September 21-25 Four Year Olds

Another busy week in room 102! The four year old class had their first field trip to the Beanstalk Garden. We got to tour the garden and look at many different kinds of fruits and vegetables. Some of us even chose to taste some of the different vegetables. At the end of our time there, we planted basil plants to take home with us. The best part of the field trip for most of the children, however, was the school bus ride! We talked at school this week BEFORE our trip about what we know about buses. AFTER our trip, we wrote another list of things we now knew about buses after riding one. The children had so much to say – we even made our own school buses! Be sure to look at the bulletin board we are creating this week to see what we had to say. 

 The four year old class also had their first Snacks with Stacy time. Stacy Al Ettar (fellow preschool teacher and all around awesome lady) came to read the children a story, and to talk with them about healthy foods. We played a stoplight game, in which the children had to decide which foods were “green light” (all fruits and veggies), which were “yellow light” (foods we eat in moderation), and which were “red light” (junk food and candy). Stacy also left us with a healthy snack of snap peas and strawberries. Yum! 

here we go!

we are listening carefully to our guide!

we were encouraged to touch the leaves of most everything we saw. this is a fig tree.

we pretended to be seeds, and then we grew into flowers!

we loved seeing this BIG grasshopper

we loved this pond with "big goldfish" in it (or, koi fish!)

Snacks with Stacy

creating our own school bus

we used different materials for windows, wheels, and people.

this child noticed that the wheels didn't have "the circle part in the middle" so she cut it and fixed that problem herself. SO fun to watch the children process all of this.

this bus needed an engine on the bottom.

Week of September 14-18

We'd like to thank all of you for coming to the Back to School nights this week. What a great turn out! We hope it was informative for you all. Please don't forget that we would like you all to bring a photo of your family to go on our family board in the classroom. You can always email the photo to one of us and we can print it for you.  Please enjoy a few photos of our week, and enjoy your weekend!

working hard on a "rocket ship"

just hanging out

these girls decided they should use the blocks to build a "see saw"

exploring the discovery area

writing letters and putting them in envelopes

sorting bears

working in the writing area

using rubber bands on the geo boards

washing cars

sorting bears at the workbench

4 year olds cut out the area sign for their first plan and then placed it in an envelope to go home

painting outside on a hot afternoon

more bear sorting

First Day for 4-Year-Olds!

We had another great start today with our 4-year-old class. We spent the morning getting to know each other, and getting to know our routines. We read the book "I'm Not Ready!" about a little owl who wasn't quite ready for his first day of preschool - the children loved it. Again, it's our goal to update this blog at least once a week, but probably not every day like this first week! Please enjoy these photos of our first day together.

we did some writing

we did some measuring

we explored the gears

we played at the discovery table

we had a "banana bread party"

we built a castle with guards

we had a collaborative art project

we played with the farm

we played at the doll house

we found a cozy space to read

we dressed up

we used the dump truck to help clean up!

First day for 3-Year-Olds!

We had a great first day today! We are always so amazed at how quickly children acclimate to a new situation, and today was no exception. While we won't be updating this blog daily (the goal is at least once a week!) we thought the first day for each age needed a post with some photos taken today. When parents came to pick up at the end of our day today, one child looked at her mom and exclaimed, "It was SO GOOD!" and that was a joy to hear! Enjoy a few moments of our day!

play dough!

dot markers

doll house

dump trucks are fun to fill with bears!

a little quiet coloring time at the end of the day

sand table

more dot markers

outside play in the sandbox!

Welcome to the 2015-16 School Year!

Dear families,

Welcome to the 2015-16 school year in room 102! We are so excited to get to know your children and your families. We will begin this month by getting to know each other and learning the High Scope curriculum as well as our daily routine. The beauty of the High Scope curriculum is that what we do during our time together in the classroom is very much driven by the interests of the children. The more we get to know your children by observing them during our day, the more we can incorporate their interests into our planning. But first, please allow us to start by introducing ourselves:

Beth Richardson: This is my ninth year teaching at Village Preschool. I teach both the three-year-old and the four-year-old classes. I have an Early Childhood and Elementary Education degree from Michigan State University and a Masters degree in Reading. A long, long time ago I taught first and third grades in elementary school. My husband, Ralph, and I have three children – Kelly (28), Katy (22), and Conner (20).

Kate Willaredt: This is my third year of teaching at Village Preschool. I am excited to be teaching both three-year-olds and four-year-olds again this year! Before I came to Village, I taught preschool for ten years at Central Early Childhood Center in Kansas City, Mo.  I have an English Literature BA from UMKC, and a Masters degree in Early Childhood Curriculum and Instruction, also from UMKC. My husband Steve, and I have two children – Lucy (10), and Zoe (8) and we recently adopted a sweet black lab mix that we named Salvy after my favorite Kansas City Royal!

Renee Reimer: This is my second year teaching at Village Preschool. I teach the Tuesday, Thursday extended day class. I graduated from Bethel College with a Music Education degree and art minor. When I am not teaching at Village, I work with Jr. and Sr. high youth at Rainbow Mennonite Church as their Youth Program Director. This year I am also starting my Masters of Divinity in Christian Faith Formation.

Please join us on Tuesday, September 15 (for the three year old class) and Wednesday, September 16^th (for the 4 year old class) from 6:30 – 7:30pm for Back to School Night. At this parent-only meeting, you will get a closer look at exactly what your child’s day entails. You will also be able to sign up to bring snacks, volunteer to be a room parent, and sign up to bring supplies for our holiday celebrations. We look forward to seeing you!

Please be aware that we will be posting the majority of our communication on our classroom blog: www.villageroom102.blogspot.com. We feel that this is a great way to post photos, information about what we are doing in the classroom, and also general preschool information. We know we don’t always get to spend time discussing these things with you at drop off and pick up, and we’ve found that the blog is a super way to communicate outside of the classroom. If you require a paper copy of anything, please let us know and we will get that to you.

We are so excited to be sharing this year with you and your children!

Kate, Beth, and Renee

www.villageroom102.blogspot.com

The End...

Wow. We can't believe that we have made it to the end of another amazing school year.  Please know what a joy it has been this year for each of us to get to know (and love!) your children. Looking back, it seems a little like we just started, and yet, when we think about all we've done this year and all that your children have accomplished, it really does seem like a very full year.  We thank you for entrusting your most precious gifts to us. For allowing us to get to know your families. And mostly, for allowing us to read, draw, pretend, create, play, laugh, and admire your smart, funny kiddos. Enjoy a few pictures from the last few weeks, and have an amazing summer!