December Highlights...

We enjoyed a fun and relaxing PAJAMA DAY! Hot Cocoa and our favorite books made the day a big hit with the kids...

We used different SHAPES and COLORS (plus a little glitter, always a hit with the kids) to decorate our Christmas trees...



Preschools in Spanish Fork, Utah

WEEK TWO highlights...

On TUESDAY we introduced CIRCLE TIME...

We start out the day with free time in which the children can choose to play with toys, puzzles, magnets, etc... or they can choose to draw pictures or play with play dough. Then we all work together to clean up and meet on the red rug for Circle Time!





During Circle Time, we review the month, day, and year and sing our "Months of The Year" song (which is basically "January, February, March, etc..." set to the "Macarena" complete with actions). We introduce or review the letter/sound of the week, choose a color, shape, and rhyming words for the day. One child is then chosen to be the "weatherperson". The weatherperson looks out the window and changes the weather dial on our wall to fit the weather of the day. We finish up the Circle Time calendar by counting out our gumballs in the jar together.




Next, the children find their "Name-o-saurus" on the wall and look to see if the "special heart" has been placed next to their name! Each day, the special heart is placed next to a different child's name designating them the Flag Leader for the day. We then have the Flag Leader come to the front and lead us in The Pledge of Allegiance. After this, Miss Jamie plays "My Country Tis of Thee" on the piano and the children march around the rug singing as they follow the Flag Leader.

On WEDNESDAY we walked to Centennial Park...


After we got back, we fingerpainted with PUDDING our LETTER OF THE DAY, which is A - the children learned to make a lowercase "a" by first making the letter "c" then adding the line!

Preschool in Spanish Fork, Utah

Highlights from WEEK ONE...

On TUESDAY (the first day of school) we read the story "The Kissing Hand" by Audrey Penn. Each of the children found a handprint made by their parent(s) and placed a "kiss" on it. We talked about our worries of leaving Moms and Dads while we are at school and we talked about the fun we will be having each day at school. In art we made handprints to take home for our parents to have. The rest of the time was spent getting to know each other and the preschool surroundings better.

On WEDNESDAY we read "How Do Dinosaurs Go to School" by Jane Yolen and introduced each child to their "Name-0-saurus". Each child's name was placed next to a different dinosaur on the wall. We then had each child stand up one at a time and take a turn finding their "Name-o-saurus" on the wall as we chanted "Dinosaur, Dinosaur, ONE, TWO, THREE... who's that dinosaur standing next to me"?. This helped each child recognize their written name. In art we made dinosaur hand puppets to take home (with our names on them of course)!

The latest...

Hello Everyone! Just a quick update on "preschool happenings". First, I've finally managed to get things organized - YAY! It looks great (pictures coming soon on the website) and the kids are LOVING it (my kids and all the neighborhood friends, that is). Summer camps are in full swing now and I must say that I've gone a little overboard on Fancy Nancy this year (I think it's the little girl in me), also because I've got good "hook ups" in the cupcake industry. Don't worry, I haven't forgotten about the others (I've got a week after Fancy Nancy to switch into Pirate mode) - plenty of prep has already gone into ALL the camps - we are having FUN around here! I do still have openings in some of the camps, so if you hear of anyone looking for some summer fun for their kids - let them know about us.

I have a photographer (www.photographybyjocelin.com) coming to photograph the summer camps. I am planning on using the pics on the website and for promotional purposes next year. Digital copies of the pictures, with your child(ren) in them, will be available for $5.00 per disc for interested parents. No names will be mentioned on the website or in any advertising material, but if you are opposed to having your child on it please let me know ahead of time so that I may let the photographer know.

I will be holding a parents open house in August and will be getting more information out soon. September tuition will be due at the open house (or you can pay anytime before that at your convenience). That reminds me, I have had a couple of parents approach me about paying for the whole year up front and would I offer them a discount or incentive? If you would like to do this, you will receive one month of tuition free ($75.00 off basically). Email me if you are interested at littlereaderspreschool@gmail.com.

