Two weeks of Funtime

Since the last 2 weeks have been short weeks, I decided to combine them into one post. Even though each week was short one day, we sure did get a lot of fun stuff done!

I'd like to welcome all the new students and parents. Usually I post once a week to let you all know what we did during 'school', because I know you don't always get the full story from your preschooler. :-) I will also put any reminders or important information in the posts. Please feel free to email or catch me before or after class with any questions/concerns.

Last week we continued with the Spring unit by focusing on birds. We had a lot of fun using bird seed for 2 different crafts. On Monday, we made bird feeders out of toilet paper rolls, using Crisco to adhere the bird seed to the cardboard. It was messy! But we had a lot of fun and the kids really enjoyed talking about the tree they were going to hang it on and what birds they thought would come eat the food.
Wednesday we made cute pictures of birds by their bird houses. The kids glued all the pieces on and then added some glue where they wanted to bird seed to go, I went around and added the bird seed, because I didn't want it to be too messy.... famous last words! I made a pretty good mess all by myself. There are a lot of things I love about teaching preschool, two of my favorite being, playing and making a mess! The pre-k kids are still working hard on learning to write their letters and we sent home some homework over the long weekend.

This week our theme was bunnies and chicks. We have Easter marked on our calendar, so we did talk a little bit about it. Mostly we talked about the preparation for it, dying eggs, getting baskets and the Easter Bunny. Some of the kids were excited to tell me about the egg hunts they were attending. It was fun to see how excited they all are. For craft we decorated a chick who is hatching out of it's egg. The idea was to decorate the egg with tissue paper to make it look like it had been dyed and then put feathers on the chick. The first step was to paint the chick with watered down glue, then add the embellishments. Of course, it's about the process, not the product, so what some of you saw looked very different from what the goal was. Some chicks had tissue and no feathers and some had feathers and tissue... they all were very cute! The pre-k class worked on the letters Pp & Bb. They work so hard everyday and seem to be really focused on learning their letters - I am so proud of them! We also continued to work on memorizing addresses and phone numbers. They are getting closer....

Because there was no school last Friday, today was our first gym day of this new session. Ms. Amy set up a really cool obstacle course for the kids to do. (She makes the best obstacle courses!) The kids has a blast navigating the various obstacles. In the 11 o'clock class, some of the kids preferred to run in the middle of the course, while others did a few of the things and then ran a little. The morning class and the pre-k kids had fun challenging themselves and practicing somersaults on the mats.
For Earth Day today, the morning and pre-k classes discussed some things we could do to help the Earth, here are a few things they came up with:
Clean up trash and throw it away
recycle
turn off the lights (got to this with a little prompting from me)
turn off the water when brushing their teeth (this one took prompting as well)
take care of the cats
take care of the dogs
Go to the park
ride the bus, bike or walk to the park (ok - that was my contribution)
They had a lot of good ideas about protecting our Mother Earth -I am very proud of them! The morning class went home with some homework to look for leaky faucets and tell their parents if they find any leaks so that they can be fixed and not waste water. They also vowed to turn off the water when they are brushing and the lights and TV when they are done.
The pre-k class made a really neat craft (that I stole from Ms. Jenn - the Curious 2's teacher). We used Q-tips to paint a coffee filter with blue and green liquid water colors (it really looks like the Earth as seen from space) then they glued it onto a piece of paper that said "Earth Day 2011".

Next Weeks Theme: Space

Please remember to have your child use the bathroom and wash hands before coming to class.

Fun Kid Quotes from this week:

"Ya, I don't like spiders either, they are really creepy and really crawly and just creepy"

"You're the princess and I'm your Prince" (After I put on some princess accessories during the 11 am class)

These little cuties just make my heart sing! Thank you so much for sharing your children with me every week!

Our last week of the session

This week our focus was spring weather and more specifically, wind. I think this weeks weather ran the whole gamut of spring weather, rain, sun, wind and even a little snow. We had fun dressing weather bear this week, for the first time in 2011 he got to wear his rain boots, jacket and hat. The kids were very excited about it!


