Pilots, Pancakes, and Preschool

Yes, yes, I know what you're all wondering....
"How was the first week?"
Let me just say, and I hope that similar sentiments have been passed your way via your children, that so far, it's been a blast!!

Although we did not have a full week of school, we still managed to fit in many fun activities. We tried as frequently as possible to imitate our normal schedule, keeping in mind that gym begins next week, and dance, music, and Spanish in October. Overall, transitions into our new room with new friends have been smoother than Sinatra at The Sands.

Our week began with a box. There were many suggestions about what to do with our box (the ultimate open-ended material), including a rocket ship, house, and carpet, but they finally settled upon turning it into an airplane.


The children worked very hard to decorate it, and attached pipe cleaners and wooden pieces for wings, and pom poms representing lights and windows. During freeplay, after construction, the children were able to take off (most children chose to fly to Mexico).

We were able to talk more about flying, and read a story about airplanes, which segued wonderfully into talking about ladybugs, which, like planes, also fly (85 wing flaps per second!). One child brought in a ladybug in a jar, and the children enjoyed inspecting it with the magnifying glass during freeplay.

The next day, we created a bug mural (although a few sharks and raccoons managed to slip in there), but again, the children worked very hard, creating wonderful additions to the mural, now hanging on the door. Today, the children made delicious ladybug pancakes, with blueberries or chocolate chips for spots. And we didn't skimp on the syrup and powdered sugar!

We have begun to explore our math manipulatives, and we have also noticed that some students are serious about handwriting! We cannot wait to encourage this as we work on letters, words, books, and reading with all students.

Just to give you a heads up, I have been summoned for jury duty on Friday 9/19, and Amanda and Darla will be running the show (also Benjie will be subbing to lend an extra set of hands).

Below are pictures from our week. Please feel free to contact me if you have any questions, comments, or concerns.