We ended the semester on a high note. The children have explored safety, pro-social behaviors, bones and the body, and creative dramatics. We were very busy. Science was exciting and consistent with our resident science teacher. We’ve enjoyed some good field trips; shared traditions during the holidays; had loads of fun during Doldrum’s Week; developed better pitch with music classes at Settlement; worked our bodies at dance class with Yaqshaan; and learned water safety at the Y. Yep, we were busy. The fruits of all of our labor; yours and ours was greatly appreciated at the Staff Appreciation ceremony. We were honored to be honored by each of you. It was a special day.

It is summertime with a vengeance!!!! I have told many of you that I’m not complaining about the hot weather because I was very cold this past winter; so no complaints from me. I will say that it is a great time to stay inside under the air conditioners!!!! We are paying close attention to the heat index daily and adjusting our indoor/outdoor play accordingly.

The summer fun is under way. Water Science with Dottie has been loads of fun and educational. The children are excited to see the flowers and vegetables of their gardening labor. They have diligently weeded the garden and are consistent in keeping the garden hydrated. This week the children explored Sinking and Floating. did you know that a thin, flat piece of foil will float with a handful of marbles inside if the marbles are laying flat, but if the marbles are in a pile, the same foil will sink? I learned this on Monday! the kids also had fun drawing and tracing boats on paper that was then folded into a paper boat. The children quickly realized that boats made from paper aren’t as practical as foil boats. they were also happy to wear the paper boats on their heads as hats. Dottie will be away the next two weeks. We will continue our exploration with experiments and fun with ice. Our regular water play days are Monday’s and Friday’s.

The Pre-K graduation is fast approaching. The children have all been given their lines and a CD with music on it. It is going to be a production to remember! As you all know, this is my Broadway debut, it’s all about me! LOL!  Seriously, the graduation ceremony is a special way to give closure to this chapter in the children’s lives and a way to embrace their transition to kindergarten or to another school. We hope that you all can join us for the occasion. You will see the second and third floors begin to transform into a memorial of all the graduates with photos and artwork.

We hope that you all are enjoying any vacation time that you  have or had. We are keeping things light and easy and fun.

I know it has been quite a while since the last blog post. I offer no excuses and beg your forgiveness. Here we go:

          Although the summer came suddenly and without warning, we did a lot of activities throughout the spring that we should make note of.

Our projects this semester were fabulous! Pre-k I floored us with their creative Creative Dramatics. They tried on the roles of the directors, the stage hands, and the actors. They presented their productions in full costume for their friends in Pre-k II. We were all wowed by how well they remembered and delivered their lines. They dramatized some old favorites like Caps for Sale, The Three Little Pigs, and Miss Nelson is Missing. Miss Viola Swamp, the main character of Miss Nelson, made quite an impression; heck! She scared me straight! I see Oscars in many of their futures!

Pre-K II has been equally busy. We explored the Bones and the Body. Can you say Anatomy 101? The children had all kinds of questions and we got all kinds of answers. Did you know that a snake has over 400 pairs of ribs and that humans only have 12 pairs? See, I told you, interesting right? Anyway, we learned about the organs and their functions; we made blood (fake, of course) and talked about the functions of red and white cells and platelets; and we learned that while your spine keeps you upright, your brain controls everything that you do.

To wrap up the projects; Pre-k I has recorded their productions for later viewing at some point, and Pre-K II has created large Bone and Body books. Both of these projects should have been on display during the art show.

Speaking of the art show… Let’s just say, “WOW!” Although I personally, along with all of the teachers played an integral part in every project displayed, I was in awe. It was exciting and exhilarating to see all of the work compiled into one great event. We all appreciate everyone that was able to come and share this spectacular event. We hope that you all walked away with the same awesome level of pride that we had preparing and presenting the great works of your children.

This has been and continues to be a banner year for science at Pooh. Our resident science teacher, Dottie, has certainly turned up our level of scientific astuteness. The children look forward to the weekly lessons and always walk away with new terminology and an advanced level of scientific competency. The science lessons will continue throughout the summer months so that the children have continuity. Besides the wonderful educational value of science; it’s just plain fun.

