Puzzles are fun for all ages!

Puzzles enhance math, spacial relations, problem solving and social skills....to name a few.

MATHEMATICS
K2.K.1 Identify attributes used to sort objects.
K4.K.9 Sort and classify objects by color and shape.
3.PK.1 Compare objects by size to determine smaller and larger.
4.PK.2 Identify positions (in front, behind, next to, up, down, inside, outside, on top, ordinal positions).

We always have at least 3 levels. Easy, medium, hard. This meets and reinforces self confidence levels too. If a student is having an "off day" they can pick up an "easy" puzzle, work it with ease, and it re-fuels their subconscious tank of "I am good at...." "I am successful"...."I can do it"....which helps them socially and emotionally feel better, and may even have some left over to be used later when they get in a tough place again. Another reason why they need to hear our positive acknowledgements10 times more than our corrections.

SOCIAL/EMOTIONAL
1.PK.3 Re-engage in a task or activity after experiencing disappointment, frustration, or failure.
1.PK.2b Acknowledge actions and accomplishments verbally and nonverbally.
2.PK.3b Clean up or put away toys and material when finished.
4.PK.1d Demonstrate problem-solving skills (ask for help from an adult, talk about problems, talk about feelings relating to problems, and negotiate solutions.)
5.PK.1a Play independently.
5.PK.2b Take turns with teacher support.
6.PK.1a Attend to a task for at least 10 minutes.
6.PK.1d Demonstrate ability to delay gratification to complete a larger task.

Meal/Snack Time

We are big on sitting family style and having conversation at HO4K. One of the biggest challenges the children have is portion control. They want to eat more and more of the crackers, cookies etc. At HO4K we reinforce nutritious amounts with statements like, "4 crackers is how much our body needs to be healthy and have fuel for energy. If you'd like more....you may have____"(offering fresh veggies and fruits)
PHYSICAL DEVELOPMENT
1.PK.1 Demonstrate personal hygiene skills (hand washing.)
1.PK.3 Identify healthy foods.
1.PK.8 Identify the basic need for air, water, and food.
SOCIAL/EMOTION
H1.K2  Listen to stories of family members, local residents, and prominent figures to highlight the human experience.
H1.PK.3 Share information about their family practices, customs, and culture.
H3.K.4 Demonstrate respect for each other in the classroom and school.
H3.K.5 Share those events that are important to the students and their families.
4.PK.1b Express common courtesy to others (saying "thank you", "please", "excuse me")

 

This is a great article from Exchange EveryDay!

Learn politeness from the impolite.
-Egyptian proverb

"How people eat is often as important as what they eat," observe Sharon Bergen and Rachel Robertson in their guidebook, Healthy Children, Healthy Lives: The Wellness Guide for Early Childhood Programs. They continue...

"In the past meals took time to prepare and families gathered around a table to eat them together. As they ate their food, they spent time talking. Often this was a bonding experience. It also helped people stay healthy. By eating food they had prepared themselves, they knew what ingredients went into it. Eating together encouraged eating slowly, which aided digestion and helped them know if they were full or still hungry. Today the average family's schedules and the convenience of restaurant meals have decreased the time people spend preparing and eating food. Further, restaurant foods are often high in additives, sugars, and fats. These ingredients can affect immediate and long-term health and often lead to overeating and weight gain.

"Teachers can help children read their own bodies' cues so they know how full or hungry they are. To that end, children should be offered food at regular time intervals throughout the day. Additionally, children should not be required to eat when they aren't hungry. They should not develop a habit of snacking throughout the day, either. Food should be used to give their bodies energy. It should not be treated as a reward or a punishment. Children need food for energy and most of them eagerly choose to eat at allotted times."

 

A Picture is Worth a Thousand Words

Recently, we discussed that preschoolers start reading pictures before sounding out words and can use the pictures to help add clues as they decode the letters to make words.  During reading time, one student found something in the Highlight magazine that had instructions with words and pictures on how to make a caterpillar (demonstrating a Social/Emotional Pre-K Standard 1.PK.2a Express ideas for activities; initiate and participate in discussions with teachers or peers; and several Language Pre-K Standard 1.PK.4  Recognize environmental print and symbols; 1.PK.5 Demonstrate awareness that print carries a message; 2.PK.3 Identify pictures to aid in comprehension.) 
He enthusiastically brought it to the creating table and started his construction.

Soon others wanted to make one too. So he instructed them what to do....(demonstrating a Pre-K Standard in Science-N.PK.2 Share ideas with others.)

  he carefully, cut, curled paper, and glued...(demonstrating a physical development Pre-K standard 6.PK.2 Demonstrate the muscle strength, dexterity, and control needed to manipulate items.)

And ta da! He shows his rendition of his fantastic caterpillar totally created on his own! Wow!!

Pre-K standard Creative Expressions

2.PK.1 Select progressively more challenging tasks.

