Today I ventured out to deliver letters to Santa at Macy's. They really make it look magical, with the giant, sparkly Christmas decor and shiny red mailbox. It reminded me of taking my own young son to Meier & Frank downtown Portland to see Santa and have his picture taken. These are memories I will always treasure. And it really is too bad that the whole classroom couldn't deliver their letters themselves and see this with their own eyes. There just aren't enough hours in our day, or days of the week for such an excursion. And it just had to be done today.

Why today? Well, you may be aware that Macy's donates one dollar to Make-A-Wish Foundation for each letter to Santa dropped there, and Macy's doubles their donation on National Believe Day. Today just happens to be National Believe Day.

 

The children worked very hard on their letters, too! I had to make sure that Santa got all 17 letters in case they couldn't tell him in person before Christmas. I also wanted him to see how well they are doing in school. If any of Santa's Elves see this post, you have my word that these children are definitely on the "nice" list.

 

 

 

We really decked the halls this December! And I mean it, literally! Each child gave a 'hand' in the project, too. I thought our little string of Christmas lights would look great above their all-about-me project.

                                    While I am in the world, I am the light of the world."
                                                                                                               John 9:5

Late November and early December the children made their first initial with construction paper mosaic. They chose their own colors for the project. I really love how they turned out.

The St. Paul Parochial School Christmas Concert was held in the St. Paul Catholic Church on December 4, 2012. Pre-K kicked it off with "Hark! The Herald Angels Sing". This picture was taken from the very back of the church and so it is a little blurry. (Our classroom camera died just after the Pumpkin Patch trip, so I purchased an inexpensive one to take it's place on black Friday, which explains why there are no photos the whole month of November.) We finished our performance with "Hush! There's A Baby". The other grades then followed. They all did a fantastic job!

                       Making beautiful ART together!

 Our classroom had a go at cutting circles last week as part of September's studies. We each cut our circles of different sizes and colors and glued them onto a square. When brought together, these individual works became one big masterpiece, somewhat replicating Wassily Kandinsky's work "Farbstudie Quadrate", or "Squares with Concentric Circles".  Here is the Russian expressionist's famous piece, circa 1913-

And here is the Saint Paul Parochial School Pre-K's work of art, circa last week-

 

See what I mean- BEAUTIFUL job, Preschoolers!

 

 

MAY 2012 BOOK REVIEWS

   Preschool Classroom Top Picks

Vivian- Goldilicious by Victoria Kann
Sullivan- Farm Tractors by Matt Doeden
Mardella- Oh, The Places You Will Go by Dr. Suess and Alphabears by Katherine Hague
Kenneth- No Excuses by Dr. Wayne Dyer 
Kelsey- Mermaid's Bracelet by Patricia McCarthy
Miles- A Step Into Reading book,  Race Around the World by Disney
Sierra- Rapunzel by Paul O. Zelinsky
Grady- Scooby-Doo and the Ghastly Giant by Jesse Leon McCann
Cora- The If You Give A Mouse A Cookie Treasury by Laura Numeroff and Felicia Bond
Grant- Busy Boats by Peter Lippman
Diego- Burger Boy by Alan Durant  and Eight Silly Monkeys Ill. by Steve Haskamp
Franklin- Baker, Baker, Cookie Maker (Sesame Street) by Linda Hayward
Mikayla- Princess Jeweliana's Party by Allia Zobel

Our oral book review week was a success! Instead of a toy or other Show-and-Share item that week, I had the students bring in a favorite book to discuss and recommend. In some cases, it turned out to be a book they could read already, or had heard so many times they could recount the story page by page. Almost all of the children told about how they use their books for quiet time or just before bedtime. I liked hearing their stories about getting comfortable and winding down with a book! Loving stories and placing value on the written word (and compelling illustrations) is a great way to motivate a child to learn to read.

I love these colorful birds in our classroom window. Made with black construction paper and colorful tissue paper, they were the perfect way to warm up for our day last Tuesday. It provided a little fine-motor practice and helped build our skills in following instructions. I like them so much, think I'll have the children make some every Spring.

                                          THE LOVE OF JESUS IS BLOOMING IN US!
It's a little difficult to see in this photo, but the lunchroom was decorated with tulips made by each of the Preschool students' hand prints. If you get a chance, I recommend that you pop in and check them out!
                                                  "Where flowers bloom so does hope."

Every year during Spring Break, the killdeer come to nest on the St Paul Parochial School playground. Not just one, mind you, there's always two and possibly three nests placed there along a fenceline. This always ends badly for the killdeer! When the children return from break, they return in full force, screaming, laughing, running, and often trodding on the nests breaking the killdeer's eggs. As many of us know, the killdeer nests on the ground and then goes to great lengths to draw people and predators away from the nest by pretending to be hurt or injured. The problem is that the eggs are cleverly camouflaged and look just like the gravel and bark chips. It's not the students' fault. Given the choices of places they nest, it's a wonder this bird isn't extinct!
The Preschool discussed it as a group and decided to make this year different. We got some shiny tape and silver curling ribbon and went to work making an elaborate bird deterrent to keep them away. We practiced knot-tying and made streamers on the tape. It was an excellent bit of teamwork, I could almost hear the theme song to "Rocky" while they worked, a truly applaudable group effort. Sadly, the day we were to put it up, Preschool was called off due to snow. I went to the school the following Saturday to install our creation on the playground myself. It was glorious, if I do say so.

