mushrooms, a mouse, a monkey, markers, a movie, and some mail! Letter Mm is Moko the Monkey's favorite letter, of course! :)

Then he introduced us to this book . . .

And because the letter Mm loves to MUNCH . . . mmmmm good stuff, we munched cookies while we read the book, followed by a glass of mmm milk!

We did lots of tummy rubbing as we practiced the sound of the Letter Mm :)

We also made our invites to the Muffins & Mom's party . . .

Aren't those just the cutest little card making elfs?!?

And as an at home bonus, here's a fun link to a short letter Mm animation activity you can do with your child.

CALENDAR Sept 13-17

2010-09-13T10:41:00.000-05:00

This week is all about the Letter Mm!

Monday 9/13: Mmmm Marvelous Mouse!

Wednesday 9/15: EARLY RELEASE DAY 9:00-10:30 Mom's & Muffins Party! Come munch muffins, watch marvelous magic, & meet a moose (in a book :) ) as we celebrate the Letter M with our Mom's (or other special grown-up). Look for an RSVP email form in your inbox.

Friday 9/17: Show & Tell: Something that starts with the Letter M!

Cool Colors!

2010-08-30T16:39:00.000-05:00

Today, after reading Ed Young's Seven Blind Mice we had so much fun exploring colors. Here's the details:

We dug for treasure in the wheat box. The kids had to find 3 hidden objects of each color and put them in the container. Warning: if you try something similar--have a vacuum nearby!

We made paint hand print magic . . .

Each hand was painted a different primary color and put on the paper. After rubbing their hands together and repeating the magic words, the kids were thrilled to see a new color appear!

While children were working at other centers, I asked a child to come over to my "game," handed them a paintbrush and asked them to paint a crayon of a specific color. The kids had fun and it was an easy way for me to assess their color knowledge.

And then there was the shaving cream.

Each child had three piles of shaving cream with red, blue and yellow finger paint (yes--morning parents, . . . I learned from your kids that the next group should do this outside, wearing painting shirts and using finger paint instead of food coloring!)

It was so fun to watch how each group responded to the experience differently.

The girls jumped right in (I love the looks of delight on their faces!), mixing and exploring the new color combinations . . .

The morning boys were much more hesitant and delicate . . .

but it wasn't too long before both tables looked like this . . .

The afternoon class even went for the table legs . . .

Both classes had fun watching the shaving cream magically disappear when I hosed the tables down (and their hands . . . feet. . . faces . . . :)

It was a great day of all sorts of color exploration!

Making New Friends

2010-08-29T23:15:00.001-05:00

After reading . . .

Bear Feels Scared by Karma Wilson

We talked about how bear's friends helped him when he was lost and how we can be a good friend. Here's just a glimpse of our preschool friends . . .

The Afternoon class is full of great friends too . . . but I just haven't captured it with the camera yet!

First Week!

2010-08-29T22:36:00.002-05:00

This was an exciting first week and we are having FUN! Here's a peek at what has been going on in our classroom . . .

Overheard: While playing house, several kids say they want to be the dad . . .
Allison: "It's okay, we can have like 2 or 3 dads!"
Brock (at the big table coloring; not playing house): "But if your a dad you have to work ALL THE DAY!"

Looking forward to more adventures next week!

Game Board Centers

2010-05-24T15:51:00.002-05:00

Games for grown-ups also make great fun for kids. I just set the games out as centers and let the kids do whatever they want with them.

Blokus turned into a team effort to try and fit all the tiles on the board

While Rummikub became a number and color matching game.

I love to see kids so hard at work developing fine motor skills, team work, and creativity! Bonus: The kids feel extra special for playing something so grown-up!

J is for Jobs!

2010-04-26T12:59:00.000-05:00

Sing to "Adams Family"

Different jobs (clap, clap) different jobs (clap, clap)

different jobs, different jobs, different jobs!

You can be a (fireman) or (baker), a (scientist) or (doctor)

Or anything you want!

Different jobs (clap, clap) different jobs (clap, clap)

different jobs, different jobs, different jobs!

Fireman Eric!

2010-04-25T19:06:00.000-05:00

We had so much fun learning all about fire safety with a special visit from

FIREMAN ERIC!

We learned the importance of having a fire escape plan and a designated meeting spot outside (mom and dad--do you have one at home? Do the kids know what to do and where to go in a fire at your house? Do you have a specific place outside everyone will meet to make it easy to know if anyone is still inside?)

