Dressing Up Is Fun to Do

We are what we wear, or at least we can pretend to be someone or something else when we don a costume. A shy person might be more outgoing or a celebrity may blend into the crowd when they are behind a mask, make-up or costume. At Pre School we love to pretend to be something different! October offered students (and teachers) a chance to be Clifford the Big Red Dog. We brought our favorite teddies and stuffed animals to school to show them the school routine. Then, we celebrated Halloween, the granddaddy of all dress-up holidays! I love the way the children come into school on our Halloween party days. They bounce in looking all cute in their costumes. Then, upon seeing the other "characters" in the room, they stop and stare taking in the sight before them. Spiderman, Cinderella, Thomas the Tank Engine, Ninjas, and M&Ms are staring back at them. It's an awesome sight! Once the initial shock is over, they relax and start to play. The shy children often are more relaxed on party day. Perhaps they love parties or perhaps they like hiding behind their costume character. I can remember feeling that way. At the end of the day we were happy ..... and sweaty from wearing those costumes all day!

Happy Halloween!

APPLES, APPLES, APPLES

We have learned so much about apples in the last week and a half. Ask you pre schoolers what colors apples come in and how to pick an apple without ruining the buds for next year's apple blossoms. These are things we have been learning at school. Our apple peeler was busy last week as we peeled apples for our homemade applesauce. Yum! This week the three year olds are talking about the importance bees for growing apples and the importance of apple blossoms for making honey. This is one example of how things in nature work together for good! The four year old classes had the experience of riding in a school bus to Aamodt's Apple Orchard. They had a tour of the apple barn and rode a wagon out into the orchard to see the apples growing on the trees. "An apple a day keeps the doctor away," or so they say. Whether it is true or not, apples sure are delicious!