January 28th, 2018

Our Week in PreK:

We had a fun week in the classroom exploring our units of study and learning together.

The children continued to be interested in light and demonstrated this through their play.  An "x-ray machine" was brought to their "veterinarian office" and the students took x-rays of each other, while pretending to be animals, by posing under the light table.  They puzzled over which body part was represented by the picture on the x-ray; if the child underneath was facing in one direction, why did the x-ray picture show the opposite direction?  At this age, the students' understanding of reality and fantasy is still fluid when they are fully engrossed in play.

The children struggled to understand how the picture showed the animal's head, when the child had not put his head underneath the table.  The conversation and problem-solving went back-and-forth for fifteen minutes as propositions and hypotheses were offered.  Allowing students to reach the point of healthy frustration, without offering answers right away, is an ideal learning zone.  They are able to support and learn from each other.  No resolution was reached at this point; the x-ray machine is still a somewhat mysterious force for the children to engage with and learn from in their play.  

Students engaged with balls at the sensory table, eventually using them in a balance scale to support our measurement unit.  They enjoyed scooping, touching, and rolling them.  With sorting trays, they made observations about the number of balls in each tin, the color of the balls, and of course, engaged in pretend play such as making cupcakes or muffins for each other. The small size of the balls allowed the children to explore the concepts of heavier and lighter when measuring weight in the balancing scales later in the week.

We focused on the letter U, and many children reviewed letters we had worked on previously.  The students are emerging writers and several wanted to show their letters to adults in the room.  They are amazed when others can read their writing unprompted, and proud of their "writing superpower."

Students independently clean their boards after engaging in the "wet-dry-try" Handwriting Without Tears method of chalk writing.

Here are some more photos from our week together:

A new board game allowed students to show their growing numeracy awareness in many ways.

Next Week:

The children will be embarking on a new unit of study, which perfectly suits them: Living Things and Growth.  It is easy to see how this will meet a variety of their interests including the veterinarian's office, wild animals in the block area, and planting seeds.

We will continue to study measurement, introducing the concept of volume by discussing which types of containers are best for holding big or small objects.

Circle Solutions:

Last week, we saw some lovely reminders of "why" we do circle solutions in the classroom.  The program develops empathy and wellbeing, not just at carpet time, but throughout the day.  At one point, a child dropped a tray of small balls from the sensory table.  Understandably, they scattered everywhere!  Immediately, all of the students in the vicinity stopped what they were doing and helped to clean up the mess- without prompting by any adult.  It was incredible to see the compassion and responsibility demonstrated by these young children for their classmate.  The messages and conversations we share during circle solutions help build a framework for this type of thinking and behavior.

Similarly, during our morning meeting, a student raised her hand for a turn to speak. She said she wanted to give someone at the carpet a compliment.  The rest of the class then took turns sharing compliments with each other, about a variety of topics: how they were sitting, being a good friend, the color of their shirt.  Gratitude and appreciation is another idea we discuss frequently at circle.  We love circle solutions and we are so glad to be able to play games and have conversations each day to support and explore these behaviors and attitudes.

Reminders: 

Thanks, families, for packing your library bags each week to support your children's growing independence.  All thirteen students (one absence) brought their library bags today!  Bravo!

ALL FAMILIES, important!:  Please bring extra clothes for your child to school!  Every child needs an extra set of warm clothes in his/her cubby, including underwear, socks, pants, and a shirt.

If your child has worn any extra clothes home that belong to CAC, please return them.  Our extra clothes supply has vanished since the beginning of the year, which once included multiple pairs of pants, shorts, shirts, sweaters, socks, and shoes.  If you notice anything in your laundry that does not look like yours, please return it to the classroom.  These items have been donated to the classroom or purchased by the teacher and it is very important to have extra PreK sized clothes on hand in case of emergencies.

Upcoming Events:

On Tuesday, January 30th we will have an open house for prospective parents.  

Family Math Night is approaching on Wednesday, February 7th from 4:15-5:15.  Please join us in the PreK classroom and learn some of the fun math games we have been playing in the classroom to learn about conceptual math, including numeracy, shapes, and measurement!

On Thursday, February 8th we will have a family picnic.  PreK lunch is from 11:00-11:30.  You are welcome to join us!  Please be sure to pack a healthy lunch (you can bring a lunch and eat with us, too!) but remember our school rule, we don't share food with each other for safety reasons; some students have allergies. See you then!

Parents' Corner:

As a follow up to last week's article on deciding what to do ahead of time, here is an article about responding respectfully - even in times when both you and your child "lose your cool."  Planning ahead is important here, too!  It is so important to model respectful, compassionate interactions, both during calm moments and during conflict.  Click on the link if you are interested in learning more!

January 22nd, 2018

Families, apologies for the late posting this week as I was unwell yesterday and was not on campus to post the classroom blog.  Thank you for your understanding.

Our Week in PreK:
The students were so eager to come back to school and to learning after their long winter break.  They jumped back into their classroom relationships and responsibilities. 

Last week the children were re-familiarizing themselves with the rules and expectations of the classroom, as is typical at this age after a break of three weeks.  The children engaged in long periods of exploration while the teachers observed, supported, and watched carefully to note connections and interests.  The children continued to show a strong interest in animals, which had been a theme for weeks before break, and wheels were integrated into their play through the use of an "ambulance" to help injured or "dead" animals.  Through this play theme, our study unit of movement continued.

