First day of TR class!

The first day of preschool can feel exciting and scary at the same time. Often children put on brave faces and cautiously come into preschool, but after a few times they become more comfortable and familiar with the routine, and are all smiles!
There was a lot of activity going on today. Lots of exploring and discovering new toys and materials. It was a good day!!

Ms. Naomi at the sensory table

Ms. Laura down on the floor with us. 

Legos! Always a hit!

Ms. Renee at the art table

Observing the hermit crabs crawl out of their bath.
Very fascinating. Children often give a play by play
of what the hermit crabs are doing. 

Driving the tractor on the road.

Dressed up and driving! Watch out. 

SNACK TIME!!!!

Spin art. Once I show children how to use it,
it becomes very popular.
And you (parents) end up with thousands of circles 
coming home with you. :) 

First day of MWF!

It is always so exciting to be a returning student because you know what to expect and often children have favorite toys and materials they just can't wait to use again! That was definitely the case for this class today. They just jumped right back into the routine and their favorites! And we are very excited to welcome 3 new friends into this session who just followed along with the activities. I encouraged the returning students to welcome and help the new students learn what to do at preschool. 
I didn't catch all of the activity going on, but they were enjoying it and were busy!! 

It was a good first day. 

The main attraction -- scooping and pouring rice or soup
or wedding cake. Whatever you like.

"Ticket makers"
making tickets for whoever wanted to ride a train

Busy with blocks

They discovered some new cars and trucks.

They were building slides for the animals to use.

Looking cool!

Preschool is starting soon!

Hello. It has been awhile since I've posted something here. The summer just flew by and now we are gearing up for another year!!

Here is some important information.

Monday, August 22 – Come and Go Open House at preschool for enrolled preschool children and families.

(Get familiar or re-acquainted with preschool classroom and meet your child’s teachers)

Please note: Come during your designated session - 

TR at 6:30 p.m.

MWF at 7:00 p.m.

Start of preschool -

Wed, Aug 24 – First day of preschool for MWF session

Thurs, Aug 25 First day of preschool for Tue-Thur session

School Supplies -

Each child (family) needs to bring the following school supplies:

1 (one) – 2 pack of glue sticks

2 rolls of high quality paper towels

2 dry erase markers (any color)

1 box of child’s favorite non-perishable snack (Ritz crackers, animal crackers, goldfish, pretzels, Cheerios, etc….) to share. The preschool will supplement the snack with fruit, dip, vegetables, dairy, etc….. You may bring these items to open house or sometime during the first week of preschool.

Tuition payment -

The first tuition payment can be made at Open House or anytime the first week of preschool.

MWF - $150

TR - $100

More information regarding preschool schedule, tuition payments and other general preschool information will be available at Open House.

Let me know if you have any questions.

See you all soon!

Summer Ideas

I'm sure many of you may already have summer plans, but here are some fresh ideas for summer fun!! 

http://www.communityplaythings.com/resources/articles/2016/ten-rainy-day-activities

http://www.mericherry.com/2015/04/10/let-paint/

https://www.care.com/a/101-fun-things-to-do-with-kids-this-summer-1305030150

www.teachpreschool.org

http://www.readingrockets.org/article/get-ready-summer-ideas-teachers-share-families#online

www.pbskids.org

(We used pbskids.org for computer games this year in preschool and the children really enjoyed it!!) 

http://www.scholastic.com/parents/resources/collection/outdoor-activities/fun-sun-activities


http://www.notimeforflashcards.com/  (added this one on 5/5)

http://www.hwtears.com/hwt (added this one on 5/5)
Excellent resource for handwriting tools - free printables for parents!!

Enjoy your summer. I will try to post things on the blog, but it may not be as frequent. 

Enrolling for FALL!

We have openings in the MWF session (For children entering Kindergarten Fall '17). 

Contact Larisa for more information.  (620) 327-8161 or larisa.lawrence@hesston.edu

Tanganyika!!

Thankfully it was only cold with no rain for Zoo day. 

Great ending to a fantastic year!!

Here are quite a few pictures I took.....

The cheetah is hiding in the grass. He lifted his tail every once in awhile.

What a great turn out!!!

Running around and jumping off of this rock seemed to be
just as enjoyable as seeing the animals. 

 THE HC shirt pics 

(sorry, I didn't catch everyone!)

The giraffes are so amazing and grande!

Beautiful animal!!!

Animals have a mind of their own.
The zoo keeper was holding this piece of lettuce trying
to lure this guy out and then he finally just threw it on the ground
and walked away. The tortoise immediately came out and
promptly munched it all down the hatch!

Thanks for a great Zoo day and year!
Have a most wonderful summer!!

Let your light shine!!

Even after all of the times we practiced this song for Family Night, the children still request to sing it. Today we sang it again and added other verses, When we go to Kindergarten, I'm going to let it shine. When we go to Tanganyika, I'm going to let it shine. When we leave preschool, I'm going to let it shine. They kept coming up with more verses. We also discussed what it means to "let our light shine" - talk about abstract thinking. Not an easy one for young children to understand, but they did have some interesting insights about it. And as we come to the end of the school year, a great song to take with you and remember!

We are very thankful for all families that choose to have their child attend Hesston College Preschool. I've just completed 11 years here and have thoroughly enjoyed this community and getting to know all of the families through the years. One bonus of my job is getting to know numerous families and especially those who have several children attend - some up to 6 years! 
Again, it's kind of sad when those eras come to an end. 

Thanks to you all for your commitment and support of our preschool program but mostly, for desiring that your child(ren) receive early childhood learning experiences. The Hesston College's tagline is, Start Here, Go Everywhere and we believe that is true for the children who start preschool here - they will go everywhere! (This was not an intentional plug for the college..... :)) 

Many blessings for future learning and success!

http://www.hollychristine.net/