It's Not Good bye but so long...

Today we spent the day getting ready for our program. There were only a few loose ends to tie up. We practiced our program outside. The weather is so beautiful, we just wanted to soak it all up.

Randy often entertains the kids with stories. They love " Mr WIggle and Mr Waggle'"

Tonight is our program at 6 :30. The kids all have matching shirts to wear. It will be a fun time. Adios, until next time.

Next to last day blues

Today I finished all the Dial Three assessments. We played and practiced for our program. Sometimes I get to the end of the year and think - did we get everything done that I wanted / needed to get done? Then I watch our end of the year slide show that we show at the program and I think Oh yeah... we got it all done. We laughed , we played and we loved and we learned. That's all we can ask for, right?

Last Monday

Today is the last Monday of our preschool year. Just 5 days left and we will be out for the summer. I have a feeling the days will go by fast.

Today we spent time going through our program. Usually we go to the community building and practice but this year I have changed the venue to my church. It will be easier on us for set up and clean up and I am all about things that make it easier lately.

I also finished all the Dial Three assessments on the children going into kindergarten. I didnt take out the last ones I did in the fall to compare yet, but I will tonight . It is always so exciting to see how much they have grown in the year. Tomorrow I will do the younger groups assessments.

There are important notes in your cubby about our week and invitations for you to pass out to friends and family- make sure you get yours !

TGIF

Not a lot to report today. There really wont be a lot these last few days of school. We are getting ready for our program, doing year end assessments ... and breathing. Ever have a time in life like that? I really am at peace with my moms passing but it just hit me today how " tired" I feel. I feel like I have been run over by a train - twice.

More Ocean Fun

Today we played the game AB Seas from Discovery toys. The kid really loved it. It is a great letter recognition game.

We spent time this morning working on our program for the end of the year. I am making lists of list of things I need to do/ buy/ take care of. Please make sure you are making plans to be there and to bring family and friends. We will try to keep the program at an hour. Come celebrate with us!

Debbie's Back

Randy and I are officially back at work today ! The last two weeks seem like a bad dream. We buried my mom on Mothers Day. The last week with her was a week that I will never forget. Mom had very little pain and near the end slept most of the time but the times she was awake and talking to us was so comforting. I have no doubt where my mom is spending eternity. If you believe that a person can have one foot on earth and the other in Heaven.... that was our last week with mom. The things she said gave us all a glimpse of Jesus and she was a pure example of dying grace. We'll miss her but know my dad - who has barely had time to get settled in - is grinning from ear to ear.

Meet Sport - our new dog. My mom got Sport when she was diagnosed 4 years ago.

Glasses ! When I got back Dillion had new glasses . Kynley checked out the octopus glasses.

Cute turtle project they made last week.

Some of the learning activities on the table.

Can you SEE the ocean in there? Can you hear the ocean in there?

Today we looked at different shells and sorted them. Smooth / Rough , Big / Small

Shiny/ Dull,... the list goes on and on.

This is one of the Mothers Day projects Beth and Jodie made with the kids. CUTE! Great job girls! They even made an extra for me !

Beach Fun

Today we learned more about ocean and beach. I brought a DVD to play in the quiet room while we were playing today. It is the IMAX Under the Sea DVD. The kids loved it It shows real ocean creatures-squid, sharks, sea otters, crabs, lots of different fish, sea snakes, eels, sea dragons, and more. We got to see how they hide on the ocean floor, how they camouflage into their surroundings, and how they hunt for food. We saw a crab wearing a jellyfish as a hat! It was amazing to see how colorful the coral and other ocean plants are. This movie is done beautifully.

Mrs. Jodie did a small group at the table today with sand art. First, the children could use a magnifying glass to study sand. Then, the got to make a design on a paper plate with glue, and sprinkle sand on top of the glue-either brown or purple sand. Then the excess sand was dumped off the paper plate to reveal a beautiful sand creation. The kids loved doing this so much, they were asking to have more than one turn. Mrs. Jodie was a trooper keeping up with all the sandy fun.

