S is for...

S is for SNOW PICTURES, SERVICE & SHARING

This week we focused on the Letter 'S' and many things that start with the letter 'S' in this season of giving as our theme for the month of December is, 'The Joy of Service'. On Monday we had a lot of songs, poems, and books that focused on Snowmen. We made a snowman for one of our snacks - the children took marshmallows and pushed them onto a pretzel stick, building a snowman that had pretzel arms and raisin eyes and mouth. This was indeed a sugary snack, and most of the children that wanted to eat their snowman only ate a little way before they turned back to their crackers, apples and raisins! What wonderful healthy choices they are making on their own! For our lesson today we discussed how wonderful it is to give service to others, and talked about the definition of service as, "Being kind to someone and doing something nice for them". We drew a present on the board and talked about that there are times we can give a present to someone, and sometimes what we give doesn't or can't fit inside a box; such as a smile, helping someone in your family (playing nicely with a sibling, help Mom with a job, or draw a picture for Dad for when he comes home). It is always fun to hear ideas that the children come up with and what they want to share with everyone during lesson time!

On Wednesday, we continued talking about Service and ways to look at doing something nice for someone. I had in mind trying to get them to think of someone that they have seen that might be in need of something nice done for them - such as someone without a home or a car. However, they took this as someone in their family, so instead we talked about ways that we can give service in our homes by helping clean-up and being quiet in the car when Mom and Dad are driving so that we can also be safe. We thought up a lot of words that started with 'S' and wrote them on the board, along with a picture clue for what the word was, i.e. Smile :) We underlined the 'S' in each word and sang the song 'S says ssss and S says ssss. Every letter makes a sound, S says ssss'. They then looked around the room to find an object that started with the letter 'S' or the actual letter 'S' in a word that was posted in the room. For art the children were able to use white paint and their brushes and create their own Snow Picture. I loved watching them draw their picture and talk about what was going on their pages - what appears to us to be big spotches or blobs of white are the hills, mountains, and really big snowflakes to our children! We also did 'snow' (packaging peanuts) in the letter S and then for a fun treat at the end, we each shared a piece of a chocolate letter'S'...I'm sure all snacks and treats will pale in comparison from now on!

NEW this week! We introduced the Calendar, and so are practicing counting and also looking for patterns that are introduced through the numbers that are posted on the Calendar. We also have formalized the Classroom Helpers, and the children have a wall where each job is posted as well as their names, and we rotate through each day. Some jobs are more favored than others - such as the coveted Line Leader - hopefully as we explain that each child gets a turn each day to be something new they will understand that their turn will come shortly and to practice the art of being patient.

November "Side-Dishes"

Here are some other items that we have been focusing on this month - some in conjuction with the theme of 'Joy in Communication and Relationships' and some that are just part of what we do day to day!

SPEECH/COMMUNICATION:

"I'm a BIG person - so I can use BIG words!" This has become our motto, and it is what I ask the children to remember when they need to express a need, concern, want, etc. to myself, their friends at preschool, at home with you as a family, and anyone else that they talk with. They love to say this line, and it is true that our children are learning rapidly and can express their feelings (feelings that we learned about last month!) to others...sometimes they might need a little help, but hopefully it is just helping them remember that they are BIG, and they need to use their BIG words!

BIG WORDS that we use:
These words should be common not only in preschool, but again at home or wherever the children are. The words are part of their BIG person vocabulary, and we have a fun time practicing them in role-plays with our puppets, and especially when we have snack time and the children use these with one another...I need to video snack and have you watch it. It's so sweet to watch a 3 year old, take around a plate of apples, and ask "______, would you like an apple today?" So-and-so responds, "Yes, thank you. I would love an apple (or other such phrase, but the important part is to get the beginning words!), or "No thank you, I do not care for apples." The children know that they should not say, "I don't like this, or that", or say "Ewwww!" to anything that is served. They don't have to eat something, however we encourage "try bites" (what I call them with my children), and to always be polite and use their BIG WORDS!

