Friday

We made it to the end of our first week. I could tell many of the kids were really getting worn out near then end. There is very little " sitting and relaxing" while the kids are here. These kids go 100 MPH for the most part. Hopefully the weekend will give them time to rest and recoup for next week. On Monday we may have a few that have forgotten how much fun we have and struggle with drop off again.

Today we went on an inside scavenger hunt. I gave each of the children a picture of something in the room and they set off to find it. This type of activity engages many skills including recall and problem solving.

Bet you never say a dinosaur play with blocks. This ones name is Scarlett.

By painting with little brushes we learn how to hold a pencil.

The nesting dolls were one of the favorites today.

Emeri enjoyed playing with the playdoh that one of the moms made. Thank you !

We read " The Kissing Hand " today. The last page of the book has Chester Raccoon doing the sign language for " I love you." Kimber was excited to show us on his picture he brought from home that his mom was doing that too.



Did you notice different tables today? I HATED the new tables . Thankfully I had " sold" them to friends that were willing to let me have them back. Today felt much better. I was able to put more materials out. I now have 4 24 inch high tables for sale. I will bite the shipping on them if anyone is interested in buying one for 90.00 each. It is a good buy, I got them on sale.





I hope everyone got the note I sent out today. I know sometimes we do have to be flexible but i promise you the things we are asking you to do, will make it easier and better for everyone in the end if we all hang in there together.

Bring on week 2 - Im ready.

Happy Mothers Day ! ( Spoiler Alert )

The spoiler alert is for any moms of my preschoolers that read this blog and plan to wait until Sunday to open their gift from the little ones. STOP NOW and wait until Monday to read this!

Nolan brought his " water turtle " today for us to see. I am so thankful I work in a place that the kids can bring in " stuff" to show their friends. Nolan brought this today. Emeri brought her new puppy the other day and Kimber brought in a cocoon. FUN STUFF!

Today we made this for our moms for Mothers Day. Asking the kids the questions to fill in the blanks was so much fun. One of the kids I asked " Why is your mom a rockstar?" The reply was " well.. she is just a little rockstar.. just a little..." Knowing this child as well as I do, I know what was meant . He took this question very literal. HE is a rockstar. But it still made me grin from ear to ear.

Randy and his random learning. Making patterns with paint sticks.

I hope all my mommies have a wonderful weekend with your child celebrating the most important job we all have .

A little girl, asked where her home was, replied, "where mother is." ~Keith L. Brooks

Jelly Beans and Hair Cuts

Today we did some math activities with jelly beans. I had forgotten to get them last night so Williams mom rescued me. Thanks MARY! We estimated and graphed and of course... we are them.

We also took brought our grass inside. Remember the grass seeds the kids planted. Our grass heads were ready for a haircut. They are in your child's cubby to take home today to continue to grow and cut.

More jelly bean fun !

Some materials I have on the table this week.

Today we read " Five Little Bunnies Hopping on a Hill." When used props to tell the story and when we were finished we counted bunny tails. ( cotton balls )

I am sending the graph we did today home with you and a stash of jelly beans. Spend some time with your child doing this fun activity.

We also read " Peter Cotton Tail." The kids made a lot of predictions about what would happen to Peter since he didnt obey and how important it is to obey adults we trust.

I forgot to tell you that yesterday Jodie read " The Carrot Seed" with the kids and they made carrot salad.

Spring Break... not really !

Today we had 11 kids show up for school out of 16.

I was able to spend some quiet time watching the kids play and was really touched by their kind spirits. That doesnt mean that everyone was happy all the time and got along but for the most part it was calm and we all played nicely. As I watched a group of kids play " house" I was reminded of the innocence of childhood. Where everything is perfect and mommies and daddies dont yell at you and there is always a warm blanket to cover up with. When does that all change? How do kids learn to be mean to people ? How do kids learn to use gruff tones and angry words? The sad part is... from us... adults. Please remember that your child is watching and listening to everything you say and do..whether you think so or not. It will never be ok to be mean others if it isnt ok now... if we .. never make it acceptable.

We did a science experiment today. After reading the book " Rain Rain Everywhere" and singing a few songs about rain we made a graph. A graph compares things. We compared who likes rain and who does not.

From the do NOT like rain group I heard:

We cant go outside.

It gets me wet.

From the DO like rain group I heard:

It helps flowers grow.

We can get out the rainy day toys.

It makes a rainbow.

And lots of other well thought out answers!

The experiment we did was making rain in the house. I asked the children did they think we could and of course they said no. I proceeded to show them how. We took a bowl of warm water . We noticed the vapors ( gases) coming out . Then we placed a bowl of ice water on top of the hot bowl. The vapors continued to go up and form water droplets on the bottom of the top bowl AND IT RAINED!

Good day. We do miss our friends.

One Potato Two Potato

What a busy day! Today was my moms birthday so I took the afternoon off to celebrate with my brother while she celebrated on the streets of Heaven.

But before I left.....

We made leprechaun finders to help us tomorrow as we go on our traditional hunt !

We talked about potatoes and how they grow UNDERGROUND! Did you know that? I remember going to my uncles as a preteen and him telling me to go get some out of the garden and I looked and looked only to be told they grow UNDER THE GROUND! Who knew... not me, the city girl!

We tasted different kinds of potatoes and graphed which we liked the best. Can we just say the result did not surprise me. Potato Chips won hands down.

Tomorrow will be fun ! Check back in !

Ways We Go !

Before I go into todays activities I would like to show you a picture of one of the things that makes me smile. I love walking into a room to find children learning and helping each other.

Some things out on our table this week. We have four flannel pieces that depict air, water, land and a railroad track. In the purple box are several pieces of transportation. The kids can sort them out , play with them and use them as extensions of the stories we are hearing this week.

Books that have WHEELS!

Math game! The pieces are little macaroni wheels painted black.

Patterns and Puzzles !

Lots of small cars for sorting , counting and game play.

This is a parking lot game. If your child is struggling with number recognition ( or letters, colors, shapes etc... ) you can use this game. They all loved it. It is also a great fun way to assess and I can tell you... some of our friends need some help ! :) Draw a road down the middle and spaces on each side. Let your child pick out a cook match box car . Tell them to drive down the road and park in space number 9. ( Or 11, or 4... you get the idea ! ) Boys especially love this game.

Mr. Randy took everyone outside to see a REAL engine . We read a book about engines today.

We also went for a walk looking for other ways to travel.

Muffin tin Monday was creative today. It has a transportation theme.

The last thing we did before nap time was graph how we all got to school. We found out during this time that Emeri got a new black SUV this weekend . ( She will also have a baby sister some time this week ! )

Don't forget our BYOB Tuesday evening at the park. BRING YOUR OWN BIKE !

I am linking this post to a terrific learning site ! ABC and 123 Learning .