Changing Leaves and Growing Children

Fall is in the air and in our discussions at school. We talked about the changing leaves this week and the beautiful colors that we'll soon be seeing all around us.

Our art activities reflected those colors as well.
We missed some outside time because of rain, but found ways to use that energy inside!
We sang several new songs about the season and added movements to the words.
Our class is growing in many ways. 1)We are kind to one another. 2)We share almost all the time.
3)We recognize when a friend is not at school and miss him/her. 4)We are helpers to Ms. Lisa & Ms. Amy at clean up time. 5)We use our words to share our feelings.
If only the whole world could do all that!

Pets and Preschoolers

This week we rounded out our first month of school and our theme: All About Me. We've shared about ourselves, our families, and finally, our pets.

We used "pet" stamps for a math activity as we counted how many stamps of each animal.

We read some wonderful
books about Cats, Dogs, Birds,
and Fish as pets. A favorite: My Dog Rosie by Barry Moser.

We practiced tracing around large "pet" shapes at the writing center. This was tricky work!

For a language activity, we used alphabet blocks and spelled out the names of the most usual pets. Some friends even tried to write those words on their own.

Our favorite activity was sharing about our very own pets (or the pets of good friends!) during group time. Every child stood in front of the group and talked about their paper they had completed at home.
Thanks to everyone for the Home-Links!

What do FRIENDS at Lafayette Academy Preschool do?
They model dough together. They share the materials with each other. They practice over and over as they make shapes and handle a favorite sensory medium.

They read together. Sometimes it's just looking at pictures. Sometimes it's a made-up story.

They eat together at snack time. They talk about what they like and don't like to eat. They ask for seconds and clean up their places when snack is finished.


They glue and create art together. They share their space at the table and take turns when they need to.




They build together. Wooden blocks, cardboard blocks, and legos.
They learn to ask before knocking down a friends structure.


Sometimes, friends just hang out together at school.
It's great to be friends at LAP!

First Full Week and Families

Family was the focus of this week.
We shared about our families at group time, in art activities, and through books.
Read-aloud is a prized part of our day and we try to center our literature selections on our themes. Pictured here are a couple of sweet and inviting books about families. Reading to your children is one of the most important things you can do to ensure their future academic success and it's fun!
Ooblick doesn't really have anything to do with families, but its so cool to play with. You can try it at home. Mix one box of cornstarch and some water in a dishpan (or cakepan, etc.). Mix with your hands until it feels like a thick soup. Watch how it transforms from a solid into a liquid and back. It's a great experiment for the whole family to try!

First Day of School

Welcome Everyone! We had a wonderful first day together with 14 friends. Our morning was spent exploring the different centers and materials and discovering something fun at every turn. At our first group time, we sang a song that used all our names and played the rhythm sticks together. We played outside and enjoyed the late summer sunshine. We talked about what we like, what we don't like, what we love, and our favorite things. It was a great beginning to a new school year!