Last, but certainly not least, I have updated the website (see above) with a FUN contest offer for all you Moms out there! Let me know what you think!

Thanks and see you soon! Miss Jamie

TRANSFORMATION

I've been searching all over for "bug" related projects, stories, etc... for our Creepy Crawlies and Winged Wonders Summer Camp. I really want the kids to be able to interact with some real live bugs and I've been cooking up all kinds of schemes (most involve my kids hunting and capturing them). I mentioned this to my sister and she said "You know you can mail order butterflies".

I did not know this, but after a quick trip to Google I found THIS SITE and others like it). It is so cool! You can order the caterpillars and they are guaranteed to turn into butterflies before your very eyes (obviously not immediately upon arrival).

It takes me back to my own childhood, where this was a frequent sight...

Spanish Fork Preschool

CURRICULUM

A love of reading will take a preschooler further towards success in school than anything else. We feel it is our job to take advantage of their early years to help them develop a strong foundation for success in reading. Participating in story telling and reading activities will develop essential pre-reading skills and set a preschooler on the path to literacy. In addition to this, research shows that early reading is a key predictor of academic success.

Our goal is to help each child to gain a love for reading and to build a foundation for each of them to use as they enter the world of an emerging reader. Literature and reading are utilized all throughout our teaching. We feel that all other areas of education will be benefited by the child having good reading skills. It is always exciting to be a part of child's first experiences with words. To help our students build a strong phonetic foundation, we use the "Phonics by Spelling" program developed by Nada Wilkins.


In order to prepare for the math skills they'll be expected to grasp later, children need early exposure to mathematical concepts. By building a solid understanding at the preschool age, we pave the way for more advanced learning later. Preschool-age children are ready to explore more than one might think! Parents often focus on counting from one to ten, but there are many other skills that children are ready and able to investigate. We like to incorporate the following into our daily lesson plans and playtime...

- Familiarity with numbers: Here we have basic counting, visual recognition of numbers, etc... Something we like to do is to count our snacks during snack time. How many crackers do you have? How many fruit snacks, and so on.

- Number operations: This can be as simple as counting out a pile of red blocks, then a pile of blue blocks, then counting them all together. Or counting out six apple slices during snack time and dividing them among three students.

- Measurement: We find that our daily "Welcome" routine, in which we use the calendar and the clock is a good time to introduce this concept. Children learn to measure time in hour increments, as well as learning about the days of the week and months of the year. We talk about "today", "tomorrow", and yesterday" and the children become familiar with measuring days and months.

- Shapes: This is an easy one because shapes are everywhere! We make a game of pointing out everyday objects and identifying their shapes (and color). Repetition is the key to teaching this simple concept.

- Patterns and Sorting: Also a part of our "Welcome" routine. We show patterns on our calendar as well as various other places on our board to teach the children about patterns. Play time is also a good time to point out patterns and use sorting. For example, we might help the children sort out the green cars and then the yellow. Then we could help them to make a pattern using the different colors.

Science activities help preschoolers to look at the world around them in a different way. The possibilities are endless with preschoolers and exploration! It can be as simple as blowing bubbles and discussing the colors you see reflected in them. Or as magical as watching and caring for a live caterpillar as it morphs into a butterfly! We like to take walks around the yard with the children and always take along magnifying glasses to aid in our search. This opens up a multitude of discussions, everything from plants, to insects, to elements of the earth. We encourage our students to be "little scientists" while at school and all questions are welcome. We often find that we all learn something as we search for the answers together.

Creating art projects and crafts is a big part of what makes preschool so magical! The results of Arts & Crafts time at school are often seen on display for all to see and appreciate at the home of the child, as well as in our school. Art is a fantastic and fun way to teach children about colors, shapes, patterns, and so on... the possibilities are endless.

