Welcome!
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Soon your child will complete one of the most important milestones in
his/her life - the first day of preschool! I understand that you and
your child may have met this day with excitement or apprehension (or a
little of both) and I hope that this information will help you to know
what to expect in preschool this year and answer any questions you may
have.
I am looking forward to working with you, and helping your child achieve his/her full potential. Click on any of the links below to find out about our preschool at St. Charles. Blessings Mrs. L. Basset |
Parent/Teacher
Relationship
I believe that you,
the parents, are
the primary educators of your child. You and I are partners in
this exciting adventure. A good parent-teacher relationship is necessary
for maximum school success for your child. Throughout the year I will
communicate with you through weekly newsletters and progress reports,
and parent-teacher conferences. I ask you to contact me if you have any
questions or concerns at any time. You can call me at school (789 0224),
home (722 6450), or email me at home (5sosatie7@cox.net).
I check my email many times each day.
Your child’s regular and prompt attendance at school is crucial for success. Most preschool learning activities involve interaction with classmates. Therefore, it is next to impossible to make up work at home. Please view school as a priority, and see to it that your child attends every day except in cases of illness or emergency. |
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We will begin our
day promptly at 8am – if your child is late, they will miss out on
important activities – please make every effort to be at school on time. Problems are less likely to arise if your child arrives at
school on time and is picked up on time. Before care opens at Parents who pick up
their children at |
Outdoor Recess
The children will
be going out for recess every day unless it is extremely cold. Even
during rainy weather, we have the luxury of a covered play area so that
we can still enjoy some fresh air. For the most part, if your child is
well enough to be at school, he/she is well enough to participate in
outdoor recess, if properly dressed. In fact, the germs that cause colds
thrive more readily in the heated indoor air, and it is beneficial to go
outside for fresh air.
We have indoor recess when the weather is extremely cold or wet.
All items of clothing are to be marked with your child’s name, including jackets and coats – we have a large collection of unclaimed and unnamed clothing in our possession! On the first day of school, please send a zip loc bag with a change of clothing (socks, underwear, shirt and pants) for your child – the bag and everything in it must be marked with your child’s name. These clothes will be sent home if your child has an accident, and needs to be replaced the very next day. Problems are less likely to arise if your child knows how to attend to her/his toileting and clothing needs without assistance – do not send your child to school in clothing that is too difficult for them to fasten, unfasten, tie, zip, snap and buckle by themselves. We will always be there to help them, but if they are desperate to use the bathroom, these tough tasks make it a lot more stressful and upsetting for them, and that is when accidents happen. Keep clothing simple – this is not a fashion parade. As much as I believe children should go barefoot as much as possible, school policy requires that every child wear shoes. We insist on sneakers and socks, or strap-backed sandals, not flip flops and open back sandals. The latter can be very dangerous on our climbing equipment.
For Girls Girls need to wear shorts under their skirts or dresses. |
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Your child will need a backpack.
A medium sized one is perfect.
The over-sized ones are too large for our small storeroom to
handle and the tiny ones will not hold all their belongings. The
children are very proud of their “work” and if it has to be scrunched in
their backpacks, they are disappointed. Check backpacks daily – you
don’t want to miss any important information.
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I encourage the children to be at school every day, but if your child is sick, please do not send them to school – we have too many little bodies in a relatively small space spreading every available germ around. Here are some of the measures we take daily to prevent germs
from spreading. Most activities in the preschool are hands-on; the germs
are more likely to spread rapidly. We Clorox counters, faucets and handles often during the
day, and wash hands many times. We insist in the classroom that the children sneeze and
cough into the crook of their arm or the neck of their
t-shirts/sweaters, NOT into their hands. After a sneeze we tell them to
use a tissue and then wash their hands. After using the bathroom, they MUST flush (you’d be very
surprised to find out how often
most
of the children do not do
this!), and wash their hands with soap. We do not flush for them – we
call them back to do it themselves. We strongly advise them to eat most of the healthy food at
lunch time, and also encourage the eating of fruit and vegetables at
home. Our experience is that
many of the children will throw their entire tray of food into the trash
can if we weren’t looking. Even though we do not force anyone to eat, we
do give choices, and we do not allow children to buy treats like
ice-cream, lollipops and popcorn if they have not eaten most of the
healthy food first. We talk about getting enough sleep at night.
