The Adventures of the Gingerbread Baby 2013

I'm sure everyone can recall the classic story of the Gingerbread man ... "you can't catch me .. I'm the gingerbread man" ... unfortunately in the end he is eaten by the fox. Well, the book we read at school the Gingerbread Baby offers a delicious twist to a favorite old tale. http://vimeo.com/14531997

It all begins when Matti opens the oven too soon and out jumps a cheeky little Gingerbread Baby. He leads Matti's mother and father, the dog and the cat, and a whole colorful cast of characters on a chase through the village and into the forest, staying just out of reach, daring them to catch him all along the way.

Well, today we made a batch of cookies and although we tried to keep an eye on the oven (the Red Birds even placed a table in front of the oven door) one escaped!

When we went outside the kids found footprints and a place where "something" had dug in the dirt. They also heard the roofers on the neighbors home and decided they would write a note and have us take it over. 

So, if you see one running by, could you let us know? Just write a short note telling us about the gingerbread man and where you saw him on a postcard or card and stick it in our mailbox. We will be checking the mail during first circle each day. 

Thank you so much for helping keep awe and wonder alive for our little ones. This has become one of my favorite activities we do each year and appreciate you all joining in. 

Stone Soup

This Thursday is our Stone Soup Lunch. It's a time for families to gather and celebrate all that we are thankful for. Please arrive between 11:20 and 11:30 am.

Please bring in your contribution by Wednesday so we can be sure that we have enough for 40+ hungry people. 

Special Dates October and November

The next few months are going to fly by! Please plan ahead and mark those special dates on your calendars now.




Pajama Days! 

In lieu of costumes please wear your pajamas next Thursday and / or Friday. Also, feel free to bring a treat to share as we will still be celebrating Halloween (both days).

                                                 We will be closed on Monday Nov 11th 

Stone Soup Lunch 

Join us for a yummy lunch to celebrate our community and all that we are thankful for. 

Th Nov 21st 11:30 am 

We will be closed the week of Thanksgiving.

Pumpkin Patch October 7, 2013

Tomorrows Field Trip 9 am

The kids are getting excited. We have been talking about what they are going to see and do. 

Because it's close to the coast I do suggest that everyone dress in layers with long pants and wear tennis shoes. Thanks goodness we haven't had any recent rain so there is no worry about mud. 

Driving Directions From Sony Point Road heading South:

• Right on Mecham
• Right on Pepper
• Right on Bodega
• Left on Spring Hill

Peter Pumpkin Patch / Spring Hill Cheese will be on your right.

If, for any reason you are unable to join us please send a text (707.235.3722)  so we are not wondering what happened to you.

See you at 9 am sharp! 

Welcome Morgan

After being with us for 3 mornings a week for the last year Karen has moved up to a new job at ABC. We will miss her greatly but are excited to be able to introduce Morgan Loewen. Morgan is also a behavior assistant with Association of Behavior Consultants in Santa Rosa which is an early intervention program. She will be at Peek-A-Boo Playhouse to assist a child with participation in the program, facilitates peer interactions, develop social skills and encourages self help skills. Morgan has an Associate's degree in social and behavioral sciences from the Santa Rosa Junior College and a Bachelors in Sociology and MSW from SSU. She is a former foster mom and adoptive mom of a 4 year old son. In her free time she enjoys playing soccer and currently manages several local teams. Kathy and I are looking forward to getting to know Morgan and incorporate new strategies into the program to help support all of the kids enrolled. 

Post Card Exchange

Our "friends" in Adana Turkey and their map 

We are excited to be participating in a postcard exchange this fall. I think it will be fun for the kids to see the world beyond Sonoma County. The main focus on the project will be geography. Feel free to ask your child
to show you the map when you drop-off.



Most of the participating schools are in the US but there are a few from other parts of the globe. We will use this opportunity to begin very simple cultural studies. The focus of these studies will be how we are all similar. Even the understanding that all cultures eat the same foods ... they might just be cooked differently or have different names. We hope to be able to send pictures of the groups of kids back and forth via Facebook so they can see what their preschools look like and ask them questions.

The postcard we will be sending out 

If you have family or friends from around the globe (or US) who want to send us a postcard please have them send it to:


Peek-A-Boo Playhouse
4303 Gilford Lane
Rohnert Park Ca 94928

Cooler Weather

Autumn arrived last weekend and the weather is definitely taking a turn for the cooler. Please check your child's cubby for extra clothes and replenish as necessary. We also ask that you please check your child's sweatshirt and bring in a larger size if necessary. 

