St Patricks activities

We have had great week leading up to St Patricks Day with all kinds of fun activities like making St Patrick's Day bracelets, a leprechaun bait grab and go,  a gold coin guessing game and finally a leprechan trap contest. We can't wait to see what kind of trouble the leprechaun gets into on St Patrick's Day in each of our classrooms!  Our kids are so excited to not only wear green but to see what kind of tricks and treats, St Patricks Day will bring!

St Patrick's Day bracelets! 

Lots of fun stickers are added to it! 

Making sure he got all his stickers to decorate his bracelet!

An amazing Leprechaun trap!

Skittles lead the way to the gold at the end! 

Magically delicious!

What a creative leprechaun trap! 

Rainbow steps leading to a delicous treat! 

Rainbow grab and go! 

Infant learning

 Did you know that from a time a child is born he or she is learning every waking moment?!.  Babies and toddlers are either learning or sleeping and between birth to age 5, a child learns at a speed unmatched for the rest of his or her life! Babies, toddlers and preschoolers learn best by imitation and gentle repetition and when you read, talk and play with a purpose with children beginning at birth,  you help shape their network of neurons.  At AOFC our infant teachers make sure that each child has a loving, stable environment to learn and grow every day! 

Reading and learning! 

Look at the ducks! 

What does this do?

Reading makes him so sleepy! 

Check out these cool textures! 

Look at this flower bracelet! 

What is this?

Are these my feet?

Read Across America Week

This week at AOFC and school across the country we are celebrating Read Across America Week which is celebrated from March 2 to 6 - it begins on the birthday of the beloved author, Dr. Seuss. The entire month of March, in fact, is dedicated to reading. The National Education Association (N.E.A.) aims to encourage reading and educate people about its benefits, especially among children and young adults. Our teachers and kids love to read and have been celebrating Read Across America by reading their favorite Dr. Suess books during circle time and individually. We love reading at AOFC as well as celebrating Dr. Suess's birthday and Read Across America Week! 

She loves to read! 

He is reading about fish!

This is how you read in Pre K 2!

Take it all in!

The Cat in Hat knows alot about that!

Big or small we all love to read! 

Reading with her stuffy! 

Happy Birthday Dr Suess!

Loving the ocean book! 

St Patricks Day History

 At AOFC we love celebrating all holidays with fun decor, crafts, and activities which encompas all the aspects of the holiday that is being celebrated.  March is fast approaching and so here are some facts about the History of  St. Patricks Day, who he was and why we celebrate it. St Patrick's Day is celebrated annually on March 17, the anniversary of his death in the fifth century. St Patrick is the Patron Saint of Ireland and it't national apostle. The Irish have been observing this day as a religous holiday for over 1,000 years. On St. Patricks Day,  which falls during the season of Lent, Irish families would attend church in the morning and celebrate in the afternoon. People would dance, feast and drink on the tradional meal of Irish bacon and cabbage.  Over the next 35 years, Irish patriotism among American immigrants flourished, and these groups would hold annual parades featuring bagpipes and drums. In 1848 several New York Irish Aid societies decided to unite to form one officeal New York City St. Patrick's Day Parade. Today, that parade is the world's oldest parade and the largest in the United States, with over 150,000 participants. We love celebrating St. Patrick's day at AOFC as well as learning the history of it! 

Drawing her leprechaun for the door! 

That is one tricky leprechaun!

Concentrating so hard! 

Hand print pots of gold! 

Magical little leprechans on the Irish flag! 

Look at those awesome St. Patricks day leprechans! 

Dentist Visit

 Today at AOFC we had a super fun vist from a dental hygentist from Snodgrass and King Pediatric Dentistry as well as a vist from CHOMP the purple crocodile with awesome teeth! The kids learned all about the special instruments used to clean their teeth, the number of teeth they have, and the right way to brush their teeth! They also gave a thumbs up to all the healthy food like, broccoli, carrots, milk and a thumbs down to doughnuts, candy bars and soda which are not always the best choice when it comes to your teeth!  Finally a vist from CHOMP the dino gave out hugs and high fives as well as a reminder to brush and floss twice a day! We loved learning what to do keep our teeth healthy and shiny! 

Listening to the dental hygenist! 

Lots of friends like juice!

It's not good for your teeth so thumbs down! 

Chomp getting his teeth brushed!

Hi Chomp! 

Getting lots of hugs! 

The right way to brush! 

Counting his teeth! We have 20 teeth in our mouth! 

Writing Skills

 Writing is a very important skill that our kids in Pre K One and Pre K Two classes work on so that when they get to Kindergarten they can easily trace words, shapes, and numbers as well as write their name. Holding a pencil correctly is also important because the way it is held impacts the way the letters are written so our teachers are using different techniques to help each child be successful when learning to write.  It is exciting to see a child write their name for the first time or trace a letter that was difficult using a pencil that is held correctly and that success is what our Pre K teachers strive for each day.

Working on the letter J! 

Look at that awesome pencil hold!

Such good writing! 

Look at that name! 

Good Work!

So Proud!

Groundhog Day

 There are two burning questions that have been floating around our AOFC classrooms today, Will He?! or Won't He?! why are we asking such questions, well its Groundhog day and its up to Punxsutawney Phil to answer whether or not he will see his shadow! Unfortunately for us, Phil did see his shadow which means that we are going to have 6 more weeks of winter but thankfully he only has a 39% success rate so we might get lucky on the weather.  Our Prek and Preschool classes had fun making a Groundhog craft and voting whether or not Phil would see his shadow today. Fingers crossed his prediction doesn't last the full 6 weeks! Happy Groundhog Day!

Voting on the Will he?! or Won't he?! question!

Looks like she said yes! 

Cute Groundhog Craft!

Working hard to put her Groundhog together! 

The results are in: No he won't see his shadow according to Pre K 2 votes!

Showing off her finished craft! So cute!