Hello Preschool Families,
Fine motor skills are an essential part of preschool. Many children enter school with low fine motor skills. We use a variety of activities at school to develop these skills, but you can also help your child develop these skills even further at home during play and daily activities. Here are some ideas that you could try:
These are just a few ideas! Hopefully you find some of these helpful for your child at home. Blessings, Ms. Barker
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Hello Preschool Families, Yesterday I had the opportunity to go to Columbus with Mr. Bickel and Pastor Jud to testify in favor of school choice and for the continuation and expansion of the EdChoice scholarship program. I am so glad that I had this chance to share my opinion with the Ohio Statehouse HB9 conference committee. Advocating for my students and for the rights of families in general to choose the best education for their children is very important to me. If you are interested, you are able to watch my testimony here: https://www.ohiochannel.org/video/conference-committee-2-17-2020-am-sub-h-b-no-9 I was the first to testify yesterday so my speech starts after Chairman Jones's introduction. My testimony, unfortunately, was cut off because I did reach the 5 minute mark and was told I had to stop. I would like to include the final paragraph for you to read, just in case you'd like to see it. Here it is: "I appreciate your time today. I believe that we all need to work together to provide the best education possible for the students in Ohio. We should support families to make the choice that is best for them, whether that is public school, private school, charter school, or homeschooling. Every family should have that choice and should have access to financial means to make that choice possible. This is the only way to truly level the playing field and close the achievement gap so that all students can be successful both inside and outside of the classroom. You have the power today to help make that a reality. Thank you." If this issue speaks to you and you wish to get involved, the conference committee will continue to hear testimony through Thursday. If you are unable to make it to Columbus and would still like to share your opinion/story, then you can submit a written statement to the committee. You can email your statements here: Primary&[email protected]
Again, I am so glad that I had this opportunity to share my opinion with Ohio legislators about such an important issue to me and to many of the families at our school. If you have any questions about this issue, please email me. I'll do my best to answer them and if I am unable to, then I will reach out to others with greater expertise to provide answers for you. Blessings, Ms. Barker Hello Preschool Families! Since we are exploring our 5 senses this month at school, I wanted to provide you with some ideas for how you could continue this exploration together with your child at home. I hope you'll find at least some of these helpful and enjoyable. Sight:
Hearing:
Smell:
Touch:
Taste:
I hope you are able to try some of these activities with your child! Enjoy! Blessings, Ms. Barker These are the songs the preschoolers will be performing on December 18th. We will be practicing them in class, but if you could help your child practice them at home, that would be very beneficial! (Especially for the 2-day and 3-day students because they do not have music class.)
The Advent Song (to the Tune of "Twinkle Twinkle Little Star") Advent is a time to wait, (hold hand up as you say "wait") Not quite time to celebrate, (shake head and wag finger from side to side) Count the candles 1 by 1, (put fingers up, one at a time) Until Advent time is done. (wave hands, palms down) Christmas day will soon be here, Time for joy and time for cheer! (pump fist up into the air on word "cheer") www.youtube.com/watch?v=s_BIqS0wmPQ Someone's Coming (to the Tune of "Are You Sleeping?") Someone's coming, someone's coming Do you know who? Do you know who? Jesus is coming, Jesus is coming Born for me, born for you. Light A Candle (To the Tune of "Jimmy Crack Corn") Light one candle, Advent's here Light one candle, Advent's here Light one candle, Advent's here Christmas time is near. (clap, clap) Light two candles, Advent's here Light two candles, Advent's here Light two candles, Advent's here Christmas time is near. (clap, clap) Light three candles, Advent's here Light three candles, Advent's here Light three candles, Advent's here Christmas time is near. (clap, clap) Light four candles, Advent's here Light four candles, Advent's here Light four candles, Advent's here Christmas time is near. (clap, clap) Twinkle, Twinkle Twinkle, twinkle shining star Wise