A sleepy, tired child will not learn, and will be susceptible to
all kinds of infections.
9-10 hours is the right amount of sleep for a 4 and 5 year old. We turn the heat down
in our classroom to 68 degrees in the winter – hot and stuffy air is the
perfect breeding place for germs. We open the door many times during the
day to get fresh air circulating. We insist on the children wearing long sleeves, long pants,
and shoes and socks in the winter time – t-shirts, shorts, bare legs and
arms, in winter lead to runny noses. Do not send your child to school if they have a fever, or upset tummy. If they have strep, they have to be on an antibiotic for at least 24 hours before returning to school |
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We eat lunch in the gym every day with the
rest of the school at Your child is able
to choose a school cafeteria lunch or bring a healthy cold lunch. No candy or soda
please. We have a fridge to keep food cold. You are welcome
to join your child for lunch at any time (you may inform us of this in
the morning before school), but we do encourage independence as much as
possible, especially in the beginning, so that they are able to learn
the procedures without distractions.
The school offers
the students opportunity to buy lollipops, ice cream and popcorn every
few weeks. The price is 50c. On these days, you may give us 50c and we
will allow your child to buy it after lunch. However, if your child does
not eat a good lunch that day, we reserve the right to send the money
home without a purchase. You may have signed up for this position – we appreciate your help greatly. One of the duties of a homeroom mom is to help us on the second Wednesday of every month by watching the children during lunch time and lunch recess for about an hour. This is teacher appreciation day and we are able to enjoy a “child and duty-free” lunch at the school while two or three parents watch the children. If you would like to help during this time, please contact the home room mom so that it becomes an easy task for her to find helpers. We always appreciate your kindness on this day. |
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Mass is on Wednesdays at
Students may bring cookies or other fun snacks to share on their
birthday. This treat will be
shared at our morning snack time between |
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We have a school
bus which enables us to take trips to local areas of interest.
Field trip dates will be given to you well in advance. The
children will be encouraged to travel on the school bus for field trips,
but we love parents joining us. If you would like to be a driver for
your child, you will need to sign the safe environment forms at the
office and you also need to see the safety video, even if it is only
your child you are driving. During school hours, I am responsible for
your child and this is our school policy. The school handbook will be
given to you for all our school policies.
Going to the Stephen Fite Concert
Off to the Zoo! Let me know of any
allergies your child has. We do not allow peanuts and peanut products in
the classroom until we have determined that no child in our room is
allergic to it. I am willing to work within the boundaries of your
child’s allergies to some extent, but cannot diminish the enjoyment and
learning experience of the rest of the children in the class. If this is
a problem for you, we need to meet and talk about the issue as soon as
possible. No toys from home will be allowed at school.
Also no soft toys from home for naptime.
A Moms’ Day and a
Dads’ Day is scheduled each year. Dads and Moms will be invited to spend
the entire morning with us at school, 8am-noon. It is always a special
time and I want to encourage you to attend.
Dads’ Day
will be in the fall, |
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I want parents to make every effort to attend the monthly PTC meetings.
It is disappointing to see so few parents attend a meeting which is
vital to the well-being of our school. Many of the meetings are less
than an hour long. Please
try to participate is as many school activities as you can throughout
the year. We have an annual
auction in April, and I unapologetically urge every family to
sell raffle tickets every year. We only have
two parties, one at Christmas time and one at Mardi gras, but we
do have a simple Valentine celebration and a Thanksgiving feast.
We have a Thanksgiving tradition of presenting a play for the school and our families, called Tom Turkey’s Thanksgiving. It is an easy production which encourages confidence, interaction and participation. We have most of the costumes and they will be used from year to year, but if you come across any inexpensive children’s farm animal costumes during Halloween time, please let me know so that we can add to our collection.
