Assessments

I finished our end of the year assessments today.  ( Everyone except  Clara who was absent . We missed you Clara!)    I was really in awe of the improvements the students have made this year.  Some of the three year olds are still struggling with a few of the academic things ( letter sounds) but I dont expect them to know them right now. We have another whole year to focus on that stuff.  ( If you call the way I teach " focusing". )  The kiddos going into kindergarten are "WAY READY" to start school. The really cool thing is...  not only are they ready academically , but for the most part socially and emotionally as well.  I have one that is lagging a little in fine motor, but I bet that improves over the summer.  I have one that is not interested as much in letters as I would like but WOW that changes we have seen her go through this year. She started with us last year and was  quiet and reserved.. very untrusting. Now, she is  Randy's best buddy and is a leader.   Those are the changes that excite me more than anything.

These are the areas the assessment I did focused on:

Motor Area: Gross Motor items include catching, jumping, hopping, and skipping. Fine Motor items include building with blocks, cutting, copying shapes and letters, and writing.

Language Area: Items include answering simple personal questions (name, age, sex), articulation, naming (expressive) or identifying (receptive) objects and actions, plus phonemic awareness tasks such as rhyming and I Spy.

Concepts Area: Items include pointing to named body parts, naming or identifying colors, rote counting, counting blocks, placing a block in named positions relative to a little house, identifying concepts in a triad of pictures, and sorting shapes. The DIAL-3 includes an item that assesses automatic naming of colors. This skill has been shown to be associated with potential learning disabilities.

I can't wait for parent teacher conferences to show you how brilliant your children are and talk about ways to enhance their learning this summer!!!!!

Lunch Time Conversations

Lunch Table Conversation.

R- When I grow up I want to be a policewoman

D- Why do you want to be a policewoman?

R-  Cause I want to

E- I wanna be BatMan

R- He isnt real

E He is.... my costume turns me into him

R  Be quiet, this is a true story

E  I want to be an evil sceintist

R-  My mom saw a burgular

E What did he do?

R He stole all our stuff  my hair spray and my hair  brush

E Did you call the police

A I have a true story too  . One time a burgular tried to go through my grandmas window

E What happened how did she know.. did it  go ( sound effect ) with a stick

A No.

I LOVE LOVE LOVE listening to the kids have conversations.  Lunch time is my favorite.  One of our indicators of quality is creating conversations at lunch.

If that is true.. then why are they told not to talk  at the table  when they get to kindergarten? Does conversation become less important at  5 and 6?

Debbie is not a lover of conversation stop lights...  :)  

I started doing end of the year assessments on the kiddos.  It is so much fun to see how much they have all improved !

Peacocks and Cotton Candy

We had fun today as we explored zoo animals a little more.  

The kids made a fabulous peacock . They are still drying so I have no pictures yet.   They used watercolors to paint a pattern on a paper plate. They are beautiful. We used a picture from an Eric Carle book as a model.  This was a little too teacher directed for me, but the kids enjoyed it.

My mom showed up this weekend with a gift for the preschool. She had bought us a cotton candy machine!  We couldnt wait , so we hooked that little pink machine up and made us some cotton candy.  Hey, they have cotton candy at the zoo sometime!  The kids loved it.   We talked about how sugar changes when it gets wet . We talked about what happens to sugar when it gets hot.  The kids LOVED it.  We used normal household sugar so it was white and the kids wanted to know why it wasnt pink .  I will have to work on this one.

A Breather

I love blogging, not only is it a great tool of reflection for myself but it is a learning tool.  It allows  me evaluate the experiences I have had with the children for the day and what I might do differently the next time. Especially  the pictures- the pictures should be able to tell a story  by themselves. 

As you ( my parents know) I made it to LR to a meeting a day early. NOT INTENTIONALLY. ... really.   So, I have made great use of my time today by writing a paper for my Arkansas History course, returned emails and finished a little paperwork. I didn't sleep in...  I have been in the room all day ( unless of course you count when I went to the vending machines in my PJ's and got locked out of my room..) I was also able to catch up on reading a few of my favorite blogs and to my surprise I was mentioned in a couple.  I am honored.  The best kudos I get come from the kids and other teachers, they are the only ones that truly understand what I do.  

