Mom's/Special Friend Day

The Preschool has been in a flurry of activity this past month! The children had been preparing for their Mom’s/Special Friend Day which they hosted on April 10 – 12 in their classrooms. The activities varied by classroom and included a Three Little Pigs skit complete with props, a bean bag dance, and singing songs together. They also decorated a clay pot and filled it with a plant for their special person as well as a lovely heart and beaded necklace they can wear as a cherished keepsake. All enjoyed the events, and it was amazing to see the smiles on the children’s faces as they shared their creations.

On April 17th, we held our New Family Orientation in the church parlor. Families were excited in anticipation for the upcoming school year. We have sixteen new families registered at the Preschool and eleven of the sixteen were in attendance. We shared the new schedule of classes operating in the morning, Monday through Friday from 9:00 – 11:30 AM, and explained all the new programs we are offering, including extended day options, for a more enriching and comprehensive experience during their time here at the preschool. We were happy to have Interim Associate Pastor Kristie Finley and Sarah Seccombe, our Children’s Faith Formation Director, present along with our Board Chair, Elyse Butler, introducing themselves and welcoming our new families.

In addition to these special events, classrooms have been busy continuing their learning and exploration of the United States. The Odyssey and Expedition classes (4 & 5-year olds) are studying the Saguaro National Park located in Tucson, Arizona. They are exploring the desert habitat where the giant cacti in the U.S. grow and are discovering the plants and animals that are tough enough to live there. The children are fascinated by what they are learning and are busy assembling a desert mural in the hallway outside their classroom. In the Explorer classroom (2 years old), they are moving from the greater USA focus to the community around us and the changes in the weather as the seasons’ progress. The Discovery Class (3 years old) will be focusing on destinations in the USA. We are currently taking the train to Chicago and creating a visual representation of the skyline for our hallway mural. After we go to Chicago, we will base our automobile and plane destinations upon student interest. The Adventure class (4 years old) is getting into our RV and traveling to Yellowstone National Park. We will be studying volcanoes, geysers and mud pots. We will also be studying the animals of Yellowstone including bears, eagles, bison, wolves and moose.

Both the Expedition and Odyssey classes celebrated their 100 days in school. They created activities that revolved around the number one hundred, and Odyssey had a 100th Day Beach Party celebration in Fellowship Hall and the Youth Lounge.

New next month is our Spring Family Gathering, Saturday, May 19th at Northcroft Park 10:00 AM – 12:00 PM. Stop in anytime to have your children play at the park, bring a picnic and meet our new and existing families!