Sea Life's Beauty---super pod of dolphins

SLIME IN SPACE!

Tell Mom ASAP

There are many benefits to owning a pet.  May is National Pet Month and I have had my share of pets.  I have calculated that from childhood to present, I have had---5 dogs, 2 gerbils, 2 birds, 1 guinea pig, 2 rabbits, several lizards, hundreds of fish and one piranha.  My childhood was filled with pets and my kids have had their share including our first family dog, Rosie.

Pets teach children responsibility. I found the lizard note  in my son's room...the only problem?  He forgot the 'tell mom asap' so when I found the note I found the dead (really dead) lizard.  Children and pets provide humor, too!  The note still hangs on my bulletin boards because it makes me laugh.

Want to know more about why pets are good for you and your child?  
https://www.parents.com/parenting/pets/kids/the-benefits-of-pets/

https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/animals-and-us/201707/why-kids-pets-are-better

https://www.readersdigest.ca/home-garden/pets/6-reasons-why-pets-are-good-kids/

MCP Class of 2020

To the Metamora Community Preschool 

Class of 2020-

Congratulations!  

Thank You, Little Richard

Thank you, Little Richard (1932-2020) for the best Hokey Pokey of all time!  We have danced to this hundreds of times over the years.  Time to put your right hand in and shake it all about.

Why Do I Teach?

No one should teach 

who is not in love with teaching.

Margaret Elizabeth Sangster

I love teaching.  More importantly, I love teaching preschool.  I did not set out to be a preschool teacher.  After graduating from Illinois State University with a degree in elementary education, my goal was a second grade classroom.  Boy, was I wrong.

Life has a way of putting people and events in our path to prepare us for what is ahead.  I always start with my parents as my biggest influence but many others provided experiences and knowledge that nurtured my love of teaching.  Through a series of events in my life, I ended up teaching preschool when my boy were littlie and I was hooked.  

LOVE. LAUGH. LEARN. GROW!  It's the MCP way.  It is our program.   This allows us to really teach your child and not just implement a curriculum kit.  I love to teach and develop curriculum.  I am so grateful that I can add ideas that continually enhance and improve your child's preschool experience.  Masterpiece Monday, 100 Wednesday and Fun Food Friday are activities we added a few years ago.  Our Morning Meeting starts your child's day with letters, numbers, patterns or a graph.  Our day is packed with learning in a unique and fun way.

I don't teach alone. The MCP staff continually goes above and beyond the all of duty.  These three ladies are dedicated to MCP.  I could not have taught our MCP Homeschool without their help and support.  Thank you is not enough for their commitment, extra hours and hard work.
 

Eight weeks ago we began the MCP Homeschool. We had no idea how we would take preschool through the screen into your home.  I took it as a personal challenge to rework our curriculum for our homeschool lessons.  Some lessons were better than others.  Some were complete fails (I posted them anyway).  There were a lot of changes from the original concept but it worked.  The primary goal was to create an environment so your child could feel like they were in the classroom. It was something, someone and someplace that was familiar in a very unfamiliar time.

We thank your for your continued support.  Thank your for sharing your child with us in the classroom or on the screen for a few hours a week.  It has meant more than you can ever imagine.

I truly have loved teaching your child and have the best job in the world.
Be happy. Be healthy. Be safe. D

Breakfast in Bed

My favorite books about mothers---

https://metamoracommunityprek.blogspot.com/2012/05/are-you-my-mother.html

A Message for Mother's Day

On Sunday, we will celebrate Mother's Day.  My mom has been gone ten years.  Her lessons remain with me but I still miss her.  I posted this originally in 2011 and felt the message was appropriate for 2020.  My sister-in-law sent this to my Mom on May 3, 2007.  It was written by Temple Bailey in 1933.

Parable of Motherhood---
The young Mother set her foot on the path of life.  "Is this the long way?" she asked.  And the guide said, "Yes, and the way is hard and you will be old before you reach the end of it.  But the end will be better than the beginning."

But the young Mother was happy and she would not believe that anything could be better than these years. So she played with her children and gathered flowers for them along the way, and bathed them in the clear streams; and the sun shone on them and the young Mother cried, "Nothing will ever be lovelier than this."