A few days later I returned to the playground to see how our project was faring. Unfortunately, the tape had disappeared! What's worse, and what really made me panic, is that I could see some killdeer in their favorite nesting spots running and calling. Not a good sign. I so hoped they hadn't already made a nest! I didn't want to be the one to tell the class that our efforts had failed. So I got more tape, hastily put it up, and this time had the sense to include a sign explaining it's purpose. Thankfully I did not spy a nest or eggs (although the killdeer did seem anxious.) This is how it looked when I was done. (below) Nowhere near as elaborate as the original!

When we all returned, refreshed from Spring Break, I explained to the children that the original tape disappeared, but I had replaced it with a sub-standard effort of my own. During recess we examined it to make sure it was sound. Satisfied, we continued with playtime. (And believe it or not, it was beautiful that day, sunny and clear, warm, the way we imagine Spring to be.) Right before I called the children in to line up, I looked at a nest a robin had been working on before break. The robin had clearly been very industrious, because the nest was complete. It was made on a drainpipe that ran under the eaves of the school and along the building to the ground. What caught my eye, though, was, as one of my students Grant put it, the "decoration" the bird used on the nest. That robin had somehow found some of our curling ribbon and used it in it's nest! That suddenly made it OK, that the original tape was used for another bird, for a different reason. As Grady, another student, said, "I'm glad the robin could use it!"

LEPRECHAUN TRAP EXPOSE' 2012

    The Preschool students share their home-made Leprechaun Trap designs with Mrs. Fessenden's 3rd/4th grade class.

                                               Mikayla explains the "Party Trap".

                         Grant had an audience when he showed  his "Fall-Away-Floor" trap.

Sullivan had fun making his trap with Lucky Charms and sticky glue.

A Leprechaun would have to be very quick to escape Kenny's trap.

 

                                      Diego is pretty sure camouflage is the way to go.

                                     Gold, gold, gold! Vivian knows they like shiny things.

Mardella describing the rope and tube the Leprechaun must go through to reach the gold.

The older children had a LOT of questions!

It's a good thing we know so much about Leprechauns and how to catch them!

An Unforgettable Valentine's Day

I love making cards for the children in my classroom. Valentine's Day is the one holiday I actually have time to do this. I can't remember the website where I got this idea, but it was super easy to do. When I was finished signing the back of each one, I taped on a piece of candy and WA-LA!

 Sweet cuteness.

"Stained Glass" Hearts

Our classroom made some BEAUTIFUL window decorations this Valentine's Day. We learned a lot, such as, sometimes less is more, and it takes patience to complete something this satisfying. Here are some great examples of our kiddos' work and artistic talents.  It's amazing what we can do with waxed paper and broken crayons! 

For some, the decision to send your child to preschool can be agonizing. How do you know when your child is ready? Will your child gain anything from a preschool program? Whether you have already answered these questions or not, one thing is certain, parents who send their children to preschool have already made a decision to invest in their future.

READY OR NOT?
There are a few sure-fire ways to tell if your child is ready for the preschool experience. Age is not always the factor to consider. Some of the most important indicators have to do with your child’s independence. Are they toilet trained? Can they change their own clothing? Are they comfortable being away from their parents? Can they go 4 hours without napping?
Some of the other ways to gauge if your child is ready for preschool have more to do with social skills. Does your child play well with others? Can they take turns and share? How does your child behave when being watched by others? Are they able to listen to a story without being disruptive?
Lastly, here are some things to consider that, while not as imperative as the aforementioned questions, are also things we actively practice in preschool in the spirit of preparing them for future years in the classroom. Is your child able to draw with a crayon or pencil? Is your child aware of or sensitive to other’s feelings? Can your child listen to and obey instructions? Recite their name, address, and telephone number? Resolve conflicts?
A parent considering preschool for their child and unsure of some of these questions should discuss it with the school's teacher or principal. The objective is to have a pleasant and productive educational environment as opposed to a distressing one for you or your child.

BENEFITS
One of my favorite news articles of last year came out in June, 2011. It was the results of a long-term study done in Chicago, Illinois, regarding the benefits of preschool. The benefits of preschool were measured over a 25-year period on 1,000 children involved in the Child-Parent Education Center Program in that area. While it’s true that the children were mostly from low-income or minority families, the findings most assuredly can be generalized over a wider population. Some of the advantages they found were that children who attend preschool;
- are more likely to attend and complete high school.
- are more likely to stay out of jail.
- are less likely to abuse drugs or alcohol.
- are more likely to attend a 4-year college.
- are more likely to earn a higher annual adult income.
- are less likely to be on public assistance as adults.

The results are not surprising to me at all. Along with learning to care and share and get along with others, the academic benefits of preschool can instill a love of learning and nurture your child’s natural curiosity, transforming them into life-long learners. Those who are educated have the power to abolish ignorance and adversity. The decision for parents to place their child in a preschool program to begin with will turn out to be an investment, not only for their child’s future, but also for society’s future.