Graphics Practice

I have a few pictures of a Tools of the Mind activity we do every other day. It is called Graphics Practice and it gives kids a venue for practicing their pencil grasp, components of letter formation and self regulation. We use white boards and classical music. I give a quick pretend scenerio (today was that we were in a van loaded with kids, and we just pulled in to Dunkin Donuts and ordered donuts for everyone.) Then I demonstrate how to make the donut shape using private speech. "Around and close," is what I'll say aloud to help my dry erase marker form a circle. As soon as the kids hear the music, they can start drawing the shapes on their own board. If I pause the music, they have to stop drawing. Look at what we are asking the kids to do -- the fine motor work as well as a self inhibitory step. Holding more than one thing in your brain at the same time is tricky and a vital component to self regulation (a major goal in our program). We get a lot of bang for the buck from this 10 minute activity, and your kids can do it.

Making Stone Soup

I wonder if you have read one of the versions of the folktale, Stone Soup? As a way of celebrating the harvest season, we reenacted the making of Stone Soup today, with parents helping students peel and cut vegetables first thing, then assembling the ingredients whilst the story was skillfully narrated by yet another mom. Many thanks to all the patient volunteers who helped the pre-k gang navigate working with sharp tools. Mrs. Bridgman has the soup pot on, bubbling away this evening, as she types this, and tomorrow we eat the soup. (Okay, just in case you haven't read the book, we do not eat any stones.) Hope you enjoy the slideshow that documents our morning's activities.


Fast forward to the next day, when we eat the soup (minus the round gray stone and the juicy beef bone ...)

October Walk in the Woods

I am late posting these nice pictures of our hike from October. We were ending the family theme for dramatic play, and highlighting things that families do together. The kids had plastic bags and the request was to collect leaves and twigs, and touch tree bark and roots, which they all did with gusto. We walked along the trail that borders our school playground.

Restaurant PlayTheme

We are well into our restaurant play theme. All of our centers have transformed into local favorites... Art has become a drive in Dunkin Donuts, Science has become Subway, Blocks has become the Farmers Market, Math has become The Cabin (pizza), the kitchen area has become our Cupcake Shop and Literacy has become MacDonalds. Kids plan and pretend to be customers, cooks, cashiers and dishwashers.

Celebrating Halloween at free choice in Pre-K

We start every day with a few minutes of free choice activities. Halloween day had a sliced pumpkin set out with some of our new magnifying glasses. The kids love to cut with scissors as a way to explore aspects of our natural world.

Also, we have a new scooter and tricycle available for the kids at recess. They sign up on a list and take a turn riding down the path to the "stop" line marked in chalk and then back.

We had Halloween songs, books, a special snack provided by a clever parent, a "magical" chairs game, and a painting project. Nice ways to celebrate an exciting holiday. Hope you had a safe and Happy Halloween!