Utopia Preschool

In the afternoon, we finally had a break from the rain. The children discovered all kinds of play with wet chalk, painting water on walls with chalk drawings, shadow puppets nd teamed up to make a sand castle island in the sandbox.

This week we are working on writing stories for our puppets. The children are able to use their handmade puppets or borrow a puppet from the classroom as characters for their story. Narrating their story out loud supports language development and an understanding of literacy.

Some of the children found recycled pieces of paper from the October Bake Sale for the big kids of the school. They noticed the pictures of baked goods and began to sell these items to their friends. Ellie, Ingrid and Briana were busy as chefs and servers, while Robbie and Colin ordered the food! They enjoy pretending to take on different roles and jobs while sharing the space and materials with their friends.

Our mornings are so busy with conversations with friends, outdoor play, PE, art activities and sensory play! Right after lunch, we take the time to rest our bodies and take a break. The children can read books, hug a stuffed animal and get cozy in their beds. It also helps having a friend or teacher nearby for some quiet company.

Today the children played with salt in the sensory table! Many of the them initially thought that they were playing with sugar, so we began talking about the difference between salt and sugar; how sugar is sweet and salt is not. We also talked about how it can be used for cooking!  Providing different experiences for sensory play can help encourage children to explore and make connections between their play and real-life experiences. Below are some observations the children made about salt: Aiden: It feels soft.  Zack: Restaurants have real salt and it looks like flour. Isaiah: It’s white.

Before entering the classroom, Teacher Andrea has started a new routine for the children. She asks each child how they would like to be greeted: a hug, a high-five, or a thumbs up! Andrea shared that she wanted to implement this in the classroom so she could be able to give each child individual attention at least once during the day. She also wanted to model for the children appropriate ways to say Hello! 

This week the sensory table is filled with flour amd baby oil. The children enjoy getting their hands in there and using their creative imaginations. Today, Ryan, Cassidy and Jax were pretending to bake a cake and put some pipettes as candles. Sensory activites encourage the children to describe what they are doing while they play.

Today we exercised our gross motor skills as we transitioned from Group time to potty/washing hands! Teacher Andrea held up the limbo stick as the children practiced taking turns. When the stick got closer to the floor, some children bent down as low as they could, while others figured that they could simply step over it! 

Due to the poor air quality from the fires up north, the children spent time in the school’s gym instead of going outside to play. They enjoyed the change of scenery as they got to run around in an environment with more wide open space. The children bounced, threw, rolled, and even lined up the balls, drew with markers on large pieces of paper that were taped onto the walls, and played “Duck Duck Goose.” We hope the air clears up soon and will keep our thoughts and prayers on those affected by the fires. n

The children tested out the new playdough today. The secret ingredient is pumpkin spice! Dylan made a cookie from  the dough and Violet was using a garlic press to make noodles. Using playdough supports the children’s fine motor and manipulative skills.

Last week, we challenged the children to take photos of RED objects in our outdoor space. The children quickly noticed all the red items and brought them to our photographer, Cassidy, who captured them in a photo. This was an opportunity to learn about a photo’s “subject” and how to hold the camera far and near to their subject. 

During outside time, the children used the wooden blocks to build in the sandbox! They collaborated with each other to decide what other pieces their creations needed. Some children talked about the lengths and widths of their buildings. Lars noted that his house was “much more longer” than his friends’. Brendan and Callum shared that their block building was “taller.” Afterwards, some friends used markers and paper to observe their blocks and draw what they saw.