Preschool registration...

Are you a parent of a preschool aged child?  Or toddler about to turn 3?  Have you registered them for preschool yet?  I know it seems early but most preschools have had open registration for the last month!  If your little one will be 3 or 4 by September 1st, then now is the time to look into preschool for the fall.

Here are a few ideas of what you can do to find the right Preschool for you and your child...  

Talk to your friends who have children of similar age or older and ask what they did or are doing for Preschool.  Nothing is better than hearing positive feedback from trusted friends about a potential school for your child.  Ask for preschool suggestions on Facebook or do a Google search of preschools in your area.  

Schedule a visit to check out the preschools you are considering.  Even if you have a wonderful recommendation from a friend, it's always best to check it out for yourself.  Our director shows the interested families what our classrooms look like, tells them about our program and what they can expect from our Preschool.  

Get registered once you have decided which Preschool is right for your child!  There are usually several forms that need to be filled out, physicals to be gotten and registration fees to pay.  

Prepare your child for preschool slowly so they can ease into this new adventure.  Set up some playdates or take them to library storytime for socialization with other kids their age.  Begin the potty training process, if you haven't already.  Read books about preschool...

Llama Llama Misses Mama by Anna Dewdney.  {This series is a favorite of mine!}
What to Expect at Preschool by Heidi Murkoff 
Maisy Goes to Preschool by Lucy Cousins
I Love You All Day Long by Francesca Rusackas

Hopefully your child will be excited about this new adventure!  By doing these things I mentioned, I feel like you will find the right preschool for your family and be prepared once September rolls around.  Most importantly, keep this process fun for you and your child!

Kites {Spring Unit}

Spring is definitely in the air here and we have been discussing all things spring in my preschool classroom.  One of our fun topics during this unit is kites!   Here are several ideas we've found to be fun and that the kids really enjoy.

make a kite...The kids get to color and then cut out a diamond shape.  We then attach a string and let them "fly" it around the room.  I like to hang them on the wall and display them for the length of the unit.  I think it is a good boost of self esteem for the kids to see their artwork displayed whether in the classroom or at home!

dot to dot kite...This printable is a simple 1-10 dot to dot that will help kids with number order, number recognition and simple line drawing.  We use this page as a wipe off.  Just place the printable in a clear, plastic sleeve and have kids use dry erase markers to complete the dot to dot.  Then simply wipe away and you are ready for the next student to try.

kite math game...I made this kite board for the kids to use by simple attaching small paper diamonds and a string to some poster board.  The kids must identify the number and then thread that many beads onto the corresponding string.

kite lacing activity...This Melissa & Doug shapes lacing set is a great for kids to practice fine motor skills and hand eye coordination.

kite puzzle...I made a simple kite puzzle by laying out some triangle blocks in the shape of a kite.  I then traced around each piece, creating a puzzle.  Now the kids can correctly place the triangles in the spaces to create a kite.

Check out these books to go along with the kite theme...

Stuck by Oliver Jeffers

Just a Kite by Mercer Mayer

Olivia and the Kite Party by Alex Harvey

Kite Day: A Bear and Mole Story by Will Hillenbrand

Biscuit Flies a Kite by Alyssa Satin Capucilli

{preschool} five senses...

Experiencing our five senses is a fun unit we like to include in the winter months.  It is interesting hearing the kids reaction to what they think the senses are and how they are used.  I love how preschooler's minds work!

We spend time focusing on each sense and helping the kids discover more about each one.

sight....make binoculars and look for specific items, shapes, colors around the room.
hearing...make a shaker using beans and plastic cups, listen to music and play with instruments
taste...sweet, sour, salty taste test
touch...feeling different textures and learning to describe them, playing with play dough
smell...smelling different scents and seeing what smells good or bad, painting with koolaid/jello

Here are a few of my favorite reads about our senses...

Me and My Senses by Joan Sweeney takes you through a girls day as she uses her senses to figure out what's for lunch.

My Five Senses by Aliki is a simple text that helps kids learn what their five senses are and how they experience the world with their eyes, hands, nose, ears and tongue.

I Can See Just Fine by Eric Barclay is an adorable story about a little girl who doesn't realize she is having trouble seeing until she gets her new glasses and everything is clear!

The Eye Book by Theo LeSieg is Dr. Seuss's hilarious ode to eyes book.  He takes children on a rhyming adventure exploring all the wonderful things their little eyes can see.

The Ear Book by Al Perkins is a similar style story about ears.  A boy and his dog listen to the world around them.

Usborne Touchy-Feely books by Fiona Watt and Rachel Wells such as That's Not My Bunny, That's Not My Dolly, and That's Not My Reindeer just to name a few!  The kids enjoy getting to interact and feel the textures as we read together.

preschool registration time...

I posted this article about preschool registration last year.  Since it's that time of year again and the preschool I work for just opened registration this week,  I thought I'd share again....