Here is what was said: 

and  Once upon a day in Preschool because Ms. Debbie is the home preschool guru. I love that these two ladies are so open to learning new things and are passionate about creating wonderful learning environments for their preschool students.
A big public thank you to all these ladies for being my “bucket fillers.” You are all Truly Awesome.

http://mscaroline.wordpress.com

Once upon a day in preschool: I choose this blog because it’s from the point of view of someone who runs a small school out of her home.  I like this and have pondered actually doing something similar one day!  She has a great blog and gives a good idea of what her children do each day!  They all seem happy and excited about school!  Love the pictures - again it’s always a plus with me!  She is also very honest and her personality seems to come across in her blog - a good read! http://deepbluetide.wordpress.com/

What an honor!  You fellow bloggers have made my day! Thanks!

Today is Earth Day

These are our treasures from our TRASH WALK!

We saw beautiful flowers along the way. Spring must be here!

Dogwoods... beautiful!

Today we read a book about recycling.   We talked about all the things we could use to make other " stuff".   I think I have warped the kids this year.   EVERYTHING they find they want to make something out of it.  I bought 10 boxes of new markers this weekend and we emptied and sorted them into our marker jars.   As we finished with the boxes, the kids threw then into  the " found materials" bin to be made into beautiful art. As a matter of fact, I am pretty sure there are some marker box masterpieces in the cubbies already!  :)  There is a conference the first weekend in May that I am attending and they actually emailed yesterday and asked me to do a 90 minute workshop on " found materials".  I was so excited about  all the possibilities, then I remembered my life. There is absolutely no way to work in putting together a workshop for two weeks away. I wish there was, I would show off some of the "goodies" the kids have made.

We also went on a walk looking for trash.   The funny thing is - for the walk between my house and the park, the kids only found two small things. I am sure some of that is in part due to the Dogwood Festival starting Friday.  The city really tidies up for this!   Should I be sad that there is no trash in our streets ?  But we did see a lot of trees blooming and even some numbers on the ground .    Since we were there, we played at the park for a little bit and made it home by 11:00 .  

I would say it was a fun day!

Friday Wrap up!

This is Randy's attempt at being funny.  This is our certificate for the training yesterday and his orange purse he created from" found materials" - his very own stimulus package.

Jaxson smiling up from the floor.  Boston was next to him and had one of the new instruments you twirl to make a noise.  Jaxson way lying below the instrument enjoying the visual as well as the auditory!

We learn as we play. This is how we learn to be a mommy , a doctor or even a teacher!

Another piece of art from last night. I was kind of proud of it!

Randy's art...  hmm....  The funny thing is I laid both our art projects on the table and guess who's got picked up more? RANDY'S!   Elliot said they look like binoculars!

Christian enjoying one of our new toys of culture.   You would'nt believe where we found these.  BURLINGTON COAT FACTORY.  I find the coolest things to use in the classroom at the most unlikely places.

Randy's new addition to the play yard.

Mykah fixing a " tri bicycle".   

Hey, where are you driving us to?

 FIRE  FIRE  FIRE!

Look at the determination!

See, there are just some experiences the kids have with a man on staff that they wouldnt otherwise have.

KIDS LOVE CHRISTMAS!   Halle was singing and I asked her did she mind if I taped it.   My favorite part of the day are the times like this.

Busy week ahead.   Randy and I have a concert tomorrow in Harrison.   I leave Monday afternoon for meetings in Little Rock.   Meetings on Tuesday and Wednesday with the Commission.   ( I HOPE to start working on the end of the year DVD and studying for finals while I have quiet time in my hotel room!)  Home on Thursday.   Thursday night is an Arkansas Children's Week Celebration with all the programs at the park.  It will end with a concert from the KIDDOS!    Friday we are off to Conway to help the Faulkner County crew celebrate Arkansas Children's Week and then... back here Saturday morning at 9 am for a concert at the Dogwood Festival.    