PLEASE
THANK YOU
YOU'RE WELCOME
I'M SORRY
EXCUSE ME - This is a hard one to be consistent with as parents, but we need to make sure that our children do not interrupt us or any adult, as this is a beginning way of teaching respect for their elders and people in general. Work to have a signal that they can give to you when they need you. Our signal (not perfect, but we work on using it more and more!), is that the children are to put their hand on my leg if I am talking to someone else, on the phone, etc. and they need my attention. I have promised them - and MUST follow through myself, that I will stop at the earliest convenience to hear what they need to say. Neither one of us should abuse this privilege with one another, and when we do, then the system does not work!

Patterning - A beginning mathematical concept, and something that we have done with shapes and colors, and will continue to add more onto. The bead and tube necklaces are a way that we work on patterns...so not only is your child bringing you beautiful jewelry, but they are learning how to look and build patterns. Look for everyday ways to incorporate this by looking at everyday patterns around you...encourage your children to find the patterns and show you!

Right and Left - We sing the 'Hokey-Pokey', start 'Ring Around the Rosey' going right and then left, sing our Welcome Song to the right and then the left, start walking on our right foot, etc. The main idea...talk through what foot or hand your child is using to help them know the difference between the two. Teaching Tip: If you hold your left hand up, with index finger up and thumb out, it looks like the letter 'L' for 'Left'!

Alphabet - I'm not emphasizing the actual letters at this time, however we are focusing on the sounds the letters make. When I write something on the whiteboard, I say the beginning sound of the words, and we sing the song that is from 'Leap Frog'...'A says 'A' and A says 'ah' - every letter makes a sound, A says....etc. We point out what letter each child's name starts with and then the sound, and find letters around the room for games. We sing the alphabet song, do Alphabet puzzles, etc., however my primary emphasis in on the letter sounds. Teaching Tip: Successful beginning reading starts with letter sounds, so that children have the basic building blocks to sound out ANY word as they learn to read basic sight words and then continue to sound out words as they graduate to more advanced reading.

Counting - We count everything and anything we can, so that the children can connect a one-to-one ratio! It's easy to do this anywhere and at any time, and children love to count as high as they can, and then start all over! We will focus more on number recognition starting in January.

Thanksgiving Songs and Poems

Five Little Turkeys
Five little turkeys by the barn door, one waddled off, then there were four.
Four little turkeys out under the tree, one waddled off, then there were three.
Three little turkeys with nothing to do. One waddled off, then there were two.
Two little turkeys in the noonday sun, one waddled off, then there was one.
One little turkey - better run away! Soon will come Thanksgiving Day.

Mr. Turkey
I have a turkey, big and fat.(Make a fist with one hand-thumb out for turkey's head)
He spreads his tail and walks like that.(Attach "tail" by spreading out fingers of other hand and join together)
His daily corn he would not miss.(Poke with thumb at floor)
And when he talks, it sounds like this:Gobble Gobble Gobble

I’m Thankful
Sung to: "Row, row, row your boat
I’m thankful for my friends and for my family.
I’m thankful for the food I eat. I’m happy to be me!

If You're Thankful
Sung to: "If You're Happy & You Know It
If you're thankful and you know it clap your hands
If you're thankful and you know it clap your hands
If you're thankful and you know it
Then your face will surely show it
If you're thankful and you know it clap your hands!

Six Little Turkeys
Sung to: "six little ducks"
Six little turkeys that I once knew
Fat ones, skinny ones, there were two.
But the one little turkey with the funny red wattle.
He led the others with hisGobble, gobble, gobble.
He led the other with hisGobble, gobble, gobble.

Over the rocks and through the tress,
Turkeys wobbling in the breeze,
But the one little turkey with the funny red wattle,
He led the others with his Gobble, gobble, gobble.

