Hours Worked: (8:30-12:15)
Today was very bitter sweet. It was an exciting day in that it was a lot of fun, but sad because it was our last day at the preschool! I don't think the kids actually realize that we won't be coming back! It started off normal with free play time and snack. During snack Hannah and I were sitting on the floor gluing something in their journals, when all of a sudden Lindsey and Ani came out with two very large white envelopes. They had gotten Hannah and I a very nice gift of a metal spray painted frog with all their names on it and bath fizz in the shape of a frog! It was so nice and sweet of them to think of us! It really started to sink in that it was our last day at that point. Next, we all got our coats on and ventured over to the Proctor gym where they got to run around and be crazy. Hannah got some really great shots on her new camera! When we came back we had story time and lunch! It was a crazy day! It was really sad to leave, even though it didn't feel like senior project was really over. In the afternoon Hannah and I had taken the journals with us to finish them up. We printed out a bunch of pictures and taped them in the journals. Placed coloring papers in the pocket for them to color at a later date and glued in the recipe for frog pretzels. This took a lot longer than it sounded and by then we were exhausted! I am so sad that senior project is over. Hannah and I keep saying to each other how much we are going to miss the little kids! We will definitely have to go back and visit next week!
Friday, May 23, 2008
Thursday, May 22, 2008
HANNAH GOODNOW IS LEGAL! May 22
Hours Worked: (8:30-10:30, 10:45-12:30)
Today was a great day because it was Hannah's 18Th birthday! I got to the school and Hannah was already using her brand new camera that she got. The kids were playing around the school doing various things. While they finished up play time and snack Hannah and I glued the frog eyes on the paper so they could create their pond scenes. Afterwards we had a morning meeting where they found out the centers. At first our center wasn't popular but after the kids saw what we were doing more and more came. What the kids did was color the paper they had with crayons, markers, they glued beads to it and we used pipe cleaners to make grass and lily pads. There was also a frog stamp that they could use. They actually really liked doing this center because they got to glue and work with things such as beads and pipe cleaners that they don't normally get to craft with. They ended up really getting into it! Half way through the center I had to pop into Assembly because today was the sports assembly, but I only stayed for fifteen minutes. When I came back the group had started music time and Hannah was finishing up with the last few kids on their projects! Next, while the kids went outside for play time, we pulled three in at a time to decorate some cupcakes I had baked for Hannah' birthday. They put frosting on it, jimmies, smarties, jellybeans, and mini chocolate chips. They had a lot of fun doing this and could hardly wait to eat it. They ended up being a motivation for them to eat their lunch because they weren't allowed to have their cupcakes until they finished their lunch! It seemed to be a very long day compared to others, but was a lot of fun celebrating Hannah's birthday!
Wednesday, May 21, 2008
"She isn't pretend, she's real!" May 21
Hours Worked: (8:15-11:15)
Today was a short but sweet day. It started off really exciting because Sarah brought in Indira, Ani's little sister. Ani made sure to tell her friend Lindsey that she wasn't pretend, she's real so you can touch her. Ani was very cute about it! After free time they settled down for snack and I sat at the round table with a very energetic group! They were being very silly! Then half of the group went to the library while we had a bunch of centers going on. They were short centers so I sat over in the book area keeping an eye on the kids playing with the dollhouses. When the rest of the group got back we had a short morning meeting to inform us of what centers were being offered. I ran a center where they had paper and got to draw with markers and put stickers on the paper! They really liked it, even though I found it not very entertaining. Today I had to leave half way through the center because I had my last away game ever! It was sad, but was the reason I had to leave early. Tomorrow is Hannah's 18Th birthday, so tonight I baked some cupcakes that the kids will decorate tomorrow in celebration of her birthday! Only two more days.....CRAZY!
Today was a short but sweet day. It started off really exciting because Sarah brought in Indira, Ani's little sister. Ani made sure to tell her friend Lindsey that she wasn't pretend, she's real so you can touch her. Ani was very cute about it! After free time they settled down for snack and I sat at the round table with a very energetic group! They were being very silly! Then half of the group went to the library while we had a bunch of centers going on. They were short centers so I sat over in the book area keeping an eye on the kids playing with the dollhouses. When the rest of the group got back we had a short morning meeting to inform us of what centers were being offered. I ran a center where they had paper and got to draw with markers and put stickers on the paper! They really liked it, even though I found it not very entertaining. Today I had to leave half way through the center because I had my last away game ever! It was sad, but was the reason I had to leave early. Tomorrow is Hannah's 18Th birthday, so tonight I baked some cupcakes that the kids will decorate tomorrow in celebration of her birthday! Only two more days.....CRAZY!
