Good Bye Leprechaun's

In T-minus 2 hours we will officially be on SPRING BREAK. I still have no idea what Randy and I are doing or where we are going, but we are getting out of town. We will take mom to visit her brothers and sisters and be on our way. It will be nice to have no plan and no responsibility .

Today we are finishing up our unit on St Patricks Day. I have explained this to you before but feel the need to do it again after posting on another blog. I am not really a teacher that teachers by " themes". At least learning about the " current theme" is not my goal. My goal is to use the kids interest in the theme as a vehicle to practice skills that we know they need before going to kindergarten. For instance, I wasnt teaching St Patricks Day but it gave me the opportunities to discuss how a rainbow is formed,( nature ) how yellow and blue make green , to count the gold pieces in a bucket, to graph what kind of potatoes the kids like best, to expose the children to music of a different culture and even learn an Irish jig. The list goes on and on. By using themes as that vehicle it also gives me great opportunities to change my materials out more frequently - or a good reason to do so.

We sorted M&M's onto a rainbow mat . What fun!

Some of our friends decided it was easier to sort all the M& M's into colors before placing them on the rainbow. Decisions, decisions...

During small groups today I presented the kids this small bowl of pennies. I asked them how many they thought were in there. Estimation is a great skill to work on . The answers I got ranged from 6 to 91. Almost text book the younger kids said " A lot" or " too many." After guessing I asked them how we could find out how many were in the bowl. After deciding that counting was the best idea, I showed them how to count the pennies one by one by placing one finger on one penny and separating it into a different area so we know which ones we have counted. After getting this " separation technique " down most of the kids could count the stack of pennies I gave them with little difficulty. I gave the younger children a small amount ( ten or less ) and the older children 10 -20. They were so proud when they counted their pennies. Your challenge tonight - empty your change on the table and ask them to count the pieces. If they forget , remind them to separate them to count .

WE ALSO HAD SOME FUN WITH RAINBOW GLASSES TODAY. YOU PUT THESE ON AND YOU SEE RAINBOWS!

It was a fun day.

Lunch time conversation today was a theological discussion. I TRY to just listen when the kids start talking about God. Kids are so simple and matter of fact.

Child 1 - I am a Christian now. I really am. I am going to Heaven.

Child 2. I am going too.

Child 1. You only go to Heaven if you are a Christian , isnt that right Ms Debbie.

( Thanks for putting Ms Debbie on the spot .)

Ms Debbie - Yes, if you are a Christian you will go to Heaven.

Child 3- If you are good you go to Heaven. If you are not... you dont.

Child 1- Is that right Ms Debbie ?

( Thanks again , child 1 )

Ms Debbie - Not really. Going to heaven isnt based on whether you are good or not. We should all try to be good all the time, but sometimes it isnt easy.

Child 5- Boys go to Heaven. Girls Dont.

Child 1 - You go to Heaven if you are a Christian.

Child 6 - I know Christian - he's my cousin! :)

And off they go... talking about Christian the cousin.

Enjoy a little Irish Jig for your Friday afternoon . I MAY post some pictures Randy took outside over the break, so check back from time to time.

Happy Spring!

Curriculum Blog Hopping

A friend sent me an email about a NOT Back TO School Blog Hop and I thought it would be fun. Each week we will explore different things. This week is CURRICULUM!

So hold on to your britches as I try to explain what I plan to do.

I think first it would be best to state two things:

I am a home preschool that is state funded. ( Lucky I know!) We have certain guidelines to meet including using " approved " curriculum.

I havent quite grown into what kind of teacher I want to be yet. I have finally been rescued from the idea that 3- 5 year olds need school- type structure and " the importance of getting them ready for school" through worksheets , flashcards , etc... I believe that children learn best through play. I believe that a child that is given a safe, loving , positive and intent play experience, will learn far more and be more socially and emotionally " ready" for the world of academia .

So... how to I blend those two important elements of my curriculum building?

One... the state has a free preschool curriculum that is based much on literacy. It is called Adventures in Learning. I use that as my foundation for my " plans for the week". On that I build.

This past spring I toured a Reggio Amelia School and I SO want to be " that". :)
But I just cant grasp the whole concept. I also LOVE the Montessori ways of teaching in their practical life experiences. I would much rather a child develop their fine motor skills spooning beautiful sparkly beads from one tiny cup to another than the old " trace this line" business.

So... my curriculum this year will be a mixture of several styles. But the bottom line is - I want my kids to feel safe. I want them to gain confindence in what they say and do. I want them to smile and giggle and play... like 3 , 4 and 5 year olds should do.

And somewhere

In the middle of that,

It is my job

As the teacher

to expose them and teach them so they will be on target with all those kids who are sitting miserably at a table listening to a teacher who hates her job hold a alphabet chart and chant A is for Apple . AAA over and over to them.

At my house we will be cutting an apple, cooking an apple, painting with an apple, reading a book about apples , tossing apples , tasting an apple and sharing an apple.

I love my job.