It looks like winter is taking a turn to spring here and there. Both classes have been discussing things that we see, hear, and smell that tell us spring is approaching. We have also been having a great time talking about maps! Such a fun theme that children can access through art, and play.
Happy Fall everyone!
In the past weeks we have been talking about our favorite things, who we are, families, and friends. While these are subjects we are always talking about and will circle back around, we are now moving into discussions of fall as well.
Please take time to go outside with your kids and notice the leaves changing, the busy squirrels and all of the wonderful things that are part of fall in our city. If you see beautiful leaves, acorns, chestnuts, pine cones (large and small), cool rocks, or other natural loose parts I encourage you to collect them for our classroom. We use all of these in a variety of ways and it is the time of year to stock up! Additionally bright colored loose parts can be anything from plastic caps to an old ribbon. If there is something your family uses a lot that ends up in the recycling bin, or the trash let me know, a large quantity of anything can find its way into a new art project.
Kindly,
Teacher Allisen
My goodness time is flying! I can’t believe we only have two weeks left in our school year. Our farm theme has flowed into gardens, from gardens to food webs. This week and next we will be talking about insects as we close out the year.
The Cricket’s year will close out quietly with our usual days as we begin to talk about summer play dates and next year.
Bears have been talking about kindergarten with a mixture of excitement and apprehension. Parents of Bears are invited to the last day of school where we’ll read one last story and “cross the bridge”. We will all then go out into the front where they will each get a chance to ring the church bell.
Thank you all for everything you bring to this community each and every day.
Kindly,
Teacher Allisen
Happy Spring KCP!
We have been in the world of farms in class the past couple of weeks. Come in and see the back drop that the kids painted! They had so much fun going all in on such a big project. This week we had a visit from baby chicks and have done several puppet plays of the kids creation in front of our scenery.
The block play outside is really getting interesting as the weather has been nice enough to spend more time with them. We have had a pirate ship, a house, a farm, many balance challenges among the creations. These blocks are made for co-op life! A little help getting a structure started and the kids imagination and building skills take off!
Thank you for being such an amazing community!
Have a wonderful weekend.
Kindly,
Teacher Allisen
Welcome Back KCP!
I hope everyone had a wonderful spring break! Our auction ended on a high note and I want to thank everyone for their efforts in this event. It takes the whole village to make these things happen. I am continually amazed by all of you. Over the break our new outdoor blocks were delivered. Thank you so much to everyone who motivated to make this happen, as their arrival was much earlier than expected. The new shed is in, leveled and kids are beginning to create already.
At the end of the month, the Bear class will be going on a Ladybug Walk at Kenilworth Park. This is an opportunity to explore the park through a different lens as we are guided by a naturalist from Portland Parks and Recreation. Crickets are also invited to join us for this experience with their parents. Additional Bear parents are welcome to join on this day as well. My hope is that the weather will be nice and we can have our snack at the park after.
Thank you for all you do.
Kindly,
Teacher Allisen
Happy Spring KCP,
Spring is finally here and with it so much more time outside. We have been learning about plants over the last couple of weeks and will continue after spring break. This week both classes have planted parts of our garden in the play yard. We look forward to peas, radishes, spinach, carrots, and more in the coming weeks. Dirt babies are coming home today. Be sure to keep these watered and check in to watch their hair come in (watching grass grow will never be this exciting again)!
Inchworm city in the bear was a wonderful child led experience. The kids found an inchworm which turned into a loose parts city with everything an inchworm could possibly need. These too will be coming home today.
The amazing blocks that we will be purchasing through the grant have been ordered thanks to the generous fronting of funds by the church. We are looking forward to their arrival in a few weeks time. Thank you in advance to all those involved in preparing the space for their arrival.
Have a wonderful spring break.
Kindly,
Teacher Allisen
Dear KCP Community,
It has been an exciting few weeks at preschool. The promise and resulting let down of snow led to many conversations around weather, snowy artwork, and arctic animals. This week conversations popped up about Valentines day. We took this opportunity to talk about how we show our family that we love them and made cards. The funny thing about preschool is that an inchworm can change our course completely. Today upon finding one the bears have begun developing an inchworm city. Stay tuned for updates.
New supplies have been ordered for the classroom and will be arriving next week. Additionally we have been awarded the Presbyterian Women’s Thank Offering Grant! These funds are earmarked for an amazing set of outdoor blocks. Funds for this will be awarded in April and the blocks will hopefully be available for play before the end of the school year.
We can’t wait to see what the kids will create.
Happy Holidays! It has been such a joy to share stone soup with everyone. I love this tradition. The kids take such pride in their work and see how their small contribution becomes something that can be shared with so many. We read stone soup stories from different cultures and discussed how a small kindness can grow.
The Bear class had a guest student, a refugee, share in our school for a couple of weeks. I am so proud of our community for saying yes to this experience, for your children’s kindness to someone new and for their concern today when asking where she has gone. It has led to beautiful conversations in class that I hope you can continue at home.
As we close the year I want to say how thankful I am to be part of this community. I have the joy of working with your children, they bring a smile to my face everyday. Through the chaos that is preschool I get to see the moments of wonder, kindness, and friendship that emerge between children and families. Thank you for making this community the wonderful place that it is.
Wishing you all a peaceful winter holiday.
Kindly,
Teacher Allisen
The preschool has been a busy place in the last few weeks! It was so wonderful to talk with all of you at conferences about your children. The Cricket class had a visit from a Portland Firefighter before break. He reminded us of the importance of knowing what to do if you hear a smoke alarm go off, and to have a family emergency plan and meeting place outside of the home (a neighbors yard perhaps). The Bear class was visited this week by two Portland Police Officers. They got a chance to explore the police car, turning on lights and pushing buttons. Both classes asked many questions, to the delight of all the questions ranged from “What do you eat?” to “How do you catch a ghost?”
We will continue our community helper discussions next week as we talk about mail carriers and doctors. The following week we will also be discussing stone soup. The final day before winter break I will be asking families to bring in items for the kids to help make our own stone soup. In addition to the soup I would love to have families bring bread or a desert to share.
Kindly,
Teacher Allisen