Drop in Childcare Now Available!

UPDATE: Since this post, our school timetable has changed. We are now open Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday from 9am-4pm. Drop in care is available, dependent on space.

Finishing Up The Five Senses - Vashon Island Nursery School

Last week we had a "transition week" - finishing up Los Cinco Sentidos, and getting ready for Plants!!! (Plantas!). We actually did quite a bit for a transition week. I had a hard time narrowing down the photos I wanted to post this week, so I just posted a ton. (Couldn't help it. I love these kiddos so much!!!)

Experimenting with ice blocks, salt and water color paint. 

Some of my favorite people in the WHOLE WIDE WORLD!!!

They are such amazing gardeners already!

Picking a bouquet 

Splashing in the water table. Pretty much the most fun EVER!

"CHEESE!"

"Roly polies!"

Es para comerselo!!!!

Love that little tongue sticking out!!!

Science and art with milk, watercolor paint and dish soap!!!

I could have done this all day long!

And then we made prints!

Seriously cool experiment!

Silks and cuddling before nap time!

Como un taco!

Silk scarves are so fun!

¨Here you go!

Amigos para siempre!!!

I just love that smile! (Even with the pb&j left on it!)

<3

Los Cinco Sentidos - Vashon Island Nursery School

We have had a busy few months around here! (And yes, I realize I haven't posted in about two years.... I guess I should say "a busy few YEARS around here"!)

We are just finishing up the Los Cinco Sentidos (The Five Senses) unit!

My oh my, what a fun unit!

For the sense of SIGHT (La Vista)"Mira!/Look!"
 We made glow in the dark, glittery stars, experimented mixing black and white paint to discover gray scale, and made coffee filter flowers with water color paints and droppers. We also used our imagination to go camping in our dramatic play area! In our discovery center, we looked at kaleidoscopes, optical illusions, magnifying glasses and "View Masters" to experience 3D, plus we played and built with all kinds of different objects on our light table. It was a feast for the eyes!

Vocabulary:
Los ojos - eyes
Mira! - look!
La vista - sight
Ver  - To See
  Veo - I see
  Ves - You see
  Ve  - He/She/it sees
  Vemos -  We see
   Ven -  They see
 

For The Sense of SOUND (El Oido) "Escucha!/Listen!"
We played musical instruments, made our own maracas and kazoos, painted with cars, played with ramps and tunnels in the car and block center and sang and danced... A LOT! We got to listen to the sounds different levels of water in glass makes, and  we played sound games where the kids had to close their eyes and point in the direction the sound was coming from.

Vocabulary
Las orejas -  ears
Escucha! -  listen!
Oye! - Hey!
Me oyes? - Do you hear me?
Escuchar - to listen
  Escucho - I listen
  Escuchas - you listen
  Escucha - he/she/it listens
  Escuchamos - we listen
  Escuchan - they listen


For the Sense of SMELL (El Olfato) "Huele!/Smell!"
We explored the different smells in the garden, and made pictures with herbs, we painted with tea bags, smelly paints and pens, played with play dough that smelled of lavender, lemon and mint, and tried to match same smells in different containers. Plus, we read a lot of funny books like "David Huele!", "Big, Smelly" Bear, and "The Skunk Dog"

Vocabulario
El olor - the smell
"Que bien huele!" - It smells so good!
Oler - to smell
  Huelo  - I smell
  hueles - you smell
  huele - he/she/it smells
  olemos - we smell
  huelen - they smell

Huele a - It smells like...

For the Sense of Touch (El Tacto) "Toca!/Touch!"
We spent a lot of time playing in sensory bins! We played with water beads, a rice bin, cornstarch and shaving cream, and cloud dough (flour and baby oil). We also had balloons with different substances inside, and the kids had to match the ones that felt the same (not an easy task!). We also had a lot of different objects to explore on our discovery shelf, and we made textured play dough. : )

Vocababulario
Sentir - to feel
Tocar - -to touch
soft - suave
smooth - liso
rough - áspero
sharp - afilado
mojado - wet
seco - dry


For the Sense of Taste (El Gusto) "Taste it!/Pruébalo!"
This was a fun one for our taste  buds! We made some sort of recipe every day for snack! We made smoothies, popsicles, hummus, fruit kebabs and we painted with jello in squirt bottles, then scraped it up and ate it! This was probably the favorite of all!

Vocabulario
El sabor - the taste
un sorbo - a sip
spicy - picante
hot - quema/caliente
cold - frio
sweet - dulce
bland - soso
sour - amargo


All in all, the children had such a wonderful time, as did we, and we are excited to be starting our new unit next week - Plants and Gardening!  I have so many things planned, I can't wait!!!

Remember if you have any questions at all, please feel free to contact me!

Sarah - sarahbunch77@gmail.com
            (206) 473-0445

Licensed Daycare/Preschool to Open September 17th!! - Vashon Island Daycare and Nursery School

It's finally here, friends!!! After two years of working toward this goal, El Gato con Botas will open it's doors on September 17th as a LICENSED daycare/preschool!!

Our new hours will be 8:30-4:00. I have  been working hard on the curriculum, and have come up with some very fun themes for the year. I know the kids are going to have a blast and will learn so much.

Bilingualism

 for 2012-2013 SCHOOL YEAR

Many of you may have noticed the change from a straight immersion program to a bilingual approach at our school. I have thought very hard about this, and have come up with a couple very strong reasons to conduct classes in both English and Spanish.

• Social Development and Conflict Resolution - Social development  at this age is such a fundamental part of a child's growth, well-being and happiness, that I think it is necessary to teach them the vocabulary and skills they will be able to use inside, as well as outside, the classroom.  Conflicts are a regular part of the day, and are typically met with an escalation of stress and frustration. Asking children to use their words in their first language is hard enough! For practicality reason, we will use English when when solving social conflicts so their focus will be on effective problem solving instead of learning new vocabulary as well.
  
• Early Literacy and Pre-Reading Skills - Meaning is a critical part of teaching reading. If a child looks at a picture of an apple, and says "Apple", while I am holding "la letra 'M' de "Manzana", there is going to be some confusion, especially if the children do not know the word in Spanish! To keep things clear, I will teach Literacy and Reading in English, while Math, Science and Art will be taught in Spanish. Music will be in both English and Spanish.
  
• Explanations, Self-Expression and Danger - These are three areas that I find it extremely important to use a child's first language. During circle time, when a child needs to learn skills to speak up and express himself in front of a group, whichever language feels easier will be welcome. We will have some time to chat in English when we can discuss what is going on in each child's life, and make sure that each child knows she is heard. Explaining important concepts, or preventing dangerous situations, will all be expressed in English.

As a parent of children growing up bilingual, but with a significantly stronger first language, this makes the most sense to me. If you have any questions, please contact me to chat a bit! sarahbunch77@gmail.com

In the next post, I will talk about some more changes or the 2012-2013 school year! Stay tuned...

<3 Sarah