These Are the People in Your Neighborhood

We hope that everyone enjoyed a nice long President’s Day weekend. Monday gave us teachers some extra time to prepare for conferences! I’ll be posting the SignUp Genius for conference times this weekend.

We kicked off our Community Helpers theme this week, and it came with lots of fun surprises!

Throughout the week, we learned about different helpers in our community, and we were so lucky to have several special visitors join us. We welcomed doctors, a music teacher, a member of the Coast Guard, and even staff from Weaver Street Market. What a fun way to bring our theme to life! Thank you all for coming into our classroom and sharing your gifts with us — you are what makes our community so special!

Our classroom centers also matched our community helper focus.

In the sensory bin, we became construction workers hard at work! The children scooped, leveled, and moved trucks around as they “built” their little construction sites. It was busy, hands-on fun!

In our block building area, we constructed houses using large cardboard bricks. The children used their imaginations to create wonderful homes, and many proudly shared their building plans with us once they were finished.

We also worked to create our very own little play city in the classroom! The children loved setting it up and filling it with all kinds of community helpers — doctors, firefighters, police officers, construction workers, and more. It was so fun to watch them act out real-life roles and see how all of these helpers work together to keep a community running.

We also experimented with foam building pieces that stuck together once water was added — such a neat and exciting activity! Our Tuesday/Thursday group will be getting to try this next week! There simply aren’t enough fun hours in the week!

In dramatic play, we had a little “emergency” in the kitchen…a fire on the stove! But don’t worry — our brave firefighters rushed right in to save the day. This gave us a great opportunity to talk about things that can be hot and the importance of staying safe and always having a grown-up nearby. We also had police officers, construction workers, and other helpers keeping our classroom community running smoothly.

At the easel, we turned into painters! The children created wonderful Picasso-like masterpieces and even used rollers, just like real house painters do.

We didn’t have quite as many books to go along with our theme this week, but we definitely enjoyed the mini community helpers themed books — they are just so cute!

In Chapel this week, we learned about Fat Tuesday and Ash Wednesday (the first day of Lent). We learned that Jesus went to the River Jordan and was baptized by his friend John the Baptist. When He came up out of the water, the sky opened, a dove came down, and God said, “This is my Son, whom I love.” After that, Jesus Christ went away for 40 days to pray and get ready for His work. During Lent, we remember this and try to pray, make good choices, and prepare our hearts for Easter. ✝️

In Music and Movement, we joyfully sang along to familiar songs while moving our bodies to the rhythm. The children especially loved using the parachute again — it was such a fun and energetic way to move together! We can’t wait to share the songs we’ve been learning with you on Preschool Sunday. 🎶

We had such a sweet time celebrating Devon’s upcoming birthday. Her mom joined us for the celebration, bringing yummy snacks and reading some of Devon’s favorite books, which made the day feel extra special. We loved getting to celebrate together! Happy early 4th Birthday, Devon!

All in all, it was a wonderful week of learning, imagining, and working together. The children loved stepping into the roles of real-life helpers and discovering how each one makes a difference in our community. We are again so thankful for the special visitors who shared their time with us — what a fun and meaningful week it has been! 😃

REMINDERS/Upcoming events:

• February 25th and 26th - Pancakes and Pajamas - Send your child in their pajamas for their day. The children will eat pancakes at 10:00am, so that will be their snack. Please send their water bottles and lunch for LUNCH BUNCH!

• March 1st - PRESCHOOL SUNDAY at Christ Church. PLEASE bring your child to sing! We need every voice! Your children will sing some special songs near the beginning of the 9:00am worship service, and we will celebrate the CUMC Preschool Ministry. The service lasts about an hour. There is a nursery provided in the 2’s classroom for very young children. More details to follow, but mark your calendars!

• March 11th and 12th - Conferences - School is closed for spring conferences, but feel free to plan with a friend to watch each others’ children on the playground during your conferences. Note that we also have no school those two days.

• March 30th - April 6th - SPRING BREAK

• April 22nd and 23rd - Casual music programs in the fellowship hall. Shortly after drop-off on this Wednesday and Thursday, your child will sing a few songs with their class and Ms. Vicki for an audience of parents and special loved ones in Ascension Hall. More details to come…

ADDITIONAL INFO: Heather Spiel, the parent of a Blue Whale, led a music class for us as a part of our community helpers week. We had so much fun listening, singing, and playing instruments. This is a passion and business for Heather, so feel free to reach out to her in the hall if you are interested in her music classes.

Have a wonderful weekend with your growing Ladybug!

Miss Lisa, Miss Phoenix, and Miss Jenn

Happy Valentine's Day

It’s the season of LOVE, and we celebrated all week long in the Ladybug class!

Monday morning greeted the children with hearts taped on the floor, which was super exciting. One child even called them “dancing hearts,” so of course everyone standing in a heart had to show off their very best dance moves! Before long, our game turned into “the floor is lava,” and we found some special Valentine’s Day floor-is-lava music to make the fun even better. The giggles were nonstop.

Our opening book for the week was LOVE from The Very Hungry Caterpillar, and it was such a sweet way to begin our celebrations. The story reminds us that love can be shown in so many simple ways — through kindness, friendship, sharing, and caring for one another. The children loved seeing the familiar caterpillar spread love all around, and it sparked some great conversations about how we can show love to our friends at school.

Since we needed to make Valentine’s Day bags for our Tuesday and Wednesday exchanges, several of our centers focused on special Valentine art projects. In one center, we rolled marbles through paint to create unique and colorful heart designs for the fronts of our bags. In another, we tried “blank space art,” where a heart was placed in the center of the paper, and the children used their hands to paint all around it. When we lifted the heart away — voila! — a perfect heart was left behind. The children were amazed by the magic of it!

Since these kiddos seem to love painting so much, we also tried a fun heart-painting activity using toilet paper rolls bent into the shape of hearts. The children dipped them into paint and stamped beautiful heart masterpieces all over their papers. It was such a simple activity, but it brought so much creativity and joy.

As we continue working on letter recognition, one of our activities focused on finding the letters in our own names. The children strung those letters onto pipe cleaners, then chose extra beads to complete their creations. Some wanted bracelets, while others shaped theirs into hearts — such a fun mix of learning, fine motor work, and creativity.

Our sensory bin was also booming this week! It was filled with fine, super-soft sand, faux rose petals, 3D hearts, and plastic hearts. The Ladybugs scooped, sifted, sorted, and explored for long stretches of time. It was calming, engaging, and so much fun.

Our Valentine’s festivities in both classes were filled with fun and excitement! The Ladybugs were beyond excited to share and receive Valentine’s Day cards that they brought from home. Each child waited patiently while their friends passed out cards, and they could hardly contain their excitement as their bags filled up.

The Valentine bags were displayed for pickup at the end of each day, and we made sure every bag went home full of love. There were many big smiles, sweet hugs between friends, and so much kindness shared. Miss Phoenix, Miss Jenn, and I truly felt the love as well. Thank you so much for your thoughtful cards and gifts.

In Chapel this week, Pastor Lee and Pastor Brad shared a story from the Bible about a very special moment when Jesus showed His glory to His friends. Jesus’ face shone brightly, and a cloud filled the sky. Then God spoke and reminded everyone to listen to Jesus and follow His ways. We talked about how God’s voice is loving and comforting — just like the voices of the people who care for us. It was a beautiful reminder that Jesus is always with us and teaches us how to love and be kind.

In Music and Movement, the children moved their bodies to the beat, used their voices to sing, and were so excited to see something new — a parachute. They loved working together to make it float, ripple, and bounce as we played along with the music.

All in all, it was a joyful, love-filled week in the Ladybug classroom. The children experienced so many special moments together. We are so grateful for the kindness, excitement, and community that made this week so meaningful. Thank you for helping us celebrate such a wonderful season of love.

REMINDERS:

• Our theme for the next TWO weeks will be on Community Helpers

  • Thank you to those who volunteered to visit and teach us about their jobs during these next two weeks. We are so excited for the children to learn from you and explore all the different ways people help in our community.

  • If you would like to come into our classroom and share the work that you do, we still have space available!

• SCHOOL IS CLOSED ON MONDAY FOR A TEACHER WORKDAY

• Pancakes and Pajamas has been rescheduled to February, 25th and 26th.

• Preschool Sunday will be on Sunday, March 1st at 8:45.

• Conferences will be held on March 11th (MWF class) and 12th (T/TH class). More information coming soon!

  • I will be sending an email shortly with the link to sign up for March conferences. School will be closed during conference days, March 11th and 12th. Please make arrangements to have childcare during the conference, so that we can all chat as adults and without disruptions. We promise it will be quick! Often parents have arranged to watch each other’s children (play on the playground) while they have their conferences.

Happy Valentine’s Day, and enjoy President’s Day weekend with your little Ladybug!

Miss Lisa, Miss Phoenix, and Miss Jenn

Love and Kindness All Around

This week in preschool, we had another short week. At least this time, we were blessed with some real snow to enjoy instead of just icy weather! The children came in full of excitement, sharing stories about sledding adventures, building snowmen, and making snow angels. Their joy was contagious, and it was so fun to hear all about their winter memories.

Our theme this week was love and kindness, and the classroom reflected it right away. Upon arrival, the children were greeted with hearts scattered all around the room. They eagerly moved about the space, calling out the letters they recognized on each heart — a perfect connection to one of our learning centers. Many of them already had ideas brewing about what we would be focusing on, and they were excited to dive right in.

To start our week, we read Love From the Crayons, a sweet story about the crayons sharing messages of love, friendship, and appreciation in their own colorful ways. It was such a wonderful reminder that love can be shown through kindness, creativity, and thoughtful words. Along with this story, our book area was refreshed with new books all about Valentine’s Day, love, and kindness, giving the children even more opportunities to explore these themes throughout the week.

The hearts around the room didn’t just brighten our space — they also got our bodies moving! The children searched for letters, identified them, and then stamped them using dot art markers. When children can move while learning, it helps strengthen their understanding and supports deeper brain connections, making the concept more meaningful and memorable.

Because our 2026 New Year’s contact paper window art project was such a bit hit, we’ve decided to make it a monthly tradition for each holiday! This activity encourages teamwork, creativity, and fine motor development. You may have noticed their beautiful new Valentine-themed window art on Thursday and Friday — they were so proud of their work!

