St. Lucia's Day

 We made paper plate wreathes and with the circle from the center we made star wands!

 One of our student's grandmother visited and taught us all about St. Lucia's Day from her childhood in Sweden.

 She lovingly dressed her granddaughter in the traditional St. Lucia attire, complete with the ring of candles!

While our very own St. Lucia passed out ginger cookies, her grandmother sang, in Swedish, a song that told the story of St. Lucia.  All the children got to try the crown of candles on and most of them enjoyed the cookies. What a wonderful day!
Happy St. Lucia's Day everyone!

Celebrating St. Lucia Day

This week we are celebrating St. Lucia's day
(Dec. 13th) with our preschoolers.  One of our students Grandmother is visiting tomorrow to share her Swedish family tradition.  She is bringing ginger cookies for all and will dress her granddaughter in the traditional white dress with red sash, green wreath crown of candles while she tells the story of St. Lucia.  Today we prepared for her visit by making paper plate wreath crowns and star wands.  The children enjoyed using the glitter paint and gluing the paper leaves on their clowns.  I'm really happy with how they turned out.  We invited everyone to dress in red and white tomorrow; with their paper crowns and star wands I anticipate some cute photos!
Stay tuned....PEACE~MM

Dress Up Parade

 Yep, that's my little Piglet with the world's best daddy, Montessori Papa.  

 That's me (in the wings) leading the dress-up parade.

 this year even some grandparents participated!

We took a short walk and sang songs.  The children look forward to this holiday tradition.  Halloween is my favorite holiday so truth be told, I probably look forward to it more than they do.  But everybody has fun for sure.  I think sometimes we adults over think what will be fun for kids; often less is more.  As we all know, dressing up is fun.  And parades are fun especially when you're under 4 feet tall.
Add a few corn kernel toilet paper role shakers and you've got one heck of a good time.  This was our preschool's 2nd annual Dress-up parade, I am hopeful it will happen for years to come.  How does your school celebrate Halloween?
PEACE
MM 

Happy Birthday John Chapman

Wearing pots on their heads....

Reading Johnny Appleseed together under an apple tree.

We introduced John Chapman, our first Peace Maker of the school year. His picture now hangs in the Peace Corner in our classroom.  By June he will be in good company, 8 other Peace Makers will join him.  Each month we will introduce a new person to the children who believed in peaceful conflict resolution.  A person they can relate to in some way, who loved children and respected all.   

John Chapman was such a man.  Ask your children who he was, what he did, where he traveled.  Children are our greatest teachers.
PEACE be with you,
Jennifer

Fall into Fall

Hello readers of my horribly neglected blog. I'm truly sorry to have been missing in action for so many weeks!  Fall is upon us and school is in full swing (as you all know).  Time gets away from me when life is busy and life is busy. 
I am presently recovering from pneumonia and let me tell you it's taking it's sweet time leaving me.  Gratefully I have the support of my wonderful assistant and amazing husband who can fill in for me and make this place continue to run smoothly. 
I'm very blessed to have such supportive people in my life. Today I visited the children on the playground so they wouldn't forget my face.  The cheers and hugs were such an unexpected gift to walk out and receive.  I almost teared up.
I love my job.  Running one's own preschool/child care program is a lot of work.  But the rewards are countless.  Nobody is getting rich doing this work but I do feel valued and important and everyday is worth all the work that goes on behind the scenes.  This week is our first of four family pot-lucks. I can't wait.
Hopefully this time I will remember to take photos!
 

   

Pine Needle Restaurant

Goodwill, as you know, is my favorite store to find just what I'm looking for when I least expect it. This weekend I found a complete camp cooking set.  I've been wanting to create some kind of kitchen or restaurant type play area outdoors for the children.  Then presto, I'm walking through Goodwill and there is everything I need for just $7.00!   Gotta love Goodwill! Well, of course I DO.
Anyway, next I stop by the local garden shop to admire the mums in sale and what do I see?  A child size table and two benches 1/2 off it's summer price tag! So....presto chango, a couple of cans of outdoor spray paint and some screw-in cup hooks later and I've created an outdoor kitchen play area ready for preschool chefs!
Today two little chefs made me the most delicious pine needled soup and I have just got to say,
"It was the best soup I've ever had!"
PEACE
Jennifer

Flowerpot Bells

I can't remember where I saw this idea but I liked it.  If it was your idea please comment so I can give credit where credit is due.
I wanted to add music to our outdoor play-space.  Using various sized flowerpots, twine and wooden beads I put these bells together in about an hour.   The children seem to enjoy them and I like the wind chime/cow bell sounds.  The black brackets were found locally at a discount store but I'm confident you could come up with your own creative idea about how to hang them in your yard.  Most of the trees in our yard are for climbing but I think these would look lovely hanging from the branches of a tree.
Happy crafting!  Oh and you could paint them with your kids; we are planning on painting ours the first week of school.  More photos coming soon.
PEACE
Jennifer

'Under the Big Top' Circus week

Who doesn't like to be the star of the show?  Most of the three and four year old kiddos I know do, very much.  This seemed like the perfect theme for this week's crew of campers.  Crafts included bubble prints, cut-paper collage clowns and building sculptures from colorful wood pieces. 

