Fun Activities for Preschoolers

I just learned about free classes at the Bell Museum of Natural History for 2 and 3 year olds. The classes are the first Thursday of the month and cover a range of fun, interesting topics. They are geared for the younger preschooler. You do need to pay for admission to the museum unless you can secure a library pass which will get 4 people in for free. I plan to attend the class this Thursday.

This month the topic is "Why do Leaves Change Color" on Sept. 4 from 9:30-11:00. In October the topic is Squirrels. You do need to call and register for classes.

Here is more information at their website.
http://www.bellmuseum.org/calendar.html

If you know of any fun activities that you and your preschooler enjoy around the cities please post a comment about the experience.

Getting Ready for the 1st Days of Kindergarten

Kindergarten, what a bittersweet time in a parent's life. Some parents may be experiencing kindergarten for the first time this year. Maybe it's an older sibling of a preschooler or a preschooler from last year, but, as you know, kindergarten is a big step in your child's life and your families' as well.

The first few weeks of kindergarten are very tiring both emotionally and physically for new kindergartners. All of the new transitions and concentration that is needed to become accustom to new surroundings often exhaust kindergartners. Tears are very common for the first few weeks. What is amazing is how quickly children adapt and become experts in their new surroundings.

Here are some resources filled with ideas to help with the many transitions kindergarten will bring to your family in the next few weeks.



http://www.education.com/reference/kindergartenreadiness/

http://http//www2.scholastic.com/browse/article.jsp?id=7186

http://www2.scholastic.com/browse/collection.jsp?id=83



Books about first days of school:

http://www.tcpl.lib.in.us/youth/firstdaykind.htm

If you have any ideas for the first days of school, please share them with us by posting a comment. All comments can be viewed by all who visit the blog.

1st Payment due Sept 1st

Payments for this preschool year will be due on the first of each month. (The newsletter recently e-mailed had the incorrect date.) Watch for a September invoice in your Welcome Packet.

Here is a quick reference chart for payment amounts.

Morning or Afternoon Preschool
Cost PER MONTH
1 day a week $78.00
2 days a week $156.00
3 days a week $222.00
4 days a week $280.00
5 days a week $329.00

Full Day Preschool
Cost PER MONTH
1 day a week $136.00
2 days a week $272.00
3 days a week $396.00
4 days a week $512.00
5 days a week $619.00

July Summer Camps

In Vivan los Animales Preschool Camp we explored the animal kingdom and learned dozens of new Spanish words. We made colorful pinatas and turned them into chicks (pollitos) and tigers (tigres). We made the caterpillars and butterflies from the book 'La Orga Hambrienta' (The Very Hungry Caterpillar). We also decorated the scales of the giant rainbow fish that we read about int El Pez Arco Iris (The Rainbow Fish). To help us even more with our Spanish, we sang many songs in Spanish during circle time. It was great!

In Print It - Environmental Camp we made prints with whatever we could get our hands on: giant leaves, rubber fish, grass, bug stamps...
We met live worms, watched caterpillars disappear into cocoons and painted with real dirt! What a fun, messy, earthy week!

Preschool Open House

We hope to see you at our Open House on Wednesday, Sept. 3 from 4-6. Check out the preschool room and meet our teachers.