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In May the preschoolers and Kindergarteners have an opportunity to take part in reciting a poem for classmates, family and friends. Your child will be
keeping a “journal” (examples of their work) – this will be collated and
given to you as a gift from them at the end of the year.
We will have
special snacks from home every Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday. Your
child will be assigned a day once every 6-8 weeks or so to bring 22
small snacks for the class. I will send home a
Snack Bucket which will remind you of your turn. Your turn will be
marked on the calendar I send home. No candy please! The
easiest snacks are the individually wrapped ones. I encourage you to be creative and
match the snack with the letter or theme of the week – that is always
fun for the kids! On Mondays and Fridays we will use the general
snacks you will bring as part of the school supplies at the beginning of
the year. The children participate in the distribution and clean up of
snack time. Social graces and proper table conversation are taught and
encouraged.
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The Snack Bucket is always fun to bring home!
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We visit the library once a week, on Tuesdays.
Your child will be able to choose a book only if the previous one
has been returned. If the book is damaged or lost, Mrs. Sine will send
you a notification to send the money to purchase it again. Your child
will not be able to take out another book until the money has been given
to her. We have a “library tub” on the shelf at the door. The children
may put their books in there as soon as they have finished with it. We
ask you to allow your child to be responsible for taking care of the
book as much as possible. It
is their responsibility to put it into their backpack when they are
finished with it. You may
remind them once or twice, but after that, it may be a lesson for them
to miss taking out a book for that week.
We do not want parents to “run back home” to get the book for
them on Tuesdays. Ms. Alma from the Warr Acres library will visit us
again this year, and she is wonderful with the children. She has family
attending
I would ask that we do something which may be new to some of you. Instead of giving me a Christmas gift, I ask you to consider buying something educational (appropriate for preschool thru kindergarten) for our classroom instead. I will be able to give you ideas of what to buy and where to buy it. If you are unsure of what to buy, a gift card to stores like Lakeshore, Toys R Us, Stewart Toys, Mardel, Hobby Lobby, or even Wal-Mart will be very useful indeed. I wanted to let you know early in case you come across any great sales at local stores. I believe that your money will be much better spent on things for our classroom. We want to build up the centers in our preschool. These items will remain in the school so that many future classes will enjoy them. |
Art in our classroom
The
process is more important
than the product. Please
remember that sometimes it looks very close to what it’s supposed to be,
and sometimes it absolutely does not! But you can be sure they had FUN
doing it! If you cannot decipher
the picture, a good question to ask is, “Tell me about your picture”,
and not, “What’s that?”
We need fresh play dough every week. At the end of the week it will be
thrown away to prevent germs spreading. I would appreciate parents
volunteering on a rotation basis to make play dough for our classroom.
It is an easy recipe, and it makes the best play dough in town! Please
email me at 5sosatie7@cox.net to
offer your help. Recipe:
4 cups water, 4 cups flour, 1 cup salt, 2 tblsp cooking oil, 4 teasp
cream of tartar, food coloring.
Combine ingredients. Cook, stirring constantly, until most of the
moisture is absorbed. Store in a covered container - does not need to be
refrigerated. Add a bit of baby oil to get a softer texture and a nice
smell.
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One of the easiest and fastest ways for me to communicate with parents
is through email. I am also able
to provide websites for excellent educational and fun games and
activities for your child to do at home on the computer. Please make
sure I have your email address – you can email me at
5sosatie7@cox.net
with the address.
This is a very important source of information for you. I keep it
updated every single week with photos, ideas and information, from our
calendar to our weekly newsletter.
You will find special poems we are doing, and the words to songs we are
singing. If you have lost
any of the paper trail, you will find what you need on the website.
Please visit our class web page often. I am not able to keep photos on
the site for too long because it takes up a lot of space. The address is http://www.scbschool.org/ for the school, and http://www.scbschool.org/pre-school.htm for our classroom. Add these to the favorites on your computer. |
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Your child will be
bringing home many Scholastic forms to order books about once a month.
