Eating earth, Ms Kristin going for a ride, a lost dog and a dying grandpa: MONDAY E WEEK

Our Monday “Red Day” Class started E Week with dry erase markers, elephant parades, orange work, tower building, robot building and some track running. We enjoyed having Henry’s baby toddler brothers play with us (“Those guys aren’t regular babies anymore…they are almost like preschoolers”) for a little while.

Ask your Monday morning preschooler the following questions to learn more about our day…then read on to see pictures and hear more!

Read more: Eating earth, Ms Kristin going for a ride, a lost dog and a dying grandpa: MONDAY E WEEK

1. Who gave Ms Kristin a piggyback ride?

A pretend elephant!

It’s a costume: Ms Kristin’s legs go in the pretend elephant legs and then there are 2 pretend legs that look like Ms Kristin’s legs! I put it on during Circle Time and even though they saw it happen, it is still confusing! There were wide eyes, a lot of laughing and no tears. Hooray!

2. What little things were in the playdough this week?

Eyes!

There are googly eyes of different sizes with our shades of orange play dough. Some of the sculptures were called monsters, creatures and germs. There are many opportunities for counting and giggling with these loose parts!

3. Who had all of the elephant ears?

Ms Kristin!

There is growing independence with our alphabet projects. Children are encouraged to find a glue bottle that works well for them, get the number of paper pieces needed and today after they made their E shape, they had to find Ms Kristin to get a paper elephant ear!

4. Who died in our Snack Time book today?

A girl’s grandpa named Abe.

One friend shared about his great great grandpa who is dying and will go to heaven soon. This prompted conversation and led into a reading of a favorite book, Grandpa Abe. We see the characters go through a lot of feelings: silly (grandpa laughing when she was a baby and spit up on grandpa’s shoulder), happy (when grandpa did a magic trick at her birthday party), scared (when the parents were hugging each other and crying before she knew grandpa had died), sad (when she found out he died), serious (when they were at the funeral), happy again (when they sat around the table and told stories about grandpa).

Grandma Vicki reminded us that she is here, alive and a grandma!

Before the story reading, we thanked two friends for a triple E snack: Malcolm brought earth cups and English muffin pizzas and Charlie brought everyone a peanut butter eyeball! YUM!

5. Where did some of the bubbles go?

Over the church and blocks away!

There is no picture of it, but after our snack friend line leader held the door for everyone, we enjoyed our Outside Time with the big bubble maker. Ms Kristin made the big bubbles and some of them floated over the church and all the way across Muse Street. We wondered if anyone in the neighborhood looked up to see them.

We ended the day reading about a dog who went through a lot of feelings as well. Otis ran away from his dog day care and then couldn’t easily remember how to get back. Thankfully he did and had a fun time with his dog friends when he got there- howling at the moon, having a midnight snack, and perking his ears straight up!

Lights going out, Ms Kristin was wrong, licking food and a big board: FRIDAY D WEEK

Our Friday “Purple Day” Class finished off D Week in a delightful way. Keeping in mind that this is only our 4th time together as a class, it’s amazing to see their growing connections. They are skilled at filling their time with constructive play and including others.

Friday families, ask your children these questions and then read on to learn my answers!

  1. What was Ms Kristin wrong about with the otter?
  2. What D things did we have for snack?
  3. Who turned the lights out for the spooky part of the poem?
  4. What made our hair poof a bit at Circle Time?
  5. What made the bubbles go wild all over the playground?
Read more: Lights going out, Ms Kristin was wrong, licking food and a big board: FRIDAY D WEEK

1. What was Ms Kristin wrong about with the otter?

Ms Kristin thought that Walter’s stuffed otter was a long neck dinosaur. So, when she kept asking the friends in the hideout to show her the dinosaur they kept saying they didn’t have one. It was funny when we figured it out! Fear not, there were many other dinosaurs in the room:

2. What D things did we have for snack?

Doritos, dill pickles and donut holes!

