Preschool

I don't blog about preschool much.  I am not sure why.  I have a few theories.  One of which - this is not a private blog and I don't want to post about other peoples kids who are not my own.  Two - I compartmentalize it pretty well.  When people ask me if I work I say no, or I tell people I just stay home.  Eventually in the conversation it comes out that I teach preschool and they say, "I thought you don't work" - "oh, well... yea.. but its not really work." I say back.  The truth is, I hate the thought of working, I love staying home and being a stay at home mom, or a house wife, or what ever you want to call it.  And teaching preschool for me is just a hobby, something for fun.  The fact that they pay me actually makes me a little uncomfortable.  

This is my 4th year teaching.  It gets easier and easier every year, I know (almost) never have to do anything the day (or night) before.  I can take down the previous day and set up the new day all the morning of, after my kids go to school and before the preschoolers get there.  I have everything down to a science.  Honestly, though, this is the first year I have done it having all my kids in school all day, and it has changed it a little bit.  I don't know exactly how yet.  I think I need to start looking at it like a job if I am really going to be doing this for the next 10 years or so.   But I wanted to put a few pictures up of my centers and the different things we do.  I didn't include any of kids - just my centers before the kids come.  I change them either every day or every week - depending on what we are doing.  

Dramatic play: restaurant 

Math table

Challenge table:

Sensory table: wet, colored spaghetti

Draamatic play: Apple market

Math table: Apple patterns

Science shelf

Large group activity: apple math

Another large group activity: apple poll and graphing

Apple books

Dramatic play: Doctor's office

rainbow/color books 

Large group - making a 3D rainbow

Math table: playdough tree

apple/tree books

halloween books

Writing center: Halloween

dramatic play: grocery store

sensory table: marbles game and water beads in water

Large group: candy cane science

Dramatic play: wrapping "presents" (blocks)

Dramatic play: Christmas scene (and making ornaments)

Writing center: Christmas

Match table: make a forest

Art table: playdough on pumpkin

pounding pumpkins

dramatic play: toy store (for Christmas)

Block center: Christmas train village

Large group: Making wreaths

Sensory table: Cutting

Art table: Glue designs

Art center: easel starter

Sensory table: water play

Large group: painting names (this is our first day of preschool activity)

Math table: tin can robots

Science center

school books

Block center

writing center

morning time center

Challenge table

art table: painting with cans

One  day in the summer I was setting up my supplies room (it is actually my favorite part of the preschool - it makes me so happy to see all my supplies), one of the bench marks for kindergarten is "uses a variety of writing tools", so obviously I need a variety of writing tools for the kids to experiment with.  After I was done organizing I thought, I think I may have gone a little over board.  I need to take some pictures of my supply room and post them.  It is fantastic.