We also created adorable postcards using heart and Valentine’s Day stamps. This was especially fun, but it definitely required some learning and patience since these stamps were not the self-inking kind. The children practiced choosing the correct stamp by looking at the picture on top, pressing it carefully into the ink, stamping it onto their postcard, and cleaning it when finished. It was a challenge, but they always rise to whatever is asked of them!

Color sorting was another focus this week. The children worked with pom poms and experimented with different tools for picking them up. Some used regular tongs, others tried tiny scoops that held only one pom at a time, and some challenged themselves with pincher tongs that enclosed the pom. They successfully sorted all of their pom poms by color while strengthening hand muscles and coordination.

In our sensory bin, we had festive confetti rice with plastic hearts scattered throughout. The children scooped, poured, sorted by color, and even counted their hearts as they played. Sensory activities like this support early math skills, fine motor development, and lots of calming, focused exploration.

Our building area was full of teamwork and collaboration. The children worked together using Lincoln Logs, foam blocks, Magna-Tiles, and even the rainbow builder. It is so wonderful to see how much they are growing in their ability to take turns, share ideas, and use their voices to communicate with one another.

In our dramatic play area, the children worked together in the spirit of kindness, pretending to bake and serve all sorts of delicious Valentine’s Day treats. There were cupcakes, cookies, and lots of “sweet” friendship moments as they practiced sharing, taking turns, and using loving words with one another.

In Chapel this week, Pastor Lee read The Runaway Bunny, a beautiful story that reminds us that no matter where we go, we are always loved and never alone. We talked about how Jesus is with us always — in every place, in every moment — and how His love follows us wherever we are. It was such a comforting and meaningful message for our little ones.

During Music and Movement, we had so much fun moving our bodies along with the tempo and listening carefully to instructions while playing our mini tambourines. Ms. Vicki always brings so much joy and energy, and the children love getting to make music while learning rhythm, self-control, and coordination.

And I think we all can agree that one of the biggest highlights of the week was getting to play in the snow at school! The children had the best time shoveling, building mini snowmen, and simply enjoying the magic of winter together. Lots of giggles, rosy cheeks, and wonderful memories were made. We also tied our snowy fun into a little seasonal learning by talking about what Punxsutawney Phil predicted for winter. Using our own “shadow Phils,” the children learned that he saw his shadow — which means we may have six more weeks of winter ahead!

Thank you, as always, for sharing your precious children with us each week. It is such a joy to watch them grow in kindness, creativity, adn friendship. We are so grateful for the love that fills our classroom every day!

REMINDERS:

• Valentine’s Day (week), and Community Helpers

• We are still looking for volunteers to visit and teach us about their jobs during our community helpers theme in February! We have had dentists, physical therapists, artists, doctors, carpenters — all sorts of interesting jobs to learn about in past years. Let us know if you’d like to share something about your work with our class, and we can schedule a time!

• Our annual Valentine Dance will be on Friday, February 13th, from 6:00-7:30 pm. Put on your dancing clothes and shoes! The fellowship hall will be transformed into a party! This event is for your whole family. It’s always a favorite!

• Valentine’s Day - Please send in Valentines with your child the week of February 9th. They will deliver them to one another using their decorated bags we’ll make here in the classroom. Have your child sign their names on their Valentine cards and leave the “to” part and envelope, if there is one, blank. This way it is easier for them to personally pass out their cards and not be overwhelmed by reading all of their friends’ names. Give your child a chance to help create and personalize their Valentines in some way. This can be by adding stickers, drawing a picture, writing their name on their own (or even just a letter or two), or decorating homemade cards. Whatever they do will give them ownership and pride, and will make the experience of delivering the cards soooo much more meaningful to them

• SCHOOL WILL BE CLOSED ON FEBRUARY 16th for teachers to prepare for conferences!

• Conferences will be held on March 11th (MWF class) and 12th (T/TH class). More information coming soon!

Have a wonderful weekend with your little Ladybugs!

Miss Lisa, Miss Phoenix, and Miss Jenn

Welcome Bear! Cozy Dens, Icy Homes, and Winter Animal Fun

Wow — what a super short week we had thanks to the weather! We truly missed seeing our Ladybugs on all of those icy days, but we hope they enjoyed some cozy winter fun at home. Our hearts were happy that we were able to see each class at least one time — it made those days feel extra special.

This week, we expanded on our winter theme by welcoming bears into our play, alongside our arctic and polar animals. We read the beautiful story Bear Snores On, and the children were completely drawn into the cozy, snowy world of Bear’s lair. As we read, we moved our bodies and acted out the story — tiptoeing like quiet forest animals, stretching and curling up like Bear in his den, and pretending to snooze while the storm raged outside. It was a wonderful way to connect literacy, imagination, and movement.

Our sensory bin was filled with blue polar kinetic sand, and the children eagerly matched penguins to their iceberg rafts and igloos. This hands-on play encouraged number, shape, and color recognition, all while sparking lots of conversation and creative play.

In the building area, we worked on creating bear dens and cozy houses using Lincoln Logs. Some of the uniquely shaped pieces inspired lots of laughter and imagination — they transformed into other things including a crown for me and even a silly snake tongue! We also explored balancing, rhythm, and tempo as we tapped and stacked the pieces together. They’re really good with tempo. Using a random object from around your home, try and challenge your child by using that object to make a sound pattern, and have them mirror what sound pattern you made! You’ll be surprised! So fun!

At the art table, we painted using traditional paint — and when I said we were painting penguins, the children took that quite literally! Instead of painting pictures of penguins, they painted the plastic penguins themselves, which was a perfect reminder of how wonderfully literal and creative preschoolers can be. At the easel, we tried paint sticks, which were soooo fun! They dried quickly, and offered a completely different (and exciting) painting experience!

In our Play-Doh center, the children created several animal habitats, shapes, and food dishes, carefully molding and designing with lots of focus and creativity.

As always, our book area was a cozy hub, filled with fun winter-themed stories. All of this reading we’ve been doing has truly sparked a growing interest in letters. The children are excitedly recognizing letters all around the room, and pointing them out during play and transitions. They are being encouraged to write the letter/s in their names on their work, and they’ve been practicing both recognizing and forming letters using whiteboards and Etch-A-Sketchs. It has been so fun to watch their confidence grow as they proudly identify and practice letters in meaningful, hands-on ways. You’ll recognize more art coming home with their hand-written letters and names.

Our one day of Lunch Bunch was a blast! Even with the delay, it felt like a normal three-hour day. We ate together in Ascension Hall and topped it off with a super fun snowball fight using our soft snowballs — lots of giggles and happy memories were made!

We also celebrated a very special birthday this week — Emma turned four! Her mom joined us to read a special story, and we enjoyed a sweet gummy treat together. Happy Birthday, Emma!

All in all, it was a short but very fun two-day week. Who knows what the weather will bring next week, but stay tuned for weather updates! Groundhog Day is coming, so we will have to see how much more winter we will be having. We’re excited to see our Ladybugs again soon!

LOOKING AHEAD:

• Groundhog Day, Love and Kindness All Around, Valentine’s Day (week), and Community Helpers

  • We are still looking for volunteers to visit and teach us about their jobs during our community helpers theme in February! We have had dentists, physical therapists, artists, doctors, carpenters — all sorts of interesting jobs to learn about in past years. Let us know if you’d like to share something about your work with our class, and we can schedule a time!

• Our annual Valentine Dance will be on Friday, February 13th, from 6:00-7:30 pm. Put on your dancing clothes and shoes! The fellowship hall will be transformed into a party! This event is for your whole family. It’s always a favorite!

• Valentine’s Day - Please send in Valentines with your child the week of February 9th. They will deliver them to one another using their decorated bags we’ll make here in the classroom. Have your child sign their names on their Valentine cards and leave the “to” part and envelope, if there is one, blank. This way it is easier for them to personally pass out their cards and not be overwhelmed by reading all of their friends’ names. Give your child a chance to help create and personalize their Valentines in some way. This can be by adding stickers, drawing a picture, writing their name on their own (or even just a letter or two), or decorating homemade cards. Whatever they do will give them ownership and pride, and will make the experience of delivering the cards soooo much more meaningful to them

• SCHOOL WILL BE CLOSED ON FEBRUARY 16th for teachers to prepare for conferences!

Have a wonderful (and SAFE) weekend with your little Ladybugs!

Miss Lisa, Miss Phoenix, and Miss Jenn

Arctic and Polar Animals

We had another super fun and exciting week in preschool! Our theme was Arctic and Polar Animals, and the excitement started the moment the children walked into the classroom on Tuesday. To their amazement, it looked like some arctic animals had been visiting while we were away — animal footprints were everywhere! The children eagerly followed the tracks, matching each set of footprints to the correct animal, and even trying their best to walk like the animals. There was lots of laughter, waddling like penguins, and stomping like polar bears.

Before settling down for our morning meeting, the children noticed something else new — snowflakes scattered around the room. Each child searched carefully to find the snowflake with their name on it. If your child brought one home, they were successful in finding theirs, and were at school.

Our classroom centers were filled with arctic and polar fun all week.

The sensory bin was a huge hit, as the children worked together to free penguins trapped in the ice. Using vinegar, baking soda “snow,” and a touch of blue food coloring, they watched in amazement as the ice fizzed and melted away. This hands-on experiment sparked so much curiosity and excitement — it may have been the crowd favorite of the week!

In the art center, the children created beautiful snowy scenes using doilies, bubble wrap, and paint brushes. Each masterpiece was unique, and truly captured the magic of winter landscapes.

We also had fun strengthening our letter recognition skills by feeding a hungry polar bear his alphabet soup. The children dug into a basket filled with letters and pom-poms, selected a letter, matched it on their paper, stamped it, proudly said the letter aloud — and then fed it to the polar bear! It was a challenge, but our Ladybugs showed great focus and determination.

The building area was busy with large blocks being transformed into igloos and icy habitats.

Our book area was stocked with exciting new reads. A favorite this week was our interactive arctic animals sound book, which kept them coming back again and again. Those interactive books are the best!

Dramatic play was, as always, a big hit. Our chefs whipped up cupcakes, cakes, milkshakes, and all kinds of imaginative treats. So much creativity and teamwork!

We were also thrilled to welcome a new friend to our class this week — Snorri. Our Ladybugs were incredibly kind and welcoming, and we are so happy to have him join our classroom family.

We have made great progress with calendar patterns, which are becoming easier for the children to recognize and predict.

