Week 10 (Nov. 11, 12, 13)

The preschoolers loved reading a book about a soldier dad who lived far away from his children so he could protect us. We talked about Veteran's Day and talked about how special service men and women are. I had planned on having the preschoolers write and draw them thank you letters, but we used up all our time on other activities first. So we will send them some love notes on Valentine's Day instead.

There was a LOT of dressing up this week. They have so much fun using their imaginations!

I got out some Jake and the Neverland Pirates toys, as well as the super heroes, princesses and a castle. I love when they mix toys together for some really creative play!

We started workbooks this week after going through all the ABC's several times in previous weeks. Now it's time to start practicing writing them. This was an easy task for some, and terribly difficult for others. We did the first 4 pages and sent the book home. The other pages can be done at home (if you'd like to - this is NOT homework, it's just for fun) with some adult attention to make sure they are doing the work properly.  This workbook does not have to come back, it's yours to keep.

Outside time was spent getting sandy or hanging upside down mostly. It's so funny to see each week what they will be interested in!

During table time the preschoolers made fall wreaths to hang up at home. These little foam stickers had a thin white backing that they had to peel off of each one. It was hard work, but every stuck to it and created a beautiful fall wreath!

Another day for table time we painted! The kids were VERY excited about it, and I've already added a few things to my arts and crafts shopping list for when they return! They each worked very hard on their cute turkeys. We talked about art, and how there is no right or wrong with art. It is creative and expressive and all art is interesting, especially when something looks unique.

We had to wait a day for everything to dry, so it was ready to go home on Friday, and the preschoolers were THRILLED to hold their turkeys during the morning circle time on Friday while we read a Thanksgiving book.

I asked the preschoolers about what they were thankful for and sent home the list. Each list had something different from the preschooler before them. I was quite impressed with several responses. They were completely uncoached and authentic preschool responses.

At our closing circle, I told each preschooler why I was thankful for each of them.  I love getting to spend so much time with your awesome kids!  I seriously love them. They are the best! So here is my list.
Abby: I am thankful for you because you are so eager to learn. I see you watching me, ready to jump at the chance to be the FIRST to work with me during small groups.
Christian:  I am thankful for you because you are so funny. You are very entertaining and keep us all happy and laughing during preschool.
Jackson:  I am thankful for you because you are like my teaching assistant. You know all the rules and love to help your friends stay on the right track.
Jared:  I am thankful for you because you are ALWAYS a good friend. You are first to share, or take turns, or help when someone needs it.
Lullaby: I am thankful for you because you are so happy. You smile and play nicely and help others to be happy around you.
Sofia: I am thankful for you because you are a snuggle bug. You spend a lot of your time hugging friends, or giving them a sweet pat on the back.
Warren: I am thankful for you because you are so hard working. You spend more time cleaning up than anyone else, even when it's a mess you didn't make yourself.

Also, the preschoolers made a video of the things they are thankful for. I hope you'll be thankful for these cute videos when your babies grow up! At the end of the year, I will give all the parents copies of these preschool videos.  Of course, you can always see them here on this website and on YouTube. Enjoy!

Week 9 (Nov. 4, 5, 6)

There are too many pictures from this week. I narrowed it down to the best 56… We brought out some new toys to try out. One was the Mega Bloks car ramps and cars. The preschoolers loved building different tracks and testing them out to see if one was faster.

The preschoolers worked together to build this tower as tall as them, and then it crashed over just a second before I could get a picture of it!

Jackson and Christian turned these block trees into ice cream cones and pretended to eat them. So funny!

Another new toy that was brought out this week are these plastic building toys. Each shape is a solid color and can fit together with any other shape to make creatures, or buildings or anything you can imagine.

Working in teams to make the alphabet in the right order. If one person didn't know what a certain letter looked like, their friend would. It was a very nice team building activity.

More alphabet practice. Singing your ABC's is the start, but then comes knowing what each letter looks like (upper and lower case), and eventually all the letter sounds. Abby worked on this magnet board activity for quite a while until she finished it. Great job!

I put out a few sorting trays, long plastic tweezers and some objects to pick up. They worked hard on this open ended activity, their fine motor muscles got a work out, and they had fun!

I put some butcher block paper on one of the tables and some markers and crayons to see who might be interested. I saw almost everyone color on it at some point throughout the week. By the end, it was completely covered.  Sofia also tested out all the markers to make sure that they worked. Thanks!

Puzzles! The preschoolers did LOTS of puzzles this week! Warren, Christian, and Jackson worked on this superhero puzzle for almost 20 minutes without taking a break! It's hard work!

There is a puzzle down there somewhere! They love to work together and have been turn taking and sharing (things and space) nicely. Good job preschoolers!

We got the ponies out and right away, Lullaby and Sofia gravitated toward them. Then they combined the ponies with the baby dolls for some creative and imaginative play.

Dress-up is serious business at preschool, and especially with Halloween having just passed, they have been very excited about it. The costumes are rarely conventional and usually show off their very unique and interesting personalities! Abby was killing me this week with her costume choices and poses.

The preschoolers turned in their Book-It calendars this week! They were VERY excited to get a Pizza Hut coupon, and a new book. The new November calendars went home as well, so keep on reading! The more you read to them, the better they will get at reading themselves and the more they will WANT to read! Win win.

Let me know if any of you have questions about how to redeem the coupons. You can order the "personal pan pizza" directly at the store, or over the phone. All Pizza Hut locations know about their Book-It reading program and will accept your coupon. Your preschooler has to be there with you when you give them the coupon. You won't pay for anything, including tax (unless of course you order MORE pizzas!). 

Small group activities with me are getting more academic and all the kids are loving it. I can tell they are ready! We played a matching game with rhyming picture cards. Before we start the game, I go through the pile saying each card's name (some are tricky, like "soap" because it's bar soap, or "dish" because it could be called plate), then I lay down three pictures and the kids took turns finding the two that rhyme for their match! They all did really well, and this is a pre-reading skill that will help them out TONS later on.

Using the white boards was a special activity this week during small groups. Jackson was the "helper" that day, so he got to pair everyone up. The kids sure love when they get to be the helper! That leadership role is a big deal!

We celebrated TWO birthdays this week too! Jared had his birthday in October, and Warren's birthday was on Saturday! Hooray for the birthday boys! We sang happy birthday to them (together once and separately at least 4 times each), and they got to pick out prizes from the gift basket! Happy birthday big boys!

Even though it's TECHNICALLY fall here, it doesn't really look like it here in Houston. We have been reading books about fall and the weather during circle time. I had some leaves sent to us from Wisconsin (thanks to Lullaby's Grandpa) for the kids to check out. We talked about color and size differences, and which were our favorites.

During table time, I taught the kids how to do leaf rubbings, and it seemed like a new concept for most of them! They loved it!

Another table time activity we did was this simple math game. The kids (or I) would roll the giant foam die, the kids would count the number of spots, and write the number on their papers.They did a nice job trying to write those tricky numbers!

Because of all the rain we have been having the backyard was flooded this week. I got a new (old) CD of kids songs for the preschoolers to listen and dance to. I brought down some musical instruments and we tried to guess at the beginning of each song which animal it was talking about, and then we mimicked the movements. It was VERY silly and very fun. After a while some of the kids decided to sit and watch while they caught their breath!

The dancing continued on upstairs during play time too. So much fun!  Christian and Lullaby danced together so sweetly.

On Friday, the kids REALLY needed some outside time, so we stayed on the patio and played there. I brought out the bubbles, and we dyed the water in the sensory table a brown/black color to make it more interesting.  Jared thought the dark water was especially fun and loved hiding things under the water for other kids to find.