i just want to say that i have tried so many times to upload pictures to the blog that i've taken of your kids during playgroup, but either i or my computer is so bad at it, there's always some kind of glitch! im sorry! i really wanted to be posting pictures all along the way. i don't know why it's been such a problem for me.:( i have the video of the kids jumping in the bounce house, and i sent it to a couple of you. i'll try to send it to the rest of you asap.

last day of group..

Since next week is the last day of playgroup (wow!) i was wondering if you moms would like to come for the last 20 or 30 minutes to watch the kids go thru some of the things we've been working on this semester. And we could end with cupcakes or something simple. Let me know what you think!

Ok so i think we'll end class on the 23rd. Tuition is due tomorrow and is $80. Since it's a new month and so far we've done ABC&D, this month should be E but that's a hard one for art projects! So we will be flexible this month and are making sunflowers tomorrow. See you tomorrow!

Last day of class

I can't believe the end of the year is coming up so fast! I don't think we decided on the last day of playgroup, so here are the options: May 9th, 16th, or 23rd. I'll be out of town on the 30th so that's out. Please comment to let me know what you prefer.

Important notes:

-Tuition is due on Wednesday and is $60 this month.
-We will not be meeting April 11th because of Spring Break.
-I cannot believe that i spelled "lightning bugs" incorrectly as our blog name. wow.

See you Wednesday!

I hope everyone's been having a good week! Happy birthday to Violet who turned two!! I wanted to let you know the sub list is always open to more people. If you want to suggest anyone i can contact them and see if they'd like to be on the list. I feel badly some of you have missed out on classes and want the sub thing to work if possible.
We have been having a great time in preschool. The kids have really caught on to the routine of things. This month we've been focusing on the letter C. This week i'm making cupcakes that the kids can decorate for art time. They're actually the "Toddler muffins" that have been circulating on Pinterest.
Some of the things i've been really focusing on recently: days of the week/months of the year, counting objects, number recognition, the alphabet, letter that they're name starts with, taking turns, waiting patiently, sitting still, hand/eye coordination (using scissors, kicking the soccer ball, hitting the nerf ball), sitting to read books quietly, & memorization. It's always fun! I love being with your kids.:)

Hi! Here are a few important notes regarding Wednesday:

Lily Kehoe (from Grace) will be joining us for the day to observe. She observed Laurel McMillen's (Phoebe's) class, and asked me if it was alright to come to ours for the day. She is looking into starting a preschool/playgroup herself. If you are uncomfortable with this, please let me know and i can arrange something else!

We have been studying the letter B this month. Heather has generously offered the use of her Bounce House for outdoor time! If weather permits we'll play in that on Wednesday. Again, please let me know if you feel uncomfortable with this and i can make other arrangements.

Tuition is due next week, not this week!: $80

We will focus on the letter C for the month of March. See you Wednesday!

January

At the end of each month i'll post on what we've been doing in preschool!

To give you a better idea of what we do during each day, here is our schedule:
Table time - we've played with play doh or have stung pasta. something sensory.
Calendar time - we sing the days of the week song (zippity do-dah melody), we sing the Today Yesterday song to the tune of Frere Jacques, we sing the months of the year song which is a clip on youtube (if you search on youtube months of the year song i think it's the first one that pops up)
Numbers - we do lots of counting, we count ping pong balls and everyone gets a chance to count them and put them in the bucket, we use flash cards and each one gets to hold a card and say which number is on their card, etc.
Outside recreation - the kids are very good about staying together and obeying when i tell them to stay on the grass! i was pleasantly surprised. we kick the soccer ball, play tag, hit the (nerf) baseball with the (soft) bat, etc.
Snack and story time - they sit on their carpet squares and eat their snack while i read books. my favorite time.:)
Art - we have painted, drawn with markers, and cut paper.
Alphabet - we sing the "what letter does your name start with?" song and go around the room to each student, we use flash cards for letter recognition; each child gets to see if he/she can recognize a letter, we do animal flashcards too and figure out what letter each animal starts with.
Play time - free play, they get to play with designated toys. practice in sharing and clean up!
Lunch - we sit at the table to eat lunch. This is hands down their favorite time of the morning.
Music - we play our instruments and sing song. They are learning "The Little Turtle" poem. Next month i'll start teaching them Psalm 23.
Story time - i read to them while they sit on their carpet squares.
Goodbye song!

*February tuition is due this week. We are meeting 5 times in Feb. so it's $100. See you Wednesday!

Sub list

Here is the sub list:

Jenny Rapske: 714-521-9054, jrapske@aol.com
Renee Shaffer: 714-337-0027, rshaef@gmail.com
Mandi Twissleman: 562-324-6685, manditwiss@gmail.com
Kelly Wright: 714-915-4900, kvdwright@gmail.com

Here are some things i'm on the look out to borrow:
simple musical instruments - jingle bell, maraca, drum, xylophone, etc.
children's music: wheels on the bus, the clean up song

if you have any of these things and wouldn't mind lending them out let me know. thanks!

remember for next week - scissors and a smock

i forgot to send your child home with their folder and the picture they drew. next week!:)

We had so much fun on our first day of preschool!

I'm really excited that preschool starts on Wednesday! 9:15am-12:15, just to be clear.:)

I know the first day of preschool might be hard for children to leave parents or vice versa, so if you'd like you are welcome to stay for the first 15 minutes for table time. After that i'll scoot you out so we can move on to our other activities.

Every week please bring:

a bagged lunch

diaper bag (for those who are still in diapers)

a sippy cup with your child's name on it

For NEXT week(jan. 18th) please bring:

smock (we will be painting!)

pair of beginner scissors

Yay! See you Wednesday!

**my phone number is 703-472-6055 (cell) if anyone needs to get in touch with me during class.