Tomorrow is our last swimming class. You should all have received the necessary information that is pertinent to your coming in to view the class. If not, please check your e-mails. The Main Line Y. has been an accommodating and gracious host. Our visits have gone smoothly and uneventful, compared to other years at other facilities. The staff is wonderful with the children and have done a wonderful job of meeting each child’s specific needs at their own individual levels.

Summer weather requires many adjustments to make everyone comfortable. Here are some Pooh things that would be most helpful to the children’s comfort.

          Please put your child in closed shoes. I know it’s tempting to put on sandals or the like but trust me, it’s only a good idea until your child’s foot get jabbed with a woodchip. If your child requires a stronger suntan/bug spray or lotion that the Pooh standard, it is your duty to send it in. We will use them collectively only on the children’s whose parents have purchased it; that’s fair right? We will be asking for water shoes and bathing suits for water play. Please purchase them now if you have not; they will be a challenge to find within the next two weeks. Children cannot partake in the water play festivities if they are not properly prepared. Open water shoes are NOT PERMITABLE. They create a really slippery and dangerous hazard to the children; even if the shoes are really cute; I’m just sayin. Your child will be prohibited for safety reasons but he/she will have a difficult time processing this; that’s why we are leaving it up to YOU to make the right choice. In the summer heat the children tend to enjoy cold or room temperature foods versus foods that need to be heated. We will continue to heat the foods but cannot guarantee that your child will eat them. Also, cold foods make for easier picnic lunches in the yard.

Well folks, I already know that this was certainly an earful but feel free to say it anyway. I hope you all feel brought up to speed, caught up, in the loop, in the know, and all that good stuff. If I missed anything, well, better luck next time (LOL)!

Marie

Hi Everybody!

          Here’s what we’ve been doing.

Last week in science class, Dottie led the group in some spring planting. She gave a talk about soil, the environmental benefits of planting and gardening, and the differences in the various flowers that they planted. You can check out the growth of the flowers in their window box on the second floor. This week’s lesson was an exciting exploration of magnets. The children had fun testing everything in the room to see if there was a magnetic force. We also learned some interesting facts about magnets, for instance, did you know that magnets should never go near computers, or that all magnets are not the same and some should be stored separately? I definitely learned something from that lesson! Over the next few weeks, Dottie will lead the group in a variety of short science lessons designed to give the children a good foundation of basic science. Next week they will explore Light and Shadow. If possible, please send in flashlights and any magnets that you have at home.

We have been very busy artist. During one of our circle time discussions the subject of the moon and its stages and hues came up. You may have noticed the Moon Art on the tables recently. Pre-K I has been busy creating scenery for their stories. Right now they have transformed themselves into the Big Bad Wolf and the Three Little Pigs! There are some real actors up there. We have created spring trees in bloom, replicas of a famous Van Gough painting, today we created canvas’ for a future art project, and Pre-K II has added organs to their Bone and Body Books. We are gearing up for our annual art show in June. Please contribute empty shoe boxes if you have any.

We have also incorporated a lot of mathematical and language arts activities; numbering 1-100, cuisonaire rods and patterning, Number Bingo, Pre-K II explored pints, quarts, and volume to reinforce our exploration of the amount of blood that we have inside our bodies, experience pictures, building castles with the blocks with a partner, Name Hangman, story tapes with headphones, and Pre-K II created a word tree that contains words related to our project. They wrote the words themselves.

Our gross motor fun has included dance class, Yoga, the Island Game,  Musical chairs, dramatic play, and animal charades.We have also been able to get outdoors pretty regularly despite the changes in the weather.

Please don’t forget to sign permission slips and pay money for our trip this coming Friday.

I hope you feel caught up to speed. Have a great weekend!!!

Did You Know?????

Last week, Nellie (from the infant room) brought in a variety of animals for the children to examine. Nellie’s 16-year-old cousins run an animal rescue center right inside their own home in New Jersey! They have a wide variety of animals ranging from hissing cockroaches to a kimono dragon. They retrieve, rescue, and foster many of the animals from all over the world. Well, Nellie, who is often their assistant when they do animal shows, exhibits, and special events (like birthday parties and seminars) graciously shared some of the unique animals with us. Nellie is very knowledgable and brave! She brought two pythons, hissing cockroaches, a gecko, two good-sized lizards, and some frogs. The children were allowed to touch some of them and ask a lot of questions. We did a lot of hand washing! Thanks Nellie. If any of you are interested in special shows for parties or other events, you can speak to Nellie. 

