Little Pandas Playschool

Our New Blog

2011-08-14T00:52:00.000-07:00

Little Pandas Playschool's blog is moving to http://www.xiongmao12.wordpress.com/. We'd love to have you join us there!

Sand Layering

2011-08-12T10:30:00.001-07:00

Our sand and water unit has been a great success! I believe the children would never tire of these activities. As they continue to explore they find new things do with the sand and water everyday. Today one little boy decided to shovel the moon sand into a bucket of water.

The children began to notice that the sand settled on the bottom and the cornstarch made the water turn a milky color. Other children began to join in and it became a very focused group endeavor to fill the bucket and watch the layers grow.

The children decided to add colored sand to the bucket which meant they had to carefully carry the sand from the activity table to the bucket on the patio.

The kids were very proud of their accomplishment!

The project turned out to be a great impromptu science experiment where the children practiced observation and fine motor skills as well as teamwork.

Little Pandas Playschool

Moon Sand

2011-08-10T00:31:00.001-07:00

Our sand exploration continued today as the children made moon sand. Moon sand is quite expensive and cost prohibitive to purchase in bulk for the preschool. There are many recipes on the internet for making it so we gave it a try.

The first step was to measure 16 cupfuls of beach sand and pour it into the tub. We practiced counting in Chinese at the same time. Learning to measure had its challenges but we'll get lots more practice with that skill this year as we explore all of our science themes.

Next 8 cups of cornstarch was added to the sand. The soft powdery feel of cornstarch provides a great sensory experience for the kids.

The children mixed the sand and cornstarch.

The kids added 4 cups of water to the mix.

The best part was mixing all the ingredients together!

Everyone enjoyed molding the moon sand.

Getting the right consistency was a challenge. This is a bit too wet still, but as the water evaporated some it became more moldable.

The boys began putting trucks in the sand to see what would happen. They found that the tires make prints in the sand.

Little Pandas Playschool

Look at our Giant Balance!

2011-08-03T21:46:00.001-07:00

Kerry has spent the last couple weeks building this giant balance that I saw on the internet and just had to have for this year's science projects. It's the perfect toy for our outdoor water and sand table.

Today the kids just experimented with the balance and weighed different amounts of sand.

Water was the next obvious choice to try out on the balance. A soaker hose has been wound through the shrubs, tree, and over the playhouse to create "rain" on hot summer days. The kids decided filling their measuring cups from the "rain" was ideal.

We'll continue to experiment and compare other things this week. We'll look at wet and dry sand, water and sand, water and river pebbles, sand and pebbles and whatever else the kids want to weigh.

Little Pandas Playschool

Chinese Mouse House

2011-08-02T22:12:00.001-07:00

Yiwen has been teaching the kids Chinese colors and related vocabulary. Today they began with a game to find which house the mouse was hiding behind. The kids would chant "Mouse, mouse are you in the red house?" Then a child picks up the red house to see if the mouse is there. The Chinese translation is "Laoshu, laoshu are you in the hong se fang zi?"

Everyone is so excited to find the mouse!

Today the children continued their study of hong se with finger painting.

Little Pandas Playschool

Colored Sand!

2011-08-01T22:00:00.001-07:00

The children were fascinated with the colored sand that was added to our water table today. Additional toys and containers were provided for more experimentation. Several new sand and water activities are planned for the next two weeks.

Little Pandas Playschool

Water & Mirrors

2011-07-29T23:54:00.001-07:00

Today acrylic mirrors were added to the water tubs for the children to explore. The children enjoyed looking at and playing with their own reflections as well as that of the objects they were playing with.

Water play was extended to washing the playhouse as well as mixng sand and water in the sand box.

The children continued working with the ducks from yesterday. They used the rubber ducks as stamps and made prints on paper.

Little Pandas Playschool

A Very Wet Day!

2011-07-28T21:42:00.001-07:00

On Wednesday after music circle time the children listened to Alexander's Outing written by Pamela Allen. Alexander's family goes on a walk, but Alexander can't watch where he's going and falls down a hole. Several attempts are made to rescue him, but all fail. Finally a little boy spills his drink into the hole and everyone notices that Alexander floats up a bit. In the end everyone pours water into the hole and Alexander eventually floats to the top and hops out.

After reading the story the preschoolers went outside to try the experiment for themselves. They put ducks into "holes" (plastic containers) and then poured water in and watched the ducks float to the top.

In the afternoon the children played with colored water and tried the duck experiment again.

