Registration is moving along great this year.  My Monday-Wednesday 4-5 year old class at 8:45-10-45 is full.
The 3-4 year old class on Monday-Wednesdays at 11:00-1:00 has 3 openings left!  I can't tell you how excited I am!
The 4-5 year old class on Tuesday-Thursday still has openings.  I will open another class when this one fills.
Thank you for being an answer to our prayers.  I just love teaching children!!!

This week we learned about the letter "V"  It is always hard for the children after learning how to write the letter "U" last week to change and make it a "v".  I always tell them to remember to slant and then I show them with their fingers to write the "v".  The children who are graduating in the older classes worked on their program coming up in May and I drilled them along with the younger class on things like, "If you say the letter T what word starts with that letter.  We went through the entire alphabet spelling.   They did Super! (it was a little harder of course for the younger children, but they hung in there trying). The 4-5 year age are reading phenomenal.  They have learned their sight words well as the parents have helped them at home too.  

We have been getting ready for the Easter Party this coming week.  The weather report said that it was going to snow and rain this week so I thought I would have our Easter Egg hunt next Wednesday and Thursday before Spring Break.  I hope it was a good idea in that maybe families will be taking off sooner for the weekend trips. I hope all the children will be able to be here.  If not I always save what we make and do in class on special days like this one coming up.

The children designed and made their baskets. We also frosted bunnies and egg shaped sugar cookies.  The children are prepared very well this year for their Kindergarten screenings.  I do have a couple of children who are still struggling with personal trials at home and in preschool concentrating.  When we go to do our letters and sounds they are lost.  If the parents are going over each week what we learned in class that day the kids do very well.   Whether its maturity or whatever, sometimes children come and just do not care to learn.  There will always be a few, however, I have learned in the past that if you give them a lot of love and consistency in teaching they will eventually pick up on what you have been teaching them and they will get it - maybe not as soon as we wished they would, but they will get it.

The Letter "U" was an interesting letter to teach this week.  (under) the table, shoe is (untied), (unlock) the door and of course, (umpire).  I told the children that I had the opportunity to pitch professional when I was younger but choose not to.  I explained to them what an umpire did and they said  "that wouldn't be a fun job getting hit".
The 4-5 year old classes learned meanings and definitions like before-after; same-different; patterns of shapes like circle, circle, square and then repeat.  Not only did they have to identify the shape but also the pattern.  I was very proud of each of them as they learned and their eyes brightened.  These concepts are a little too hard for the children I teach in my 3-4 year old class.  I always touch things lightly for them but in a way that is not overwhelming.  They loved doing the pics I had of the concept of different and same.  These  3 pictures that are the same and 1 different. Again, they have to identify which pic is different.  When teaching children you go by their ages to teach a principle.  In other words, you have 3-4 minutes to teach or 4-5 minutes depending on their ages.  I try very hard to play games that are active games that they are still learning at. If you keep things moving it keeps their thinking levels going. Last week the 3-4 children left preschool saying they were so tired as I opened the door.  Happy, smiling, but tired is exactly what I know they need.

We are getting ready for next months kindergarten screenings.  I have explained to the kids that their parent will take them to the school they will be attending for kindergarten next fall.  When they go inside they will be asked some questions that will be fun to answer. To be polite and listen carefully to the questions and give  the person asking your" best answer". I want to help them feel at ease and not worry about it.  The screening is just a placement test for their classes in the fall. The scores go: 15 to 20 is group 1; 10 to 15 group 2; and anything lower then that is group 3.  Some children freeze when taking tests.  Try to help them be relaxed and ready to go the day of the screening -that is all you can do. I know they will do incredible!!! By the way, in the middle of this by little Brinkley said to me. "Mrs. Dogg ett, Mrs. Doggett...... I said yes Brinkley, she answered "I Love You".  These children are just so wonderful!    

What a great week we had this week.  Bear World came and brought 2 of their 13 baby bears.  The kids had a great time watching them on the rug in front of them trying to walk around for an hour.  Then today and yesterday we had more surprise visitors - The leprechauns left gold chocolate coins and their foot prints on the carpet.  The children kept saying, "This is so magical. this is so wonderful".  I love teaching preschool and watching these beautiful children say and do the funniest things- this coming week we will get back to work!

We finished out our week with the letter "S".  We reviewed writing our names in class, alphabet, phonics song, identifying upper and lower case letters, their sounds, days of the week, months of the year, sight words and new words they are starting to sound out by themselves,the pledge of allegiance, colors, introduced the children to words that rhyme, and syllables. As we are going through all of these I am seeing some wonderful results with each child.  When they first came to preschool to the point they are at now.  It is a wonderful process to watch them grow not only academically, but also socially.  Another great week of growth and development!
I had 3 more phone calls yesterday - My classes are filling up for next year so if you are interested in having your child in preschool next Fall please let me know.  It looks like I will be opening up another class. however, I will wait until the scheduled classes I already have are full.