Once upon a time there was a noise outside of our classroom. It was kind of like wind and kind of like a machine. It got louder and quieter. Then someone saw something go past the window! When we went outside we figured out exactly what it was!

Read on to learn more about the noise, our new baby corner, a very hungry creature, edible straws and what we did in the super wind.

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What was the machine on the playground?

A lawn mower!

Mr Clark is a church friend who used to be a preschool teacher who mows our lawn. Thank you, Mr Clark!

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What was the rule about the shopping cart today?

It was only for babies.

We turned the shopping cart into a double stroller. We also moved the baby things to a new corner along with real diapers. We’ve got a lot of wonderful caregivers in the making.

And lucky us, we had two real babies play for a bit today (and one of them is the daughter of a former preschooler of mine!!).

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How did we make the very hungry caterpillar paintings?

By making a print of them!

Ms Kristin made a print block using foam pieces in the shapes of the very hungry caterpillar. There is a big butterfly that we will do during the last week of preschool too.

We also used this time to talk about the word “very”…

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What kind of straws did we eat at snack today?

Veggie Straws! Did you know you can drink through them?

Thanks to Heath and Theodore for setting the table, we also had animal crackers and honeycomb cereal.

What did you do outside?

We had a lot of wind along with the lawn mower today. There was a lot of log climbing, jungle gym climbing, ball kicking, wild onion eating, log hauling, mushroom hunting, hiding from the wind, cart riding and showing Show and Tell items.

Thank you again to the volunteers who make is safe and possible to be in our big playground.

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Enjoy more photos and video from our day…

We found a real flower outside that looks like the paper violets we made!

Once upon a time there was a girl who was playing with a toy and then her sister snatched it away. The girl didn’t feel just a little angry, she felt VERY angry. In fact she felt so angry she felt like something big, hot and about to explode. What would she do about that?

Read on to learn more about what she did, a violet violet, going barefoot, eating a volcano and staying out of somewhere.

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What did Sophie do when she felt very angry?

She ran into her yard (which was part of their family’s plan), cried, climbed a tree, looked far away at the waves and listened for the birds.

We ran in place, pretended to cry, pretended to climb, looked far away for blue things and then listened carefully for things. Try it at home!

What color was the flower we made?

It depends which word they want to use: purple or violet. That word “violet” is sure an interesting one: a color, a flower and a name!

You could say we made violet violets today.

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Can you take your shoes and socks off at preschool?

Yes! Inside or outside, the socks and shoes can come off.

Even though it takes more time and energy on our part to help, it is so worth it.

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What was the volcano made of?

Chocolate cakes and frosting! Thank you, Owen for a very wonderful snack. We also had the table set with vanilla cupcake goldfish and Veggie Straws.

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Did anyone go in the big church room today?

No!

Ms Kristin had fun watching so. many children go up the stairs and stop on their own at the doorway. The fruit of our labor gives moments like these in Spring…we’ve spent months curating safety practices and connection.

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Enjoy more photos and video from our day…

Once upon a time there was a little boy who stuck his tongue out and put his hands by his face. He was not trying to be mean, he was playing a fun game with his friends. He wasn’t inside a building but he wasn’t outside either. Where was he?

Read on to learn more about where the boy was, our Very V snack, going on imaginary van rides, Ms Kristin’s double mistakes and the differences between a bus and a van.

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Where was the boy who was sticking his tongue out?

In a bus called Heaven! We read this book today and the discovery of this illustration was a fun one. So, if your child is doing this action, it may be inspired by today’s sweet book.

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Who brought our very V birthday snack today?

Scarlet! Thank you, 4 year old friend, for the vanilla cupcakes, vanilla wafers, veggie straws and vanilla pudding. One friend’s safe snacks also had vanilla in them too!

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Where did you want to go on an imaginary van ride?

We played in our classroom van too: it is made of our chairs, our journal shelf, puppet stage and library. It has the option of 13 steering wheels, seat belts, a hundred keys and maps. One fun surprise was a map Asher made complete with his grandma’s cabin, house and uncle’s house.

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What did Ms Kristin accidentally put in her mouth to eat?

A plastic key!

