Week 2 with the 2's:

It was such a joy working with these little ones this week! In the past, working with the 2's didn't involve much more than trying to keep them out of the way of what the "big kids" were working on. So this year, it's really nice to be able to spend intentional time with the little ones as well. I only got a couple pictures the first day because it was so tricky just keeping track of the kids! These guys sure are busy! But by the second day, Evelyn and I seemed to have found a bit more of a groove, and we were able to get a few decent shots.

Day 1:
We started with free play to let them get some wiggles out. The kids headed for the play kitchen and played nicely for quite a while (meaning Doc and Juliette didn't hit or bite one another...we've been struggling with these two big time!)

They can trash a room in 5 seconds flat!

 

Kelda was a little worried about leaving Gus but he did GREAT! He was an absolute joy to work with. Good job, Gussy!

 

We then moved on to calendar and Bible time. They kids did well sitting through the story for the most part. Doc was the most distracted, but I think a lot of that came from being at home. We let them play again after that to get some more of those two-year old wiggles out. Then it was time for our story and snack. I made them yogurt with blueberries (since our color of the week was blue), and we read When the Elephant Walks, which everyone liked. Then it was time for our elephant craft. The kids did GREAT at this part. They painted small paper plates gray, and then glued on ears, feet, a trunk, and a googley eye. All three kids concentrated so much on this activity. It was really fun.

 

 

 

 

Next we headed outside to play in the water table with blue water, and the kids took turns painting horizontal and vertical blue lines on my sliding glass door. After that we called it a day and made lunch. Over all, I would call it a success.

 

Day 2:

I felt SO much more comfortable by day 2. Now that I knew what to expect, it was much easier to pace the activities and to fit more into our time together. We started again with free play, and then moved into calendar and Bible time.

 

The felt board was SO wonderful for these guys! I read the Bible story to them first, and then we retold it together using the felt. By the second day, they knew just what to do. Even Gus got in on the action.

 

Next we had a snack and read our story again. I made flower snacks since on the 3rd day, God created the flowers and plants. The kids did such a great job sitting through the story while they ate that we read two additional books (Little Blue Truck and My One Book).

 

 

 

 

Then it was time for our craft. We made a picture of God's creation on the 3rd day using construction paper and a bunch of foam stickers. They were fully engaged and did great once again.

 

 

 

 

Next it was time to work on fine motor skills with some play dough.

 

 

And then we did a little obstacle course to work on our gross motor skills. This one was a big hit! First the kids had to hop like kangaroos on the blue dots.

 

Next, they had to crawl through the tunnel...

 

 

And finally, they had to walk very carefully on the blue line.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 Great job kiddos!

 

 

 

 

 

 

First Week with 4 Year Olds!!!

Week 1: 4's

Look how big our kids are getting!! Addison, Jack, and Noah have grown so much and it is amazing to see what they are capable of. Their concentration, focusing, and excitement for school is such a privilege to be a part of. I am excited to see what this year will bring for these kids with their creativity, imagination, and humor!

We began the first day with the calendar, and I asked the kids what month we were in. I gave them a hint: it is Jack's brothers name. Jack replied: Gus. I responded with what is his real name? Jack said, without even hesitating: Gustifer Mustifer!!!! The joy and the humor that these kids provide us is irreplaceable.

The Bible story for the week is Jesus walking on water from Matthew 14:22-33. So the kids got to choose items that they thought would sink or float. It was fun to see them watch if their item would float like Jesus, or sink like everything else.

After that we talked about faith and trust in Jesus is similar to the way we trust our family members and friends. Each student got to walk another student around the room while they were blindfolded. Guess what, no one got hurt! This is a good group of friends we have here, with trusting each other. We also did the faith fall. Addison was pretty brave to let Jack and Noah catch her.

Writing, cutting, and tracing are skills that our kids need to become confident in. So we do it a lot. I was so impressed with Addison. She was so patient and took her time writing each letter in her name. Jack and Noah have it easy with only 4 letters.

