Welcome to Mrs. Douglas Full Day Preschool Class at Zion Lutheran School!

Happy Friday!! 

A few reminders: 

Grandparents' Day is Thursday, March 7th.  You should have received an e-mail with information about Grandparents' Day.  You will also receive the information as a hard copy in your child's cubby.  Please return the form at the end of the information packet by Friday, March 1st so we know how many to prepare for.  Thank you so much! 

Friday, March 8th we have early dismissal at 12:00.  There is no school lunch program on this day, so please pack you child a sack lunch.  Thanks! 

We had a lot of fun today exploring maps!  Check out what we did!

We used boxes and pieces of the dollhouse furniture to create a representation of our bedrooms at home.  Then, we looked at the representation of our bedrooms and drew a map of our room based on what we saw in the box.  The children are learning the steps to make a map, and they are also practicing how to create a written representation of a concrete object. 

Chase worked hard to create a label for the maps we made.  We hung the label on the bulletin board next to the maps of our room.  

We used the map rug and the map we created using tape to explore the cars.  We continued discussing safety signs for the cars.  Some of the children began to make safety signs for our cap maps! As the children discuss car safety, they are beginning to understand that actions have consequences.  This is a foundational skill for learning self-regulation!

Mr. Debrick came and visited our room!  We were all excited to talk to him!  

On their own, the children began to play Duck Duck Goose.  They discussed how to use fast feet without running in the classroom.  The children played the game for ten minutes and worked out their conflicts all by themselves!  They are learning valuable social skills! 

Emily worked hard to create her own map.  She worked to sound out the words to the different places on her map!  She is not only developing as a writer, but she is also learning symbolic representation! 

We had a discussion how we can use maps to give others directions.  We practiced giving each other directions using the map of our classroom!  We counted how many steps to take to go to different places in the classroom.  We also learned that it was important to be sure that the person who was giving directions told the person receiving directions which way to turn before walking.  The children are learning about directions and how to use a map to help others!  Furthermore, capitalizing on child-initiated activities, such as this one, can help foster the love of learning! 

We then went outside and painted in the snow using spray bottles.   The children expressed creativity and practiced social skills as they shared the colors!