If you wish to order, simply fill out the form and send a check made
out to the book company in an envelope. These orders are provided as
a convenient way for parents to buy quality books at a low price. As an
added bonus, for every dollar that is spent on books, we earn bonus
points, which I use to purchase books or equipment for our classroom.
As incentive for “going the extra mile”, I have a Treasure Box from which I allow children to pick when I think they have shown integrity in and out of the classroom. This privilege is not for things I expect them to do anyway – having good manners, listening carefully, following directions, being kind and loving to others, being respectful etc. This is for those who show integrity …doing what is right and good, even when no one is watching. It is about learning to be more like Jesus in all situations, even when no-one is there to watch, thank, or reward us. They will learn not to ask to pick out of the Treasure Box, but they are allowed to nominate others. This is about good choices they make themselves because it is the right and Godly thing to do. |
Discipline
Our school motto is
“Act kindly, love tenderly, and walk humbly with
God”.
We will say this motto often. With that I also use eight
expectations as the standard in my classroom. This provides a
predictable environment in which the children know what is expected of
them. It is a pro-active way
to teach procedures and establish expectations that build self-esteem
and make the classroom a place where children are immersed in a
"character" rich environment.
1.
We will value one another
as unique and special individuals.
2.
We will not laugh at or
make fun of a person's mistakes nor use sarcasm or putdowns.
3.
We will use good manners,
saying "please," "thank you," and "excuse me" and allow others to go
first.
4.
We will cheer each other
to success.
5.
We will help one another
whenever possible.
6.
We will recognize every
effort and applaud it.
7.
We will encourage each
other to do our best.
8.
We will practice virtuous
living, using the Life Principles.
(The Life Principles are chosen by Mr.
Sine as the Word of the Week for the school, and include concepts like
respect, initiative, compassion, self-discipline, cooperation,
perseverance, honesty, patience, and responsibility – you will find the
Word of the Week on the calendar I will send to you) Three additional expectations I have for the children in my class are that we address each other by name, speak in complete sentences, and use the Magic Triad (smile, gentle touches, and kind words) in our treatment of each other. I will not tolerate hitting or inappropriate touching of any kind. I want every child to feel safe in our room without the fear of being hurt by someone else. If a behavior is persisting or interfering in the learning process I will call a conference with you and your child to discuss further options.
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NaptimeIn the afternoon, we take a nap every day – your child will receive a fleece blanket, and a small pillow to use for the school year. These items belong to, and will remain at school. They will be washed regularly ! After naptime other great enrichment activities are planned every day.
We want to thank Mrs. Melodie Smith for donating all the blankets, pillows and pillow cases for our classroom.
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Box Tops and
This is an important fundraiser for our school and you are asked to
collect these. There is a red collection box on the shelf at the door so
that you can drop the labels in there at any time.
We are always looking for the following
items – we appreciate your kindness if you are able to help. Fun shaped macaroni, beads, bells, buttons, Barbie doll accessories, flower catalogues, dress up clothes (especially boys costumes) costume jewelry, dolls and dolls clothing, artificial flowers, educational games, hair dryers with cords cut off, hats, icing cake decorator kits, large inner tubes, old keys, lace, license plates, locks with keys, magnetic tape, old maps and atlases, neck ties and bow ties, nuts and bolts, plumbing supplies (faucets, elbows etc) – these make wonderful centers! – purses especially shiny glittery ones, scrabble letters, sequins, dress up shoes, old telephones and cell phones, videos (especially classic stories, Bible stories, and scholastic stories on video, Magic School Bus), wallpaper samples, old watches and clocks, x-rays, zippers. |
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Religion:
Principles of Catholic Justice (human dignity, citizen responsibility,
dignity of the poor, the rights of workers, care of God’s creation)
God loves me
Jesus is God’s Son
I am part of a church family
I can show my love for God Social Emotional Development:
Play, work, and interact easily with one or more children and/or adults
Participate in activities to develop skills necessary for building
esteem and abilities, including self-image and self-care Language:
Develop listening skills for the purpose of gaining information or
pleasure
Develop language through speaking and expressing ideas in group or
individual settings
Develop writing skills and experiment with the writing process – we use
the d’nealian writing method (the letters are slightly slanted and most
have “tails”)
See
http://www.abcteach.com/DNealian/printarrows.htm
Develop reading readiness skills through visual discrimination, print
awareness, phonological awareness, vocabulary, and comprehension
Develop vocabulary and understanding of words Mathematics:
Sort and classify objects and analyze simple patterns
Identify common geometric shapes, their properties and relationships in
the environment
Problem solving
Develop number sense to help solve real math problems and communicate
reasoning to solve these problems
Explore measurement
Develop and begin to use estimation, proportion, and calculations
Collect and organize data Cultural and Environmental Studies:
Introduced to scientific terminology
Practice appropriate behaviors while taking turns, sharing, and respect
for others
Develop awareness of choices and their impacts
Awareness of God’s creation
Develop awareness of Earth and space
Investigate and describe objects scientifically Safety and Physical Education:
Participate in activities that develop gross motor skills
Demonstrate non-movement skills like stretching, bending, twisting,
pulling etc
Eye-foot and hand-eye coordination
Develop fine motor skills
Develop age appropriate personal hygiene skills Art:
Basic drawing, cutting, gluing, coloring and painting skills
Responsibility
Develop self-expression
Show appreciation
Explore a variety of media, textures and methods Music and Movement:
Develop appreciation and enjoyment of music
Develop control, balance, and grace
Demonstrate the ability to rest and relax their body Kindergarten readiness
Other Important things we will be working on this year to help your
child get ready for kindergarten are:
Wash hands before eating
Use a tissue when needed
Cover mouth when coughing and sneezing
Flush toilet and then wash hands
Button, zip, snap, buckle, tie, put on and take off clothing
Play well with other children
Share and take turns willingly
Learn to control emotions
Accept adult authority
Respect the rights and property of others
Show kindness
Listen to others
Complete a task that is begun
Follow simple directions
Put toys and materials away
Do simple household tasks
Help others
Eat away from home
Open packages by themselves
Write and recognize own name
Know first, middle and last name
Know address and phone number D’Nealian
printing
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1 64-count Roseart Crayons (we prefer this brand to Crayola and it's less expensive) 5 Soap Dispensers (not hand
sanitizer)
2 boxes Kleenex 2 large glue sticks (not purple or blue kind) 3 kinds of healthy snacks (see below) for our Monday and Friday snack time – there are 22 children in the class so please make sure that there are 22 portions of each of your snacks. (please check the expiration dates and try to get packets marked with the latest dates you can find) Rice Crispie treats, Go-tarts, cookies,
breakfast bars, mini packs of cookies, cereal sticks, cereal (Kix, Fruit
Loops, Lucky Charms), crackers, popcorn, jello cups, pudding cups,
cheese sticks, goldfish, muffins, go-gurt, teddy grahams, Little Debbie
snack cakes, chips, fruit snacks, pretzels….. (again, please check the
expiration dates and try to get packets marked with the latest dates you
can find) |
What will your Child
Learn in our Preschool?
Circle Time What's Learned?
This time is an opportunity for the
children to learn how to organize their thoughts. As they talk about
their experiences, children learn how to tell a story with a beginning,
middle, and end. When a child learns the words to "The Itsy Bitsy
Spider" or "I Know an Old Lady Who Swallowed a Fly," this is an
important part of a child's informal education. This is "shared
knowledge"--that is information that society assumes you know. For
example, other children assume you know the words to familiar folk
songs.
Music Appreciation/Creative Movement What's Learned?
Singing carols in the school halls is a preschool annual tradition....
Music helps children connect the
outer world of movement and sound with the inner world of feelings and
observations. Playing games or moving to music is a powerful first
experience in the artistic process. Children learn music the same way
they learn language--by listening and imitating. Finger play promotes language
development, fine-motor skills, and coordination, as well as
self-esteem. Young children are proud when they sing a song and can do
the accompanying finger movements. Listening to music also teaches
important pre-reading skills. As youngsters use small drums or other
percussion instruments (homemade or store-bought), they can play the
rhythmic pattern of words. They can learn to hear the differences
between fast and slow, loud and soft, one at a time and together, etc.
