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LL - 4 Year Olds - Carol Niemann - 2008-2009 |
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ART
We believe in process orientated art for young children; the essential thing in preschool art is the experience of using the materials, not the end product. Therefore, our art projects are messy and most often unrecognizable! However, you can be sure your child has done the project with as little assistance as possible. Most of the time art is optional at Little Lamb. Occasionally, when we are making parent gifts or have a really special project going on, we will strongly urge all of the children to do the art.
HELPERS
Helping Hands, Flag Holder, Snack Helper and Animal Feeder are the four student helper jobs we have at Little Lamb. Each child has several opportunities during the year to help with these classroom jobs. The job is their responsibility for the entire week.
GUESS & SHARE
Instead of the usual Show & Tell time, we use something called Guess & Share. When it is your child's turn for Guess & Share, he/she will bring home a large cloth bag. Help him/her choose an item to put into the bag. The "secret" item and the bag are brought back to school the very next time your child's class meets. Your child will give hints to the other children about what is in the bag and they will try to guess what the secret object is. Help your child think of clues he/she could give the other children: What color is it? Does it have wheels? Is it hard or soft? What do you do with it? etc.
***Unless your child brings home the Guess & Share bag, it is NOT his/her turn for Guess & Share!
STAR OF THE WEEK
Each child has the opportunity to be Star of the Week once during the year. (A schedule is posted on the "hinged" parent board.) Students will bring home a poster board on Thursday or Friday. The poster will have a note attached explaining all of the Star of the Week details. You have the entire weekend to fill the board with pictures and information about your child. Decorate it any way you wish; the board will be yours to keep eventually. The completed board is "due" on Monday or Tuesday when your child's week begins. Each day of the week your child may bring in whatever he/she would like to show us. On Friday the 4’s may invite the entire family to come and spend the day at preschool. Grandmas and Grandpas may come too. A more complete description of what is all involved with Star of the Week will be attached to the poster board. You may ask for your poster board sooner than the Thursday or Friday before your child's week if you wish. Check the Star of the Week schedule posted on the "hinged" parent board and get your poster board as early as you like.
BOOK BUDDY BAGS
Sometime before Christmas, the classes will begin bringing home Book Buddy Bags on the weekends. These bags go home with the children on Friday and are brought back to school on Monday. Each bag contains one or more picture books and a soft stuffed animal that matches the main character in the books. The children choose from over 90 bags the one they want to bring home.
FREDDY THE TRAVELING TEDDY
Freddy is a teddy bear who comes in his own suitcase with pillow and blanket. He spends three or four days in each child's home. Before he is brought back to school, the family he has visited writes a short "story" about what Freddy has done with them. The story is read at school upon Freddy's return, and then he is sent home with the next child.
HOMEWORK
Occasionally your child will take home a note which asks such things as: “Please bring a small toy. - Please bring a picture which you like. - Please bring in 3 objects just alike. - Please bring in something red.” This is preschool homework! The children should bring their completed assignments to school the very next class session.
If it takes you more than five minutes to find the desired items, you are probably doing the assignment wrong. Although it is important for the child to be helped to remember his/her homework and get a feeling of responsibility about bringing back the homework, there should never be a strain in any way connected with it. It should be enjoyable for both you and your child. The homework assignment will also give you an idea of what we are talking about at school. Never go out and buy something to fill the assignment. We hope we make it absolutely clear that less than five minutes and no expense are involved. Always feel free to call for ideas or explanations.
OBSERVING & HELPING
After November 1st when the children are well settled into our routine, please feel free to visit us anytime. We will probably put you to work!
We enjoy having parent or grandparent volunteer assistants in our room. The end of October notices will go out asking for volunteers to sign up on a regular basis. You may sign up to come in once a week, once a month, or whatever is convenient and fits into your schedule. A parent classroom helper schedule will then be made up for the remainder of the school year. Licensing rules require all volunteers who come in on a regular basis to have a current physical and TB test. These physical forms and TB tests are good for two years. (We provide the physical forms.)
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Last Updated ( Wednesday, 20 August 2008 )
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