We learned not to be scared of someone who looks like this . . .

We even got to try on his uniform . . .

Thanks Collins for sharing your dad with us!

Can't wait for our visit to the fire station in May!

CALENDAR

2010-04-25T18:35:00.005-05:00

Here's what is ahead this week as we celebrate the letter . . .

Monday 4/26

We'll continue last week's fun and talk about all the JOBS people do!

Wednesday 4/28

Jumping Jelly Beans!!

Friday 4/30

J is for Jaguar! Yikes!
Show & Tell: Anything with the letter J . . . you might have to get creative with this one!

FYI

May is around the corner . . . here's some things to mark on your calendar . . .

Monday 5/3 Field Trip to McKinney Fire Station #3!

Watch for permission slips and details coming out this week. Anyone who wants to come is welcome to join us!

Friday 5/7 Celebrate MOM! Happy Mother's Day!

I asked the kids what they wanted to do to celebrate Mother's Day with their mom's at school and they said . . . A Pajama Pizza Pillow fight Party in a real tent! (Not quite what I had in mind . . . guess they really LOVED this day and want to share it with you) So . . . plan on coming to school in your PJ's and bring a pillow! Invites will be coming out this week.

Friday 5/28: LAST DAY OF SCHOOL/Evening Graduation Celebration

Regular school time: End of year Party
6 pm: Preschool Graduation. Family and friends are invited to celebrate with us all that your child has accomplished this year! Set aside the time now, you won't want to miss this fun event!

Phone number song

2010-04-21T22:09:00.001-05:00

As part of safety week, I created a little song to help kids learn their phone numbers. We'll be working on this the rest of the year and hopefully they'll have it down by graduation. So far it's been a hit . . . the kids are singing it EVERYWHERE!

Here's the song card to print:

Here's a little video to help you get a feel for how the words work with the tune. Just fill in the phone number on the "da da da" parts.

Playdough Perk-up

2010-04-20T22:38:00.000-05:00

Need a little something to make the same 'ol playdough a little more entertaining?

Here's a simple solution . . .

mini cup-cake pans,

measuring spoons,

tiny cookie cutters

and

rolling pins.

It wasn't too long before I was being invited to a fancy bakery that was making wedding cakes and preparing for a big reception!

It was pretty fun to see those tough little boys (wish I got a picture of them . . . ) making wedding preparations!

Gotta love those imaginations.

I had no idea when I set everything out we'd end up planning and attending a wedding!

Officer McOsker

2010-04-19T14:44:00.002-05:00

Today we had a very special visitor--

Office McOsker from the Dallas Police Force.

Not only did he talk to us about staying safe,

he let us explore all of his neat equipment!

We even tried on his REAL handcuffs . . .

Then we went to police academy where we

did pushups . . .

and practiced running FAST!

After successfully completing our training, we got our own police badges!

You better watch out, bad guys!

We are police officers in training!

Thank You Office McOsker!

CALENDAR

2010-04-19T14:26:00.001-05:00

This week (April 19th-23rd) it's all about . . .

We have an exciting week ahead of us! Here's what you can look forward to . . .

Mon. April 19th: A special visit from Officer McOsker from the Dallas Police Force.

Weds. April 21st: Personal Safety--let's meet the Safety Kids!

Fri. April 23rd: We are having another special visitor--this time Mr. Rowen from the Dallas Fire Department!

I am still working on the field trip to the fire station--hopefully we'll get things finalized and can go next week--I'll keep you posted!

The Block Challenge. . .

2010-04-16T11:32:00.000-05:00

Ms Tamra's Block Center Challenge:

See if you can build a tower with blocks as tall as you are.

The results . . .

. . . were creatively impressive!

It was so fun to watch kids try to come up with ways to meet (and far surpass!) the challenge!

This was a great teamwork activity! Sharing ideas and working together to bring it to pass.

I think the kids liked it almost as much as I did watching and listening!

Elephants at play . . .

2010-04-15T08:32:00.001-05:00

Here's a twist on a familiar song that the kids have REALLy enjoyed.

We are singing it ALOT!

In case your kids are trying to sing it at home--here are the words!

(to the tune of "five little ducks went out to play")

One elephant went out to play

Over the hills and far away

He saw another elephant

"Hey, come over and play with me!"

