We really miss our kids! I’ve heard from many co-workers, and we all miss seeing the little ones on a daily basis. I hope and pray you are all staying safe and healthy during this time of crisis.
I hope all of our preschoolers are still able to learn and grow in knowledge in their day to day life at home with family. A young mind is constantly absorbing new material, and, for now, you are the source that they observe the most. You don’t have to use workbooks, stickers, and charts to educate at home (unless you want to). Advice that I followed when I was at home with my children when they were young was “talk, talk, talk” and “read, read, read.” Talk to them while you are making dinner – “Can you find the can of Tomatoes? It starts with a T that says t, t, tomato.” Talk to them while you set the table – “There are four of us. How many spoons should we set on the table? Let’s count them.” Using descriptive words while they learn to tie their shoe or wash their face helps give young children the verbal skills they need.
Also, read, read, read. Your resources may be limited at home, but your little one will not mind reading their favorite books again and again. You can read picture books, pointing to pictures for them to name, and you can read longer books without pictures while they sit on your lap or play on the floor or cut and paste a picture. Again, the more words a child hears the more their mind absorbs.
Another way to read, read, read and help the school is to look up Clubs.scholastic.com. Scholastic Book Club is making the option of mailing your order directly to your home now. You can still put in the preschool class code: RGR4C and that will help our class earn points for books and resources for the classroom.
Using technology wisely can also be a great educational tool. Children should not spend hours glued to a screen, but they can learn by playing games on a tablet or computer. A couple of websites I would recommend are ABCya.com (one I used for my children during the summer months). It is designed for children pre-K through 6th grade, and there are fun learning games for preschoolers. Another website is learning4kids.net which has a lot of great ideas of things to make and do at home, and you can browse by age or by categories such as alphabet, colors, fine motor, numbers, paint, science, and many more.
I do hope we will all be together soon, and that all of our families will stay safe and healthy! If you have questions about this post or would like more advice you can contact me by email: JillGarcia613@yahoo.com.
Blessings!
Jill Garcia
We had a blast in Wacky Week! The kids enjoyed dressing up and reading some great Dr. Seuss books all week long. This week we continue to learn about rhyming words and looking at classic nursery rhymes such as “Humpty Dumpty” and “Mary Had a Little Lamb”. The animal focus this week is horses and cows. The preschoolers are already having fun playing with farm animal toys and puzzles. In Bible time, we are reading about various relationships. Jesus shows his love to little children and tells of the Good Samaritan who showed love to his enemy as a good neighbor should.
It is “Wacky Week” for day care 
For the final week in February, our focus is the stars and galaxies beyond our own. We will also be reading about big things in the ocean like giant squid and whales. In small group, the preschoolers will be working on fine motor skills doing letter lacing cards and sorting letters and numbers. Jesus’ early ministry, his baptism, and temptation are the focus in Bible Time.
We had a fun time on Thursday and Friday celebrating Valentine’s Day! Thanks for all of your contributions. We played games, read Valentine’s day stories, made heart rubbings, and ate lots of yummy food. There will be one more classroom party held at Easter time.
I hope everyone enjoyed the day off preschool and stayed safe last Friday due to the snow day. Please remember to check WPXI and messages with the Remind App for delays and closures.
In the month of February, the preschoolers will be exploring outer space and the depths of the oceans, two areas where there is still so much for humans to discover. This week, we will learn about our solar system and what types of animals live in the ocean. Looking forward to Valentine’s Day, we will talk about what it means to be loving and kind. We will read in Bible time about what the people of Israel did to rebuild their city and temple after returning from the exile.
I wanted to thank parents for meeting with me this past week. It is always helpful to get feedback from each other, and it’s good to know going forward how best to help the children as they continue to grow, learn, and develop.
Looking forward to this week, parent/teacher conferences will be held in the preschool office from 12:00 p.m. to 3:00 p.m. on Thursday and Friday. There is still time to sign up if you would like to talk in person or on the phone about your preschooler’s progress. Reports went home last week. You can contact me through Remind or by email: JillGarcia613@yahoo.com.
Lessons about transportation continue. Last week we read about and talked about cars and trucks. They had fun painting with cars! This week the preschoolers will be learning about trains and practicing the alphabet. We will also continue to read and talk about pets, especially dogs. In Bible, we are looking at Old Testament stories about Moses.