Students built an ambulance with a working steering wheel.

Rescuing the "dead dog."

The first attempt at "wheels" can be seen, made of paper and taped to the chairs.

Through our focus on measurement, the children also compared objects tall and short.  They worked with the art teachers for an enrichment project based on this topic, using fingerpaint and tracing.

During small group time, we had the chance to finish up a project we started before winter break; our cinnamon dough ornaments were complete and we decorated them using paint.  The project allowed us to explore with our sense of smell and the children offered ideas of what the scent of a cinnamon stick made them think of before we introduced the word "cinnamon" and where cinnamon comes from.  The children mentioned "cookies," "food," "pillows," and "spicy," when smelling and holding their cinnamon sticks.  After talking about cinnamon, children had the option to paint and decorate a cinnamon ornament which they then took home.

Here are some more photos from our week together:

Students visited the gym to try out an obstacle course with Mr. Greene.

A lion gets an exam from the "veteran alien" on the first day of the animal exploration game.

Busy at work engaged in meaningful emergent writing and different community roles through pretend play.

The permanent home of the vet shop for this exploration, including a dog house, pet bath, vet's desk, ambulance, and x-ray machine (all requested by students at our meeting time).

Next Week:
We will have our last week of the movement study.  The students have learned so much about the way balls and other objects such as light and wheels move.  Please take a moment to check out the bulletin boards outside the classroom when you come onto campus, if you haven't already done so, to view some of the student learning on display.

We will continue with our study of measurement, by exploring the concepts of heavy and light with hands-on activities.

Reminders: 
Please be sure to pack a healthy snack each day.  Many of the children are quite hungry at this time of year.  Consider packing a little extra (also healthy!) and see if it gets eaten!  They are using a lot of energy in their play and cognitive growth. 

Upcoming Events:
We have our PreK Parent Community Meeting on Tuesday, January 23rd.  This is the meeting that was postponed from our last session.  Looking forward to seeing you in the classroom at 2:30 to discuss the topics you requested, including social and emotional development and how to carry over learning concepts at home.

There is an early release at 11:30 on Wednesday, January 24th.

We will have no school on Thursday, January 25th in observance of Police Day.

Next week there will be an Open House for PreK/KG Prospective Parents at 8:30.

Circles: 
This week at circle we will focus on our core value of Integrity.  Integrity means doing the right thing, even when no one is watching.  We have discussed integrity anecdotally throughout the year.  We will play games, read books, and talk about what it means to show integrity in the classroom, at home, and on the school campus.

Parents' Corner:
In teaching and in parenting, it's always good to be prepared!  Today's article offers some advice: decide what you will do ahead of time.  If you anticipate a challenge with your child(ren), think about it and talk it over with your spouse or other caregivers in advance.  Ensure that you all know what you will do before the situation arises and then follow through.  If everyone knows what to expect, and then follows through, you can help the children learn from difficult situations!

January 14, 2018

Our Week in PreK:
In the week before winter break, the children were excited about working together on their movement studies, as well as their collaborations to prepare for winter vacation and holidays. 

The students continued their work with balls and light in small groups to study the movement of objects and how they can manipulate or control this movement.  These exercises in simple physics are engaging, fun, and build a foundation for future learning! 

Using a "pendulum" to knock down buildings, which was introduced during small group time.

Of course, the students were very excited about the upcoming holidays.  During choice time, most children worked in "Santa's workshop," which they built collaboratively and mostly independently.  By the end of the week, roles in the workshop included creating lists, wrapping presents (toys from the classroom, reindeer in Santa's sleigh, and Santa's puppies and kittens.  The children all seemed to relish the opportunity to "practice" wrapping and unwrapping presents.  As with any other holiday, it is easy for us adults to forget that these children haven't had the chance to experience Christmas many times yet, and may not remember what to expect!  Through their play, they begin to take ownership of the "big event" that everyone is making so much fuss about and feel comfortable, knowing what will happen and what they will do.

On Thursday, we enjoyed a fun day together as the children played games with their house teams in the morning, had a festive pizza lunch, and then invited parents and family for a winter celebration party in the classroom.  Thank you to all who were able to join, for a fun classroom party.  Special thanks to our room parent for all of the hard work coordinating and setting up the games!  Thanks, Amani!

Next Week:
As we welcome the students back from our long winter holiday, a lot of our focus will be on reviewing the routines and expectations of our school day and classroom community.  Three weeks away from school is a long time, and we all will benefit from reminders about how we learn and play together in the PreK classroom.

We will begin a new unit on measurement by studying tall and short objects.  The children will continue thinking and learning about movement.  We will also review the letters we have learned about, and introduce the letter K.

We will also welcome back our friend, Ms. Julia, who will volunteer in the classroom.

Circle Solutions:
The focus during circles this week will be on community and sharing as we come together as a class after three weeks away from school.

Reminders: 
Please be sure to pack your child's library books and bag each Sunday.  Thank you!

Upcoming Events:
We will have a house event this Tuesday, January 16th.  Please be sure to wear your house colors!

We will have no school on Thursday January 25th in observance of the Police Day holiday.

Parents' Corner:
In the classroom, we do our best to respond to big feelings with empathy and understanding.  However, it's important (and realistic) to acknowledge that children's feelings aren't always predictable and our responses must be flexible.  What to do when our best intentions of responding with empathy don't work?  Here are some tips on how to help your child in this situation.