Many toys and tools have been set out for the children to explore. At one point they decided the boat needed to be washed.

The misters felt good on a hot day! A soaker hose was wound through the shrubs above the walkway and play house. Kids tried catching the "rain" and enjoyed getting wet.

Colored Water Play

2011-07-26T22:58:00.001-07:00

Our water play continues and today the children began exploring colored water. They chose to make pink and purple water.

They poured water into the tubs.

Next they added pink tempera paint.

Purple was the next choice.

After coloring the water they began playing with bottles and mixing colors together.

It took some time for the children to mix the water and paint, but the end result was very vibrant colors which the children enjoyed playing in. Tomorrow we'll try some other colors.

Wheelbarrow Playscape

2011-07-25T23:00:00.001-07:00

Kerry painted our wheelbarrow blue to match the boat and then the children created a miniature playscape in it.

They filled the wheelbarrow with soil,

put in some plants,

and then topped it with bark chip.

They finished the project by adding a couple rocks and then played with dinosaurs and insects in the new space. Their new playscape is portable so when interest wanes we can move it to another location and put a different set of animals in it.

Squirt Bottles

2011-07-21T12:16:00.001-07:00

The kids continue to play in their new water table and experiment with many of the objects provided. I would not normally add a post featuring only one child, but I loved these pictures. And, I admire the intensity and the pleasure that this little girl portrays. It's interesting to watch how her play progressed while experimenting first with shaking the bottle and then quirting it upwards, then horizontally until she finally realizes she can make patterns in the pea gravel.

What Floats? & Ping Pong Balls

2011-07-20T22:14:00.001-07:00

Today while waiting for friends to arrive a couple of our boys played in the gym with some brightly colored ping pong balls. The boys had a great time bouncing the balls and then catching them in cups.

During the next couple weeks we have several water activities planned. We began this week just exploring and playing in the new water table. Today the children experimented with different objects to see which would float or sink.

Our New Water Table

2011-07-18T23:53:00.001-07:00

The children tried out the new water table that Kerry built over the weekend. It still needs to be sealed and finished, but we covered it with plastic and set up all the activities. Today there were four tubs filled with water and a variety of different toys to experiment with. We'll keep adding activities to the table throughout the rest of the summer. The very last picture is my favorite. One of the boys has discovered how to make a stream of water flow from the table to the grass.

Tin Foil River

2011-07-15T23:06:00.001-07:00

Today the teachers created a tin foil river for the children to float different objects such as toy boats, bottle caps, and cut up pool noodles. The kids had a great time experimenting and getting wet!

Matching Colors in Chinese!

2011-07-15T09:17:00.001-07:00

Yesterday Yiwen reviewed colors with the children in Chinese. The children were then given paint sample cards with holes punched in each color. The children's task was to find objects that match the paint samples by placing the cards on different objects. Yiwen reinforced Chinese vocabulary and at the same time the children practiced using visual discrimination skills. Visual discrimination is an important skill children need as they learn to read and do math. While it may seem that matching colors is pretty basic the children are actually learning to compare objects and look for differences and similarities. The task our kids were engaged in was made a bit more complex as the children had to find which of the four colors on the card best matched the object they were looking at. For further information about visual discrimination and it's role in education look at this link: Early Childhood Development of Visual Discrimination - School Sparks. To top it all off our children learned Chinese vocabulary while practicing this vital skill!

June Preschool Activities

2011-07-14T10:59:00.001-07:00

Summer is finally here and the kids are busy doing a multitude of art projects. Some days the toddlers join the preschoolers to do some art work. They've painted with marbles, fly swatters, bubbles, and made duck feet with rubber scrapers.

The children are also participating in the Multnomah County Library Summer Reading Program. The children made an extra large game board to keep track of their daily reading. Each day the children color in one marker on the board. At the end of the summer the class will earn a prize for all the books they've read. The children are visiting the library every other week to check out books.

Rainforest Magic

2011-04-07T16:54:00.001-07:00

The children and teachers just completed a month learning about tropical rain forests. They began the month making a mural that stretched across the gym wall and then also learned about the water cycle. The rest of the month was spent learning about the different animals that inhabit the rain forest. We watched videos of many animals and discovered some we hadn't seen before including the capybara, the kinkajou, and the boto (pink river dolphin). The children also painted a beautiful picture of an okapi. The kids made butterflies, birds, flowers and snakes. Some of these can be seen in the rain forest created in the gym. The month ended with a week long rain stick project.

