This Week in Our T-Th Pre-3 Class....

Weeks of Nov. 6th, 13th, and 20th!

Where did all that time go??!! And what have we been doing? Well, it’s not that much time – really. Really, that was only 5 classes. But in that time, we continue to be such a wonderfully, busy group of children!

Part of our big fun in the last couple of weeks has been the new stuff we put into the sensory table – CRANBERRIES! Oh, such fun! Did you know that cranberries float?! They are just the best fun to put into a big tub of water, and chase around with a variety of scooping objects!

Now, if you read our little blog on any kind of a regular basis, you should be able to guess which of our friends you can find here! Yes, that’s correct. This is one of Aidan’s favorite spots, especially once our friend Joe Keaton returned (complete with a handsome tan) from Hawaii. Those 2 boys certainly do enjoy each other’s company! Also, Ciaran and Jo-Jo find time to spend here, always happy and excited to check out what’s hanging out in our tub.

Art projects included making turkeys using our hands and some fun feathers, and continuing our experience with glue while making trees with fall leaves on them. We have spent some time at the easels with markers, crayons, and on some days, some paint. Emily continues to enjoy her time on art projects with Mrs. Jaques, but also does some very wonderful independent work at the art easels. And Mrs. Jaques’ art projects seem to also very much speak to our friend, Cecilia, who enjoys starting her days now by checking in with Mrs. Jaques first. This is so exciting!

I find it would be remiss to just end my comments on our art projects here, because what we are seeing more and more of in this classroom is consistent use of art time by all of our friends. Aidan, Michael, Cairan, Gisela and Jo-Jo all consistently check in at the art table to see if the project speaks to their artistic souls. It’s so exciting just how much of the time spent doing art is real interest expressed by so many of our friends! Sometimes, though, there is just so much else going on that we can’t do everything in one day, so we simply don’t have time to get to the art table!

That’s great! That means that there is something else interesting going on! Maybe it’s a puzzle. Aidan is always helpful with a puzzle, as is Gisela, Cecilia, and Michael. Maybe it’s something new in the classroom! This will always be found by Gisela and Michael, and then, by the rest of our friends.

Last week, our friends found babies in the classroom. This was of particular interest to the girls. Mrs. Coleman, who loved her baby dolls as a little girl, was in a space of pure joy as she played babies with Gisela, Cecilia and Emily. This was the first time we could remember the girls in our classroom playing with the same thing all at the same time. I am excited to put the dolls back in the classroom again!

Story time continues to capture everyone's attention! We love things that rhyme, or have rhythm in the language. Chicka Chicka Boom Boom! for instance is a perenniel favorite. 10 Little Dinos Jumping on the Bed keeps us all focused as we count backwords, and help Mrs. Jaques with the language that is repetitive. Delightful! Their involvment has us so thrilled!!

Snack time brought us treats last week as we celebrated Aidan's birthday with chocolate cupcakes and purple frosting! Cupcakes are messy; there's just no way around it! But boy are they good! Always interesting to see who can peel off the wrapper, who just goes for the frosting, and who is truly a cupcake conneisseur! We are consisently using some great language in our snack room ("May I have some more please?") and being helpful by taking good care of our own spot (what goes in the garbage can, what goes on the counter).

Music has been sketchy as we have been having a very good time playing in our second (snack) room. These are toys we don't all that much exposure to, so on those days when the kids are really involved with what's there, we don't rush to move them on. But trust me, there is still alot of singing! We sing going down the hall; we sing getting our coats on; we sing to line up! If you haven't heard the Paw Paw Patch song, ask your child if he or she will sing it to you! Ciaran has started to take it upon himself to help Mrs. Jaques sing this to get his friends all lined up for snack! (It's just the best!)

What's coming up?
More art -- now with a "winter" theme.
Stories to talk about snow, and some about Christmas and Hannakuh.
A little Christmas Party. Watch for a notice outside the classroom!

Thanks for your wonderful children, and for all of your support! Have a great week!

Respectfully,
Lisa Coleman

Week of Oct. 30th

It's hard to believe that we have already finished with October and all the stories about pumpkins and costumes and other related Halloween things, and that we are now in the month of November; but it's here, and we are moving forward, full steam ahead!!

