This has recently become a very popular work in our classroom. The kids can use markers (combined with stickers) to draw a picture in the top section of the paper. Then they bring it to me and tell me what to write. It is absolutely adorable to watch their stories unfold. I use a lot of prompts such as "and then what did they do?" or "so what do you think they saw?" to help them out sometimes. But most of the time they don't even need my help to create something that is truly theirs!
Monday, December 30, 2013
Work Time: The Hundred Board
The Hundred Board is one of the most challenging works in the classroom...which is why the kids LOVE it! They love the opportunity to challenge themselves. There are one hundred little tiles, each with a number 1 to 100. Then they have to place each tile on the right number.
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjT58b8xxt35vUQeigPOBvClRPo7DW_PTj-Yq3J4Ko4X5woqa4W3bOrH4cm9bSuMMFRNrK9f50oNajO5v8SJcud4_5UB_03lclmkdLQcQ7WoHla6jqgj-_T-m-4TcPbSR4fzbn6EwuCSJgr/s320/PRESCHOOLBLOG-26.jpg)
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It often turns into a group effort (which I love)
And it is so fun to see how excited they are when they finish. They realize that they can do hard things!!Squeeze Art
This was another fun art exploration activity. We cut out Christmas trees and folded them in half. Then we put small drops of various colors of paint onto one side of the tree. Then the fun began! The kids had a great time just squeezing the tree in order to spread the paint around.
Add some glitter, and...Aren't they so fun?!! I felt bad sending home something covered in glitter (since we all know it just ends up all over the house), so I ended up laminating them before sending them home- which really brought out the colors. So cute!!
Rag Painting
This was the first step in creating our Christmas Art Project. We needed to paint the canvas blue and it just seemed like a fun excuse to explore painting with different mediums...like old rags. Who needs paint brushes? This was WAY more fun, and gave it a very cool look.
Work Time: 3 Period Lessons
The 3 PERIOD LESSON is a fundamental piece of Montessori lessons. This is where we focus on and teach individual letters or numbers (but it also works for colors, shapes, etc). We start by introducing the letters that we will be working with.
Step One: I say, "This is G" and I have the child repeat after me.
Step Two: Once each of the letters has been introduced, I say "Where is W?" This is the step that can stretch out as long as needed. Often, I will have the child hand me the letter, or turn it over, or hide it somewhere in the classroom. It is just a chance to reinforce the letter with the child.Then Step Three: I point to a letter and say "What is this?" Then the child will say "G". If they have problems remembering the letter, we will either repeat Step Two or work on the letters they don't know next time.
It is a wonderful way to teach children at their level and one of my favorite aspects of Montessori. :)
Work Time: Counting Bead
This is DEFINITELY one of the most favorite works for the kids. We call it our BEAD COUNTING work. It is a great way to incorporate so many different facets of learning. First, the kids choose whether or not they want to count 10, 20 or 30 beads (I often will help the kids choose based on what they are working on)
Then they choose beads. This is a great SENSORIAL activity. As they get older, it's fun to watch them make patterns or choose their favorite colors. Then comes the PRACTICAL LIFE aspect, where they work on their fine motor control (putting the beads on the necklace isn't as easy for young kids as it looks). Then comes MATH...before I will tie up the necklace, they have to count the beads for me. And they LOVE it. It gives the kids daily practice counting up to 30. Let's be honest, with so many wonderful ways to incorporate learning into just one work...it's one of my favorite works too!!
Wednesday, December 4, 2013
Christmas Countdown Chain
This was a wonderful activity that not only included object counting (we needed 21 links) and fine motor development (making each paper into a circle)...but it created some serious Christmas Excitement!! :)
Schnepf Farms Field Trip
For our fall field trip, we all met up at Schnepf Farms. It was a first time for me, and I was very impressed. The kids had so much fun picking vegetables straight from the garden,
(one of our adorable little girls even managed to pick one of each color!!),
petting real goats (including this little baby goat!),
going for a hay ride, and so many other wonderful things.
It was such a fun & wonderful day! I loved it all!! Hopefully the kids did too ;)
Footprint Corn
I am a total sucker for anything that involves a foot or hand print. So, when I saw a footprint corn- I juts knew it HAD to be part of our Farm Unit. Just yellow paint, and green paper! How easy is that?! It also led to a very fun discussion on all the wonderful corn products we use. I'm pretty sure the only one the kids came up with on their own was POPCORN. And who could blame them...popcorn is definitely among the best corn products EVER!!
A Hatching Chick
We started our Farm Unit! Yay! The kids ALWAYS love any unit that has to do with Farm Animals...and ends in a field trip. This is our little chick hatching out of an egg. We glued down the chicks first and then covered them with the eggs. I had cut out the center of the egg, making it easier for the kids to rip the paper (giving it that adorable cracked egg look). Then we used cut pieces of brown paper to make little nests on the bottom. I think the part the kids loved most, was making little chirping sounds...THE WHOLE TIME! It was just too cute!!