Sounds like a fun filled busy week!

Reggio Round TWO!

Today I returned to the school that embraces the Reggio Emelia style of teaching .  This time I had Randy in tow.   I knew the day would be full of adventure as we pulled in and I couldnt drag him away from the fence that the peacocks were strutting around in.    Other surprises met us  before we even got to the door.   There were two little guys sitting outside by the garden documenting " something" on their little clipboards.   As we went in we were told to " have fun" and that we did.  I took off to the purple room - my favorite.   The children were outside and one of the teachers was doing an assessment on a child.   I had taken all this in  ( the room ) when I visited last time, so this time , I was watching Randy, and his expressions- trying to read what he thought.   He barely made it in the room and was started as two little girls and one boy were in the bathroom ( two on the potty) and having a conversation.  He said " Does she know they are in here...?" - he whispered.  Yes.. I reply, she does.  Randy is still getting a grip on who comes to inspect us for what ... and he sometimes gets the standards a little confused.  The only clear cut inspector that comes for us now days is the water heater man, and well - it is the water heater man.  As Randy was taking it all in, he would ask me questions.  Mostly they were" We can't do that can we?"  And for the most part  he pointed out safety issues - It was hard to explain to him that they were NAEYC accredited ( not ECCRS ) and in another state

 ( which had different height requirements for equipment.)  

After we left and drove away we were reflecting on our observations.   Of course, he said where are their music instruments?  That is an important part of our life .  Each room had two or three instruments  but they usually were just mixed among the materials and you didnt hear singing.  Not the teacher. Not the kids... 

Then he asked, " Where were the books?"  We have books in almost every center... or maybe even every center.  Hmmm.. I didnt notice. Where were the books? I know they had some because I saw two of the teachers reading one during group time.  

Then was the kicker question. " Did you see any children smiling and having fun?"  What is so " sally stop the street car " about that one is- I asked the same question on my first trip.   I thought maybe I was being too critical or just not seeing it   the way I should.  I did ask a couple colleagues on the last trip what they thought and they said the children were more focused.  

So, at 3 , 4 , and 5 years old - do I want focus or happy?

Thinking....

The teachers were not mean at all.... they were encouraging.  

We are not mean and encouraging but you hear happy all over the place in our house.

Do our kids focus?

Can you focus and be happy?

Fast foward - we are headed back for the training tonight.  I am excited . Randy- reluctant but a team player.

The  Atelierista  who was there was supposed to be the only true one  in the states at this point.  The lady from Italy ( dont remember her name right now and too tired to google it!) came over here and  worked with her for a year.   An Atelierista is an artist that facilitates the curriculum development through different art mediums.  ( That was my own very weak definition.)  

 Here was the structure of the workshop.  She talked about materials and how you should think " outside the box " when offering materials to the children.   She challenged us to take 1 inch squares of paper to manipulate as many ways as we could.  We did.  

Then, she talked about making things out of found objects.  We each were to take something off the table and go through some questions from an artist ... like what was this originally?  Where did it come from?   What is it made of?  I had a piece of orange vinyl that was embossed.  I had no idea what it was.  I thought it looked a but like a reflector.  I took my scissors and cut slits and before I knew it I created a chinese lantern.  Now, as I think back, it is really cool the thought process that got me there.  Reflector, light, lantern.  I guess that is somewhat how kids think.   

Randy made something out of corrugated cardboard. It also had styrofoam packing peanuts. He broke the rule... she said one material; :)   He also made a small purse out of my leftover scraps.  Not only did he get in touch with his feminine side, but called it his stimulus package . It was about the size of a matchbox.  

As we finished Jennifer walked around and stopped to take a close up of my lantern and ask me about it  . Randy, I think was offended as she walked away, he moved his little cardboard creation a little closer to mine.  

