Happy Thanksgiving!

We had a great short day in preschool!

We finished cutting the straws in the sensory table today.  We will use these straws in our gift making center throughout the month of December.  

We exercised our fine motor skills as we created beautiful pictures. 

Violet, Claire, Jacob, and Joey expanded their discovery skills as they investigated the balance.  They used comparative words as they investigated.  "We need more on this side."  "This side is smaller." 

As I was reading books to the friends, the children took turns taking pictures. What a great way to explore technology! 

We read a funny book called, Twas the Night Before Thanksgiving.  When we read books at school we discuss the title, the author, and the illustrator.  We learn at school that the title gives us a clue to what the book is about! These are valuable concepts of print.

We visited the movie theatre...oh wait it's just Mrs. Helmkamp's class.  :)  We watched a Charlie Brown Mayflower Voyage and enjoyed popcorn and milk, just like at the movie theatre! 

For Jesus time, we invited Ms. Keane's class to come and sing songs of thanks and praise to God.  We remember to thank God on Thanksgiving- especially for the gift of salvation through the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ our Lord! 

Brr!  What a chilly day! Please remember that we have a half day on Wednesday.  Even though the children in the main school building will not be eating lunch, WE WILL EAT LUNCH in preschool.  Please pack your child a sack lunch for Wednesday.  Thanks! 

This morning we increased our phonemic awareness with our Break It Up game. 

We worked cooperatively together in the block center.  The friends were creating intricate and detailed structures.  Because creative thinking is a higher level thinking skill, the block creations lead to further cognitive development! Furthermore, the children are learning foundational math skills as they play in the blocks!

Our class is full of excited and self-motivated writers and creators! 

Avery took notes in dog school.

JJ used many different supplies to create in the writing center. 

We continued to practice scissor skills and strengthen our fine motor skills as we cut straws!

We went to chapel today!  We worked with Mrs. Kuhlmann to write a Thank You card to God for all of His many blessings!  Thanksgiving is a great time for giving thanks to Our Savior- especially for His greatest gift- the gift of salvation! 

During small group time, we practiced matching upper and lower case letters.

We worked together to create a mural of pictures of what we are thankful for!  The children are learning how to share a creative space.  They are learning how to work together so each person has room to write, draw, and create!  This valuable social skill will benefit the children throughout their lives!

We also continued to work on our Thanksgiving Thankful Turkeys.  The turkeys are a great way to practice fine motor skills and, again, creativity! 

We all went outside together after small group time!  Playing outside is also an important aspect of early childhood education.  Outdoor play encourages children to communicate, to express their feelings, to discover and investigate the world around them (Guddemi, Jambor, & Moore, 1999),

Happy Thanksgiving week!  Please remember that we have a half day on Wednesday.  Even though the children in the main school building will not be eating lunch, WE WILL EAT LUNCH in preschool.  Please pack your child a sack lunch for Wednesday.  Thanks! 

This morning we increased our phonemic awareness with our Break It Up game. 

We strengthened our fine motor skills as we cut straws in the sensory table. 

We practiced writing in the writing center.  The writing center provides an opening to learn skills such as print orientation and how to form letters. 

Many of the friends increased their spatial relationship skills as they pulled out their family picture puzzles.

We investigated the balance and dominoes this morning too! This is a great way to explore concepts such a lighter, heavier, and equal.  Furthermore, the dominoes provide an opportunity to connect numbers with their quantities. 

During small group time, we started working on a Thankful Turkey.  This activity will help us increase fine motor strength, express creativity, and discuss what we are thankful for. 

Here we tore the paper for the turkey bodies.   

Then we used a glue mixture to glue the paper to the turkey bodies. 

We worked together to create a mural of pictures of what we are thankful for!

We worked with Ms. Lindsay to match upper and lower case letters.  Letter recognition is a valuable pre-reading skill!

We all played outside together today!  Don't forget to bring a hat and gloves/mittens for your child as the weather has turned cold. 

We are blessed to be building an addition to our current school building here at Zion!  The friends love to watch the construction workers work! 

During Jesus time we sang songs of thanks and praise with the guitar.  We discussed that Thanksgiving is more than turkey and pumpkin pie.  It's about thanking God for His many blessings to us!  The biggest blessing He has given us is the gift of salvation through Jesus our Savior!