In Chapel this week, we learned how to know God, and also learned that we are rich in loving everybody. We are rich in giving love away — spreading His love into the world.

In Music and Movement, we sang and moved our bodies to both songs and stories. We sang/read Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See?, which helped strengthen our color recognition skills as we eagerly identified each animal and its color.

We had two special helpers again this week. Two of my girls were eager to lend a hand, and they did a wonderful job. My oldest Cailyn, and one of my triplet girls, Olivia, joined us on Tuesday. Olivia joined us again for our Wednesday group. Our local schools sure does have a lot of teacher workdays, and many of our own children truly love coming to play on those days!

All in all, it was a joyful, busy, and learning-filled week. Our Ladybugs continue to amaze us with their curiosity, kindness, and willingness to try new challenges. We can’t wait to see what next week brings (in many ways — weather and curriculum-wise)! Stay tuned for potential closures. Our theme will be arctic and polar animal habitats and hibernation.

Important Reminders:

POSSIBLE WEATHER EVENT - Stay tuned for updates from Shelly!

Don’t Forget! Pancakes and Pajamas - We will have pancakes, and get to wear our PJ’s to school this Wednesday and Thursday, January 28th and 29th!

LOOKING AHEAD

Our annual Valentine Dance will be on Friday, February 13th, from 6:00-7:30 pm. Put on your dancing clothes and shoes! The fellowship hall will be transformed into a party! This event is for your whole family. It’s always a favorite!

Valentine’s Day - Please send in Valentines with your child the week of February 9th. They will deliver them to one another using their decorated bags we’ll make here in the classroom. Have your child sign their names on their Valentine cards and leave the “to” part and envelope, if there is one, blank. This way it is easier for them to personally pass out their cards and not be overwhelmed by reading all of their friends’ names. Give your child a chance to help create and personalize their Valentines in some way. This can be by adding stickers, drawing a picture, writing their name on their own (or even just a letter or two), or decorating homemade cards. Whatever they do will give them ownership and pride, and will make the experience of delivering the cards soooo much more meaningful to them ❤️

One more thing…We will be discussing community helpers in February, and we’d love to have some parents come to visit and teach us about their jobs! We have had dentists, physical therapists, artists, doctors, carpenters — all sorts of interesting jobs to learn about in past years. Let us know if you’d like to share something about your work with our class, and we can schedule a time!

Have a wonderful (and safe) weekend with your little Ladybug!

Miss Lisa, Miss Phoenix, and Miss Jenn

Winter Fun!

We had another fun and busy week in preschool! The children are settling back into their routines, which is so important for everyone. When routines fall out of place, many areas of our day can feel a bit tricky, so it has been wonderful to see how confident and comfortable the kids are becoming.

Although we haven’t seen any snow yet, our classroom was full of winter fun! It almost felt like the cold weather got the memo — now we’re just waiting on the snow itself. Our stories this week included: There Was a Cold Lady Who Swallowed Some Snow, Snowmen at Night, and The Snowy Day. These books sparked lots of giggles, imagination, and great conversations about winter, snowmen adventures, and exploring a snowy world.

Our classroom centers were a big hit this week, especially the sensory bin. We mixed shaving cream, Elmer’s glue, and baking soda to create a fun, snowy texture. The children loved stirring, scooping, and digging their hands into the mixture. On day two, the texture changed, and the kids were thrilled to discover that they could actually build snowmen! With Frozen music “Do You Want to Build a Snowman?” playing in the background, it truly felt magical — and wonderfully messy.

In art, we explored process art with adorable stick snowmen. The children first painted their sticks white. Each child was then measured using a string that was then used to create the scarves, and then hats, faces, and buttons were added. Each snowman was unique and so cute!

We also enjoyed ice painting. Watching the colors spread and mix across their papers, while using the colorful ice, created such a unique painting experience! It was both fascinating and cold to those who tried.

In the building area, imagination was in full swing as the children built magical igloos, ice sculptures, and tall towers. The foam blocks were especially exciting this week.

We also spent time working on letter recognition by finding the letters in our names and stringing them together to make a bracelet or necklace. This was a challenging activity for some, but all showed great effort and perseverance. It’s an important skill, and we will continue focusing on it throughout the rest of the school year as their confidence and familiarity with letters grow.

Our little chefs stayed busy too, hosting tea parties and cooking up yummy baked creations like cookies, cakes, and more in the dramatic play area.

Our reading area continued to be a cozy favorite, especially with the Frozen book. Many of our ladybugs enjoyed curling up with new and interesting stories, taking time to relax and enjoy quiet moments with books of their choice.

One of the highlights of the week was a fun stuffy snowball fight — lots of laughter, smiles, and playful winter fun filled the room.

In Chapel this week, we learned that God loves us and will always find us where we are!

In Music and Movement, we sang our hearts out as we moved our bodies to some fun books and songs! The book, If You’re a Robot and You Know It, is SOOOOO adorable! Definitely a favorite! You should check it out!

The New Year has begun with several birthday celebrations, and this past Monday we celebrated Cora turning FOUR! Cora’s mom and grandma joined us for the celebration. Her mom read Cora’s favorite dinosaur story, and everyone enjoyed delicious dinosaur cookies as a special treat. It was such a fun and memorable way to celebrate her big day! Happy Birthday, Cora!

We also had some very special visitors this week! Miss Phoenix’s daughter, Evie, joined us on Wednesday and Friday, and my daughter, Cailyn, helped out on Thursday. Both classes loved having them, and it was extra helpful during our very first lunch bunch days. All of the kiddos did an amazing job with that extra hour! YAY!

Overall it was a wonderful week full of learning, creativity, and joy. Next week, we will be shifting our focus to arctic animals, and we can’t wait to dive into another exciting theme together!

UPCOMING EVENTS:

School is closed this Monday, January 19 in observance of Martin Luther King Jr. Day

Pancakes and Pajamas - We will have pancakes and get to wear our PJ’s to school on Wednesday and Thursday, January 28th and 29th. Watch for more details coming from our Room Reps, but for now, please mark your calendars.

Last day for enrollment is January, 30th.

LOOKING AHEAD

Our annual Valentine Dance will be on Friday, February, 13th from 6:00-7:30 pm. Put on your dancing clothes and shoes! The fellowship hall will be transformed into a party! This event is for your whole family. It’s always a favorite!

Valentine’s Day we ask that everyone please send 12 cards signed by your child (do not write friend’s names on them) for them to “mail” to each friend. Bring your cards the week of February 9th. We will make “mailboxes” at school. Give your child a chance to help create their valentines in some way. They can add stickers, draw a picture, write their name on their own (or even just a letter or two), or can decorate homemade cards. Whatever they do will give them ownership and pride, and will make the experience of delivering the cards soooo much more meaningful to them ❤️

One more thing…We will be discussing community helpers in February, and we’d love to have some parents come to visit and teach us about their jobs! We have had dentists, physical therapists, artists, doctors, carpenters — all sorts of interesting jobs to learn about in past years. Let us know if you’d like to share something about your work with our class, and we can schedule a time!

Have a wonderful weekend with your sweet Ladybug!

Miss Lisa, Miss Phoenix, and Miss Jenn

Happy New Year!

Happy New Year & welcome back! We hope everyone enjoyed a restful and joyful break. Our classroom was filled with smiles, excitement, and lots of happy reunions as the children returned, eager to see their friends and teachers again. It was truly wonderful to have our sweet ladybugs back with us.

Now it’s time to jump into 2026! Time is flying by, and we are already noticing how much the children are growing. Many are becoming more independent each day — getting dressed for the playground, opening snacks, and confidently tackling daily routines. As they show readiness, we are gently introducing new challenges in the classroom to support their growth and confidence.

One exciting addition has been making patterns with our calendar numbers. Since our number sets include two different picture options, the children have enjoyed noticing similarities and differences while creating patterns. They have also done an amazing job with name recognition, so we will begin focusing more closely on learning the individual letters in their names. We’ll be practicing letter formation in fun, hands-on ways using play doh, craft sticks, blocks, and of course, writing tools.

To begin our week, we read the beautiful story I Wish you Happiness, by Michael Wong and Ann Baratashvili. This sweet book is filled with heartfelt wishes for kindness, courage, joy, and love — so many of the things we hope for our own ladybugs. It sparked meaningful conversations, and reminded us that happiness looks different for everyone…but caring for one another is always at the heart of it.

Our learning centers this week focused on celebrating and welcoming the New Year.

In our sensory bin, the children explored shiny streamers while searching for hidden letters of the alphabet — combining sensory play with literacy fun.

In the art center, we created dazzling firework displays using paint, toilet paper rolls, and glitter, resulting in some truly spectular masterpieces.

We also made “2026” banners for our classroom window, which was a wonderful way to strengthen fine motor skills while letting creativity shine as the children chose their own materials.

Scratch-art party hats were another big hit!

We even made our own fireworks in a jar — the swirling colors and “explosions” were so exciting to watch!

Our magnatiles and container-building areas continue to be very popular, encouraging creativity, problem-solving, and teamwork.

The dramatic play kitchen was especially busy this week as well. It seems our little chefs became baking experts over the break, because the kitchen was buzzing with activity and imagination.

As always, our cozy book area offered plenty of choices, and the children truly seemed to delight in simply being back together. We missed them dearly and loved seeing the joy they brought back into our classroom.

We also had some very special celebrations this week! Ronan turned 4, and his mom joined us to read a story. We even enjoyed fun dinosaur cookies together. Haydon also celebrated his 4th birthday! Happy Birthday to both of you. We loved celebrating your big days.

As always, we had a wonderful time in Chapel and in Music and Movement.

This week in chapel, we learned about promises, and that God says he will love us no matter what. The angels are always watching over us.

In Music and Movement, we sang our hearts out, while moving our bodies to exciting tunes.

It was such a wonderful first week back! Thank you always for sharing your wonderful children with us each day. We are so excited for all the learning, growth, and joyful moments that 2026 will bring. Here’s to a year filled with curiosity, kindness, and lots of smiles!

REMINDERS:

Lunch Bunch begins next week on Wednesday and Thursday! This will be a new transition for our group, but we are confident they will adapt beautifully and rise to the challenge. Such exciting times ahead!

