Trike a thon

The girls had a trike-a-thon at school in the middle of May. It was adorable! All the little kids on their bikes raising money for a scholarship fund. Sydney and Jordan rode around the track but Lior refused because she is stubborn. I actually do not know who is more stubborn, Lior or her father, who picks the battle with her. I had to work the day of the event and met my little brood there and I had forgotten to tell Matt that Lior wanted her scooter and so did she and her refused to go home for it, so she sat on the side and watched.
By the time I realized what had happened Lior had missed it. Hopefully she will stop picking these battles and join in on the fun!

A visit with the pilgrims

On Wednesday we went to the girls school to celebrate with the Pilgrims. We spent an hour on the playground playing like Pilgrims. We strung beads to make necklaces, played with unpopped popcorn and corn meal, washed clothes and hung them up on the line to dry, served up some cranberries and ate. It was a spectacular day and a really nice way to celebrate Thanksgiving. The kids had fun (even Jordan got in on the action) and so did we!

Animal farm

They had a petting zoo at school today and we were invited to come and play. I wonder who likes these events more, me or the kids.
I had a blast and could have stayed and played with the animals all day, the kids not so much. I got to hold a bunny and the kids got to pet it. I definitely got the better part of that deal.
There were goats and sheep.
A pony or a donkey, I can not remember.
The girls pet a tortoise. I was shocked that Jordan pet it because she never ever wants to touch the animals. Of course my camera was acting up and I missed the Kodak moment, very frustrating!
My favorite animal of the day was the dog. She was beautiful and the size of a small horse. Jordan loved her too, she wanted me to pick her up so she could kiss her. I loved that dog, it makes me want another one!

Bees

The bee keeper came to school right before Rosh Hashanah. Since it was a day that the kids were not in school we all had the opportunity to go. The entire experience was great for me I learned a lot of "bee facts"that I did not know and much to my surprise the girls learned a lot. While we were sitting on the floor listening to the Bee Keepers talk, Sydney and Jordan were fighting over my lap. I was ready to leave because they would not stop fighting but I managed to distract them and we made it through the talk. Sydney and Lior were eager to tell Matt all about what they learned from the Bee Keeper. They told him how the bees made broccoli, cauliflower and chocolate. Much to my surprise Sydney remembered that the bees also made coffee and then Lior told us "Yeah you guys like that coffee". I should have told her we do not like coffee, we need it, we crave it, without it life would be a lot grumpier than it is now!
I'm not sure how much Jordan took away from the whole experience. She was very hesitant to put her ear to the hive but she did not want to stop looking at them "Dey are moving, da bugs are moving!" The girls had the opportunity to listen to the bees. I could not get over how loud it was when I put my ear to the hive, it gave me the creeps!

Learning through play

We went to the open house and curriculum night at the girls school this week. There they discussed their learning through play philosophy. I agree with this philosophy because for children play is work. Through play children learn and discover things at their own speed, I get that but I also have issues.
It should not surprise any one that I have issues because I have strong opinions about early childhood education. Even though the kids are learning through play there should be things in the classroom environment to promote literacy and basic math skills. To promote literacy everything in the classroom should be clearly labeled with pictures and print so that the children can make the connection between the object and the word. Through labeling the child comes to realize that text carries meaning. This also helps with some basic skills including categorization and organization.
I was also surprised that there was no calendar . It seems to me that a calendar should be a staple in a preschool classroom so the days of the week can be taught. How better to teach the language of time? "Today is Monday, Yesterday was Sunday we did not have school." "On Wednesday we will have music with Miss Carolyn, what instruments do you think she will bring?" That little exchange, using a calendar as a visual cue, has just touched on several language concepts, past, present and future tenses, as well as prediction and sequencing. While it teaches the language of time as well as basic math skills, counting the number of days in any given month is just the tip of the iceberg. A calendar can be used to teach patterning, sequencing, counting by two's, five's etc. and it can also be used as a way of discussing holidays which impact the school schedule.
Can you tell I am slightly passionate about this topic? I am truly shocked that these elements are not part of the girls classroom experience. I am by no means suggesting that these elements should become the primary focus of any child's classroom but they should be included in any classroom routine to enhance the learning experience. As I was reading through the curriculum goals, I noted several goals that related directly to the language of time and no direct evidence in the classroom to target these goals on a regular basis. I am concerned. I am concerned because these basic elements will not negatively impact play, if anything it will increase the language the kids are using while they are playing. It may even increase their overall level of communication about their day.
Don't get me started on the communication aspect within the classroom because my head might explode. Yes, really my head will explode. I am a Speech Pathologist I can not help it, it is in my blood and it shows because my kids communicate well and they are getting better every day. They are getting better every day because I ask them questions about their day every day. When Matt comes home I have them tell him about their day. School days are hard for me because I have no idea what the kids do. We get a news letter at the end of the week which gives us a small amount of details about their week. Because of my language background this is not enough and it should not be enough for the other parents either. Am I the only parent who talks to their child? I was talking to a friend whose son goes to another school and she gets a news letter at the start of the week that tells the parent what the theme is and what they expect to cover during the week including the books they are reading. I did the same thing when I taught preschool to keep the parents involved in our classroom activities.
I remember when the girls started school last year I had several misgivings and I was right. At that time I made a promise to myself and to Matt that I would not just let the things that I perceived as important slide because I did not want to make waves. I know that I do not want my kids to be taught by a teacher who will drill them all day on their ABC's and 123's and I am happy that the school does not employ this educational philosophy but I worry that they are taking the play philosophy too far and not incorporating some of basic educational elements. I know that when the girls are developmentally ready to perform certain tasks they will, I simply want them exposed to more language opportunities related to time, literacy, and math . Is that too much to ask?

School

The girls started school again on Monday. They were less than thrilled. They want to stay at home with me, they want to go to a different school, they want to go back to bed, they want to be anywhere but there. I hope this passes soon!
Matt is convinced that the girls learned more in camp than they did during the entire school year. This may be true as they really excelled this summer. I found a list of benchmarks for three and four year olds that I am using to assess the girls abilities. I want to make sure that they are where they should be developmentally and targeting areas that they may be deficient in.
Lior has really taken an interest in writing her name this week so we have been practicing that. Sydney is interested in drawing every member of our family. It is funny, in her pictures Matt has far more hair than he does in real life. She really loves her daddy.
Jordan is not ready for school either. On Wednesday she turned to me while we were dropping off and said "Don't yeave me, take me wit you!" January should be tons of fun!

Camp

Today was the first day of camp. When we were walking in all the parents were complaining that the three weeks off was too long. I kept my mouth shut! I thought the time went by way too fast! We were having so much fun together.