Yueying taught the children Chinese vocabulary that corresponded with the theme and a poem about a monkey.

Zoo Phonics Success!

2011-02-17T14:00:00.001-08:00

This is the first year Little Pandas Playschool has offered the Zoo Phonics curriculum. So far I'm very pleased with the results. Each day our preschoolers review all the letters and sing "Come Meet us at the Zoo." A project or activity is completed after reviewing the letters. Then we focus in depth on one letter every two weeks. This week the children participated in an activity reviewing letters a through l. Magnetic Zoo Phonics letters and non-Zoo Phonics letters were made and put on a white board. The children were given a dry-erase pen to draw lines to the matching letters. Nearly every child could complete the activity!

K is for Kaleidoscope!

2011-02-17T13:38:00.001-08:00

This month the children are learning the Zoo Phonics letters k and l. One of the projects included exploring kaleidoscopes. The kaleidoscopes we used had mirrors inside and a glass dome at the end allowing the children to look at objects in our classrooms. After experimenting with the toys they made some beautiful kaleidoscope pictures.

Arctic Environments

2011-01-14T23:05:00.001-08:00

This month the preschool children are learning all about arctic environments. Yueying is teaching the children a Chinese poem about penguins. They've also had a great time playing the penguin game and trying to prevent their penguins from falling off the iceberg. Last week the children watched videos about whales, polar bears and arctic foxes and then made their own whales.

Christmas at Little Pandas Playschool

2010-12-14T21:31:00.001-08:00

This month while the children are preparing for Christmas they're listening to some of Jan Brett's Christmas books including The Wild Christmas Reindeer and The Three Snow
Bears. They're also learning some holiday songs and completing many crafts. Yueying has been teaching them "We Wish You a Merry Christmas" in Chinese.

Thanksgiving Week

2010-11-27T00:17:00.001-08:00

This last week the kids did many Thanksgiving activities as well as continuing to learn about North American plains and prairies. On Monday the children listened to an Osage Indian legend and then made pictures of Indian Corn. Popcorn was dyed with food coloring which produced some very beautiful and brilliant colors.

The children made turkey apples on Tuesday! Turkey feathers were created using miniature marshmallows skewered onto toothpicks. The kids couldn't wait to take them home to eat.

On Wednesday everyone helped to make a pumpkin pie for the afternoon snack.

Preschoolers go Fishing!

2010-11-15T23:39:00.000-08:00

The preschool class went fishing with Francy Fish today and had a great time catching Zoo Phonics letters! This activity allowed the children to review all the lower case letters they have been learning since September. As they caught letters the the children read them, said their sound, and did the corresponding body movements. We've been using the Zoo Phonics program for two months and so far it has been very successful. The children do a daily review of all the letters and then we focus on one letter every two weeks.

2010 Halloween Party

2010-10-30T19:49:00.000-07:00

We all had a great time at the annual Halloween party yesterday. Check out all the pics on our Smilebox slide show below

Create a free digital slideshow

Desert Animals

2010-10-28T07:10:00.001-07:00

The children have learned about several desert animals this month. During the past week they made Jack Rabbit ears, bats and snakes. While working on these projects the children are practicing fine motor skills such as coloring, drawing, and learning to use scissors. After each project was completed they played in the gym and pretended to be the animal they had made.

Polka-Dot-D

2010-10-26T23:54:00.001-07:00

The children have been studying the letter "d" and met DeeDee Deer last week. They know her sound and her body movement and have completed several activities related to "d". Recently the children created Polka-Dot-D pictures with rhinestone jewels.

Coyote & the Beautiful Dream

2010-10-21T11:21:00.001-07:00

On Monday the children listened to The Beautiful Dream, a Navajo story about Coyote, Skunk and Porcupine. They found a piece of meat and were undecided about which of them should get to eat it. After one solution didn't work Porcupine suggests they all take a nap and whoever had the most beautiful dream should get to eat the meat. Porcupine outsmarts them and eats the meat while the other two are sleeping. After listening to the story the children put on masks and pretended to be Coyote.

Adobe House

2010-10-12T12:28:00.001-07:00

Yesterday the children read a book about the differences in desert environments during the day and the night. They also learned that people who live in deserts often build adobe houses. After looking at pictures and participating in a discussion about the desert the kids painted an adobe house to play in.

C is for Cookie!