Two elephants went out to play

Over the hills and far away

They saw another elephant

"Hey, come over and play with us!"

We sing all the way up to ten . . . or sometimes even farther!

Friendship Punch

2010-04-14T17:31:00.005-05:00

Here's a recipe for a great (and very cute) friendship discussion:

With a pitcher of water on the table, I explained that I needed everyone to help me make friendship punch. I poured in some "friendship," a powder juice mix (I used crystal light) and we watched as it hit the water and magically started changing color (both the powder and the water). Each child took a turn stirring and explained what they were adding to the friendship. We had sharing, taking turns, being nice and even obeying our parents in our punch!

When the kids finally got to taste their Friendship Punch . . . there were LOTS of exclamations of "delicious!" "Man, that's good stuff!" "we are GREAT cooks!" and other equally cute stuff.

And to remind us of our friendships . . . we had mustaches for the rest of the day!

Q is for Quilt

2010-04-12T21:22:00.001-05:00

Exploring Quilts as a class was a lot of fun!

During our center time, I had stacks of these quilt blocks out for the kiddos to color.

As they completed them, I punched holes in the corners

and used some thin yarn to tie them together like this . . .

The end result is fantastic. It really looks like a paper quilt!

Because I don't want to spoil the excitement of showing this to parents at preschool graduation, I'll have to wait to post pictures of the entire thing. Trust me, though, it's cute!

Here's the quilt block pattern.

These would be super cute with pictures or handprints in the centers too--that could be a cute mother's day gift for a grandma who lives far away!

For another fun quilt activity, we took a large quilt outside . . .

and each child held onto a corner or side and we bounced fire balls in the middle. We couldn't let them fall off or the grass would start on fire and that would be "DISASTROUS" (as a child explained to me)!

We also tried just bouncing one ball as high as we could and then moving wherever we needed to catch it. Talk about team work . . . but a LOT of fun!

Finally, what is more fun then using a quilt to make a fort to eat cookies and hide in? BUT . . . you better watch out . . . Ms. Tamra might turn into a big bad wolf . . .

Who knew letter Q could be so much fun??

CALENDAR

2010-04-11T07:09:00.002-05:00

It's time for another exciting week at preschool! Here's what we have going on this week:

We are going to start talking about different kinds of communities. This week's theme is "Our Classroom Community." Next week we'll talk about the community we live in and have some very exciting visitors!

Mon 4/12:

Friends! Friends! All sorts of Friends!

Wed 4/14:

Emotions: We all got 'em!

Fri: 4/16:

Kindness makes the world go round!
Show and Tell: Something about YOU!

The Quiet Queen's Quest

2010-04-07T15:29:00.001-05:00

Today we had so much fun going on the Quiet Queen's Quest. It was really exciting for everyone.

Moko greeted us at circle time with a note from the Quiet Queen asking us to go on a special Quest. She had several crowns with various quests to complete quietly (it was a fun challenge and we did a lot of whispering). After each quest, the children reported back to Moko, received a jewel for their Qq crowns, and learned what the next quest was.

It was so much fun completing our quests! Take a look . . .

Painting the royal fence with water and brushes (kids LOVE doing this!) . . . after the fence they moved onto the bricks!

Signing names on the castle steps

The final quest was to steal the treasure from the dragon.

I (the dragon) laid down on the back porch with my arms around a basket of dragon eggs (plastic easter eggs). A treasure box was put across the backyard.

There were four rules.

1) No opening the dragon eggs.

2) When the dragon roars, freeze in place.

If she sees you move, you have to put any eggs you have in your hands back.

3) No throwing dragon eggs.

4) Your quest: get all of the dragon eggs (one at a time) from the dragon and into the treasure box.

There were lots of giggles as I snored and roared and kids froze in place. This was so much fun we'll have to play it again soon.

Inside the dragon eggs we found a large jewel with the letter Q (old scrapbook letter stickers work great for this! How often do you use Q??) for the center of their crowns. We also found a lot of edible jewels (m&m's).

After all that hard work . . . we had to take a picture to show off our completed crowns!

Quiet Queen, thanks for the very fun Quest!

Q is for QUIET

2010-04-07T10:18:00.002-05:00

Who better than Elmo and Kermit to explain Quiet vs Loud?

Lightsabers!

2010-04-05T13:17:00.001-05:00

One of our very creative parents made these lightsabers for the class.

It was such a great idea! The kids LOVED putting them into action--and what is better than lightsabers/swords that don't hurt?