November - Joy of Communication and Relationships

We are beginning another month at preschool, and I am very excited about the theme that we are learning about this month. We are discovering the "Joy of Communication and Relationships".

Richard Eyre shares the following experience:
I once knew a middle-aged man, an accountant, who had a ledger-book-sized Christmas-card list. In this thick book all the pages were filled; there were hundreds and hundreds of names. "Business contacts?" I asked. He glanced over, paused for a moment as though considering whether he should tell me something important, then said, "No, they're relationships." He anticipated my next question you form, no matter how small, if it is genuine, can be an asset of eternal duration. No other entry can cancel it out. Some of us spend all our time on temporary assets: money, positions, achievements. We ought to spend more on the eternal assets like relationships. Whenever I earn one, I make an entry on my Christmas card list."

I watched the accountant closer from then on and found that he practiced what he preached. When he met someone - on a plane, in his business, at a PTA meeting - his attitude seemed to be: 'What can I learn from you? What is interesting and unique about you?" For him, life was a fascinating kaleidoscope of relationships, or endless people, each endlessly interesting and each offering more potential joy than a new car or a new position.

Recommended books:
It's Mine! a fable by Leo Lionni (*this is the book we read in class this week)
Mine! Mine! Mine! by Shelly Becker
The Way I Feel by Janan Cain
Words Are Not for Hurting by Elizabeth Verdick
Talk and Work It Out (Learning to Get Along) by Cheri J. Meiners
Share and Take Turns (Learning to Get Along) by Cheri J. Meiners

Methods for teaching ‘Joy of Communication and Relationships’

- Develop a tradition of listening. Really listen, don’t just direct the conversation, and help children glimpse the joy of seeing other person’s point of view.
- Have a sense of humor. Laugh at your own mistakes & laugh w/children at every opportunity!
- Always encourage children to hug and make up after a disagreement.
- Teach and explain the Golden Rule – practice and practice this with your children!
- Role reversal: let children play the parent role while you play child, so they can see and understand some of the problems that we face as parents.
- Don’t constantly tell children what to say while you are in public! They will begin to depend on you telling them what to say, and not take the initiative on their own. Talk to them after a situation, instead of at the moment telling them, “Say thank you” or “Say please” – but afterwards role play together and set the stage for them to speak appropriately and on their own the next time. Help your child see the value of taking initiative in a situation and in their own life.

Watch our communication with our children

- Speak candidly to children – they don’t understand generalizations or round-about talking.
- Help children write letters – you can write while they express their thoughts and feelings. Praise them for phrasing things well as they dictate a letter to you, or while you are talking together. ** NOTE: NEVER THINK THAT YOU ARE CORRECTING YOUR CHILD'S SPEECH MORE THAN YOU SHOULD! OUR CHILDREN NEED TO KNOW THE CORRECT WAY TO SPEAK, AND WE ARE THE ONES THAT ARE TEACHING THEM! DON'T ALLOW THEM TO USE THE WRONG WORD OR PHRASE AND IGNORE IT...DON'T INTERRUPT THEM, BUT NICELY AND APPROPRIATELY INSERT THE CORRECT WAY TO SAY THE WORD!
- Give lots of praise when your child explains or says something particularly well.
- At dinner, encourage your child to talk about something that they know a lot about – or something that they have just learned and is excited to know about.
- Talk on the phone or have close family/friends talk on the phone with your child whenever possible.
- Encourage your child to take advantage of any speaking opportunities. Them them really learn how to communicate to an audience.
- Try to avoid communicating FOR children – and don’t give them a cue every time they are supposed to speak.
- * Discuss how wonderful it is that people are able to communicate with words. We don’t have to fight – like some animals – when we disagree or aren’t able to get what we want. Say, “Let’s talk about it” or “Use your words” or what we try to say, “You are a big person, use your big words to tell us what you feel/want/need/etc.”