men followed from afar! Worshiping Him With gifts to bring For they knew He was the King Twinkle, twinkle shining star Wise men followed from afar! Away in a Manger Away in a manger, no crib for his bed The little Lord Jesus lay down his sweet head. The stars in the sky looked down where he lay. The little Lord Jesus asleep on the hay. www.youtube.com/watch?v=M2ULTkNmIEY Jesus Loves Me (Christmas) Jesus, baby O so small, Crying in this cattle stall, You are born so I can know God is here and loves me so! Yes, Jesus loves me! Yes, Jesus loves me! Yes, Jesus loves me! The Bible tells me so. Ring Those Bells (To the tune of "Jimmy Crack Corn") Oh, ring those bells and turn around. Ring those bells and turn around. Ring those bells and turn around. Christmas time is here. Ring those bells and stomp your feet. Ring those bells and stomp your feet. Ring those bells and stomp your feet. Christmas time is here. Ring those bells and jump up high. Ring those bells and jump up high. Ring those bells and jump up high. Christmas time is here. www.youtube.com/watch?v=tSNVffcuRr0 You Are My Snowman (To the tune of "You Are My Sunshine") You are my snowman, My only snowman. You make me happy, on days of gray. And when the sun's out, You'll hear us all shout. Please don't take our snowman away! Snowflake on My Nose (To the Tune of "If You're Happy and You Know It") There's a snowflake on my nose, on my nose! There's a snowflake on my nose, on my nose! I caught this little flake, Now I give a little shake! There's a snowflake on my nose, on my nose! There's a snowflake behind my back, behind my back! There's a snowflake behind my back, behind my back! I caught this little flake, Now I give a little shake! There's a snowflake behind my back, behind my back! There's a snowflake under my foot, under my foot! There's a snowflake under my foot, under my foot! I caught this little flake, Now I give a little shake! There's a snowflake under my foot, under my foot! There's a snowflake over my head, over my head! There's a snowflake over my head, over my head! I caught this little flake, Now I give a little shake! There's a snowflake over my head, over my head! There's a snowflake next to my hip, next to my hip! There's a snowflake next to my hip, next to my hip! I caught this little flake, Now I give a little shake! There's a snowflake next to my hip, next to my hip! There's a snowflake between my knees, between my knees! There's a snowflake between my knees, between my knees! I caught this little flake, Now I give a little shake! There's a snowflake between my knees, between my knees! There's a snowflake in my hand, in my hand! There's a snowflake in my hand, in my hand! I caught this little flake, Now I give a little shake! There's a snowflake in my hand, in my hand! www.youtube.com/watch?v=WS9NkeBnY4c "He's Got the Whole World in His Hands" He's got the whole world in His hands He's got the whole wide world in His hands He's got the whole world in His hands He's got the whole world in His hands He's got the wind and the rain in His hands He's got the wind and the rain in His hands He's got the wind and the rain in His hands He's got the whole world in His hands He's got the tiny little baby in His hands He's got the tiny little baby in His hands He's got the tiny little baby in His hands He's got the whole world in His hands He's got you and me brother in His hands He's got you and me sister in His hands He's got you and me brother in His hands He's got the whole world in His hands Hello Preschool Families!
I wanted to write a post about rhyming. This is an important pre-reading skill for preschoolers to master. Being able to rhyme, will help your child become a stronger reader because he will be able to more easily notice the sounds in words. While doing assessments the past couple of weeks, I noticed that many of the preschoolers this year struggle with rhyming. Therefore, I wanted to provide you with some ideas/resources to help you practice rhyming words together at home. Here are some websites you can visit the provide both ideas and resources for teaching rhyming to your child. They include suggested books to read together and downloadable resources that you can use to practice this skill with your child.
Also, you can check out Teachers Pay Teachers (TPT) and find even more printable resources that you can use with your child. Some are free, some cost a little money. I will provide some of my favorites (free and non-free) that you can choose to download and use at home. FREE:
I hope you will find some of these ideas helpful for you and your child! Thank you so much for all you do at home to help your child continue to learn and grow at school and in life. Blessings, Ms. Barker Hello Preschool Families!
