Utopia Preschool

Today we had a special party to welcome our Grandparents and Special Guests! We invited them into our classroom for a song and short visit, then we headed to Carol Hall for a few activities. The children designed canvas bags, took pictures in the photo booth, drew pictures, and made a frame with their guest. We had so much fun! Thank you to everyone who attended, we hope your loved ones felt extra special today!  Mateo draws a pictures with his grandparents! Apollo and Papa pose at the photobooth!   Emily and Grandma decorate their frame!  Luna Bella is all smiles with Nonna and Mema :)  Emmeline and her grandparents design their canvas bag together Sherleen Kate spends time with Mamang Aida, Mom, and Dad :)  Geronimo decorating his frame with Grandma!  Cian, Grandpa, and Mamo at the Photo Booth Donovan writes Lola Nylette's name on the "What do you call your Grandparent?" Chart    Mikey and Nana design a canvas bag together Maddie shows Gran...

After all the rain this week, we finally spotted a banana slug! After watching it for a while, we took a ruler to measure its body (5.5 inches, and 33 millimeters). Then we compared other items in our yard to see which was bigger! The children noticed so many things about the slug- the antennaes, eyes, mucus, breathing holes, and slime trail!  Next time, we plan on observing these creatures up close (inside the classroom) and creating some observational drawings.   

Our artists have been working on their clay sculpting skills for over a month now! Long term projects like this promote the children's creativity, problem solving, and confidence as they learn to use specific tools and add defined details. It allows them to make mistakes and start over if they choose. They also learn about the properties of clay, like what happens when it is wet versus dry. Clay also builds strong hand muscles which promotes fine motor development needed for writing and drawing. Lastly, clay requires patience, as they must wait for their projects to dry, and try several methods to get their desired outcome.  Jewel carefully uses her fingers to push beads into a triangular piece of clay.  Apollo begins to make a robot. He chooses small pieces of clay to forms the head, arms, and body, while looking at a photo for reference. He compares and contrasts his clay robot to the photo. Madeline uses her own popsicle stick airplane as a visual reference! She observes ho...

We are welcoming in the New Year by catching up with the children on what happened over the break! At the Writing Table, the children drew pictures about what happened while they had no school. This activity encourages the children to recall and respond to the prompt, while expressing their ideas and thoughts through drawing and writing. It also asks them to focus on a writing activity for an extended amount of time.

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.