A Spoonful of Sugar » Preschool News http://spoonfullofsugar.org Makes the medicine go down. Tue, 18 May 2010 01:39:10 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.8 en hourly 1 School starts tomorrow! http://spoonfullofsugar.org/school-starts-tomorrow/ http://spoonfullofsugar.org/school-starts-tomorrow/#comments Tue, 08 Sep 2009 01:01:03 +0000 Julie http://spoonfullofsugar.org/?p=306 Preschool starts tomorrow and I am so HAPPY!!!  I love the beginning of the year when the rooms all look so fresh and clean.  I love all the new little faces that will be coming in the door, and all the parents who will be rushing out the door.  It’s going to be a great 2009 beginning at Vista Ridge Methodist Discovery Preschool!!!

]]> http://spoonfullofsugar.org/school-starts-tomorrow/feed/ 0 Back to School! http://spoonfullofsugar.org/back-to-school/ http://spoonfullofsugar.org/back-to-school/#comments Wed, 26 Aug 2009 01:38:19 +0000 Julie http://spoonfullofsugar.org/?p=304 I love this time of year — it’s fun when everything seems new and all the possibilities are ahead of us!  Today was our teacher orientation at the preschool.  It’s awesome to see how God takes individual personalities and turns them into a team!!!  Our staff is incredible—I can’t wait to see what a great job they do in their classrooms this year.  I feel sure they are going to leave giant heartprints on each child they have in their class!

Our theme this year is “Journeying with Jesus”— I can’t wait to see where He takes us this year!!!

]]> http://spoonfullofsugar.org/back-to-school/feed/ 0 Happy Easter!!! http://spoonfullofsugar.org/happy-easter/ http://spoonfullofsugar.org/happy-easter/#comments Mon, 13 Apr 2009 02:29:55 +0000 http://spoonfullofsugar.org/?p=252 I hope everyone had a terrific Easter!!!  I love Easter–not just because of the great candy and beautiful clothes, but because of the hope of Jesus’ resurrection!!  Everyone seems to be in such a good mood because they remember the whole reason for this holiday—how awesome that we serve a risen Saviour!!!

Tonight at church I ran into a young man who was in my Pre-K class in 2000.  That year I had 10 boys in my class,  no girls!  It was an awesome year with awesome boys!!  Jack was one of “my boys” and now he is taller than I am.  He is going to be a freshman in high school and his mom  says he’s doing great in school.  He’s as cute as a button!!!!  I just wonder where all the time went, it just seems like last week that he was practicing his letters in my class—wow, I’m old!

]]> http://spoonfullofsugar.org/happy-easter/feed/ 0 Keeping up with Jack! http://spoonfullofsugar.org/keeping-up-with-jack/ http://spoonfullofsugar.org/keeping-up-with-jack/#comments Thu, 26 Feb 2009 01:39:14 +0000 http://spoonfullofsugar.org/?p=243 My friend Jack, who is now 5 years old and very ready to go to Kindergarten next year, posed some very interesting questions to me today—-

Would you rather eat a live tarantula or keep a live wasp in your mouth for 5 minutes?  I chose the latter.  Jack agreed!

Would you rather have feet hanging off your chin or a butt on your forehead?   I chose the feet, to which Jack showed me that if your butt is on your forehead then you’ll have to sit with your face on the floor!  WOW!!  I never really thought about that!

I’m going to miss him next year!!!!!

]]> http://spoonfullofsugar.org/keeping-up-with-jack/feed/ 5 NAEYC http://spoonfullofsugar.org/naeyc/ http://spoonfullofsugar.org/naeyc/#comments Wed, 12 Nov 2008 02:53:16 +0000 Julie http://spoonfullofsugar.org/?p=214 I just spent a couple of days going to seminars at the National Association of Education for Young Children conference here in Dallas.  WOW!  It was so awesome to get to hear from some of the greatest early childhood educators!  It was also fun to meet people from all over the nation that are wanting to do what is best for young children.

What I learned or at least was reminded of:

Play is the most important activity your child can do!

Teachers need to set up a good learning environment, and get out of the way so that the children can experience the learning.  The student’s experience is more important the teacher’s lesson plan.

Challenging parents and children are much more receptive if they know you are on their side and not on their back!

There are some very wise people in the early childhood field who care deeply about the education of children.  I still have a lot to learn!

]]> http://spoonfullofsugar.org/naeyc/feed/ 0 Vote for Tyler! http://spoonfullofsugar.org/vote-for-tyler/ http://spoonfullofsugar.org/vote-for-tyler/#comments Wed, 05 Nov 2008 03:14:20 +0000 Julie http://spoonfullofsugar.org/?p=213 Today our school was a polling place.  In anticipation of the huge crowds, we told the teachers to go the back way through the school so they would not be taking the children through all the people in line (yes, I was sure there were pedophiles and kidnappers voting so I didn’t want them to see our cute kids!!)

