West Richmond Preschool

Yesterday was about boundaries. For me at least. Finding the space where we can all be ourselves, both teachers and students. Yesterday forced me to think deeply about my role as a teacher, my core values,  and what I am and am not comfortable with. It pushed me to explore my philosophy on the early childhood setting and emergent curriculum. I questioned my ability to really be true to children's interests and allow them to be who they are and pursue what interests them. Luckily, I had a study group to attend last night; kind of therapy for people working with children. I was able to share my thoughts, musing, and reflections with this wide group of intelligent people and although we didn't have any definitive answers, it sure felt good. Let me give you one example although there were other situations. I am choosing to share with you this particular one because I believe it comes up a lot for many educators. And, dare I say without reprimand, mostly with female educators. I m

Another day of fish egg discussions led to the children using Plasticine to represent the fish eggs. It was interesting to watch the children figure out different ways to roll out their "eggs". Some preferred to use their two palms to roll the balls while others placed the Plasticine on the table and rolled with one palm. The discussions were also intriguing as some children commented on the fact that they had never seen the eggs in real life while others told tales of eating them in their sushi. This art project also allowed for good vocabulary building as we discussed how each egg has a membrane, a soft transparent wall. It also provoked  some thinking around water- the temperature, the fact that they need clean not polluted water and how the eggs can die if the water is too cold. The children also learned about the composition of the egg and they were curious about the yolk sac. The following day we had real salmon eggs under a giant ma

Last week the children asked how fish have babies. Here is a glimpse of their beginning work on fish eggs. These discussions will continue next week.... more questions, thoughts, ideas to come. Emily

A great way to end our first week back. On Wednesday, somehow the topic of grilled cheese sandwiches surfaced so we decided to make some cheese sandwiches today. Children chose their bread, cheese and assembled their creations. I was impressed that many of them were willing and eager to try a new cheese. After filling our bellies and layering with warm clothing we headed out to Garden City Park. We ran, we jumped, we slid down hills, we climbed, we happily used our super loud voices and we discovered frost and ice! We used our sand tools (spades, hoes) to break apart the ice, small shards of ice flying about, water seeping through the cracks. It was an activity enjoyed by all, at different times. I heard: How is ice made? Can I bring ice home? I want to give my mommy a piece of ice. I love ice. This is so much fun! How long will ice last? Is ice made from water? I am thankful that our children can play outside in a safe, cle

After a rejuvenating break and a glorious time with my own family, I was elated to come back to class. I was curious to hear about their time off and wondered what had excited them over the past two weeks. After hellos and hugs we sat down to catch up on each other's lives.  Over the holidays our frog died and we were wondering if the children would notice or ask about the frog. It did not take long before Cole asked "Where is the frog?" Dustin told them that the frog died and then the speculations began about how he died. The following are a few snippets of our conversation.... Nico: I heard bad guys came. I heard them. They came and killed the frog. I am serious. Cole: The frog is dead for real. Zev: Maybe he swallowed a rock. Chloe: Maybe he drank the water. Maybe he didn't have enough water. Cash: Maybe he didn't eat the food. Little Emily: Fish drink water This last statement prompted a conversation on fish, the aquarium, sloths, sharks and a rhy