Thank you, Theo, for a delightful and delicious snack! We had several friends touch, smell, lick and then eat dill pickles for the first time! We like preschool snack to be a safe place to experience new foods or foods previously thought of as “unliked.” These brains are getting exposure all the time. FUN FACT: we also let children eat appetizer snacks. They have saltines in their School Boxes and today there were apple slices available by their water cups.

3. Who turned the lights out for the spooky part of the poem?

Ms Kristin AND Ms Brenda.

No matter how far Ms Kristin tried to stretch her arms, there was no way she could reach all the light switches on either side of the doorway. (We sing songs and poems when lining up and the 5 Little Pumpkins has a spooky – funny and a little scary – part about lights going out)

4. What made our hair poof a bit at Circle Time?

Ms Kristin dropping the big board!

After Ms Kristin got the big board into place and we looked through today’s pictures, we added more to our “In the Dark” picture. Find out about the scoop, the hose and the broom. Notice the human problems of where the animal poop is. Find out if the pumpkin will still be lit up or not.

5. What made the bubbles go wild all over the playground?

The wind!

We are in a wind advisory and took advantage of it by bringing out the big bubble supplies! If friends were cold, they could cuddle on blankets against our windbreak. That’s also where we ended our day with a walk through the Dinsosaur Alphabet book (getting more familiarity with the concept of alphabetical order) and singing made up verses of “We Wish You Well.”

Cat poop in a sandbox, apple juice on an arm and two babies born: THURSDAY D WEEK

Our Thursday “Blue Day” Class was back together again! The play was delightful and we got a lot of things done today…all in honor of D Week, the color orange and October.

Here’s one friend’s merging of it all: “An orange dinosaur with a carrot tail”

Here are 5 questions you can ask your child and then read on to find my perspective and photos!

1. Why did the cat poop in the sandbox?

2. How did Ms Kristin get apple juice on her arm?

3. How did we make a pumpkin patch in the room?

4. What color dinosaur prints did you make?

5. What do you like to do in the Family Corner?

Read more: Cat poop in a sandbox, apple juice on an arm and two babies born: THURSDAY D WEEK

1. Why did the cat poop in the sandbox?

Because the people forgot to put the lid on the box!

This is our “In the Dark” picture…also take note of the grasshopper, the bats, the mouse and the various piles of poop. Find out why there aren’t any people in the picture and why the porch light is off.

2. How did Ms Kristin get apple juice on her arm?

From using Heath’s apple cutter! The apples were so juicy that juice flew every time.

Along with the delicious apples, we had caramel dip, Doritos and Dove chocolates. It was a very fun and cozy snack time. Thank you, Heath!

3. How did we make a pumpkin patch in the room?

By putting all our finished pumpkins on the yellow rug.

Next week we will have a real pumpkin in the classroom!

4. What color dinosaur prints did you make?

Options: red, orange, yellow, green, blue, purple, pink, brown and black.

We’re on our fourth week of Journal Work and it’s fun to find the children looking back at their previous work.

5. What do you like to do in the Family Corner?

Options: go in the loft, use pretend computers and phones, cook pretend food, dress and undress baby dolls, pretend to be a parent, sit on the couch, have a restaurant, read books, etc.

Today we had a couple of friends have babies, a castle open for visitors, tea makers for the people having babies, a peacock rescuer, a grandpa in charge of distributing computers and phones. Also incorporated was the Nature Corner as the house’s backyard, the library with a bakery in the neighborhood and the boat as the transportation for a trip to California and back. So fun to be around!

Dinosaur tracks, the final vote, stones in a stomach and 2 birthdays : WEDNESDAY D WEEK

Our Wednesday “Green Day” Class was the first class back after a week long break. The classroom had a complete transformation during the week as it was used for a meal in honor of the 50th anniversary of New Creation Fellowship Church. Today we honored two friends who both turned four! Our snack was special and lit by two rainbow candles.

Here are five questions about today…if your child was at preschool, ask them for their answers then read on to find my perspective.

