Did someone call 911?

The children learned to call 911 if there was an emergency. We know to stop, drop and roll if our clothes catch on fire, and we learned that firemen are here to help us if we are in trouble. Everyone loved the special clothing that the firemen wear to keep them safe.

A special thank you to the Texarkana Fire Department for giving us a WOW moment.

ORDER BY SIZE

It is important that children learn to recognize and arrange objects by size. Young children practice spatial reasoning by ordering objects from largest to smallest. This helps them with a range of activities from building more solid block towers to writing their name. Ordering by size also prepares children for more complex math such as putting numbers in order ( 1, 2 , 3 ) and problem solving.

Goldilocks was on our playground!

Were were amazed to see Goldilocks on our playground this week. She went into the little house and ate porridge. We noticed that she broke a chair. Goldilocks did apologize for her behavior and she promised to listen to her mother. This fun activity helped us understand large, medium, small.

Thank you to Ms. Denise and Ellie McDaniel for making this wonderful activity possible.

P.E. This Week

The children played Zookeeper this week. During this game the students took turns tagging the animals and putting them back into their cage. After the animals were in the cage, the taggers had to determine how many animals were boys or girls for Mrs. Nicole.

Match My Number

Children make sets to show that they understand the value of numbers. When they consistently count the correct number of objects to match the number you say , you know they understand.

We used bears and number cards for this activity. The children had to pick a card , recognize a number and place the correct amount of bears on the paper.

Gingerbread Man Play-doh

Physical and Sensory Benefits of play - doh

Manipulating play - doh strengthens the small muscles in the fingers, hands and arms.

The Texture and consistency of play - doh provides tactile experiences that can be calming.

Music with Mrs. Allison

The children played the Djembes in music class. The Djembes are widely used in West Africa and the children used them to play fast and slow as they moved to the beat.

Learning Without Tears

Roll A Dough - letter L

Our Learning Without Tears activity is a multisensory, play -based way for young children to build hand strength, fine motor skills, and letter recognition. Shaping the dough engages tactile, visual, and kinesthetic senses at the same time, helping young children lock letter and number shapes into their memory.

The children were excited to form the letter L !

How many are in my hat?

"How many?" is a familiar question to children. They can find the answer by counting. The last number you say when you count a set tells how many , or the total. At large group time the children used the magic wand to pull scarves out of the hat. Everyone loved counting to find the total amount of scarves that were in the hat.

Look What We're Learning

• Verbally count a set of five objects

• Listen to perform a task

• Recognize that the last number said is the total

A change in the schedule

LETTER F IS FOR FUDGE

PEENY BUTTER FUDGE is one of our curriculum books that we read during the Beginning Of School Unit. In our story the grandmother surprises her grandchildren with a change in the schedule. Nathan's Nana , Mrs. Dorthy Hayman surprised the class with a change in our schedule. During this activity your child learned to follow directions, take turns and count. A special thank you to Mrs. Hayman for giving us a wow moment.

P.E. This WEEK

We jumped with excitement in P.E. this week! After each child walked the balance beam it was time to jump. As the children jumped with their feet together and apart they used key gross motor skills. Their leg strength, dynamic balance and bilateral coordination were enhanced with this activity.

The Beginning Of School Unit.

Our first unit focuses on establishing routines and helping your child feel safe at school. During this unit we will build relationships. Each child will feel welcomed and valued at school. The first unit helps your child with feelings and emotions. As the children walk into the classroom they look for their name and place it on the board. When your child puts their name on the board they feel a sense belonging.

Nursery rhymes are used during this unit to help your child understand that it's ok to be scared or sad in a new environment. This week we read Humpty Dumpty and The Three Little Kittens. You may hear alot about Humpty Dumpty this weekend.

The Three Little Kittens

After we read about the kittens who lost their mittens, it was time for a name recognition game. Each child pretended to be a kitten that had to find their mittens with their name on them.

P.E. This week

We loved P.E. this week! The students had to walk with one foot in and one foot out of the hula hoop. Each child was jumping for joy as they tried their best to jump with two feet together in and out of the hula hoop. Jumping with two feet together develops your child's coordination, endurance and strength.

Little Miss. Muffet

Nursery rhymes have a huge impact on children's language and communication development.

Children relish in listening to songs full of rhyming, rhythm and repetition. As the children learn nursery rhymes their language and literacy skills are thriving.

Everyone loved acting out Little Miss. Muffet!

Why pretend in preschool?

BENEFITS OF PRETEND PLAY

Self - regulation : Following rules of a chosen role

Corporation : Negotiating roles

Confidence : Making independent choices in a safe space

I’m so glad we had this time together, just to have a laugh, or sing a song. Seems like we just got started

and before you know it comes the time to say , “So long.”

Lyrics by: Joe Hamilton

What an amazing year. The last blog of the school year will highlight a few of our best moments. A special thank you to my parents for sending your child to St. James. We had a blast!

The children in the primary classes participated in several thrilling activities during the school year.

We focused on social-emotional growth, self regulation and cognitive growth. Our P.E. class fostered a love for gross motor skills. Music class was an amazing experience as the children danced and sang to various types music and rhymes. The year was full of excitement from Goldilocks to the Gala project. God bless all my students.

Ms. Diane