Tag Archives: pre-k

Should you send a 3 year old to preschool?

April 13, 2015
Setting the butterfly free

Setting the butterfly free

Some parents choose to wait until a child is ready for a pre-k (4/5 year old) class before sending them to a preschool program.  Once enrolled, they find the pre-k program to be a wonderful experience for their child, and we often hear…”I love St. Paul’s and wish I had enrolled my child when they were three to get the full benefit of both years.”  The 3 year old program and pre-k program are quite different.  In our three year old class, the emphasize is on social growth,

Things that roll!!

Things that roll!!

a vital building tool for future educational success.  Many young children know their colors, some letters and numbers, but struggle in a social environment.  Our three year old teachers have many years of experience working directly with this young age group. Many times, preschool is a child’s first experience in a structured setting with teachers and a group of children. It’s an opportunity to learn to share, follow instructions, and begin the foundation for learning success.  Our program offers the benefit of essential playtime and also beginning the first step in pre-math and pre-literacy development. 

Learning about germs

Learning about germs

In preschool, a 3 year old learns to feel cared for and secure with a teacher and builds trust with adults outside of their family. A quality structured environment encourages social interaction and children are shown how to handle conflict with others.   A 3 year old at preschool will learn to make choices, learn to take care of themselves and others, and strengthen cognitive skills by engaging in hands-on activities that challenge them to observe, ask questions and solve problems.  So, the answer is yes. Most 3 year olds will benefit greatly from preschool.  Check out our amazing 3 year old program and see how much fun they are having.

Creativity at work

Creativity at work

 

Things that fly

Things that fly

Enjoying a special visitor

Enjoying a special visitor

Snacktime fresh from the garden

Snacktime fresh from the garden

Shaving cream fun

Shaving cream fun

Imaginative play

Imaginative play

Pajama & Hibernation day

Pajama & Hibernation day

Finding the treasure

Finding the treasure

Dry Ice Discovery Pictures

January 10, 2015 Comments: 2
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Dry Ice fun Mrs. Van Wormer

To a young child, every day can be a discovery of something new.  Preschoolers love to  explore the world around them.  Simple science activities help young children enhance this natural curiosity.

Science exploration in the classroom provides young children the opportunity to…

  • Build self-confidence
  • Engage in “hands on” experiences
  • Increase observation skills
  • Receive opportunities to use tools, equipment and familiar materials
  • Problem solve
  • Develop sensory, physical, emotional, intellectual, spiritual, and social attributes
  • Develop language through increased vocabulary as they ask and answer questions
  • Just have fun
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Making bubbles with dry ice

Science activities are incorporated into many of the learning themes throughout our preschool program.  A small sampling includes mixing colors, making slime, learning the difference between salt and fresh water and its effect on floating, erupting volcanoes and discovering the wonder of dry ice.

 

 

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Soaring – Discovering the wonderful world of books!

July 8, 2014

 

website57The addition of Soaring to our pre-k program has been well received by the children and their parents.   Soaring is the Monday enrichment class that allows children to continue their discovery of the wonderful world of books.

Reading is such an important skill to develop in children.  The more young children are read to, the greater their interest in mastering reading. Reading out loud exposes children to proper grammar and phrasing, and helps young children develop vital language skills.  It enhances the development of their spoken language skills and their ability to express themselves verbally.

website64Through books, children learn about other people and places, both real and imaginary.  Through stories, they meet new friends and characters.  Books can encourage children to be helpful, kind and show how to resolve conflict. At preschool, story time is a group activity that offers children the opportunity to sit quietly and be respectful in a group and also socialize and share with each other what they have heard.

Our Soaring class continues to nurture this skill in a fun filled day.

Soaring allows the children the opportunity to…website9

  • Hear the story “Not a Box” and discover a box is just a       box . . . unless it’s not a box. From mountain to rocket ship, a small rabbit shows that a box will go as far as the imagination allows.  The children are allowed the opportunity to see where their imagination takes them.

 

  • website13Share an adventure with Harold and the Purple Crayon.

 

 

 

 

 

  • website225Discover the world of science as they make a cloud and hear the story,      What Are Clouds?

 

 

 

 

  • website33and so much more

Watch as our children soar ahead and discover the joy of reading.

 

 

Celebrating Mrs. Hoffsmith 20th year teaching at St. Paul’s

May 23, 2014
Mutual love

Mutual love

Mrs. Hoffsmith has been teaching at St. Paul’s..
This is her 2oth year.
Her extraordinary worth and value
have been made so abundantly clear.

St. Paul’s is so blessed to celebrate the 20th anniversary of Liane Hoffsmith, lead teacher of the Crayon Kids.  Words alone cannot describe the value of this special person.  However, an excerpt from a letter sent by a parent does it well.  “What can be said about Mrs. Hoffsmith?  It could be said that she is quiet, soft spoken and gentle.  It could be said that she is gracious, slow to anger and filled with goodness.

