Mundelein Coop Preschool

The Flubber Report

May 26th, 2010

Last day of the regular school year is tomorrow! Time really flies when you are having fun, what a great year!! We wrap up the end of the year with a visit from my ball python "Monty Python". it is quite an experience for the children and parents. Ball pythons are very docile and don't slither fast or really do much of anything, except when hungry and there is mouse in the vicinity! We learned all about her habits, what and how she eats, movements and spent a great deal of time just observing her. Some were hesistant, but warmed up when given the opportunity to observe and not be pressured. Sometimes, the best ways are the simplest. I think it is a good lesson for parents and teachers. Children need opportunity to try lots of different activities, but without competition or pressure to suceed. When a child is kicking a ball around, they are simply kicking a ball! They aren't thinking, "WOW! sign me up for soccer!" Or painting a beautiful picture doesn't mean art lessons, or banging on a piano, shooting hoops etc. Given time, children will explore, refine skills and abilities. And retain the joy of learning more. I have been at far too many T-ball games where the players worry more about the snackbar than where the ball is! Maybe this summer, we can all remember simplicity. Remember catching fireflies? Watching clouds drift by? Running through the sprinkler? How fantastic a popcicle tastes after a bike ride? Watching an ant hill? Your memories are full of great summer joys just waiting to be shared with another generation. ENJOY!

April 27, 2010

We started our study of EGGS today in the T-TH classes. I drew faces on one hard cooked egg, and one on a raw egg. Otherwise known as Egg 1 and Egg 2. How can we tell which is cooked and which is not? What followed was a good natured discussion loaded with suggestions to just smash it. But that would be too easy. So we smelled them, shook them, rolled them, spun them, stood them on end to see if they would stand and held them up to light. We predicted at the very beginning which one was cooked, most picked the one with the happy face, cause it was "happy". But no, the one with the goofier expression was cooked! We examined the parts of the eggs, and contrasted how they looked different. I rolled a raw yolk in my palm to show the very thin membrane holding the yolk together. We talked about what would happen if a chick was growing inside one of the eggs. Finally we put cooked eggs in glasses of Coke, vinegar and colored water. what will happen to the eggs? We predicted that as well. Today was a prime day to show experiential learning, all our experiences today, including activities I have not described, helped the children see what eggs are really about, they will go home and want to crack some eggs, maybe put one in vinegar, or ask to get the book we read at the library. It is lighting the torch of the desire to learn more, the knowledge and experiences they have will be ingrained in their brains.

Had we played with plastic eggs, traced egg shapes at the writing table, along with the word "EGG" we would not have learned about eggs, we would have shown them a symbol, meaningless without the experience! When the children start to read, and then come across the word "Egg" once they sound it out and decode the letters, they will be flooded with their information that is stored in their brains, all those experiences will be pulled out, and will give the children true comprehension of the word, not just rote memorization. Just because children can memorize letters and sight words, it does not mean they understand what it means! Experiences need to be repeated, so children can try new ways of manipulating materials, build on what they know already, and then intergrate the new information with it. This is true learning. And it was truly a joy to watch the children in that process.

April 13, 2010

Spring is in all it's glory! We are observing branches from flowering bushes and trees, I was concerned they would not bloom by being forced, but we have magnolias blooming and crabapples coming! We also started green bean seeds in tennis ball tubes, so they are acting as terrariums, I have visions of my friends chomping on beans right off the plant! We have also been gathering some of our gold lima beans that were forgotten after St Patricks Day, and I found a nut that is sprouting, plus we have a tree that releases pods in the fall, the pods have disingrated, and seeds are everywhere. We are hoping to sprout them as well, this time in a tray with wet paper towel and covered in plastic. Our nature table is full and growing by day! Another lesson in patience, doesn't happen overnight.

I read a GREAT comic last week from "Baby Blues" The son Hamie was standing over baby Wren, who had tried to stand up and fell over, he said "Just remember Wren, most things are hard before they are easy" So very true! I see children unwilling to try if they can't do something right away, perservence, slow and steady is how we learn new things. We must remind children it is ok to take time, that working on it is the true learning experience, the final result is just icing on the cake!