They are just pool noodles wrapped with black tape on the bottoms. What a simple and fun idea!

Here they are in action . . .

This would be another great "I'm bored" actvitiy . . . and a bonus . . . you could try them in the pool!

Bonus: Hearing the kids talk to each other in their best Star Wars imitations!

March Bulletin Board and Art

2010-04-04T22:02:00.002-05:00

When I was taking down the bulletin board for March, it suddenly hit me that because of the way our space is set up, parents rarely get to see our displays.

So--here's how we welcomed the month of March . . .

Those are little packing peanut lambs (you know . . . March comes in like a lamb . . . )

and rainbows with a pot of gold.

We made these by dipping toy cars in paint and then running them on the rainbow road.

The kids had so much fun with it they didn't want to stop--so a lot of the rainbows ended up a muddy brown . . . but those kids sure had fun!

CALENDAR

2010-04-04T21:08:00.001-05:00

I hope you all had a wonderful weekend and a fantastic Easter. I sure did!

I'm looking forward to the excited reports from your children!

Here's what is ahead for this week . . .

Monday 4/6

Introduction to the Letter Qq
Questions, Questions, Questions!

Wednesday 4/8

The Quiet Queen's Quest

Friday 4/10

Quilts
Show and Tell: Anything QUIET!

We are going to have a great week! See you Tomorrow!

Yellow Yodeling Yak

2010-04-04T01:37:00.001-05:00

In honor of Y week, we bring you . . .

YELLOW YODELING YAK by Cliff Hanger

Share this with your child, it'll make them laugh!

Just in time for Yellow Yarn Yaks!

Y is for Yellow Yarn Yaks

2010-04-03T21:20:00.000-05:00

This was a really fun art activity that the kids enjoyed . . . and all the Y words are a big bonus too! Just say yellow yarn yak five times fast . . . you just might end up in giggles too!

I had the kids cut out a simple picture of a yak and then brush it with watered down elmer's glue.

Then they pressed pre-cut yellow yarn (I had yarn in various widths to pick from) in the glue . . .

Anyway they wanted (this complicated weave pattern required more glue :) ) . . .

And added google eyes. The final products . . .

Gotta love the variety!

More Centers

2010-03-29T10:18:00.001-05:00

Here's a peek at more center work that happened today. These are set up when the kids arrive and they are free to move back and forth between them as they choose . . .

For dramatic play the house and kitchen were open.

(I love this picture! So sweet!)

There was lots of word building at the Literacy Center.

The reading nook is always open for relaxing with a good book.

The Art Center had crayons and watercolors.

I also introduced a new activity . . . which the kiddos LOVED (this would a be a super simple thing to do at home on those "I'm bored" days!)

I had a bin of brightly colored pony beads and some pipe cleaners.

The kids strung these on anyway they liked.

Some sorted by color, some created patterns and some just had fun stringing them anyway they wanted! All great fine motor practice.

The kids really enjoyed this--it'll be coming out again soon!

Finally, the Jungle set also became a popular space. It is so fun to watch the kids interact together--making up animal sounds, singing, and role playing. I love it!

CALENDAR

2010-03-28T01:07:00.006-05:00

Let's learn about the letter Yy!

Here's our upcoming adventures this week . . .

Mon 3/29 Let's celebrate Dallin's Birthday!! (Tuesday 3/30. . . but who wants to wait?!?)

Introduction to the letter Y. Yes! Yawn, Yard, Yellow and more!
We didn't get to do our show & tell last week, so bring your B items today to share if you'd like!

Weds 3/31

Y is for Yarn--but not just any yarn . . . Yellow Yak Yarn!

Fri 4/2 (SNOW DAY MAKE-UP)

Y is for Yippee Yee-Haw! Come ready for a cowboy adventure!
Show & Tell: Something western or Yellow!

Uppercase/Lowercase video

2010-03-27T15:14:00.001-05:00

The concept of upper and lower case letters can be kind of confusing.

"I thought this was B . . . "

"well . . .and so is this b, but not this d."

Up to this point in a child's life, they have been learning very concrete concepts like a shoe is a shoe regardless of where it is or what direction it faces. Even a triangle is still a triangle no matter which way it goes.

Now letters come into play . . . They have to grasp that a B can have two totally different looks, but is no longer a b if it flips to look like this d . . . and that is confusing!

