Alphabet Week

Just a quick note about alphabet week...

This week we have talked about the letters in our name, worked on recognizing our names, Chicka Chicka Boom Boom and Alphabet Under Construction.  You should have received the letter A under construction craft.  The children spent a lot of time painting, gluing and decorating their letter.  We also made several projects with the Chicka Chicka Boom Boom theme.  The children had a fun time making coconuts with their fingers prints.  Hopefully they have shared their coconut counting book with you.  The sensory table was a hit once again!  This week it was filled with alphabet noodles, alphabet beads, magnetic ABC's and of course tongs, shovels and sieves.  Lots of exercising those little fingers!

I have also seen a lot of creativity happening in our creative play area.  The ABC cafe is a booming business!  We have had a lot of construction going on in the block area.  Very tall buildings, curvy roads and awesome ramps for the cars.  Letter cookie cutters made an appearance at the play dough table this week.  The children were so excited to make cookie letters to spell out their names. 

We are off to a great start!  I am looking forward to Aa week next week.  Stay tune for updates!

Mrs. Farrell

Welcome!

Welcome to school!

This week we will be learning about our classroom, classroom rules and our new friends.  Friday's class will be following the book "If You Take A Mouse To School".  Our activities will follow the adventures of mouse during his day at school.  We will even have a surprise snack from mouse! 
Next week will begin our introduction to the ABC's.  We will read Chicka Chicka Boom Boom and Alphabet Under Construction.  Our crafts will also follow these books.  It is my hope that there will be lots of laughter, movement, exploring and creativity in the classroom.

Thank you for visiting,

Mrs. Farrell

Getting Ready for Kindergarten

So many parents start worrying if their child is ready for Kindergarten.  Here is an article I found from Scholastic that reviews what Kindergarten teachers are looking for in their new students.  Remember, have fun with your children!  Making learning fun through playing games and reading together.  In preschool we will be strengthening our fine motor skills to prepare us for Kindergarten writing.  We use tweezers, tongs, stringing beads, water bottle squirting, sorting items and beginer scissor skills.  All these areas of play are preparing them for writing and learning in Kindergarten while they think they are playing!  Great!  We will also learn to use our creativity in our story telling, dress up, creative free art time, songs and dance.  These areas are what will strengthen their creative minds for writing and problem solving in the years to come.  As a preschool teacher and you as their parent, it is important that we show our children how to play and use their creativity.  The best way to do that is to set an example.  Have fun!

click below to read article
Ready for Kindergarten?

Why we play

PLAY TODAY

by Lelia P. Fagg

You say you love your children,

And are concerned they learn today?

So am I; that's why I'm providing

A variety of kinds of play.

You're asking me the value

Of blocks and other such play?

Your children are solving problems.

They will use that skill everyday.

You're asking what's the value

Of having your children play?

Your daughter's creating a tower.

She may be a builder someday.

You're saying you don't want your son

To play in that "sissy" way?

He's learning to cuddle a doll.

He may be a father someday.

You're questioning the learning centers;

They just look like useless play?

Your children are making choices;

They'll be on their own someday.

You're worried your children aren't learning,

and later they'll pay?

They're learning a pattern for learning,

For they will be learners always.

Sunday Morning...

I find myself sitting here on the sofa, laptop on lap, coffee beside me starting my day with blogging. Well, I did load the dirty dishes left from last night into the dishwasher and wipe down the black granite countertops that mock me with their fingerprints! I figured with those two chores out of the way I could justify a few minutes of computer time before dashing down to Turkey Hill for some milk and cereal, getting a shower and hitting the soccer fields by 12:30! Thanks to anyone that has checked out my blog and left me words of praise on FB. It looks like I am going in the direction of archiving Letter of the week activities for parents to view. There has been such pressure for these little ones to know their ABC's prior to kindergarten. Right now my mother is rolling her eyes and pacing in the kitchen. Calm down Mom, times are changing and I am doing my best to give the parents what they want, get the kids prepared for kindergarten, but disguise it through PLAY!!!

For any of you that don't know, my mother was a Director of a preschool, an Elementary teacher, worked with the CAIU as a Early Interventionalist/Play Therapy. While I don't posess any of those credentials, I guess that teaching skills are hereditary. Thanks Mom. I was a rebel and turned my back on the inevitable road to teaching. There was no way I was going to be a teacher like my Mother, Father, Aunt, Uncles, and eventually both of my sisters. Umm, yes, I am a little stubborn. My creativity and Art skills found me in Interior Design at West Virginia University. I loved spending late nights at my drafting table, meticulously drawing detailed elevations with ink on mylar and I have ALWAYS since a child felt at home in an office supply store! I went on to work in the Design field in Atlanta after graduating. I also should add that I met my husband in drafting class and that is where our life together started. Love ya! So, on to Atlanta. Loved Atlanta, beautiful weather, fabulous restaruants and fast pace living. Through different jobs I eventually became the Design Manager for an office furniture dealer, working AutoCad memorizing thousands of part numbers, figuring out how to cram 200 people into basically closets, meet all their working needs and of course, still obide codes. Well, in 1996 my little girl was born. Eventually watching people run around the office with their heads cut off because a chair order had not yet been delivered did not seem as important as being with my little one. Thus my new position as stay at home mom. I am here to say 13 years later that managing a design team and calming spastic salesmen was easier than the duties of motherhood. Never, Ever would I change that decision. Nothing is more rewarding and I am blessed everyday that I am where I am.
When my friend was teaching at my children's preschool, there was a position available to be her assistant in the two year old class. Cool. My kids were four and eight at the time and my son attended the preschool. I like play dough and obviously like kids, LOVE craft supplies, plus my friend is the teacher. Sign me up. That was my beginning at preschool and five years later I have moved through assisting the Two's, teaching the Two's, assisting the Threes, teaching the Threes and now next year teaching the Threes and Fours. Wow. Way to avoid that teaching gene Amy. Brilliance. And look you are even doing it for a preschool salary. Never, Ever would I change that decision. Nothing is more rewarding and I am blessed everyday that I am where I am.

Off to Turkey Hill for that milk - have a wonderful day!

Beautiful morning to start a blog...

Well, here I sit blogging again. Why again? My creative first entry was deleted after previewing it. So here goes the second attempt! I didn't understand why people blogged and shared such creative ideas. Not that I think you should hoard them to yourselves, thank you for sharing! The idea of organizing, blogging, etc... was overwhelming. So, why do I sit here on a beautiful morning off from preschool with my laptop thinking of how to start my own blog? The list varies from this being a distraction from laundry, cleaning bathrooms and exercising to wanting to share my favorite found blogs and ideas with family, friends and parents! I know the latter part sounded so much more professional, but I will promise to always be real! I am a preschool teacher searching for ideas, but foremost I am a mother of two (ages 9 and 13). The list of responsibilities outside of preschool are endless.....chef, tutor, taxi driver, nurse, seamstress, housekeeper, counselor, friend and wife. Preschool allows me to still utilize my creativity, sing and dance without criticism, be greeted by smiling faces and feel like a rock star! Can't ever get sick of hearing excited children yell your name when you enter the room. What a way to start a day! Maybe posting my exciting finds here will save my friends from hearing ...."I found the cutest idea today!" Most of my friends children are at an age now that they could really care less about hanging "adorable felt clothing up with mini clothespins". Great idea by the way, totally using it for school! Ok....here goes posting, cross your fingers!