Wishing you all a wonderful weekend with your sweet ladybugs,

Miss Lisa, Miss Phoenix, and Miss Jenn

Merry Christmas! 🎄

This week was truly filled with excitement, joy, and holiday magic! The anticipation began the moment the children arrived when greeted by our train front and “steam” balloon arch, setting the scene for a very special journey. Dressed in their cozy jammies, the Ladybugs climbed aboard the Polar Express, and enjoyed a delightful ride filled with smiles, wonder, and holiday cheer. We sipped hot cocoa, while listening to the story, creating a calm and cozy moment that felt straight out of the book.

After weeks of pretending to be bakers in our dramatic play area, the children were thrilled to decorate, and of course eat, real cookies! Their excitement and pride were priceless. Throughout the week, we also explored winter fun through hands-on activities. — painting ice with watercolors in our sensory bin, creating festive pipe cleaner trees, and putting the final touches on the special gifts made just for you.

Your Ladybugs could hardly contain their excitement as their gifts were wrapped in their hand-made bags with their favorite color tissue paper. They were so proud to finally present you with something made straight from their hearts. We hope these gifts bring you joy, and serve as sweet reminders of this special season for years to come. ❤️

We also got to enjoy a special birthday celebration this week! Happy Birthday, Ledger!

And finally, after weeks of practice in music class, along with many pep talks about being brave, confident, and supporting one another, the Ladybugs shined on stage at our Christmas Concert. Their performance was absolutely adorable, and we could not be more proud of each and every one of them!

Miss Phoenix, Miss Jenn, and I would like to sincerely thank you for being such wonderfully supportive families, and for trusting us with your precious children. We are so grateful for your kind words, thoughtful generosity, and the children’s sweet notes and drawings. Our hearts are truly full! Best.Job.EVER! ❤️

We wish you all a safe, joyous, and magical Christmas filled with love, laughter, and special moments with your families!

With love,

Miss Lisa, Miss Phoenix, and Miss Jenn

REMINDERS:

School will reopen on Monday, January, 5th.

LUNCH BUNCH begins on January 14th and 15th. An email will be sent with all of the details, so be on the lookout!

Christmas JOY!

This week in our Ladybug classroom, Christmas magic filled every corner. From tree-making and gift-creating, to reading sweet holiday stories and soaking up the magic of the season, our room was filled with pure JOY! ‘Tis the season, and the children certainly reminded us of that all week long (even though it was a short week). Yay for snow days!

Our featured story was Little Red Sleigh, a heartwarming tale about a tiny sleigh with a big dream — to one day be Santa’s very own. Along her journey, she meets new friends, learns about courage and kindness, and discovers that even the smallest dreamers can do extraordinary things. The children loved cheering for her as she pushed through challenges, and finally found her special place in the Christmas magic. Our reading area also got a festive update, with even more Christmas books for them to enjoy during our quiet moments and center time.

In our sensory bin, we rolled, shaped and built cheerful snowmen, and mixed up frosty “winter treats.” The soft textures of the cotton balls and cotton rounds, and the sparkly add-ins, made it a favorite stop each day.

Our blocks center looked a bit different this week! Instead of wooden blocks, we used plain Clorox containers to build the tallest snow forts and icy towers. The children experimented with balance, height, weight, and stability — some towers wobbled, some toppled, and some stood tall until clean-up time. You’ll have to ask your child what the magic words are for when the towers fall before they are ready. I did this with my own children, and found that it lessens the sad, and creates a sense of excitement to start over again. “Oooommmmmpppppaaaaa!”

In dramatic play, the Christmas spirit continued. Our little bakers whipped up pretend holiday goodies — cookies, cocoa, candy canes, and cupcakes — while chatting, collaborating, and sharing lots of giggles.

Our art area stretched those fine motor muscles in a big way. They all carefully placed the tiniest dot stickers onto their paper trees, decorating them just like real ornaments. Many added colorful pom-pom ornaments, using pinchers to grasp them, and lots of determination to squeeze those tricky glue bottles. It was challenging, but many stuck with it, and their festive artwork turned out adorable!

We also tackled a STEM challenge: building the biggest Christmas tree we could using stackable cups. Some creations were tall, some wide, and some delightfully creative.

Toward the end of the week, we worked hard on our special Christmas gifts for our families. We can’t wait for you to see them — they’ll be wrapped and ready to surprise you very soon. Please make sure to put them under your tree to open on Christmas morning (if your child will let you wait that long…I know mine could never wait)!

In Chapel, we noticed new additions: the manager scene and bright star overhead. We learned why the manger is empty right now — waiting for Christmas Eve, when Baby Jesus will be placed inside, reminding us that He is the greatest Christmas gift of all!

And in music and movement, we continued practicing for our Christmas concert. The excitement is real — the children cannot wait to share their songs and smiles with you!

We also had a special celebration this week—an early Happy Birthday to Byron! We loved celebrating with him, and his mom made the day even sweeter by sharing one of his favorite stories with our class. It was such a joyful way to make his day feel extra special!

What a magical week it was — full of creativity, discovery, teamwork, and the joy that only this season can bring. We can’t wait for more Christmas fun next week! ALL ABORAD, THE POLAR EXPRESS!

EVENTS NEXT WEEK

Polar Express Day on Monday and Tuesday, Dec. 15th and 16th. Send your child in pajamas (please still have them wear sneakers and jackets, because we will still have playground time). We will be decorating cookies to eat with our hot cocoa for snack, and listening to the Polar Express story while we ride the “train”. Thank you all for signing up to contribute items to make this a fun day!

Our Christmas Concert will be on Thursday, December 18th at 9:30.

We have been working hard to learn our Christmas program songs, and will be practicing in Chapel on Monday and Tuesday. Hopefully that will help everyone feel confident when all the families come to watch! If for some reason your child gets overwhelmed and ends up in your lap instead of on the stage, please keep them with you during the performance (maybe they will sing along in your lap)! We want this to be a fun, not stressful, time for all. ALL classes are invited to be here. Drop your children in the classroom at 9:00 and then find a seat in the sanctuary. This concert is our Christmas gift of love to you. After the concert, we will say goodbye for the holidays. Of course, you may want a family photo in front of our BIG Christmas tree before you go!

Take some time to see Christmas through your child’s eyes this weekend. I know we are all busy with preparations, but children help us remember to stop and see the magic of the season ❤️ 🎄

Have a wonderful weekend!

Miss Lisa, Miss Phoenix, and Miss Jenn

It's Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas

Welcome, December! The Christmas season has officially arrived, and our Ladybugs are filled with excitement and wonder. This week’s theme was gingerbread, and from the moment the children stepped into the classroom, the sweet scent of gingerbread filled the air. To make the week even more magical, they were greeted by a very exciting surprise — our very own big Christmas tree standing proudly in the classroom, along with some winter decor.

At circle time on Monday, we discovered that we had a new friend joining our class — our very own gingerbread friend! He left us a note explaining that he had heard of how fun our classroom was, and couldn’t wait to be a part of the Ladybug family. We celebrated his arrival by reading “The Gingerbread Baby,” by Jan Brett. This beautifully illustrated story talks about a clever little gingerbread baby who escapes and outsmarts everyone trying to catch him. The story kept our Ladybugs fully engaged, and they loved predicating what might happen next as the adventure unfolded.

On Wednesday, we arrived to an unexpected surprise — our gingerbread friend was missing! Where could he have gone? To help us search for clues, we read “The Gingerbread Man Loose in the School,” by Laura Murray. Inspired by the story, our Ladybug family took their search very seriously. One group found him cleverly disguised in doll clothes and tucked into a high chair, while the other group discovered him hiding in the classroom refrigerator! We soon realized he had left us a note explaining that he was just playing a little game of hide-and-seek.

All of our classroom centers were gingerbread-themed this week.

Our reading center was refreshed with brand-new Christmas and holiday books that the children were eager to explore.

The building center was a huge hit, as the children worked together to build a “gingerbread house” to trap our sneaky friend. They also enjoyed experimenting with jingle bells, discovering with great excitement that the bells would stick to the tiles.

In our theater area, the winter themed puppets —along with our mischievous gingerbread man—absolutely stole the show! The children brought these characters to life with big imaginations and even bigger personalities. Snowmen went on snowy adventures, reindeer dashed through imaginary fields, and our gingerbread friend was always on the run, escaping from one playful storyteller to the next. Laughter filled the room as the Ladybugs created their own winter tales, practiced turn-taking, used expressive voices, and acted out scenes inspired by our stories. It was wonderful to watch their creativity shine as they played, pretended, and performed with pure joy.

Our play kitchen was busy all week as we baked Christmas treats and prepared cozy holiday meals for one another.

Our sensory bin this week was filled with the sweet, cozy aroma of gingerbread, turning playtime into a delightful holiday experience. The bin invited children to explore a variety of textures, colors, and scents. Using materials like scooping beans, soft marshmallow cotton balls, smooth cotton rounds, colorful candy canes, cheerful gingerbread people, and small cups for scooping and pouring, all loved making their teachers lattes. YUM!

In our Play-Doh center, our creativity ran wild as we made our very own gingerbread people. Complete with googly eyes, pom-poms, “sprinkles” beads, and buttons, our new little friends came to life!

Gumdrops made the perfect building material for constructing 2D shapes with toothpicks in our stem area. Using gingerbread shape cards as guides, the children explored shape characteristics, problem-solving, and fine motor skills. They each had the opportunity to taste a gumdrop as well. Much to our surprise, most loved them!

In our “snow” writing center this week, we practiced forming letters using gingerbread-themed letter cards. This sensory writing activity made letter practice both meaningful and memorable.

Everyone enjoyed creating a special gingerbread craft to hang on our Christmas tree. With googly eyes, sparkly rhinestones, shapes, pipe cleaners, and lots of festive decorations, each gingerbread person turned out unique and full of personality.

After completing the gingerbread craft, some of our Ladybugs also helped to decorate our classroom tree with other ornaments. They had so much fun carefully placing them, taking them off, and rearranging them again and again. For many three-year-olds, decorating a tree at home is often off-limits, so having the freedom to decorate their very own classroom tree was extra special and empowering for their little selves.

To finish off the week, we enjoyed a delicious surprise — gingerbread cookies! Most of the children absolutely loved them!

As always, Chapel and Music and Movement brought joy, laughter, and meaningful moments to our week.

In Chapel, Pastor Lee taught us about the Advent wreath as the countdown to Christmas. He taught us that God is our night light, and that with Jesus we do not need to be afraid of anything (because HE’S not afraid of anything).