2.PK.2b Express satisfaction when accomplishing a task and achieving a goal.

2.PK.3 Demonstrate persistence by trying again when faced with challenges.

Puzzling Results

Pinching, pushing, pulling while stringing helps develop small motor skills

Check out what our toddler age student was learning while doing a simple puzzle!

Puzzling Results
March 11, 2013

You must first have a lot of patience to learn to have patience.
-Stanislaw J. Lec

 

Susan Levine, Ph.D., from the University of Chicago, offered these insights on spatial thinking in preschoolers on the LearnNow website:

"As studies mount that spatial thinking can actually be enhanced by specific activities at the pre-K level, what can we say about methods that actually work? Our latest published work homed in on the dynamics of puzzle play with children as they migrated from ages 2 to 4.5. We tracked 53 pairs of kids and their primary caregivers (mostly mothers), at multiple intervals for 90 minutes per visit, recording the encounters on video.

"One of the strongest take-home messages from our study is that richer engagement with puzzle play at 2 produced a stronger grasp of STEM-centric concepts at 4.5. Specifically, the children who showed the most engagement with puzzle play at 2 stayed on their trajectory throughout our study period. Moreover, the strong puzzlers, when tested at age 4.5, performed well above their age peers in one of the gold standard tests for spatial skills — the ability to mentally rotate an object.

"So what’s the link between puzzle and spatial? Mastering the placement of puzzle pieces inherently compels the mind — young or old — to recognize shapes and patterns in certain objects and then to imagine how they might fit into the larger whole. More often than not, the skilled players must rotate the piece in their minds to conceive of its place, and then must test their hypothesis by actually trying to place it where they believe it to belong."
GOOD JOB!

Jumping, Rumbling, and Rolling

Check out our new fun!  The students use their imaginations coming up with different ideas and activities to play.  Not only are they jumping, rumbling, and rolling, they're also cooperating, waiting their turn, and talking to friends to work out who's turn it is and how much longer, etc.
The students are also learning to follow our 3 rules by looking at the sign:

• 2 people at a time
• Can jump, rumble, roll when both friends have smiles and are having fun
• If friends are waiting for a turn, the longest turn is 5 minutes

MATHEMATICS

1.PK.3a  Recognize and read numerals 0-5

5.PK.1  Identify and sort information (interpret quantity in pictures).

LANGUAGE

1.PK.4  Recognize environmental print and symbols

1.PK.5  Demonstrate awareness that print carries a message.

4.PK.1  Demonstrate and understand that printed material contains information (illustrations, graphs, and charts).

4.PK.5a  Recall information from an event, text, or picture related to self and the world around them.

4.PK.5b  Respond to or ask a question about an event.

4.PK.7  With teacher assistance, follow, a simple pictorial direction.

SOCIAL/EMOTIONAL

H2.PK.1  Begin to recognize that problems can occur in groups.

H3.K.4  Demonstrate respect for each other in the classroom and school.

C13.PK.1  Follow classroom and school rules.

C13.PK.2  Participate in group decision making.

1.PK.1a  Make independent choices from diverse interest centers or activities.

1.PK.2a  Express ideas for activities:  initiate and participate in discussions with teachers or peers.

5.PK.1b  Play in pairs and small groups.

5.PK.2b  Take turns with teacher support.

PHYSICAL DEVELOPMENT

2.PK.1  Demonstrate a basic form in walking, running, climbing, jumping, hopping, and walking up and down stairs.

2.PK.2  Perform a variety of large motor skills.

4.PK.1  Engage in daily moderate to vigorous physical activity.

5.PK.1  Participate appropriately during physical activities.

5.PK.2  Demosntrate turn taking and cooperation during physical activities.

5.PK.3  Interact positively with others regardless of personal differences (skill level, gender, race, and disability).

Conscious Discipline

"Conscious Discipline is a comprehensive self-regulation program that integrates social-emotional learning and discipline.

It is the only program that integrates classroom management with social-emotional learning, utilizes everyday events as the curriculum and addresses the adult’s emotional intelligence as well as the child’s. Conscious Discipline empowers adults to consciously respond to daily conflict, transforming it into an opportunity to teach critical life skills to children."

We are so lucky at HO4K to have many wonderful resources and programs. The students have been involved in some of the activities tied to the amazing program Conscious Discipline. This program can be used both within the home and school environment. Mrs. JoAnn has worked hard to learn more about utilizing it within our school.  

One of the major aspects is providing children the opportunity to meaningfully contribute to the classroom environment. The pictures above are of a student who is performing his "job" as the classroom horticulturist. He teaches the other students about any changes in the ongoing projects that we have and allows time for observation.  Daily the students are responsible and held accountable for their jobs. They take pride in their work and the routine of contributing to our school. What a great way of promoting life learners!

There will be opportunities for parents to learn more about Conscious Discipline within the home through classes facilitated by JoAnn coming soon.