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At 9 am, we flick the lights and the children call out “Morning Meeting”, say goodbye to any remaining parents, and make their way to the rug. Morning meeting starts our morning together as a school community. We sing a name song in greeting  and camaraderie.

Good morning Julia, how are you? And who is next to you?

The children call out the names of their friends as they make their way around to everyone. Then a quick check of whose missing to illness, a trip, or something else. The last child counts how many teachers are there that day and names them. If we have visitors that day, they are introduced. We have joined together for another morning or day.

This month is book sharing month; Ty asks all of the children with books to come up one by one, sit next to her , and and introduce their book. The children have been bringing books from home to share with the others in honor of  the Dr. Seuss/ Read Across America reading program. The books will be available for listening to in the reading area after meeting is over. We have been having quite a few parent and grandparent volunteer readers and it has been great.

The schedule of the day is then reviewed. Children feel more comfortable when they know what to expect in the day; anything different about the day is discussed. For example,  while we have a predictable routine,  we have been having lots of rainy weather lately so we make sure the children know what to expect. When it rains, we take small groups to the Social Hall for a variety of activities, trampoline, jumping balls, balance beam, etc..

After morning meeting is choice time, so before the children choose, Ty shows them the new options at the art and sensory table. For example, today was collage on cardboard so she showed them the plate of wonderful materials that were out for collaging. It was also “mud making” day for the cars and trucks to drive through. Ty demonstrated how the mud would get made. A hamster also came to visit so he was shared at meeting and set on the science table  as a viewing choice .

Once the children know what is out on the tables, Ty found out who wants to do what. Group by group she sent them off  to their first choices of the morning.

Morning meeting has proven to be  a great start to the morning. Children feel connected, informed, and empowered and they are off into another day of exploring and constructing.Tweet

Monday Morning

Pears, string cheese  and oats and honey bars

Monday Afternoon

Pink Lady apples, yogurt, and veggie sticks

Tuesday Morning

Clementines and tortellini

Tuesday Afternoon

Sugar Snaps peas and cottage cheese with veggie sticks

Wednesday Morning

Plain yogurt and blueberry “parfaits” sprinkled with almond and honey granola

Wednesday Afternoon

Cara Cara oranges and flatbread with hummus

Thursday Morning

Pink Lady apples and Sandwich thins with almond butter

Thursday Afternoon

Clementines, peach yogurt and wheat thins,

Friday Morning

Celery and cream cheese, wheat Thins

Friday Afternoon

Pears and grilled cheddar cheese sandwichesTweet

On Wednesday, we will gather together to share the feast at long decorated tables. We will also read a wonderful book, Thanks for Thanksgiving by Julie Markes, illustrated by Doris Barrette. It gently goes through a Thanksgiving day with a family, noticing all of the simple but important things to be thankful for.  As a group, we will recall some of the things that matter most to us. This is one of my favorite times of year. Tweet

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There are so many wonderful stories about Teddy Bears. We read many of the during our Teddy Bear Theme. Here are some of our favorites; many can be found on Amazon.com.  Best enjoyed with your favorite stuffed bear by your side.

Corduroy by Don Freeman is a great children’s book with several sequels.

Beady Bear by Don Freeman, a bear who learns about friendship and reciprocity

Godilocks and the Three Bears illustrated by Jan Brett. Beautifully illustrated.

Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See?, Panda Bear, Panda Bear, What Do You See? and Polar Bear, Polar Bear, What Do You Hear? by Bill Martin Jr. Loved by all preschool ages. Also good early readers.

Leo the Late Bloomer and Milton the Early Riser by Robert Kraus. Leo and his father learn that everyone blooms in their own good time. Milton is awake before everyone, helps put everything right after a windstorm and is asleep again as the everyone wakes up.

Good Night,  Pippin by Joan Elizabeth Goodman, unusual but very popular story that is good for bedtimes as well.

Paddington Bear and Paddington’s Garden by Michael Bond and Fred Banbery. The classic about a bear who comes to live with an English family.

Bear’s Birthday and Bread and Honey by Frank Asch. These are part of collection of Bear Stories that are lovely.

Little Bear by Else Holmelund Minarik. The caring relationship between a mother bear and her little one.

ENJOY!Tweet

Snack Menu

Monday morning

Sweet 100’s, Nan with hummus, apple juice

Monday afternoon

Bananas, Oats and Honey bars, blueberry yogurt, cran-grape juice

Tuesday Morning

Carrots, Whole Wheat Sandwich Thins and cream cheese, grape juice.