Now is the time!  If you have a little one that is 3 or 4 OR will be by September 1st, now is the time to register for preschool for the fall.  I know it seems early but that's just how it works.  I posted about my first time preschool experience and expectations here.

Here are a few ideas of what you can do to find the right Preschool for you and your child...  

Talk to your friends who have children of similar age or older and ask what they did or are doing for Preschool.  Nothing is better than hearing positive feedback from trusted friends about a potential school for your child.  If you don't have friends who can offer you advice in this area, get out the phone book...if you still have one around, lol...or Google Preschools in your area.

No matter if you have a good recommendation for a school or not, call and schedule a visit to check it out for yourself.  Our director shows the interested families what our classes look like in action, tells them about our program and what they can expect from our Preschool.  

Once you have decided which Preschool is right for your child, get registered!  There are usually several forms that need to be filled out, physicals to be gotten and registration fees to pay.  

Now you can start getting your child excited for starting school!  Some are ready from the get go but others need a little more time.  Here are a few fun books to help get them ready for their new adventure...

Llama Llama Misses Mama by Anna Dewdney.  {This series is a favorite of mine!}
What to Expect at Preschool by Heidi Murkoff 
Maisy Goes to Preschool by Lucy Cousins
I Love You All Day Long by Francesca Rusackas

Summer Reads

I don't know about you but I'm always looking for a good book to read.  Now, I'm not the quickest at finishing books because I don't always make time for it but I always like having a good book on hand.  My favorite time to read is summers by the pool!  So what better time to start getting a pile together.  Here are a few books from my 2015 to read list...

The Best Yes: Making Wise Decisions in the Midst of Endless Demands by Lysa Terkeurst...I LOVED this book!  Such thought provoking, wise and often funny writing.  My favorite quote from the book is "We must not confuse the command to love with the need to please."  

Big Little Lies by Liane Moriarty...This is a new to me author and I thoroughly enjoyed her writing style.  This story is a murder mystery that intertwines the lives of three women whose children have just started Kindergarten.  Such a page turner!  I loved it so much I couldn't wait to dive into another one of her books.  I'm currently reading...The Hypnotist Love Story by her.

Eleanor & Park by Rainbow Rowell...I have seen this author on many must read lists.  This particular book is a young adult novel about two misfits finding love in the most unexpected of places.  

Last One Home by Debbie Macomber...I love her Shop on Blossom Street series and have read a few stand alone novels by her.  This story sounds a little different from her normal style so we will see if it lives up to my expectations!  

Bread & Wine: A Love Letter to Life Around the Table by Shauna Niequest... The perfect read for those who love food and connecting with family and friends around the table.  Plus there are recipes included!

I'd love to hear what books you've been loving lately or are on your to read list! 

Breathe...{getting organized}

I just completed a bible study called Breathe: Making Room for Sabbath by Priscilla Shirer.  It was a wonderful study with a great group of ladies!  The idea is slowing down from all the busyness, clearing out the clutter and making time for us to focus on God and what he has in store for us.  During one week of the study, Priscilla issued a challenge for us to take 14 minutes each day to spend time with God.  One of my goals during this study was to be a better manager of my time and get in bible reading, devotions and prayer each day.  This was a great challenge but harder than it seems.  I am not good at quiet!  This verse is a great reminder and I am continuing to work on this.

“Let all that I am wait quietly before God, for my hope is in Him.” Psalm 62:5 NLT

The other part of her challenge was to clear 14 inches of space, remove clutter from our lives.  So over the course of the last few weeks I did this at least 3 times....and it feels great!

I started in my closet and got to work on my over abundance of scarves.  I have a hanging organizer that was filled to the max!  Scarves falling on the floor, hanging on the door, draped everywhere because they had outgrown their space.  So as hard as it was I laid them all out on my bed and got to weeding them down.  I started with the ones I wore the most and put them back on the hanger.  I took out the ones that I hadn't worn in forever or knew I wouldn't wear.  I still have quite a few scarves but I can see them all...and they aren't overflowing into other areas. 

Then it was on to my desk.  I had quite the pile that had been accumulating for weeks...maybe since Christmas.  All I really needed to do was put things where they needed to be.  But some of it was paperwork that needed filed or dealt with...so I finally devoted time to get it done.  Now I am striving to keep it clean...or at least cleared off weekly.

And just this week I tackled my scrapbooking area.  I got a new Raskog cart from IKEA with some Christmas money.  So when it came in, I decided to take this opportunity to go through some supplies and weed out what I wasn't using.  I love being organized and knowing what I have and where it is!

What are some areas that you could clear out and make some space? 

{warming up} in winter

This was our last week on the winter theme.  We talked about ways to keep warm and what some animals do in winter.  

