Sports Obstacle Course

We did a little obstacle course today in preschool...
I just laid masking tape down on the carpet, simple idea that you can do at home & keep your kiddos busy, while exercising!

They had to stay on the tape, so they walked one foot in front of the other...

1st Stop: Toss the golf ball into the bowl...

2nd Stop: Spin around on the Sit n' Spin...

3rd Stop: Shoot the ball & make a basket...

4th Stop: JUMP inside the hula hoop 3 times...

4th Stop: RUN & jump into the bean bag chair...

5th Stop: Swing the baseball bat & hit the ball...

Last stop: Drive the school bus by turning the wheel around & around...

Everyone did a GREAT job & received an award of EXCELLENCE!!!

Playing sports helps develop coordination and your gross motor skills.
It is a great activity to do with your child! See if you can teach them a new sport this weekend. It can be as simple as a bean bag toss, hitting a golf ball into a bucket or playing catch!

S is for Sports

Sports Craft Instructions:
I found these foam circles & sports circles at the Dollar Store...

We layered them together & glued them together, before punching holes around the edge...

Then we laced ribbon through the openings...

Some of the children were able to do it easily & it frustrated others.
I worked on it with each child & over time, their fine motor skills will improve & "lacing" will become easier. This is a simple activity you can throw in your purse to keep your child occupied at the Dr, church or the grocery store!

We talked about the letter "S" today
Each child had the opportunity to TRACE the letter S on the whiteboard, by following the dots...

For handwriting today, we traced the letters SPORTS...
This is another skill that will improve with time & practice. You can easily write out ANY WORD with DOTS for them to CONNECT... to practice at home!

We talked about all different kinds of sports today, including FOOTBALL, BOWLING, HOCKEY, GOLF, SWIMMING, BASKETBALL & MORE!!!

Then we played a game of basketball...preschool style:)
Each child had the opportunity to throw the ball until they made it!
They were so proud when they did!
Sports help develop hand-eye-coordination.
Take opportunities to play sports with your child, even a game of catch will help improve their coordination.

See what your child can find around the house that starts with the letter "S"
Remind them it makes a sound like a snake....SSSssssssssssssss!

Animals

Today we had ANIMAL SHOW & TELL!
Some of the children brought a stuffed animal from home & they got to stand up and tell about their animal & what sound it makes.
If your child didn't bring one, do not worry!
I had plenty of extra animals, so everyone had a turn!

For Music today, we watched & learned the Wiggles Monkey Dance, which they all loved & they had fun acting out different animals!
You can see it HERE

I had planned a PICNIC for snack today & we didn't let the rain ruin our plans!
We had a picnic INSIDE:)

We learned "Where is Thumpkin" today but substituted different animal names, instead of our thumbs...

We added a popsicle stick to some premade animals & each child got to take home their very own animals to play with at home!

At Home Activity:
Have your child perform the song for your spouse/grandparents or other siblings
&
ask your child what letter ANIMAL starts with & point out other things in the room that start with A

"A" is for Animals

This week our preschool theme is ANIMALS!

We competed in "Animal Races" where you had to "walk" like a specific animal & race across the room with another student...

A couple of FROGS jumping...

2 more frogs...

These frogs are jumping HIGH!!!

Racing like a couple of DOGS...

Cute little crabs...

Then each child picked an ANIMAL out of my animal tub & stood in front of the class & told the class WHAT ANIMAL they chose & WHAT SOUND their animal makes...

For singing time, we sang multiple songs involving ANIMALS!

5 Little Monkeys Jumping on the Bed
3 Little Ducks Went Out to Play
Old McDonal Had a Farm
Teasing Mr. Alligator
& we ended with 5 Little Speckled Frogs:

5 Little Speckled Frogs,
Sitting on a Speckled Log,
Eating the Most Delicious Bugs,
YUM! YUM!
One Jumped into the pool,
Where it was nice & cool,
Now there were 4 speckled Frogs,
Ribbit! Ribbit!
Repeat...until you get to "Zero Speckled Frogs"



Then the children had the chance to make their very own FROGS!
We SPONGE PAINTED with GREEN PAINT on to their PAPER PLATES...

Then we added eyes, legs, arms & a tongue & they all made their very own FROG to take home:)

Children LOVE animals & this is a theme that has them very excited!
Combining animals with the sounds they make is not only FUN, but a developmental opportunity for your children. See how many animal sounds your child can make!

Weather Report

We talked about all different kinds of weather & talked about different activities/clothes that you wear during certain weather...

RAINY WEATHER

WINDY WEATHER

STORMY WEATHER

SUNNY WEATHER

SNOWY WEATHER

Then we made our own "Windy Weather" with our breath & blew our "clouds"(cotton balls) across the floor to the finish line!

Then we made our own little streamers and twirled them around in the "wind"

We also watched a 2 minute segment in the movie "UP" where the house is headed towards a thunderstorm & the kids pointed out the RAIN, WIND, LIGHTNING & THE SUN when the storm was over!

You can find so many opportunities to talk about the weather. Have your children look out the window each morning & tell you what the weather is!

Our new weather song we learned today:
(to the tune of Frere Jacques)

What's the weather, what's the weather
Can you tell, can you tell?
Is the sun shining, is the rain falling?
Can you tell, can you tell?

Week 2- "Weather"

This week our theme is "Weather"

Today we talked about all different kinds of weather & then we played "Hot & Cold".
I hid an egg with a piece of candy inside somewhere in the room.
Then each child got a turn looking for the egg.
If they got closer to the egg, I would hold up a SUN & say "Hot"
if they got farther away from the egg, I would hold up the mitten & say "Cold"
Everyone enjoyed this game, so we made a set for each child to take home!
They got to decorate their very own "Hot" & "Cold" sticks to play with on their own!
Arts & Crafts are great for creative development in young children.

For P.E. today, we talked about types of clothing that you wear when it is COLD.
I showed them my hat & gloves that I wear when it is COLD outside.
Then we had a relay, where each child ran across the room, had to put the gloves on their hands & the hat on their head & race back across to the finish line!

This activity included running, which helps develop gross motor skills & putting on gloves & hats helps develop their fine motor skills.

Home Activity Idea:
Encourage your children to learn to dress themselves. They may get discouraged, so start small. If they can first learn how to put on their own shirt, then move on to pants. Socks & shoes will follow!

We had to get one more class picture today, since we were missing 1 last week!

Hooray for Preschool!

Snack Time
*When it is your turn to bring the snack basket, your child will have the opportunity to help with set up & clean up. This will encourage responsibility & leadership.

We talked about the letter "W" for weather in circle time today!

At home Activity:
Try to find other things that start with "W" this week & point them out to your child!