Should I Worry?

I love reading other Preschool Blogs or Childcare Blogs, because I usually find that they are thinking or worrying about the same things as I am. I got on the computer this morning and saw Teacher Tom's new post and smiled. Last night, as I lay in bed, I was thinking about the 3 children in my care that are going off to Kindergarten... are they ready?? Please go over to Teacher Tom's and take a look. Also, Deborah at Excellence in Early Childhood Education, has sooo much insight and information for both Parents and Teachers... and Deborah has so many great links... pop over and take a look!!!

On Friday a sibling came in at pick up time, we began talking about Homework... She asked me why I didn't send home "homework" for her brother. This is something I have spent a long time thinking about. I know the kids sometimes want to "do homework" when their siblings are doing theirs... but this is what I said, "Well, I think that we do sooo much learning during the day, and they have 12 years of homework in front of them, I wanted to save all that wonderful anticipation they have for homework for their Kindergarten Teacher and the homework she will need to send home :)" She shook her head, but it was her Mom who smiled and said, "Yeah."

I have had Parent's ask for homework, but I feel that the kids need play, running, and the anticipation of school. I send home little books for the kids to "read" to their families, or if we are doing a special color or letter I send home a note asking them to go on a scavenger hunt at home for something to go with the color or letter. Other than that I don't feel it is necessary for me to do more than that.

I want the children in my care to be able to experience being a kid. Introducing them to the "academic" part of it is great, but ultimately they will learn all they need to in Kindergarten. Having an environment that provides for learning in a playful style is the key for me. We can have a great time, and we learn in the process. Providing them with a place to experiment and make mistakes, learn when to sit still and when to run and jump, to problem solve, question, and be happy.

When the children go off to Kindergarten, I am confident that they will be happy, smart, and well adjusted kids. They will leave knowing what they need to know, and if they don't know it they will have the skills to figure it out, and the confidence to ask for help if they need it.

Friday Recap

We ended our week of Penguins... The kids were excited to try to waddle with their penguin egg, but it turned out to be pretty hard for them. They got frustrated pretty fast and decided that there were other more exciting things to do this morning :)

Here they are trying, but not understanding why it's not working. They gave it a few minutes and then asked to be done and proceeded to open the "eggs." I used old Leggs Pantyhose Eggs and put a jar of baby food in it to add some weight. They were more intrigued by that than trying to move the egg on their feet. Although it did give them an understanding of how hard it was for the Daddy Penguin to keep his baby warm and safe.

As promised we put the ice in the flour... and wouldn't you know it the ice didn't melt. As of right now (around 1:44 EST) it is still pretty solid. HUH!! Now I am going to have to ask my big boys science teacher the reason behind that, because the questions were flying. We hypothesized that 1. the ice would melt & 2. it would turn the flour into "goop" and we could play slime... but it didn't happen. Here are some reasons the kids came up with:

R: "Um, it (the flour) is soft so it won't melt"

B: "No, it is because the flour is cold"

L: "Maybe it's because it's..." she looks at me and with a huge smile shrugs her shoulders

S: "It's because it's in there with that" and she giggles and giggles like she has just figured out all the wonders of the world

They tried to break it up with the toys, but it was actually hard to break. I will googled it and see what I can find, if I can't find something use able to explain to the kids on Monday, I will call the kids science teacher.

We got this toy from our neighborhood Smart Start which has a lending library for people who work with children 0-5 yrs old to check out. I have taken this one out before and the kids really seem to like it. It is nice to be able to check it out since they like it only for a week or so and then they get bored. This way I bring it back, someone else gets to use it and I don't have to store it. Then after a reasonable length of time, I check it out again and it's like it is brand new!!

Another Smart Start find. Someone made this box to teach or reinforce the concepts Small, Medium, Large. The kids first sort all the materials in the box into categories, like there are 3 zippers, 3 cups, 3 spoons, etc... Then they sort the individual categories onto the Small, Medium, Large circle. I don't know who made the box, but I love it!! We were having a hard time with the word Medium and this really gives them a more concrete picture of it and to practice sorting in groups, sorting by size and introducing the language needed to describe size.

The kids like this activity... a little name reinforcement and it was like Magic when it appeared.

At the Art Center the kids worked on their Snowstorm picture. When we watched The March of the Penguin the kids were interested in a part where the Daddy's are all huddled up during a Snowstorm to keep their babies warm. So we thought we would recreate it on paper (sort of). We used bubble wrap to make prints with white paint (some of the kids used fingers and/or brushes also). We then made a little penguin with a black oval shape, and torn paper.

Here is just one Snowstorm... but they all did one and it was a nice end to the week :)

My Favorite Picture of the Day... I don't know the babyness of her, the chubby cheeks, the smile, and how she is looking off and laughing... even as I look at it, I'm not sure what she is laughing about :)

Next week we are going to read The Mitten by Jan Brett, introduce the letter O, the Oval Shape, and introduce some Color work trays. Have a Great Weekend!!!