Then the night came, and the storm, and the path was dark, and the children shook with fear and cold, and the Mother drew them close and covered them with her mantle, and the children said, "Mother, we are not afraid for you are near and no harm can come."

And the morning came, and there was a hill ahead, and the children climbed and grew weary and the Mother was weary.  But at all times she said to the children, "A little patience and we are there." So the children climbed and when they reached the top they said, "Mother, we would not have done it without you."

And the Mother, when she lay down at night looked up at the stars and said, "This is a better day than the last, for my children have learned fortitude in the face of hardness. Yesterday I gave them courage. Today, I've given them strength."

And the next day came strange clouds which darkened the earth, clouds of war and hate and evil and the children groped and stumbled, and the Mother said, "Look up.  Lift your eyes to the light."  And the children looked and saw above the clouds an everlasting glory, and it guided them beyond the darkness.  And that night the Mother said, "This is the best day of all, for I have shown my children God."

And the days went on and the weeks and the months and the years, and the Mother grew old and she was little and bent.  But her children were tall and strong and walked with courage.  And when the way was rough, they lifted her, for she was light as a feather; and at last they came to a hill, and beyond they could see a shining road and golden gates flung wide.  And Mother said, "I have reached the end of my journey. And I know the end is better than the beginning, for my children can walk alone and their children after them."

And the children said, "You will always walk with us, Mother, even when you have gone through the gates." And they stood and watched her as she went on alone, and the gates closed after her. And they said, "We cannot see her but she is with us still. A Mother like ours is more than a memory. She is a living presence..."

Your Mother is always with you...She's the whisper of the leaves as you walk down the street; she's the smell of bleach in your freshly laundered socks; she's the cool hand on your brow when you're not well.  Your Mother lives inside your laughter.  And she's crystallized in every tear drop.  She's the place you came from, your first home; and she's the map you follow with every step you take.  She's your first love and your first heartbreak, and nothing on earth can separate you.

2019---
http://metamoracommunityprek.blogspot.com/2019/05/what-our-mothers-teach-us.html

2018---
http://metamoracommunityprek.blogspot.com/2018/05/what-every-child-needs.html

2017---
http://metamoracommunityprek.blogspot.com/2017/05/moms-breakfast.html

2016---
http://metamoracommunityprek.blogspot.com/2016/05/in-awe-of-mothers.html

2013---
http://metamoracommunityprek.blogspot.com/2013/05/ten-questions-to-ask-your-mother-now.html

2012---
http://metamoracommunityprek.blogspot.com/2012/05/when-god-created-mothers.html

Mondrian-Composition with Red Blue and Yellow

Composition with Red Blue and Yellow

Piet Mondrian    1929

Dish Towel with Electric Tape and Plastic Bricks

D. Quinn     2020

MCP---MMonday Wayne Thiebaud

Wayne Thiebaud

Tie Pile 1969

http://www.sothebys.com/en/auctions/ecatalogue/2011/stone-i-and-ii-n08815/lot.29.html

This was harder than it looks!  My title is 'Jerry: Dressed to the Nines'  My husband loves Jerry Garcia ties and there are nine.  Have a great weekend.  

Spider on the Floor with Raffi

The Very Busy Spider - Animated Children's Book

Throwback Thursday---House at Pooh Corner

There's so much  to be done...

Ladybug Eating Aphids

The Grouchy Ladybug by Eric Carle

The Amazing Life Cycle of the Monarch Butterfly

The Very Hungry Caterpillar - Animated Film

Dear Preschooler,

It's not just seniors in college and high school. It's not just eighth graders.  Many are missing out of so many things including our kiddos.  This young mom nails it. Grab a tissue.

https://herviewfromhome.com/kids-preschooler-your-year-too/

The True Story of the Three Little Pigs

One more story about the 3 Little Pigs!

MCP Masterpiece Monday Challenge

The beginning of April, the the Getty Museum issued an art challenge for all of us at home.  Recreate art with household items  It is a joy to see how creative people are with household items, toys, pets, children and their families.  Today is Masterpiece Monday. I've been cleaning out closets and found my son's wrestling shoes and was inspired to recreate Van Gogh's 'A Pair of Boots'.

Mine is not super creative but it's fun.  We have some rainy days ahead.  You and your child might be inspired by our Masterpiece Monday artists.  Who have we studied?