Spider Party
Since everything is better with a Theme...I decided to do SPIDERS this year for our Halloween party. These cute spider hats and our mini spider pumpkins are just a couple of the fun things we did! I used a push pin to push holes into the pumpkins to make it easier for the kids to get the pipe cleaner legs in. Then I glued the googly eyes onto some flat push pins, which made it much easier for the kids to push in themselves. I LOVE how so many of the pumpkins only got painted on top. So cute!!
Monster Cookies
I found these on a friend's blog, along with her recipe for the cookie itself. They were AMAZING!! The kids really enjoyed making these, and rolling them into balls before we baked them. Such a simple way to improve fine motor development. Their hands were all sticky and covered in cookie...but they definitely didn't mind! And thanks to a package of edible eyes, the cookies were not only cute- but absolutely delicious!
Candy Pumpkin Necklaces
Since my preschool kids LOVE making beaded necklaces, I thought that it would be fun to switch things up and make a necklace using CANDY PUMPKINS! Which is MUCH easier said than done. I went through many a broken pumpkin before my wonderful husband suggested drilling the holes. Yep! Using an electric drill. We super sanitized the drill bit and crossed our fingers. Sure enough, it worked like a charm. We had finally made holes big enough to push the plastic string through. And the best part was how excited my ten year old son was to get to do the drilling. :)
It took some concentration, but the kids quickly got the hang of it. And, of course, there were a few misshapen holes (which were quickly remedied with a large sewing needle). We added some pre-tied ribbons, just to make it cuter!
And...look how CUTE!! Such a perfect way to compliment their collections of beaded necklaces! :)
It took some concentration, but the kids quickly got the hang of it. And, of course, there were a few misshapen holes (which were quickly remedied with a large sewing needle). We added some pre-tied ribbons, just to make it cuter!
And...look how CUTE!! Such a perfect way to compliment their collections of beaded necklaces! :)
Candy Corn Feet Prints
To kick off the very fun Halloween season, we did CANDY CORN FEET PRINTS. The kids always enjoy how it "tickles" to have their feet painted. I also have done a ghost version of this activity, which also turned out super cute. Just be sure to have LOTS of wipies on hand!! :)
An Exploration In Colors...and Cooking
I thought that it would be fun to combine color mixing with the cooking of something delicious. So I made up a batch of cupcakes, and had each child assigned to one cup of batter. Then, we added food coloring. Each of the kids got to decide which combination of RED, YELLOW, and/or BLUE that they wanted to use in their cupcake. They had so much fun mixing the batter to find out what color it would turn. And, of course, they had even MORE fun EATING the colorful batter! Definitely a big hit!
Tuesday, September 17, 2013
COLORS: Marble Painting
This was such a fun project that we did in order to explore how colors change when mixed together. We started with yellow, red & blue paint and then let the marbles do the rest! Who knew marbles could be so fun!! :)
Monday, September 16, 2013
Parent Teacher Conferences
Here is the list of our upcoming Parent-Teacher conferences. Please be here around 11:45 (once carline is done). Of course, kids and siblings are welcome to come too!! Come ready with any questions and concerns...this is YOUR time!! :)
Tuesday, Sept. 17th HALEY
Wednesday, Sept. 18th SOFIA
Thursday, Sept. 19th MORGAN / ELIZA
Friday, Sept. 20th BRYNN
Monday, Sept 23rd LANDON
Tuesday, Sept. 24th ZACHARY
Wednesday, Sept. 25th SONYA
Thursday, Sept. 26th LUCY
Friday, Sept. 27th RIGLEY
If you need to change or adjust your day / time, just let me know!! Thanks so much for being such WONDERFUL parents. I can't wait for some one-on-one time to help me get to know you better!!
Tuesday, Sept. 17th HALEY
Wednesday, Sept. 18th SOFIA
Thursday, Sept. 19th MORGAN / ELIZA
Friday, Sept. 20th BRYNN
Monday, Sept 23rd LANDON
Tuesday, Sept. 24th ZACHARY
Wednesday, Sept. 25th SONYA
Thursday, Sept. 26th LUCY
Friday, Sept. 27th RIGLEY
If you need to change or adjust your day / time, just let me know!! Thanks so much for being such WONDERFUL parents. I can't wait for some one-on-one time to help me get to know you better!!
Our New Prize Jar
Also, the prize jar can be used to reward positive behavior in the classroom. This could range from participating in music class to asserting themselves in helping another child. I believe that positive recognition of social and academic growth helps to foster in each child the confidence and desire to make good choices and build strong learning habits.
