As we approach the end of the school year, the children are showing a need for more outside time, free play, and exploration of the natural world. Our annual ECC Garden work day was a great success, and fueled interest in making potions with flower petals and herbs in the outdoor mud kitchen and outdoor […]
The past month, we have noticed the children showing an interest in “true stories” especially biographies. A rich learning environment has emerged between children bringing in books about famous people on sharing day, a sprinkling of biographies in our library, and Julianne focusing activities inspired by African American artists. Last week, the children colored geometrical […]
Spotlight of Mariposa Makers The children have settled back into the flow of the classroom smoothly following winter break. We kicked off January with a maker’s space in our dramatic play nook. It is stocked with items like feathers, cardboard, google eyes, string, pipe cleaners, corks, jewels and more. The children flock to this area […]
H is for “Halloween” “House” and “Hedgehogs When diving into our sound study for the letter “H” the children engaged in a variety of activities involving literacy, art, and scientific thinking. We read the book If I Built a House by Chris Van Dusen and invited the children to make a blue print of a […]
Dragons and Dinosaurs When studying the sound and letter “D” we dove into the exciting world of dragons and dinosaurs. After reading the story Raising Dragons by Jerdine Nolen, the children were asked a series of questions about their own imaginative dragon. This activity was a creative writing process for preschoolers. We collaborated with our […]
Welcome Butterflies! Note about Blogs: A blog with be posted about every two weeks and will spotlight something special happening in the classroom. This first blog will highlight our daily schedule. Going forward, spotlights might include topics like: science in preschool, Montessori math, or sound studies. I hope you enjoy this first spotlight! Greeting Mariposa […]
Science The past few weeks we have been focusing on two exciting themes, science and magic. Each week the children enjoy a new science experiment that is available for them to explore on their own as a shelf work. They have been erupting volcanoes with baking soda and vinegar, making natural dyes out of flower […]
Rainbows and Robots In honor of our latest sound study “r” we have been making robots, tracing robots, and listening to the chapter book The Wild Robot. In small groups the children traced a variety of shapes from our geometry cabinet, cut them out, and glued them onto a sheet of paper to create a […]
Little Witch Hazel closed up her bakery and now a post office has opened. To mark the ending of our baking unit, we made a chocolate cake to celebrate the skills we practiced! The children helped measure, pour, sift, fold, mix, and decorate the cake which we enjoyed on a Friday afternoon. Most of the […]
Beaver Lodges As we enter the winter months we are turning our attention towards animal homes, particularly ones built for hibernation and escaping the cold weather. The children are learning about how animals create their own little sanctuaries for warmth and comfort. An invitation to build a beaver dam was presented in our sensory bin […]