This morning, some of us looked at a really big book Mrs. Debbie left for us. It is all about ocean creatures, and is filled with amazing pictures. A few of the children took turns turning the pages and Mrs. Beth would talk about the ocean animals that each page revealed. They looked at every page, and we saw alot of creatures, both familiar and unique.

In circle time, we played a game or beach ball hot potato, and looked at pictures of things we would and wouldn't find on a beach. A lifeguard? Yes! A chicken? No! It was good practice at sorting, and we got to further explain beach vocabulary. We all know now what a surfer does, and that you can use an umbrella on the beach to protect yourself from the sun.

We got to play outside today! It was cloudy, but the rain has stopped. The worm farm and garden were too muddy to explore, but we enjoyed fresh air and time outdoors.

Rainy Day Toys!

It's fun to see how much the children enjoy a rainy day. From the time we were eating breakfast this morning there was talk of the rainy day toys. These are gross motor activities that take place of our outside time in the case of inclement weather. The rainy and cold today is the perfect example of one of the times we use our rainy day toys. They were very excited to get to use them today. There is bowling, hopscotch, sand, stilt walkers, soft indoor balls, egg races, and other fun things. We enjoyed the opportunity to get them out today, but wonder if the forecast for rain all week will cause the excitement to wear off. I guess we will find out soon enough!

We began our study of the ocean today. There were all new table toys and manipulatives put out this morning, as well as new puppets, soft toys, books, and dress up clothes to be played with. We read Tickly Octopus in circle time as well as introduced a new finger play, The 5 Little Fish. Mrs. Jodie did a science experiment with small groups-sink or float with both fresh water and salt water. It was easy finding things that float, but tougher to find things that sink!

Tomorrow we will have some fun with a beach ball, as well as discovetr things we see on the beach. I can only assume we will also be getting out the rainy day toys...

Mom

Spending today celebrating my moms life and how much she loved. Funeral at 4.

Rainbow Fish

Today we finished our week of Water Where We Live. We have been learning about lakes, ponds and rivers-water that is abundant around Arkansas. We have focused on fish, turtles, and frogs. Today we used a Styrofoam bowl that we painted green to make a turtle. Mrs. Jodie (the artsy girl) helped the children to attach a egg carton piece to be the head. Here's the awesome part-it folds up under the shell so the turtle can tuck his head in! I am telling ya, she is a genius!

We also learned about the book The Rainbow Fish. It is the story of a fish who has beautiful sparkling scales that he won't share with his friends. Soon he finds himself with no friends at all. He decides to share the scales, and realizes that sharing makes him feel good, and it makes his friends feel good, too. We had alot of discussion about this. Sharing is something we do everyday, even if we don't want to. It makes us and our friends feel good.

Today on the playground while the kids were playing in the worm farm, a bird came down and picked a worm up for a little snack! Daniel spotted it first, and then all the friends watched as it flew away with the worm in his beak! How neat is that?

We also finished our Mother's Day gifts. They turned out so pretty. I hope all the mommies enjoy them. The children are so proud of them. In fact, Rosanna doesn't want to give hers away to her mommy- Sorry, Rosa!

~Hope all the mommies out there have a great Mother's Day!~

Fishes, Frogs, and Toads

We had a great day today...let me first off just say how awesome Mrs. Jodie is. She is so wonderful to be teaching with these past few days. The kids adore her. I love getting to work with her. That said, we had another great day. We opted not to take any field trips today :)

I small group this morning, we sorted colored goldfish crackers. It is amazing how fast the kids sorted them knowing that they could eat them once they were done. We also had am impromptu braiding salon for the girlies with Mrs. Beth and Mrs. Jodie. It all started with one braid...and then every girl wanted one. It was very cute to see the girls comparing their braids with friends while we played. We finished our projects as well this morning with Mrs. Jodie. She is a crafty gal. I appreciate her for getting everything put together. In circle time, we read the book Jump, Frog, Jump! that Mrs. Beth got from the library yesterday. We introduced the story Monday on the felt board, and today read the book. We also read a Frog and Toad story. We will continue to read these short stories tomorrow. We practiced our water songs and movements as well. We finished by doing "My Mother is a Baker" action songs from Dr. Jean. They really liked it. I think we will be hearing a lot of requests for it from now on.