Shelly got to step in for Pastor Lee for our Thursday group this week. She started with a fun wiggles activity, taught us about the Advent wreath, and read us a story called “Room for a Little One: A Christmas Tale” by Martin Waddell. It’s a popular children’s book about the Nativity where a Kind Ox makes room in his stable for other animals (dog, cat, mouse) and eventually Mary, Joseph, and baby Jesus, empasizing that “There’s always room for a little one.”

In Music and Movement with Ms. Vicki, we sang our hearts out as we practiced for our upcoming Christmas concert. You are going to love it!

It was a magical, gingerbread-filled week in our Ladybug classroom, and we’re so excited for all the festive fun December will bring.

Next week we will focus on more traditional Christmas activities, and then the following week we’ll be busy hopping aboard the Polar Express, preparing for our concert, and celebrating with our friends!

Instead of a holiday party, we’d like to have a Polar Express Day in the Ladybug room. On Monday and Tuesday, December 15th and 16th, your children can wear their pajamas to school (get some extra use out of those cute Christmas pjs!). They will get a train ticket to get on our snack “train” and we’ll enjoy some popcorn and cocoa while we hear the Polar Express story. I am going to be sending out a sign-up genius over the weekend, and would love your help with making this Polar Express experience magical!

Our Christmas Concert will be Thursday, December 18th, in the Sanctuary.  (It’s on a Thursday, but we want ALL of our classes to come that day, so MW(F) classes, please plan to join us!) Arrive at 9:00, drop your child in his or her classroom, and have a seat in the Sanctuary. We hope you can come, because it is our gift of love to you! Remember, the whole school will be assembled, so you may need to park in the municipal lots around Southern Village. The concert will only last about 30 minutes.  Afterwards, you can take photos, and then we will say good-bye for the Christmas holidays.

In addition, “official” registration for the 2026/27 school year takes place in January. Currently enrolled students and younger siblings of former alumni should register by January 16th. Please encourage your neighbors and friends to apply at CCP as well. Their applications are due January 30th. We would love to have them join our amazing preschool family! They are also welcome to email or call for a tour to learn more about the program. The updated applications are already on the website if you want to check that task off your list early!

Important Reminders:

1. Polar Express Day- wear pajamas December 15th and 16th

2. Christmas Concert- December 18th

3. School Break starts after our concert! We start back to school on January 5th!

4. Lunch Bunch starts January 14th and 15th — more details to come!

Enjoy the weekend with your sweet Ladybug!

Miss Lisa, Miss Phoenix, and Miss Jenn

Happy Thanksgiving! 🍁🦃

It’s our final week before Thanksgiving, and we’ve been celebrating with a full lineup of harvest-themed centers, hands-on activities, and festive art projects. The classroom has been buzzing with creativity, curiosity, and lots of laughter.

We kicked off the week by making our Friendship Fruit Salad. With fruit contributed by all of you, we added each of their ingredients, and mixed everything together. Just like our salad, we talked about how our class is made up of many wonderful “pieces” that come together to make something special. It was a sweet way to celebrate friendship and thankfulness.

One of our biggest highlights was reading the hilarious book How to Catch a Turkey. The children were completely engaged — laughing at the silly traps, pretending what might happen next, and joining in on the fun chaos of trying to catch a runaway turkey. Inspired by the story, the kids then created their own turkey traps, filled with imaginative details and clever ideas to trap that sneaky bird.

We also enjoyed making our own turkey dinners — preschool style! Using brown paper drumsticks, cotton-ball mashed potatoes, little squares of construction paper butter, construction paper peas or green bean casserole, and tissue-paper stuffing, the children built their plates with great pride. It turned into a wonderful sensory activity as they explored textures, colors, and the idea of what goes into a Thanksgiving meal.

In our sensory bin, we continued popping kernels off of dried corn cobs — an activity that takes some real hand strength! They all scooped, mixed, and stirred beans and extra kernels as well. And thanks to a surprise science moment, we learned a little bit about the life cycle of moths. Some of the children were fascinated; others preferred to observe from a safe distance! There are no pictures, and the bin was packed up and safely discarded.

In our dramatic play area, the children were busy “cooking” Thanksgiving meals. Turkey — well, Pigeon…, smoothies, cookies, and brownies were among the top items on the menu. Clearly we had some little chefs in the room!

Over at the easel, the children continued painting. They have loved experimenting with mixing colors to see what new shades they could make.

Our puppet theater has been full of performances this week. The owl and squirrel puppets remain the stars of many shows, and it has been wonderful watching the children collaborate, narrate, and entertain their friends.

In the block area, we saw towers, bridges, homes, and plenty of imaginative structures. We also really enjoyed knocking these creations over once built. Building together always sparks teamwork, and creativity, and it’s a favorite center for many.

Last week, we created both colorful and neatly outlined handprint turkeys. This week we assembled them into festive Thanksgiving placemats. Before finishing, each child shared something they were thankful for. These turned out so sweet and heartfelt. Each reflects your child’s creativity, and is sure to make your holiday table extra special.

We always have the most wonderful time in Chapel and Music and Movement each week.

In Chapel this week, Pastor Lee taught us three things. We were taught to rejoice always — be happy where we are, to always pray, and to always give thanks.

In Music and Movement with Miss Vicki, we moved our bodies, sang lots of fun songs, and practiced for our Christmas concert that you definitely won’t want to miss!

We had a special celebration on Friday for Libby’s birthday! We all enjoyed delicious cupcakes together, and both Libby and her mom shared three wonderful stories with the class. There were big smiles all around as we helped her feel extra loved on her special day. Happy Birthday, Libby!

We hope that each of you enjoys a wonderful, safe, and joy-filled Thanksgiving surrounded by family and friends. This season always reminds us of how much we have to be grateful for, and we are truly grateful the privilege of teaching your sweet ladybugs week after week. To witness their curiosity, their kindness, their growth, and all the ways they shine — along with the laughter they bring — fills our hearts with so much joy. Thank you for sharing your children with us, and for being such supportive partners in their learning journey. CCP truly is the best school, and we are so lucky for the gift of our wonderful school family!

Some last minute important dates, before wishing you well as you begin your break…

We will be closed November 24th - November 28th for Thanksgiving.

The holidays are upon us, and things are about to get super busy! We will be working on some special surprises for our parents, so please let us know if you have any planned vacation days between now and December 18th (so that we can plan time to get everything ready)!

Please mark your December calendars…

On December 14th and 15th, we will climb aboard the “Polar Express,” and listen to the story as we decorate some cookies and enjoy a cup of cocoa. The children are invited to wear their pajamas for this special day! I will be providing a sign-up genius link to sign up to contribute something for our Polar Express snack.

On Thursday, December 18th, at 9:30am we will have our Preschool Christmas Concert in the Sanctuary. Each class will sing a song or two, and we will tell the Christmas story. It is our gift to you! Tuesday/Thursday classes, please come too! Bring your child to the classroom at 9:00, and find a seat in the sanctuary. We will begin at 9:30. Please keep in mind that you may need to park in the municipal lots around Southern Village, since the whole school will be assembled.

Have a wonderful break with your sweet Ladybugs!

Wishing you full bellies and happy hearts! 🦃❤️

Miss Lisa, Miss Phoenix, and Miss Jenn

Fall Harvest

This week, while we continued celebrating all things fall, we shifted our focus toward harvest time and Thanksgiving. Our classroom library grew with several fun new books, including one that pairs perfectly with a special surprise your child will be sharing with you next week — so stay tuned!

In our art center, the children all had a blast painting with corn. We explored using the cob both with and without kernels, discovering different textures and patterns, and even incorporated stencils to add an extra layer of creativity. It was messy, sensory, and so much fun — just the way we like it!

And of course, the easel was once again a hub of creativity. There’s something magical about an upright canvas and a tray of paint. Children naturally experiment more — mixing colors, making big sweeping strokes, and expressing ideas that don’t always fit on a flat table. The easel invites boldness and confidence, giving them space to explore art in a full-body, joyful way.

Our sensory bin was another big hit. The children scooped, poured, dug, and even pulled kernels off dried corn cobs. Who knew that something so simple could be so satisfying? The focus and joy on their faces said it all.

We kept our puppet theater open this week, and the imaginative stories that unfolded were priceless. One of our groups even got to experience a pretend campfire — complete with pretend smores, storytelling, and cozy vibes. Don’t worry Tuesday/Thursday group, we will have it all set up for you next week!

In dramatic play, we continued “shopping” for our dinner food items, practiced setting the table, and enjoyed many pretend meals together. Smoothie-making was a particular favorite! Our blender was definitely busy!

Our block center was another popular spot this week. The children dove right into building towers, bridges, and whole little towns. We saw wonderful teamwork as they figured out how to balance pieces and brought their ideas to life. Blocks have a way of turning simple shapes into big stories, and the excitement and creativity in that area made it one of the happiest places in the classroom.

The Play-Doh center continues to be a favorite. All got busy rolling, squishing, and shaping their dough into all kinds of delicious creations — pizzas, pies, and plenty of imaginative “treats.” It was a fun mix of creativity, fine-motor practice, and pure fun!

It was a week full of imagination, exploration, and fall fun — and we can’t wait for you to see what your children share next week! In addition, we will be reading How to Catch a Turkey, which I’m sure will spark big laughs and even bigger curiosity. After the story, the children will get to build their very own “turkey cages.” We can’t wait to see the imaginative ideas they come up with. You might start thinking at home about silly or clever ways to catch a turkey — because your kiddo will definitely have some fun plans to share!

We can’t finish our blog post without highlighting the wonderful things we are learning about in both Chapel, and Music and Movement.

This week in Chapel, Pastor Lee taught us all that Jesus is our forever friend, and that his love for us is unwavering. He shared a story about how the people dropped their nets when fishing, and followed Jesus.

In Music and Movement with Miss Vicki, all danced with scarves, did the turkey trot dance (which they loved), red wagon (song/dance), and practiced for their Christmas concert. They were all super engaged!

We will be closed November 24th - November 28th for Thanksgiving. We will have our small celebration of sharing and thankfulness in our classroom on Monday and Tuesday of next week. If each child can bring in ONE piece of fruit (or small cup), and/or some berries or something similar, we will create our Friendship Fruit Salad to share with each other during snack time. I will be sending out a reminder email the night before, so be on the lookout!

The holidays are upon us, and things are about to get super busy! We will be working on some special surprises for our parents, so please let us know if you have any planned vacation days between now and December 18th (so that we can plan time to get everything ready)!