• Vincent Van Gogh
• Wayne Thiebaud 
• Wassily Kandinsky
• Pablo Picasso
• Piet Mondrian
• Georgia O'Keefe

I hope you and your child are inspired to create your own masterpiece.  The wrestling shoes are art history.

Y is for Yo-Yo

The Gingerbread Girl

DIY Gingerbread

We have stencils in our classroom to trace, color and cut. You will find a gingerbread cookie outline on our website.

What will your child create?  A gingerbread boy? A gingerbread girl?  A gingerbread fireman?  

The Ninjabread Man | Kids Books

The Gingerbread Cowboy---Storytime

The Gingerbread Man

Catch Me If You Can

We are going to be reading several variations of the 'Gingerbread Man'.  At school we add googly eyes, buttons, cut up beaded necklaces and pipe cleaners to our play dough center. 

The Hula-Hoopin' Queen read by Oprah Winfrey

Huff & Puff Challenge

https://www.stevespanglerscience.com/lab/experiments/huff-and-puff/

Piggie Pie

The Three Little Javelinas by Susan Lowell

Egg in a Bottle Experiment | PBS Parents

Another egg in the bottle experiment.  This requires close adult supervision. Enjoy some egg-citing science with your child!

Egg in a Bottle Experiment 1

An experiment for your hard boiled eggs.  This requires close adult supervision. 

Playdough

We love playdough at MCP.  With our Gingerbread Man unit coming up this week if you have the inclination here are some recipes we like:
http://metamoracommunityprek.blogspot.com/2011/10/dough-boy.html


http://metamoracommunityprek.blogspot.com/2013/07/play-grounds.html


http://metamoracommunityprek.blogspot.com/2013/01/chocolate-scented-valentine-playdough.html

Why is playdough important to your child's development?
https://www.naeyc.org/our-work/families/playdough-power

Masterpiece Monday---Vincent

What do you remember about Vincent?  Do you remember how to draw a sunflower?  Would that be a still life or a portrait?  What other famous painting did Vincent create?  Get your crayons and markers and be inspired by Vincent today!

The Three Questions - Read Aloud

Rabbits! Learn about Rabbits

Learn About Rabbits

Fun facts about rabbits:

https://www.natgeokids.com/uk/discover/animals/general-animals/10-hopping-fun-rabbit-facts/

The Three Little Pigs at Home

We hope you and your child are having fun with our fairy tales.  We love dramatic play at MCP.  We have our three little houses so the kiddos can huff and puff and pretend.

We also have dress ups and props for our little pigs and wolf.  You and your child can use your imaginations if you would like to create a 'prop box' for The 3 Little Pigs.  A pink t-shirt, a black t-shirt or just the imagination.  Use the houses we have posted on our website.  Play indoors or outdoors.   Huff and puff and run around.  

Our Fun Food Friday for this unit is our 3 Little Pigs snack.  We tell the children are going to have straw, sticks and bricks for snack.  

Our Three Little Pigs snack is yummy and easy.  Add straw (1 can potato sticks), sticks (2 bags pretzels sticks---we broke in half for easy eating) and bricks (2 bags chocolate chunks).   It makes enough for fifteen hungry little piggies so you can cut in half for you and your family. 

MCP Homeschool-Fun Food Friday

Jelly beans are great for sorting, patterns and counting.  

This is an easy activity to do at the kitchen table.  Give your child some jelly beans and sort the jelly beans by color.  Your child can put the jelly beans in piles or line them up like a bar graph.  Use words like greatest, most, least, fewest and equal.  Count the jelly beans.

We also create patterns with the jelly beans.  We work on the AB, AAB, ABB and ABC pattern but you can get really creative with your child.  The jelly beans make fun colorful patterns.  

See if your child can count out ten jelly beans.  Challenge them to count out twelve or twenty.

Want to do more?  If you search 'preschool activities with jelly beans' you will have a million ideas to get you started.  

Jelly beans will make math fun for you child! 

