Preschool News
Amy's Director Notes
As we returned from Spring Break, the children spent some time learning about the treasures of Spring – things like rain, flowers and insects. You can see some of the beautiful work the children have made as you walk through our hallway. April also brought our annual Yom Ha’Atzmaut Celebration. Everyone enjoyed singing Yom Huledet Samach (Happy Birthday Song) very loudly so “Israel” could hear us! The ice cream cake and Israeli dancing weren’t too bad either. The 4’s had a great “trip” to Israel that day. With passports and backpacks at the ready, the children enjoyed all the sights that Israel has to offer, from picking oranges and making juice in Jaffa to floating in the Dead Sea. The children went home with souvenirs and hopefully a desire to visit again. The next day we celebrated Earth Day, which was a reinforcement of the many things we learned about for Tu B’Shvat back in January. Instead of just talking about protecting the earth, the children found ways that they could actually help – recycling their bottles and containers, turning off the water and lights when they are not using them, giving away their old clothes and toys, and by using the new re-usable containers that they received instead of the plastic baggies that go in the garbage. Our goal is to make as little trash as possible during lunch; the children now love to point out to me their re-usable containers or the ones they are going to recycle. I also showed all the classes a large box of bottle caps that is nearly full – a few more weeks and it will be ready to be shipped out to be turned into new items by the company Aveda.
Once again I’d like to thank Bettyann Honig who came to our parents meeting to talk about behaviors we can expect from our children. If you have a request for a type of presenter you would like to hear from, please let me know and I will look into it for next year.
With our school year winding down, Miss Judy is gearing up for another fabulous Summer Camp here at TBA Preschool. The theme for this summer’s camp is “Adventure” and you know your child will be safe, happy and engaged while they are with us. Don’t be closed out and miss all the fun, sign up ASAP and get ready for the good times ahead. There is also a summer session of Mommy & Me held on Tuesdays for those too young for our camp. If you have any questions or concerns please see me or Miss Judy. Also, please be sure to get in your registration forms for September, Autumn will be here before you know it.
KinderPrep - Miss Stephanie & Miss Jennie
This month we covered letters Rr and Bb and took a fabulous trip to Israel to celebrate Yom Ha'Atzmaut!
We learned about rain and rain clouds during our Rr week. We talked about what makes rain and created rain clouds by mixing black and white fingerpaint together. After we learned how rainbows are formed, each child made a thumbprint rainbow. We watched how different rainbow layers are formed by mixing colors together. The children noticed that only the three primary colors can make new colors. We observed this by putting red, blue, and yellow ice cubes (in various combinations) in baggies and seeing what colors they form when they melt.
To celebrate Yom Ha'Atzmaut, (Israel's Independence Day) we took a trip to Israel for a day. The day was jam-packed with fun activities including picking oranges, fishing in the Kinneret, digging for coins in the Negev, putting messages in the Western Wall and having a 62nd birthday party for Israel. We hope the children were able to get a true taste of Israel without ever having to leave Temple Beth Ahm!
Butterflies and bees were flying around during letter Bb week. We learned the Life Cycle of a Butterfly and created it using different pasta shapes. We used The Very Hungry Caterpillar story to show the progression from caterpillar to butterfly as well as to work on sequencing skills. The children retold the story at the felt board using pictures from the story. We reviewed the difference between right and left as we made footprint butterflies and learned about symmetry as we made Symmetrical Butterflies. The children had to make sure that the wings were exactly alike in order for it to be symmetrical. We learned how bees can be helpful by bringing pollen from flower to flower and demonstrated this by having a "bee" (child) carry pollen (gold glitter) to and from flowers (children).
Earth Day was also celebrated this month as we shared ways to help our planet. We read books and sang songs about Earth Day and created the Earth by tye-dying a large coffee filter with blue and green.
Let's hope that April showers really do bring May flowers!
Kinderprep - Miss Audrey & Miss Carrie
Last month we learned how March winds blow seeds around. This month we learned all about April Showers and the water cycle through the adventures of “Randy the Raindrop.” We used a flannel board to allow each child the opportunity to help “Randy” fall from the sky, water trees, become a puddle, warm up in the sun to become water vapor and rise back up again to his home in the clouds. The rain, waters the “March blown” seeds which will produce May flowers. We reinforced the concept with a song about the water cycle.
Our spring unit continued with an introduction to insects – which we will be continuing into May and June. So far we learned that insects have 3 body parts, wings, antennae and 6 legs. The “creatures” are even cooperating with us by crawling on our outdoor playground equipment giving the children an “up close” view. We are paying special attention to the butterfly, learning about metamorphosis and symmetry.
We all really loved celebrating Yom Ha’atzmaut with our “trip to Israel.” The children enjoyed decorating their backpacks and creating their passports. Our plane ride included a movie (about Israel), a snack and even emergency instructions. We went through customs, visited the Kotel, an orange grove in a Kibbutz, a coin dig in the Negev desert, the Dead Sea, the promenade in Tel Aviv, a fishing port in the Kinneret and a museum.
