Utopia Preschool

Because of the excellent turnout and cooperative weather, this year’s Halloween parade was a huge success. There were so many superstars that graced the Utopia contingent – Princess Tiana, Iron Man, Bumblebee, Yoshi, Snow White, Spider-man, Thomas the Train, Jango Fett, Batgirl, Daphne, and so many more! We had fun walking around the playground, out to the sidewalk, and into Alma Via, where we visited our dear friends. Thanks to all the residents for filling our homemade goodie bags. The parade ended with thirty happy Utopians returning to the playground and back into the classroom. Piggybacking on last week’s science lessons, we continued our exploration of tide pools. Our scientific inquiry focused on the students’ ability to notice details and wonder about future outcomes. Once again, if you happen to visit any Bay Area beaches (although this might be tricky due to the unpredictable weather), please take home any shells and bring them to school. Also, if you have any books th...

Come one, come all. Everyone is invited, in costume or not (preferably in), to join the school wide Halloween parade on Friday, Oct. 29. All Broncos, from Pre-K to 8 th grade, will be garbed in spooky and funny outfits, and our parade should be a hilarious spookfest! Remember, this will be a regular school day for Utopia. The parade will begin at 1:05. Last week’s lessons on birds have provided us with memorable teachable moments. We have now left the skies and turned out attention to the seas. Our focus this coming week will be on tide pools and the creatures that inhabit them. The children will learn about these bodies of water that are quite common in the numerous beaches of the Bay Area. If you have the opportunity, please visit our beautiful beaches and observe the tide pools with your children. Collect seashells and seaweeds, and have your kids bring them to class. The trip to the pumpkin patch was a success. We went on a hayride and took the...

We began the week by learning a new skill – syllable counting. The students had fun clapping and chanting the syllables of their respective names: “Ti – mo – thy” “Scar –lett” “Ni – cho – las” By playing this syllable counting game with them, the children recognized that a word is composed of different sounds that are put together. These sounds are called phonemes. You can certainly play the same game with your kids at home. Just chant and clap to the different syllables of your favorite words. As an art project, we asked each children to decorate the first letter of their names. Taking it a step further, we asked them to think of other words that began with the same letter. Though we talked about these related words, we focused on the sound each letter makes. Expect cute little works of Ms or Ys in your child’s compilation of work. What would our week be like without food? This Friday morning, Charlie Maranon, Gabriella’s dad, graciously sha...

During the week, teachers Tina and Michelle took their Pre-K students and worked in their respective small groups. The children are becoming accustomed to their little families in school. Birds! With help from the California Academy of Sciences, we were introduced to a brand new curriculum focusing on our avian friends. The activity in which the kids were engrossed was focused on nest building. They collected dried grass, twigs, and dried leaves from the yard. Then they combined these natural materials and constructed bird homes as part of our arts and crafts session. We also discussed different characteristics of birds while doing this hands-on activity. Mud! Also part of our science curriculum, we experimented with mud. Our curious apprentices gathered soil and mixed it with water. They hoped to use that mud to make sure that their natural materials – grass, twigs, and leaves – would stick together and solidify their aforementioned nests. The smiling...

Junior Scientists Utopia and California Academy of Sciences A consultant from the California Academy of Sciences is working closely with Utopia in building the basic skill of scientific inquiry among the students. For the next few weeks, we have on loan from the Academy of Sciences materials that would inspire the children to make observations, ask questions, make and test predictions, and share the learning with other people. Out first unit is Busy Birds. Here is an excerpt of a big group discussion conducted by Lee, the consultant from the Academy of Sciences: Teacher: How do birds move? Children flapping wings, “I’m a carnivore” T: Where do birds live? Children: nest (as they are still flapping wings) T: What do birds do in their nests? Children: sit on the eggs T: Why? Children: to keep warm to hatch T: What do you know about nests? Children: made of sticks, wood Children: birds eat worms Children: little nest Children: Where are the eggs? T: What do they do in the nest? Children: ...