She was finishing her snack AND cleaning up some plastic keys. She thought she was putting a Veggie Straw in her mouth but it was a key. Oh Ms Kristin! The second mistake was discovered during Show and Tell…

Why are some things red, green or yellow?

We talked about a school bus and then crossed out in red things a van doesn’t usually have, circle in green things they do have and circled in yellow the things that are a maybe.

The problem is that Ms Kristin said vans don’t have back doors like school buses. Then during Show and Tell, Zander’s toy van DID have back doors! Mistake number two!

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Enjoy more photos and video from our day…

Here we are playing, cleaning up, reading books and learning about the emergency exit signs before going outside:

We continue to tell about our Show and Tell inside, then show how they work outside. Today this included putting on an entire costume!

Finding familiar faces on our church photo wall. If you want a church experience as colorful as preschool, you are welcome here!

Once upon a time the sun was shining and everything was typical. Then the moon moved between the earth and the sun…what happened?

Read on to learn more about the solar eclipse, our van trips, eating the sea, playing with purple and our solid routine.

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What happens when you move your cups?

Just like the light sun and cardboard moon Ms Kristin showed at Circle Time, the moon covers the sun! Show your family how you can do it!

We had to paint two circle stickers: one black and one yellow. Then after Circle Time we put them on cups and watched the sun sticker disappear and reappear from behind the moon sticker. Happy Solar Eclipse!

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Where did you say you’d want to go in a van?

Ms Brenda led us in a snack time school family conversation and we had a wide range of answers from home to a make believe Candy Land. Then we looked at the completed alphabet projects and pretended that the vans were going to the places we thought of! Great recall work, friends!

Our classroom van is made of our chairs, our journal shelf, puppet stage and library. It has the option of 13 steering wheels, seat belts, a hundred keys and maps. We’ll be taking a lot of vacations this week!

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What was the sea made of that we could eat today?

Jello! Thank you Henry G for the special birthday treats. The sand was so realistic it seemed strange to eat it but Henry reassured us it was made from the same thing we use for S’mores…graham crackers!

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What color is the play dough this month?

Purple! Even though we started with several shades of purple, it has been mixed well into a solid shade.

What do we usually do after Snack Time?

Go outside! That means we need to put on our shoes and backpacks and clean up the classroom. Today without saying anything I noticed children suddenly cleaning up with their backpacks on. It is April and they know this routine!

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Once upon a time there was the sound of running water. Children ran into the bathroom to see what the problem was. At first they thought it was just the sink being left on, but then they looked under the sink. They found something new and interesting. Could that be the problem?

Read on to learn more about what the children found under the sink, a painted purple bell, a birthday snack, decades old tape and making it rain.

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What was under the sink?

A little bucket!

The little bucket had some water in it. However, the teachers said that the bucket was for a little leak from the faucet under the sink, and did not have anything to do with the water running from the regular sink faucet. Nevertheless, it was very interesting and exciting!

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What color did Ms Kristin paint the bell?

Purple! Now that it is April and the Color of the Month is purple, we needed a purple bell to ring to come together for Circle Time. The bell company did not make a purple bell but they made 2 blue bells. So Ms Kristin painted one of the blue bells purple.

There was a child led car sorting by color which led to Ms Kristin finding the rainbow parking lot.

We also played with purple flowers and purple worms. There are new purple tiny things and playdough as well.

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How many cupcakes did you get today?

Two! Jacob brought us mini cupcakes and juice pouches in honor of his birthday! Thank you, Jacob and happy birthday!

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What did we take off the table and chair to make a ball?

Tape! We also used tape from the tape basket.

A very long time ago, we had a tape chair at preschool. Children could put tape on the chair and take it off. Today we worked HARD to take more off. Some of the tape was there when a big brother Finn was a preschooler. “Now he’s like a really big kid so that means this is really, really old tape.”

It took all of my body weight and all of their strength to get some chunks off. Amazing!

How did you get the paint to drip on your umbrella?

By squeezing the pipette! This is a tricky skill to figure out, but once they have it, they have it!

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Enjoy more photos and video from our day…

We did a lot of work with one of our skeleton puzzles. Not pictured are the creations some friends did of things like a foot on top of the neck or all the limbs put together into one long limb.