Happy Father's Day!

I would like to wish all of our prekindergarten Dad's a very happy Father's Day this weekend.  I hope you enjoy some quality family time this Sunday.

Under The Sea!

We had a fun week under the sea in PreK!  We made soapy sea foam in our sensory bin - the students loved exploring with this foamy, soapy mixture.  You can click here to see more pictures of our sensory play.  

Fine Motor Skills

This week in art we worked on cutting, pincer grasp, and hand-eye coordination.  We made paper bag jellyfish, stamped with celery, and made on our 'top secret' Father's Day Gifts - we hope you enjoy them.  The students worked hard and were proud of their final product!

Click here to see more pictures of our ocean artwork.

Five Little Fish Swimming in the Sea

We learned a new finger play this week, "Five Little Fish."  

This simple little finger play is a fun counting song that works on so many important developmental skills.  We had fun singing it with both our fingers, as well as while using puppets.  Our afternoon class had fun singing this song with Mrs. Tewitz Wednesday while Mrs. Watt and I attended a professional development session on developmental delays.  Click here to see more pictures of this finger play.

FOPs Picnic

Thank you to the families who braved the cold weather to attend the FOPs wind up BBQ last week.  Even though it was a little cold and wet, I think the students all had a great time!   

Coming Up

I cannot believe we are coming up on our LAST week of PreK.  It will be an exciting week for sure.  

• June 19th and 20th - field trips to the Centennial Spray Park
• You are required to sign an online consent form through your PowerSchool account before your child can participate in this field trip
• Please send your children to school with a swim suit, sunscreen, and a towel
• Drop your children off at Riverview School at their normal drop off time 
• Morning class drop off - 8:25am
• Afternoon class drop off - 12:15 pm
• Pick your children up from the Centennial Spray Park at their normal pick up time 
• Morning class pick up - 11:25 am
• Afternoon class pick up - 3:15 pm

• June 22nd - last day of PreK
• PreK Family Picnic 11:15 am - 12:15 pm at Riverview School
• Bring a picnic lunch for your family and a blanket for sitting on

Last Day Snacks

We will be having fun activities during our regular classroom time to celebrate our last day of school on June 22nd.  

Parents are welcome to send special party snacks if they would like for the students to enjoy during their class time.  Please let me know if you plan on sending a snack for our party.  

Ocean Exploration

This week we had fun with our Ocean theme.  We mixed up a couple of batches of beach play dough to strengthen our fine motor skills!  We also worked on our hand-eye coordination and pincer grasp by gluing Cheerio "suckers" onto octopus legs.

You can click here to see more pictures of our fine motor beach activities.  

Will They Float?

The big excitement this week was the building and testing of our pool noodle boats.  After we worked to build the boats, the students each made a scientific prediction - do you think the boats will float or sink?  The room was full of cheers and giggles when we tested the boats out.  The students were absolutely delighted that their boats were floating!  You can click here to see more pictures of our boats project.

Slippery Fish

I taught the students an ocean song this week called "Slippery Fish."  We had fun acting this song out using puppets.  I also taught the students the actions for this song.  I have attached the song lyrics, maybe if you are lucky your child will sing it with you at home as well! 

 You can click here to see more pictures of our slippery fish song.

Bye Bye Grass

It was time to say good bye to the grass we grew in our sensory bin.  The students enjoyed "excavating" the grass so that we could empty the bin and turn it into a lake for floating our boats.

Spray Park 

PreKindergarten will be taking two field trips to the Centennial Spray Park on June 19th and June 20th.

Please make sure you sign the electronic permission slip through your PowerSchool account so that your child can participate.

A PreK Picnic!

We will be having a PreK picnic here at Riverview School on the last day of prekindergarten (June 22nd).  PreK families are welcome to join their child for a picnic in our school yard from 11:15 am - 12:15 pm.

• Each family will be responsible for bringing their own picnic lunch and blanket to sit on
• The morning students will still come for their regular morning class (from 8:25 - 11:25 am) and then are welcome to stay for the picnic with their family
• The afternoon students will come for the picnic with their family, and then stay for their regular afternoon class after the picnic is over (from 12:15 - 3:15 pm)
• Our Monday/Wednesday students are more than welcome to join us for both the picnic, as well as their scheduled class time for that day
• If you are unable to attend the picnic it is not a problem - I will be looking for someone to picnic with!  If you cannot attend the picnic, please pack your child a picnic lunch and they are welcome to eat with the PreK staff on our picnic blanket.

Last Day Snacks

We will be having fun activities during our regular classroom time to celebrate our last day of school on June 22nd.  

Parents are welcome to send special party snacks if they would like for the students to enjoy during their class time.  Please let me know if you plan on sending a snack for our party.  

Coming Up

This week we will continue with our ocean theme.

