Utopia Preschool

Ninja Turtles, Princesses, and Marios - oh my!  This Friday was a short and sweet day. We got to watch the "big kids" in their Halloween performance on the yard. Then the children all came together to show off their costumes for our trick or treat parade around St. Thomas More School! It was many of the children's first time to see these other classrooms and be part of the larger community of STM. Thank you families for supporting our class by providing some of the treats and goodies they received today!  Happy Halloween

All month we've been celebrating the spooky time of halloween. This season is all about exploring things that aren't what they seem. Things that seem scary are not so scary when you try to learn more about them. We've learned about how amazing spiders can be! They spin webs out of silk and are great helpers for the environment. They're also more scared of us than we should be of them. Skeletons may seem like a spooky thing, but we all have one inside of our body! Jack-o-lantern pumpkins give light in the dark and grow from very tiny seeds! We've used all of these as hands on learning opportunities for the children. As their hands use stickers, slime, mallets, and markers, they are strengthening their ability to write, think critically, and become more independent!  We also had a special snack this week provided by Jaylen's mom, Jan. The children enjoyed some "Monster Mash" cups filled with jello, oreos, chocolate pudding, and gummy worms.  Thank you ag...

Layla's mom spent time with us this morning! First she read us  Room on the Broom by Julia Donaldson. This book tells the story of a friendly witch who has room for everyone on her broom. It teaches about inclusion and empathy for those around us. The children were able to make their own brooms using pipe cleaners and beads. Activities like this support fine motor development as they must use their fingers to fit each bead onto their broom. Strong fine motor development promotes strong hands as the children learn to hold pencils and markers when they write.  Olga also read  In the Groves by Andrea Floren. This story about a young girl whose family works in an orange grove in California. This book is to also celebrate the end of Latino Heritage Month, to honor where our food comes from, and show gratitude for the laborers who work hard to get food to our tables and lunches!  Thank you so much Olga for being with us this morning! We appreciate you!