Beginning Science Experiments

Giving a child a container filled with rice, beans, or pasta and many different utensils, cups and various containers of different shapes and sizes gives them endless possibilities of discovery. They begin to learn how volume works - what happens if they fill up one cup with a mixture and then transfer it to another cup that has a different shape....will it hold it, will there be more or less? There are so many fun beginnings to science and this happens to be a great introductory for many!

Try this activity at home - as it is very simple to keep in a cupboard and pull out when your child needs something to occupy them and keep them busy for many minutes....the great news is that they are learning and experimenting with life skills and are not just easily entertained by the TV or a show. Usually a few extra beans, pasta or rice end up on the floor....but a quick sweep or vacuum picks it up and you are ready to put it away until next time!

The Letter B

This was the first letter that we studied in the alphabet. Most weeks we will use a letter of the week to study topics that begin with that letter in the alphabet. We are not going in order in the alphabet, as some letters are easier to sound out and to write for the children. B is a very easy sound to make, not as easy to write...but it was the first letter we started with!

Most weeks we will have a Mystery Letter that the children find out about on Monday. For each letter we will learn about, we will do some art activity where the children will make that letter using some kind of medium or using the letter to create a "Letter Picture". We will practice writing the letters during different rotations and as a group with white boards, but I'm not really focused that the children have to write their letters perfectly. It's more about giving them time to try out writing a bit, but more so knowing what the sound is that the letter makes. We try to come up with as many words as we can think of that start with that letter. Often times the children move around the room using movements that start with the certain letters, and we play 'I Spy' where the children find an object in the room that starts with the letter of the week. These are just some ideas of what we do, and what you can do with your children as well to continue talking and learning about the wonderful world of phonics and awareness of all the letters and their sounds.

We also learn a lot of sign language in our class, and learning the alphabet in sign has been our focus for the month of October. You make the letter B by holding up one hand, tucking your thumb into the center of your palm and keeping your other 4 fingers straight into the air.

The letter B is a dependable letter. It usually makes the "buh" sound as in bat.

words that start with the Letter B
bag
ball
banana
barn
bat
bear
bed
beetle
bend
big
bike
bird
bow
box
boy
bug
bun
bus

creating life-long learners

Most educators, parents, and most people...would agree that reading is a key to having life-long learners. And learners that are excited about discovering and understanding new things by opening up a book!

Each day we have story time where we read at least 1-2 books, usually with the emphasis on the letter we are learning that week or the subject (or both!). Also, as the children finish their snack and we are transition to Craft/Activity time, the children are able to go to a spot or in a rotation where they get to spend time looking at a large selection of books. I rotate the books each class, so that the children are looking at new pictures, text, and are swept away in the creative imagination that we go on when reading and becoming part of a book.

I love watching the children look through their books, and exclaim over things that are both familiar, and things that are new and very interesting (such as the Science books such as the Shark book that made it into the book basket the other day!).

{I loved this reading pose that Zack was in....it was hard to angle the camera to get a shot that looks right side up....but again it shows how absorbed children are when reading, they just become engrossed in the book and forget about everything around them!}

To have a child that reads....the solution is simple - Read to your child. 20 minutes is what is suggested for this age group, and doing it all at once, or reading a book here or there throughout the day you will in no time have read all 20 minutes, and probably more!

Pincer grasp...having fun while learning too!

Little hands busy at work! During our Craft/Activity time there is something that the children work on to practice their fine motor skills. Here they are woring to string beads and cut up straws unto a ribbon to make a necklace. By practicing their fine motor skills and using their "pincer grasp" using their 2nd and 3rd fingers and thumb, they are working to train their hands on grasping pencils and really perfecting their pre-writing skills. Learning to write comes way before actually taking a pencil, crayon, or other medium in our hands and working hard to write a letter of the alphabet.

To help your child work on their fine motor skills - have them do activities that work on using these 3 fingers (again their 2nd and 3rd fingers and their thumb). Such activities would be cutting out paper with child scissors, pasting the paper or any other sort of medium onto paper with a glue stick or regular glue. Also picking up and placing small items in an art project - such as Perler beads, stringing beads onto a necklace, and picking up other small items to glue onto a picture. This is fun for your child and a great art project....and they are practicing essential skills at the same time! Another fun part of this activity is that I stretch it to teach patterns - something that the children continue to work on, but we focused on simple patterns for this necklace such as a repeating A-B-A-B, OR AA-BB-AA-BB pattern. It is also a great way to talk about colors....learning really has endless possibilities in the activities we do with our children!

Here we are together!

