Week 7 (Oct. 16, 17)

October is Fire Safety month, but with all the fun fall and Halloween things we have been doing, we just did Fire Safety WEEK. The kids loved talking about what firefighters do, what we should do in case of a fire, how we can be helpful and have a plan. Here are some strong and tough firefighters. 

We made firetrucks out of shapes. The kids were excited to use this kind of glue, instead of glue sticks. They were very careful to only use a tiny bit.

The finished products were adorable. The ladders and drivers were especially cute. Good job!

We got out our firefighter toys, and played with them LOTS during free choice time.

Outside, the kids continued playing firefighters. We practiced calling 9-1-1 on a play phone and talked about how important it was to ONLY call that number if it was a REAL emergency. Here Jeff is trapped in his house and the firefighters are climbing the ladder to rescue him.

Here they are escaping the fire by "climbing out the window, because the door is too hot to touch". Their imaginations went wild with ideas of how to stay safe and how to help others. I didn't want it to get too scary though, and fires can be scary, so we also talked about our fire detectors are there to warn us if we need to get out, so we don't have to worry. And that most people will never have a fire, so we are learning these things just in case.

In their backpacks, a few more fire safety things were sent home. Ask your preschooler about them. One included a paper where they can make a map of their home so they know what to do in case of a fire or other emergency. They loved talking at school about it.

More outside fun, sitting IN the Tonka trucks, even though they barely fit, is a new favorite. We have to watch the clock to make sure everyone gets a chance before recess is over.

We have been playing lots of GAMES! Both in big groups, and small groups. Turn taking and sharing and being a good sport is a very appropriate preschool learning activity. Our biggest sad and happy times come from games. Sad when you lose, or have to wait. Happy when you win or get a turn. We talk a lot about our feelings and using kind words. Instead of saying, "I WON!" we try to use things like "That was fun!" "You did a great job too!" "I had fun!" "Good game!" Hi Ho Cherry-O was SUPER fun for them.  They played several times.

Memory is better by twos. The kids all have AMAZING memorizing skills. I was very impressed while watching them. 4 years old is a great age for games with rules. They loving remembering all the little details of the game, like when they got a match they could have an extra turn.

At the end of each game, we have been practicing saying "Good game!", even when you DON'T WIN. That's a hard concept. It is hard to see someone else win a game, but being a good sport keeps it fun for everyone. This is an ongoing situation that we get lots of practice in. Ryan and Hawken kept going back and forth with who would win, so it was hard at first, every other game, but then they got the idea and were happy for the other winner. They would shake hands too. So cute.

Using the lower case stamping letters was fun. The preschoolers had to push REALLY hard to get enough ink, and push really hard again to get it to stamp dark enough on their papers.

Jeff tried out his LONG name (which is what he calls it), and found all the letters for Jefferson. He ran out of paper early, but improvised well.

Logan wanted me to take a picture with his name AND his age. He's very proud of being 4, it comes up a lot.

The wind up toys and tops are lovely fine motor toys. It is very hard to make little fingers work the way you want them to. :) They try really hard, even when they're frustrated.

Here are some more free choice toys and activities this week. Matching magnet book, wooden block marble run and an Imaginext castle.

By the end of the day, our circle time is very calming. Everyone is worn out and ready for some quiet reading time. During our closing circle, we also sing some songs and do a little movement activity. Usually, yoga. The kids are getting very good at certain poses, while others are still very tricky. Tree pose is a favorite and gets everyone giggling by the end.

Also this week, we made a new video! We have been reading lots of Halloween and fall books, and our newest favorite is The Little Old Lady Who Was Not Afraid of Anything! We read it enough times that the kids had it memorized and then I recorded them "reading" and acting it out. They each chose the parts they wanted to do and were very excited to have me put it together. If you haven't already, click on this link to watch it and let your preschooler see the final product too. :) I also made a tab at the top of the website where I will add all the videos we do throughout the year, click there to see the two we have made so far.

