Learning Shapes in the Fall

This last month our theme was SHAPES. But we've learned SO MUCH MORE! I am amazed at how much children this age can soak in. The songs, the poems, the curriculum, and.... we are reading! We are having a lot of fun too. 

 We always start with a snack and puzzles. These kids are getting really good at the harder puzzles. They like to team up and work on them together. 

In addition to shapes, we've focused a lot on numbers this month as well. The students have completed lots of great worksheets that teach number recognition, counting, shape recognition, and number writing. They earn Bri's Bucks for their worksheets and are always excited when they have enough to go to the treasure box.  

During circle time we have focused on one shape and number each day. Number lines are so important for children this age to learn. When they can see numbers in a sequence and learn their order it sets a great foundation for future math skills. I will ask, "what number comes before 6? What number  comes after? etc. We have started talking about simple addition and subtraction also. 

The shape art projects have been fun. We've been making "pentagon men" or "triangle girls." This is Paxton with his rhombus man. 

I am really enjoying the Read at 3 curriculum. This is a picture of Braden practicing blending sounds. We have moved on from sound pictures and are now blending simple two sound words. It is so fun to see them learn to read. Watching a child learn to read is humbling and exciting and hopeful and fun! I love my job! 

We had a fun Halloween party! Here are the games we played. I hired Fairytale Celebrations to come at the end of the party and that was really fun too. I loved seeing all the kids in their costumes. Holidays are the best with children! 

A Great New School Year

I have such a wonderful class this year, we are having so much fun. We have 7 students in our class. They have learned all our welcome and preschool routine songs. They've learned to sit in learning position and respond together to learn their preschool facts. And we are having so much fun! I love these preschoolers. 

We have worked a lot on writing names for our first month. There has been lots of progress. 

We love to do puzzles together while we have a snack and wait for everyone to arrive. 

We've been working on learning flashcards and our Read at 3 program sounds. Students have been great to work on sounds at home and sign them off for extra Bri's Bucks. 

Our theme is month as been the alphabet so we've been working on fun ABC art projects to put in their preschool portfolios. 

 Each student also worked on an All About Me poster and presented it in class. They are displayed around our room. 

Students earn pom poms during preschool to try and fill up our jar. Last week they filled the jar so they earned a preschool party! We had such a fun time! We did a number pumpkin hop, painted handprint leaves, played number bingo, went on a scavenger hunt, fished for letters and treats, and made shapes with popsicle sticks. 

FALL ENROLLMENT

Welcome to my little preschool blog! If you scroll through the years you will see some pictures of what we do at Bri's Bees. Here is a preschool flyer for information concerning this fall:

Hello neighbors! 

I am excited to start a preK curriculum preschool class this Fall! I have a bachelors degree in Elementary Education, taught 4th grade for two years at American Prepartory Academy, and have taught three years of preschool in my home. I love teaching! Here is some information about my preschool program. It is designed around Utah state preschool and kindergarten standards. In many cases I will be teaching curriculum higher than kindergarten grade level. I currently have five openings for the fall, ages 3 and 4. 

Preschool Schedule:

I have two options for preschool times:10:00am- 12:30pm    

   or

12:00pm- 2:30pm

I will only have one class, I am interested in what time parents prefer. Let me know what your preference would be! 

Here is an example of what our schedule will be:

10- Arrive/ snack time 

10:15- Preschool Routine 

Calendar

ABCs and phonics

Colors

Shapes

Numbers

Learning songs

Sight words (starting in January)

10:45- Worksheet/ reading 

11:15- Monthly theme lesson

11:30- Art 

11:50- Story time 

12:10- Play time

12:30- Parent pick up 

Monthly Themes: 

In addition to our preschool routine which includes calendar, alphabet, colors, shapes, and numbers review, we have a short lesson each day based on our monthly theme.

August: Alphabet

September: (finish alphabet) and Numbers

October: Shapes

November: Seasons

December: Character and Manners   

January: Animals

February: Our Body

March: Space

April: Our Earth

May: Year Review

Preschool Fees: $65 monthly due the first class of each month. August tuition is due when you enroll and will hold your spot until Fall. 

