Post Office/Bakery

The OLES post office and bakery are open for business!  Over the last few days, the preschoolers have been carefully writing their names on holiday cards & letters and addressing their package labels so that postal workers can deliver them to their friends.  It is exciting to watch their communication, literacy and dramatic play skills increase as they take on the different roles in this center.  While the two centers seem very different, they actually complement each other nicely.  In the preschooler's eyes, the bakery gives purpose to the post office.  Since many of the preschoolers have had minimal life experiences with the post office or receiving mail, the concept of sending packages/goodies to their loved ones helps to bridge this gap of understanding.  Our aim is to focus on the language behind these types of jobs and to encourage the preschoolers to interact with each other in a positive manner.  Sending and receiving packages to their friends encourages just that.

In the bakery, the preschoolers are able to make many delicious baked goods.  First, we have them choose a recipe card to follow.  Then, they collect the ingredients that they will need to make their food item.  Lastly, the preschoolers are encouraged to bake the dough, batter, etc. and then package or prepare it so that they can mail it to someone else.  It's a tough job, but someone has to do it.

                                        

                           

 

Bears/Forest

                                        
 

During our Bears/Forest thematic unit, the preschoolers learned about nature & the animals that live in the forest.  Each day, they were able to explore a dark cave, fish like a bear and help the chipmunks & squirrels to hide nuts for the upcoming winter months.  The preschoolers learned what different kinds of bears eat, what they look like and why they hibernate.  As the preschoolers were actively playing in the forest, they were also learning many new vocabulary words & practicing their social/communication skills.

The preschoolers were also able to observe real items from nature such as fall leaves, acorns and pine cones in the forest.  They loved using the magnifying glass tools in this center.  The best part was that their excitement for learning led to many great discussions about the forest and season of fall/autumn.  In fact, the preschoolers were so excited to observe items from nature that they began looking for seeds, leaves, sticks and other items from nature everywhere they went!  They were bringing me items from home, the playground, etc. to add to the center daily.  We used this opportunity to have them practice their talking.  When they would bring something in, they would give their friends clues about what they had brought.  Their friends had to listen to the clues and guess what it was.  

During the last week of the thematic unit, we focused on the story of Goldilocks and the Three Bears.  We read various versions of the story and compared the stories' similarities and differences.  The preschoolers favorite part was acting out the stories and using their "Big Papa" voice or "Baby Bear" voice.  This was exciting to see because it showed that they not only had comprehension of the story through listening, but that they were hearing the differences in my tone of voice & emulating it.