Week 15 (Dec. 17, 18, 19)

The game "Bananagrams" is a little complex for preschoolers, but the letter tiles from it are perfect for spelling out names and words. The kids had fun sorting through and finding the letters they needed for the words they were building. Such smart kiddies. 

Being in the holiday spirit we did a few activities unique to this time of year. One was this gingerbread man game. They took turns rolling the die and checking the sheet to see what they did for each number rolled. Each number was for something different. Cutting out the gingerbread man, drawing the face, putting on the stickers for buttons, etc. They loved it.

The finished products were SO cute.

Snack time included snowman building. Since we don't have the real thing, we have to improvise. The kids didn't mind. We also had apples, just so you know.

Wrapping up the last of their gifts for their family members was as sweet as ever. They are getting old enough to get excited about the GIVING side of gifts. They worked very hard on everything. They even made their lists and checked each name off as they completed it.

Preschool is a lot about playing too. Exploring and having fun and working together. These kids are best friends and are learning to be very compassionate, helpful, and kind to each other. I am very pleased with their behavior everyday.

Several LOUD rounds of jingle bells were sung while we waited for parents to pick up at the end of the day. Having real jingle bells really makes it more fun.

And to end this fun week, a tiny photo shoot of these cute kids in silly reindeer sunglasses, just for fun. I hope everyone has a great Christmas, and gets to spend LOTS of time together with your families. School will start again on Wednesday, January 7th. See you then!

Week 14 (Dec. 10, 11, 12)

We had lovely weather again this week and we sure took advantage! Making chalk handprints (although not everyone loved it), was a fun activity. The kids went around stamping everything in sight.

Playtime was a big highlight, now that all the kids are here! We sure missed Logan while he was gone in Canada, but it was fun to be able to ask him questions about cold weather and share stories with each other about what winter is like in other places.

We worked VERY hard to get all our presents done. We made a list, with all the family member names. Each preschooler made their own specific list, which we have been checking off, as each present is created and wrapped.

Dads, LOOK AWAY! :) First we played with the salt dough and then we used it to make ornaments. It took 4 hours to bake, so they had to wait until the next day to see how they turned out.

Painting was a FUN project. The kids got very into it and I liked seeing their personalities show. Some painted several different colors on each ornament, some painted one solid color for each. Since our day on Friday was cut short, there are a few more steps we will need to do on Wednesday.

Wrapping the gifts and making labels was pretty fun too. The kids LOVED choosing which paper to use, and which color paper for the tag. It's a very serious thing, wrapping presents.

I had some great conversations with the preschoolers about Christmas, and the different traditions we have in our families. When I tried to get some of it on film, the conversations switched to presents, which of course, is a very exciting part of Christmas for these guys. So I asked them what specific people wanted, and the answers were pretty cute. Enjoy the video!

Thank you all for coming to pick your kids up almost 2 hours early! Lullaby is doing okay now, although she's very swollen and will likely be bruised for a few weeks. Our plan on this upcoming Friday, was to have a holiday party and not a full school day, but in light of the time I missed last week, we will do a regular full day. So please ignore your calendar and have your preschoolers come all day Wednesday, Thursday and Friday.