A Great Start to A Great Week

We have started a new week and I think it has gotten off to a great start!! It is Muffin Tin Monday. If you don't know what that is you can link over to Her Cup Overfloweth and read all about it, as well as some other great ideas she has. As you can see we had: Strawberries & Blueberries, Bologna, Salad, Crackers, and Cheese. We have some S foods in there and the kids were able to pick them our while they were eating.








This morning at circle I introduced the letter "S" for Snake. We will continue with our Pond/Animal Theme again this week and we decided that a Snake would go nicely with that theme. We also decided that at the art table we would make snakes... hum... but we decided it couldn't be just a boring old snake, it had to be a Slithery Snake, No... a Slithery Slimy Snake... Yes... What about a Slithery Slimy Squiggly Snake... Now we're on a role... We loved coming up with great S words to describe our Snake. When it was all through, Sydney decided her Snake would be best Cut into Little Tiny Pieces :)

Here is our Princess who decided to make a Snake that was "Sixty Hundred Times Big."

"It's the Silliest Long Snake Ever!!"



This is B's Snake... he wanted to have him slithering down the pond... that's why he looks upside down. He is prowling for frogs to eat :)

As you can see The Princess' snake Squirms all around the pond... not even noticing the frogs. But, B's Snake is Sneaking up on those frogs below and will Snatch one right up :) (At least that's what B said)





Here are those poor frogs... just waiting to be eaten :) We made them last week when we started our Pond Theme.

Here is an activity that the kids seem to have taken to. They are the Melissa & Doug Wooden Magnetic Doll Sets. I bought some at a consignment sale and a parent just gave me some more. We now have quite an assortment and the kids can make some pretty crazy ballerinas and firemen. They are having fun with them.

We also did some review of our past letters and numbers, we did some center work with Shapes and I added some games to the Math Center. The Sand Studio, Blocks, Art Table, and Magnetic Dolls still seem to be the most popular today, but we will continue to make the Math and Science Centers as Open Ended as possible. They really do like that style of learning better.

Have a Great Day!!!

A Few Holiday Program Photos

Here are some photos from our Christmas Program. The kids really looked great. I don't know if you can see back behind the kids, the little house, it was made for me by one of the families. It was the center of their life for a while there... and it really is beautiful!! I love it and it will be something that I keep with me for my career... whether here at the house or if I ever go into a classroom again.

The empty seat next to Ryan is where my one little guy got up and went to sit with Mom. I was happy that it was only 1 this year. Last year it was 2 and it got pretty lonely up there for the rest of the kids. I was impressed that the rest had such a good time and sang their little hearts out.

Busy... But Not

Wow, I feel like we haven't had any real structure to our days the past few weeks. We have been busy making holiday crafts, open ended art has been a huge hit the last two weeks, and just open free play. We have been "pulling" kids one-by-one to get things done, so I have allowed them to kinda just be. Which is nice, I have been allowed into their world of play. Getting to see them use what they have been "learning" since September. Seeing them "read" together from one of the books we have made, the sand studio has turned into a Car Garage for all the matchbox cars, the gift wrapping table has become a place to conduct business... one day it was the grocery store (where the baker wrapped their cakes... who knows where that came from??) one day it was the farmer who had to wrap and sell ALL the pretend fruits and veggies from the "farm" (even a few from my pantry). I have been so busy doing "nothing" I haven't been able to get the camera out. I have missed so many great photos, but oh well, I have enjoyed our days together.

**By the way... we are still working on that growth spurt I wrote about :) We haven't made the leap yet, but I definitely see some progress. My boys have started working together on more complex adventures (building things for their cars, kitty's, mazes for the monster trucks, etc...). So I think that it is safe to say... after break all the kids will be ready for some new and different activities to go with their growth spurt :)

Jammie Day

Today was Jammie Day!! I was out grocery shopping last night and my cell phone goes off!!

Me: Hello

B: Shell, can we have a jammie day tomorrow?

Me: Huh, well we haven't had one in a long time.

B: Yeah!! Lets have a jammie day.

Me: Ok!! Let's do it! I'll call everyone, ok.

B: Ok, bye

Come to find out, his Mom was having Jammie Day at school, so he thought we should have one too. I am glad he did. It was a short, cute phone call and I smiled the rest of the way through the grocery store!!

That is what I love most about Family Home Childcare, you can have a spontaneous jammie day!! I text all my friends and today we had a cozy, fun filled, picnic having jammie day!!!

We took out all the blankets and used them for everything!! From forts (of course) to mummy making friends!!! (Gotta love the winter hat)

A little gift wrapping in our jammies (or jamma's as this little princess likes to correct me)

We had a playdate with this little guy today... wasn't he so cute in those jammies pretending to be the teacher!!!

What a nice way to end the week. We have our Polar Express Day planned for next week when the big kids get off school early... so I think it will have to be another Jammie Day, I mean you can't have the Polar Express Day without our Jammies and Hot Cocoa!!