1. How did you get the ink on your journal pages?

2. What did Ms Kristin do with the puzzles today?

3. What side did the final vote go on?

4. Where do pumpkins grow?

5. How big is the Wannanosaurus dinosaur?

Read more: Dinosaur tracks, the final vote, stones in a stomach and 2 birthdays : WEDNESDAY D WEEK

1. How did you get the ink on your journal pages?

Dinosaur feet pressed in ink pads!

2. What did Ms Kristin do with the puzzles today?

Mixed them up on the big table!

I did mix them up, but these kids solved the problem in no time! Several times over, in fact.

3. What side did the final vote go on?

No cat at home (reportedly due to a mother’s allergy but it’s okay).

The children seem to enjoy finding themselves in the midst of so many unknown children. “Wait, we all go to school here?”

4. Where do pumpkins grow?

In fields on a vine on the ground in a pumpkin patch!

We have pretend pumpkins to play with this week…soon we’ll have a real one!

5. How big is the Wannanosaurus dinosaur?

Only 2 feet!

We looked through our Dinosaur Alphabet book again, stopping first at the D page about the diplodocus (which swallows their food and big stones to mush it up…!!!). Then we found the sweet Wannasaurus who would be smaller than a preschooler and imagined them on our playground. We ended the day roaring like dinosaurs to wish each other well.

Ms Kristin and friends drew some beautiful dinosaurs and a habitat for them on the sidewalks.

BONUS: Our Circle Time picture

Here is a picture of “Things in the Dark.” Ask your preschooler to show you the mouse, mouse poop, bat house, bat poop. Find out why the cat’s ears are twitching and why the family wished they hadn’t put the bat house where they did.

We’ll add to it all week and then make it dark!

Cleaning hands without water, crossing Ms Kristin out and someone waving from the roof: TUESDAY D WEEK

Our Tuesday “Yellow Day” Class welcomed October and D Week with ease. We had one friend away on a trip and one little brother home not feeling well, but the rest of us carried on before our Fall Break (no school until next Wednesday).

We had a delightful time celebrating Zander’s birthday with 4 D snack things! Thank you, Zander! It seemed like I was joking when I asked them to repeat the word “Danimals.”

Read on to find the answers to these questions:

  1. How do you get your hands clean after playing in the Tub Table?
  2. Where were there pumpkins today?
  3. Why did Ms Kristin cross herself out at Circle Time?
  4. Where can you find treasure?
  5. Who waved to us from the roof?
Read more: Cleaning hands without water, crossing Ms Kristin out and someone waving from the roof: TUESDAY D WEEK

1. How do you get your hands clean after playing in the Tub Table?

By rubbing them on the rug!

The lid for our Tub Table has a piece of rug on it, but the floor rug will do too. Since the Cloud Dough is flour and oil, rinsing them off in water doesn’t work as well as dry friction!

2. Where were there pumpkins today?

At the Project Table, Tub Table, Book Corner and the Play Dough Table! They will be there all month long!

3. Why did Ms Kristin cross herself out at Circle Time?

Because there is no way the dinosaur could have seen her…she was not alive when dinosaurs were.

Ms Kristin drew a scene with a few dinosaurs and after fumbling through a flying dinosaur, the children offered to show her their skills. Children took turns drawing before we washed our hands for our Birthday Celebration snack!

FUN FACT: Grandma Bonnie took the above picture of Ms Brenda taking the below picture.

More dinosaur work:

4. Where can you find treasure?

In the rocks under the play structures and on the dirt hill.

If your child comes home with random beads, seeds, special rocks or sparkly bits, they probably found them on the playground. Lately they spend as much time hiding them for other children to find. When not doing treasure work, these friends re hauling water and climbing on the logs.

5. Who waved to us from the roof?

The worker across Pine Street!

Yesterday and today we’ve watched a huge crane haul air conditioners (or some other equipment) from the parking lot to the roof of the building. Every now and then we can see the workers on top of the building. Today one of them waved! It was very exciting!

Thank you, workers, for taking a moment to wave to us!