• June 19th and 20th - field trips to the Centennial Spray Park
• Drop your children off at Riverview School at their normal drop off time 
• Morning class drop off - 8:25am
• Afternoon class drop off - 12:15 pm
• Pick your children up from the Centennial Spray Park at their normal pick up time 
• Morning class pick up - 11:25 am
• Afternoon class pick up - 3:15 pm
• June 22nd - last day of PreK
• PreK Family Picnic 11:15 am - 12:15 pm at Riverview School
• Bring a picnic lunch for your family and a blanket for sitting on

Marshmallows, Marshmallows, Marshmallows!

What would a camping unit be without marshmallows?!  We had fun with marshmallows this week.  We strengthened our fine motor skills by painting with marshmallows and by making marshmallow poppers.  Then after a week of using marshmallows for art projects, I finally let the students eat them!  The students were thrilled to make s'mores on a stick, and they were a yummy treat too.  You can click here to see more pictures of our s'more making.

Camping Lanterns

Everyone needs a lantern when they go camping.  The students had fun making their own special camping lanterns this past week.  When the lanterns were all made we had a special campfire sing along with our lanterns in the dark!

What's Your Trigger?

This week during our Zones of Regulation lessons we talked about triggers.  Triggers are something that can move you from zone to zone.  We began to touch on the concept that sometimes you can be happy and in the green zone, and then something happens (for instance, it is time to clean up your toys) and it frustrates you and puts you into the red zone.  We brainstormed the different triggers that we have in our prekindergarten world.  We also talked about different 'tools' we can use (deep breathing, counting, squishing a stress ball) to help keep ourselves calm if we know a trigger is coming up.

I also introduced the concept of big problems versus little problems.  We talked through several PreK problems we have and tried to hash out if they were big problems or little problems.  We concluded that big problems (when someone is hurt or is in danger) require big reactions, and that little problems need small reactions.  We will be using this wording as we help the students work through their issues during their PreK day.

A Camping Scavenger Hunt

We went for a little camping hike around the school yard to see how many bugs we could find.  The students were determined to find all of the bugs on their list.  Too bad there were no grasshoppers or slugs to be found!

Click here to see more pictures from our scavenger hunt.  

Field Trip!

We will be taking two walking field trips to Centennial Park this month on June 19th and June 20th.  Please check your email and your child's mail bag for more information.  

Each child will need a signed consent form to participate.  Consent forms are signed online by logging into your parent PowerSchool account.  

A Special Morning Visitor!

We had an exciting visitor during show and tell this week!  Our morning class was thrilled to meet "Spike" the bearded dragon.  Thank you Michelle for bringing him in to show the class.  

Click here to see more pictures of Spikes visit to PreK.

Coming Up!

It's hard to believe it is June already.  This week will begin our Ocean unit.

• June 7th and June 8th - early dismissal days
• The morning class will dismiss at 10:25 am
• The afternoon class will dismiss at 2:15 pm  
• June 19th and 20th - field trips to Centennial Park
• Please sign the online consent form through PowerSchool
• June 22nd - Last day of PreK 

A Camping We Will Go!

We had a fun week of "camping."  The students dove deep into the world of dramatic play when we converted our classroom into a campground.  

We roasted marshmallows.

We pitched a tent.                                            We went for boat rides. 

We went fishing. 

We also strengthened our fine motor skills in art by painting campfires with our hands.  You can click here to see more pictures of our camping adventures! 

Show and Tell

Thank you to all of the parents who helped their children participate in show and tell.  We will be running show and tell again this week on Wednesday and Thursday.  Your child is welcome to bring one item to school on these days to show their classmates.  Show and tell promotes public speaking and self confidence.  You can click here to see more pictures of our show and tell fun.  

Mat Man

We had fun on Thursday strengthening our fine motor skills and developing body awareness by building mat man with our classroom occupational therapist, Mrs. Mosher.  You can click here to see more pictures from this activity.

Bowling

Thank you to the parents who came out to the bowling FOP at Thorsby.  The kids had a great time learning to share and take turns.  Unfortunately I forgot to take pictures until it was almost over - so I guess we will just have to hold on to our mental memories!   

Coming Up

This week we will continue with our camping theme.  

• Wednesday, May 31st and Thursday, June 1st - show and tell
• Your child can bring one item to school on these days to show their classmates
• Wednesday, June 7th and Thursday, June 8th - early dismissal days
• The morning class will dismiss at 10:25 am
• The afternoon class will dismiss at 2:15 pm
• Thursday, June 22nd - Last day of PreK

 

Little Pig, Little Pig, Let Me Come In!

This past week we took our farm theme to the story of The Three Little Pigs.  To begin the week we worked as teams to build a house made of straw:

A house made of sticks:

And a house made of bricks:

We then used our dramatic skills to retell the story.  The students strengthened their language skills and demonstrated self confidence as they took turns acting out the different characters from the story:

You can click here to see more pictures of our pig project.

We even took all of that huffing and puffing from the big bad wolf into our art by creating some beautiful blow art.

I challenged the students to build some three little pig walls using a variety of materials from our classroom.  Some of the walls were simple, some were much more complex!  You can click here to see more pictures of our wall building challenge.

