The school is slowly turning into an underwater ecosystem. We have been busy painting all kinds of sea life. We use books to look for ideas and talk about the animal we are creating. Then the teachers draw the animals and the students paint away. If you have any extra old t-shirts at home feel free to donate them. I am realizing some of the paint we have does not wash out easily. T-shirts tend to work better than smocks. I am thinking we can plan a field trip for this unit next month. Recently, a mom shared with me a wonderful island park near Everett. I know it might be a drive, but to go on a foot ferry and beachcomb sounds perfect for this unit. The location is Jetty Island. They have arranged tours too! Parents if you are interested and think we should do this let me know. I'll attach the link too!
Obviously I love field trips! Yesterday, we packed up the kids and drove out to the Olympic National Forest. We took the Bainbridge Ferry and drove the rest of the way. We left the Sequim area around 6pm and arrived home at 9pm. What a wonderful trip. I have never been to the National Park. We drove up about 5500ft! The views were incredible and we saw deer all around. There was plenty of snow too! I am ready to return next weekend. Apparently, you can fish for free in the park. I highly recommend this park if you are looking for something fun to do this summer.
This week we are beginning a new unit called Day and Night. We will explore books, create projects, and do so much more around this topic. If you have the movie Toy Story 3, there is a great clip by Pixar called Day and Night. I am going to seek out the book, because the story is too cute.
If you have any questions and concerns let me know. Have a wonderful week!
Monday, June 13, 2011
Monday, May 16, 2011
Growing Dendrites
We have been busy studying about the ocean and the animals that live in and around the ocean. While living in Florida and vacationing there for the past five years, I have collected so many beautiful seashells to share with the students. Last week, we spent time looking at shell pictures and identifying the shells we have. The students lined up the shells that looked the same, but were different in size. This helped them to see how the shell grows over time. We learned why some shells have holes and that inside is an animal. One of our students was quite scared once she found out an animal lived in the shell. We sorted, weighed and counted shells. Now they are sitting in the back sensory table area for the children to observe during free choice time. The students played a counting and probability game too! Which shell does the crab like best? We rolled the die 20 times to see which number came up the most. The children practiced recognizing numbers 1-6 and counting.
Thanks again to Fred Meyer for helping us with our science lessons. They gave me half off on a full crab! I used the crab to show the children the different parts. They had a chance to touch the crab and see how the pinchers work. This week we are learning about sharks, whales and manatees.
We are borrowing a lizard from outside to observe it for a few days. It's the Northern alligator lizard. The students have been searching for bugs to feed it. On Wednesday, we'll release it back to the playarea. Today we looked at a dead garter snake that was found outside. We didn't look at it for too long because it already had a rotten stench. It fell out of the container when Ms. Lindsay was carrying it back outside. She screamed and the kids laughed. Also, we have noticed a baby eagle flying with it's parents in the late morning.
Last week, I read Mister Seahorse by Eric Carle. The story sparked so much conversations about dads. That entire morning Ms. Brianna and I got an earful about the dads. Maybe just a bit too much info. LOL LOL. The beauty of books, they strike up all kinds of conversations.
I love all the feedback I receive from parents. To know the children are sharing what they have learned at school with their parents is AWESOME! Even my little Savas has learned so much in school. Last week, he sat in the back of the car adding numbers. All on his own. Our balanced, child-centered program encourages children to be curious and seek knowledge. Each day they are growing more dendrites, making more connections with prior knowledge from the moment they wake until they fall asleep.
Just a reminder, I will be out for the next week and a half. I will probably blog along the way. If you have any questions or concerns you can phone Ms. Lindsay at the school or my cell phone at 425-269-3184.
websites I love for ordering educational and themed items.
http://www.schoolspecialty.com/
discountschoolsupply.com
orientaltrading.com
Thanks again to Fred Meyer for helping us with our science lessons. They gave me half off on a full crab! I used the crab to show the children the different parts. They had a chance to touch the crab and see how the pinchers work. This week we are learning about sharks, whales and manatees.