Sweatshirts should be non-zippered with a hood. 

Where did September go?

After weeks of planning and preparing, the first few weeks of the new year have come and gone! When setting up the space, we keep it a bit simpler at the beginning, especially with so many new kids (8 in the last month). We will add more materials as they are introduced in the upcoming weeks.However our little ones seem to be moving along quite well and we are getting used to our new daily rhythms and curriculum centers. It appears that most of the group are quite capable of independent work. The children's individual activities have been balanced by group circle times highlighting our letter of the week and thematic concepts. Of course, outdoor play is a highlight for many! Here are some photos from the past few weeks. I hope that as things settle down I am able to blog a bit more and share the details of our projects and activities. 

Car Painting 

Pouring

Sorting colors on apples / fine motor 

Cutting and Number Order 

Making Mint Soup 

Number Dots 

Melted Crayon Leaf People

Block Towers 

Lacing 

Finger-painting Apples 

Money Bank 

Apple Prints 

Corn! 

Writing Practice 

Twisting and Turning 

Playing with Letters and Names 

Playing with our Food and Making Letters with Stick Pretzels

Journals Writing Ears for E week

Counting Apples 

Blue Bird Number Books (Red Birds are counting to 10 and doing theirs next week) 

Learning to Sweep up a Spill 

Finding Stars inside Apples 

Cutting Apples 

Making Applesauce Day 2 

Takes ALOT of apples for a small amount of sauce 

Pumpkin Patch Field Trip

A Morning of Learning and Fun on the Farm

http://peekabooplayhouse.com/pumpkin_patch_13.pdf

Please print and return  ASAP :)

Field Trip Flier and Permission Slip

Pages and Pages of Scribble

We often get an awkward smile or comment when parents pick up their child's never ending pile of scribbled papers in their art file. Although it may just look like scribble it's NOT! Well, it may be scribble today but soon it will be printed words and beautifully drawn pictures full of imagination and creativity. Scribbling is a very important first step. Without time and opportunity to "draw" it will take them longer to learn and feel comfortable with a pencil or wiring implement.

This week we asked the Red Birds to draw a beginning of the year self portrait. The photo below shows 6 samples. These were drawn by children who are within an 8 mo age range. As you can see, the difference is remarkable.

We will continue to give time for kids to practice drawing and hope that you will at home as well!

Family Phone List

I have had quite a few requests for parent contact info lately and was wondering what people thought about a printed family directory. It would list the child's name, parents name and either a phone or email address. 

If you DO NOT want your info shared please email me ASAP. 

Journals

I'm so excited to be using journals with the Red Birds this year.  They are a 'new to us' project that may be evolving through the year. The goal is for the kids to write in them twice a week. Once will be related to the letter of the week and the other will be theme related, math, science or art. We will begin the year with a few "about me" pages. We will occasionally put them out at pick-up time for you to look at. 

Thank you Kathryn (Lucas' mom) for donating a set of composition books. 







At the beginning of the year, we walk the kids through the process of opening the cover of their journal, then go page by page until they come to the first page that is still left blank before they begin adding something new.

• Finding the next new page helps the children to use their journals in an organized fashion.
• Finding the next new page helps us (teachers or parents) to go back through the timeline of their journal entries.
• Starting at the beginning and finding the next new page emulates the reading and story telling process for the kids. 

Letter of the Week and Sharing

Last year we began using the Handwriting Without Tears program. We had so much success that we will be using it again this year. What I like most about the program is how it helps the children learn the correct way to form the letters and makes it fun in the process. This year the goal is to explore each letter through the 5 senses.

The letter of the week will be added to the calendar for your reference and we encourage your child to bring a sharing that corresponds to that letter. You may also incorporate your snack into this as well.

The Letter B 

Taste - Bananas and Blueberries, Bagels, 

Touch - Black Bean and Barley Sensory Bin, Blue Glue Collages

Hearing - Bells, Bongo, Wheels on the Bus 

Sight - Brown Bear, Brown Bear Book, Sorting Buttons, Blowing Bubbles 

Smell - Blue Flowers 

Congratulations Khoury Family

Yousef is a big brother! 

Mathias Khoury was born on Sep 1st 

Pumpkin Patch Field Trip

Save the Date! 

Pumpkin Patch Field Trip 

Monday October 7th 9 am

All parents must attend with your child (we do not provide transportation) and there is no school that day.