2010-10-07T11:40:00.001-07:00

The Zoo Phonics lessons this week are all about the letter C. The children have met Catina Cat, learned her letter sound, and her body movement. Yesterday the kids enjoyed making C shaped chocolate chip cookies.

Desert Theme

2010-10-05T23:40:00.001-07:00

The preschool class began learning about deserts yesterday. They read a pop-up book about many different desert creatures, looked at animals on the bulletin board and learned some new Chinese vocabulary. Today they painted a Saguaro Cactus with green paint mixed with salt. When the paint dries the cactuses should have a prickly texture. The cactuses will be hung in our classroom where other animals will join them.

Chinese Zoo Animals

2010-09-30T14:26:00.001-07:00

Zoo Phonics is a new component of our curriculum this year and most of the posts have been about that or September's dinosaur theme. The children are continuing to study Chinese as well. We decided to begin the year with zoo animals to compliment the Zoo Phonics curriculum. Yueying has done several activities with the children to teach them animal vocabulary. She has also worked on dinosaur vocabulary. Next month the children will focus on learning about their classroom and school.

Dinosaur Feet!

2010-09-28T14:58:00.001-07:00

The children have discovered that dinosaur feet are huge! They learned that a Tyrannosaurus foot is about 4 feet long and 2 feet wide. Next the children traced their own feet and cut them out to compare them with the Tyrannosaurus foot. They also tried to see how many steps a Tyrannosaurus could take walking across our gym and then counted their own steps. The discussion also led to how tall the dinosaur might be. Some guessed it could be as tall as our gym.

Bubba Bear & Blue Collages

2010-09-26T17:38:00.000-07:00

Bubba Bear helped the preschoolers to learn the letter "b" and its sound this past week. Many activities were used to reinforce these concepts. The children also enjoyed making blue collages.

Dinosaur Fossils

2010-09-23T18:45:00.001-07:00

The children have been learning about dinosaur fossils and made casts of dinosaur imprints at preschool. Before beginning the project the children watched a video at YouTube - How to make a Dinosaur Fossil. The children mixed sand, dirt, and water together and then pressed a dinosaur into the mud. The imprint was filled with plaster of paris to create the cast.

Zoo Phonics Letter a

2010-09-15T23:17:00.001-07:00

This week the preschoolers have been learning all about the letter a. They began the week reviewing the letters and their sounds and body movements. They traced puffy paint letter a's with their fingers, drew a's in applesauce and completed pre-writing worksheets. They learned that Allie is one of the hardest workers since she can be found in so many words. The children took their homework folders home including a worksheet to be completed with their parents featuring Allie Alligator wearing a hardhat and holding a shovel. The children looked at words on the bulletin board and all took turns finding Allie and the letter a. All of the children were able to recognize the merged letter a with Allie.

Dinosaurs at the Preschool House

2010-09-14T21:54:00.001-07:00

This week the preschoolers learned that dinosaurs hatch from eggs. The children have been singing counting songs and finding dinosaurs in eggs. Today they talked about what dinosaurs eat and found that most were plant eaters. Following this discovery they played the Triceratops Leaf Eating game. Children drew a numbered card from the deck and then had to feed the corresponding number of leaves to the triceratops. They practiced Chinese vocabulary while playing the game.

Toddlers Paint Dinosaurs

2010-09-14T21:25:00.001-07:00

Today the toddlers painted dinosaurs and then decorated them with colorful sequins and stones. Yueying taught the children Chinese vocabulary related to dinosaurs and painting.

September is Dinosaur Month!

2010-09-08T23:48:00.001-07:00

This month the preschoolers are studying dinosaurs and prehistoric habitats. Later in the fall they will learn about deserts and plains environments. In the winter we will study the arctic and then forests. Oceans, rivers, lakes, and ponds will be covered in the spring. Children will also learn about the people and cultures who live in each environment.

Yesterday the children learned about paleontologists and digging for dinosaur bones. To make the concept more concrete dinosaur puzzle pieces were hidden in the sand table. Children had to dig for the puzzle pieces and then take them to the table to figure out how they fit together. This was also a wonderful group activity where the children learned to work together as a team.

Zoo Phonics at the Preschool

2010-09-08T23:31:00.001-07:00

The preschoolers learned about Allie Alligator today. They saw her shaped as the letter "a" and then read Allie's page in the first reading book. While reading Allie's page the children looked at all the items in the picture and pointed out which ones begin with "a". They're also working on some pre-writing skills.