Relationships

- * Talk out disagreements. Sit down face to face to work out problems or disagreements that they have with one another or yourself.
- Be an example. Show that relationships should be more important than achievements by always taking time for a relationship.
- Don’t always step in on children’s relationships or try to steer them too much – let them work things out. Sometimes they are able to work things out much better without our interference/”help”!
- * Role-play relationship problems and let the children give ways to solve particular difficulties. Role-play what to do if you want a toy someone has, or if you hurt someone, or someone calls you a bad name. Have your children act out a situation that ended in unhappiness and show how it could have been handled better and ended happily.
- Encourage children to have their own special friends over to play.
- Do something special for your children to let them know of the importance of your friendship with them.
- Develop the family as a social unit. Encourage children to think of family members as their best friends…after all that is what we hope and desire them to be!

Learning Idea for Your Child

Increasing a child's attention span :
Work on increasing your child's attention span step by step, and helping them grow in this area. Give your child a planned activity and require them to stay with it for a fixed period of time. Set the timer. Start with 10 or 15 minutes. Do 2 of these times per day to begin with, one in the morning, one in the afternoon, and not when they're hungry or tired. Build up the time gradually. Be persistent and follow through on waiting until the timer rings, even if they say they are all done in 5 minutes. Focusing is a skill and like any skill, some people find it easier than others, but everyone can learn.
*Find an area that you feel your child needs to specifically work on for their behavior. Do they need a longer attention span when reading books, cleaning their room, doing an activity (art or other). The focus and direction that they receive will help them have a great ability to work well on their own in school, and keep a goal in mind even when other things are happening that could distract them. A key element for success!

It's just Halloween Fun!

It was such fun to have Joy School on Halloween Day so that we could share a Halloween Party together (although two of our friends were sick). We did a circle time with our moms and siblings, to show a little part of our Welcome activities and routine that we do each time we meet for Joy School. The children also recited the poem, '5 Little Pumpkins' and enjoyed saying SO many people's name when we sang our "Hello Song". Thank you for the fun and festive food that you brought to share, and for helping with the crafts and other parts that were planned for the day. Children really know how to bring out the fun and excitement in every holiday!

Learning Lab Activity - Play Dough

As you have probably noticed, the children don't always bring home a craft, art project, or "hand-out" that we would do in class. This is due to the fact that many times during preschool we are involved in a group activity where the children are using their group and problem-solving skills, and also working on managing an activity from beginning to end. We set out the craft project, make sure that we dialogue through the activity (meaning that the children ask for things in the correct and polite way from their peers/friends), work on waiting patiently for their turn with a favorite object, and clean-up and leave the area as it was before.

These are our little learning lab activities! Never doubt that amidst the play your child is engaged in, there is a creativity that your child exhibits in what they are making and the joy of discovering how colors blend together, that certain shapes can be created by their own hands, and the joy of seeing what they on their very own have made! These activities can't be put down on paper and sent home...they are far too involved for that!! Hopefully some of the pictures will allow you to glimpse what wonderful work your child is involved in...I particularly love the look of concentration that can be seen on many of the faces.

Learning Lab Activity - Measuring and working with our spatial skills

A favorite activity of preschool children, is to pour, measure, and sift objects. This activity uses a mixture of beans and pasta, and the children use a variety of kitchen "tools" as they experiment and discover ways to move the mixture from container to container (with many to choose from!). They are developing spatial skills, hand-eye coordination, fine motor skills, and cooperation as they work with others around our project table.

Children with high Visual-Spatial Intelligence are the artists among us. These children think in pictures and images, and store information in a non-sequential fashion, which is a strength of right-brain processing. They have rich internal imagery making them very imaginative and creative. They are visual learners, and are also very observant of the world around them, noticing subtleties and details that we usually miss. They have an excellent awareness of space, the orientation of their body and others. This spatial awareness gives them skills in drawing, doing puzzles, mazes, and any task that requires fine-motor manipulation.