Category: Room 3

New Year, New Classroom

🥳 Happy New Year! 🥳

It is a brand new year and there have been so many changes that we have gone through together. One big change has happened to the physical classroom itself! We moved some areas around and the flooring is different.

We have had a fun time this week exploring the differences and seeing what things are still the same.

Here is a quick look at what the classroom looks like now.

The top photo is what you see when you come in through the parking lot door. And the bottom is our block area.
Dramatic Play and the Writing Center have switched spots! (Mack moved as well).
The table area is pretty much the same; some of the shelves have moved a little.

While there have been many changes we hope that one thing stays the same. That the Room 3 friends still enjoy coming to school and playing with their friends. We know that we love seeing all of you.

We hope you have a great weekend and we will see you all soon!!

Happy New Year!

Happy New Year from your friends on the Older Pod Patio! Check out some of the fun and festive activities we did in December…

We enjoyed gingerbread playdough!

We worked our fine motor muscles using gel sensory bags!

We did some STEM building with cups and ornaments!

We read to our Christmas cats!

We built with magna-tiles and jingle bells!

We enjoyed making Christmas sticker creations!

We cut pine needles and explored snow dough in our sensory bin!

We worked with friends to decorate our Christmas tree using loose parts!

We mastered our gross motor skills for the month by practicing going over, under and through the jingle bells!

We enjoyed cheering on our friends as they made their way through our Christmas obstacle course!

Stone Soup

Stone Soup is a tradition at the preschool that we have done for quite awhile. You bring what you got and you put it in the pot!

The children love chopping the vegetables for the soup and then during lunch we all get to try the soup. Along with some fruit and bread!

The soup was so good. Thank you to all the parents who helped make the soup! 🍲
Some friends were fans of the soup and other friends. . . not so much. But we all tried new things!

Stone Soup teaches us about sharing and what awesome things we can do when we all work together! Thanks for all the yummy ingredients.

Farm Days

Last week we had some special visitors! Animal visitors in fact. Usually this time of the year we go to a farm and this year the farm came to us.

We talked about what animals we might see and what sounds they make. We also made some cool headbands to wear while we pet them.

The goats were a big hit and we got to feed them hay and carrots.
We tried to take a group photo (it’s so hard to look in one direction).
The pig was a fan favorite. Her name was Anastasia.
The goats were soooo hungry!
We loved being able to interact with the animals.

It was so much fun seeing farm animals and getting to touch them. We ended our farm day by making paper plate animals; pigs and sheep. Some friends made more than one ( you’re welcome!)

Patio Pigs in the Mud

In the month of November, we explore life on the farm. We also focus on the colors yellow and brown. This week’s Older Pod Patio sensory bin is set up to intentionally highlight these three major curricular concepts.

Friends from Rooms 1, 2 and 3 explore brown oobleck—a solid substance that quickly oozes into a liquid. Checkout our little piggies playing in this perfect pretend mud!

Apple 🍎 Pumpkin 🎃Days

Yay October! Fall has come and it has brought a few cool days (and some really warm ones) but with it we have a few special celebrations. Apple/Pumpkin Day is one of those special times that we get to celebrate; not just once but two days!From special snacks to art and fun stories we have had a couple of busy days. Here are a couple of pictures of what we did.

On the first day we had a special story and a snack that was like an apple pie in a cup. Complete with Graham cracker crust ( graham cracker pieces).

We also made apple prints and did a fine motor activity with apple erasers and tongs.

On the second day we had small pumpkin spice pancakes and we played on the patio.
We got to decorate pumpkins and make paper jack-o-lanterns.

We loved having the opportunity to have parents in our classrooms and we look forward to seeing more of you guys as the year progresses!

November Nature Collages on the Patio

Collaborative projects teach children how to work toward a common goal, while fostering cooperation and flexibility. Collaborative activities also create social cohesion and build supportive environments.

When we create collaborative pieces together we’re practicing sharing space, taking turns, communicating and enjoying the process rather than focusing on a finished product.

Integrating natural materials into early childhood art projects enrich the overall learning experience. Exploring natural materials gives children the opportunity to experience an array of textures, shapes and colors. It also increases their knowledge of the world and objects in it, all while fostering a curiosity for the environment.

Friends from Rooms 1, 2 and 3 collected leaves, painted, assembled and glittered these collaborative masterpieces!

McGruff the Crime Dog, a Motorcycle, and More! The Pasadena Police Department stopped by the Preschool.

We were so excited to meet McGruff the Crime Dog today. Officer Hilda and McGruff explained what strangers are, who we should trust, how to stay safe if we trick-or-treat, plus how to safely ride our bikes. We even were able to take pictures with McGruff! The excitement didn’t stop there, however. After McGruff said goodbye we had a special visit from a Motorcycle Officer Meeks. The kids were able to get up close to check out his ride, ask him questions, and even pose for pictures. It was a fantastic visit!

A special thanks to the Pasadena Police Department for all of their hard work and for taking the time to be with us today.