On Monday Dottie introduced the concept of composting to some of the children, as some of them are already quite familiar. One activity was a sorting game. The children sorted and categorized ALL of the plastic food we have in the building. They sorted in categories of fruits, veggies, meats, poultry, dairy, and carbohydrates. They talked about what we could use to compost and what could not be used. Dottie brought in a variety of old vegetables, some fresh bananas, some grass, leaves, egg shells, and compost from her own garden. Teri has purchased a composting bin for our yard which will be delivered some time this week. The children added all of the items to a bucket and then stirred it with their hands. I’m sure you found dirt somewhere on their bodies that night. In the third activity the children created a compostable collage. They sifted through magazines and cut out pictures of foods that would be composed. They glued them onto a large sheet of paper to create the mural. We will be collecting fruit and vegetable scraps for the composting which will eventually go into the Pooh garden. Dottie will be leading the children in an extensive gardening project from the spring throughout the summer.This will be a good corridor for our science lessons to continue in the fall.

Pre-K II has added blood vessels, red and white blood cells, and platelets to our bone and  body books. We will be exploring fake blood and the measurement of pints and quarts, and the concept of volume.

Pre-K I has been busy with the antics of Miss Nelson/Viola Swamp. There are a lot of really good actors in that group. Their next story interest is Big Bad Bruce. They will also be spending a lot of time creating scenery for their productions. If you have thoughts or ideas, we are open to them.

Please remember to dress your child in weather appropriate clothing and shoes that fit. I know it is tempting to let your child put on those shoes that he/she really loves or big brother’s/big sister’s hand-me-downs but we need you to resist for the safety of your child and others. When your child expectantly steps out of those big shoes or trips and falls, he/she often lands on or trips someone else. Please don’t make me say your names! Thank you kindly in advance for your child’s sake.

Have a good evening.

Here’s the news since last week.

Doldrums Week was a lot of fun. Thank you all for coming in to share such fun activities with us. We all had fun with the balloon bonanza. I wasn’t able to attend the dance but I heard that it was a blast. The children were all eager to share the fun they had. Ruairi showed us the fabulous photos that he actually took himself. He is quite the photographer!

On Monday Dottie brought the bones of the whole chicken that she had had for dinner. The children identified, counted, and compared the bones to those of humans. Did you know that a chicken has twelve pairs of ribs which is the same as humans.  We also explored two of our senses; smell and touch. One activity involved sticking our hands inside a bag and trying to identify various objects without  looking at them. The smell activity included various household and common scents in covered jars. The children had to really sniff them to figure out what they were. Next week they will be introduced to the world of composting.

Pre-k II will continue working on our bone and body books. We have also started talking about blood cells, veins, and plasma. We would like to explore the concept of pints and quarts as it pertains to the amounts of blood in our bodies. If you have pint or quart containers please send them in as soon as possible. Pre-k I is busy perfecting the antics of Miss Viola Swamp. Do any of you have any wigs that we could use? There’s nothing like some fake hair to make the dress-up game more lively!

We have been able to get outside on some of these nicer days. Although it is not freezing, please continue to dress your child in weather appropriate clothing so that they are comfortable  outdoors for at least 30 minutes. The yard is also muddy and wet in some areas so tights and open shoes are kind of disasters. I’m just saying.

Until next time, have a good evening.

So far Doldrums Week as been a blast. We have enjoyed making tissue paper flowers with Jada’s mom, Zita, paper making with Dottie, our resident science teacher, S’mores with Holly, Sara Aileen’s mom, a fun circle time sing-a-long with Chloe’s mom, Jennifer, making fruit salad for you, and going on a bear hunt/camping trip with Noelle, Juniper’s mom. I didn’t get to go on a bear hunt but from what I heard, there was a lot of chasing and screaming and fun. Thank you all for contributing your camping gear and for taking some time from your busy schedules to share with us. Today, as I write, the children are enjoying a lively science lesson on Sound. Wondergy, the Science guru is wowing them with lots of noises, and questions, and interesting information about how to make sounds, various types of sounds, and how sound travel. I haven;t been upstairs but apparently there are some really large speakers and loud microphones. They are squealing in delight. We are expecting a crafty afternoon with August’s mom, Susan. We are looking forward to more fun activities tomorrow.