I found this fun elvis-style video from Between the Lions that would be fun to use when helping a child understand this concept.

Have fun. . . you might just find yourself singing along!

B is for BALLS!

2010-03-26T13:44:00.002-05:00

Today we had lots of fun with BALLS!

I started out with a big bag full of balls. The kids came up and picked a ball and compared it in size with the large green ball, and as balls were added, the other balls in line. We did this with each ball--until we had all the balls ordered from largest to smallest. We talked about the variety of balls, what we do with them and our favorite ball games.

THEN it was outside to PLAY ball games! We played Soccer, baseball, basketball, golf, dodgeball, and a our all time favorite game (one we made up as a class) . . .Bomber (I'll have to explain that in another post). It was so much fun not only playing, but making up cheers as we celebrated our team mates.

Finally, I have to share with you this adorable moment.

Kids were getting on shoes and I heard this . . .

"Come here, little buddy, and I'll help you!"

and I turned to see this . . .

Gotta love THAT teamwork!

How do we start our school day?

2010-03-26T13:30:00.001-05:00

When the students arrive each day, there are a variety of learning centers set up that they are free to explore and move between as they choose. Here is a peak of some of the work that took place today.

The art center was creating color bug themed emergent reader books.

I forgot to send these home--so look for them in your child's folder on Monday! Here is the link I used for these great books-- Cover, Page 2, Page 3

Let your child "read" and re-read these to you over and over and congratulate them each time. Encourage them to point to each word as they "read" it. You might need to do it with them the first time--but they'll catch on quickly!

We also had play-dough fun . . .

Dramatic play included fierce treasure hunting pirates . . .

The math center was a bug grid game . . .

Want to print your own? Find it here . . . I would love to have bug counters to use with it, but instead we had bears eating the leaves! At home you could use beans, buttons or other small objects. It's simple to play--roll the dice and cover up that many leaves (you could also use regular dice or number cards). When the grid fills up, you win! I had two of these set up so two kids could play together or it also works for individual play.

And the always popular Geoboard.

So there's a sneak peek at the work going on during our center time today!

Bugs! Bugs! Bugs!

2010-03-25T15:28:00.000-05:00

Each day when the kids arrive at school, they have a variety of centers set up to visit. Here are todays most popular bug themed ones . . .

Our sensory exploration center came out today filled with wheat and . . . BIG bugs!

This is just a large rubbermaid container filled with wheat and different objects for the kids to explore with. The kids LOVE digging through this stuff!

We also had this simple fine motor center . . .

The goal was to fill the line with flowers for each bug to visit. If you want to use this at home . . . simply print the file below (I like to print activities like this on cardstock and then put in plastic sheet protectors . . . this makes it easy to store in a binder). I used flower beads I found cheap at wal-mart, but you could also use stickers.

Bugs! Bugs! Bugs!

B is for Bumblee Bee

2010-03-25T08:14:00.002-05:00

Today while listening to a kids station on Pandora.com I heard this perfect letter B song! Here it is with a fun little video to sing and dance to . . .

Bumble Bee Buzz!

With this, take a few minutes to learn about the interesting way bees communicate through dance . . . Then dance with your child doing a bumble bee dance!

Here's some links to videos that might be helpful . . ..

Here's one

and

Here's another

Pretty interesting!

B is for Beautiful Butterflies

2010-03-24T15:27:00.002-05:00

Here is a super simple way to make adorable butterflies . . .

Supplies:

Tissue paper cut into 6 inch squares (2 squares per butterfly)
Black pipe cleaner cut in half (1 half per butterfly)
Clothespins (I pre-labeled these with each child's name using a fine tip sharpie) (1 per butterfly)

The Simple Steps

Take one square of tissue paper, hold in the middle and scrunch it up in the center.
Have the clothespin "bite" the scrunched part of the tissue paper.
Repeat steps 1 and 2 with the other piece of tissue paper.
Have the clothespin bite the middle of the pipe cleaner.
Wrap pipe cleaner around to the top and twist.
Curl ends of pipe cleaner with fingers to create antenna.
ENJOY!

We took turns hiding our butterflies outside and then letting the other butterflies try to find the hidden one. The kids loved flying their little creatures all around the yard!

Octopus for Dinner??

2010-03-23T23:53:00.001-05:00

Here's a fun little snack or dinner . . .

Serve the kids OCTOPUS!

Here's some super simple steps. . .

