Showing posts with label Preschool. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Preschool. Show all posts

Wednesday, August 22, 2012

Maddy Loves School!

The teacher in me could not be happier to write that title :)


Tuesday was just a 1 hour session where we all got to be together in her classroom to meet her teachers, ask questions and play with just 5 other students who are new to the school as well! She of course did well for that. Her response to Tim and I when we asked her if she liked her new school was, "It is SOOOOOO good!" I LOVE that girl's spunk!
Walking to school with Daddy!
Wednesday Rose and I went and dropped her off for her 2 hour session and Maddy said, "bye mom!" and walked right over a learning center. I won't lie - I was a little sad to see her not miss me, but I am infinitely more happy that she feels comfortable and confident to "take on the world". That's our girl!

When Rose and I arrived to pick her up, they were finishing story time. She was sitting at the teacher's feet with her legs crossed and hands folded listening intently! It was a little while before she even noticed me! She smiled, put her finger over her lips as if to say, "it's quiet time mom", and then gave me a thumbs up. Sweetness! I could not have been more proud of my little lady! 
Sitting under her hook where she will hang her coat and back pack ;)
When they were finished, she ran out to us and yelled, "Rosie! Rosie! and gave her sister a BIG HUG (which I of course jumped in on)! It was just precious! She chatted the whole way home about her teachers, her classmates, and her learning experiences! I'm feeling blessed and excited that we have this opportunity. I can't wait to continue to see her grow and talk through each and every experience as she arrives home each day!
Wearing a princess dress while rolling play dough -right at home!

I know that nursery (preschool) is not a necessity and not the best choice for every child. I am all for each family making the decision that is best for their child and their family concerning education - whether it be homeschooling, public education, or private education.
Scottish looking, isn't it? Especially with the grey sky :)
At this stage of the game and this place in the world (ha!), I really think Maddy is going to thrive in this environment.

I think the centers, the structure, the friends, and the teachers will all aid in her growth. I love that the learning is play based, especially at this age. I also think allowing kids to discover as they play is a wonderful opportunity and the fact that teachers guide the students and lead other learning activities like number and letter walks through the community) are all a plus.
I love the lay out of the room. 
I look forward to Maddy interacting with other children of many different personalities, nationalities, home lives etc and learning to get along in a harmonious way with them even if she doesn't feel like it. Probably my greatest excitement though comes from the prospect of her learning to be respectful and obedient to another authority other than Tim and myself. I think that is just a valuable lesson in life as we will all have a boss one day and have to respond in a respectful manner. I think she's at the stage where this kind of respectful interaction with leadership will be really good for her. She does have that in Church Sunday School, but I think she could use the extra practice if you know what I mean :)
Reading Corner
All in all it was a good first day on her own and she is THRILLED about tomorrow! I'm counting my blessings and praising the Lord for His kindness.

~ For even more pictures - check out this album :)

Monday, March 19, 2012

Preschool Quiet Time Ideas

In the past month or two I realized that Maddy wasn't getting in enough quiet time activities in a day. This girl loves to run, dance, jump, sing (just about anything but sit still ;) I really do love that about her because it's just like me-ha!

But I realized that I wanted to spend more some purposeful time(maybe jut 30-45 min) in our day where she and I did a quiet activity together, teaching her to sit still and focus for a period of time on a project as well as getting in some quality one on one time :). I am also hoping to work on her letters, number, shapes etc during this time.  It fits in best in our day when she wakes up from her nap and Rose is till snoozing. That way, she and I can do something a little more involved. I've come up with a pretty limited list of ideas(sometimes I mix a few ideas into one day).  But I would LOVE to hear some of your ideas :)

* painting (letters, numbers, shapes, pictures)
* glue/glitter

* Tea Party
* coloring books
* white board
* chalk board (can you tell I was a teacher?)
* baking/cooking
* play dough
* reading
* spreading shaving cream on the table and writing letters, numbers or shapes with our fingers
* puppet shows(we each did our own). It was much more fun than I thought it would be :)
* playing make believe with her ponies
* sorting colored beads
* puzzles
* threading beads on thick string

So does anyone else have any FUN ideas for me?