 The following is a list of state standards that will be met throughout the year:

• working collaboratively with others
• developing organization skills
• expressing feelings and emotions
• comprehending oral language forms
• developing expressive language through speaking
• increasing vocabulary development
• developing understanding of printed language 
• developing alphabet knowledge
• demonstrating phonological (speech) and phonemic (sound) awareness
• using emergent writing for a variety of purposes
• understanding simple number concepts and operations
• identifying patterns to represent mathematical situations
• creating simple geometric shapes
• developing fine and gross motor coordination

A Few Preschool Details

1. A monthly schedule and newsletter, updating parents on what we’ve been up to and what is ahead for the next month, will be given out the first class of each month. 

2. For another look at all our fun, parents can visit our preschool blog at brisbeespreschool.blogspot.com If you are opposed to having pictures of your student online, please let me know. 

3. Students are supplied with everything they need at school including an art box, take home folder, art and crafts supplies, pencils, etc. If you would like to send your student to school with a back pack to bring home with any projects and their folder, that would be great! 

4. One method of positive reinforcement we use in preschool is earning “pom poms”! Students can earn pom poms by singing loud and proud, answering questions, following directions, working hard, sharing, and much more. When they fill up our jar with pom poms they earn a preschool party! 

5. We will highlight one student a month starting in September. Students will receive and “All About Me” poster to fill out at home. They complete the poster at home and bring it in to share with the class. At the end of the month they can keep their special poster.

6. We will have a few parent preschools days throughout the year. This is an opportunity for parents to come and for students to “show what you know.” One will be held about half way through the year and the other will be at the end of the preschool year. 

7. Students also earn “Bris Bucks” for working hard during our “table time” (worksheets and art). Once they have collected 5 “Bris Bucks” they can trade in their bucks for a prize in the treasure box. 

New Preschool Playgroup

Mommy & Me

Preschool Playgroup 

Dear Moms, 

I am starting a preschool playgroup at my house Tuesdays 9:00- 11:00. I taught a more formal preschool class in my home for 3 years and also hosted this Mommy & Me class for a year in the past.  This class is for children who are 3 and not quite ready for preschool yet. It’s an opportunity to introduce them to a few academic skills and give them a chance to socialize and play. Here are some of the class objectives and details: 

• introduce a “school” setting
• bring a little backpack if you have one so it feels like school for them!
• practice sitting and listening to a teacher
• introduce writing and art skills such as holding a pencil, cutting, and gluing
• introduce early academic skills: ABCs, numbers, shapes, and calendar
• learn fun songs
• give the kids plenty of play time!
• opportunity for moms to chat 
• this is a casual, FREE class, of course!

Our schedule would look something like this (I’m flexible though and up for ideas!)

9:00: Arrive, work on puzzles

9:15- 9:35: Circle Time

Sing learning songs

ABC, Number, and Shape flashcards 

Calendar

9:35- 10:00: Table Time

Snack

Pencil/ Art practice 

10:00- 11: Play time 

If anyone would like to help and take a turn bringing snacks and art ideas that would be great! Please let me know if you would like to join our little group! Our first day will be Tuesday, August 30th. 

Thanks, Brianna West 

briannasue26@gmail.com 801-707-2955 

Preschool Graduation Ceremony

We had the best Preschool Graduation. The girls were so excited to receive their preschool awards and diplomas. We performed a few of our learning songs for our parents and also watched a slideshow of the pictures I took throughout the year. We played a game with our families I called, "Are you Smarter Than Your Preschooler?" I asked questions based on things we've learned throughout the year like "what are Saturn's rings made of?" and "What is the longest bone in your body?" It was great. Afterwards we had a little lunch. I am going to miss these wonderful girls. It has been a great year at Bri's Bees! 

April's theme "Our Earth"

We have had a great month of preschool. We are working hard on our preschool routine to help the students review all we have learned and continue challenging them to learn more. When students arrive they have a few minutes of "free play" when I get to sit with each preschooler and work with them at their own level. We practice sounding out and reading each day. Throughout the flashcards of morning routine we "pick a song" and review some of the curriculum songs we have learned through the year. We also got a new weather station this month which has been fun! 

April's theme was "Our Earth." The girls loved learning about the continents and the oceans. They have the ocean chant and continent song down so well! We practiced locating and naming the continents and oceans every day this month. Repetition is so important at this age! For each continent we had a different art project. Here are a look at some of the fun projects we did. 

We also worked on a map to take home throughout the month. We colored one continent at a time and just finished our maps yesterday. Now they can quiz their siblings at home!