SEASONS: An Arizona Snowman
Today we talked about WINTER. And, unfortunately, winter in Arizona isn't quite the same as other places. It was hilarious to find out that most of the kids have never actually seen REAL SNOW! So, we made an ARIZONA SNOWMAN...nothing but melted snow (or in this case, dried glue).
And embracing the abstract (because really, a melted snowman is just one big mess!)...
I can't wait to see how they look when the glue dries and turns from white to clear! Such a fun art project!!
I can't wait to see how they look when the glue dries and turns from white to clear! Such a fun art project!!
Friday, March 8, 2013
The 2013-2014 School Year
I am making some fun & exciting changes for the upcoming school year. I will be providing 2-day, 3-day and 5-day class options in order to better meet the needs of my preschool families. I have posted some information to help you better understand what you can expect at my preschool. If you would like a complete registration packet, please contact me and I will be happy to email it to you.
Tuesday/Thursday Class $90
Monday/Wednesday/Friday Class $120
Monday-Friday Class $180
*All classes are held from 8:30am-11:30am
(ps. I haven't been much of a blogger in the last few years...but I thought it would be the easiest way to share information! But while I haven't been posting pictures, we have still been having plenty of fun!! )
A Few More Details (2013-2014)
●•●•●•●•Dear Parents●•●•●•●
Another school year is already upon us, and I
am practically giddy with excitement!! Children
this age are so ready and excited to embrace the wonderful world of
learning. As a certified Montessori
teacher, I have always found joy in my ability to offer you a
specialty niche preschool filled with both group and individual learning
opportunities. And this year, we are
embracing and embellishing both learning experiences.
Since group learning is paramount to the social development of
each child, we are going to maximize our experiences together. Since
I will be offering classes of no more than 10 students, I will continue
to be able to focus the necessary time and attention on creating an optimal
social environment for your child filled with love, appreciation and respect
(from both myself and their peers).
Our social curriculum works hand in hand with
the academic portion of our school day.
It is so wonderful when a child is able to start kindergarten with the confidence of being prepared to learn. A key
part of empowering a child academically is to work with each child on their
individual level. This is where the real
magic happens. It is here, working side
by side with your child, focusing attention on just them, that they become excited to learn and anxious to
achieve. Their potential for learning
becomes limitless.
Working individually with each of your children
is definitely the favorite part of my day, and I want to make the most of this
time with your child. Many of you have
heard of on IEP (Individual Education Plan) used for children with special
learning needs. I believe that the
learning needs of each child is special and very important. This is why we will be using our own version
of an Individual Education Plan for
each child during the 2013-2014 school year.
You will be able to come up with the social and academic goals that you
would like to see your child meet, and we will work together to achieve those
goals.
We also enjoy things like READING BUDDIES and a
PRESCHOOL
LIBRARY filled with books
your child can take home to enjoy as a family.
I have longer preschool hours in order to allow us more time for group
learning activities. Each and every time
you come to my preschool, I want you to walk away feeling that you have gotten
something special. I am
excited as we look forward to another year filled with learning and adventure!!
Sincerely,
Miss Jessica
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“It is true that we cannot make a genius.
We can only give to each child the chance to fulfill
WELCOME to Mackey Preschool…
We are so excited to get ready for the
upcoming school year (2013-2014). This
is going to be fun for both your child and myself as we embark on an education
adventure. We will maximize both their love of learning as well as their
individual potential. This age has always been one of my favorite ages to
teach because their minds are so pliable, so ready to soak up information and
learning. We are going to strive to make the most of our time
together.
Who We Are…
Jessica Mackey
received her training and certification in Early Childhood Education (ages 3-6)
through the American Montessori Society in the beautiful Kalispell,
Montana. She has had much experience
teaching in a private Montessori preschool located in Chandler, AZ. She loves working with young kids and looks
forwards to combining her knowledge and experience to create a rich learning
experience for your child. This will be
her fifth year owning and operating Mackey Preschool.
What We Do…
As most of you
know, we are going to be blending together both traditional and Montessori
learning styles into our schooling. Many of you have asked, “What is Montessori?”
The easiest answer would be that Montessori is an
educational philosophy. It is based on helping each individual child
reach his or her highest potential while instilling an inherent love of
learning. We best accomplish this by incorporating into our schedule time
for group learning (traditional) as well as individual work (Montessori).
The
individual work portion of our day will allow your child to choose from a
series of prepared “works” or activities in various disciplines (including math
and language). Your child will be able to choose and manipulate works and
receive lessons based on their individual level. For some, they may be
using works to help teach numbers, others may be ready for works involving
simple addition. The point is to allow me to work with each child at
their level, regardless of where that may be, and guide them toward
progression.
With your
help and support, we will be able to achieve a wonderful balance between these
two methods that will best help your child prepare for his or her educational
future. We will be having a Meet the Teacher on August
15th, 2013 where we will introduce our classroom to
both you and your child.
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