What Did You Do At School?

A Visit from the Dental Hygienist

Why should we take care of our teeth?

Because we use them for eating, talking, and...

smiling!

We take care of them by brushing...

and by using something called floss.

The children watched a video with Kirby the monkey showing them how to brush

and floss.

They listened attentively as the hygienist showed them how to brush using a model

and then using some of them as models.

She even flossed the model "teeth".

They talked about foods that are good for you and for your teeth.

Like apples.

Apples got a big thumbs up!

Skittles?

Thumbs way, w-a-y, w--a--y down! (Double bad -- sugary and sticky. That's the worst!)

Bananas?

Carrots?

What about milk?

Milk is a sideways thumb. It's good for making your bones and teeth strong, but it has sugar. Did you know if you eat a carrot after you drink your milk that it will help remove the sugar from your teeth?

And, the very, very best thing for you to drink?

That's right. Water. You can even drink water after you brush your teeth at night.

The children saw another short video about going to visit the dentist. Buddy and Andy showed them about the cool chair that goes up and down, getting x-rays,

and all the tools the dentist uses -- like the suction-thingy that helps to keep your mouth dry while the dentist works.

 
One of the children helped show the things the dentist and his helpers wear...

 
the "sneeze-guard" and the gloves.

Then all the children helped count Joey the Kangaroo's teeth while the hygienist used the special tooth-counting tool.

 
Some of the classes extended what they had learned from their visit with the dental hygienist, back in their classrooms.

All of the children who attend school on Monday or Tuesday (except for the toddlers) visited with the dental hygienist and brought home a little bag of goodies to help them apply what they had learned. Thank you to our friends at Laxer, Long, and Savage for helping teach the children about the importance of taking good care of their teeth!   

We had snow.

First it was inside...

2B MWF

 
 

2B TTh

 
T3

Here are some step by step photos of a young 3 year old painting his snowman. You may notice the change of hand and the change of grip on the paintbrush -- not uncommon for a child this age, but we would hope to see those things work themselves out during the next year.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

3C

Snowmen are good for seriating size:  small, medium, and large. And for learning position:  top, middle, and bottom.

 

4C

This class used snowman making as a learning activity for the letter S. They labeled each item in the picture that began with their letter of the day.

 

 

 

 

4D

Then we had snow outside, so hopefully the children had the experience of making real snowmen along with their family at home. 

2A Art

The young two year olds love art time. The children are called to the table one at a time, but in the beginning they all cluster around to see what the project for the day will be.

This day it was giraffes with colorful cereal spots.

The teacher prepared the giraffe shapes, adding the dots of glue. The children used their pincher fingers to place the cereal on the glue. Good for their fine motor skills. Good for their visual skills.

And sometimes

they just can't resist helping their friends while they're waiting for their own turn.

   

Purse Play

Small children love to put things inside of other things so purses are a great play accessory.

After all, you never know when you might need a plastic doughnut.

And, if you've ever wondered how closely your child watches what you do, check out what this little girl did with her pocketbook when she was called to sit down and do her art.

 

Check out this cute series of pictures.

"Hmmm. Will this fit in my purse?"

"What else is in here?"

 

"Time to go!"

Now look how she has that purse over her shoulder and tucked under her arm. Yes, even the young toddlers are watching and copying what you do.

 
 
 

Preparing for Christmas: 2B

Here are some of the pictures taken in 2B during December (both classes).

Preparing for Christmas: 2A

Miss Kathy scolded me for not updating the blog since Thanksgiving, so I'll try to do some quick posting of December pictures — starting with her class (and little, if any, commentary).

 

Thanksgiving Feasts

Many of the classes have "feasts" on their last day of school before the Thanksgiving holiday. The children love it! Here are some photos from feast day.

The Monday/Wednesday/Friday 2B class has what they call a sharing feast. Each child brings a fruit to share and they make a fruit salad for their snack.

Good to the last drop!

The Tuesday/Thursday 2B class set the table with their handmade placemats.

They made Indian headbands and went down the hall to visit a teepee.

 
The T3 tables were ready for the children to sit down and eat.

 
They made special turkey hats to wear. Some liked them...
...and some did not.
3B put their tables together into a big square.

 
The 3C children patiently colored Thanksgiving pictures while waiting for their feast to be served.


