This week in Pre-K we are studying Frogs and Birds.  The children loved making a frog and learning about its lifecycle.  We played leap frog, sang "Five Green and Speckled Frogs" and talked about what lives in/above and below a pond.

Letters of the week are "Ff," and "Ww."  We practice writing daily, so feel free to practice at home too!  Bodie wrote all of his F's and his name completely and beamed with pride.  The practice really shows!

You may wonder, "Why do they have Station Time?"  Station time is 30-40 minutes long and consists of different activities which rotate every 10 minutes.  This is a great opportunity to expose your children to different partners in play, activities and social interactions that may not occur in their day to day life.  For example:  boys love to build.  When given the choice, they choose 9-10x - Legos.  Girls will usually choose Princess activities or artwork.  Stations are a chance for children to experience different activities and build confidence within the tasks.  Our Easter grass bin has been extremely popular with all of the kids this week.  A sensory bin is filled with Easter grass, chopsticks are provided and items are hidden within the grass.  The children learn to cooperate with one another to not only find, but sort the items by color.  While it may appear as "play time" it is building communication and social skills, color recognition and sorting, and fine motor as they maneuver their chopsticks throughout the bin.  The smiles on the faces of children as they accomplish balancing blocks stacked 25+ high or a child as they paint the rainbow in the correct color spectrum of the rainbow for the first time is priceless.  Our children learn through play and it is essential to their academic, emotional and social development.

Cause and effect came into play this week as the kids moved bubbles.  We used our breath, straws and fans to manipulate and move them across the room.  Laughter was contagious and they were amazed at what can be accomplished with focus. 

Music and movement consisted of some serious dancing and now the kids are making requests.  No matter what new songs I bring in they still have favorites and we dance up a storm!  One parent volunteer commented "That's all it takes to get them to listen?  I'm doing this at home!!"  I have two kids and music always does the trick!  Try it out, you will be amazed!  You can teach your children your address and phone # simply through song, give it a try!

We sorted, categorized, talked about colors and blending and what flies, swims and walks.  Super fun answers always lead to explanations and always more questions.  Everyday is filled with laughter, love and pride as each child finds their role in our classroom.  The pride they take in themselves is really something to behold.  If you haven't had the opportunity to come in and spend some quality time please let us know as visitors are always welcome. 

Update on Ms. Lindsi new family:

She and baby Addi came to visit on Wednesday.  The family is doing amazing and Ms. Lindsi's doctor feels that she needs a bit more time to rest.  She potentially may be returning the first of May.  We will let you know as we know more.  We appreciate your support during this time as Ms. Lindsi spends time with her new baby and want to thank Ms. Stacy for the absolutely amazing job she is doing with the class.  Our Pre K class has surpassed the goals for the year and Ms. Stacy has done a phenomenal job continuing to challenge them as they continue to learn new concepts.