Happy first day of school!  We had a fantastic first day here at Our Shepherd Pre-K!

Our focus this week is learning the routines of school.  It is important for children to have a school routine so that they know what to expect.  Routines provide a predictable environment for the children and ease anxiety.  This allows for development as the children are not using their brain powers to worry, but rather to learn.  :) 

We started our morning finding our name and signing in.  This helps develop pre-reading and writing skills!  It will be fun to see how the children's writing develops over the course of the school year! 

We had some time for free choice time.  During free choice time the children are learning cooperation, collaboration, and self-regulation.  These skills will benefit the children throughout their lives! 

Our 8th grade chapel buddies came to take us to chapel.  We are thankful for our community here at Our Shepherd that helps each other.

Chapel time! 

During chapel Pastor Lepley taught us that it doesn't matter what we wear, but how we walk.  This year we are learning all about walking justly and following Jesus.  We are children of God!  God sent Jesus to die on the cross and rise again to save us from our sins, and because of His love we can show love to each other.

After chapel we had snack in the classroom.  We are learning independence as we try to open our packages by ourselves before asking for help. We are also developing relationships with each other as we talk and laugh together.

After snack we were able to run and play outside.  It is important for children to have the opportunity for large motor growth.  Engaging in large motor is essential for children as it helps them develop and healthy mind and body. 

The friends we so kind to each other on the playground!  They offered to push each other on the swings, and they listened to their friends when the friend asked to stop, slow down, or push more.  They are not only developing relationships with each other, but they are also practicing self-regulation! 

During small group time the children wrote in their journals, played in the blocks, and created in the art center.  This week, the goal of small group time is for the children to learn the routine of small group time.  They are learning to stay in a group, listen to directions, and transition to the next group. 

Meet the children of our Pre-K class!

Before lunch/goodbye time for our half day friends we sang some silly songs together.  We are working to create a community in our classroom! 

Standing in a line might seem like an arbitrary skill, but it helps the children become aware of their surroundings.  It also helps ensure that we travel to and from our destination safely. 

After lunch and rest we headed back outside.  :) 

When we returned to the classroom we had our second free choice time.  

We work to incorporate writing naturally in the children's play.  Writing with an intrinsic purpose engages the children's bran more than rote writing.

Strengthening our fine motor skills is another opportunity we have during free choice time.

We also develop foundational math skills by discussing more, less, and equal. 

During second small group time we worked again to learn the routines of small group time.

The children wanted to write more during their small group time. :)