Take a hot dog and cut it in half lengthwise, but stop about 1 or 2 inches from one end. Then cut each of those halves in half . . . so now you have four legs. Cut each of those four in half--ending with eight. Place it on a pan (if baking in the oven--like I did the one above) or on a plate (for microwaving) with the legs spread out underneath and the uncut part on top. As it cooks, the legs will curl--creating a great octopus effect!

You can use this to talk about the letter O (Octopus, Ocean) or the number eight (8 legs) or even the letter S for Sea . . . or just to make dinner a little more fun!

Letter B is for Baking Bread!

2010-03-23T23:14:00.002-05:00

As part of our introduction to the letter B we Baked Bread.

We mixed the ingredients together and had fun watching the magic yeast foam up!

Then we kneaded the dough . . .

and shaped it into loaves.

Here's a tip . . . when doing something like this with multiple children, put it into the pan or cookie sheet in alphabetical order. Then you can easily keep track of which item belongs to each child.

Then each kiddo brushed his loaf with butter . . .

And we waited (played!) while they baked . . .

I love the different personalities of each loaf!

Yum! Learning about B is DELICIOUS!!

Letter B is for Buttons

2010-03-23T22:29:00.000-05:00

To introduce the letter Bb, we made Beautiful Button pictures. This is a great fine motor activity that I got from Miss Morgan over at Brilliant Beginnings. Picking up all those little buttons really strengthens writing muscles!

I am trying to work on helping the kids recognize lowercase letters so I included both for this activity. If you want to try something like this, click on the picture below and print on cardstock.

Or if you just want the capital letter . . . here it is!

You could also try glueing other things onto the letter B . . . Beans, Balloons (before they are blown up!), Butterfly or Bug stickers.

CALENDAR

2010-03-22T10:14:00.002-05:00

Parents--

It's Bb week! Here's what you can look forward to this week . . .

Mon 3/22

Introduction to B. We'll be baking bread and exploring other B words!

Weds 3/24

Big bugs, bitty bugs, lots of BUGS!

Fri 3/26

Basketball, Baseball and all things Ball! We'll be spending a lot of time outside so please dress accordingly and wear tennis shoes.
Show and Tell: Bring a picture of you as a baby and any other B item you'd like to share. I'll photocopy the baby pictures and send the original home with your child.

Ready for Kindergarten?

2010-03-11T09:24:00.000-06:00

This part two of a series. In part one we focused on developing social skills while playing games. This time we will focus on Fine Motor Skills.

Fine motor skills are the small muscle movements of the finger that help your child do activities such as:

Painting with a paintbrush
Cutting with scissors
Drawing and writing with a pencil or crayon correctly.
Holding and manipulating small objects
Making crafts

Here are some fun activities you can do with your child to help them develop these muscles in their hands and fingers:

Make cookies with real or play dough, allowing your child to roll the dough into balls using the palms of his/her hands.

Make little tiny bird eggs by rolling playdough into pea-size balls using only his or her fingertips.

Use pegs or toothpicks to make designs in the dough.

Scrunch up a sheet of newspaper with only one hand.

Use a squirt bottle to squirt plants.

Use large tweezers to pick up objects.

Play games using dice. Just shaking the dice and picking them up encourages fine motor development.

Do some lacing and sewing activities. These can be made easily by printing out a picture on cardstock, laminate for durability if you desire, and punch holes all around the edge. Or you could try just gluing a picture on piece of cardboard from a cereal or cracker box and punch holes around the hedges with a single hole-punch.

Turning over cards, coins, checkers, or buttons without sliding them to the edge of a table. Play a game of memory on the carpet!

As you do these type of activities with your child, they will be developing important fine motor muscles in a way that can be more fun and exciting then completing a bunch of writing worksheets. Try some of the above and make some fun memories with your child!

Days of the Week

2010-03-04T11:00:00.005-06:00

A while back, I shared our months of the year song. The following is the song we use to sing the days of the week, sung to the tune of "The Adams Family". The kids love it! Instead of clapping, we make clicking sounds with our tongues.

Ready for Kindergarten?

2010-03-04T09:23:00.004-06:00

For preschoolers, kindergarten is just around the corner. What kind of skills are important to make a successful transition into kindergarten? This is the first in a regular series of posts that addresses practical ideas of things you can do at home or in your classroom to prepare your children for kindergarten.

This post will focus on Social Skills.