On Another Note………..

          We have noticed some serious traffic jams between 5:15 and 5:30 during pick-up time. We would like to make this process a little easier for all of us. If you arrive during these times we ask that you keep your socializing to a minimum. This minimizes the parking outdoors and creates chaos indoors. Sometimes your children are so excited to see you that they act out by bending the rules. This also leaves them technically unsupervised if you are distracted and we have released them to your care. Because of the number of children and energy in the afternoons, we try to gather them for stories while they wait for you. Our expectation is that when you arrive you quietly gather your child’s things, collect him/her and exit. You may speak with a teacher briefly if they are not the only teacher interacting with the children at the time. If you have an immediate question or concern you should motion to the teacher that you need a quick word. Also, remember that all of the teachers are available via telephone between 1:30-3:30 and by e-mail.  If the children are on the stairs on the way down, please retreat back down the stairs until we reach the bottom. When you mingle with us on the stairs it becomes difficult to manage  and keep track of the children. This is a safety concern.  We hope you understand our concerns and requests and that we all are able to close this part of our day with as much organization and tranquility as possible.

           Next week’s science lesson will include a look at some chicken bones in comparison to our bones and two other activities tha involve the senses of touch and smell.

I believe, I believe, I believe that’s all folks!!!! Until next time….

I hope you all felt loved.

Here’s an update:

On Monday we started our day with our Valentine Pollyanna. It was a smashing success as always. The children loved finding out who their secret Valentines were. The cards that they made for one another were darling. I read each of them out loud. The children also made a Valentine for you and we hope you enjoyed them.

Last Week’s Science and this Week’s Science:

Last week Dottie led the group on an exploration of bones. Thank you all for contribution of your dinner bones. So the children sorted a variety of bones. There are jaw bones, skulls, and vertebrae. Wendy led the group in Yoga-like movements that focused on the muscles. Our third activity was an opportunity to make predictions and test outcomes. We set out to find out what happens to an egg, bones, plastic caps, and carrots when they are immersed in vinegar, water, seltzer, and diet coke. The predictions have been posted on the board in the second floor hallway. We documented the outcomes when we examined the items on Wednesday. Besides some discoloration, there weren’t many changes with the exception of the egg soaked in vinegar. You have until Wednesday to observe the containers for yourselves. They are lined on the shelf on the second floor. The outcomes will be posted today. We also went all the way live; literally! Daphne brought in a real live chicken from her farm. The chicken’s name is Doyle. She was a very mild-mannered chicken and didn’t seem to mind being admired by the children. Daphne held the children while they observed and asked questions. They watched the chicken eat some of her food and drink some water.Each of the children got to pet Doyle and they noted how soft her feathers were. The children really enjoyed the chicken.  The children got a demonstration of how the gizzards work in the chicken with the mortar and pestles that you sent in. They had fun grinding crackers and then eating them. I read a story about chickens and we talked about what the children had experienced with the chicken. Afterwards, they were given an opportunity to draw experience pictures. There will be a posting of some of their thoughts along with some of the pictures they drew for your viewing.

Pre-k I has been busily building their theater vocabulary and their dramatization skills. Some of them are very dramatic!!!! LOL! They have left Caps for Sale behind and moved on to the tales of Viola Swamp. She is a scary character but not for these thespians! They love her dark, but stern presence. Look for another production in the near future. I wonder who will be cast in the starring role this time. Stay tuned……

Pre-k II has been elbow deep in the bones and the organs. Did you know that there are 29 bones in your skull? Your left lung is smaller than your right to make room for your heart. And your lungs take in oxygen and put out carbon dioxide. I just learned all of these things! This week will we be creating the texture of the brain with pudding. Next week we will talk about the muscles.