New movie!

In celebration of HALLOWEEN, we read The Little Old Lady Who Was Not Afraid of Anything. The kids liked it so much that we decided to make a movie of it. They changed some words and interpreted it their own way. We had a lot of fun doing it. Enjoy!

REMINDER

There will be no school on Wednesday October 15th due to a funeral that I will be going to for a family friend. Our make up day will be Tuesday October 28th. Sorry for the change in schedule. We will have class as usual on Thursday (the 16th) and Friday (the 17th). Thanks for your understanding.

Week 6 (Oct 7, 8, 9)

Our week went by FAST! The kids said good bye to the Color Clix for a while (I like to rotate the toys to keep everything exciting), but we played a few more times with them before they got put back into the toy closet.

Building with blocks is another favorite that we have put away for now. Too many toys, too little time!

Since it is officially FALL, we have been reading lots about changing leaves and colder weather. I found some big acorns and let the kids draw faces on some. They were very excited to try out using a PERMANENT marker. We talked about how it was a grown up tool, but because I was watching and they were being very careful, that it was okay for them to try.  Ooooh, the concentration. Hawken took the longest to draw his, making sure it was exactly right.

Then we played. They loved it. I drew faces on the rest, some happy, some sad, and a few others. Some had attached caps, and some had ones that came on and off. I was surprised by how much they liked it. They each took one home too. Check the backpack if you haven't already.

We read the "On a dark dark night" poem during circle time and the kids loved it! We reenacted it ourselves, and then during table time the kids got to make their own story to tell their parents. They got to use some Halloween stickers too.

They all turned out a little different, and SO good. They are such hard workers!

In circle time, we sing lots of songs and do lots of finger plays and rhymes, but our most recent favorite has been the Baby Bumblebee song. They actually squeal when they see me pull out our BEES! They each hold one while we sing and do the actions.

We started doing Book-It, which was a reading program when I was little. When you reach your reading goal every day for the month, then each child will earn a free personal pan pizza from Pizza Hut. Amazing! Plus now, they have this fancy dancy app to help them keep track of how long they have read. Each minute gives them points on the app too, to help buy accessories for their reading dragon. So far, everyone is doing great!

A free choice favorite this week were the cars and race tracks. Can't beat it!

Quiet book time is getting to be a really nice activity. It really slows everyone down and they all seem to enjoy it.

We read another fall book. This one was about a little hedgehog who gets things stuck on his back. Then afterward, we acted out our own versions of the book with the stuffed animals in the room.

Fine motor activities, painting and cutting. Pretty much everything to do with Halloween or fall, they get very excited about.

Our snack time was all WHITE after we read our "On a dark dark night" poem about a ghost. The marshmallows were the favorite, of course.

During snack, I don't always serve things that are loved by everyone. There are always more than one thing offered, but the preschoolers know that they have to try everything. They are so brave! I tell them that since they are BIG preschoolers now, they can try things that they used to not like. They might like them today! Ryan tasted a cherry tomato, didn't love it, but still tried it. Good job!

Small groups doing number matching and patterning. Sneaking math into games is easy, and makes it FUN. That's all it needs to be at this age.

Jeff initiated this activity. He asked for "paper and some dice to roll and write my numbers". I made a grid and he went to town. Of course, all the other kids wanted to try it too. Sounds good to me! I was happy he remembered that activity and wanted to do it again.

Free choice was fun, since we put away a fe things and got out a few new things and a few things that they haven't seen in a while. Letter matching with this magnet game was a hit.

Fishing, just like last time, they loved it.

Puzzles were a group activity. I love watching as the kids switch roles back and forth between follower and leader. Logan was very excited about doing this puzzle and took on the leader role. Ryan and Lullaby helped.

Play-doh, the ever popular, ever messy activity was out again. Everyone got into it. They were making creations, retelling stories from circle time, working all those fine motor muscles, using their imaginations, you name it - SUCH a good activity.