The Last Few Weeks

We have been busy in the Shorecrest Early Childhood Center! Today when the children had their pictures taken for the yearbook, I could visibly see how they have already grown physically and developmentally! They move comfortably around the campus with their teachers, and walked all the way to the Black Box Theater this morning. They are  making transitions smoothly and engaging more fully in the wide variety of hands-on activities available in their exploratoriums and classrooms. Here is a small sampling of some recent activites, both indoors and outdoors.

During their first Exploring Day, some of the boys discovered that this linking manipulative could be suspended from the archway.

When exploring their sense of touch, the Junior Kindergartners reached into bags to feel  the substance inside and tried to guess what they were feeling. They didn't always come up with the correct answer but had lots of great guesses. They also drew pictures of it and dictated the way the substance felt to the teacher, combining science, small motor and language development.

The students in our 3- to 4-year-old Alpha classes are enjoyed their socio-dramatic play in the animal hospital. They take on the roles of the pet owners, the veterinarian and the technicians.

Using the stilt buckets on the playground is a great way to develop coordination and balance!

During the second week of Friday exploring in Junior Kindergarten, the students enjoyed gently handling and observing the behavior of worms! The worms will later be added to the garden the children are planting with their herbs and vegetable plants.

Creating Mat Man using the Handwriting Without Tears lines and different props continues to be a favorite center for Alpha and Junior Kindergarten. The complexity of the figures is a great way for the teachers to observe the growth in the children's developmental levels of body awareness. This experience also helps the children as they learn to draw human figures.

Here the boys are using their eyes (another sensory experience) and magnifying glasses to observe the frog eggs found in the ditch outside the building. It's great to watch the process of metamorphosis all the way from  eggs to tadpoles to frogs.

These JK students are incorporating the use of puppets into their use of blocks extended a building experience into one that includes dramatic play and lots of cooperation and teamwork.

Housekeeping is an area where we watch the children making sense of their world, learn to negotiate and problem solve as well as to have lots of fun!

Using red and yellow paint at the easel lead to the discovery that combining certain colors creates an entirely new color.

Safety is number one! We drop everything when the fire alarm rings and go outside quickly and quietly in an organized manner to ensure everyone's safety. These safety procedures are practiced regularly.

This is a complicated structure for a three-year-old. He provided himself with a quiet place all his own to think and watch others.

Watch this blog for lots more interesting pictures and videos of our enjoyable educational experiences!