On Monday the kids decorated paper kites with chalk and put a beaded tail on them. They had fun pretending to fly them and we heard all kinds of stories of kite flying or attempted kite flying. My boys both got new kites this year and we have yet to get them up in the air for  an extended length of time. The wind has just been too gusty this spring. The pre-k class worked on writing their numbers. They are getting so good at handwriting and number recognition!


Check out Kites in the Park
Sunday 4/17/2011
10am-4pm
Spring Canyon Park
FREE




Wednesday's weather was gloomy! Although I am glad for the rain for the sake of my plants and lawn, it makes it really hard to get out of bed when the sun is hiding behind the clouds! The kids all looked so cute in their rain gear! For craft today we made wind socks out of paper bags. The kids attached streamers to the bags and then used stickers to decorate the outside of the wind sock. The original plan was to take them outside to run with them, so they could see how they work. However, with the rain, we had to scrap that plan, but the kids had a lot of fun decorating their wind socks and talking about which tree they were going to hang it on at home. I love how kids can just go with the flow!
The pre-k kids worked really hard on their letter writing and even did a complicated review of the Alphabet. They were given a worksheet that had most of the alphabet letters written on it, with a few missing, they had to go through the alphabet and write the missing letters in. Not only did they have to remember the alphabet, but they had to remember how to write each letter we have learned up to this point. They did an awesome job and I am very proud of them!


The kids have been asking for the big balls for the last couple of weeks. So for gym day on Friday, we decided to go for it and the kids were so excited to see the balls! They ran and played and had so much fun. The morning class and the pre-k kids came up with a couple of different games both using the balls and not. It's so fun for me to watch them and see the different things they come up with.


Our last session before summer starts on Monday. I understand that quite a few of you did not get signed up in time - I wish I could accommodate everybody. Unfortunately, our classroom is just not big enough! I look forward to seeing those of you who won't be with us for this session, in future classes.


Summer Recreator will be out on April 25th. The NEW fall Funtime schedule will be in it and registration for fall Funtime will be open.


Please remember to have your child use the potty and wash their hands before coming to class!


Have a great weekend.

Spring has sprung

Funtime has been cancelled for the rest of the semester - the kids have learned all they can and Amy and I are taking some much needed R & R. See you all in the fall. APRIL FOOLS!!
(sorry - just couldn't resist)

The kiddos have been excited this week to tell me all about the signs of spring they have seen. This morning when I stepped out of my front door for my morning workout, one of my trees had the beginnings of leaves! Now, if only the wind would go away....

Our theme this week was spring. On Monday for craft, we made spring trees. One tree had popcorn kernels as the buds and the tree next to it had popped popcorn for the flowers. The kids loved using popcorn for craft and surprisingly nobody ate it!
The pre-k class worked on writing their numbers.

On Wednesday the kids made flowers using recycled egg cartons (thanks to all my wonderful parents who have and continue to bring the recyclables in). They painted the piece of the carton inside and out, because "flowers have color all over them." Little cuties - I just love the things they say! As we did this craft, they were reminded of all the flowers they have seen popping up lately. More daffodils and now the tulips are starting to come out. In my yard, my iris' and poppies are greening up, getting ready to make some gorgeous flowers. I love this time of year, a time of renewal.
The pre-k kids continue to work hard on their handwriting, this week we focused on Gg and Jj. The tricky part of these letters is making sure the tail points in the right direction. We are also working on learning address' and phone numbers. Most of the kids recognize theirs when I say it, but they cannot say it back to me. Please work on this at home as well, my goal is to have them all being able to recite their address' and phone numbers by our graduation in May.

Today for gym we got the soccer balls and goals and the basket balls and hoops out. The kids had so much fun kicking the balls, chasing the balls and trying to score a goal. They also worked really hard to try and get the basketballs through the hoops. It was to watch them try to work out how they were going to get the ball up that high and through the hoop.
Instead of gym time, the pre-k class took advantage of this beautiful spring weather and walked over to Boltz Middle School and played soccer and freeze tag in the grassy area by their baseball field. It was so wonderful to be outside running around. I am so proud of the kids, they stayed together as we walked and obeyed the rules of outside play. Kudos!