Motor Development

Mrs. Mosher, our classroom occupational therapist was with us on Thursday.  She worked on developing fine motor, gross motor, and literacy skills by playing letter bowling with us!  Click here to see more pictures of the bowling.  

Zones of Regulation

We also spent time talking about the four zones of regulation.  I challenged groups of children to pose for pictures of what they might look like when they are in the different zones.  The plan is to print these pictures off and use them with the students to help them further understand what each zone feels like.  

Coming Up - Show and Tell!

This next week we will put the farm away and begin the theme of camping! 

On Wednesday and Thursday we will be having show and tell.  Each student is welcome to bring ONE item from home to show to the class.  Please do not send electronics or anything breakable.  The students will each have a chance to show their item to their classmates as well as tell them what they have brought as we sit around our pretend "campfire."

• May 24th and 25th - show and tell
• each student can bring one item from home to show their peers
• June 7th and 8th - early dismissal days
• the morning class will dismiss at 10:25 am
• the afternoon class will dismiss at 2:15 pm
• June 22nd - last day of PreK classes 

Happy Mother's Day!

We hope all of our very special Mom's have a Happy Mother's Day and enjoy their gifts!  The students were so proud of their projects that some of them did not want to give them away!

Very Muddy Pigs!

We spent the week strengthening our fine motor skills by working on a muddy pig project.  Over a three day span we painted, cut, and glued our pigs.  Then we used paint, glue, and coffee grounds to concoct some fantastic mud that we used to finger paint our pigs!  You can click here to see more pictures of our pig project.

Zones of Regulation

This week we reviewed the zones of regulation.  We talked about different scenarios and what zone you would be in if that situation was happening to you.  Each student had a turn to "jump" into the correct coloured hula hoop to identify how a situation would make them feel.  For example, we talked about how you might feel if you were fighting with your sister - red zone (angry).  Click here to see more pictures of our zones lesson.

The following chart is an excellent resource that you can use to help your child understand how they are feeling and which zone they are in.  As the children in our class experience different emotions we are helping them to recognize what zone they are in.  For example, we might say, "you are feeling tired, you are in the blue zone."

We are Loving the Weather!

We took full advantage of the nice weather this week and had gym class outside!  The kids had fun rotating through different stations trying out badminton, Velcro-glove catch, crawling through tunnels, bowling, playing hopscotch, blowing bubbles, and playing tug of war!

Building Independence

Thank you to all of the families who came out to Friday's FOP on Building Independence.  I think the students enjoyed having some quality time with their Moms.  I hope you found the afternoon useful and took home some strategies that you can apply in your day to day life to help promote independence with your preschooler!  Click here to see more pictures from our FOP.

Coming Up

Next week we will finish up our farm unit.  We will spend the majority of our week talking about the three little pigs!  

On Thursday May 18th, Riverview School is having a tropical day - all students are encouraged to wear their favourite beach gear (shorts, tank tops, sunglasses, etc.) on this day.  

• May 22nd - no school - Victoria Day 
• June 7th and 8th - Early Dismissal Days
• The morning class will dismiss at 10:25 am
• The afternoon class will dismiss at 2:15 pm

Down on the Farm!

We have been having fun with the farm theme this past week.  We have been singing The Farmer in the Dell as well as Old McDonald Had a Farm.  

We talked about different things farmers do, such as take care of animals and grow crops.  More specifically, we talked about corn - how corn is grown on farms, and some of the ways people use corn.  We discussed corn on the cob, kernel corn, and popcorn!  We had fun exploring with corn this week.  

On Monday we used popcorn kernels to do some popcorn science.  The students were wowed to see the kernels 'dancing' around the mason jar after we mixed together water, baking soda, and vinegar.   

On Tuesday, we used corn on the cob to create some beautiful corn paintings!  Click here to see more pictures of our corn fun. 

Our Visit to Robina Baker

Thank you to all of the families that attended the Robina Baker field trip.  The field trip was a great success and a fun opportunity to begin the transition to our new school!  You can click here to see more pictures from our field trip.

In the Gym

We strengthen our hand eye coordination by playing an animal rescue game.  In this game, all of the farm animals had escaped the farm!  I challenged the students to balance the farm animals on a badminton racket and carefully transport them back to the safety of the farm.  

I Can Do It By Myself!

A FOPS on Building Independence

Myself, along with our classroom occupational therapist, Natasha Mosher, and one of our speech and language pathologists, Dallyce McGowan are excited to be hosting a Building Independence FOPS here at Riverview School.

The FOPS will take place on Friday, May 12th from 1:00 - 2:30 pm.

We will share ideas and strategies for promoting independence with your pre-kindergarten aged child.  

Plan bring your child with you.  This FOPS will be an information session, followed by the opportunity to try some of these strategies with your child first hand as you rotate through some “independence building” centers together.

Please let me know if you plan on attending so that we can prepare the materials accordingly.

Coming Up

Next week we will continue with our farm theme.

• May 12th - 1:00 - 2:30 pm - Building Independence FOP
• Riverview School, all PreK families are welcome to attend 

• May 22nd - no school - Victoria Day