We are borrowing a lizard from outside to observe it for a few days. It's the Northern alligator lizard. The students have been searching for bugs to feed it. On Wednesday, we'll release it back to the playarea. Today we looked at a dead garter snake that was found outside. We didn't look at it for too long because it already had a rotten stench. It fell out of the container when Ms. Lindsay was carrying it back outside. She screamed and the kids laughed. Also, we have noticed a baby eagle flying with it's parents in the late morning.
Last week, I read Mister Seahorse by Eric Carle. The story sparked so much conversations about dads. That entire morning Ms. Brianna and I got an earful about the dads. Maybe just a bit too much info. LOL LOL. The beauty of books, they strike up all kinds of conversations.
I love all the feedback I receive from parents. To know the children are sharing what they have learned at school with their parents is AWESOME! Even my little Savas has learned so much in school. Last week, he sat in the back of the car adding numbers. All on his own. Our balanced, child-centered program encourages children to be curious and seek knowledge. Each day they are growing more dendrites, making more connections with prior knowledge from the moment they wake until they fall asleep.
Just a reminder, I will be out for the next week and a half. I will probably blog along the way. If you have any questions or concerns you can phone Ms. Lindsay at the school or my cell phone at 425-269-3184.
websites I love for ordering educational and themed items.
http://www.schoolspecialty.com/
discountschoolsupply.com
orientaltrading.com
Friday, May 6, 2011
OPERATION CHICKADEE
So Ms. Lindsay and I went out and saw the baby lying on the pavement. One of our lovely parents noticed us and came over to see what was going on. The mom had some experience with birds since her dad raised abandoned birds. The myth is if the bird or egg is touched the parents will not come back. I didn't know much about my favorite birds, chickadees. The kind mom brought the baby bird back to the school, her child was already forming a bond with the bird. We found a box and placed it on some tissues. Thank goodness for Internet access on phones and Google! The dad suggested we Google what to do. I did. I read that parents abandoning the baby is a myth. So, we took the baby back out to the shrubbery and found out there was another chick lying on the ground in its nest. It was such a tiny nest too! It barely fit the two chicks. The nest was about the size of my palm We were back in forth about where to lay the nest. While all this was going on, the birds' parents were hustling about trying to find their babies. We found a safe branch that wouldn't allow too much rain to fall through and laid the nest on top. We waited a few minutes and sure enough the parents found their babies and resumed feeding them. All was well, except for our little student who was sad to leave the chick :-(
What a great learning experience. Chickadee parents do not abandon their babies after being touched by humans. Preschool Mythbusters, perhaps? LOL Funny thing, last week a parent mentioned something about never seeing bird nests around. My response, "They're hiding in trees." It would be easy to miss a nest like the one we found today. What a wonderful experience. Pretty soon we'll be an animal rescue school.
I heard there are some baby snakes that just hatched in the complex. Looks like we'll be having a look. That little spot that we are in is thriving with wildlife. This week we have seen three bald eagles (baby included), a long red lizard(we got our field guide out to check), and an array of ant species.
I love nature!
The nest and chick we found.
The nest.
chicks
mama bird looking for food after she located the new nest spot.
papa bird keeping watch
mama bird feeding the babies
Thursday, April 28, 2011
Crawling around
We have really brought the outdoors inside these days. The few tadpoles that are left are still growing. We have an assortment of vegetable plants growing, some are a mystery because the kids planted seeds on their own and sprinkled seeds all over. Oh well, makes for a good classification lesson.
Lately, we have been studying butterflies and bugs. You know the kids are learning when a mom tells you her child insisted the butterfly lives in a chrysalis and not a cocoon. LOL The tiny ants have come back to visit our snack area. Not to many, but enough for the kids to observe an ant lifting 10-50 times its weight. We collect what we find and store them in our bug pod. One day an ant was carrying a large grain of rice. Today we studied different kinds of bees. A while back I collected a yellow jacket, so today we had a look under the magnifying glass. The yellow jacket lost its head by the end of the lesson. We will end the unit with a field trip to the Pacific Science Center in Seattle. I am thinking a Friday in June. At the center, we will be able to visit the butterfly room, see an honeybee hive and so much more relating to bugs. Should be fun!!
