{photos by Jessica Wilson}
Last month our Little Wonders staff hosted three fun, interactive literature workshops for Preschool, Jr. K, and Kinder aged kids. The morning was filled with stories, discovery and activities the kids were able to make and take home!
Today we get to hear more about each of these special events from Kindergarten teacher Amy Houser (Kinder), Little Wonders Director Merideth Eades (Jr. K), and Preschool teacher Jessica Wilson (Preschool). Read on to learn about this wonderful experience for these sweet young kiddos:
Kindergarten
During our Kinder Make & Take, we based our morning on The Bee Tree by Patricia Polacco (available in our school store!). After reading and discussing our story, we moved to our first extension activity in which we decorated our own cup to look like bees, then played a math/fine motor game that involved rolling a dice and using tongs to move pom-pom “pollen” into the cups. It was a simple, but fun game! Next, we assembled a kite, stamping the tails with our thumbprints to make “bees” that would fly in the wind. Of course, we were delighted to fly our kites out on the playground! Lastly, we rolled our very own beeswax candle! This candle is still such a treasure of my daughter’s that she won’t let her brothers light it! To sum it up, we had a bee-utiful time!
Jr. K
We started our time by reading the book, This is Not My Hat by Jon Klassen. This funny and engaging story was enjoyed by all. We spent some time discussing the main points and interesting ideas before brainstorming ways to extend the learning at home. The children had fun getting their hands dirty by making kinetic sand. Next, they learned how to make origami hats in three different sizes and lastly explored mixing colors by using tissue paper and glue to make an under the sea picture. Everyone left with a bag of sensory sand to enjoy at home. We are looking forward to another successful time together!
Preschool
We had a blast at the Preschool Make & Take. Moms, Dads, Grandmas, and children spent an hour and a half listening to our story, brainstorming ideas to extend learning, mixing up play dough to take home along with their very own mouse habitats and shape filled squishy bags! We mixed, we pulled, we sorted, and we did it all together! Our book was Mouse Shapes by Ellen Stoll Walsh and we focused on shapes and mice, of course! We also made shape stampers to go with our homemade play dough. Oodles of fine motor skills were used as well as shape and color recognition. We can't wait for our next event!
