Fall provides a fantastic opportunity for learning.
Here is one of our language charts we have begun learning. The students sit on their knees and act out being a bushy tailed squirrel. While that may not sound very educational, it is. We do this during group time so the children are working on following directions which is a key component of school for years to come. This also incorporates the muscles in the legs for kneeling. It incorporates reading because as we are doing this I am pointing to the words. It includes action words such as "swish" which leads us into discussing more action words (verbs). As you can see, our learning is really through play.
Our dramatic play center is fully equipped as a Pumpkin Farm. Here is Caiden trying out one of the wheelbarrows. In the dramatic play the children are encouraged to sort the pumpkins by large, medium and small. Sorting is a key component in early math skills. We also have a cash register, paper for writing receipts and play money. The amount of language we hear in dramatic play is amazing. It's one of the first places in a preschool class children use new learned vocabulary words such as (large, medium and small).
We currently have two science centers. This one Scarlet is using tweezers to pick pieces of corn off of Indian corn. This may just seem fun for the students (as I want it to be) but this helps build those fine motor skills crucial for beginning writing.
Our block center is usually a pretty busy center. Blocks are an important part of a preschool classroom. Block play incorporates math and problem solving skills. As the year goes on we end up seeing more and more complex block structures which indicates to the teachers that the children are making progress developmentally. Nicholas has created a pretty complex building which took a good amount of problem solving and math skills.
We've introduced our listening center this past week. The listening center is a place for a student to practice not only listening but turning pages in a book, following along with text and we often see some emergent reading skills. The listening center books are always read at group first and then moved for the children to access druing center time. Ellie is really enjoying reading along while listening to our new story.
This music/language chart is a class favorite pretty much each year. I think it's a favorite because we incorporate playing the rhythm sticks with it.
These photos are just a snapshot of what we do in the class but I hope it helps you communicate with your child about what is going on at school.
This coming up week we will also paint with apples, play with corn in the sensory table, scoop out the insides of a pumpkin, read new stories and so much more.
Remember to never hesitiate to call, email or write a note if you ever have any questions or concerns.
