Utopia Preschool

Since we didnt have P.E. yesterday, Teacher Sharon came to visit today! During P.E. we discussed being safe with our bodies and making sure we can hear Teacher Sharon so we know what to do. Today the children worked on walking, hopping, jumping, galloping and running both forwards and backwards. The children discovered all sorts of ways they can move their bodies forwards and backwards! Then we finish the class off with some stretching.

This morning, the children were able to test their skills with the screwdriver. They spent time last week practicing how to use a screwdriver in order to remove screws from a shelf. Today they worked in groups to screw on the doors to our new play kitchen. This activity was so popular we had to create a sign in sheet! The children took turns signing in so they could have a turn.

There’s nothing like rolling out of bed and heading straight to school for Pajama Day! Today the children were so excited to show off their colorful pajamas and compare all of the cool prints on their clothes!

While the children were outside playing, they discovered a worm on the ground by the plants. They were curious about where it came from and where they should put it. One child mentioned it was in pain & a teacher suggested putting it back in the dirt. A child carefully picked it up and placed it in one of the plant boxes close by. A few children went to explore on the other side of the yard and found smaller worms. The “baby worms” were brought back to the plant box and placed beside the bigger worm “so they could be with their family”

We introduced a new sensory material to our classroom today: Water Beads! Teacher Cassie soaked the tiny beads in water over night and today they were ready! I asked the children what it felt like to touch the beads: Kingston: It’s squishy and wet. It’s like tapioca! Caleb: Look Teacher, it squish. Water balls! Sabrina: Why are they called Water Beads? Is there water inside? Enzo: I think it’s wet. It feels good! Fiona: It feels like gooey slime!

This afternoon, Lena asked for a broom to brush off the roof of the house because it was covered in stuff falling from the trees. She planned go make it a hotel. Soon enough other children started to join in on the cleaning of the hotel. Lena said, “It will be called ‘Refreshing Hotel’ and we need to clean it all off!” Amir said, “We need to clean everything in case visitors come.” Eloisa told Cassidy, “We have lots of rooms here.” They made sure to work together to create a fun hotel for everyone!

Today the children eager to explore how to manipluate screwdrivers in order to remove or add screws to the shelving unit provided! They worked vigorously twisting and turning the screws and were so proud when they finally removed a screw!

Our Art Table was turned into a mud slide this morning! The children manipulated the dinosaurs into the paint creatining footprints all over the table. Chloe figured out how to drive a small car into the paint creating tracks marks as well.

The children have been busy with their grocery store, "Trader Joe's". Teacher Linette recently brought in lots of small baskets and some small paper bags. The children have been so excited about these items and have been incorporating them into their play. Today, Madison was the cashier and would ring everyone up. She made sure to ask if they wanted a bag. Some friends turned down a shopping bag while others were excited to use one. This week we have slowly been adding the items parents brought in to make the shopping experience more realistic!

This morning the children enjoyed scooping out different colored rhinestones, plastic shapes and glass tiles from the sensory bin. They noticed that the water appeared to change color depending on the color of the items they placed inside. For example, Enzo observed his cup of water appeared green when he added green tiles. Sabrina added pink and purple shapes to her cup to make her water appear pink!

The children have been working with clay this whole week. The first few days we used our hands, fists, palm and fingers. Today we put a variety of tools for them to experiment with.  The children discovered how to carve, hammer, shave, cut, and slice the clay. At the table, we collaborated and made a garden party & filled it with mushrooms, flowers and cake.

Today the children turned our outdoor area into a Dance School! Many of the children take dance classes and other extra curricular activites outside of school and they loving sharing what they have learned with us. Lena took the lead with this game by setting up a "bar" using a broom and chairs for ballet class. She counted "1,2,3,4" and showed her friends how to kick and point. Then she led a group of children in a hip hop dance to the song "My House." They practiced the moves one time as a rehearsal, then again with music for a performance! Some of the children had never danced before, but they were still willing to learn from their friend :)

Yesterday, Teacher Andrea introduced clean mud aka mermaid mud! Today, the Elephant group followed her recipe with instructions to make more. Sabrina saw us unrolling toilet paper and said , "Wait that's for the bathroom!" Amir told her all about the clean mud, that has no germs. First, we unrolled the toilet paper then ripped it up. Next, we put several handfuls of shaved soap in the bin. Then added warm water while we mixed and squished it together. Once combined, we added turquoise color, sequins and sea creatures! Chloë C. said, "It's gooey!" Shirley said, "It feels soft." This is a great sensory and hands-on activity to make with the children!