Have a great weekend - get outside and enjoy the weather!

Spring time at Funtime

I hope you all had a great spring break! One of the things I did with my boys was visit the Pirates exhibit at the Denver Museum of Nature and Science. I would highly recommend it for kids of all ages - it's pretty spectacular! We also enjoyed a lot of time outside, the weather was so beautiful! The funtime kids have told me a lot of stories about playing at the park over the break, I'm glad the weather was so cooperative!

This week we focused on getting back into the routine after a week off. This group of kids had no problem jumping right back in. Our theme this week was spring.

Monday we made daffodils using cupcake papers. The morning and the afternoon class did everything themselves, put the glue on and then stuck each part on the paper. For the middle class, we put the glue on and the kids stuck the parts of the flower onto the glue. I did tell the kids where each part should go and that we were making a flower, however, what some of you got didn't really resemble a flower at all, but rather a stack of green pieces with a cupcake liner on top. It was really cute! Just remember that my philosophy is "it's the process not the product."

Wednesday, we made beautiful butterflies. The morning class only had time to paint the coffee filters, so they finished their butterflies today. And the afternoon class worked so hard on their handwriting that they did not even have time for craft... The butterflies turned out cute and the kids had fun 'painting' them. We used watered down food coloring and eye droppers to put the color onto a white coffee filter, then we scrunched it up in the middle and put a clothes pin on it, with a black pipe cleaner for antennae. It's a fun craft and the squeezing of the eye dropper is great for the kids' fine motor.

Today, Mr. Drake put out a fun obstacle course using the balance beams, chairs and baseball bases. The kids had to walk across the balance beam, go over or under the chairs and then walk on top of the rocks (bases) through the hot lava (gym floor) and start over again. We all had a lot of fun and it was a nice change from the balls. Although a few kids did ask me where the balls were today- too cute!

The pre-k class is working very hard on their handwriting, both letters and numbers, as well as alphabet & numeral recognition. We are also learning our address' and phone numbers and working on; buckling, tying, snapping, buttoning and zipping. Please practice these things at home as well, these are all things the kids will need to know for kindergarten in the fall. I am so proud of each of them!!

Next week, we will continue with our spring theme. I have been talking to the kids about the signs of spring, birds chirping, flowers popping up, etc. and I have asked them to look for different signs of spring. Each day, during circle time, we talk about what different signs they have seen. So, we you are outside with the kids, help them spot some signs to share with the class.

Short week

I don't know if it was the weather on Monday or if these kids are just ready for spring to arrive, but they sure had a lot of energy! It's always interesting this time of year, the kids start to get really comfortable with each other and because they are that much older they start to have some emotions that are new to them. The main emotion I see coming through in the morning classes right now is jealousy. It seems to happen more with the boys than with the girls. When a friend they have been playing with for most of the year starts to play with different friends, the fists tend to come out and a hitting match ensues. This is not uncommon with this age group... so don't fret if your child has been lashing out. (He/she is not the only one!) We have been talking about it a little bit in class, trying to help the kiddos understand their feelings instead of lashing out with fists. It's a hard thing to grasp and often times when asked "why did you hit her?" or "Why are you hurting your friends?" they can't answer, because they truly don't know. We will continue to talk about it in class, along with other emotions that may come up as we near the end of the school year.

Monday we talked about Mardi Gras and specifically Fat Tuesday. We referenced the movie The Princess and the Frog, because it's set in New Orleans and features Mardi Gras celebrations and parade. The kids had a lot of fun decorating masks with feathers, sequins and tissue paper. They were most excited about putting them on, they kept asking over and over, "can we put them on when we're done?" I just love their enthusiasm!

