A Peek Into Our Day: September 2013

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