We practicing writing letters and numbers in hot chocolate powder.  The kids loved this!  I had them write each letter in their name and the numbers 1-3.  If they didn't know how to draw a letter, then I drew it and they traced it or wrote beside mine.  Such a great pre-writing activity. 

One day we did hot chocolate tasting.  The kids got to put marshmallows in and tell me if they liked the hot cocoa or not.  Only 2 of the 12 kids did not like it. 

We used giant marshmallows to paint with.  Using them as a stamp, the kids pounced circles all over their paper.  

Counting marshmallows was another fun activity we did. 

The kids were so excited about marshmallows this week, they kept wanting to eat them...so we did have some at snack time.  

Making patterns with mittens was another fun activity.

What we read...
Under My Hat I Have a Hood by Karla Kuskin
The Jacket I Wear in the Snow by Shirley Neitzel
When the Snow Comes by Jonathan Allen
Bear Snores On by Karma Wilson

penguins, polar bears & ice...on my!

Still on winter at school this week...we jumped into penguins, polar bears, and ice!   

I set up this water bin for the kids to have fun with and they thought it was pretty neat!  I just put a few inches of water in a large plastic bin, broke up some pieces of styrofoam and added some penguins and seals.  They loved making the penguins swim in the water, dance on the icebergs and jump all around!
 

We are also talking about rectangles this week, so we made a rectangle shaped penguin!  The kids loved reading about penguins and learning fun facts about them.  We also talked about some of the different names of penguins and they picked which one they would like to be.  Favorites were Macaroni, Rockhopper and Gentoo.  ;)

We played a game where the kids had to waddle across the room like a penguin and then they got to eat 2 fish, goldfish that is!  This game was a big hit!  They wanted to waddle like penguins whenever we walked in a line somewhere too!

The hokey pokey is such a fun song and dance to do.  We adapted it again this week to do the penguin pokey {bill, wings, webbed feet, whole penguin}!  

For pretend snow, we got out the shaving cream and played in it on the table.  I had the kids draw letters, draw circles to make a snowman and just get creative on their own. 

We also talked about ice...how it's made, feels and what happens when it gets warmed up!

What we read...
Polar Opposites by Erik Brooks
Five Little Penguins Slipping on the Ice by Steve Metzger
If You Were a Penguin by Wendell & Florence Minor

snowmen!

We are back to school in full swing this week.  Our theme for the next couple weeks is all things winter!  So first up this week was snowmen!

 

I decorated my door for the occasion!  I made this snowman using 2 pieces of white poster board.  Then I added her accessories.  I used coffee filters to make snowflakes to put all over the door as well.  It now has more snowflakes and in the center of each one is a pic of each student in my class.  I also added some mittens to the snowman! 

This was our snow sensory bin.  The kids had a blast with this.  It is filled with cotton balls, several sizes of styrofoam balls, white foam snowflakes, white beads and white buttons.  There are 2 spoons and clear dishes for them to scoop "snow" into.

We made a snowflake letter.  I drew the letter of each students name with a white crayon on blue construction paper.  Then using a spool and white paint, they stamped snowflakes all along the line.  

The students had to cut out three circles and then decorate them to look like a snowman.  We glued them together and now they are hanging all around our classroom. 

One of my classes had to delay our Christmas party due to bad weather before break.  So we had a winter celebration on the first day back.  This was our special snack.  I gave each of the kids 6 slices of banana and all the fixins to decorate 2 snowmen.  We had raisin eyes, m&m buttons, twizzler scarves and pretzel arms! 

We also enjoyed some great snowman books...
There Was a Cold Lady Who Swallowed Some Snow! by Lucille Colandro
Snowmen at Night by Caralyn Buehner
Snow Party by Harriet Ziefert

Other activites were...
*we danced the snowman pokey {top hat, carrot nose, stick arms, whole snowman self}
*played bean bag toss into 2 hula hoops laying on the ground to look like a snowman
*popped bubbles

 Happy Winter!

{OWL} craft and cute book...

I saw these cute owls made out of a toilet paper tube in some magazine a while back, think it might have been Parents but totally not sure.  So I thought I would give it a try.  

I started with an empty toilet paper tube and folded the top ends in towards each other to create the ears or owl tufts. 

Then I took a cute cupcake liner and cut it up.  By layer these overlapping on each other I created the belly of the owl! 

I punched out some circles for eyes and cut a small triangle for the beak.  Finally I cut a piece of cardstock to curve around the back to create wings.  I love how he turned out!!!  So simple and just using things I had lying around the house. 

 

While we are on the subject of owls, I thought I would share this super cute book that we read recently.  It is called "Lacey Walker, Nonstop Talker".  It is about the cutest little owl who talks all the time.  This of courses causes her some problems.  When you talk all the time you can't listen very well.  One day she wakes up and can't talk...at first she is upset and wonders what she will do.  But then she starts listening and realizes what she has been missing out on.   Such a great story!  Little Bit and I both loved it!!!