Rocking in our School Shoes

 

 

During the first week of school, we read the story, Pete the Cat - Rocking in My School Shoes by Eric Litwin.  The preschoolers loved the story & had the chance to act out various actions that they enjoyed doing in their own school shoes!  We also made a class book to remind us of all of the fun that we had in our school shoes.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Here's to another great school year!

Welcome to the Ocean Lakes Oral Preschool where we strive to learn something new each day!  Our class focuses on learning to talk through listening.  To do so, we aim to provide a language rich environment that focuses on acquiring a wide variety of vocabulary through developmentally appropriate activities.   We use a natural, play based model of learning that encourages our students to talk about the materials in their environment with those around them.  This approach encourages interactions among the students and helps them to obtain the necessary conversational skills and dramatic play skills that will enhance their curiosity and future learning opportunities.

Since our class is a multi-age, preschool classroom, we are working on all areas of development. However, we focus heavily on the language & social emotional growth of each child since this will help them to effectively navigate future interactions in life.  Our goal is to foster a love of learning in each child while also encouraging them to communicate in an effective manner with others.

I truly have a passion for the early childhood age group and am excited that you and your child will be a part of our learning journey this year.  This blog will serve as a window into our classroom.  On the side of the blog, you will see links to songs that we are (or will be) using in class.  Additionally, some of our literacy focus books will be included on side of the blog in the Goodreads icon.  Lastly, there are other links containing educational sites for you to peruse with your child when he/she is out of school.

Please share this blog with your family members and friends.  The pictures will paint a picture of the learning that is happening in our class each day.  I encourage you to use these pictures as a conversation-starter with your child.  Hopefully, this will remind your child what they have been learning in class & give them a reason to talk to you about it.   Remember, you are just as important to your child's learning as we are.  You were your child's first teacher and will continue to be the most important influence to him/her through out the years.  We appreciate all that you do at home & look forward to working with you, as a team, to support your child's overall growth.

Ms. Julie

OLES Beach

You can't live in VA Beach without learning about the Ocean/Beach!  So, our last thematic unit of the year is focused on just this subject.  We wanted to make sure that the preschoolers had the language to talk about & understand some of the things that they may do this summer.  In fact, we are learning all about the activities that you can do at the beach in the sand & in the water.  Additionally, the preschoolers are learning about many of the animals that live in the sand & in the sea.  While it may be rainy outside some days, it's always sunny and warm in room #10!

  

 

Aquarium Field Trip - at OLES!

The Virginia Beach Aquarium came to visit OLES last week!  The preschoolers had a blast learning all about sea turtles.  I was really impressed at their enthusiasm for learning about these sea creatures as well as how well they paid attention to the presentation!  In the end, we all learned a lot about turtles, but the best part was getting to meet and touch a real, live turtle that is indigenous to our area.

  

Dinosaurs!

Welcome to our dinosaur excavation site!  Over the past few weeks, the preschoolers learned all about dinosaurs and what a Paleontologist does for his/her job.  They gently searched in the sensory table for dinosaur bones with their very own tools and brushed the sand off of the bones.  After they found all of the dinosaur bones, the preschoolers had to figure out how to put them together like a real scientist would have to do.  The preschoolers loved burying and uncovering the dinosaur bones in the sand, almost as much as they liked putting the 3-D dinosaur model puzzles together!

While we didn't focus on the actual names of the dinosaurs, we discussed the different characteristics that each of them had.  We talked about sharp claws & teeth, bony plates, scaly skin, large/small feet, wings and tails.  We also discussed some of the different kinds of bones that each dinosaur had.  Lastly, we talked about where the dinosaurs lived, what they ate and if they could fly, swim, walk or run.   In the end, we even uncovered "dinosaur eggs" in our language experience time & made our own volcano erupt!

 

  

 

OLES Grocery Shoppers

 

 

  

  

Super Shoppers!

The OLES Grocery Store is open for business!  Each day, the preschoolers are able to go shopping for groceries as well as learn the different types of jobs that are completed in a supermarket.  The grocery store has food items such as fruits & vegetables, fish meat & even sushi to purchase!  YUM! 

While playing in this center, the preschoolers are able to practice important conversational & social skills while learning many new vocabulary words along the way.  Additionally, they are learning to use some practical math skills like weighing & comparing food items, identifying different types of money (coins/dollars) as well as exchanging money for food items.  Don't forget about the pre-literacy skills that we are working on in this center!  The preschoolers are now looking at food labels & writing their own grocery lists so that they know what to buy at the store!

After they are finished shopping, the preschoolers have the opportunity to take their food items back to the kitchen center.  This activity has been helped them learn to classify the food items into categories as well as match each 3D food item to a 2D picture of the food on the shelves.  It has been a blast to see them engage in the shopping process and even imitate the shopping process that is familiar to most of them.  While their participation may not be as fast paced as the old television show, "Supermarket Sweep," the preschoolers certainly are the winners in this center for gaining more life experiences.