A Special Visitor

Today we welcomed a special visitor. Officer Daniel James, AKA Ian's dad, paid a visit and took the kids on a tour of his police car. He also discussed how to be safe (wearing seat-belts and looking before crossing even in a cross-walk) and how Police Officers are the "helpers" of the world. 

Ian introducing his dad

I think these pictures show just how much fun the kids had.  

"Daniel came and he put on the siren and he had his uniform on and he talked about safety and seat belts" ~ Kevin

"I drived the car! It was stopped and it didn't crash me. It made noise, cover my ears. The police car come to my school!" ~ Ronen 

"Ian's daddy came with his police car and we took pictures outside and we got to go in. It didn't look like a regular car, it has something to turn lights on and it had a big cup holder and radios. It was fun" ~ Jackson

"I sat in the police car with Kayden." ~ Camelia

"I ride in the police car. It was a ford, not a mustang. It was fun. It was really fun Megan." ~ Ripley

"It was awesome! I feel good. I drive in it but not real it didn't move. I pretending I was driving it" ~ Kayden

"lilly drive!" ~ Lilly

"Megan, I want to talk to you! The police. I get scared! it loud, scared. Friends sit in it, I sit with Kathy, yeah." ~ Lucas

"Outside MayMay's (Megan's) house" ~ Misha 

"My dad came, he's a police man, he told us he helps people and if people don't have their windows down then if someone gets locked out of their car then he opens the door. I was happy he came to see my friends" ~ Ian 

"There was sirens. I take Pete. Pete said Thank You!" ~ Adam 

Everyone got a badge ... even Pete 

Daniel, we cannot say thank you enough for taking time out of your busy schedule to pay us a visit! 

Little Blue and Little Yellow

This months author is Leo Lionni, we have been enjoying several of his books. One of our favorites is Little Blue and Little Yellow. It's a simple story about two friends, Little Blue and Little Yellow, who share many adventures together. One day, they cant find one another. When they finally do they are overjoyed and hug each other until they both turn to green. But where did Little Blue and Little Yellow go? Are they lost? 

Today the kids brought home a special bag of play-doh to help them re-tell the story to you! 

The Verbal Advantage

In Verbal Advantage (New York: Random House, 2000), Charles Elster cites research demonstrating the "close relationship between a large, precise knowledge of words and achievement in life" and draws these conclusions:

"A low vocabulary is a serious handicap. Ambitious and energetic persons can push ahead in their jobs just so far, but then they reach a plateau caused by low vocabulary....  And while youthful zest and high aptitudes can enable us to forge ahead despite low vocabulary, when we become mature the world expects us to know something and we are judged on knowledge rather than our possibilities....

"Building a powerful vocabulary can help you advance in your career, because as you improve your skill with language you will become a better speaker, a better writer, a better reader, and a better listener.  And, if you are all those things, you probably will be a more successful person."

This makes me think about the way in which we talk to children. A few things to consider: 

• A great place to start building your preschooler's vocabulary is at the library. Read, read, read! 
• An easy way to introduce your child to new words is to use them yourself. Learn how to become a walking thesaurus and why when it comes to preschool vocabulary building, enormous is better than big. 
• Expand on what they are saying. Young toddler says "car" and the parent responds "yes, that is a red Honda". 
• Instead of saying "good job" tell them exactly what they did that was so wonderful. "I like how you used a lot of yellow paint" "thank you for helping pick up 5 cars and all of your books".
• More is better!  The more words that your child hears on a daily basis, the more she'll learn, absorb and eventually put to use herself.

Butterfly Release Day 2

Proboscis

One of the coolest things about animals is how they eat and drink .... some have hands like us and others have to get more creative. Did you know that butterflies and elephants both have proboscis? Your kids do! They both use this long straw-like appendage to eat / drink. We pretended to be butterflies today and used our proboscis to drink "nectar" for morning snack. 

Butterfly Release

Today we released half of the butterflies back to nature and wished them the best of luck as they fluttered away.

From Caterpillars to Butterflies

Although we do our best to have the kids see and be a part of the whole transformation process. We can't guarantee everyone will see everything. As we know, kids love to learn from one another. This video, Caterpillar to Butterfly, is narrated by two young boys. They have done a wonderful job to show other kids the life cycle process. 

Enjoy! 

A week of butterflies

We are still waiting for the butterflies to emerge from their chrysalis. We can only hope that it doesn't happen over the weekend when no one is here to see. While we are waiting we have been doing lots of fun butterfly related activities.

The very hungry caterpillars! 

Wrapping them up just like the live caterpillars

They hang from the tree as we wait their  transformation 

Blue Butterflies 

Red Birds each made their own "Life cycle of the butterfly" book. 

It takes alot of fine motor control to just color in the circles!

We're on Facebook and Google+

As I mentioned in a previous post, social media has become an active part of most of our lives. It was built upon the idea of making connections, something we strive to do within our parent community. Although PABP has had a FB page since June 2009 I am excited to have it finally go live and create another place where parents can check in and see what's going on at school. I also see it as a place where parents can connect and share with each other. 

The goal is for these to be active pages so feel free to add photos, tag us in your photos, post comments and start discussions. You may also post a "review" on Google+ (personal referrals and web searches are our best ways to market to prospective families). 

These will not replace the blog, as it will continue to be used as the main way to communicate with currently enrolled families, but will enhance our ability to to connect with the community at large. 

Peek A Boo Playhouse Toddler and Preschool Program

Summer Camp

Looking for some fun this summer? 

For those families who will not be joining us for the full summer but would still like to have some fun with their friends at PABP we will be offering summer camps. Every week provides a new and exciting themes coupled with developmentally appropriate experiences that provide fun, hands-on learning. As always our days will be filled with messy art, silly songs and lots of outdoor play! 

http://peekabooplayhouse.com/SummerCamp2013.pdf

Find a week that fits your schedule and sign up today ... space is limited. Also, share with your friends and neighbors who may be looking for preschool in the fall. This is a great way to get to know us and see what wonderful things we have to offer.