Meet a few of my friends: The Amazing Bubble Artist and a Clever and Curious Clown! (Below: Two Terrific Tigers!)
 The kids really enjoyed balancing on the pretend tight rope (3 draft dodgers in a row on the grass) sorry no photos, while holding small drink umbrellas.  Trying to juggle and wearing BIG shoes and walking.  These were just some of the activities we had fun with this week!

Face Painting is a favorite activity of mine, I have been painting kids faces for about ten years with our local children's theater as well as the occasional craft fair and birthday party.

I love watching their faces light up when they see themselves in the mirror!  Too cute.  Circus week was the perfect opportunity to paint faces.  So much fun!

Once Upon a Time

 Once upon a time preschoolers loved to dress up.  Thankfully this is still true! 

 It's "Once Upon a Time" week here at Helping Hands Family School.  Today we made paper castles, decorated wands, dressed up as knights, lords and ladies and so much more.   

 Guarding the castle on a hot day, it's hard work!

 Look it's a lovely fairy princess!

                                                                "Bibity Bobity Boo!"
In PEACE,
Jennifer

Transportation Theme Preschool

 This week began our summer session.  The theme: Transportation

 Check out this masterpiece! Hot wheels cars making tracks through yellow and black paint. 
The children LOVED this activity and you know me, art outside is always a hit!

 There were cars and trucks everywhere! Indoors and out ~ large and small.  In the first photo, you can see how I simply taped the table top with masking tape and then drew a broken line down the "roadway" for table top play.  This table top activity soon became more with the addition of wooden blocks on the playground.  Ramps were constructed, buildings built, even a bridge from the table top to the slide! (sorry no photos).

And of course in the sand table.  My suggestion: provide materials that support your theme for outdoor play. AND: Ask your students what they want to learn about!
Next week's theme: Outside the Cardboard Box
PEACE, Jennifer

Peek-A-boo

Peek-a-boo!

Two of my small friends play a game of peek-a-boo around the fish.  What a fun idea.  Today was the little girl's (on the right) first day at our school.  The beauty in yellow a seasoned preschooler, just three years old, welcomed the new child with love and kindness.  It was beautiful to witness and made me so happy.  What a warm welcome! I love my job.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Superhero Party for Little Man's 5th Birthday!

Happy Mother's Day

I had the best Mother's Day and I hope you did too.  I came across this on another blog and loved it.  I thought you might enjoy it too.  Keep doing everything you are to be the best Mama you can be.  Your efforts are worth the sacrifices you make. 
With great love and in PEACE,
Jennifer

No PHOTOS Please!

Just to share, for you regular readers of this blog of mine, my former employer has sent me a letter today requesting I cease to use any photos I took of the children while I worked for that school. 

So, I will now begin the tedious job of removing said photos from past posts of mine.  Thank you for your understanding and patience while I complete this lengthy task.

Any future photos used to illustrate this blog will be ONLY of my own children, my friends children and the children presently in my care at my child care program, Helping Hands Family School. Whom which I have the permission to use photos of for this purpose.  

In PEACE,
Jennifer

From the last week in March

Well, I'm going to say it.  Spring HAS sprung!  Now, I know I'm teetering on the truth because I am ignoring the fact that Belfast was just hit with a snow storm leaving my crocus covered in 10+ inches of snow.  But I don't care, I've got a head cold sure, but it's still SPRING darn it!

Spring, spring, spring!

So I have some exciting news on the horizon, we are going to be moving!  I love the house I am presently living and I will miss it greatly, but this new home will be wonderful too.  Now begins the ambitious job of cleaning and organizing and packing everything up to move it to the new house!  Wish me lots of luck and helpers.

I'm not making promises here, but I intend to post photos of the before and after process with you all.  Just for kicks and giggles.  I have no idea how this will all work but I am going to try my hardest to make it as easy as possible for all involved. (the move I mean)

Enjoy Spring dear friends and most of all STOP and observe with your little ones.
It all passes by so quickly.
In PEACE
Jennifer

What a Difference a Tank Makes!

My husband recently acquired a new fish tank for the classroom! The children could not be more happy about their new fishy friends.

Planting Spring

Truly, I can't say enough about the importance of growing plants and caring for living creatures in one's classroom.
Your children will assume the role of "care giver" quite naturally and whichever you choose, plant or animal, is sure to recieve quality attention from your students.
Just remember: It is the teacher's responsibility to provide the same amount of love and care over the weekend and school vacation.
In PEACE,
Montessori Mama