Adventures In WES Preschool!

Several parents were curious during the conferences to learn how we teach math in preschool.  AS I explained, we immerse the children in math concepts throughout the day.  We talk about shapes, weight, size, numbers, counting and so much more all day long.  We count to 10 or 20 while playing hide and seek.  We count kids at the lunch table and end up sorting animal crackers during snack.  We read books about numbers, adding... and we do art projects with shapes.  In fact, we talk about math concepts so frequently that the children have no idea that they are learning math. Here are some pictures of some math activities that we've done during circle and choice time. Shapes and color Bingo: More Shapes and colors (plus magnets!)... Sorting by colors    Patterning Measuring... The box is ? blocks long. How many slices of apple are there?

The bikes are out and the kids are learning to peddle hard.  Peddling a tricycle around a bumpy path with cracks and a gravel path is no easy task.  Many of the kids can hardly turn the peddles at this point in the school year (don't even ask about the steering), but this will soon change.  By the end of the year most of the kids will be peddling around our path without help from a teacher and some will even make it up the small hill near the playground. Those who can't even reach the peddles yet are still getting the idea of the tricycles by pushing with their feet.  And most importantly, there are smiles all around! And now that the snow is here our tricycles have been moved into the gym where the kids can continue to figure out how to peddle and steer.

One of the best parts of preschool is making friends.  We have been having a great time getting to know each other this fall and making friends.  The social skills that the kids are learning now will last them a life time.  The word "Preschool" could easily be substituted in the title of the well know book: "All I Really Need to Know I Learned in Kindergarten."   These kids are learning to share, take turns, wait (something most of the adults I know, including me, still have a hard time with), be kind, feel and show empathy, and so much more.  IT's been so fun to watch these kids play together and become friends.

I can't believe that it is already November.  This year is flying by.  As you all know, it has been a bit of a challenge starting the school year without Caitlin or an after school staff member.  On top of being short staffed, I have been given the role of Director.  Despite my strong preference of working with the kids, I feel like I'm slowly learning and getting on top of the director responsibilities and desperately hoping to be back in the classroom more in the near future. Luckily for both me and the kids, we have been blessed this year with an excellent staff.  Many are new, but all have done a fantastic job supporting the children, each other, and me.  Below is a little about each staff member. WES and SME staff at the VAECY Conference (Not everyone was present for the picture) Meghan Carroll: One of our newest staff members, Meghan Carroll is working in Caitlin's classroom with Kim Smith. The two of them are doing a great job keeping Caitlin's routi