When they try new instruments, they notice how each variation changes
the music. Creative movement expands a child's
imagination. It's also a fun method of physical fitness--an important
goal of child development.
Art
Projects What's Learned? A good art project teaches a child
that his creativity is limited only by his own imagination. By
transforming everyday objects, such as empty paper towel rolls and egg
cartons into sculptures, imaginary bugs, or spyglasses, a child
discovers that he can create a world of play. Using materials in an art project
reinforces and expands on the information a child has already learned in
other contexts. For example, let's assume that the art project of the
day is to make rubbings of leaves collected during a nature walk the day
before. If from a pile on the table, the child selects a dry leaf that
crumbles easily, the youngster learns, in a concrete way, about life
cycles in nature. Through trial and error, just like the scientist in a
lab, the student might find that green leaves or shiny leaves hold up
better for this art project. Another art project might have the
children create a fall mural by pasting leaves, pine cones, and acorns
on a large roll of paper. They might organize the project by sorting and
classifying the leaves, by color, shape, and size. These are pre-reading
and pre-math skills--as well as fun. In this same project, the group
also learns social skills such as cooperative and group dynamics. Do the
four-year-olds know this as they happily create a fall mural--probably
not, but their teachers certainly do. Art projects are also excellent for
developing a child's fine-motor skills. It takes small-muscle control in
order to manipulate clay, cut with scissors, paint with a brush, and
color with markers or crayons. As these skills are practiced, they help
a child gain mastery to cut with a knife, button his own shirt, and
print his name. Art projects build a child's
self-esteem. The finished product, on display on the refrigerator,
validates a child's sense of worth. It's another opportunity for a child
to say "I can do it!" The process, not the product, is the
most important element of preschool art projects.
Outdoor Play What's Learned?
Outdoor play refines a child's
gross-motor (large-muscle) skills. The cross-lateral movement (right
arm/left leg and vice versa) involved is critical to a child's later
success in reading and writing. Playground time is also an opportunity
to explore and manipulate a different environment. Children also love outdoor play
because they can let loose their imaginations while getting physical.
They can turn the jungle gym into a rocket ship, a castle, a
firehouse--anything they choose.
What's Learned? Since cooking is a basic life skill,
it fosters a child's sense of competence and independence when he can do
it. Math skills are also an important part of the process as the cook
needs to count and measure the ingredients. Cooking also refines
small-motor skills as a child stirs, dices, and adds ingredients. It
also teaches about nutrition-foods that are good for you and help you
grow. A child also discovers how things
change if you alter the environment: liquid batter becomes a cake when
baked; juice cups become Popsicles when frozen. Cooking also helps a
child's reasoning ability. He learns cause and effect. "If I don't put
the juice cups in the freezer, they won't become Popsicles."
Snack Time What's Learned?
Snack time is an opportunity for a
child to learn social skills as she chats with her friend in the seat
next to her. Passing out the snack and distributing a napkin and cup to
each child teaches one-to-one correspondence and counting skills.
Pouring the juice from a small pitcher to an individual cup requires
small-motor control. Cleanup time after snack is another educational
opportunity. Again, a child's sense of competence and independence are
reinforced. Snack time is also an opportunity for a child to associate
mealtime with pleasant feelings and provides an opportunity for children
to try new foods.
Free-choice Activities Free choice sounds vague, but is very
much a planned activity. The child has the freedom to choose among many
different activities, but the teacher has created the classroom
environment and arranged the choices the child will find. Free play is
not time off for the teacher. On the contrary, she will be paying close
attention to the children, interacting with them, offering guidance and
help where necessary, noting progress and difficulties. Here are some of the activities that
a child may choose during the free-choice period.
Building with Blocks What's Learned?