Our celebrations continued with “Earth Day.” We discussed how important land, water and air are to people and how people have to make an effort to keep these “gifts of nature” clean. We discussed the importance of the three R’s - Reduce, Recycle and Reuse and what items fit into which “R.” For example – crush cans (reduce), bundle newspapers (recycle) and refill glass jars (reuse). As each child gave me an idea for protecting our environment they earned an “Earth and Me” armband which they proudly colored and wore. We also made small litter bags that they painted to look like the earth.
The children have also been working on some “Mother’s Day surprises.” I do not want to spoil any surprises so all I will say is that the children absolutely love the idea of making things for their Moms.
Letters for the month included R (rain and rainbows) and B (springtime bugs and butterflies.) We have now completed all the consonants. Hooray!
Thriving Three's - Miss Corey & Miss Natalie
Time is flying by and all the animals we learned about are now migrating back home. We are now learning all about what happens in the spring. If you look at our outside bulletin board, everything is blooming. Check out the tulips and kites we cut by ourselves!
We learned about ladybugs and their life cycle, and then, of course, we made ladybugs from paper plates. Each child chose how many spots theirs should have and painted them on. In the afternoon we also made ladybugs out of rocks that make great paper weights. (FYI - the spots do not tell you how old ladybugs are.)
We didn’t forget the butterflies. We read the Hungry Caterpillar and made tie dyed butterflies which are also on our bulletin board. In the afternoon we made more butterflies with shaving cream and water colors.
We learned how seeds grow by using lima beans. They are on our classroom window and are already sprouting roots. The children that stay after lunch have also been working on their painting skills; we made a beautiful lilac bush that’s hanging above our door and sunflowers.
On the 21st the children celebrated Yom Ha’Atzmaut, Israel’s Birthday. We made Israeli flags, had a parade, danced, and sang happy birthday so loud they heard it in Israel!
We also celebrated Earth Day. We talked about recycling and cleaning up our parks and neighborhoods. We also talked about turning off the lights and water when we aren’t using them.
Today our Monster Books went home – we’ve been working on them a while and they are finally finished. Have the children read them to you.
The children are now working on a Mother’s Day project, but it’s a secret.
Please remember the children should have an emergency set of clothing just in case of spills or other accidents. Also please make sure they have a light jacket or sweater, sometimes it is cool when we go outside to play.
Thriving Three's - Miss Denise & Miss Ellen
Spring at last. We have made some great projects with a spring theme. I have been concentrating on counting and recognition of numbers. This has played a big part in our ladybugs, kites, seeds & Harry the Dog projects. Earth Day and a visit from the dental hygienist were topics as well. For Earth Day we tied planting in with recycling and reusing by planting seeds in re-used yogurt cups. We also learned about the stages of seed growth. I even pointed out to the children the costumes they wear for dress up were hand me downs, as well as some of the books they look through - some of the costumes were my daughters! Reusing is a way to let others enjoy something that was special to you. Our "question of the day" discussions centered on toys and clothes that the children can't use anymore. A great way to make people happy, and the earth happy, is to give them to someone smaller or in need. Sharing is caring.
The dental hygienist gave a great presentation and included the children in a little skit. Along with books about trips to the dentist, we made a chart of healthy, unhealthy foods and not sure. This was fun for all of us. We also did a unit on friendship and kindness. We read a book about a rabbit that wasn't happy with the way he looked, but his family and friends loved him just the way he was. These topics generated great discussions. We did a unit on the Harry the Dog series. These stories dealt with good health habits, the beach and accepting gifts gracefully. Harry in the end always did the right thing. And they were just funny. The children are making great progress. Their skills are improving and their conversations and retention are getting stronger every day.
Terrific Two's - Miss Judy & Miss Pilar
April was an awesome month in our classroom. We returned to school after Passover and opened a flower shop in our room. The children enjoyed sorting flowers by color and arranging the flowers to create beautiful floral designs. The children pretended to water the flowers and took orders from each other. For Shabbat we placed our vases on the table to make our Shabbat table beautiful. To reinforce learning about growing plants, we placed a sweet potato in water, as well as an onion. We observed and discovered roots on the sweet potato and onion and leaves starting to grow. We enjoyed creating flags for Israel’s 62nd birthday and took a trip to Israel on El Al Airlines. We fastened our seat belts and presented our passports on arrival. We were treated to a photo presentation of Israel by Ori’s mom Efrat. Our adventure was completed by joining our classmates for ice cream cake and Israeli dancing.
To mark the 40th anniversary of Earth Day we took a walk outside and noticed litter that we then placed in the garbage. Through song and stories we learned about recycling and how we can help our Earth. By turning off lights when we leave a room, we can make a difference.
May will soon be here. We look forward to celebrating Mother’s Day with our mommies on May 7th and our class trip to the farm on May 24th.