Clark the Shark Read by Chris Pine

Three Little Wolves & Big Bad Pig

"The Three Little Aliens and the Big Bad Robot"

The Three Little Fish and the Big Bad Shark

The Three Little Pigs - Disney Story Book

Richard Scarry - The Three Little Pigs (CC)

Silly Symphony Three Little Pigs

Weather Words

We always have many options during center time for our MWF kiddos.  This activity is about matching the words.  A homeschool version will be available on website.

Writing Weather Words

This center activity will be available on our website.

Have your child copy the words.  Your child could also color and cut the raindrops. I wish you had an 'easy button' to press!

If You Give a Mouse a Cookie

The Skeletal System

Is Your Mama a Llama (Original Song)

Skeleton Science Center

We've adapted this activity for your child to do at home.  Go to our website.  Under the MCP Homeschool page you will find MCP Skeleton.  Have your child cut and glue the bones to the correct word.  

Masterpiece Monday---Aboriginal Art

It's Masterpiece Monday!  Does your child remember creating Aboriginal Art?

What country/continent did we visit?

Why is it called the 'Land Down Under'?

It has water all around it so it is an....

Can you and your child talk with an Australian accent?

How would you travel to Australia?

Do you think the children in Australia are sleeping or wake now?

What animals did we 'see' in Australia?

We hope you and your child have a g'day, mate!

Skeleton Dance | Halloween Songs for Kids | Shake Dem Halloween Bones | ...

Pigsty

Worms For Kids

And a link to National Geographic for Kids...
https://kids.nationalgeographic.com/animals/invertebrates/earthworm/

Let's Dance On!

TGIF!  Dance Party!

MCP favs---

http://metamoracommunityprek.blogspot.com/2020/03/dance-like-nobody-is-watching.html

Betty White & Harry the Dirty Dog

How It's Made: Toilet Paper

The Leakproof Bag

We did a couple experiments today with water.  Steve Spangler explains why the bag does not leak or rip.  I cannot but it is a super fun experiment!

https://www.stevespanglerscience.com/

Here's How Jelly Beans Are Made

Writing Numbers

Writing Numbers

·      Remember the goal is not perfection but practice and interest.  Praise your child’s efforts.  The goal is to strengthen the small muscles in the fingers.  

§  1-Draw a straight line top to bottom.

§  2-Make a candy cane and a twisty tail (or straight line depending on the school)

§  3-Two BIG bellies for our friend 3

§  4-Make a small letter L and add a straight line top to bottom

§  5-Mr. 5 wakes up, goes down stairs, eats half a bowl of cereal, puts on his hat, goes to work and is home by 5. (It’s long but it works)

§  6-She slides down the hill and makes a snowball.

§  7-Across the field and down the hill.

§  8-Making a race track!

§  9-Make a balloon and add a stick so it doesn’t blow away!

§  10-Draw a straight line top to bottom.  Make an oval.

MCP from A to Z

Upcoming lessons will be coloring our ABC's so they look like the letters we decorate at school.  Letters are located on our website  under MCP Homeschool.  The lessons will be divided into short segments until we get caught up to letter W.

You and your child can put these in book form or hang in your home.  

Ray Charles Reads Chicka Chicka Boom Boom

Whistle for Willie

Now Is the Write Time

In our MWF classes, we help the children write their first name. We do not focus on proportion, use lined paper or obsess about proper letter formation. We do not want them to get burned out on writing before they reach kindergarten. This is one thing most children want to learn to do-write their own name. Here are a couple simple things you can do at home to help your child--

*Cover your child with an old t-shirt or paint smock. On a tray, paper plate, plate or cookie sheet, place chocolate or vanilla pudding on the tray/sheet. Have your child use their pointer finger to write their name in pudding! Start with just writing the first letter. When your child feels successful with first letter, begin to add others. Older siblings? Have them practice their spelling words, math facts and more in pudding. Do it before bedtime and you can call it their bedtime snack!

*Adventurous?  Look for other things in the kitchen pantry that will make letters and math a little more fun. 

*Write your child name with a highlighter and have them trace the letters.

*We used hot cocoa powder in January for Fun Food Friday.  Hot chocolate powder and a pointer finger!  Dee-lish!  
Remember make it fun. If your child is getting frustrated, it's time to stop. 
Enjoy writing letters and numbers with your child

Learn to Dance

Life isn't about waiting for the storm to pass, 

it's about learning to dance in the rain. 
Anonymous