Letter recognition is a big preschool skill, especially if your child will be going onto Kindergarten next school year. I wanted to provide some ideas of different ways that you can practice letter identification together at home. That way, you're not always doing the same thing each time. Hopefully this will help to make it more fun and engaging for both you and your child.
There are countless ways that you can practice letter and sound recognition with your child! I hope that you will find some of these ideas helpful and enjoyable. Have fun learning! Blessings, Ms. Barker Hello Preschool Families!!!
I understand that not everyone is able to devote time to helping in our classroom due to work schedules and other commitments. I wanted to make sure to provide you with alternative ways you can help our class learn this school year! All of these opportunities are completely optional. Please do not feel obligated to donate. I simply wanted to communicate ideas for those who are interested. :) One area you can help with is our Art Center. Preschoolers are very busy in the Art Center all year long, creating masterpieces. You can help by keeping our center fully stocked with fun supplies the students can add to their creations! Please don't feel the need to buy any of these. You might have some of these items laying around the house! Some ideas for what you could donate:
Another area you can help with is our class prize box! Students receive hole punches for good behavior. When their hole punch cards are full, they get to pick a prize from our prize box to take home. Again, you don't need to purchase any of these items. It is possible that you have these laying around the house (or simply items your kids don't use any more that you'd love to get rid of!). You might also have leftover items from a birthday party. These make great additions to our class prize box! Some ideas for what you could donate:
Finally, you can help with our writing center! I am trying to make the writing center more engaging for students this year. If you have any of these items laying around the house or any extra, we would love to add them to our center to help encourage emergent writing skills! Some ideas for what you could donate:
Please do not feel obligated to purchase any of these items. If you have extras or would like to help out, we would really appreciate it! These items can be brought in at any time during the school year. Please place a note in your child's folder if you bring them in so I know to check for it in his/her backpack. Thanks again!!! I'm looking forward to a great school year! Blessings, Ms. Barker Hello Preschool Families!
I am very excited for the start of this school year! This year, I am making a few changes. One of these is starting a class website. Here is where you will find the latest classroom newsletters, handouts, photos, and resources. School starts on Wednesday! Can you believe it? Preschool hours have changed slightly this year. 15 minutes have been added to each session. Morning hours will be from 9:15 AM to 12:00 PM. Afternoon hours will be from 12:45 PM to 3:30 PM. Drop off and pick up locations have remained the same--morning classes will be dropped off in the gym. Please stand with your child in line by the door closest to the outside wall. Pick up will be in the school lobby. You are welcome to sit on the benches by the front door while you wait. The afternoon class will be dropped off and picked up in the school lobby. You will be permitted to walk down with your child on the first day of school to help carry down any school supplies your child may have. After the first day of school, you will be asked to remain upstairs while your child walks down with the class. I understand that this can be an emotional time for both parent and child, especially if this is your child's first school experience. Your child might cry the first few days for a little bit. This is normal. Reassure your child that you will be there to pick him/her up after school. If your child is extra anxious, review the class schedule before drop off so your child knows what to expect. You could also consider leaving your child with a comfort item--a family photo, a favorite toy/blanket. Your child can carry this with him/her as needed for the first few weeks of school. If you would like, I can laminate the family photo to make it more durable. I would also suggest that you try to arrive early for pick up if possible. That way, you will already be upstairs waiting when your child arrives. Preschoolers often worry when they don't see their family at pick up time. The first few weeks of school this will be extra important because your child will likely still be adjusting to being away from you. If you are late to school, please check in with the main office to make sure your child is recorded properly in the attendance. If you are 10 minutes or more late picking up your child, your child will be in childcare downstairs. I am looking forward to a great school year together! Please let me know if you have any questions or concerns. Blessings, Ms. Barker |
Ms. BarkerPreschool teacher at ILS. Archives
August 2021
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