So far we have green thumbs! All the seeds are growing quickly. Soon we will be transferring them to bigger plastic containers and then into our garden bed. I have great luck growing plants this way. When we go outside, the kids love playing in with all the gardening tools, soil, mud tub and bubbles. Often they pretend to garden. Today the played with large bubble wands and loved it. I have been looking for an area in the complex or land owned by the city that is close by so we can ask about growing a community garden. I'll keep you all posted.
We have plans to fix the play area up. The plan is to put some kind of matting to level the ground. I want to get a small play structure and sand box. This means we'll move the garden beds to a sunny area and make space for new stuff. I am also looking into a mini-rock climbing wall to attach on the side of the building. More details to come.
We have our summer camp schedule. It will begin the third week of June. All the info. will be posted to the website this weekend. Also, we are hosting our first Parent Night Out on May 7th from 4-10pm. Children 2-8 are welcome. We will be dividing the space based on ages. The cost is $28 for four hours. Let us know if you would like to sign up.
Want to find our more about what your child is learning....ask them if they learned about a ladybug, dragonfly, bee, or ant. The letter N, how does it look, what sound does it make, which words begin with N.
Lately, we have been studying butterflies and bugs. You know the kids are learning when a mom tells you her child insisted the butterfly lives in a chrysalis and not a cocoon. LOL The tiny ants have come back to visit our snack area. Not to many, but enough for the kids to observe an ant lifting 10-50 times its weight. We collect what we find and store them in our bug pod. One day an ant was carrying a large grain of rice. Today we studied different kinds of bees. A while back I collected a yellow jacket, so today we had a look under the magnifying glass. The yellow jacket lost its head by the end of the lesson. We will end the unit with a field trip to the Pacific Science Center in Seattle. I am thinking a Friday in June. At the center, we will be able to visit the butterfly room, see an honeybee hive and so much more relating to bugs. Should be fun!!
So far we have green thumbs! All the seeds are growing quickly. Soon we will be transferring them to bigger plastic containers and then into our garden bed. I have great luck growing plants this way. When we go outside, the kids love playing in with all the gardening tools, soil, mud tub and bubbles. Often they pretend to garden. Today the played with large bubble wands and loved it. I have been looking for an area in the complex or land owned by the city that is close by so we can ask about growing a community garden. I'll keep you all posted.
We have plans to fix the play area up. The plan is to put some kind of matting to level the ground. I want to get a small play structure and sand box. This means we'll move the garden beds to a sunny area and make space for new stuff. I am also looking into a mini-rock climbing wall to attach on the side of the building. More details to come.
We have our summer camp schedule. It will begin the third week of June. All the info. will be posted to the website this weekend. Also, we are hosting our first Parent Night Out on May 7th from 4-10pm. Children 2-8 are welcome. We will be dividing the space based on ages. The cost is $28 for four hours. Let us know if you would like to sign up.
Want to find our more about what your child is learning....ask them if they learned about a ladybug, dragonfly, bee, or ant. The letter N, how does it look, what sound does it make, which words begin with N.
Tuesday, March 29, 2011
Busy Days
Today was our busiest day yet!! We had 14 students! The students were split up into different groups. We all did the same activities, but on different skill levels. The 2-3 year old made ducks with more teacher assistance and the 4's had to be more creative with their scissors and had less help. We made butter using plastic baggies instead of baby food jars. This way seem to be less tiring for the children. We spread the butter on bread and ate it. When it was time to get ready to leave, I must admit it felt a bit chaotic, but mostly because the children do not want to leave. We teachers spent the afternoon reflecting on this busy day wondering what went well and what areas need a bit more work. Starting tomorrow we will make sure the children are on the carpet when the parents come to pick them up. This will make it easier for the parents. I find most parents have a hard time getting their little ones to leave. Also, we will be moving the cubbies behind the gate so that the children can get their jacket and shoes without going near the front door. It will also help keep their jackets and shoes in one spot.
