Nursery Rhymes and Fairy Tales

We have just finished a unit on nursery rhymes and fairy tales at Pre School and it was so much fun! As Mr. Rogers used to say, we went to "the land of make believe." Talking animals, huge beanstalks, fairy godmothers, and princesses, princesses, princesses were all the rage! Three was the magic number for the week. We had the "Three Bears," the "Three Billy Goats Gruff," and the "Three Little Pigs!" The teachers did a puppet show of the "The Three Little Pigs." It didn't go exactly according to the book but it was close enough to recognize. Many of the nursery rhymes were put to music. Our favorite was, "I'm a Little Teapot." In the second verse we made a joke. We turned into a sugar bowl, not a teapot! Our "Humpty Dumpty" rendition was very jazzy and lots of fun. The fancy dress-up clothes were out for all to play with, complete with crowns and gloves!

What do Valentine’s Day, US patriotic symbols, and Pajama Day have in common? The answer: love. (Does this sound as random as the Netflix commercials?) February is all about love. Valentine’s Day and the weeks leading up to it are a time set aside to focus on those we love. How can we show our love to another person? What does it mean to love your neighbor? Who are the people who love us? We will have a fun Valentine’s party at school and make cards for someone we love. Naming ways to show kindness is also something we talk about. God puts love in our hearts!

Let’s expand our thinking now. We are all proud to be Americans. We live in a country with many more freedoms then most of the people of the world. This may lead to disagreements but we are allowed to state our opinions and work to find solutions that all of us, Americans, can live with. Because we love our country, we display and honor the symbols of the U.S. such as the flag, the White House, our Presidents, the multi-cultural make-up of the country, etc. This is a broader sense of love.

On Pajama Day, everyone - yes, even the teachers - wears their pajamas to school. We are also allowed to bring our sleeping buddies with us. (Not our husbands.) Our snack consists of milk and cereal and our stories are comforting ones. Who doesn’t long to be tucked in at the end of the day by someone who loves us. Saying our prayers and receiving a good night kiss is a ritual we all should experience to send us off to sleep.

There you have your explanation to the above question. Love runs through Valentine’s Day, patriotic symbols and Pajama Day!

We do have a few more things going on this month that didn’t fit into the love theme so well. We will be learning about dinosaurs (one of God’s very fascinating creations!) Parent-teacher conferences are being held at the end of the month and the three year olds are giving an evening program for family and friends on February 16, at 7:00 p.m. February is a very full month for Pre School! We love school.

The Mitten

Coming back to school in January is very fun. When the children first come to the door they may be a little tentative for a few minutes. Then they reconnect with their friends in class and it's as though they were never apart! The first week of school we talk about fun in the snow and how we enjoy winter. Too bad there isn't much snow so far!! In spite of the weather we love to read, "The Mitten," by Jan Brett. In the story, a little boy drops his white mitten on the snow and before he knows it, a mole, a rabbit, a hedgehog, an owl, a badger, a fox, a bear, and a mouse have crawled into the mitten. I won't tell you the end of the story. I don't want to spoil it for you! Just let me say that we acted out the story as a class with eight children crawling into the mitten! It was quite a sight!

HE CAME AND WE CELEBRATED!

What can I say except the Jesus came on Christmas Day and we have been celebrating all month! We sang carols by the big Christmas tree. Acting out the story of Jesus' birth we "dramatic!" Secrets were kept as we worked on our presents to our parents and wrapped them the last day of class. Then, SURPRISE!, Santa came to our party! Wow! What a month!

SIGN UP SOON!

The new year is almost here. We can put our 2011 activities to bed and begin planning 2012 with renewed energy. Perhaps you want to reassess your 401K plan (that’s always a big one for me) or dream about the vacation you might be able to take this summer. I’m getting excited about reorganizing my basement and sending my kids’ stuff to live at their houses instead of mine! Oh the excitement of making New Year’s resolutions!

Pre School is also looking ahead to next year. That is, we are already planning for our 2012-2013 school year. To get on board you must register. Here is what you need to know. Please feel free to share this information with family and friends. If they live close by, you could carpool with them!

SALEM PRE SCHOOL REGISTRATION

Registration opens for current students, Salem members and alumni:

Thursday, Jan. 26, 9:00-10:30AM in the Salem gym

Open House and Registration for new families: (Adults and children are welcome at the Open House.)

Saturday, Jan. 28, 10:00-12:00 noon

SCHEDULE FOR 2012-2013

3 year olds Tuesday, Thursday 9-11:30 AM $92/month

Wednesday, Friday 9-11:30 AM $92/month

4 year olds Mon.-Tues.-Thurs. 9-11:30AM $139/month

Mon.-Wed.-Fri. 9-11:30 AM $139/month

Tues.-Thurs. 12:30-3:00PM $92/month

Tues.-Thurs. 12:30-3:00 $139/month

There is a $55 non-refundable registration fee due at the time of registration. Salem members and families with two or more children enrolled are given a 10% discount. For more information you may go to our website, www.salemcovpreschool.com.

Thanksgiving Feast

TURKEY, TURKEY

(tune: "Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star")

Turkey, Turkey look at you

Please be careful what you do.

Thanksgiving Day will soon be here.

We eat turkey every year.

Go and hide out in the woods.

We'll eat pizza as we should!

The Pilgrims and turkeys gathered for pizza lunch at Salem Pre School on November 22 and 23. We are all thankful for the blessings of family and friends that God has given us!

Come to the Stable

Ahh, December. Our thoughts are consumed with Christmas. Pre School is like a mini Santa’s workshop as we work on gifts for our parents and Christmas decor for our home refrigerators.

Each day at Pre School we look at the calendar and count the number of days that have gone by in December. We love passing the time by singing Christmas songs and listening to Christmas stories. One of our favorite books this time of year is, “Room For a Little One,” by Martin Waddell. Kind Ox lives in the stable next to the Inn. One winter’s night he invites Old Dog, Stray Cat, Small Mouse and Tired Donkey into the stable, one by one. Tired Donkey brings along Mary and Joseph for “there is always room for a little one here.” The stable is peaceful. Predator and prey lay down quietly side by side. It is here the Christ Child is born in the peace of the stable “one cold winter’s night.”

And so ... we come on Christmas night, from diverse countries, backgrounds, economic classes and political parties, to the stable. We bow down together to worship Jesus, God’s gift to all of us. He is God’s “Little One” who came for the world. Peace to you this Christmas from the little ones at Salem Pre School!