Allie Alligator

2010-09-08T23:23:00.001-07:00

Yesterday the children finished creating Allie the Zoo Phonics alligator. The children painted the alligators on the first day and then added texture with torn construction paper of various greens. Today they added teeth. The alligators will be hung in the toddler and preschool rooms. Other Zoo Phonics animals will join Allie throughout the year.

Each letter in the Zoo Phonics system is associated with a zoo animal. The children then learn a body movement or signal related to that animal. At the same time the children learn the letter's sound. For example, the children snap their hands together to act out Allie snapping her mouth closed. The use of oral, visual, and kinesthetic means helps the children to learn the letters in a fun way and makes the letters more memorable.

Zoo Phonics & Allie Alligator

2010-09-02T00:56:00.001-07:00

Yesterday the preschoolers joined the toddlers to begin the school year with a Zoo Phonics lesson. Amber introduced Allie Alligator to the children and taught them the Zoo Phonics song including the body motions for each animal. The preschoolers had already been working on the song so were able to help everyone learn it. The kids painted two large 5.5 feet alligators today; one for each classroom. The alligators are difficult to see in the pictures since they're lying on top of white butcher paper. Tomorrow the children will finish the alligators by glueing teeth in their mouths and adding bumps to the bodies. The alligators will be displayed on the walls where other animals will join them throughout the school year.

Salt Stamping

2010-08-30T10:28:00.001-07:00

This a great project parents can do at home with their kids. Color one cup of table salt with one tablespoon of liquid watercolor. Let it dry on a tray overnight and then transfer it to a bowl. We used tropical colors for our project at school. Spread a thin layer of white glue mixed with a little water onto the tray. Let the kids stamp on construction paper and then sprinkle the colored salt over the glue. We used ocean animal stamps to go with our tropical colors. The kids loved this project, and it's great for reinforcing the Chinese vocabulary they're learning.

Life Size Board Games

2010-08-12T09:30:00.001-07:00

On Tuesday the kids played a life sized version of Candyland! Our gym was made into a giant gameboard with construction paper spaces. Stuffed animals were used for markers. Each space had an animal or color printed on it corresponding to the Chinese vocabulary the children are learning. The children used a huge foam die for moving along the gameboard. After rolling the die and moving the required number of spaces the children were then asked to name the animal or color they had landed on in Chinese. A correct answer was rewarded with a second turn. While the normal sized version of the game is fun, the life sized version has some additional benefits. The children were involved in physical activity and able to move around freely while playing the game. There was also more cooperative work happening. The children liked the huge die and all wanted to help count the dots on it and make sure everyone moved their stuffed animal the correct number of spaces.

Fly Swatter Painting

2010-07-16T15:33:00.001-07:00

Yesterday the toddlers joined the preschoolers to paint with fly swatters! We put up a piece of butcher paper along the fence and gave the children trays of bright paint. The kids had a great time dipping the fly swatters in the paint and making prints on the paper. Some kids were very precise with their prints and others just slapped the paint on!

Summer Fun!

2010-07-08T11:15:00.001-07:00

The weather has been very hot during the last two days and we've finally been able to begin our summer activities. This week the children painted murals on the white board. It's great fun to see the bright colors and then mix them to make more. Before hosing the white board off children can take a piece of white construction paper to make a print of their painting.

Sun Catchers at the Baby House

2010-06-25T00:08:00.001-07:00

As the toddlers mature they're beginning to participate in more art projects created by themselves. Last week they made sun catchers which turned out beautifully. The children were very focused on their work and proud of their finished creations.

Chinese with Yueying

2010-06-09T10:49:00.001-07:00

This week the children are learning new songs and fingerplays with Yueying. She's absolutely wonderful and the children are very engaged in her activities. The children learned a new song about a little dog and are working on a fingerplay about a caterpillar and rabbit. Yesterday the children learned about families while playing with the dollhouse and the new panda family.

Our New Chinese Teacher

2010-06-03T11:34:00.001-07:00

Yueying has joined us this week and is our third Chinese teacher on staff. Having three Chinese teachers will allow us to provide all three classes with Chinese language instruction every day. Yueying will primarily work with the preschoolers. After Yueying finishes her training she and Amber will rotate as floater teachers in the baby house as needed.

Yueying is from Guangdong where she was a preschool and kindergarten teacher for three years before coming to the US. She has been in the US for a year and half. She loves kids and is very excited to work with our children. Today Yueying read one of the "Spot" books to the children and introduced new vocabulary to them.

