The excitement of the holidays at the East Andover Village Preschool was heightened by a visit from our local traditional Santa Claus. While the children worked during morning choice time, the faint ringing of sleigh bells was heard in our classroom, and, much to the children’s surprise, in walked Santa with a bag full of toys.
Talking with Santa and telling him all of our Christmas wishes made everyone’s day. Thank you so much for taking the time to visit our school! We are truly lucky to have people like you in our community.
Returning from vacation, we sailed into the New Year aboard a pirate ship. In our first week back, several students started to build a pirate ship out of blocks during free time. We followed the children’s idea and spent the next few weeks exploring all things pirate.
Students helped us to create a new version of the song The Wheels on the Bus: we call it The Mast on the Ship. It’s so much fun to sing, it has become a classroom favorite.
As we learn, we encourage all students to think and imagine. We often start off morning meeting with a question, such as “What do pirates need?” The answers given to us are well thought-out and quite individual.
Students like to see their own ideas written down and appreciated. Together we have been writing stories. Preschool Two recently wrote One Time On A Ginormous Pirate Ship. Our class has such a great imagination! Throughout the story we set sail, our boat turns into a train, and we find treasure, plus more.
Our dramatic play area is ever-changing, both with the seasons and with the children’s interests. So far this school year it has become a farmers market, a costume and dress-up area, a bakery, a pirate ship, and now a post office.
The post office evolved from a student exploring with our mailbox. With Valentine ‘s Day this month, it was the perfect time to practice sending each other letters and packages. It also acts as a springboard to learn our addresses and how the postal system works.
Looking ahead, we have Parent Appreciation Week coming up in February. Start practicing those dance moves, because we have started to plan our family dance to cap off the special week. Last year’s dance was so much fun that we hope all the families are able to join us and get out on the dance floor.
It might seem like summer is a long way away, but we are already planning for our second year of summer camp. As a reminder, camp is open for children ages three to 12 years, and children do not need to be part of our preschool to attend.
Last year’s camp included a new theme each week, daily water play, arts and crafts, and many field trips. It’s possible to register for a couple of days or for the whole summer. Keep an eye out for more information to follow, and we hope to see you at Camp EAVP!