Handprint quilt from the Crayon Kids

Handprint quilt from the Crayon Kids

It could also be said that she is a magnet for 3 and 4 year olds.  But none of these statements do her justice.  The legacy of a teacher is something that is difficult to measure.  The greater learning isn’t reflected in just academic achievement. It is shown by a child’s confidence and their ability to work well with other children. A child’s belief that the word is a genuinely good place is a tribute to the way all children are warmly received into Mrs. Hoffsmith’s classroom and into her life.

 

Simply stated, Mrs. Hoffsmith shows both children and parents what it means to love and be loved in everything she does.  Thank you, Mrs. Hoffsmith for loving all the children you’ve taught for the last 20 years.  Crayonkids12You are a gift to treasure.”

 

Diversity in the preschool classroom

May 1, 2014
Mrs. Monier's students share their All About Me poster with her classmates

Sharing her All About Me poster with classmates

Young children are so eager to share in each new experience and so willing to accept the wonderful differences in our world.  Children are excited to learn about how we are all the same in many ways, but how each person is also unique and special.

Preschool children begin to notice differences among people…some are short and others are tall, some have blue eyes and others brown..they notice skin color, eye shapes and hair color.  Diversity also encompasses children’s individual interests and capabilities, cultural differences, age and gender difference and language differences.

As children are discovering these differences, it is important to embrace the diversity in the classroom setting as it helps the children feel content in who they are and helps them feel valued.

 

Comparing fingerprints

Comparing fingerprints

A young child who learns to embrace diversity will embrace this concept as an aspect of life that they value. Preschoolers love to learn songs and dances from other cultures and sing and count in different languages. They enjoy activities that help them think about and discuss the concept of fairness, as this is a familiar issue for young children.  It is especially rewarding for children to learn about the culture and language of one of their classmates and their families.

 

St. Paul’s United Methodist Preschool is proud to be a place where all children are celebrated and valued.

 

 

 

Celebrating Lei Day

Celebrating Lei Day

Working together

Working together

 

 

 

 

Parents make a great preschool even better.

March 31, 2014

2014-02-19 14.28.37 20140306_113335 20140311_095451 20140311_105833 First, you start with an amazing preschool with committed, loving teachers.  Then you add a sprinkle of generous, energized parents, and you have a recipe for the best preschool around.  Every day, we are blessed to share the talents and gifts of our parents with the preschool children.  Besides just offering the children another adult to help them learn and grow and experience new ideas and adventures, the children are so very proud to share their mom or dad with the class.  So here’s a BIG THANK YOU to all the wonderful parents who share their time with our children.

We value all our parents!

  • We honor the service of Mr. Matty, Mr. Wilson and Mr. Quick who provided such intrigue and excitement over the years as the the children learn about planes and flight
  • Dads who can build things…..Mr. Hicks who built ramps for the children in the Star room as they discovered “things that roll”, the Tapperos who helped the children build their own picnic table and the Van Fleets, who built our wonderful planter box for our garden
  • Moms who have been very valuable substitutes….Mrs. Yenzer, Mrs. Kaufman and Mrs. Burt
  • Moms who use their special artistic gift to make shirts for the children…Mrs. Cotter
  • Moms and Dads who help to refurbish our sand…The Fletchers, Mr. Cotter, Mr. Kaufman, Mr. Schmitz
  • Dads who help others every day and share the love of this job with our children…Fireman Weber
  • Dads who have a really cool hobby like Mr. Fryer who showed the children how to rope a steer, or a cool job where he gets to play with rocks…Mr. Brown
  • IMG_0392Moms and dads who teach our children the value of exercise…..Mrs. Twito, teaching hula dancing, Mrs. Matty teaching Zumba and the Helms teaching the children how to keep moving
  • Moms who use their special talent to help create our wonderful website..Mrs. Perry
  • Grandparents who share their special gift…Papa Jim singing Rodeo songs with the Stars
  • Parents who provide special birthday snacks and treat, those who help with parties and events, those parents who say YES when we ask for help or need supplies for our classrooms and all the parents who commit to bringing their children to school every day

Are they ready?

February 25, 2014

Owl7Preschool is a special time to prepare children for kindergarten, but more importantly, a time to nurture their natural curiosity and sense of discovery as they continue to grow and develop every day.

As we approach the second half of our school year, parents often ask if their child is ready for kindergarten.  Each year our teachers meet with the parents to share the milestones their child has met during their time at preschool and discuss any areas where parents may wish to work with their child.

Our pre-k teachers embrace the uniqueness in each child to determine their strengths while assessing whether they are progressing towards or have achieved the appropriate kindergarten readiness skills to make the transition to kindergarten a successful one.

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