When they asked for sharing I was a little nervous as I was the novice in the room but I did speak up. She asked for our reflections or thoughts.  I said , "  As an adult , I struggled with what I thought this was .. and where it came from.  I would imagine as a child, that thought process is a little more difficult as they dont have as many experiences to draw  on.  As the teacher in the room, I think this would create a great opportunity for language.  You could help GUIDE ( WRONG WORD) the children .  You could ask what they thought it was...? etc"  So, I got shot down.   She said she wants to caution us about " guiding the children"  in any way.   GREAT JOB DEBBIE, opening your mouth. You KNEW to sit there an listen.  As she talked , the rest of the time, these are the things that went through my head.

1.  Is it so wrong to talk to the kids and create a language rich classroom?

2.  If I dont teach them language , who will?

3.   Why did I use the work GUIDE, that wasnt really what I meant.

4.   It is hot in here?

5.  Did I really just pay 100.00 to tear paper, create a chinese lantern and be told that language isnt important?

6.  I would rather be listening to Natasha Crosby teach anything else right now.

So, I left discouraged.

I love the open ended materials. I love creating a sense of wonder. I love not " fixing everything" for the kids...

But.

I also love the sounds of giggles and games. I love the long conversations and exchanges I have with the kids each day. I love our music and the bands the kids create.  

I pretty much love the way I do what I do right now.  I have evolved so much in the past ten years.  Maybe ten years from now I will be ready for Reggio,

But

not

today.

I

Zoo Plates

Today I took some of my zoo resources out for the kids to play with.   I change the stuff out in the centers about every two weeks and they never seem to get bored.     

Hopefully, tonight I can get some of my zoo animal costumes down for the dramatic play room.

We read "Chimpanzees Don't Wear Glasses" today.  It was a great conversation starter generated to talk about true animal facts and facts that have been passed on via cartoons and movies.   

Another activity we did today was using the zoo animal plates.  Each child had a different plate and we talked about that animal.   We learned interesting things like - a kangaroo uses it's massive tail to balance for hopping and that the largest kangaroo is the red kangaroo and it is 6 ft tall.

While talking about the animals I looked up  youtube videos  .   One of the more interesting ones was sent to me by our QA inspector.   It is a live cam of an eagle nest in Oklahoma.  SO cool!  Check it out !

http://www.suttoncenter.org/eaglecam.html

ZOO Wild!

Today we launched a new unit .  When I talked to the kids about the time we had left in school and that I would like to finish with something they are interested in, they decided as a group to do zoo animals.  So, during circle time we used a talk picture to discuss the difference in zoo animals and pets.  We also made a KWL chart.  What we know. What we want to know and when we are finished we will list what we have learned.   Boston brought up a great question. He wondered how the zoo keepers feed the zoo animals without getting eaten! We will discuss this  and so many other things before May 15 !

The kids also played a new game I bought at the last conference I was at.  It would be very simple to make.   We had animals that we from notepads.  Large pages and then mini note pad pages in the shape of animals.   They were c0lored! I laminated them and handed them out to the kids .  They had to make the sound that animal makes and the mommies or daddies ( BIG note pages) had to look for the babies ( small note pages).  They enjoyed it.

The kids are doing so well with all our QA standards. One of the standards says the children should not be in large group time more than 10 minutes.  Elliot had a new watch on today and half way through circle time he announced " I think we have 9 minutes left!" A little off the time but I was impressed he remembered I had a standard I was shooting for!

Hello Mrs. Beth

Today was a normal dad.... you know, lots of bright children running around having a good time.  

One thing that was different was that we had a special visitor with us today.  I am actually stepping out of my comfort zone and hiring someone to come in and work this summer in our place while Randy and I are traveling and singing.  I met Beth a while back and knew immediately that this would be something I could consider. She is that good.... We just clicked. I could tell we are both alike in that we like to challenge the kiddos  to be more independent  .  I liked the way she talked to the kids and the parents.  It all seemed to fit.   She came in today to work with me to get a glimpse of our day and meet the kids.   I think it all went well. She didnt run out the door screaming, so all is good.  She will be here several days between now and when school is out.