T4 invited their moms to join them.
4C had a story time before their feast.
Their placemats were doubled-sided. If the pilgrim side was up, the child dressed as a pilgrim for the feast. If the Native American side was up, the Indian headband was worn.
Their teachers set up a cafeteria-style line for serving the food. (Practice for getting hot lunch in kindergarten?) 
A set of parents and their recent "graduate" had come in a week or so ago to do a Thanksgiving activity with the children — a surprise for their teachers. It was proudly hung on the 4C classroom door.
4D also had their tables pushed together for one long feasting table.
After their feast, they played a rousing game of "Pass the Turkey."
TK's feast table had their turkeys lined up in the center.
And they had fun checking them out to see whose was whose. 
That's it for Thanksgiving. Be ready. Since it's December now, it'll probably be all Christmas, all the time!
(3B started before Thanksgiving. Can you tell what these will be? Stay tuned...)    
   

  

Preparing for Thanksgiving

Thought you might like to see some of the things that took place in November as the classes were getting ready for Thanksgiving — along with some of the artwork on display in the classrooms and along the hall. (I started this post a week ago during our Thanksgiving break. In retrospect, I should have broken in up into age levels, but — well, now it's finished and this is the way it is... long. Very long.)

2A

 
2B

T3

Making Indian Headbands

Making Placemats

Art in the Hall

3B

Thankful Wreaths

Turkey Feathers

Making Placemats

The 3B and 4C Door Art

3C

Indian Corn

Making Placemats

Thankful Wreaths

Teepees

Indian Headbands & Pilgrim Hats

T4

Nut Trees

4C

Making Placemats

Making Patterns for Indian Headbands

 

 

 
Sequencing the Thanksgiving Story

Decorating Teepees

4D

Making Placemats

TK

Making Centerpieces

Making Teepees

Thankful Chains

   

Fall Colors

Wasn't yesterday a beautiful day?

We've been talking a lot about fall colors during the last month or so at preschool.

The 2B class (MWF) made special pictures to remind them of how trees change in the fall.

They started with a cut-out of their arm and hand.

And chose colors, one by one, to represent the leaves of a tree.

 

They also chose where to put their "leaves" — on the tree, the ground, or somewhere inbetween. All the while, they were reviewing their colors and talking about what happens to leaves during the fall. 

An art project at school is so much more than a cute picture to take home and hang on the refrigerator. It is also more than just another experience. It's very much about the conversation that takes place during the time with the teacher and the follow-up conversation at home.

Keep that in mind when your child brings home a new picture. Talk about it. Ask questions. How did you make this? What did you use? What color is this? Who helped you? Things like that. It doesn't have to take long. And, of course, you don't have to ask all those questions. Gear it to your child's age, attention span, and verbal ability. If he's still learning his colors, ask about the colors. If she likes identifying body parts, what part of your body was used to make this tree? How about the leaves? If his vocabulary seems to be growing by leaps and bounds, bring in a few more words. Talk about the trunk of the tree. The branches. What happens to the fall leaves when the wind blows? What do we have to do when all the leaves fall on our lawn? Getting in the practice of talking about the school day and the work they did will serve you well when your child enters elementary school and beyond.

S'mores: 2A Style

This week the children in 2A had a special snack. And they even made it themselves.

Step 1:

Spread the frosting on the graham cracker.

Tasting a little frosting is inevitable —

although this particular method isn't one we recommend! (Don't worry, there was no sharing of knives and the knives had no sharp edges.)

Step 2:

Add the marshmallows.

Step 3: 

Add the chocolate sprinkles.

Chase them around your plate, if necessary. (Now, there's a great fine motor activity!)

Step 4: 

Enjoy!

Figuring out how to pick it up was a bit of a challenge.

The first bites were tentative.

Then once they figured out that these strange things were pretty tasty, they became a little more enthusiastic about eating them.

Some were right-side-up eaters.

And others were upside-down eaters.

And, some didn't really eat it at all — but, no matter. They ALL had fun making them. With two year olds, the experience is always primary and the result secondary. Keep that in mind as you are interacting with your two year old. The outcome of any little project or activity may not be what you expected, but if they enjoyed and learned through the process — that's what is important. (And, they're ALWAYS learning!)