Welcome to a new year!
One of the most amazing things about preschoolers is how fast they grow and how dramatically they change in 12 months. As we greet our students from last year, they are moving through the halls with such confidence and style it is hard to believe they were once having their first days at Rivendell.
We are spending the month of September working on classroom routines, routines and more routines! We are helping our children learn all those new skills necessary to function in a group, in a new classroom, and with new teachers. We teach them how to make friends and how to “keep ourselves safe.” We are breaking all these new tasks down into small components to help them master each step. We want to give them the confidence to try the next step.
Something as simple as lunch is a big deal to a preschooler. We try to set up their environment for success. Coming in from outdoors, we remind them to use the bathrooms and teach them how to wash their hands with interlocking fingers and scrub. They need to collect their lunch boxes, find a seat and unpack, and put their lunchbox under their seat. We talk about good choices in what to eat first (“protein first”) and not the dessert. We teach them how to stay in their seats during lunch, how to open their own containers, how to clean up their own messes and encourage them to try a little of everything. That‘s just lunch! We have at least six more hours!!
Overlay this with the challenge of learning appropriate social skills, assessments and starting some Workjobs and we have a very busy September!
Ancient Greece
We have transformed the home living center into an ancient Greek polis and are learning about home life, foods, household goods, clothing (chiton), gods & goddesses and mythology, Aesop’s fables, the Trojan Horse, voting, Olympics, architecture, art and culture, etc. We will sample a little ancient Greek cuisine, create a mosaic, and vote in an election.
Again, thank you for trusting us with your children! The transition to preschool is no small experience in the life of your little one. Some days are easier than others, and anxiety is a normal part of a new school experience. The following link offers support for understanding the challenge of change in routine and provides great advice for setting up these little people for success in their transition into preschool.