Painting at Daycare

2010-06-03T11:01:00.001-07:00

Yesterday the children were very focused on their work as they painted pictures with bright colors. In the afternoon they played in the bounce house. It looks like the weather is going to get better next week, and we're all looking forward to summer so we can be outside all day.

Campground Playday at Daycare

2010-05-28T19:34:00.001-07:00

Today the preschoolers finished their unit study about Oregon. We set up a campground in the gym where they played for the entire day. Children paddled in the canoe on the lake, sang songs around the campfire, and napped in sleeping bags. The toddlers joined us in our celebration for the morning. One even asked if the blue mat was real water! Later in the afternoon we made s'mores at the kitchen gas stove.

Oregon Mountains

2010-05-11T23:18:00.000-07:00

This week the children are learning about mountains in Oregon and how they are formed. On Monday the children talked about the mountains we could see from Portland and then watched a video of Mt. St. Helens erupting. We looked at several pictures of other Oregon mountains and then drew pictures of Mt. Hood. Later in the afternoon we did a volcano experiment and watched "lava" erupt from a papier mache mountain. Later this week the children will look at animals that live in mountain habitats, and then we'll end the week learning about Crater Lake.

Chalk & Water Art at the Preschool

2010-04-20T11:07:00.001-07:00

The preschoolers worked with both wet and dry chalk today. They drew pictures with dry sidewalk chalk and as they worked talked about their art. They were able to describe different aspects of the chalk on their papers. Next they drew pictures with wet chalk that they dipped in water. The children then compared the wet and dry chalk drawings. They discovered that the color of the chalk was more intense when it is wet. The preschool is currently using the book Art for the Very Young by Elizabeth Kelly. The goal of the book is to help children explore different elements of art using a variety of mediums.

Let's Count in Chinese - Yi, Er, San!

2010-03-10T23:09:00.001-08:00

The preschoolers have been learning how to count in Chinese, and we have been hearing a lot of good feedback from the parents. Today, we were talking about the Big Counting Book during class and learned to count from one to fifteen in Chinese! We also learned how to write one, two and three in both Chinese and Arabic numerals. We had a lot of fun learning and counting, and we all know counting in yi, er, san, just like A, B, C, easy as one, two, three!
Teacher Helen

Baby Winter Paintings at Daycare

2010-01-11T13:36:00.001-08:00

We're enjoying winter at the baby home. As part of our winter theme the children painted with different shades of blue. They had a great time trying out the paint brushes and seeing the color spread across the paper.

More Christmas Fun at Daycare!

2009-12-16T09:58:00.001-08:00

Last Friday the preschoolers had a great time making Christmas trees. They frosted sugar cones and then attached candy ornaments to their trees. The children at the baby home made handprint Christmas trees.

Preschool Christmas Preparations

2009-12-10T18:14:00.001-08:00

The Christmas preparations continue at daycare and several different projects are in the works. Today the preschool class made beautiful wrapping paper with Amber! The children had fun and were very focused on this activity.

The Babies Made Pinecone Ornaments

2009-12-09T21:34:00.001-08:00

Yesterday the babies enjoyed making pine cone ornaments. They had a lot of fun painting the pine cones with glue and then rolling them in bowls of beautiful glitter!

Preschool Christmas Preperations

2009-12-05T12:04:00.001-08:00

During the last week the children began preparing for Christmas. They put up a Christmas tree and then made snowman ornaments with teacher Helen. Each child picked and glued an outfit for their snowman. Helen asked them what they want to get as a present for Christmas and fulfilled their wishes by giving their snowman a gift. We put the snowmen up on the preschool Christmas tree and they will take home their ornament during Winter Break.

It was fun to find out what the children's Christmas wishes are. Lucy wanted to help Helen. Leo would like a lion and Hugh wants a choo choo train to share with Roland. Kaylee asked for toys and Kendra desires a ladybug. Josie just wants Christmas!

Pumpkin Prints at the Preschool

2009-10-31T12:21:00.001-07:00

Thursday the preschoolers cut open a pumpkin to explore and do art with. They looked at the seeds and pulp under the microscope. Then they used cut up chunks of the pumpkin to make Halloween prints. The kids had a great time doing art and learning Chinese with Helen and Amber.

Day Care Halloween Party

2009-10-27T17:30:00.001-07:00

The Halloween Party will be held October 30 in the playschool gym at 3:30. Amber and Kimberly have fun games and activities planned for the kids including a pinata. Everyone is invited to attend and parents are welcome to join their children. Please remember to bring your child's costume to school. The teachers will help children change into their costumes after nap. I hope everyone can come!

