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