Some of the activities we’ve been enjoying….

 Painting with water colors; String Symmetric Art (painting inside a paper with strings and then folding the paper to get symmetrical designs); Dog, Dog, Bone, Indoor Soccer, Role Playing, Creating letters with large wooden shapes, Observing and Recording our  science experiment; Number Banks; Puzzles, Creating Bone and Body Books, Using Balloons to simulate lung inflation,  and Floam.

F.Y.I.

We have scheduled a trip to the Bluett Theater at St. Joseph’s to see their production of Jack and the Beanstalk. The tentative date is Wednesday, May 4th but we are hoping to get moved to Thursday, May 5th. We will give you plenty of notice. Please check your calendars for chaperoning availability.

Reports of Progress

You all should have recieved or will recieve your child’s progress report or descriptive report this week. If your child is in Pre-K I please make sure you have scheduled a conference time for Monday.

Doldrums is next week. Sign up to do something if you can. It doesn’t have to be fancy or sophisticated.

I hope you feel in the loop. Until next time…..

Anywho… Between the snow days and the late opening days, the work still goes on.

Pre-k I has been busy working on their Toby Award skills. They are quite the group of actors. Today, Pre-k II got to be their audience as they presented Caps For Sale, one of their favorite stories. Zuri was the director, and Luis was the cast in the starring role. Well, I can hardly put into words how impressed we all were. He delivered each line with inflection. He looked at the audience and projected his voice (when prompted). But he was really good! The rest of the cast were the monkeys who took the peddler’s hats while he was sleeping. It was fabulous. Hats off to Corinne, Halimah, and Hamilton for their coaching skills. Today while some of the kids were acting out the stories, the others had fun creating with Mr. Potato Heads and drawing with chalk. I have noticed a lot of parents on the third floor bringing in dress-ups, props, puppets, and the like; kudos to all of you for your support. The children have also been having their skills assessed these past two weeks.

Pre-k II are all talking about the organs now. We have been identifying the things that keep our bodies working although we can’t see them. Last week we played games and had activities that represented the 27 bones that are in our hands. We have also identified the largest and smallest bones in our bodies. Today we added “AT” words to our Word Banks and played the Bone Headband Game. Ask your child about them. We are still waiting for some of you to step up with something related to our project. Don’t we all have skeletons in our closets? LOL!

Heads up:

Next week we will hold our annual Valentine’s Day Pollyanna. Each child will select a secret Valentine and then create a wonderful art project for their friend. Here’s the good part, you don’t have to do anything! That’s right, no cards, no gifts, and especially no candy. Please do not bring those pre-packaged cards for the group. We have banned this practice in exchange for the Pollyanna and have found it more meaningful and less stressful for everyone. Please be honor this pre-k tradition.

Next week’s science class will be on TUESDAY. We will be wrapping up our project on gears, levers, inclines etc… Dottie will be supporting our interest in bones with some experiments and other related experiences.

Well folks, our time is up. Until next time….

    This week the children have been thrilled to put a gift in the TOY DRIVE box. They have really begun to grasp the concept of sharing with those that are less fortunate. Thank you all for your support. Santa will be here on Friday to spread some holiday cheer and collect the gifts from the drive.

    Today in Pre-K II we spent time preparing our special holiday gifts. The children did the writing on their cards and the gift wrapping. The younger children in Pre-KI enjoyed the art of assisting in their gift wrapping. We kept them so busy that it was almost past our regular lunch time before we were done. They are all beautiful. The gifts are a little fragile and should not be handled by the children. We hope that you thoroughly enjoy them. You may take them home today.

Our gross motor choice was the Island Game. Yeah, I know the lesson plan says Yoga but have you ever tried to get a group of stuck-indoors-for-two-cold-days pre-schoolers to practice breathing? Well, we played a more energy burning game instead. Pre-K I played a variety of circle and group games and a game of Whose Missing?

***Here’s a Housekeeping Note: Many of you consistently forget to sign your child in and/out daily. This is important to our record keeping. Please take a moment and do this daily, lest I be forced to put you on blast in the BLOG! I’m just saying. Thank you in advance for your immediate cooperation.

    Have a good evening.