March 4, 2010

We have been studying Bears the past few weeks, both real and imagined. The activities have been rich and varied. We have great times with the "3 Bear Chant" and "Who Stole the Honey from the Honey Jar" in circle times, many awesome books, manipulatives, puzzles, games, lacing cards, teddy bear counters were used all over the classroom. The thing that really caught the childrens' attention was the stuffed beanie baby bears I brought from home. My own children are old enough to have been in on the great beanie baby crazy in the 90's. Each had their own type to collect, we have numerous dogs, cats and bears. I had 8 bears, each with names that the children used in block play, to help sing our songs, and playing lots of crafty learning games that were SO much more fun with a stuffed bear teaching it! As time went on, the bears names were known by all, they had divided them into siblings, each had a "story", especially Bramwell Brown, who was named after a character in Jane Hissey's beautiful "Old Bear" stories. I was delighted to see the children animating the bears, talking to each other and playing together. They showed tremendous compassion when Rainbow Bear sprung a leak, his beans scattering all over. We had to repair him, which lead to all the bears gathering around, helping with the bandaid, patting and hugging, soon every bear had a bandaid! This week, I photocopied each bear, we are having a school wide vote for the most favorite bear of all. We had a weigh-off, using our balance scales, Bramwell was surprisingly the winner, we thought for sure it would be the super fluffy "Fridge". For me, it has been such wonderful experience that brought the children closer, they had to cooperate and give turns to all their friends, and the type of play I saw was deep, big stories, lots of set up and conversations deciding what to do. The imagination was in the forefront. In order to teach our children,to be good students, we have to help them to be deep thinkers. Every test in elementary school these days requires children to explain how they achieved the answer or result, so it is not only solving, it is a sequential process. If we just teach to the answer, the memorization of facts, then we don't know how we got there. Play is the foundation, imagination builds brain connections, children have to navigate through problems, dealing with peers, explain their perspective. Truly powerful stuff!

Feb 22, 2010

We are getting a little tired of the snow! Although it is so beautiful, we are longing for days when we don't have to spend 10 mins. bundling up to get outdoors. it will be spring before we know it.

We have had visitors to the school recently, looking at the school for potential fall enrollment. I am stunned (as I am every year) at how LITTLE 2 1/2 year olds look to me after spending time with my "big" 3 and 4 year olds.  Our older children have been registering for Kindergarten for Fall this past month, and they seem ENORMOUS! I see the remarkable growth over these preschool years, and wonder why people are so worried that their child might not "be ready" for Kindergarten. While I would like to take all the credit for the children being ready to go, it is  their own internal developmental timeclock that is the true measure of readiness.  By age 5, most children are engaging in the skills necessary for school success. Most children have developed the social and emotional skills that they need to navigate a classroom situation, most have the physical skills, writing names cutting etc. The cognitive skills, letters, sounds, numbers, are becoming engrained in the brain. We give the opportunities and exposure to help them along the path, following the natural order of development. It is clear usually when an extra year of preschool would be in the child's best interest, and equally clear when it is not. We must try to not let our own fears and worries color our perception of the situation. Put a 2 and 1/2 year old and a 5 year old side by side and then we can really see! It is an amazing transformation. Never are our children "simply on their way, they have arrived! Enjoy the now!"

Let's enjoy it with a little warmer weather??

Jan 4, 2010

Wow, a new year, new decade! For the preschool crowd, new year usually means the beginning of a school year. There is so much talk about resolutions each year, it got me thinking, what resolutions, or intentions, we might have for the children in our care, whether at home or school.

First intention: To listen, really listen when our children talk. Think of sitting down, looking them in the eye and listening. I know you will be amazed at what you hear. Life is so busy and cluttered, I think adults tend to assume they know what the child is saying, but in my experience, that isn't always the case.

Second intention: Play, really play with your child. Let the child guide the play, come in to it with no expectations, and let your inner child come alive. Of course, you can't do this all the time but aim for a real connection at least once a day.

Third intention: Read, really read with your child. Use voices, be animated, have a conversation about what is happening in the book, what will happen, note how the illustrations and text vary from author to author. Books are your gateway to the world!