In kindergarten, games are often used to reinforce academic skills. Being able to take turns and being a good sport are skills that will help your child succeed both academically and socially. Here are some ideas on how you can use games at home to help your child develop the important social skills needed for kindergarten:

Play a board game weekly with your child, as a family or help him do so with his friends.

Watch and encourage your child while playing games to make sure all the kids understand the rules and are treating each other fairly.

Some great, classic board games for preschoolers are Candy Land, Checkers, Memory, Hi-Ho Cheerio, and Chutes and Ladders. All of these are easy to understand and age-appropriate and kids can eventually play on their own. My family loves to play Uno Attack together with mom and dad each making a team with one of our children. Also, you can check out www.toolsforeducators.com for some games you can make or print at home.

Praise works miracles! Remember to praise your child when he or she is waiting patiently and give him/her reminders that his or her turn is coming soon.

You can be a great example as you congratulate other players when they gain a point or win the game. At our house, we have emphasized that the fun part about playing a game is the playing part . . . not the end!

Not only does playing games teach your child Social Skills, but gives them exposure to numbers, letters, and colors, improve spatial and communication skills and give them a chance to receive extra positive attention from you!

Who knew you could learn so much while having this much fun?!

P is for Pizza and Pajamas!

2010-03-01T14:03:00.005-06:00

To celebrate the end of Letter P week, we had a big

PIZZA and PAJAMA PARTY!

Everyone wore their PJ's and brought their favorite bedtime book. We read, played games and made Pizza!

It was a BLAST!

Check out these happy kiddos in their Pajama's!

We played musical pillows (those are the animal pillows from our book nook) with a twist. They hoped from pillow to pillow while the music played.

When it stopped, they had to act like the animal they stopped on through the next round.

It was a lot of fun!

Then we switched it up by turning the floor into hot lava and they had to hop from pillow to pillow. I kept taking away pillows and moving them farther apart.

We sure had a lot of giggling!

Each child made their own pizzas. I pre-baked the dough. Then each child was given a plate with cheese and pepperoni. I scooped the sauce on the crust and they spread it around with a spoon.

Then I popped them back into the oven until the cheese melted.

And then we FEASTED!

(I had the kids say, "I love Pizza!" while I took the picture . . . not thinking about the fact some of them where in mid-chew . . . don't zoom in too closely!)

Their is something about wearing PJ's to school that kiddos just LOVE.

I need to think of more occasions to do this!

K-K-Kick!

2010-02-05T15:58:00.002-06:00

The letter K is a really fun letter to talk about with preschool-aged kiddos. K is for K-K-Kick, of course! Stand up tall, put your arms up and out at an angle and kick with one leg . . . you look just like a kicking K!

As part of our introduction to the letter K, we all gathered around in a circle, sat on the ground, hid our arms, and kicked a large ball back and forth . . . with lots and lots of giggles!

Then we stood up in a circle and kicked it back and forth . . . naming a word that starts with a K sound with each kick.

How do you keep the kicks from getting too powerful? Anytime the ball went out of the circle, Ms Tamra gets a point. That cures it! NO ONE wants the teacher to get any points!

Kool-Aid Playdough

2010-02-05T15:43:00.002-06:00

K is for Kitchen . . . and in the kitchen we can make Kool-aid playdough!

I have tried a lot of playdough recipes . . . and this is by far the best. It turns out great every time, is super soft, lasts forever and smells FANTASTIC!

Here's the recipe . . .

2 1/2 C. flour

1/2 C. salt

2 pkg unsweetend Kool-aid (I actually used the walmart version of crystal light)

3 Tbl. oil

2 C. Boiling water (make sure only an adult handles the water!)

Mix dry ingredients together (flour, salt, kool-aid). Pour oil in the center of the dry mixture. Rapidly, stir in the boiling water. It will be very sticky at this stage. Set aside until it is cool to the touch. Knead well. It should be soft and smooth and not sticky.

When doing this with kids, let them help you read the numbers in the recipe, count the scoops with you and help stir. We also used this as an opportunity to discuss the different states of water (ice, liquid, gas) and the properties it has in each.

They class had a lot of fun helping with the kneading it out as well!

The best part of course? Enjoying the end result!

"Look teacher, it's a valentine TEXAS!"

He wanted to take it home to show his mom . . . posting a picture on the computer was the next best option :)

Have fun in the Kitchen!