Tuesday, May 20, 2008
"You might want to check on those tadpoles!", May 20th
Hours Worked: (8:30-12:15)
So the title of this blog explains how the day started off today, by Morgan Salathe telling us to check on the tadpoles, but everything was OK! We thought one of them was dead but it was just floating there! Today was a hard day because they don't have centers so we are really there for the extra hands. After snack we headed to the music building where we had music with Bill. They love music because they get to play with instruments, jump around, sing and dance! Afterwards, we walked over to the Andover Elementary School where they meet with their reading buddies in the fifth grade. Next, we headed out to the elementary school's playground to have outside time because they have a bigger, more exciting playground and their reading buddies came out to play with them! I spent most of my time giving Lindsey and Ani under-doggies and pushing them on the swings. Then we walked back to the school where we headed them all cups of water because they were so famished from all the walking and playing they had just done. Lindsey, who was sitting on my lap somehow poured the rest of her water all over her pants and even managed to get some on my feet. So, I had to take her to change her pants and then we quickly went back to the book area to listen to the puppet show. Then, they went outside on their own playground for a bit, while Hannah and I taped pictures I had developed in their science journals. When they came back in we helped them wash their hands and settle down for lunch. It was a fun day and I'm sad to think I only have three more days with them=(
So the title of this blog explains how the day started off today, by Morgan Salathe telling us to check on the tadpoles, but everything was OK! We thought one of them was dead but it was just floating there! Today was a hard day because they don't have centers so we are really there for the extra hands. After snack we headed to the music building where we had music with Bill. They love music because they get to play with instruments, jump around, sing and dance! Afterwards, we walked over to the Andover Elementary School where they meet with their reading buddies in the fifth grade. Next, we headed out to the elementary school's playground to have outside time because they have a bigger, more exciting playground and their reading buddies came out to play with them! I spent most of my time giving Lindsey and Ani under-doggies and pushing them on the swings. Then we walked back to the school where we headed them all cups of water because they were so famished from all the walking and playing they had just done. Lindsey, who was sitting on my lap somehow poured the rest of her water all over her pants and even managed to get some on my feet. So, I had to take her to change her pants and then we quickly went back to the book area to listen to the puppet show. Then, they went outside on their own playground for a bit, while Hannah and I taped pictures I had developed in their science journals. When they came back in we helped them wash their hands and settle down for lunch. It was a fun day and I'm sad to think I only have three more days with them=(
Monday, May 19, 2008
Froggie Eyes! May 19th
Hours Worked: (8:15-12:15)
Today was another successful day at the preschool! I think I love these kids more and more each day! Ani finally returned to school after the exciting news of being a big sister last night and was more than happy to show pictures that were on news to Kathy and I. After snack we all met up for morning meeting. Fenn did the calender and Sasha recorded the weather for us. Hannah wasn't there at first so I had to do most of the center by myself. However, our center today was creating frog eyes! We cut egg cartons up so that there were two egg spots given to each child to paint. They decorated it however they wanted. Later they will drawn a pond on a piece of paper and glue the eyes on the paper so it creates the illusion of frog eyes popping out of the water! Hannah did a demo before the center to see what it would look like and it looks cool! Afterwards, there was story time and then the kids got ready to go outside. Meanwhile, Hannah and I finished coloring the rest of the puzzle pieces which we hope to put together later this week. When Hannah and I went out on the football field to join them it was as if we were four years old again. We were racing them, holding them upside down and tickling them and then they even had pig piles on top of us! We finished with a good old game of tadpole, tadpole, frog! They really enjoy that game! Last, we settled down for lunch and left for our own lunch!
Sunday, May 18, 2008
Weekly Reflection #2
Another week has gone by and I can’t believe it! It’s crazy to think I am almost done with senior project! These two weeks have flown by and it’s been a really great experience! So far I have realized that everyday is somewhat similar. The only things that change are the activities and the attitudes of the kids. I learned that I love working with kids, but that I am going to have to be a lot more patient and not get so easily frustrated. I also learned that kids don’t always think for themselves. For example, we made pretzels this week and one of the girls decided that they didn’t like the pretzel, so her friend sitting right next to her decided she didn’t like it either. It was a bit disappointing but we knew she didn’t like it only because her friend didn’t. It showed that kids really pick up on their surrounding environment. Another example is I noticed is that one day, a girl who I have played with a lot was telling all the kids to be quiet and saying “sshhh!’ to them during story time, as I have done in the past. I started to realize that the only reason she was probably doing this was because I have done it in the past, so she automatically thought it was ok for her to do it as well!