The last intention, be grateful for each child in your life. What a gift!

Nov 6, 2009

We have been talking about transportation this week, and incorporating the study of motion. We put out tops, simple wooden toys and a gyroscope. I have been amazed how hard the tops have been to master, but equally amazed at how hard the kids have worked to figure it out. Even our youngest student has spent time working and practicing the movement needed to spin the tops. The gyroscope is my husband's, I get all these cool gadgets for him for birthdays and Christmas, then "borrow" them to use at preschool! It is very hard to thread the gyroscope and then you have to balance it on the stand and pull, they were not daunted by the task! I think it speaks to the tenacity of preschoolers, but also to the simplicity of real, classic toys. All the toys that beep, blink and talk designed to "educate' can't hold a candle to the experience these children have had. The language I heard, the true sense of esteem when a difficult task is mastered, cooperation with teachers and friends, trying different approaches. It was a beautiful thing to witness!

October 5th, 2009

I am surprised at how chilly the weather has been! I am looking forward to a spell of Indian Summer, which should be coming along soon. Fall is such a beautiful time of year, and a perfect opportunity for children to observe and spend time outside. I worry we aren't spending enough time outside. There is a movement afoot called "No Child Left Inside" which explores this issue. Children spend too much time watching screens, playing organized sports and not enough time interacting with nature in a free manner. Picking up bugs, watching clouds, splashing in a creekbed, hiking in the woods falls to the wayside in our hurry scurry lifestyles. What affect does this have on children? Exercise is good, the opportunity to be a team player and learn about a sport is good, but when we spend each weekend shuffling from activity to activity, I can't help but feel like childhood is lost. And in some ways, so is the child residing in each of us.

Search for "No Child Left Inside" on the web, and watch for a documentary on PBS this fall.

September 14, 2009

It has been a wonderful first week! The weather has been delightful, and the children are amazed at all the different activities available. I am loving seeing my "old" friends and how much they have grown over the summer. Our new 3 year old friends are trying everything, I can't wait to get their hands in some goop or fingerpaint.

We have a new resident by the front door. This time of year, spiders are so busy making spectacular webs, and we have a big one on the porch. It has a perfect hiding place under the hand-railing, and every day I take a look to see if it has eaten in the last 24 hours. I have observed some mixed reactions from students and parents. Some are a bit taken back by a spider so close in proximity, others are checking it out! It is an example of nature adjusting to the human world, but are humans adjusting to it? Spiders eat so many bugs,but not people! I wonder if they are fattening themselves up for cold weather? The morning dew is so beautiful on the web, the spider scurries away if you gently touch the webbing, It has been fun to watch.

September 7, 2009

Welcome to my blog! I hope to provide parents with an inside look at MCP, everyday occurrences that are funny or fantastic or fascinating! For those new to the school, flubber is a wonderful substance we make at MCP, similar to silly putty, visit the recipe/concoction page to learn how to make it!

As I mull the beginning of the year, I am reminded how each child needs time to develop a relationship with his/her teachers. We are all a little nervous at first. This process can happen quickly, for others more time is needed. We look forward to the day when children show us they are comfortable with us, we know that their learning and experiential growth will take a huge leap once that basis of trust is connected. It has to be, for me, one of the greatest rewards in teaching. Each fall I meet a new group of 3 year olds, and in a few short months we are a family. It is still amazing after 25 years in the field.

Last spring, we took a trip down to the field behind the church grounds to see if we could find some tadpoles. The spring rains had created a pond, and I was hopeful we could get in through the weeds and plants. It was an utter flop, we were able to get some mosquito larve, but not tadpoles. Somehow, buying some at the store was not nearly as exciting! So we let it drop. Pastor Chris, our neighbor discovered frogs in a small pond/drainage ditch out by the mailboxes this summer. They are very tiny, and fast! There is a ledge they can get under when they are startled, but if you are quiet and don't touch the water, you can observe the frogs lounging in the weeds, with just their little noses poking out of the water. Take a peek one of these days. I wonder what will become of them in winter? Will they hibernate right out there by the road? And if they do, will we have tadpoles next spring?? I am curious!