©
|
Tips for First-Day Jitters!
Pictures From Home: Help ease your child's first day of school jitters by placing a family picture in their backpack. Your child can feel comforted as needed when they see the picture throughout the day. Visit the Classroom Many preschools and daycare centers have an open house for the children to visit their new classroom. New transitions can be easier for a child by being able to see the new environment. 2009-2010 School Year Themes Our themes help children respond to real life activities and learn science, math, art, pre-reading and pre-writing skills through hands-on experiences. Our preschool curriculum meets National Standards and adapts to diverse learning styles and levels. Each month features a new set of letters, numbers, shapes, colors, Spanish and Sign Language concepts. Music and art is fully intergrated and includes monthly music CD's and projects. September - Rainforest Explorer October - Treehouse Club November - Transportation Station December - Suitcase Senses January - Dinosaur Dig February - Furry Friends March - Going on a Safari April - Cowboys,Dunes & Deserts May - Food & Fitness September, 2009 |
|||||||||
|
Rainforest Explorer:
Grab your binoculars and enter a tropical rainforest to learn about colors, numbers and letters; decorate a parrot with feathers; and count monkeys swinging in the trees. There is so much to do and learn while exploring the bugs, plants and animals in the different layers of the rainforest.
This month your child will explore the mighty rainforest! Your child will make a parrot puppet, a slithery snake and an iguana headband, as well as learn about the different layers of the rainforest, animals that live in the rainforest and more!
Activities this month range from art to games, storytelling, exercise, science, math and much more. Some projects will be taken home to share with you, and others are group activities that you can ask your child about. Did you know that the optimum window for developing social skills is between the ages of 3 and 6?
Sharing time!
Think about visiting your library to look through nonfiction books of the rainforest. These colorful pictures will give your child an opportunity to see what the rainforest looks like. While there....tryout these books....
"Slowly, Slowly, Slowly," said the Sloth
(by Eric Carle)
Little Monkey Lost
(by Keith DuQuetre)
A Walk in the Rainforest
(by Kristin Joy Pratt)
If You Were a Parrot
(by Katherine Rawson)
|
American Sign Language (ASL):
This month we will be learning the ASL signs for:
alligator & hungry
|
||||||||
|
October, 2009 |
|||||||||
|
Treehouse Club:
Imagine swinging from trees and making friends with forest animals. Run with deer, but watch out for the skunk! This months theme will have the children learning about roots, color-changing leaves and the many treasures or trees
This October your child will explore the wonderful world of trees! Activities include making a moose puppet, prickly porcupine and fall-colored tree, as well as learning about acorns, pine cones and animals that live in the woods!
Your child will exlore these tree topics. Try discussing them at home...
Treehouse Club
*Types of trees
*Parts of trees
*Woodland animals
*Homes in trees
LEARNING THROUGH NATURE What are children learning when they are exploring nature? Here is what some leading early childhood experts had to say: "Children who regularly have positive personal experiences with the natural world show more advanced motor fitness, including coordination, balance and agility." (Fjortoft, 2001) "Appropriate interactions with nature help children develop powers of observation and creavitity." (Crain, 2001) "A sense of wonder is an important motivator for lifelong learning." (Wilson, 1997) HERE ARE SOME WAYS YOUR FAMILY CAN DEVELOP A RELATIONSHIP WITH NATURE: » Outside play supports children moving and exercising by running, climbing and riding bikes » Keep plants in your living space that children can help you take care of. Children will learn to respect trees and plants in their natural world as they help care for their own.
Sharing Time!
Great Books to Read Together
We're Going on a Leaf Hunt by Steve Metzger
Skunks! by David T. Greenberg
Looking for a Moose by Phyllis Root
Fall Is Not Easy by Marty Kelley
Fall Leaves Fall! by Zoe Hall
|
American Sign Language (ASL):
This month we will be learning the ASL signs for:
Leaf (Place one hand in front of other, facing downward, and make a waving motion)
& Listen (Cup one ear with your hand in an effort to hear better)
|
||||||||
|
November, 2009 |
|||||||||
|
Transportation Station:
This month your child will explore the world of transportation! Activities include making a subway, bike mobile and bus, as well as learning about bike safety, wheels, maps and more!
Activities this month range from art to games, storytelling, exercise, science, math and much more. Some projects will be taken home to share with you, and others are group activities that you can ask you child about. Did you know that the optimum window for developing social skills is between the ages of 3 and 6?
This month your child will explore these Transportation Station topics. Try discussing them at home.
Mass Transit: ticket booth, airplane, bus, train, subway
On the Road: map, fuel and energy, wheels, bridges, trails
Transportation Safety: helmet, driver's license, traffic signs, repair shop, seat belts
Personal Transit: shoe, bike, horse, boat, car
Great Books to read together at home.....