My cute friend, Tyler, was questioning a teacher on why they were going the back way— when she told him it was so that they didn’t have to go through all the people that were voting — he said, “Well I hope they vote for me!”

When people were still coming when school was over, Tyler wondered to his teacher how many people had voted for him!!!   John McCain and Barak Obama could learn a few things from Tyler— I wish I had voted for him!!!

]]> http://spoonfullofsugar.org/vote-for-tyler/feed/ 0 My Savannahs! http://spoonfullofsugar.org/my-savannahs/ http://spoonfullofsugar.org/my-savannahs/#comments Thu, 10 Jul 2008 03:46:35 +0000 Julie http://spoonfullofsugar.org/?p=116 Eight years ago I had the privilege of being a Pre-K teacher.  All of my children were those whose parents chose to give them an extra year to grow before Kindergarten.  My years in the Pre-K classroom were my favorite as an educator—I loved all of those children.   I love it when I see them around town, or their parents so that I can keep up with what they are doing.   Two of my special friends were Savannah A. and Savannah S.  They were adorable little five year old girls and they have grown to be beautiful young ladies. 

The Savannahs back in 2000!!!

They were volunteers for Vacation Bible School this year and it was awesome, not only to see them, but to watch them work so beautifully with the children.  I wish I could take credit for the terrific young ladies that they are becoming, but I don’t think their parents would appreciate it. but I do feel fortunate that I had a small part in the lives of these great girls!!!  Teaching has to be the most awesome job ever!!

 

The beautiful Savannahs in 2008!!!

]]> http://spoonfullofsugar.org/my-savannahs/feed/ 0 Blessed! http://spoonfullofsugar.org/blessed/ http://spoonfullofsugar.org/blessed/#comments Tue, 17 Jun 2008 22:35:05 +0000 Julie http://spoonfullofsugar.org/?p=112   I was reminded last week how much I love my job— this was the week of Vacation Bible School, which is always a fun week. This year’s Power Lab curriculum had lots of fun activities.   I usually try to connect with some of the preschool parents and meet new parents while their children are engaged in the fun activities around the church.  Because of the large numbers enrolled this year, we were especially pressed for space—therefore, my office (which is in the church library) was turned into the snack area for all the workers. 

Many of the volunteers are the youth—most of them were middle schoolers.   While they were all very polite and courteous, after nearly a week of their snacking, talking, and teasing—-I am so very blessed to be working with preschoolers! 

]]> http://spoonfullofsugar.org/blessed/feed/ 1 Soap Box #2 http://spoonfullofsugar.org/soap-box-2/ http://spoonfullofsugar.org/soap-box-2/#comments Sat, 14 Jun 2008 01:43:17 +0000 Julie http://spoonfullofsugar.org/?p=110 One of my pet peeves in working with children are lazy teachers!  With young children there are so many opportunities to help them learn and it really does not take much effort on the part of the supervising adults.  Today I was in a school and saw a small sign on the door announcing a bake sale— I am a sucker for helping children raise money–I try to stop at every lemonade stand in town, so this looked like a great opportunity to help these children and their school.

I looked over their table quickly before I went to get my purse and much to my surprise they had little baggies of store bought cookies—Little Debbie’s no less.  Some of the snacks were still in the cellophane straight out of the box!  What a waste— what a lost opportunity for teaching— imagine if the little girls sitting at that table had the opportunity to make cookies….they would have learned fractions with their measuring, science with the mixing of the ingredients, and language as they read the recipe.  Think what a great time they would have had working in the kitchen with their teacher!  A missed opportunity unfortunately for the children and teacher too!

Needless to say, I didn’t purchase anything—-I still have my money so I hope I pass a good lemonade stand tomorrow!

]]> http://spoonfullofsugar.org/soap-box-2/feed/ 0 Jack strikes again!!! http://spoonfullofsugar.org/jack-strikes-again/ http://spoonfullofsugar.org/jack-strikes-again/#comments Fri, 13 Jun 2008 16:36:14 +0000 Julie http://spoonfullofsugar.org/?p=105 At the end of school this year the four year old class had splash day.  They had slip & slides, a ball that shot out water, swimming pools, squirt guns, and sidewalk chalk—their whole day was fun in the sun!  Jack and his friend, Tyler, could not resist whacking the branches of a small tree that was near their play area.  His teacher, Ms. LeeAnn. repeatedly asked the boys to leave the tree alone so they wouldn’t break it’s branches.  Of course, they continued to slap at the branches so finally Ms. LeeAnn had them sit out for a few minutes.  After a minute or so, Jack said, “Hey Ms. LeeAnn, you’re not as pretty as I thought you were!  And Tyler doesn’t think so either!”

Wow!!!

I wonder if Ms. LeeAnn got any better looking once he got to go play again~

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