We believe that children are naturally creative and need only the right tools and a tiny bit of direction to get them started. At Arts & Crafts time, we follow a few basic rules then sit back and watch the children do what they do best - CREATE!

Rules:

1. All art supplies are non-toxic and safe for children to use.

2. Have a good supply of tools ready. For example, each child should have access to a pair of scissors if those are being used in the project. Patience is not a skill that most preschoolers have acquired, it's best to be prepared with enough tools to go around so there is no waiting involved.

3. Messes are welcome and expected. Washable aprons will be available for each child to use.

4. No one is wrong. This just means that if a child paints a tree "purple", that is o.k. Trees do not have to be green and we don't plan on pointing it out to them. Creativity is fostered best with positive affirmations. For example "What a beautiful purple tree, you are so smart to have come up with that on your own"!

5. Clean up time is for everyone! A regular clean up routine will be set that the children will find easy to master and repeat after each Arts & Crafts session.

We incorporate music into many aspects of our teaching. In our school, music is used as a tool to teach the children, such as when we sing songs about the days of the week and the months of the year. We like to introduce the children to rhythm by making our own instruments using rice, beans, plastic containers, etc... and using the finished product to keep a steady beat as we sing a song or dance around the room.

We have a piano and other musical instruments available to us and frequently use them in our lessons and play. We feel that music is not only fun, but essential to a child's development and growth. For more detailed information please see this fabulous article explaining the benefits of music for preschoolers!

Little Readers Preschool in Spanish Fork

2009-2010 CALENDAR

Visit THIS LINK for a Nebo School District 2009-2010 calendar.

Little Readers Preschool in Spanish Fork, Utah

A List of Preschools in Spanish Fork

There are actually quite a few preschools in Spanish Fork, but finding a list of them for comparison can be a little tricky. Most preschools are not "big business" and try very hard to keep costs down so the prices stay competetive. Paying for expensive advertising is not likely to be an option, so we put up cards at Macey's and generally hope that word of mouth will take care of the rest. I've noticed also that preschools come and go with the wind... you hear about one nearby, but when you call to find out more information - they are no longer doing it.
I don't know about you, but when I'm looking for something I go to my good friend "Google" for the answers. In most cases this provides me with all the information (and more) that I need. However, when I googled "Spanish Fork Preschools" I found two or three preschools mixed in with a list of a whole bunch of elementary and middle schools and a few sites which looked promising, but ended up with little or none of the information I was hoping for.
So what's a girl with a preschool that needs some free advertising to do?
She will make a list. On the internet. And get lots of people to look at it.
And someday, hopefully soon, it will show up when a person googles "Spanish Fork preschools" or "preschools in Spanish Fork" or anything else resembling "preschools and Spanish Fork"...
Here's the list... If you would like to be on it, email me at littlereaderspreschool@gmail.com with your information and I'll get you added.

Little Readers Preschool
890 South Wolf Hollow Drive
(801) 623-1150
www.littlereaderspreschool.com

Achiever Preschool
1200 East Canyon Road
(801) 798-8102

Country Kids Preschool

Kris Kelly
7239 S. 2400 E. Spanish Fork
801-798-6146

Growing Tree Academy
Center St. in Spanish Fork
(801) 369-2787 or (801) 798-7898

M's Preschool
645 E 300 S
Spanish Fork
Emily Burraston
801-717-0463
call or Text

Miss Heidi's Preschool
238 S. 750 W.
Spanish Fork, UT
(801) 798-9898
www.heididimmick.com

Miss Jodi's Leaps N Bounds Preschool
726 East 320 South
Salem, UT
(801)787-5638
https://www.facebook.com/LeapsnBoundsPreschool

Nada's School
732 East Scenic Drive
(801) 798-1503

The Little Red School House Preschool
1102 W. 520 S.
Spanish Fork, UT
Ms. Jana  (801) 310-6127


and let them know WHO sent you! Thanks bunches!