Please mark your December calendars…

On December 14th and 15th, we will climb aboard the “Polar Express,” and listen to the story as we decorate some cookies and enjoy a cup of cocoa. The children are invited to wear their pajamas for this special day! I will be providing a sign-up genius link to sign up to contribute something for our Polar Express snack.

On Thursday, December 18th, at 9:30am we will have our Preschool Christmas Concert in the Sanctuary. Each class will sing a song or two, and we will tell the Christmas story. It is our gift to you! Tuesday/Thursday classes, please come too! Bring your child to the classroom at 9:00, and find a seat in the sanctuary. We will begin at 9:30. Please keep in mind that you may need to park in the municipal lots around Southern Village, since the whole school will be assembled.

Have a wonderful weekend with your sweet Ladybugs!

Miss Lisa, Miss Phoenix, and Miss Jenn

Fall Fun, Full Moons, and Preschool Magic!

What a wonderful week we’ve had in preschool! We made it through the exciting post-Halloween, time change, and full moon trifecta — and we did it with lots of laughter, creativity, and play! The children have been full of energy and imagination, and we’ve loved every minute of it!

On Monday, the Chapel Hill Fire Department came to visit, and showed us what they do to help keep everyone safe. Captain Powell talked about the special gear, how fire fighters help people, and what to do in case of a fire. Please ensure that your family has a meeting place! The best part? They brought their big, shiny blue and white truck for us to explore! We got to look inside, and saw all of the tools. The children were wide-eyed with wonder — it was such a fun, hands-on way to learn about community helpers!

We continued exploring our fall theme this week, and we’ll soon be moving into harvest and Thanksgiving fun for the next two weeks. Get ready for all things gratitude, cozy, and autumn-inspired!

Three of my girls were able to come for a visit with my Tuesday/Thursday Ladybug class this week, and they loved every minute of all things preschool — playing, learning, and exploring together. They can’t wait to come and visit again!

We also welcomed a brand new friend, Nicolette, to our Tuesday/Thursday class this week. She jumped right in with smiles and excitement, and we are so happy to have her as part of our preschool family!

Our art center this week was bursting with fall color! We all loved choosing either a leaf or pumpkin (some did more than one), and we painted using water with food coloring, pipettes, and soft beauty cotton rounds. Watching the colors spread and blend was pure magic! They were so proud of their colorful fall masterpieces.

Over at the easel, free painting was a huge hit. The children loved the chance to express themselves and mix their favorite colors. We saw everything from abstract rainbow art, to brightly single colored swirl paintings.

The Play-Doh center continued to be the crowd favorite — and who can blame them. The dough still smells like pumpkin spice! Who can resist that fall aroma?!? The kids rolled, squished, and sculpted everything from acorns and pumpkins, to scarecrow face emotions and fall cookies. Their imaginations truly came alive!

This week we introduced a brand new theater center, and it was absolutely adorable to watch. With fall-themed puppets in hand, the children put on their own little shows — giving voices to their characters, telling creative stories, and giggling as their friends watched and cheered. We may have a few future performers in the making.

Our line tracing station was something a bit different. The children helped a squirrel find his nut, guided a small leaf to a big leaf, and traced all kinds of squiggly, zig-zag, and curvy paths with their fingers. Some even tried tracing using a colorful pointer stick. These playful challenges are such a fun way to build fine motor skills, and hand-eye coordination — and the kids don’t even realize they’re “working”!

The reading center has been extra cozy this week, filled with all of their familiar fall books that we’ve continued to add to along the way. Their favorite stories seem to be the stories that can be read in song!

Our sensory bin was bursting with fall-colored fun! We filled it with cozy autumn vibes — pinto beans in rich earthy tones, crunchy sticks perfect for fall campfires, and chunky wooden log pieces ready for little builders to explore. We scooped, poured, stacked, and stirred our way through the bin, creating some squirrel soup, along with lots of other imaginative play.

The dramatic play kitchen was bustling with fall flavor! Our little bakers were busy “baking” pumpkin muffins, cookies, and other tasty fall treats. They loved pretending to scan their ingredients at the “checkout station” before heading off to cook up their creations. It was so sweet watching them cooperate, share ideas, and serve up delicious pretend treats to their friends!

Our Chapel and Music and Movement days are always busy and fun-filled!

This week in Chapel, we learned about parables, and about how people learn that God can help them. We also talked about building life on the sturdy rock of God.

In Music and Movement, we moved our bodies as we listened to various fall themed songs, and we continued practicing for our Christmas concert. Miss Vicki also subbed for our Tuesday/Thursday class this week! We appreciated her help so much!

All in all, it’s been a joyful, play-filled week of learning and laughter. Our Ladybugs are thriving as they explore, imagine, and create together — and we can’t wait to see what the next two weeks of harvest and Thanksgiving bring.

Some important dates are listed below:

On Tuesday, November, 11th, CCP is closed for Veteran’s Day.

We will also be closed November 24th - November 28th for Thanksgiving. We would like to have a small celebration of sharing and thankfulness in our classroom on the Monday and Tuesday before Thanksgiving. If each child can bring ONE piece of fruit, small cup of fruit, or some berries, we will create a Friendship Fruit Salad to share with each other during snack time. I will send a reminder when the time comes.

Please mark your December calendars…We will have our Preschool Christmas Concert on the last day of preschool before Christmas. It will be on Thursday, December 18 at 9:30am in the Sanctuary. We will sing a few songs, and tell the Christmas story.

Wishing you a wonderful weekend with your sweet Ladybugs!

Miss Lisa, Miss Phoenix, and Miss Jenn

A Spook-tacular Week!

What an exciting and busy week we’ve had. Our classroom was full of Halloween fun, learning, and laughter. This week was a little different with having no specials, but the Ladybugs rolled with it. Now that they’re accustomed to all our routines in the classroom, they are becoming more flexible!

In our centers this week, everything had a spooky twist.

Our reading center was stocked with plenty of fun Halloween books — perfect for both group and independent reading.

In our sensory bin, we made Witch’s Brew Sensory Stew. Shimmery orange, green, and black poofs sparkled like potion mist. Silky black beans felt like midnight pebbles. Spooky eyeballs peeked up to keep watch. Tiny bats swooped through the bin, and creepy, crawly, spiders hid throughout. There were cauldrons for stirring, scooping, and spooky play. This was all perfect for sensory exploration, fine motor fun, and a little Halloween magic.

At the Ghostly Bridge Builder’s Workshop, our brave engineers were challenged to use marshmallow ghosts as squishy supports, and craft sticks as spooky beams. Each worked to build the tallest, sturdiest ghost tower they could. They tested how high their structures could go before toppling — learning all about balance, structure, and problem-solving (with a few sticky fingers along the way!). Each builder became a STEM sorcerer!

At our easel, we made Jack-o’-lantern paintings using stencils. All loved using different types of brushes and bright colors. We splashed and swirled orange, pink, and blue paint to bring our Jack-o’-lanterns to life. They were spooky, silly, and full of personality. Halloween watercolor was also a fun treat!

Things got spooky in science this week! We mixed baking soda and vinegar for a cauldron eruption, complete with glitter and eye balls. There were lots of “oohs” and aahs” as we watched our potions fizz and bubble.

We did some reaarranging this week! Change can be touch for some friends, and we took time to talk about that together. The new set-up gives us more space to play, and makes it easier for everyone to be seen and heard. It already feels like a great change.

On Wednesday and Thursday, we had our Halloween parades and class parties for both groups. All looked adorable in their costumes and had so much fun celebrating! We want to thank all of our parents for cheering us on as we paraded in our costumes, and for making the day special with treats, crafts, and games. You are awesome! We played Hot Pumpkin (potato), Pumpkin Balancing, and made Play-Doh Jack-o’-lanterns. We also crafted confetti leaves, enjoyed a healthy Halloween treat, and went on a scavenger hunt before wrapping up our exciting day.

It was such a joyful week full of creativity, exploration, and celebration. Thank you to everyone who helped make it special — and a big thank-you as well for all of the birthday wishes! I felt so loved and supported by our wonderful preschool family.

IMPORTANT INFORMATION AND DATES:

Book Drive - A former CCP parent, Heather Bochicco, works with Chatham Reads to gather gently used or new books for children in Chatham County that may not have easy access to books. To help put more books in the hands of children in our area, Heather has placed a bin under the Blue Whale classroom to collect some books. Thank you for considering donating to this cause during the month of November.

Fire Truck - The Chapel Hill Fire Dept. will bring their truck for a visit on Monday, November 3rd. If you are in a T/Th class, please feel free to join us at 9:30 in Ascension Hall. Usually, the fire fighters show us how they look and sound when wearing all of their gear. They will then take us, class by class, to look at the truck.

School Spirit Days will be on Wednesday, November 5th, and Thursday, November 6th, at CCP. You can wear your class color, or RED Ladybug CCP shirts. Special thanks to Carolyn Ziemer for organizing our shirt sales again this year!

School is closed on Tuesday, November 11th for Veteran’s Day, and again on Monday, November 24th - Friday, November 28th for the Thanksgiving Holiday.

Wishing everyone a joyful and fun weekend with your sweet Ladybugs! Happy Halloween!

Miss Lisa, Miss Phoenix, and Miss Jenn

PUMPKINS!

What a fantastic week we had diving into our fall exploration — this time with a pumpkin twist. The classroom was buzzing with excitement (and a bit of glitter) as we shifted our focus to all things pumpkin.

We kicked off the fun with a group pumpkin painting activity. With brushes, paint, and plenty of sparkles, it was messy, joyful, and oh-so-fun! After all, the world is a better place with a little sparkle, right?!?

All of our centers were transformed for the season, with one of the coolest centers being our Pumpkin Refraction Science Experiment Center. Each child chose a small coloring sheet pumpkin to color, colored it brightly, and placed it into a ziplock bag. We traced the outline on the outside with a Sharpie, then dipped the bag into a clear glass of water. As we moved the bag around, we were amazed to see the colorful drawing seem to disappear, leaving just the outline. We talked about how light bends (or refracts) in water, and about how that creates this fun science surprise.

Our reading center was fully stocked with new pumpkin-themed stories that we loved reading both independently and together.

Fall tangram puzzles encouraged problem-solving and creativity.

Unifix number towers with fall themes helped to build our early math skills. We not only made stacks, but we measured our glittery pumpkins.

In the dramatic play area, we baked pumpkin pies, made smoothies and other delicious breakfast options, and baked fancy breads.

