We had another amazing week in preschool as we wrapped up our Community Helpers theme — and added in some extra fun with Pancakes and Pajamas!
We were so lucky to welcome more incredible helpers into our classroom. This week a social worker and pilot shared about their important work. What meaningful experiences for the children to hear firsthand how these helpers care for and serve others. It truly takes a village to raise kiddos, and I’m so grateful for the many people who support our learning each day!
Our centers remained community-helper themed, with lots of built-in opportunities for letter and number recognition.
In dramatic play, we continued dressing up as community helpers while working together to “run” our classroom. The kitchen area was booming with tea parties and imaginative play as well. It has been so sweet to see how much their communication and cooperative play skills have blossomed.
In our sensory bin, we used excavators, bulldozers, and other construction vehicles to scoop and sift. This week we added numbered pieces and a color-sorting twist, giving the children even more ways to practice counting and identifying colors while they played.
We also loved building puzzles and continuing to build our cities, talking about who lives and works there and how each helper supports the community. With the blocks, we constructed large towers, buildings, and roads — working together to bring our ideas to life.
In the art center, we created a beautiful multi-step process art project using different mediums. First, we used tissue paper to “paint” on watercolor paper, spraying it with water bottles to make the colors bleed and blend together. Using the spray bottles was not only exciting, but also wonderful practice for strengthening fine motor skills as little hands squeezed and controlled the spray. The next step in the process was finding the letter in a Ziploc bag that matched the first letter of their names. Once they found their letter, they chose two paint colors to be put into their Ziploc bags. Once sealed, they smoothed and pressed the paint from the outside of the bag to paint the letter within. It was an amazing sensory experience without the mess! The finished letter pictures turned out beautifully! We also painted at the easels this week and practiced writing our own names — such important and exciting work! We truly are artists hard at work!
We continued reading our mini books about community helpers and also enjoyed on the construction site, which gave us a fun look at the busy teamwork happening on a construction site. The rhythmic text and detailed illustrations helped us to notice all the different jobs and vehicles that work together to build something new. We watched as a skyscraper was built from the ground up!
We also read Pancakes for Breakfast, a delightfully wordless story that let us practice storytelling skills as we followed along with the step-by-step pancake adventure. The children loved predicting what would happen next. This got us super excited for Pancakes and Pajamas!
We were finally able to celebrate with Pancakes and Pajamas — a cozy and joy-filled time together. There’s just something extra special about wearing pajamas to school and sharing breakfast with friends. Lots of smiles, sticky syrup fingers, and sweet memories were made!
We also practiced for Preschool Sunday, weaving through the chapel while playing instruments and singing our songs. We hope to see you there this Sunday — every voice is important!
All in all, it was a very busy, joy-filled week packed with learning, creativity, teamwork, and fun. We are so proud of this class and all the ways they continue to grow! We’re excited to shift our focus to weather next week!
REMINDERS/UPCOMING EVENTS:
March 1st - This coming Sunday is PRESCHOOL SUNDAY at Christ Church. PLEASE bring your child to sing! We need every voice! Meet us in the Disciple Room (there will be signs) at 8:40am to “warm up” our voices. We will sing some special songs near the beginning of the 9:00am worship service, and 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. Ms. Shelly posted additional information in her Blog, so make sure to check it out!
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 conference time. You should have received an email with a link to sign up. If you did not receive a link, or times don’t work for you, please let me know!
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…
The Ladybugs would like to thank everyone who made two special days - the Valentine’s Dance and our Pancakes and Pajamas Day — so special for us! We would also love to share our heartfelt gratitude with our wonderful community helper volunteers! We had so much fun in February!
Have a wonderful weekend with your little Ladybug!
Miss Lisa, Miss Phoenix, and Miss Jenn
