Pre-K Newsletter
May 2010
Dear Pre-K Parents,
It is hard to believe the year is coming to an end and graduation is Thursday. We have had a spectacular year with your children. They are truly a special class!
Our Manhattan exploration is in full swing. In small groups, the children were involved in a brainstorming session. An extensive list was compiled of things they knew and things they wanted to know about Manhattan. The class has learned about the history of Manhattan and how it was named. They can name the five boroughs and have become familiar with some of the New York City landmarks, such as the Statue of Liberty, the Empire State Building and the Chrysler Building. Thanks to Rowan’s dad Allan, we learned about Madison Square Garden and some of the events that take place there. The excitement of the Olympic Games was revisited when Mr. Houston and the children discussed the various winter and summer sports played in the Olympics. We were so excited when Mr. Houston passed around his Sydney 2000 Olympic gold medal for each of us to hold. Many skyscrapers have been constructed in the block corner and illustrated on paper. The children have also been drawing blueprints and making their own skyscrapers from wood scraps. The dramatic play area was recently transformed into the Hard Rock Café. The children have been donning aprons and taking customers food orders, reading and creating menus, serving food and managing play money during sales transactions. We have even been playing rock and roll music in the “restaurant”. Many Manhattan themed books have been read to the class and are available to look through. Photographs have been placed around the classroom to refer to, as well as postcards, maps and building replicas. Some children used their line printing skills on easel paper to create skyscrapers from corrugated cardboard dipped in paint. The class will soon enjoy a Manhattan style snack of hot pretzels with mustard on the side. The Statue of Liberty has aroused the children’s interest, so we have been learning about the history of the statue as well as other interesting facts. The children have been fascinated by the sheer size of Lady Liberty, so we have been measuring out the various parts of the statue (length of nose, finger, arm, body, etc.). In order to perform this math activity we had to first learn how to use a tape measure so that the children had an understanding of inches and feet.
The incubator, which warmed the chicken eggs, has been twice replaced by larger chick abodes to accommodate the rapidly growing creatures. Two weeks ago, the eggs began to hatch and we have been hearing peeping ever since. The children excitedly watched the first chick use his egg tooth to peck his way out of the egg. A few hours later the others began to hatch. As the chicks have grown, the children have been able to take turns gently holding the chicks. The children’s faces lit up in pure delight as they held the soft creatures. It was a riot to watch as some of the chicks tried to escape and jump from the children’s hands, while other times a chick would fall asleep in the nest of a child’s hands. The chicks were the subject of a journal entry, as each child named the chick they held and wrote about the chick. Soon the birds will reside at some PIFS related farms. Coco, Mr. Wierdsma’s lamb, has been a popular visitor to our class. The class loves to pet her and steer her away from eating Marianne’s flowers. There is no place like PIFS!
A couple 0f weeks ago our sports enthusiastic class was treated to a special morning of soccer with Christian’s dad Mickey. Coach Mickey and Coach Gabe set up the perfect clinic in the large play yard for our Pre-K children. After some informative discussions and challenging warm-up drills with various pieces of equipment, the children were divided into teams and participated in mini games. Coach Kydes discussed the importance of good sportsmanship and upon request, demonstrated a few soccer tricks. At the end of the morning, the boys and girls were each given a sports bags of soccer goodies. As we walked back into the school one of the children remarked, “This was the best day ever!”
Earth Day in Pre-K was spent recalling and learning ways to help our Earth. Emphasis on recycling and reusing materials, especially in our class, was reviewed. The group went outside and took part in a campus clean-up all around the property. The children also made a group collage of natural items they found while looking for trash. It is wonderful to see the children continue to care for our school by picking up trash and placing it in the garbage can when they are outside or on a Smokey Bounder’s trip.
In preparation for the big day, the children have been practicing their graduation songs. We will have a couple rehearsals prior to Thursday. The children are excited to sing for you at their graduation ceremony which begins at 9:30 Thursday. Please have your child come to our classroom at 9:00 so we can get them ready before we proceed down to the Smokey’s room for the ceremony. After the ceremony everyone will enjoy cake and punch in the dining area. Make sure you notice the cake, designed by our own class!
We thoroughly enjoyed our visit to The Brant Foundation Art Study Center where the children were able to observe various forms of art. Urs Fisher’s pop art exhibit was extraordinary and the children were treated to a special snack as well. The visit culminated with a visit to the “Puppy”, Jeff Koon’s gigantic structure covered in 58,000 colorful flowers.
Thank you to Tori’s dad, Dr. Jenkins, for coming in and talking to the children about what it is like to be a doctor. He also discussed the importance of safety in order to prevent accidents that may cause us harm.
Please continue to send a bag to school with your child. We will have several items to send home in the next week.
Thank you for sharing your children with us this year. It was a pleasure spending our days exploring and learning together, while watching them grow. We will miss each child, and you, and hope your son or daughter will come back to visit us.
Have a wonderful summer!