Little Witch by Wee Sing

Nearly Everyone is Healthy Again!

2009-10-08T21:51:00.000-07:00

Nearly everyone is back at day care and healthy again. Things were a bit crazy last week trying to keep ratios intact with teachers and kids being absent. We managed by having the preschoolers join their friends at the baby house. The kids had a great time playing together and the teachers took a few pics of the kids outside.

Halloween Tea Lights at the Preschool

2009-10-07T18:43:00.000-07:00

Make a Smilebox slideshow

Apple Painting at the Baby Home

2009-10-01T00:02:00.000-07:00

On Monday and Tuesday the children at the baby home had fun painting with real apples! The babies really enjoyed putting their hands in the paint and using the apples as stamps to make designs on their papers!

~Teacher Kimberly

Fall Portraits

2009-09-28T21:21:00.000-07:00

The boys at the baby house went outside to take fall portraits this morning. They turned out so well we decided we should do this of all the kids. The preschoolers went over to the baby house this afternoon to get their pictures taken. We'll send emails to parents this week with their children's pictures.

All I See is Part of Me

2009-09-28T20:59:00.000-07:00

Today the preschool class listened to the story All I See is Part of Me written by Chara Curtis. As we read the book we took time to look at and talk about all the beautiful illustrations and learn some Chinese vocabulary. The book does a great job promoting children's self esteem and building self confidence. After we finished reading the children created their own body figures and drew stars, planets, moons, and suns on them.

Preschool Face Prints

2009-09-20T10:10:00.000-07:00

Last Friday the preschoolers made prints of their faces. While sitting in front of the gym mirrors they attempted to paint the features of their faces. When their paintings were finished a print was made by placing a piece of white paper over their artwork. I'm going to save these pieces and then have the children do this project again late next spring.

Self Portraits

2009-09-17T00:38:00.001-07:00

On Monday the preschoolers made self portraits with Helen to put on the bulletin board. Helen and Xiaoying are teaching the children Chinese while they're engaged in projects that pertain to our current theme. Each child was given a cutout with their picture glued to the body. Children used fabric and other art materials to decorate their portraits. Helen designed the bulletin board which will be used to stimulate conversation about themselves and to learn more Chinese vocabulary.

Me, Myself, & I at the Preschool House

2009-09-10T22:36:00.000-07:00

The children at the preschool home are beginning their school year learning about themselves. This week they made picture frames with Amber. During Chinese the three year olds are learning to introduce themselves and their friends to others. Teacher Helen has brought in two new Chinese songs for the children to learn. One is about friends and the other is to bring children together for their morning circle time. It will replace our current circle time song.

The first family assignment for the year was sent home this week. The children are creating a scrapbook for their classroom. This week families are helping their children create a page about themselves. These pages will be put in a book that the children will be able to look at and share with their friends. It will also be used for Chinese instruction throughout the year. We will add pages about the children's families, our school, and our community. Samples of the children's work will also be included in the book.

Sidewalk Chalk

2009-09-10T22:24:00.000-07:00

We had a lot of fun this morning at the baby house using sidewalk chalk. The boys really enjoyed spreading the colors across the pavement. It was wonderful watching them make lines and circles with many different colors.

-Kimberly

Painting with our Feet!

2009-08-24T23:51:00.000-07:00

On Wednesday and Thursday of last week we really enjoyed painting with our FEET! The children had a lot of fun feeling the textures in their toes, sliding on the paper, and watching the colors mix together. It was a great outdoor project!

Teacher Kimberly

Musikgarten at the Baby Home

2009-08-19T21:43:00.000-07:00

We have really been enjoying the new Musikgarten classes with Amber. The children love dancing, shaking bells, and using the rhythm sticks. Its very cute to watch the babies shaking their heads to the beat of the music and clapping along with a song. We are very excited to have this a part of our daily program.

Teacher Kimberly

Music & Literacy

2009-08-19T14:49:00.000-07:00

Our curriculum has always focused on language and literacy skills, but this year we want to expand this to include cultural literacy through music. I’ve been doing some internet research about this and have found many sites arguing the pros and cons of cultural literacy. One site argued very well for the use of music in the classroom to promote academic excellence. Some interesting reading has been linked below. While I’ve never read E.D. Hirsch’s book about cultural literacy I thought the argument for cultural literacy was excellent. However, what each of us would deem necessary to be culturally literate would be up for debate. Reading this also made me ask if my own children were culturally literate and what gaps need to be filled in their educations.