The sensory bin fun gave our little hands the chance to scoop, pour, and explore autumn textures.

We even played with pumpkin spice-scented playdoh — talk about fall in the air! This also allowed our little fingers to have quite the workout with using the playdoh scissors. We loved cutting the dough into strips.

In Chapel with Pastor Lee this week, we learned about baptism, and how it’s confirming that God loves each one of us, and that we are welcomed to the family when we are baptized.

In Music and Movement with Ms. Vicki, we sang lots of fun and familiar songs, moved our bodies, and practiced for our Christmas program. Wednesday’s and Thursday’s are always fun-filled, and super exhausting days for all!

It was week full of learning, laughter, and lots of pumpkin joy! We can’t wait to keep exploring the magic of fall together — next week is HALLOWEEN!

HALLOWEEN CELEBRATIONS and OTHER IMPORTANT DATES:

We will have a costume parade with the Frogs class through Ascension Hall on October 29th and 30th shortly after drop-off. Please stay a few minutes to watch, cheer, and take photos! Our class will celebrate Halloween with a fall party in the classroom afterwards, thanks to the wonderful organizing help from our room parents. You should have received an email from them about any help they may need gathering supplies for the party. We are so blessed to be able to celebrate with you all! We will NOT have Chapel or Music and Movement on these days.

** It is best to put your child’s costume over their school clothes, so that we can easily take it off when they’re ready. Most children usually want to shed them to play more comfortably. If that is not possible, please stay for a moment after the parade to help your child change. Thanks! **

The Chapel Hill Fire Department will be coming on Monday, November 3rd at 9:30. We will gather in the Ascension Hall. We would love for our TH Ladybugs to join us for this event as well!

Spirit Days will take place on November 5th and 6th. Wear your school shirt or class color.

Wishing you a wonderful weekend with your sweet Ladybugs. We are so grateful to you for sharing them with us each week! PURE JOY!

Miss Lisa, Miss Phoenix, and Miss Jenn

More Fall Leaves FUN!!!

Fall is finally here, and we are loving every colorful moment of it! The leaves outside are putting on a beautiful show, and we’ve been bringing that autumn magic into our classroom all week long.

Our little learners have been busy exploring everything fall leaves again this week. From collecting and sorting leaves by color and shape, to using them in art projects, we’ve been combining nature, creativity, and learning in all the best ways.

This week we dove into the colorful world of autumn with two delightful books: We’re Going on a Leaf Hunt by Steve Metzger and The Leaf Thief by Alice Hemming. These books sparked lots of curiosity and conversation.

In We’re Going on a Leaf Hunt, the children went on a pretend adventure through forests, over mountains, and across steams in search of beautiful fall leaves — much like our playground leaf hunts. This book helped us learn about sequencing, vocabulary, and following directions, all while having fun with some of the predictability of the text. Try and take a nature walk with your Ladybug this weekend, and ask them about the different leaves they see. You might just find yourselves going on your own leaf hunt!

The Leaf Thief gave us lots of giggles, as we followed a very confused squirrel, who was convinced that someone was stealing his leaves! This story sparked great conversation about the changing seasons, why leaves fall, and how nature prepares for winter.

Our fall-themed activities and centers helped us to strengthen important skills like observation, fine motor development, early literacy, and science discovery — all while having fun!

The sensory table was a big hit, filled with colorful leaves, acorns, dried corn kernels, and sensory alphabet. All loved scooping, sorting, and exploring textures, while strengthening fine motor skills and engaging the senses. We were encouraged to seek out the letters in our own names.

At the art table, we had the option to express ourselves through free choice art, or a fun name recognition activity — finding and decorating our names using real corn kernels! We also opened up the easel this week, and our little Picassos created beautiful seasonal masterpieces with paint. Large tree and leaf stencils were also available!

We added some new fall-themed books to our library corner, encouraging cozy read-alongs and independent “reading” time with friends.

In our dramatic play area, we whipped up some delicious fall treats — from apple pies to other warm treats — letting our imaginations shine. We also dressed up as princesses and fire people.

We introduced Magna-Tiles this week, and all LOVED building! We explored shapes, symmetry, and structure, while working together to design creative buildings and sculptures.

While I was away attending fall conferences, Miss Jenn, Miss Mary (Tuesday), and Miss Debbie (Wednesday) stepped in and brought so much fun, creativity, and learning to the classroom. It was such a treat for the children — and for me too, knowing they were in such great hands.

Fall really seems to be a wonderful springboard for talking about Science, so Miss Jenn brought some exciting science magic to our week! The children all had a blast with hands-on experiments like:

Sink or Float - making predictions and testing fall objects to see what would happen in water.

Dancing Popcorn - watching popcorn kernels bounce in water with Alka-Seltzer.

Fall Leaf Art - using coffee filters, markers, and pipettes to create beautiful and colorful leaves, while exploring how colors blend and spread.

These activities sparked curiosity, encouraged observation and critical thinking, and of course, gave our Ladybugs a chance to get creative and have fun!

We’re so grateful for the extra hands and hearts in our classroom this week. Be sure to ask your Ladybug which experiment was their favorite — they’ll love telling you all about it!

I truly enjoyed meeting with each of you during our conferences. Thank you for taking the time to connect, and for sharing your amazing Ladybugs with me. It’s a joy to partner with you on this journey! Also, thank you to the conference fairy for the sweet surprise! :)

In Chapel with Pastor Lee, we learned more about how to grow closer to God by following three simple but powerful rules:

1. Do Good

2. Do no harm (Don’t hurt)

3. Love God

He talked about how these guiding rules help us to build strong, loving relationships — with our families, friends, and everyone around us. It’s truly beautiful to watch our Ladybug’s hearts grow, along with their minds, as we nurture the whole child — spiritually, emotionally, and socially.

Our time with Miss Vicki is always a favorite! All had a blast using a colorful stretchy band during music and movement. All worked together to twist, turn, stretch, and move at different speeds — fast, slow, and in between! Activities like this are not only fun, but help develop rhythm, coordination, and teamwork in such an engaging way.

Many of our Ladybugs have probably come home singing all (or parts) of our prayer song, so I’m adding it here so they can continue practicing it at home. We always start our prayer with, “in Jesus’ name we pray…,” and then sing our prayer song.

It’s been another joyful, hands-on week, full of seasonal inspiration and discovery. We love seeing the children grow, create, and play through these carefully planned activities — and can’t wait for more fall fun to come. Next week — PUMPKINS!

Picture Day is next week- We will have our pictures taken on Tuesday and Wednesday around 9:30, before we head to the playground!

MINI PUMPKINS - We have all pumpkins ready to go for our MWF Ladybugs, but have not yet received all for our TH class. Please be sure to send in a mini pumpkin on Tuesday if your Ladybug hasn’t brought one in already.

Looking Ahead: Halloween will be here soon! Our MWF Ladybugs will celebrate on Wednesday., October 29th and TH Ladybugs will celebrate on Thursday, the 30th. We will have a short parade with the Frog class at 9:30. Parents will need to help with costumes at 9:15, and are encouraged to stay for the “parade” and take pictures. After our parade, we will have a party in the classroom. More details coming soon :)

Have a fantastic weekend! We hope you are enjoying all the fun fall activities with your little ones.

Miss Lisa, Miss Phoenix, and Miss Jenn

Fall Leaves Fun

This week we explored the wonderful world of Fall leaves. We all had so much fun learning about the changing colors of the leaves and why they fall from trees.

One of the highlights of our week was reading the beautiful story of Leaf Man, by Lois Ehlert. This imaginative book inspired us to look at leaves in a whole new way — as parts of animals, people, and things blowing in the wind! After reading the story, we each got to create our own Leaf Man using real leaves and googly eyes. We loved designing our own unique leaf characters, just like in the book.

Our centers were full of hands-on, seasonal fun.

In our sensory bin, we explored Fall textures — soft faux leaves, plastic smooth leaves, squishy stuffed pumpkins, hay, and little fall acorns. We loved shaking the acorns to hear the seeds inside. It was so fun feeling all of the different materials and discovering what Fall feels like.

At our art tables, we created beautiful Fall leaf sun catchers, painted with leaves, made colorful leaves using pipe cleaners and beads, made stickers, and used paint dabbers to make colorful leaves. It was so fun to explore textures and colors while being creative.

In our reading center, we filled the baskets with stories all about Fall and leaves. We enjoyed cozy story times and exploring books during center time.

In our home center, we cooked up some pretend Fall treats — perfect for a cool Autumn day. Lots of imagination and teamwork happened here!

We also used our fun “apple” tree from last week, and added leaves this week. We stuck on different kinds of leaves — some were soft, others smooth or glittery, and rough. It was a great way to explore different textures and learn about how leaves change in the Fall.

We were so excited to introduce Lego Duplo blocks this week. They were a big hit, and sparked lots of building and creative play.

We had our first fire drill this week, and all did amazing! We listened for the bell, stopped what we were doing, lined up quietly using our hugs and bubbles, safely made it down the stairs, and gathered next to the tree on the other side of the parking lot. We were incredibly proud of all of them. Since we practiced fire safety this week, we ended our week with firefighter costumes in the dress-up/imaginative play center on Friday. The children had a blast pretending to be real-life heros. We will be keeping these out next week as well, since our T/H friends didn’t get a chance to play with them.

We got to enjoy a special treat this week. Josie’s mom brought in caterpillars to observe. We all loved using our magnifying glasses to look into their enclosure and watch them eating the carrot tops! They got so plump in only a few short days! Thank you to Josie’s mom for such a wonderful experience!

We had a wonderful time in chapel this week with Pastor Kristin. She was so fun and engaging. We learned all about Noah and the ark, and enjoyed special new songs and movement activities. Music and Movement with Ms. Vicki was also so fun! Our Wednesday’s and Thursday’s are super packed days!

Next Tuesday and Wednesday we have conferences. I’m looking forward to seeing all of you, and will email you this weekend with confirmation of your conference time.

Wishing you a wonderful weekend with your sweet Ladybugs!

Miss Lisa, Miss Phoenix, and Miss Jenn

Apples, Apples Everywhere!

This short week was all about apples. We learned about the parts of the apple - skin, flesh, stem, leaf and seeds. We read that apple seeds are also called pips! So funny! We discovered that if you cut the apple’s top off (horizontally), there is a star inside, and if cut vertically, it doesn’t look the same. The seeds are more easily accessible when cut vertically, and we counted how many were in our apples. All apples have ten or less pips.

