Art is a wonderful way to allow preschoolers to express themselves freely. It’s a playful, enjoyable activity that brings joy and a sense of accomplishment. Art encourages problem-solving as children figure out how to make their ideas come to life which supports cognitive development. Sensory-rich activities engage a child’s senses and promote sensory development. Art allows children to explore, experiment, and have a great time while doing so.
This week, on the older pod patio with Ms. Kristen, we took a look at some work from the Dutch artist, Piet Mondrian. His art inspired conversations about lines, shapes and colors as we created our own works of art using similar elements from his expressionism pieces. Our friends in Rooms 1 and 2 , worked to bring all these elements together in a fun and collaborative piece with an emphasis on lines—the basis for all geometric shapes and our shape focus for the month of September.
We are flying into a new school year with some fun on The Patio with Ms. Kristen! Our airport dramatic play has been a popular area for friends in Rooms 1, 2, and 3. Our little ones have been so busy stamping passports, loading up luggage, repairing the engines, fueling up, and flying the plane! While we play, we are learning to take turns/share space and materials, acquiring new language, and building on our knowledge of the world around us. Check out some highlights from our playtime together on The Older Pod Patio!
Happy Summer from Ms. Kristen on the Older Pod Patio! Check out some of our friends from Rooms 1, 2, and 3 as they explore primary colors.
What a fun filled artsy year of creativity and exploration!
This past month our friends played a life-size version of the children’s board game, Snail’s Pace Race on the Patio with Ms. Kristen.
Why are “games” and “play” such a vital part of early childhood education? Nothing answers that question better than seeing the range of skills being developed in such fun and practical ways as this.
While we play we are developing social emotional skills–engaging in cooperative play, delegating roles, taking turns, regulating our own emotions, developing self-confidence and laying the groundwork for character development and sportsmanship. This fun and engaging game also increases our attention span as we pay attention to each role of the color cube. One-to-one correspondence is one of the most challenging early math foundations and this is a way to reinforce the concept visually and pragmatically.
Older Pod has been enjoying a Trader Joe’s dramatic play area on The Patio with Ms. Kristen!
As we play, we learn to share space, take turns with materials, delegate roles, and collaborate with our peers. Dramatic play is vital in the development of creativity through the use of imagination. Most evidently, this particular dramatic play is helping us develop communication skills and teamwork. We are also gaining knowledge of the world around us— learning fruits and vegetables, increasing phonological awareness through print, practicing exchanging money for goods, assigning numerical values to things, and counting.
Check out our friends hard at work!
THANK YOU to the many families who contributed recycled goods and THANK YOU to our favorite local grocery store—Trader Joe’s!
The curiosity approach is an early childhood teaching method that aims to ignite a child’s natural curiosity and imagination. As adults and teachers we sometimes are too quick to model how we want materials used, find ourselves leading play by making suggestions and guiding children through activities we have prepared for them. It is important to take a step back and remember just how capable children are to think for themselves, make their own choices and direct their own learning. We want to equip children with the confidence to make good choices and explore the world around them in safe and enriching ways.
Room 1 was the first to arrive at this Valentine inspired activity. With interests peaked, our older 4 year olds began picking up the materials at this table. They were wide-eyed and curiously asked, “What do we do here?” and “What do we do with this?” With no adult direction, they started picking apart the flower petals, cutting the stems–dissecting the flowers! What better way to learn the parts of a flower than to be given the freedom to do what every child instinctually wants to do–take it apart to explore it! Of course with an activity like this comes the discussion of caring for nature so things can continue to grow. But in this moment and with these roses that have already been plucked from the ground, we are the ones growing–growing in our knowledge of the world around us, growing in life science, and growing in personal discovery.
Check out the way our little ones used the petals to color the water, make observations with magnifying glasses, and discuss their step-by-step process with friends.
A very special THANK YOU to David’s mommy for donating these roses to The Patio for us to explore all week long! We LOVED them!
Our friends have been enjoying a Beary Lovely Tea Party on the older pod patio. We are getting the most out of our playtime by using our imagination, practicing important social-emotional skills and developing language.
How unbearably sweet to see our friends care for their teddy bears in such loving ways.
“Let all that you do be done in love.” 1 Corinthians 16:14
We did it! Thank you to our FIFTEEN generous donors we were able to raise $1,275 to purchase a beautiful, long-lasting, outdoor sensory table from Community Playthings. Our older pod friends are currently enjoying their new table along with some festive-fall pumpkin exploration.
A very special THANK YOU to—
The Archer Family
The Boyce Family
The Clark Family
The Ebrahimi Family
The Ferrera Family
The Hernandez Family
The Sugranes Family
The Kiprotcih Family
The Lee Family
The MacLeod Family
The Ortiz Family
The Poehler Family
The Stryker Family
The Yuen Family
The Yun Family
I Teach Preschool...What is Your Super Power?
the literary asylum
Shaping Hearts and Minds for Life
The Art and Craft of Blogging
The latest news on WordPress.com and the WordPress community.
Pasadena Christian Preschool 