I’m using the book Rise Up Singing edited by Peter Blood and Annie Patterson as a place to begin. For parents that want to purchase the book for use at home with your kids the ISBN is 0-9626704-9-9. I’ve created a play list on my iTunes application and am searching iTunes for the songs in the book. Children in all classes will get to listen to this music daily. We’ll also learn some of the songs that relate to this year’s curriculum theme. We’ll begin the year learning “All I Really Need” from Raffi’s album “Songs of the World.” We’re also going to learn “Love Grows One by One” from Stuart Stott’s album “Celebrate.” It’s been fun listening to songs I learned as a child and to new ones I’ve never heard.

I would encourage everyone to search “Shenandoah” in iTunes. There were so many beautiful renditions. I bought 4 of them! I’m sure all the kids will enjoy listening to folk music and have fun learning some new songs.

http://www.songsforteaching.com/lb/literacymusic.htm

http://www.menc.org/resources/view/why-music-education-2007

http://www.aft.org/pubs-reports/american_educator/spring2004/literacyroacks.html

http://74.125.155.132/search?q=cache:7neeZvEVw7sJ:rememberit.org/Documents/music as literacy.doc+music+an+avenue+for+cultural+literacy&cd=22&hl=en&ct=clnk&gl=us&client=safari

No Mess Finger Painting!

2009-08-17T22:15:00.000-07:00

Last Wednesday and Thursday the babies had a lot of fun doing some "No Mess Art." The children were confused at first about why the paint was not on their hands... They would look at their hand and then at the paper. It was a lot of fun playing drums on our pictures as well! It’s a great project that you could easily do at home with your little ones as well. Pick paper of your choice, place globs of paint on the paper (use multiple colors), cover with plastic wrap, and allow your child to hit, push, and use their fingers to move the paint around. When child is finished, or the plastic wrap is beginning to come off, compliment your child's beautiful art, remove plastic wrap (discard), and hang the picture to dry!

Teacher Kimberly

Three Year Old Drawings

2009-08-07T17:05:00.000-07:00

Today your children and their teachers had their first drawing lesson. We’re using a book that I purchased when I was taking an art class for elementary education teachers in college. Drawing with Children is written by Mona Brookes who founded the Monart Drawing Schools. The premise is that anyone can learn to draw and that young children should be given the opportunity to learn.

Today the children were shown a picture of a house and encouraged to look at all the details and talk about what they saw. This was also a good time to reinforce and build their Chinese vocabulary. After looking at the house the children realized that one wall was really a chain link gate. At that point we went outside to look at and touch the chain link gate in the back yard. When we came back in we talked about who lives in the house. Next the children traced the lines of the house with their fingers and then began drawing what they saw. When they were finished drawing the teachers recorded the children’s comments about their pictures. The pictures were put in the children’s files so that we can watch their growth throughout the year.

You can find examples of children’s drawing athttp://www.monart.com.

Pics of Our Kiddos

2009-08-07T13:46:00.000-07:00

Just testing to see how this works before I add pics of the kids. If you want to see pics of your child on the blog you will need to be sure that a photo release form is in your child's file.

Musikgarten Comes to Little Pandas Playschool!

2009-07-30T11:03:00.000-07:00

The girls and I have spent our vacation week in Seattle where Amber has been attending a Musikgarten conference. When she is finished tomorrow she will become a certified Musikgarten instructor. She’s very excited about all the new information she has learned and is ready to share the music and movement activities with the children.

She completed Musikgarten’s Family Music for Babies and Toddlers as well as the Cycle of Seasons for preschoolers classes. Amber will teach music in both homes and intends to begin a Musikgarten program outside of the daycare. She will also teach Little Mozarts keyboard classes for older children.

2009-10 School Year Curriculum

2009-07-24T20:15:00.000-07:00

Our two year old class (now threes) has just moved to the preschool, and I spent my first day working with them. They're all eager to learn and had fun during circle time this morning. They already know some of the songs and speak Chinese very well. Everyone's favorite song this morning was Xi Li Xi Li which I'm sure could be heard clear down the block.

During this coming school year the children will study about themselves, their families, their school and their community. Later in the year they'll learn about the Oregon coast, mountains, and farmlands.

I'm looking forward to a great school year and getting to know the new preschoolers!

2009-06-25T12:09:00.001-07:00

This is a test.