Blocks help children learn
scientific, mathematical, art, social studies, and language concepts;
use small-motor skills; and foster competence and self-esteem. Building
with blocks also teaches life skills. Just putting away your groceries
in the cupboard is using the same concepts of spatial relations,
stability, and balance that you learned in the block corner. Besides the scientific concepts
discussed in the previous paragraph, blocks also are important in
developing math skills. A child learns about depth, width, height,
length, measurement, volume, area, classification, shape, symmetry,
mapping, equality (same as), and inequality (more than, less than)--all
from building with blocks. Building with blocks also teaches art
concepts such as patterns, symmetry, and balance. A child learns about
symbolic representation, interdependence of people, mapping, grids,
patterns, people and their work. A child gains pre-reading skills such
as shape recognition, differentiation of shapes, size relations.
Language is enhanced as children talk about how to build, what they
built, what is its function or ask questions about concepts or
directions. And dramatic play is also a part of block building as
children create stories to go along with their constructions. Finally, building with blocks fosters
a feeling of competence, teaches cooperation and respect for the work of
others, and encourages autonomy and initiative. It's not just building with blocks
that are educational--so is cleanup. Sorting and storing blocks teaches
classification and one-to-one correspondence, which are important math
skills.
Dramatic Play What's Learned?
Playing make-believe lets a child
bring the complicated grown-up world down to size. Research demonstrates
that children who are active in pretend play are usually more joyful and
cooperative, more willing to share and take turns, and have larger
vocabularies than children who are less imaginative. Imaginative play helps youngsters to
concentrate, to be attentive, and to use self-control. Think about how a
child develops a game of supermarket. He must first set up the counter,
put out the pretend cans of food, invite friends to shop, use the "cash
register," and bag the groceries. All of these actions help a child to
learn about sequential acts. He also has a story or script in mind that
helps him to perform each of these steps in a logical and orderly way. When children pretend they also learn
to be flexible, substituting objects for those they do not have. For
example, a child will use an empty paper towel roll for a telescope. Through imaginative play, children
learn empathy for others. Children will often act out a whole range of
emotions when playing pretend, offering sympathy for a stuffed "doggie"
that is hurt or for a doll that fell off a chair. We watch them scold a
puppet for being naughty or tell a doll how proud they are because she
used the potty. Dramatic play encourages children to
think abstractly, which is an important pre-reading skill. Children come
to understand that words represent ideas.
Manipulative Toys What's Learned?
Manipulative toys help develop a
child's fine-motor skills, which is a precursor to being able to write.
Often these toys are also used in fantasy play. The beads that are
strung become the necklace for the "queen" to wear. The Play-Dough
creations include cookies for the impromptu "tea party."
Cooperative Play What's Learned?
Working together, whether it's on a
block building or planning a tea party, helps children to learn to
respect the ideas of others. They develop their social skills, and
social competence is an underlying goal of early childhood education.
Children in cooperative play learn to contribute to joint efforts. They
also learn how to problem solve by working together to find a solution.
Sand/Water Table What's Learned?
A child has a practical math lesson
in fractions when she pours a cup full of sand into a two-cup container.
It explains the concept faster and more clearly than a detailed
discussion or drawing. Her fine-motor skills are also being developed as
she washes a tea set or maneuvers a cup full of sand into a sifter. Her
eye-hand coordination is helped. As anyone who has sat on a beach
knows, sand and water play is soothing. It encourages children to
explore and learn about cause and effect. (For example, what happens if
I put a sponge in the water? What happens if I then squeeze the
sponge?). There is no right or wrong way to
play with sand and water (except to throw it out of the basin), so each
child experiences success.
Puzzles
What's Learned? Puzzles require abstract thinking:
the ability to see a space and envision what belongs there. Puzzles also
require fine-motor control in order to place the pieces into place.
Having puzzles for varied skill levels permits children at all stages of
development to experience success.
Books
What's Learned?
Children learn language skills from
books. Whether they are looking at a book individually or being read to
as part of a group, you set the stage for a lifelong interest in
reading.
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