I just love to see all the little friendships happening at our school. My little Savas has met so many wonderful friends. We have such a wonderful little community in our school. Thanks again parents for letting us teach and play with your little ones.
I just love to see all the little friendships happening at our school. My little Savas has met so many wonderful friends. We have such a wonderful little community in our school. Thanks again parents for letting us teach and play with your little ones.
Thursday, March 17, 2011
What's happening at Discovery Garden
For the past few weeks I have been brainstorming how our afternoon schedule might look. I like the idea of keeping the preschool operating only in the morning from 8:30-1. Most parents show up around nine, so Ms. Lindsay and I are tweaking the schedule just a bit. For the afternoons, I would like invite parent groups to the school for open discovery learning. Also, we will be adding enrichment discovery workshops and classes. One of the classes we want to offer is a kindergarten prep class. The class would teach basic reading and writing skills in fun creative ways. We will also teach the students basic computation skills.
On weekends we will have music class at 10:30 and most likely French around 11:00. I'm also thinking of adding a parent night out twice a month on Saturday evenings. There have been quite a few requests for PNO. We will be working over the next few weeks putting together a schedule of all the classes to be offered at DGLC.
Another idea I have been toying with is talking with the City of Bellevue about a piece of wooded area near us that we could turn into a garden. Ms. Lindsay and I drove around the viewpoint park area looking for an ideal location. I hope this is something the city would be interested in. I am trying to find many ways to get the students out to enjoy nature. Luckily, we have a creek in walking distance with a waterfall. Apparently, this creek is home to salmon and trout! If you drive down NE 20th, the business complex next to ours has a creek in front of it. Lately, just next to our outdoor area there has been plenty of chickadees and every now and then you can spot a bald eagle! Soon we will be setting out bird feeders that we make and create a bird food line that helps us find what foods birds prefer. I feel fortunate that we have a bit of space to work with on these nature activities. Plenty of exciting activities to come.
I love teaching! When we study units, I find that I learn new things along the way. The salamanders are a great example! Recently, scientist have discovered they have algae in their cells! This is an amazing discovery. I did notice algae around the eggs which helped me realize they were not frog eggs. So watching these frog and salamander eggs develop has been quite fascinating for us teachers. You might catch us on our hands and knees with magnifying glasses! Our spark of interest gets the students more interested. AHH the beauty of discovery learning.
On weekends we will have music class at 10:30 and most likely French around 11:00. I'm also thinking of adding a parent night out twice a month on Saturday evenings. There have been quite a few requests for PNO. We will be working over the next few weeks putting together a schedule of all the classes to be offered at DGLC.
Another idea I have been toying with is talking with the City of Bellevue about a piece of wooded area near us that we could turn into a garden. Ms. Lindsay and I drove around the viewpoint park area looking for an ideal location. I hope this is something the city would be interested in. I am trying to find many ways to get the students out to enjoy nature. Luckily, we have a creek in walking distance with a waterfall. Apparently, this creek is home to salmon and trout! If you drive down NE 20th, the business complex next to ours has a creek in front of it. Lately, just next to our outdoor area there has been plenty of chickadees and every now and then you can spot a bald eagle! Soon we will be setting out bird feeders that we make and create a bird food line that helps us find what foods birds prefer. I feel fortunate that we have a bit of space to work with on these nature activities. Plenty of exciting activities to come.
I love teaching! When we study units, I find that I learn new things along the way. The salamanders are a great example! Recently, scientist have discovered they have algae in their cells! This is an amazing discovery. I did notice algae around the eggs which helped me realize they were not frog eggs. So watching these frog and salamander eggs develop has been quite fascinating for us teachers. You might catch us on our hands and knees with magnifying glasses! Our spark of interest gets the students more interested. AHH the beauty of discovery learning.
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