Utopia Preschool

 All aboard! The children have been collectively working on their train in our classroom. We read the book, “Terrific Trains” and got many ideas for our own train. We also discussed a train station where we would keep our train. We turned the dramatic play area into a train station. The children have helped make signals and signs for the train station. We also made train tracks using masking tape so we know where the train route is. This activity helped children practice taking turns and supports their fine motor development. Can’t wait to see how our train station evolves! 

This week, building with Legos & drawing faces were a popular activity. The children built unique structures for their animals and people.  Thomas-  "This is a train for animals." Levi "This is a train." Blake - "I made a school with a swimming pool." Juliana - "An insulation from my home." Drawing faces of friends, family members and of themselves have been fun. We gathered all their portraits and displayed their artwork on the hallway board for everyone at STM to see.

Today is a very important day in our country, for ourselves, our community, and the lives of all future adults: our children! I hope all of us have taken the time to vote, if you can. It is such a critical time in our country and our voices matter, no matter how young we are. "I vote for Pete the Cat. He is nice and friendly." - Elias We did not want to pass up the opportunity to talk about why this day is important and what it means to vote, so we had a little election of our own. First we read the book  Vote for Our Future   and talked about why our votes matter. Then, we cast our votes on who the children thought would be a better friend, Pete the Cat or the Pigeon . We also voted on a special snack we would have tomorrow (Apples or Bananas), and what activity we should do outside (Legos or Playdough). Needless to say it was a landslide win for Pete, Apples, and Legos. Afterwards, we each got a "V" for I Voted sticker.  "Pete is a good friend because he is ...

 Although Halloween looks very different this year, we still found a way to celebrate and have a good time! All the children were excited to see each other in their costumes. We also did a Halloween egg hunt outside and get to take the eggs home filled with some treats and goodies. The children also made spider snacks by spreading cream cheese on to a ritz cracker and then using pretzel sticks for legs and chocolate chips for eyes. It was a fun and exciting day!! Happy Halloween!! 

This week the children have decorated different sized pumpkins, leaves & spiders with open ended materials such as pipe cleaners, foam shapes & Halloween stickers, colored square tissues, glitter and glue. It's been exciting watching our Dramatic Play area transform into a Pumpkin Patch!! 

This week, the children in the Sea Turtle class worked on puppets from our favorite stories The Very Hungry Caterpillar and Pete the Cat: I Love My White Shoes ! The children read the stories a few times to get familiar with the words, then made their own popsicle stick puppets. We created a theater inside our Dramatic Play Area and took turns retelling our favorite stories. The children also pretended to make  snacks like popcorn and candy to eat as they watched their friends perform. This activity promotes language and literacy, as well as fine motor skills as they draw, cut, and glue their puppets together.

Today was our annual Fun Run! Although it looked a little different this year, the children were still able to participate and have fun. They were so excited to run and wear their new t-shirts. We did lots of running and even had a little dance party at the end which helped us practice our gross motor movement. Thank you so much to everyone who donated!!! We appreciate you! 

Watercolor and glitter ice have been a hit this week. During water play, the children asked questions, " How did the ice melt?" "How do you make ice?" "How does the ice freeze?" They shared their thoughts how the ice felt. "It's cold!" "Feels slippery." "Feels like rocks."  During outside time, the children were offered watercolor paper  coffee filters and paper plates to paint on. Through exploration, the children mixed and blended different colors creating a variety of unique art work.

This week in the Sea Turtle Room we are exploring ice and water! This sensory activity promotes problem solving and scientific investigation as the children manipulate the ice using heat, motion, and time. They ask questions like "How come mine isn't melting?" and "How can I get it out faster?" This activity, though individualized, allows the children to give each other feedback and problem solve together. The activity also gives the children the opportunity to recognize letters and numbers, as they remove them from the frozen ice. We are also exploring our own self identities through making self portraits using watercolor paint and markers. The children notice their own skin tones, eye colors, and other physical features which make each of them different and unique. We will continue to explore this subject throughout the year.