Wednesday, our focus was St. Patrick's day. We made a Pot 'o gold for craft. If only they were full of real gold! :) We read a story about Clever Tom. Ask your kids if Tom succeeded in tricking the Leprechaun into giving up his gold. Answer: No, Clever Tom got tricked by the Leprechaun. It was a cute story and the kids enjoyed guessing whether or not Tom was being tricked.

Announcements:

No School Friday or all of next week for spring break - have a great break!

Please remember to take your child to the bathroom before class. We've had a lot of kiddos who need to use the restroom during class. We will gladly take them, but it makes it difficult when half the class has to go at once. Thanks for your help!

Please continue to wash hands before entering the classroom.

Funtime this week

Another busy week at Funtime. We continued our community helpers unit and learned about different people & things who help our community.

Here are some pictures from last week and our visit from Leah Neff, dental assistant at Peak Family Dental.

On Monday we talked about safety and transportation. We made a stoplight for craft and talked about what each color meant. We also talked about crossing the street and how sometimes there is a person called a crossing guard. I was really impressed that the kids new what each color on the stop light meant, remind me to never drive with them in my car.... I don't always slow down for the yellow... ;-)
The pre-K class worked on number recognition and handwriting by writing the number 1 and the number 7.

Wednesday, the 9 am class had a visit from a very special guest! Luke's dad came and told us all about his job working for Fedex. We learned a lot about what he does and the package delivery business. His truck was big enough that we were all able to get into it and each of us got a turn to sit in the drivers seat and honk the horn. Ask your child: "what is the strangest thing Mr. Dan has ever delivered?" Answer: a piece of a whale jaw!  "what did Fedex do to help with the oil spill?" Answer: re-locate hundreds of baby sea turtles. Also, ask about his special watch. He wears a special watch that unlocks the doors to his truck - the kids were pretty amazed by this. Thank you Mr. Dan for coming to our class and teaching us about your job!

For craft, all the classes (except pre-k, we ran out of time) made a mail carrier's bag. The kids had fun putting the envelope inside and pretending to deliver the mail. The pre-k class practiced writing upper case and lower case Aa. They are all getting so good at writing their names, holding their pencils correctly and forming their letters. I am super proud of them!

Here are some pictures of Mr. Dan and the kids.

Mr. Dan and Kaylin scanning a letter into the computer

Mr. Dan unlocking the door with his watch

All the kids in the back of the truck

Friday - gym day! This is the last week of Recreational basket ball, so next week, we should be able to do something more elaborate in the gym. But for now, the bleachers are out and in the afternoon, the guys from the sports dept. come and set out the chairs and score keeper, so we can't have any big equipment out. Today, we put all different sizes of balls out and the kids had a blast running, rolling and kicking.  The pre-k kids practiced the letter Dd today.

Look at all the fun we've been having playing Dr.'s and Nurses and Vets!

Have a great weekend!

New Session

A big welcome to all the new Funtime kids!

We are working on a community helpers unit, that will continue until spring break. Last week, our focus was on Dentistry.

Wednesday we painted a yellow tooth (yuck) with white paint. Our paintbrush for this fun craft was a toothbrush. The goal was to cover the entire yellow or plaque cover tooth with white paint. The kids had fun making sure there was no more plaque on their tooth.

On Friday, we had a visit from a dental assistant, Leah, who taught us all how to properly brush. She talked about making sure we get rid of all the sugar bugs hiding in our mouth. She also taught us that kids have 20 teeth and adults have 32 (unless you are missing your wisdom teeth). The kids enjoyed watching her brush the big teeth with the big toothbrush. She gave us all a toothbrush to help us with those naughty sugar bugs!! Thanks Ms. Leah!
Each class did get some time in the gym to run off some energy and play with balls.

This week we will continue our community helpers unit. We will be talking about mail carriers.
If you know of any community helpers who would be willing to come in and talk to our classes, please let me know.

Reminders:
Please continue to wash hands with soap and water before coming to class.
Please help your child go to the bathroom before class.
No school Friday March 11
Spring break March 14-18