Art Fair, Children And Slide Shows Oh My!

April 29, 2011 By Leave a Comment

Yep it’s just around the corner and I’m not referring to Panda Express.   Saturday April 30th we’re having our art fair.  I’m excited about the parents finally being able to come in and see all the art work done by their children.   There will be a large variety of art work for the parents to come and see.   We’ll have body tracings, string painting, very cute bird houses, blow dryer art, dictations, and lots more as well.    I’m also happy to announce that after a few trips to Target, Fry’s, Rite Aide and Cost Co. for all the needed supplies, the slide shows are finally available to take home.    I had a lot of fun matching music to each and every child.   All the slide shows should play on either a PC or DVD player.    I hope you all find them enjoyable.   I hope the slide shows give you some fun insight into what a day at the preschool consists of.   I hope everyone enjoys all the different art that the children put a lot of themselves into.  See you at the art fair.

Filed Under: activites with children, Art, Featured Tagged With: , , , , ,

Dictations With The Children

April 22, 2011 By 1 Comment

Hey it’s Mr. Tony again.  I love doing dictations with the children which is an activity I do with the children on an almost regular basis.   It’s also a step towards literacy.   It shows  children  that a story has a start, middle and end.  In writing with the children we show that we write from left to right.  And now the fun stuff.  I sat down with the children today and asked some questions about their mom.   I asked how old their mom is.  What their favorite food is.  How tall their mom is.  What work she does and what they like to do with their mom.  And now some of their answers.  Survey says!  How old is your mom?  I got answers like, 60, 3, 30 and a half and 1.  And one little boy just said “She’s just very old”. Next question was “What is your mom’s favorite food?”  “Gorilla munch”.  “Lettuce.” ” Spicy pizza.”  And of course there was “crab salad”.  I love a child’s concept of tall someone is. “How tall is your mom?”  Their height ranged from  1 inch to 7 feet.   Their response to what job their mom does was also very cute.  Apparently it’s the job of some moms to just clean their rooms,  go make money and last but not least, “Measure the bouncy”.   The most endearing answer came from the question “What is your favorite thing to do with your mom?”  “I love to color and cuddle with my mom”.   All their answers were great and all of their answers are what makes my job and this particular activity so fun.   Take the time to sit with your children and talk to them about anything and just listen to their ideas about life.  You’ll have a lot of fun and get a lot of quality fun.  Enjoy.

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UTube for Preschool Parents: Weigh In

March 29, 2011 By 3 Comments

In the world of technology I want to invent a new way to connect with the families at LCP. My computer guru, Steve, suggested that I post video of the activities at LCP on UTube, maybe even creating my own network. Wow, that sounds inspiring, and I want to do this, with your approval.

Please send me feedback, and say how you feel about this. I want to take it on, with the goal of posting viedo everyday for a month. Everyday I am in the classroom at our school I witness moments that make me realize the amazing experiences each child is having and how I want to share this with parents.

At the same time I want to be respectful as a child development educator to each family I work with. There are not any preschools to my knowledge that do this, and part of me wants to be the first.

Weigh in, share and thank you.

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Candy Fairy Theory

November 5, 2010 By 7 Comments

Children have been coming to preschool this week telling me about the Candy Fairy. This is someone who they give all their Halloween Candy to, and in return they receive a toy for their donation. It struck me as this new trend is on the scene, what are we teaching ? Is it a good alternative, or are we not giving children to chance to be immersed in their obsession for candy?

To me the goal of control is self control, which I know it not an easy behavior to learn. Children need small lessons in learning how to master the desires we all have for pleasure in life. As a child to be able to go to someones house, say a few words while dressed up in a costume, and recieve free candy is like a dream come true. With  a bucket full of sugar you are given the chance as a parent to teach how to have the candy and moderate the amount that is eaten. If a gift is given to deter us from all of our obsessions does that negate to lesson of self control, taking away the chance for a learning experience? Or are we just all to fearful of what will happen if children eat too much candy.

My concern is that we are taking away from the children the opportunity not only to indulge but to regulate. Life is about continual regulation. Don’t eat too much, don’t watch too much, don’t do anything too much. So how do we teach this for the moments when we are not there to be the Candy Fairy?

Filed Under: All School, AM Pre Schoo, Notes From Debbie, Parenting Class, Pre - K Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , ,

Halloween and Preschoolers: Keep it light

October 27, 2010 By Leave a Comment

As our children get old enough to enjoy more activities we need to be mindful of what is developmentally appropriate for them to experience. Here at La Canada Preschool, we have set up some Halloween decorations in a well lit room to create a preschool haunted house. If a child seems apprehensive, we do not make them come into our classroom where you will find a skeleton, a witch and some scary props. Yet as we have left the room decorated for the week we are seeing children slowly approaching this room full of make believe.

It is important the we stress the make believe of Halloween and demystify the scary images that can be frightening for young children. It seems that if Halloween is introduced slowly with caution not to frighten children, they are able to process this holiday that seems to be more of our culture every season.

Fears for children are normal and healthy. Think of the book, “There’s a nightmare in my Closet”. When we read this story a t circle time the children are glued and begin talking about how monsters are not real. If we can look at Halloween as a time to address fears as normal and part of our emotional make up, our preschoolers can enjoy this time and learn to keep it light during these dark days of Halloween…

Filed Under: All School, AM Pre Schoo, Halloween, Pre - K, Uncategorized Tagged With: , , , ,

Teacher Appreciation Week=true validation

May 4, 2010 By Leave a Comment

This week is Teacher Appreciation Week and the true validation that our staff is feeling is a gift to behold. Today we had a beautiful luncheon, where parents not only brought in food but came in to watch the children so that the teachers could eat together. We have had flowers and chocolates, along with homemade cards by the children that put Hallmark to shame.

When we feel this type of outreach from the parents we serve, educators are inspired and rejuvenated. It reaffirms why we come to out little school every morning. Suddenly the work is more meaningful and again we are reminded why we are valued. None of my teachers make enough money for the work they do, yet when we feel the love of the parents it lets us know why we choose this profession; because it is more than just a job. It is an extension of the families we work with, and a collaboration in child development with the parents at the helm and the teachers as partners.

Thank you to everyone who reaches out and thanks a teacher. It sustains us.

Filed Under: All School, AM Pre Schoo, Notes From Debbie Tagged With: , , , , , ,

Welcome to La Canada Preschool

June 30, 2009 By Leave a Comment

AR002102AR002702School begins Tuesday September 8 and Wednesday September 9. We have openings for all our morning programs and would love to give you a tour!

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