My Little Learning Lab - Preschool Class 2008-2009

{top to bottom}

Abby Ludlow and Bradley Pace

Zack Archibald, Bryson Lord and Drew Stevens

Katelyn Price, Garrett Steffen and Randall Walker

A HAPPY Un-BIRTHDAY to YOU!!

We had an Unbirthday - Birthday party for preschool the last week of April. As expected, each child was really excited about this day of class, and brought their little "birthday" gift for our present exchange, and a treat to share for our birthday brunch. I played a fun little game with them before we opened up the gifts - an idea that I got from Family Fun magazine a few years ago - that helps children learn how to master their manners when opening presents. You give 'pretend presents' to everyone first and the object of the game is to see how many great things you can say about the funny present that you have just opened....such as the presents that I gave to the preschool children were a pair of socks, a can opener, a used pair of baby shoes, a bottle of dish soap, etc. Completely random presents - but fun to practice thank you's because if you can say thank you and find something nice to say about a pair of socks....then you know your child is going to do great when opening up their real presents!!

Here are a few pictures from our fabulous party that day! I love a great birthday party!

Elegant Etiquette Brunch

With great anticipation and praticing amazing patience.....we finally held our Elegant Etiquette Brunch on Wednesday, March 26th. The children were all dressed in their Sunday attire, and had a marvelous time shaking hands and asking "How do you do?" and answering this question at the beginning of preschool. We also practiced how to hold a ladies arm when escorting her into a room, and how to help pull out the chair for her to sit in. Each of our 4 gentlemen in class escorted a lady upstairs, and then waited patiently while each boy and girl went to the table to find their name tags and have the boys help the girls into the chairs. It was absolutely priceless to see how very serious they took this task, and did such a fantastic job of excuding impecable manners. They are ready to sit in the finest 7 star Restaurants!!

Our lovely Ladies and Gentlemen: FRONT (left to right) Garrett, Ella and Zackary, MIDDLE: Brooklyn and Randall and BACK: Bryson and Mary



"May I walk you to the table Mary?", Bryson requested. Each Gentlemen learned to ask the ladies politely if they could escort them, and then also asked, "Will you please take my arm?!"

All smiles for a very fun brunch with wonderful preschool friends!

Birds Nest with 3 eggs were the activity/dessert

The song that they have learned that went along with this treat is:

I will find a little NEST

(cup hands in the shape of a nest)

In the branches of a TREE

(sign language for tree: put on arm across chest with palm up, rest other arm with elbow in palm and wiggle fingers to look like branches)

I will count the EGGS INSIDE

(cup one hand as nest, and rotate finger on other hand to "count" eggs)

There are ONE, TWO, THREE

(Hold up 1,2, and 3 fingers)

MOTHER BIRD sits on the nest (sign for Mother: tap thumb of open hand on chin, sign for Bird: thumb and pointer open and close at nose to look like beak)

To hatch the eggs ALL THREE (flap arms like bird wings and pretend sitting on nest)

FATHER BIRD flies 'round the nest (sing for Father: tap thumb of open head to forehead, and repeat sign for bird)

To guard his FAMILY (sign for Family: Sign for letter 'F' on both hands - thumb and pointer together with remaining 3 fingers up in air. Put hands together and then pull them around to the back in a circle).

*Disclaimer: I don't know why the song is divided into two different styles - there are some things on here that I have yet to figure out!!

March Madness and Updates

Let's Go FLY a KITE!

This was our craft activity for Monday, March 24th - and the children of course were brilliant and creative as they pieced together their very own kite. They seemed to love the ribbon streamers the most.....which definitely showed the wind blowing them, which had been a huge focus of our lesson that day: WIND!

More craft time......the detail and attention that all the students gave the percalete beads was impressive....I was especially impressed to see our boys so interested in finishing their patterns and pictures! It is another reason to know that each child learns and feels learning in very unique and personalized ways!




Our morning activity time is wonderful....each student is really focused on coming right in and choosing something to try from the activity cupboard. They are excited to either try a new concept/activity or to re-do another activity that they have been working to master recently. Eve when working close to someone, they focus on their individual work and how they are able to use their mind and creativity with what they are creating and working on ~ such as how Ella and Brookly are working side by side, but each is concentrating and doing their own work, but having someone to tell what shape you have just used or what your picture now looks like is a great part of this activity as well!

Pirates and Princesses

During our free play-time at the end of class, the children LOVE the days that the dress-ups are pulled out, and the creative juices flow as they play make-believe with one another and come up with very elaborate and delightful story lines!