This week found us replacing our water in the water table with some rice work. Another "something" to get our hands in. There is such value in getting our whole hands into these different sensory experiences. Our friend Mrs. McArthur had put in some very fun silver pitchers to try pouring the rice back and forth with! Ciaran, Aidan, Joe and Gisela wasted no time in trying this new experience.

Now, with rice (as with sand and water!), we can experience an abundance of enthusiasm! So Mrs. Coleman has introduced a tool to the class, called a broom. (Just to see if there was any interest.) Well, lo and behold, not only did our friend, Aidan, show interest, he showed incredible talent!! Mrs. Coleman has decided to just "park" the broom and stand-up dust pan next to the rice table, so that it is readily available to our friends should they want to use it. Aidan uses it consistently, and has made it an object of interest to his classmates!

We introduced some animal matching cards to the class, and found that several of our friends could do this using multiple cards at a time! Although almost everyone has had a turn with this game, Emily and Cecilia in particular enjoyed an extended turn with Mrs. Jaques and all the challenges this game provided.

Jo-Jo continues to work on his good-bye ritual with the support of his teachers and his mom. This includes saying "good-bye" to everyone when we leave a room, and "hello" when we return to the room. Jo-Jo and Mrs. Coleman also had a very good time this week building some roads for the animals to walk on. Building blocks are great things, especially when we have someone to build with!

Mrs. Coleman introduced markers to the easels this week for the first time. Emily, our "artist in residence" found these quite useful, creating a picture with multiple colors and shapes! She spent a good deal of time happily involved in this endeavor. Michael was the other person that Mrs. Coleman specifically tried to introduce to this different kind of easel work; and found that Michael enjoys doing drawing work with a friend! He and Aidan created a wonderul work of art together, covering most of the paper, each with their chosen, preferred color! We also discovered that Michael enjoyed using the markers for a little bit of body art! Truth be told, Mrs. Jaques and I heard that Mrs. McArthur might be doing some finger painting in one of her classrooms. I wonder if we might be able to see if Mrs. McArthur might want to "spread the love," so to speak, and bring her desire to finger paint into our class?? My guess is Michael and Mrs. McArthur would have a meeting of the minds.... or would that be fingers?! Stay tuned, 'cause this feels like a good idea, and I'm guessin' the results will find their way to our bulletin board!

Ciaran loves to sing, and has learned many of our little songs already. His ever-present enthusiasm for singing, and music in general, make the whole process of learning and singing that much more enticing for his friends! Thanks so much for your help, Ciaran!

Thanks to all of my students, and also to their parents! The joy I feel in this classroom is unparalleled! It is a privelage to work with children, and a blessing to work with your children. Your trust in me is something I hold dear, and do not take lightly. I hope I remember to thank each and every one of you.

Respectfully,
Lisa Coleman




Week of Oct. 23rd

Well, you heard that our little artists were busy with bats! They have also had fun with decorating pumpkins and ghosts with glitter, giving ghosts faces, and making spider webs with marble painting!! This is truly a creative lot! (Though I believe we have seen enough orange and black to last us at least another 12 months.)

When we are not sitting at Mrs. Jaques' art table, what are we doing?? Well, Cecilia found the sand bucket this week, when Mrs. Coleman invited her to come over and see if she could find the things (little white spiders) that were hidden in there.

Ciaran found the vegetable cutting, and the sand bucket.

Michael, Joe Keaton and Emily did some animal matching cards.

Many of us have been trying out different kinds of peg boards -- most recently, the one with golf tees! That's fun.

My friend Aidan is working on sharing, and he is working hard! He also has shown us that puzzles are great fun, working with Mrs. Coleman on Peter, Peter Pumkin-eater many times!

Jo-Jo and Gisela discovered that Mrs. Coleman replaced the stuffed bunnies in the playhouse with some bears, and they both had great fun -- sometimes separately, and sometimes together -- showing those bears around the room!

We had a fabulous Halloween party on Thursday with some very yummy cookies, pretty napkins, cups and flowers! It was nice to have something special with our friends.

Poem of the week:
5 Little Pumpkins

5 little pumpkins, sitting on a gate.
The 1st one said, "Oh my! It's getting late!"
The 2nd one said, "There are witches in the air!"
The 3rd one said, "I don't care!"
The 4th one said, "Let's run and run and run!"
The 5th one said, "Time for Halloween Fun!"

Happy Halloween Everyone! Be safe. Be warm. Bee-e-e-e-e-e-WARE!!! BOO!

Respectfully,
Lisa Coleman