We made apple trees using our hands as the trunk and branches, actual leaves to paint the leaves on the trees, and the apples we cut to stamp apples onto our trees. We played an apple pass game during our circle time, pinned the “apples” pom poms onto our apple tree, used hole punches to add worm holes to our apples for counting and fine motor skills. This was difficult, but we did it! Our apple theme extended into our dramatic play area, where we pretended to be chefs and baked apple pies. Our cinnamon oat sensory table this week included pie tins, foam apples, and felt apple toppings.

The most exciting activity was making our own applesauce! All of the children used Montessori knives to help cut apple slices into small pieces to add to our pot. It was a challenging task that required good fine motor control, but we saw that some of our Ladybugs must be practicing their sous-chef skills at home. They were so proud to be able to help! We read our recipe, added some water and cinnamon, and set the Insta-Pot for 8 minutes. The hardest part was waiting for it to cool, so that we could try it! Almost every Ladybug gave it a taste. Some gave it a thumbs up and gobbled it up, and some said “thumbs down” and threw it out. We told them we were just glad they were brave enough to try something different.

We had a blast using the parachute to move with the tempo of the music with Miss Vicki this week! Pastor Brad brought his favorite “stuffy,” Baby Yoda, for everyone to hug, and also shared his special cross that his daughter had given him, showing us both the importance of hugs and love.

We would love to paint pumpkins with the class, so we’d like to request that you send a small “pie pumpkin” — they are usually about 6” — with your child by October 19th. Thank you!

I look forward to meeting with you at conference time on October 14th and 15th. Ladybug conferences will be held in the Disciple Room off of Ascension Hall. You will need to ring the bell to come in at that time, but I will try to be on the lookout. There is also a direct entrance into the disciple room to the left of the church front doors, if you’d like to wait there.

REMEMBER:

Announced Fire Drill on October 6th and 7th.

There will be a substitute with the class during conferences on Tuesday, October 14th, and Wednesday, October 15th.

School will be CLOSED on Friday, October 17th.

Picture Day will be on Tuesday, October 21st, and Wednesday, October 22nd, with family pictures on Saturday the 25th.

Send a pie pumpkin to school by October 19th.

The Halloween parade will be on Wednesday, October 29th and 30th. Parents will need to help with costumes.

Have a wonderful weekend with your sweet Ladybugs!

Miss Lisa, Miss Phoenix, and Miss Jennifer

Our Five Senses, Names, and Fine Motor Skills on Fire

Tissue Paper Painting

We’ve had such an exciting two weeks exploring the world through our five senses. We engaged in hands-on experiences that helped bring the learning to life. We popped popcorn, which engaged all five senses. We explored our sense of taste, by trying foods with different flavors - sweet, salty, bitter, sour, and savory. In addition to smelling the healthy foods we tried in class, and in our snack packs, our sensory oat table this week was scented with cinnamon, and some of our paints smelled like grapes and oranges. We used our sense of hearing while chewing/biting our foods, by finding the sound matches to our shaker eggs, and by listening to songs of varying tempos. Through art and sensory play, we touched a variety of textures - smooth, rough, hard, soft, bumpy, prickly, creamy and sticky. Each activity was filled with discovery, curiosity, and lots of fun!

Cinnamon Oats Sensory Play

We had so much fun exploring our senses and creativity through two wonderful books: Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See? by Bill Martin Jr. and Eric Carle, and Beautiful Oops! by Barney Saltzberg.

Brown Bear, Brown Bear helped us to practice using our sense of sight, as we followed a colorful journey through animals and patterns. The repetitive text also supported language development and prediction skills, which the children really enjoyed. We used stick puppets to show our understanding as we were reading, played book picture matching, and a memory game. We also played Brown Bear, Simon Says outside on the balance beam, which utilized our gross motor skills. We made brown bears out of paper bags, and got adventurous with a process art activity - making collage art just like Eric Carle! Our fine motor skills were on fire!

Beautiful Oops! taught us that mistakes are okay, and can turn into something creative. It helps us to feel brave by trying new things, even if we mess up. We learned to use our imagination, keep going, and not worry about it being perfect. It showed us that every “oops” can be something beautiful!

We’ve also been focusing on our names. Most of the Ladybugs recognize their written names, but learning to spell it, and identifying the individual letters, is the next level skill we will be learning. When we came back from recess earlier in the week, we all had to find our names, and that’s where we sat for snack. We also had to identify our names when our process art was set up for the next step. It was very exciting to all — to both see and find our names.

Name finding SUCCESS!!

We were lucky to have such beautiful weather this week, and we all made the most of it! We had a blast exploring all of the new outdoor activities - walking across the balance beam (learning that our arms can help us to balance), launching rockets into the sky, playing in the sandbox, “making food” in the play kitchen, raking leaves, zooming down the slides, and going on imaginative adventures aboard the “pirate ship.” It was a joyful week full of movement, creativity, and sunshine!

We can balance!

We all had a wonderful time at Chapel this week with Pastor Lee. We talked about the rules within our classrooms, and then were introduced to God’s rules: Do good, Don’t hurt, and Stay in love with God. We all caught the light of Jesus, and put it in our hearts to share with the world!

Jesus is in our hearts!

In music and movement with Miss Vicki this week, we sang songs, listened to different tempos of music while using rhythm sticks, and moved our bodies. We are definitely settling into our new Wednesday and Thursday routines. These days are such fun-filled - and busy - days!

Getting ready for Music and Movement with Miss Vicki!

Next week we will start exploring all things Fall!

Sign-ups for conferences are listed below.

MWF Ladybugs- https://www.signupgenius.com/go/30E0A4EAAA928A4FB6-59016565-copy

T/Th Ladybugs- https://www.signupgenius.com/go/30E0A4EAAA928A4FB6-59016547-copy

Here are some additional events coming up in October:

October 2 & 3 - Fall Break - Preschool closed

October 6 & 7 - Announced fire drill

October 14 & 15 - Parent/Teacher Conferences

October 17 - Professional Development for Teachers - Preschool CLOSED for students!

October 21 & 22 - Fall photos

October 29 and 30 - Ladybugs & Frogs Halloween Parade- stay to watch our quick parade around Ascension Hall at 9:15. Parents will need to help with costumes. Ladybugs will celebrate with a party in our classroom after the parade.

Have a fun-filled weekend with your sweet Ladybugs!

Miss Lisa, Miss Phoenix, and Miss Jenn

I Have 5 Senses

This week we have been learning about our five senses. We explored books on each of the senses, and discovered that certain experiences allow us to use more than one of our senses. Air-popping popcorn, provided a multi-sensory experience, that engaged all of our five senses: the sight of kernels rapidly transforming and expanding, the distinct sound of popping that built anticipation, the warm, toasty aroma that stimulated appetite, the light, crisp texture felt when handled or bitten, and the subtly sweet, nutty flavor that satisfied our palates. This combination created a unique and memorable sensory experience, even without the added oils and flavorings.

YUM! Air-Popped Popcorn - A Multi-Sensory Experience!

Since tasting is a multi-sensory process that goes beyond the tongue, we got to do a taste test, and talked about the taste buds. While the taste buds detect the basic tastes - sweet, sour, salty, bitter, and savory - our other senses play essential roles in shaping the full experience. Sight influences our expectations through color and presentation. Smell works closely with taste, as aroma enhances flavor perception. Touch contributes through texture and temperature, while even hearing - such as the crunch of a crisp food - can affect how we perceive freshness. Together, these senses helped us to identify and enjoy the wide variety of flavors we tried. We tried sweet apples, sour lemons, salty pretzels (two types), bitter chocolate, and savory cheese. The favorite in both Ladybug classes was the dark chocolate. I realized that I was really nice when choosing dark chocolate kisses, and not the baking chocolates, so no wonder they liked the special dark treat the most. An extension center also allowed whomever wanted to try some additional foods, the opportunity to talk further about flavors and likes/dislikes/surprises. We loved how all that we did together allowed us to experience flavors in a more meaningful and memorable way.

Another Tasty Multi-Sensory Experience!

Our centers this week were also focused on our multi-sensory experience. In the art center, we were able to take off our shoes and socks, and feel various textures. We compared and contrasted each item’s different feature, and then got to create a work of art using those materials (although not the ones that touched our little feet). The sensory bin included different varieties of pastas, and little hard figures, that we got to sort by color. I added a seek-and-find center, which was definitely a challenge to our little eyes, but some friends did find some pictures and hidden objects. The dramatic play center and blocks were also available, in addition to the reading center (where we could create a social story using magnet people).

Our Multi-Sensory Art using feathers, pipe cleaners, crinkle grass, beans, craft sticks, and more!

So many of us are finding our names at the door all by ourselves now! We are definitely feeling more confident, and know the routine. Everyone has a job to do each week: line leader, door holder, caboose, weather helper, etc, and are becoming experts. Our class jobs will rotate weekly so that everyone gets a turn to do each job. We practiced walking down the hallway to the big bathrooms this week, in order to prepare for walking down for our new specials. We are doing wonderful with keeping our bodies safe, and using hugs and bubbles while walking. We were a bit nervous with the bigger bathrooms, but did great. All seemed excited (and maybe a bit timid) to begin our new specials.

We had our first Chapel with Pastor Lee. He told us a story, taught us about lighting the candles to show that God is with us always, and had us each catch the light so that we are forever able to carry it with us. We sang, “This Little Light of Mine” at the end, and were encouraged to go out and share our light with others.

We also had our first music class with Miss Vicki. Everyone was very engaged, and loved singing, dancing, and being introduced to the rhythm sticks and new stretchy band. Stretchy bands are particularly useful for teaching rhythmic concepts, spatial awareness, and teamwork, allowing us to work together to create visual patterns and sounds synchronized with music. Miss Vicki also read a story about feelings, that was set to a song.

Music and Movement with Miss Vicki

You will be receiving an email with a link to sign up for our Fall Conferences. Fall Conferences will be held on October 14th and 15th. If these dates don’t work with your schedule, we will need to arrange an alternate time to meet.

We should be having a fire drill sometime during the week of the 29th. Miss Shelly will just use a bell to keep things very calm - no loud alarm to scare us. We will just be practicing how to line up and go to our safe spot outside quickly.

Enjoy the weekend with your sweet Ladybugs!

Miss Lisa, Miss Phoenix, and Miss Jennifer