Utopia Preschool

The children did an AMAZING job during our holiday show performance! They stole the show with their smiles, confident dancing, and loud voices. We are so proud of you, Utopia! Thank you to all the families who came out to support the children's hard work. Before the show, the children had a special Christmas movie in the classroom. We loved seeing them in their festive attire and being in school together in the evening. What a special night.

It's officially the holiday season and our classroom is buzzing with festivities. We have been creating decorations and for our classroom, including snowflakes, holiday cards, tree ornaments and gingerbread houses! Some of the children have also made Christmas wishlists for Santa.  The children are also working so hard to prepare for our holiday performance to "Mele Kalikimaka" next Wednesday! This will be many of their first times being on a big stage and we are so excited for them! Thank you Miss Jessica for teaching and choreographing our dance. 

This week we asked the children a curious question about animals! The children were asked to draw their animal, write down the word, and finish the end of the sentence. This activity supports reciprocal conversation, fine motor development, early writing, letter recognition, and understanding of living things!  Kara: I'd be a bunny so I can eat carrot soup! Caden: I'd be a horse so I can eat! Madeline: I'd be a butterfly so I can fly. I'd fly all the way to school. Mateo: I turn into a camel, rat, turtle and a dolphin! Luna Bella: If I could be an animal, I'd be a bird so I could fly away!  Emily: If I could be an animal, I'd be a cheetah because they run the fastest.  Colette: I'd be a butterfly so I could fly!  Christian: I be a lion because "ROAR!!!" Corinne: I would be a kitty cat because I can meow!

A big part of our preschool experience is figuring out how to be a friend. Through play, they are learning about the feelings of others, how to get along with their peers, how to communicate, and how to work together. It is our hope that these important social interactions follow them as they grow up and become helpful and kind members of their communities.  On Friday, we asked the children what is a "friend" to them:  Mikey : A person that you like. You do something with them, play with them. Sherleen Kate : Luna Bella. She's so happy. Geronimo : Just have fun.  Christian : Happy. They help me. Madeline : Playing tag and hide and seek with friends. Kara : A person that says, "I will be a good friend." Bryce : Sharing and playing together. Mateo : Play with them. Emily : You ask them to play. You treat them nice. Cian : Emily. She plays with me. I'm happy. Corinne : Play with me. Amet : Be good. 

This week the children have begun to make puppets, and put on puppet shows for their friends! These puppet shows are entertaining, but also challenge the children to create something from start to finish, while building language and literacy skills. We provided paper bags, string, googley eyes, and markers to design their puppets. Then the children paired off to perform a show, while others patiently listened. We plan to create different types of puppets, make backgrounds/settings, and retell familiar stories from books, and social situations that happen in the classroom.

On Wednesday 11/1, we celebrated Dia De Los Muertos at school. Colette's mom, Dilva, kindly read us another story to remind us what the holiday is all about. Each of the children had a job to help set up our altar, also called an "ofrenda" in Spanish. A colorful table cloth, statues, candles, marigold flowers, and sugar skulls adorned the table, along with photos of our family members and pets who we wanted to remember. Dilva also brought some special bread called Pan de Muerto, a treat shared with our ancestors on this day. We also added plates of food and water, which symbolizes our family members favorite food when they were still alive. This was a beautiful way to honor our loved ones, and to share stories about our families. Thank you again to all the families who participated and for Dilva for sharing her time and heart with us.  These are some of the stories we read at school together: Dia de los Muertos by Hannah Eliot El Dia de los Muertos/The Day of the Dead b...