Learning Without Tears

Roll A Dough - letter L

Our Learning Without Tears activity is a multisensory, play -based way for young children to build hand strength, fine motor skills, and letter recognition. Shaping the dough engages tactile, visual, and kinesthetic senses at the same time, helping young children lock letter and number shapes into their memory.

The children were excited to form the letter L !

How many are in my hat?

"How many?" is a familiar question to children. They can find the answer by counting. The last number you say when you count a set tells how many , or the total. At large group time the children used the magic wand to pull scarves out of the hat. Everyone loved counting to find the total amount of scarves that were in the hat.

Look What We're Learning

• Verbally count a set of five objects

• Listen to perform a task

• Recognize that the last number said is the total

A change in the schedule

LETTER F IS FOR FUDGE

PEENY BUTTER FUDGE is one of our curriculum books that we read during the Beginning Of School Unit. In our story the grandmother surprises her grandchildren with a change in the schedule. Nathan's Nana , Mrs. Dorthy Hayman surprised the class with a change in our schedule. During this activity your child learned to follow directions, take turns and count. A special thank you to Mrs. Hayman for giving us a wow moment.

P.E. This WEEK

We jumped with excitement in P.E. this week! After each child walked the balance beam it was time to jump. As the children jumped with their feet together and apart they used key gross motor skills. Their leg strength, dynamic balance and bilateral coordination were enhanced with this activity.

The Beginning Of School Unit.

Our first unit focuses on establishing routines and helping your child feel safe at school. During this unit we will build relationships. Each child will feel welcomed and valued at school. The first unit helps your child with feelings and emotions. As the children walk into the classroom they look for their name and place it on the board. When your child puts their name on the board they feel a sense belonging.

Nursery rhymes are used during this unit to help your child understand that it's ok to be scared or sad in a new environment. This week we read Humpty Dumpty and The Three Little Kittens. You may hear alot about Humpty Dumpty this weekend.

The Three Little Kittens

After we read about the kittens who lost their mittens, it was time for a name recognition game. Each child pretended to be a kitten that had to find their mittens with their name on them.

P.E. This week

We loved P.E. this week! The students had to walk with one foot in and one foot out of the hula hoop. Each child was jumping for joy as they tried their best to jump with two feet together in and out of the hula hoop. Jumping with two feet together develops your child's coordination, endurance and strength.

Little Miss. Muffet

Nursery rhymes have a huge impact on children's language and communication development.

Children relish in listening to songs full of rhyming, rhythm and repetition. As the children learn nursery rhymes their language and literacy skills are thriving.

Everyone loved acting out Little Miss. Muffet!

Why pretend in preschool?

BENEFITS OF PRETEND PLAY

Self - regulation : Following rules of a chosen role

Corporation : Negotiating roles

Confidence : Making independent choices in a safe space

I’m so glad we had this time together, just to have a laugh, or sing a song. Seems like we just got started

and before you know it comes the time to say , “So long.”

Lyrics by: Joe Hamilton

What an amazing year. The last blog of the school year will highlight a few of our best moments. A special thank you to my parents for sending your child to St. James. We had a blast!

The children in the primary classes participated in several thrilling activities during the school year.

We focused on social-emotional growth, self regulation and cognitive growth. Our P.E. class fostered a love for gross motor skills. Music class was an amazing experience as the children danced and sang to various types music and rhymes. The year was full of excitement from Goldilocks to the Gala project. God bless all my students.

Ms. Diane

The Spring Program

The Spring Program was a hit! Performing in preschool builds foundational life skills by boosting confidence, enhancing social emotional development and improves communication. It helps children overcome shyness, encourages teamwork and fosters creativity.

I was very proud of each child.They worked hard to memorize songs and follow instructions.

A special thank you to Mrs. Denise for her help in making this program possible.

The life cycle of the butterfly

The caterpillars arrived in our classroom on Monday. We are thrilled! We watch and wait everyday for a butterfly to emerge. The students used different types of magnifying glasses this week as we observed the caterpillars.

Gross Motor Skills

P.E. This Week

Using balls in P.E. is essential for developing foundational motor skills such as throwing and catching.

Your child's hand-eye coordination , balance and spatial awareness skills were enhanced with this activity. The children had a blast!

Mother's Day Breakfast

We had a great time at the Mother's Day Breakfast. This was a special morning to honor our mothers. The coffee, tea and sweet treats were a hit. Each mother had a special card and gift. Thank you to all the mothers for visiting our classroom.

" If you bungle raising your children, I don't think whatever else you do matters very much."

Jackie Kennedy

Rhyming Words

This week we had an amazing time with a ball! I rolled the ball to each student as I said a word. Your child held the ball and said a word that rhymed with my word. We focused on words that ended with the letters AT and the letters OG.

Benefits of Rhyming -

1. Rhyming prompts children to repeat sounds and patterns, reinforcing their grasp of word sounds.

2. Aids in the development of mouth and tongue muscles

Letters, Letters, Letters

The children worked to find the letters in their name and put them in order.

The Life Cycle of A Frog

The students used crayons, scissors and glue to create a wonderful frog craft this week. This craft used pictures to help your child place the life cycle in order. The entire metamorphosis from egg to adult frog can take a few weeks to several months, depending of the species and environmental conditions. As the children used their tools we discussed the changes that take place during the life cycle of the frog.

We have tadpoles in the little pond on our campus and the children love to watch the tadpoles as they swim. If your child attends summer day camp they might see a few frogs on our campus.