We got our QA score in. On a 1 - 7 scale we got a 5.68.   Last year we had a 6.21 .  There were some revisions this year and some things that I just cant change.  An example would be the porch. It is more than 2 ft above the ground in some areas , therefore it is considered a safety hazard. I wouldnt trade my porch for all the world.... so I will take a hit there.  I will put the report on the sign in table in the next few days and you can read it if you like.  :)

The kids decided they want to learn more about zoo animals in the next few weeks, so.... off we go on a new unit!

Oh yeah.. we have been singing our end of year program songs and one of them is called MOM.  I was so proud of the kids that during journal time wrote mom on their paper without any help.  I didnt even ask them to.  Curious learners. That makes like exciting. 

Easter Fun!

I had this read but forgot to publish before I left for Mississippi.  I know..SLACKER!

Mod Podge Eggs

Today we worked on our fine motor  by tearing  crepe paper and using " water glue" to adhere them to cardboard eggs.  They turned out quite nice.   

We went outside for a while before the rain set in.  As it turns out, it never came other than a few sprinkles.   

Here's some Easter fun!

Little Bunny Foo Foo,
Hopping through the forest
Scooping up the field mice
And boppin' 'em on the head

Down came the good fairy and she said

"Little Bunny Foo Foo,
I don't want to see you
Scooping up the field mice
And boppin' 'em on the head.
I'll give you three chances,
And if you don't behave
I'll turn you into a goon!"

The next day:

Little Bunny Foo Foo,
Hopping through the forest
Scooping up the field mice
And boppin' 'em on the head

Down came the good fairy and she said

"Little Bunny Foo Foo,
I don't want to see you
Scooping up the field mice
And boppin' 'em on the head.
I'll give you two more chances,
And if you don't behave
I'll turn you into a goon!"

The next day:

Little Bunny Foo Foo,
Hopping through the forest
Scooping up the field mice
And boppin' 'em on the head

Down came the good fairy and she said

"Little Bunny Foo Foo,
I don't want to see you
Scooping up the field mice
And boppin' 'em on the head.
I'll give you one more chance,
And if you don't behave
I'll turn you into a goon!"

The next day:

Little Bunny Foo Foo,
Hopping through the forest
Scooping up the field mice
And boppin' 'em on the head

Down came the good fairy and she said

"Little Bunny Foo Foo,
I don't want to see you
Scooping up the field mice
And boppin' 'em on the head.
I gave you three chances
And you didn't behave
Now you're a goon! POOF!!"

The moral of the story is:
HARE TODAY, GOON TOMORROW

Happy Birthday to ME

I enjoyed my day off today!  :) 

The Day the Squirrel Went Potty

Last night at 7 pm Randy came in from the store and said "Debbie, come here, look!"  As I walked into the kitchen, I saw it.  The squirrels little tail was prancing around my bathroom as though it belonged there. It was a small squirrel.  I am thinking probably the baby of the one that Randy trapped the other day and took to the park.   As it noticed us watching it ran under the counter.  

Randy promptly closed the door and went to get his trap.  After putting his trap in the room he realized the squirrel could squeeze under the door so he went outside and got stepping stones and put along the bottom of the door.   All night-- it stayed like this.

At 8:15 animal control came in to pick up the squirrel.   He took the cage he brought into the bathroom and closed the door.  I really wanted to take pictures of this --- but I didnt get to.  Randy said " just go outside and take them through the window. There are steps there already."  I am thinking I must have missed Randy standing on steps outside peering through the window to catch a glimpse of the squirrel. That too, would have been a kodak moment.  ( I know.. I am mean.)   

Ten minutes later the animal control guy came out of the bathroom with the squirrel in the cage. The kids couldnt see it. I didnt ask him to uncover it so they could see.  I mean, I think the squirrel was ok, but what if it wasn't.   

