Pre-K Newsletter
As we begin the month of February the mild weather continues, leaving us all to wonder if winter will ever really arrive. After last winter nobody seems to be complaining and it has given the children more opportunities for quality outdoor play experiences. At the same time the second half of the year is off to a busy start with a host of activities and experiences to compel the children.
Line Printing activities continue in the Pre-K room as the children become more comfortable with this concept. We have put out inkpads with straight and curved pieces of cardboard for the children to experiment with. They have stamped the cardboard pieces together in various combinations in order to create different letters, numbers, and shapes. A similar activity has taken place with the sand table. Using purple sand, along with a variety of recycled materials (credit cards, round juice tops, etc.), the children have combined the different lines to assemble numerous designs.
A spin off activity broke out using the letter builder cards and sticks (straight and curved pieces) that the children used to assemble the different letters on a step-by-step basis. This activity morphed into a phonics lesson as the children became interested in combining letters to make words. This gave us an opportunity to discuss the different sounds the letters and letter combinations make.
The Line Printing process inspired a recent marble painting activity. Marbles were dipped in paint and then transferred to a tray lined with paper. The children needed to tilt and tip the tray in order to roll the marbles around and produce a design. Although envisioned as an art activity, the children were surprised at the level of coordination needed to produce the desired results.
Line Printing has found its way into snack as well. One day we provided the children with pretzel sticks and encouraged them to put the sticks together in different ways to make shapes or letters. We feel that the Line Printing process is very important to help the children develop their writing skills. By breaking down the process to the most basic components we hope the children will find it easier to write their letters and numbers. Already we have witnessed some ah-ha moments from the children. One child, who was having trouble writing a b, suddenly figured it out when he realized that drawing a vertical line with a smaller curved line attached to the side makes a b. Breaking the process down to simpler steps seemed to make the difference for him.
As the Line Printing topic winds down, we are now turning our focus to a new topic, the study of good nutrition. This is an important theme that we visit every year with the children. The NAEYC requires their member schools to educate children on the benefits of proper nutrition so that they value healthy foods. Experience has shown us that when children understand and appreciate the benefits of different foods they are more likely to try new foods.
As with any topic we study, we will be weaving the different subject matters into the exploration of this topic. We began this week with a conversation with the children in small groups about their impressions of what constitutes good nutrition. This was followed by an activity that had the children work with a teacher to create a list of healthy foods and unhealthy (junk) foods. These activities helped us determine what the children already know about the topic so that we can plan out where to go from here. We expect this topic to last for several weeks and will keep you informed of our progress.
We're sure you are all aware of how attached your children are to their class pet, Sammy the Squirrel. This week they were treated to a visit from Sammy’s mother, Tammy. She dropped by to see Sammy and meet his Pre-K friends. We look forward to her next visit!
Have a great weekend!