Duck on a Bike by David Shannon
Franklin Rides a Bike by Paulette Bourgeois
My Car by Byron Barto
Subway by Anastasia Suen
Down in the Subway by Miriam Cohen
Red Light, Green Light by Anastasia Suen
|
American Sign Language (ASL):
This month we will be learning the ASL signs for:
Go [The hand moves away from the body and gradually closes, which represents a figure getting smaller as it recedes (moves away into the distance)]
& Stop (The edge of one hand comes down on the palm to represent something coming to a quick stop)
|
||||||||
|
December, 2009 |
|||||||||
|
Suitcase Sense:
|
|
||||||||
|
January, 2010 |
|||||||||
|
Dinosaur Dig:
This month your child will become a paleontologist as he/she explores the world of dinosaurs! Children will make a flying pterodactyl, create a dinosaur puppet, design a fossil and stomp with their homemade dinosaur feet to name just a few projects! Activities range from art to games, storytelling, exercise, science, math and much more. Watch for many projects that your child will bring home to share with you. Try asking your child about the process they experienced when creating the art. Ask open-ended questions such as "How did you make that?"
EMERGING WRITING SKILLS
Learning to write evolves in the following stages. Observe your child to identify which stage they are exploring.
Emerging/Scribble Stage - You may not be able to tell what your child has drawn, but these scribbles have meaning and are early forms of writing. Encourage your child to tell you about their drawing/writing.
Pictorial Stage - Children begin to draw shapes and pictures that are somewhat recognizable.
Pre-communicative Stage - Children may print their names as well as other letters. These letters may not be fully recognizable and may be random.
Semi-Phonetic Stage - Children may use some letters to match to sounds. Typically will write from left to right but may reverse sometimes.
Learning how to hold a writing utensil properly can be frusrating for small hands. You can help alleviate frustration by providing many opportunities for your child to practice writing. Encourage your child to:
* Write notes to family and friends.
*Make his/her own shopping list before going to the grocery store.
* Pour salt in a cookie sheet and write with his/her finger in it.
*Use sidewalk chalk outside.
*Finger paint with paint for older children, and use yogurt for younger children.
COOKING TIME!
Ingredients
Bread, Peanut butter(or alternative), Plastic knives, Tortilla chips, Raisins
Directions
Make a peanut-butter sandwich and cut diagonally, making two triangles. Add tortilla chips along with side of the sandwich, between the slices of bread. Add a raisin eye to finish your stegosaurus sandwich.
Sharing Time!
Great Books to Read Together! Saturday Night at the Dinosaur Stomp by Carol Diggory Shields Dinosaur Roar by Paul & Henrietta Strickland Dinosaurs, Dinosaurs by Byron Barton Digging Up Dinosaurs by Aliki Dinosaur Bones by Bob Barner I Dreamt I was a Dinosaur by Stella Blackstone Dinosaurs Galore! by Giles Andreae Dazzle the Dinosaur by Marcus Pfister |
American Sign Language (ASL):
This month we will be learning the ASL signs for Sorry &
Dinosaur.
|
||||||||
|
February, 2010 |
|||||||||
|
Furry Friends:
Do you sleep in the day and play at night? Do you have a pouch to carry your most precious treasures? Aardvarks, opossums, walruses and moose are just some of the furry friends that will warm your heart. Numbers and letters will come alive as your children count paws and tails, and play games with mammals. |
|
||||||||
|
March,2010 |
|||||||||
|
Going on a Safari:
Click! Elephant.
Click! Giraffe.
Click! Zebra.
Your preschoolers won't be able to put their handmade cameras away on this exciting safari. Play drums, roar with lions and hunt for colors in the African grasslands.
|
|
||||||||
|
April, 2010 |
|||||||||
|
Cowboys, Dunes & Deserts:
Be a cowboy or cowgirl for a day. Ride a burrow and make a campfire. Sing along with howling coyotes in the moonlight. Try to find shade beneath your homemade cactus. Close your eyes only to find yourself bumping on the back of a camel. Deserts may be dry, but they are still full of life. |
|
||||||||
|
May, 2010 |
|||||||||||
|
Food & Fitness
Fitness is fun - especially when it includes balls, obstacle courses, silly games and music made for dancing. Fuel the energy with nutritious food. Your children will interact and play with fruits, vegetables, grains, meats and golden eggs. Build a pyramid of healthy food too.
|
|
||||||||||
Exciting New Themes for 2010/2011!
September Family Tree, Pets and Me
October Bus and Crawly Things
November Farms and Barns
December Winter in the Woods
January Dress-up Jobs
February Climb into Nursery Rhymes
March Birds and Eggs
April Bab Animals
May Meet at the Pond
September Family Tree, Pets and Me
October Bus and Crawly Things
November Farms and Barns
December Winter in the Woods
January Dress-up Jobs
February Climb into Nursery Rhymes
March Birds and Eggs
April Bab Animals
May Meet at the Pond
*Please be sure to check your child’s backpack and folder on a daily basis for important information & activities.
*Preschool supply list for 2009-2010 school year is located on the “supllies” page.
Site Design by That Print Place, LLC.
Powered by Site-Lite