That is how our morning started off in preschool.

I dont know if the kids learned anything but I did.

1.   I NEVER use the upstairs restroom. NEVER.  I will now make MORE trips up there to clean  it.  Goodness know the man in the house doesnt.

2.   I want to redecorate the upstairs bathroom. It is done in lighthouses from Randy's house when we got married.  It never bothered me because I didnt go up there. Now, it does..

3. Always keep a chip in the camera ready for squirrel watching ... or watchers.  :)

4.  The animal control guy says if it happens again to use peanut butter. Boy ,do we have spoiled squirrels.  They no longer want peanuts ,they prefer it processed into peanut butter? I wonder if it matters if it is creamy or crunchy?

All in  a days work.

The Things I Hear and See

Ms. Debbie, remember that bunny you gave me when I saw a little child?  ( She is 5 now! )

My mommy has a bag in her belly with water and blood and a baby that is connected to her body.

Ms Debbie, I love you.

Randy, you're silly.

I am making this BEAUTIFUL picture for my mom.

Looks Ms Debbie, no hands. ( arms pulled all the way in the shirt.)

Fiddle Dee Widdle Dee Widdle.....

We have a LOT to do.

Amelia counting her friends from the block center.

Whoever be's the quietest gets to go.

Ewww....  ____________  picking your nose.  

Elliot and Gavin LOVING my new connector manipulatives !

Christian being a leader.

Who wants to play with my marble?

Jaxson exploring the new GOLD button collection.

Look Ms Debbie, I made a pattern.  Blue Blue Yellow Yellow Red Red Green Green !

Look at me Ms Debbie ( from a THOUSAND places ) 

I love to look around our room and see and hear my friends learning and loving.

Family Childcare.. where loving and learning begin.

TGIF

Wow, what a busy week.  It seems like a month since our QA inspection when it was only 3 days ago.   Today has been fairly uneventful.  We are starting to talk more about going to kindergarten and the things they may see/ do there.  

During journaling time today , we took our clips off and looked at our work at the beginning of the year. Most have come SO far.  I am proud of the new skills they have developed.

Beautiful day for outside play.

I am really tired. Randy and I had  a concert last night and got in a little late. I think my energy and my post today, probably reflect that.  Hopefully I will get caught up in my classes this weekend and get some rest.

Have a great weekend everyone.

Waiting for the Rain

Today has been a relaxing day.   Four of our friends were out for unrelated reasons and Geneviette was able to spend the day with us.   

We decided to get outside this morning before the rain set in.   Since we went out as  a whole group , I was out there for a while too.   It was nice to hear the children use their imaginations .  The flowers in the garden are all starting to bloom. I thought how fortunate the kids are to play in a "yard" instead of a commercial playground that limits their imaginations.   Sure, there are times for that ( large playgrounds )  and we can walk to the park when we feel the need.  When we  visit the park I do see the kids running and having a great time chasing each other and climbing but... I dont see:

Two children sitting in a pretend fire truck with "sirens" blaring headed to be heros.

Six children hanging their heads off the edge of the porch looking for a snake... "there used to be one there." Amelia pulling weeds from the purple flowers that are like hers at home.  Two boys sitting on the porch listening to Randy play his guitar.  A Squirrel sneaking to " our bird feeder" to take the food we put in it.  

There are so many experiences in a back ( or front ) yard that cannot take place on a playground.   I am glad we are at a home.

Wet World Wednesday!

Today we read the book Wet World  and it just happened to be on Wednesday - lots of W sounds going on !

After reading the book we drew a picture with crayon and then water colored over the top of it to  make it look like a rainy day.   The children were shocked that even after they painted over their picture you could still see the drawing.  

Other eventful news:

Mykah got a haircut! She loves it and so do her friends!

The toilet overflowed today all the way into the hallway. SO glad this happened today and not yesterday.

We started working on our end of the year program today ! It is May 15 th!