Cinco do Mayo!

Today we had a Cinco De Mayo celebration! We practiced out water songs this morning, and then we read a book that taught us lots of words en espanol. It is so sweet to hear the sweet little voices saying words that Mrs. Beth had probably mis-pronounced. During our outside time, we worked on a special project we will be finishing tomorrow.
We were very excited that we got to walk to the closest Mexican restaurant, Taqueria El Rancho. We had a great time. We did so good remembering our safety rules on the way there. As we passed the hospital, a worker asked us where we were going, just like our neighbor had when we left the school. Fourteen different answers all at once: "The restaurant!", "To eat lunch!", "On a walk!". So funny. We got to the restaurant and Anna's mom met us there too. The restaurant knew we were coming and had a long table all set up for us. We ate chips and salsa, beef quesadillas, rice, and beans (frijoles!). The children were so well behaved. They used good table manners and stayed seated and ate nicely the whole time. Mrs. Jodie and Mrs. Beth were so proud when a woman eating at a table close by stopped to comment on how nicely we were behaving. Compliments in public are so flattering to teachers. As we were eating, another visitor stopped by-Mrs. Debbie! We all were VERY excited to see her. She came to see how we were doing and let us know how much she misses us, but is still staying with her mom, who is very sick. What a treat is was to see her. That was very exciting. When we finished lunch, it was time to walk back to school, and again, we did great using our safety rules. We held hands, stayed on the sidewalk or grass, and stopped, looked, and listened for cars as we crossed the street. (and not one child was even scared of the three barking dogs ans we walked by their yard.) What a great field trip!
After we rested when we got back to school, we got to end our day with a pinata! It was filled with all sorts of treats for us to take home.
We had a great day!

A Walk to the Park

Today we took a walk to the park! We played this morning in centers, and did group time altogether. We read The Foolish Tortoise, about a tortoise who thinks he can spend the day without his shell. As the day goes on, he realizes how much he needs his shell all the time. We sang our new water songs. The children love singing "Down by the Bay". They think it is very silly, and giggle and laugh through out the whole thing.
After group time, we headed out to the park. We had lots of fun climbing and playing and sliding. Then we headed down to the sand volleyball courts. The kids love the feel of the sand beneath their feet. Mrs. Jodie sat down to play with the kids, and ended up getting buried in the sand by all her little friends! Then we all wanted to be buried in the sand or make sand angels. It was so much fun for them. I am so glad we are able to walk to the park and other fun places.

Tomorrow is Cinco de Mayo. I wonder where we will go???? Hmmmm..... :)

QA

Yes, yet another lesson in life for me today. My mom's time is very limited. QA that I have been waiting a very long time for showed up today. Yes.. today. I got two texts , one from Beth that said Quality ., Oh _____ ! :) And one from Randy that said Marcy is here. We have been prepared for a long time . The kids know what to do. We know what to do. I was not worried at all. I felt sad for Randy and Beth trying to take over a control freaks job... :) But, I am SURE they did a great job and got excellent scores.

I know what was on the lesson plans today, but I don't know what they got accomplished. I can assure you this. They had GREAT language interactions today ( and every day ) they washed their hands a lot today ( and every day ) . A few of the girls were reminded not to stick their hand in the toilet . ( WHAT IN THE WORLD! NEVER has this happened, but today... )

And I will never regret not leaving my mom today to go to preschool. My helpers rock. Thanks Randy, Beth and Jodie. Love you .

Oh.... the new life lesson I learned today. I can be replaced. :)