Out in the Cold

So much to do in the classroom in 2022!!!

Our friends will have lots of fun with their ABC's and 123's in January.  

Build a snowman! 

http://metamoracommunityprek.blogspot.com/2016/01/do-you-want-to-build-snowman.html

Games, lacing cards and much more are in our Discovery Center.

http://metamoracommunityprek.blogspot.com/2015/01/snowmen-abcs-123s.html

Crinkle paper, cotton balls and polar animals create a cool winter sensory tub.

There is a ton of winter fun for our friends! 

Pumpkin Power!

For the health and safety of our students, there are lot of MCP activities that we will not be able to have in the classroom this year.  You might want to try some these ideas at home with your child!  

One of the easiest is just to get a pumpkin and cut it open.  Have your child look, touch and smell.  If you have a magnifying glass let your child look up close.  Pull seeds out and count.  How do the seeds feel?  Estimate.  Do you think there are ten seeds or more than ten?  One hundred?

Mix up pumpkin playdough!

http://metamoracommunityprek.blogspot.com/2011/10/dough-boy.html

More playdough recipes:

http://metamoracommunityprek.blogspot.com/2010/10/perfect-playdough.html

Easy breezy pumpkin muffins!  Yummy!

https://www.allrecipes.com/recipe/93290/easy-pumpkin-muffins/

It's just a can of pumpkin.  Cover up your child with a smock or old t-shirt. Use a plate or cookie sheet and draw shapes, numbers, and letters!

or just have some messy pumpkin fun!

Lots of fall fun for you and your child!

Across the Universe

 

We love our 'messy tub' at MCP.  Often called a 'sensory tub' or 'sensory bin' it is an important piece to the MCP curriculum.  If you do a search, you will find over four million results.  This will get you started:

U is for Universes so a couple years ago we added a space bin.  

http://metamoracommunityprek.blogspot.com/2019/03/mcp-space-rangers.html

Crinkle paper creates a garden or fun for the fall.

Giant bugs and  large silk flowers spring time fun.

http://metamoracommunityprek.blogspot.com/2019/04/the-big-box-of-bugs.html

Maybe next winter...a wintery bin with polar animals for artic adventures!

http://metamoracommunityprek.blogspot.com/2020/01/the-polar-plunge.html

How to and more info-

http://metamoracommunityprek.blogspot.com/2012/08/the-messy-tub.html

The Chicken? or the Egg?

 

This is not a sensory bin we have at MCP (yet) but it too cute not share for spring.  Find out more at:

https://modernpreschool.com/chicken-eggs-sorting-fine-motor-sensory/

(I would suggest crinkle basket filler paper instead of Easter grass)

Winter Fun for New Year

 

Make a messy tub-http://metamoracommunityprek.blogspot.com/2020/01/the-polar-plunge.html

It's just white crinkle paper, cotton balls and polar animals from your favorite online store.

Use dry hot chocolate mix to practice writing letters, numbers or spelling words.

Mini marshmallows make math fun.

http://metamoracommunityprek.blogspot.com/2020/01/marshamallow-math-game.html

A Sweet Christmas

A sweet idea to keep the kiddos busy during the holidays! 

We love messy tubs (often called 'sensory') at MCP. We use rice throughout the school year and at the holidays add a bit of peppermint extract.  Plastic candies can be found at your local dollar stores, craft store or on-line shopping site. 

http://metamoracommunityprek.blogspot.com/2013/12/candyland.html

Not interested in rice all over the kitchen floor?  Use white shredded crinkle gift bag paper for an easier clean up. 

After the holidays you can add polar animals!

http://metamoracommunityprek.blogspot.com/2020/01/the-polar-plunge.html

The Messy Tub---Halloween

 

A very popular center at MCP is the Messy Tub (often called a sensory tub or sensory bin)  Halloween means black beans, jack-o-lanterns, bats, spiders and more.  It's easy---http://metamoracommunityprek.blogspot.com/2012/08/the-messy-tub.html

Why are messy tubs important?
https://www.pre-kpages.com/what-is-a-sensory-bin/

https://www.pre-kpages.com/use-sensory-bin-preschool/

https://www.goodstart.org.au/news-and-advice/october-2016/exploring-the-benefits-of-sensory-play

A---Apples and America

 

At MCP we start the year with Letter A, apples and America.