Tuesday Afternoon

Nectarines, jack cheese cubes, Terra Chips, apple juice

Wednesday Morning

Peaches, cheddar cheese sandwiches, orange  juice

Wednesday Afternoon

Oranges, Vanilla yogurt with honey, Mulitgrain Cheerios, apple juice

Thursday Morning

Blueberries, bean and cheese burritos,  grape juice

Thursday Afternoon

Granny Smith apples, Whole Wheat Crackers, Cheddar Cheese, Apple Juice

Friday Morning

Breakfast Buffet for new and returning families who begin in SeptemberTweet

The teachers could be heard introducing children to each other over and over again, with words, with name songs, with adding names to pictures and drawings. This simple act is so important. We have found that when children don’t know the other person’s name, they treat them differently. I am reminded of my early days of teaching when a group of new kids and I was at the playdough table. One child kept grabbing tools from another without even looking over; the other kid was unhappy.  I said,”This boy’s name is Jamie.” The grabbing kid looked at the other boy and and said, ” I didn’t know that; here are your toys.”

Helping children feel comfortable in a new setting is a multi-step process. We have parents stay the first morning and then determine how the separation plan will proceed the following days after we see how the child is faring. For many, it is a gradual phasing out of the parent over a few days, with parents increasingly removing themselves from the setting.But everyone is different, so  every plan is too. We look for  5 key factors in determining when a child is ready to say good bye.

1. Has the child developed a bond with one of the teachers?
2. Is the child able to ask for help from the teachers?
3. Can the child tell us when s/he needs to use the potty and be able to use it with limited help?
4. Is the child comfortable playing in the proximity to other children or with them?
5. Does the child know where his or her cubby is?

When it is time for the goodbye, we encourage parents and children to develop a goodbye routine. Some children already have one from being in daycare or with a sitter. It can be as simple as a hug and a kiss and the parent is gone. Or something a bit more elaborate. Some children like to start in the same place every day. The important thing is the child acknowledges the departure of the parent and knowingly lets go . We are right there by the child’s side.

Over the next few months, we will be welcoming new children to the school. Already our new children have brought fresh ideas and friendships. The school feels a bit new again to our returning students and to us when seen through new eyes. It is an exciting time. We look forward to our months ahead!Tweet

When our children engage in dramatic play, they deepen their understanding of the world and develop skills that will serve them throughout their lives. They recreate life experiences and try to cope with their life circumstances, fears, desires, and interests by acting out roles and situations. As they play though their feeling, ideas, and worries, they begin to develop a feeling of empowerment rather than a feeling of being at the mercy of the world around them.

This was the case one day recently.  One of our children arrived at  the preschool and went right over to the suitcase. (We had learned earlier that her family was beginning to pack up for a move across town.)

As she started to pick out the clothes she would put in the suitcase for a move, two of her friends joined her. Over the next half hour, there was lots of discussion-What would need to go and what would need to stay.  Would they need to take food? What should the babies travel in? Step by step, the food, dishes, and baby things were packed up and added to the luggage.

The car was packed,  the trip across town began, and all of the belongings were carried to the new home ( the reading and drawing area ).

Once they arrived, the unpacking began. One friend put the food and dishes on shelves and while another prepared a meal . The babies were fed and cared for.

As the child played through this move, she began to feel a sense of control  over her new situation and began to talk about how she was looking forward to having a room of her own. In the next few days, the girls played moving several times, each time adding something new to the play and making more peace with the experience.

Dramatic play has been helpful to our children this year in coping with illness of family members and doctor’s check ups,  with the deaths of relatives and pets, and with the disruption of divorce.  We will continue to add the props necessary to keep it relevant to our children’s lives so that they may problem solve aspects of their daily life through play.Tweet

But the penguin has led a more adventurous life. He was first  sighted in the classroom, reading a book about penguins, or, as one of the kids said, “reading about what his own kind is doing”. The next sighting was at the drawing table.

Then it was in the housekeeping area eating none other than sushi. The kids decided to see how he liked pizza.

He started receiving visitors; the children brought penguins from home to join him and them  at rest time. Now he was in big demand.

Next thing we knew, he was stepping out of the classroom and was spotted trying out the slide, the swing, and checking out the radishes in the garden.

Now the penguin is going on the road. Each weekend, one child will take home the penguin with a camera and a notepad tucked inside. Along with their families, they will photograph and chronicle his adventures and bring them back to the school to share with the children.

Stay tuned for the continuing adventures of the Children’s Center Preschool Penguin.Tweet