"I am looking at Jesus." I had the kids take a look at the different colors of their eyes. We talked about the different parts and how they are different. It is important for them to realize that differences in people are a good thing, and learn to appreciate them. 

 Patterns is a difficult concept. So thank goodness for gear blocks: a great way for the kids to work on patterns of colors while also building a cool object. I also incorporated patterns into the snack with green and orange fruit and veggies, yum. Jack ate everything single thing!

 Gotta love Pete the Cat! We read the book together and the kids got to watch the video on the computer, twice! Then we focused on more tracing of their shoes, stinky! They got to color and decorate their shoes. We also worked on the letter T with triangles. Once again, I am so proud and humbled by their little minds, so curious and ready to learn. Here we go!

Week 1, 2s: Sitting still and getting into the swing of things

KELDA:
Our 2013/2014 school set-up is a little different than last year. The size of our group was becoming unmanageable and stressful, and as the 4-year-olds were ready to take on more complicated and time intensive projects it was clear we needed to streamline. 

This school year Lindsay, Evelyn and I are together with our seven kids. Three 2s, three 4s and a partridge in a pear tree (that's Henry). The smaller group allows us to accomplish so much more, though it has been hard saying goodbye to Dayna, Annabelle, Elly, Katie and CJ. Thankfully, Dayna was able to establish her own smaller group, and Katie is super busy taking care of CJ plus two additional kiddos she babysits for - all while waiting patiently for Alex to arrive soon.

So, we are organized this year among Lindsay, Ev and I in a three-week rotation: Each mom is responsible for the 2s one week, the 4s the next week, and has a break the third week (the "break" week is spent helping with the 2s, who are still require a 2-adult minimum to actually accomplish anything!). 

Week 1! I had the 2s and it was so wonderful. I really wasn't sure what to expect. Gus is only 15-months-old and I was nervous he would be a major distraction. But, overall it has been a fun and encouraging experience so far to see these little kids sitting through stories, participating as a group, and tackling projects that are likely a bit beyond their years. 

Overall our objectives for this week were to teach the kids to sit still, listen and to introduce themselves by name. Done (well, except for Gus, who hasn't quite mastered his name)! I also shifted gears a bit on Day 2 and offered more hands-on activities which seem to capture their attention best at this stage. 

DAY 1:

Look, we're sitting still! Calendar time and bible story.

Singing "This Little Light of Mine."

Henry

Bible story (Genesis 1:1)

"Before God created light, it was dark."

More dancing and singing

Color hunt - find the color red

Placing our found red items aside for an art project.

Red pom-poms, foam sticks, foam blocks and pipe cleaners stuck to contact paper.

I have a ton of contact paper and I'm looking forward to finding more ways to incorporate into art projects for the 2s.

The look on Juliette's face is due to the fact that most of the red items on Doc's project are hers :)

Markers on coffee filters... 

...in blue, green and brown...

...sprayed with water to resemble the earth. 

Oh the basket seats. More a distraction than anything...

Putting out fire with water bottles. 

Lunch outside (we bring packed lunches on Tuesdays and the hosting mom provides lunch for all the kids on Thursdays)

DAY 2:

Red sensory bin 

Water beads are amazing!

Red light, green light in our pajamas in honor of our book of the week, "Llama, Llama Red Pajama."

Remember Jello-O Jigglers!? Red snack time.

Cloud painting - these turned out really great. 

The paint is made up of 2 parts shaving cream, one part white glue and a shot of blue Tempra paint.

I gave the kids cotton balls to drag in the paint and stick to the paper, along with paint brushes.

Moving outside for some pouring, dumping and spooning practice.  

I gave them cups, bowls, spoons along with popping corn and dyed star-shaped noodles. 

Gus stayed on until the end! 

I also dyed water and let them pour from empty honey containers.

We're baaaack! Preschool 2013/2014 is now in session

Juliette 

Doc 

Addison 

Jack 

Noah 

Gus