Apples---

http://metamoracommunityprek.blogspot.com/2019/09/mwf-morning-meeting-apples.html

http://metamoracommunityprek.blogspot.com/2013/09/ten-apples-up-on-top-2013.html

http://metamoracommunityprek.blogspot.com/2011/09/is-for-apple.html

America---

http://metamoracommunityprek.blogspot.com/2017/09/a-apples-and-america.html

http://metamoracommunityprek.blogspot.com/2019/09/new-york-city-statue-of-liberty-tour.html

http://metamoracommunityprek.blogspot.com/2019/09/lego-statue-of-liberty.html

http://metamoracommunityprek.blogspot.com/2018/09/an-all-american-experience.html

MCP Homeschool Ideas---Our Centers

Are you homeschooling your preschooler?  Preschool is all about play.  Preschools are arranged in a wide variety of centers.  Our MCP students move freely from art to building to the library and then back to art if they desire.  It's a good size room with lots of kids. Your living space may already have centers or areas for your child's play.  Keep it simple.  If you search ideas for preschool homeschool space you'll get nine million results.  Your child is not interested in a 'pin worthy' space or something that qualifies for an HGTV series.  Your child needs space---not a lot but space to be creative and play. 

The MCP classroom is a calm and relaxed space.  We avoid the 'crayon flu' on the walls where classroom space is saturated with bright colors and lots of charts on the walls. A room that looks likes a box of sick crayons walked in and got sick all over the walls. Too busy.  Too distracting.  Would you want to work or live in such an environment?  

Remember it doesn't have to be fancy.  It has to be fun.  If you have the time, energy and space, you can change it up so your child remains engaged and interested in what you have planned.  It's new for you. It's new for them.

MCP Centers---

http://metamoracommunityprek.blogspot.com/2019/09/our-room-mcp-centers.html

Art---is always best in the kitchen or outdoors.  Crayons, markers, paper, glue and scissors.  Create a collage box.  Random stuff for gluing.  Save cracker and cereal boxes for a sturdy glue surface.  

http://metamoracommunityprek.blogspot.com/2012/08/the-collage-box.html

Stop fighting the flow of the glue bottle---

http://metamoracommunityprek.blogspot.com/2011/09/glue-bottles-and-glue-battles.html

Writing---an old coffee table, pens, pencils, paper, envelopes (save from your junk mail), recycle greeting cards.  Remember scribbles are writing!  

Home Library--If you have the time, energy and space try not to place ALL of your child's books in their reading corner.  We rotate books seasonally, with the holidays and when we can see the kiddos are tired of the library.  

We put books everywhere.  Kids are hard on books when they are incorporated into their play. This might not work for you and your child because the books do get a little more wear and tear when they are in a center.  More info---

http://metamoracommunityprek.blogspot.com/2015/02/the-book-shelf.html

Grab a bed sheet and cover the kitchen table and place a basket of books underneath for a fun space.  Family room?  Is there space for a card table with a sheet?  (cover three sides and leave one open so you can see your child inside)

I love our building center!  

Building---Why are blocks important?

http://metamoracommunityprek.blogspot.com/2019/08/new-kids-in-blocks.html

If you have the time, space and energy switch it up.  Put the blocks away and have LEGOS, a train set or other building materials.  

Messy Tub---it's not for everyone because it's messy!  We use rice, sand and black beans but crinkle paper used in gift bags and baskets is fun and easy clean up!  Look under the 'Sensory' label for more ideas.

http://metamoracommunityprek.blogspot.com/2015/08/mcp-centers-messy-tub.html

Dramatic Play---does more than you think for your child's development.  

http://metamoracommunityprek.blogspot.com/2015/08/mcp-centers-dramatic-play.html

Keep it simple. Our castle, fire truck, rocket ship and pizza oven are large cardboard boxes.  Nothing fancy plus they fold flat and are easy to store in our attic space.  For more ideas check under our 'Dramatic Play' label.  

We hope this helps you and your child with your homeschool preschool.  

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. 

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

Message in a Bottle

We have had so much fun in the sun the last couple weeks.  Our TTh class made seashore sensory bottles.  Small soda bottle, tinted water with a hint of blue glitter (I love glitter), a small amount of baby oil, 'sea glass' (glass vase filler), small seashells and plastic fish.  

Dipping Chocolate

What a fun way to practice writing our name, our letters and numbers!  Hot chocolate powder and a pointer finger!  Dee-lish!  You and your child can do this at home.  A cookie sheet provides more surface for letters and numbers.  Older children can practice spelling words or math!  

The Polar Plunge

This polar plunge is filled with polar animals and lots of fun.  Easy breezy to do at home! 4-5 bags of white crinkle paper (used in gift bags) and 2-3 bags of cotton balls. Small clear plastic tubs create floating ice for penguins and polar animals to rest. 

Christmas in our Classroom

There is a LOT for your child to do this month!



https://metamoracommunityprek.blogspot.com/2018/11/mcp-christmas-2018.html




https://metamoracommunityprek.blogspot.com/2018/11/mcp-christmas-2018-part-2.html

Scarecrows, Acorns and Fun!

It's a new messy tub for fall!  

Halloween 2019

We will have lots and lots and lots of Halloween activities in our classroom.  What will your child choose?


The messy tub is all black and orange.


Mini Monsters are in the garden.



Mr. Bones ABC's and a lot more.  Check it out---
http://metamoracommunityprek.blogspot.com/2018/10/halloween-2018.html



And Halloween I SPY bottles.