Welcome Fall!

Everyone must take time to sit and watch the leaves turn.  ~Elizabeth Lawrence~

Fall Garden 2012

The MWF classes have filled our fall tree with beautiful leaves this week.  Why?  Because every time they cut a leaf  they get  to press the EASY BUTTON! http://metamoracommunityprek.blogspot.com/2011/11/that-was-easy.html

 

BARN DANCE! 2012

 I read BARN DANCE!  to our MWF classes today.  We will be rereading and singing this book together over the next few classes.  BARN DANCE! was a Reading Rainbow book and  is one of my favorite fall books...check out this blog post from 2010---
Barn Dance 2010

International Talk Like a Pirate Day

                                                                    

What is a pirates favorite doll?  BARRRRRRRRRRRRR-bie
What are pirates afraid of?  the DARRRRRRRRRRRRRR-k
Where do pirates keep their cookies?  in a JARRRRRRRRR

Happy International Talk Like A Pirate Day!

Here Are My Hands

Today we read Here Are My Hands by Bill Martin Jr. and John Archambault.  We went to the tables and glued lots and lots of hands on tag board.  We cleaned up and everyone went back to center time.  I called each child individually and painted their hand.  Some were a little uncertain about getting their hand painted but all cooperated and the results are just super cute.

At the art center, we will have tag board and shapes for gluing!  This activity is available at center time so your child may or may not create a shape picture.

Monday, Monday

Our MWF classes have a lot going on this Monday!  There were apples and apple seeds to look at with the magnifying glasses.

At the art center...

Fall Trees

Fall Trees

 and apple trees!

Apple Trees

Apple Trees

We are cutting leaves for the tree in the 'garden'.

Ask your child about our busy Monday!

Speech and Language---4 year old

Children ask a lot of questions. It is how they begin to make sense of the world around them.  The four year old asks a LOT of questions.  Young children can ask between 120-130 questions a day. The four year old is the gold medalist of questions averaging  400-450 questions per day.  No wonder you're exhausted! So what else can expect from your four year old?

At four...

*asks lots of questions but is more interested in how things relate to his/her own view than an explanation
*can identify basic shapes
*begins to understand 'early in the morning', 'next month' or 'next year'
*talks about imaginary conditions using words like 'suppose' or 'I hope'
*sentences length is about 4-5 words
*"Who" and "Why" are big questions
*starts to use more complex sentence structure
*begins to use contractions (can't, don't, etc.)
*should be using past tense correctly in sentences
*vocabulary is about 1500 hundred words
*using  m, n, ng, f, h, w, y, k, b, d, g, r  letter sounds  correctly


You can...
*have your child help plan family activities (holiday dinners, weekend plans, etc.)
*talk with your child like a normal person (time to stop the baby talk!)
*read longer stories
*let your child tell you stories (we do a lot of this at MCP.  The children dictate and I write.  Your child can continue with the story with you at home)
*speech and language is continuing to grow and develop so do not over correct or expect perfect speech patterns

If you have any questions or concerns, contact The Woodford County Special Education Association or the professionals in your area.

Speech and Language---3 year old

 I understand the speech development of preschoolers but I am not a speech pathologist. That being said there are many things parents and teachers can do to stimulate the speech and language of young children.  Please remember children develop at different rates and if you have any concerns about your child's development you should contact the Woodford County Special Education Association  (or the professionals in your area) for a screening.

At three...
*match primary colors and name colors
*knows night and day
*can understand 'yesterday', 'summer',  'lunch', 'tonight', etc.
*starts to understands phrases like 'put the box under your bed',  'go around the table', etc.
*talks to self  (a way of practicing speech and vocabulary)
*knows name and boy/girl.  May know last name, street and town where live
*sentences are 3-4 words
*vocabulary is about 1000 words
*"m, n, ng, p, f, h and w" sounds should be pretty consistent
*tends to repeat sounds, words or phrases (this is why we must be careful w/our words at this age!)
*sings songs
*can tell if you s/he is tired
*"What?" is a very common question

You can...
*extend conversations
*if your child has trouble with a word, use it frequently in your speech
*talk about words, objects and ideas
*compare and contrast things and talk about how things are the same and different
*have your child tell and retell stories using pictures and books
*begin to read longer stories
*pay close attention to your child when s/he is talking to you

Tomorrow...the four year old.