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