Everyday I enjoy what I do. I love how we never do the same thing and how there is always something entertaining to do with the preschoolers. I like that I get to be outside a lot and that I get to be creative. It is fun everyday in some way!
Once again, as it was last week, Hannah and I aren’t asked to do certain activities. A lot of the time we offer to do a center if we don’t have one planned for that day or without asking we will give the kids their milk or water bottles for snack and lunch. It is the sort of environment where we do things without being asked. Hannah and I know what needs to be done, so we are able to do things without having Raz tell us.
There were two things this week that didn’t happen exactly as I imagined. The first was on Thursday we asked Sam Payson to come play the guitar and teach the kids a song about frogs. He showed up twenty minutes late just as Hannah and I were leaving. It was frustrating because the kids were eating lunch so we couldn’t exactly stop them from what they were doing so we told him thanks anyways. I learned that you can’t always depend on people and that you should probably have something else planned if they don’t follow through, which Hannah and I hadn’t done, so we felt badly about it. The other thing that didn’t happen exactly the way we wanted was our cooking center. We got the recipe for toad pretzels and Hannah made the dough. The pretzels didn’t really come out as pretzels, more of hard dough clumps. The kids still ate them, at least most of them but we wished they had come out more like pretzels. Oh well, they still liked them and had fun playing with the dough so that was good.
I will benefit from this week because I know that I need to be prepared for whatever happens. If something doesn’t go right or if a plan doesn’t follow through I need to be prepared with something else! It was a good week and I’m excited for my last week of senior project!
Everyday I enjoy what I do. I love how we never do the same thing and how there is always something entertaining to do with the preschoolers. I like that I get to be outside a lot and that I get to be creative. It is fun everyday in some way!
Once again, as it was last week, Hannah and I aren’t asked to do certain activities. A lot of the time we offer to do a center if we don’t have one planned for that day or without asking we will give the kids their milk or water bottles for snack and lunch. It is the sort of environment where we do things without being asked. Hannah and I know what needs to be done, so we are able to do things without having Raz tell us.
There were two things this week that didn’t happen exactly as I imagined. The first was on Thursday we asked Sam Payson to come play the guitar and teach the kids a song about frogs. He showed up twenty minutes late just as Hannah and I were leaving. It was frustrating because the kids were eating lunch so we couldn’t exactly stop them from what they were doing so we told him thanks anyways. I learned that you can’t always depend on people and that you should probably have something else planned if they don’t follow through, which Hannah and I hadn’t done, so we felt badly about it. The other thing that didn’t happen exactly the way we wanted was our cooking center. We got the recipe for toad pretzels and Hannah made the dough. The pretzels didn’t really come out as pretzels, more of hard dough clumps. The kids still ate them, at least most of them but we wished they had come out more like pretzels. Oh well, they still liked them and had fun playing with the dough so that was good.
I will benefit from this week because I know that I need to be prepared for whatever happens. If something doesn’t go right or if a plan doesn’t follow through I need to be prepared with something else! It was a good week and I’m excited for my last week of senior project!
Friday, May 16, 2008
Two weeks already gone by? Can't be! May 16th
Hours Worked: (8:30-12:30)
This week was an awesome week! The kids were so great this week and so much fun! It was days like these that make me happy I did senior project! Today was a pretty normal day starting with free time and snack. There were only thirteen on them there today which felt like a very small group! Afterwards, they had morning meeting and centers. Hannah and I did a cooking center. Hannah had prepared dough the night before and today we had the kids make shapes and designs with the dough to create pretzels. They were all supposed to be in the shape of frogs but we soon realized that tadpoles were easier to make. Once they finished, the kids went to the Proctor gym and Hannah and I stayed behind to keep an eye on the pretzels and clean up from the center. It was cool because they left with the picture of what they created and came back to the finished product. The kids also got to paint an egg wash on it. They came out alright, but not as well as we had hoped. Most of the kids liked them, but some decided that because their best friend didn't like it, they weren't going to like it either. It was a fun project and we think the kids had a lot of fun playing with the dough. Once they came back from the gym they sat down for lunch and we handed out the pretzels. After they cleaned up from lunch Hannah and I headed off to our lunch. It was a fun day had by all!
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