Week in Review

Make a Smilebox postcard

We had a great week this week!! We had some yucky weather, but always found time to go outside and run around for a little while. We get muddy and dirty but we definitely had lots of fun.

We went to the nature area and picked out our tree to study the season's with. We explored apples & appleseed's. Learning about Johnny "Appleseed" Chapman was fun too!! The kids loved exploring the sensory table. We put in cornstarch, cinnamon & all spice. It smelled wonderful in our room and the kids loved making apple pies, apple cakes, & apple creations... didn't matter what it looked like, it was an apple-something.

The older-infants/toddlers spent some time with the preschoolers during "quiet work" time. They got to use some of the materials they don't usually get to play with... paint, markers, cornstarch... they had a blast!! They can't focus for very long, but boy when they do there is no stopping them. If they aren't done yet, forget it. They will sit there until THEY are good and ready to move on. Then when THEY are ready to move on... that's it!! Paint everywhere between the art table to the bathroom, move over kids... N & M coming through!! It was fun to observe and I am so glad they had so much fun!!!

Paint was our focus this week... we used it in a lot of projects and the kids are beginning to get used to it. It's slimy and some of the kids don't want to touch it, so we provided bushes, q-tips, and spoons to paint with... but thankfully they all ended up at least trying to use their hands and fingers when they made the apples for the apple trees!! I was very impressed!!

I think it was a great week... We will be visiting a farm next week, so we will be learning about farms, farm animals, & friendship!! I will provide some more open-ended activities where the kids can explore lots of different materials. Now... again... off to bed for me!!! I have a busy day tomorrow ;)

Nature, Autumn, Trees

Autumn is upon us!! I have talked about seasons with the kids, read books about the seasons, we do a weather chart everyday, where we talk about clothing, temperature, & climate... but the Season's are always elusive. I haven't found a concrete way of getting them to understand that there are 4 seasons, even if our winter is not really winter in my book :)...
So... my neighbor, Tracy, student taught last year and the teacher she worked with had this great idea to "adopt" a tree for the year. They pick one out, look at it, touch it, discuss & analyze it, photograph it, & draw it. I decided that this may be just the right thing for us. We have a small nature area in our community, within walking distance, where we can go and SEE first hand how the season's effect "our" tree. Since it was the first day of Autumn this past week, it was a perfect day to start.

Here is OUR tree... Very large, lots of leaves, & we can all get under it and make lots of wonderful memories there.

Hum... what could that green stuff be? Let's go find out....

We all decided to lie down on our backs and take a different look at our tree... What do you see??

Em: "Lot's of leaves"

B: "Yeah, I see leaves and branches"

R: "No, sticks. I see sticks and leaves"

It was nice to get a different perspective of something, that even at such a young age we take for granted the beauty of.

Here they are celebrating their tree... How exciting!

We continued talking about Autumn, how we think Our tree will change and why. We made our first of, I hope, many drawings of our tree. Next week, we will begin gathering the more factual information about our tree. What kind is it, how old do we think it is, what does it need to grow, etc... The kids are very excited to be outside, learn about this new tree, and about all the different things they find at the nature area. I am hoping this will help them to start getting acquainted with seasons... So when they go off to Kindergarten they can really start to make those connections that we have been paving the way for. I can't believe how big & smart they are becoming... but that's for another day!!! More photo's from our week later in the weekend... now off to bed!!!

Preschool/Tot School Begins...

We will be beginning our "School Year" on Monday. I am looking forward to the routine and learning that will be happening. I have started rearranging the playroom furniture from Summer Play to Learning Play. We will be having our Montessori material in centers this year and hope this will help the kids in putting their work away. We have 3 preschoolers this year that will "graduate" to Kindergarten at the end of the year... OMG!!! I can't believe my babies will go to Kindergarten. How time flies... just yesterday it seems that they were in diapers and playing in the sensory table outside.

I think the kids are excited to get back to a routine also, they have been loving our summer circle time lately since I have been reading a theme book and doing a craft to go with that theme. They are eager to know what the new centers will be and what will be in them. I am excited for them to come on Monday and have a great morning.

Our Tot's will be having some fun too... Beth and I are carrying our Theme over to them and incorporating them into our School Time Adventures!!! It will be a learning process for us and the Tot's, but I think it will be worth it. They really love to be involved and touch the "big" kids work... so know we will offer it to them in a more age appropriate form. Beth and I are learning that just because the Tot's don't often sit through a whole story... they listen as they are playing. They may not finish an art project... but they come back to it time and time again throughout the day and touch it, look at it, smell it & of course try to taste it :) It is amazing to see the Tot's learn each day... everything is a learning experience... all their time is occupied exploring and experimenting. I am so happy that we can provide them with an environment that gives them those opportunities.

So... now I am off to complete my Math/Science Center... I think I want to introduce something in that center... just not sure what. I want to keep it small right now, until we all learn or relearn the rules of taking out, using, & putting back. I think it will be an interesting week :)