Happy Halloween!

Halloween party today. The costumes looked fantastic! I am always impressed with what is out there and how it all comes together. Parties are always fun and a little crazy. Without the structured schedule, the kids are always a little more nuts, but we gotta let loose sometimes! We played some games (Witch, witch, ghost-like duck, duck, goose-Pin the nose on the Jack-0-Lantern, etc). We decorated cupcakes. They were allowed to eat one (if desired) and save the other for home. Some kids went all out on the decorations, cramming as many pumpkins and candy corns as they could and others would use a tiny dot of frosting and maybe a sprinkle or two. Always interesting to see the different personalities come out. We also made a little ghost with a sucker (since we had worked on letter G this week too). I also sent home book orders and calendars so be looking for those. Have a happy and safe Halloween! Then brush your teeth and get some sleep!! Took some pictures:


Decorating cupcakes (Afternoon-forgot to take pictures of this in the morning!)PLEASE feel free to leave comments. Would love to hear what you have to say.

Spider Treat

Usually our snack is just a simple thing (goldfish crackers, string cheese etc) but today, they had to make their "spooky" treat before they could eat! They had to count out 8 legs (pretzel sticks) and poke them into the body (a ding-dong). We could have used pull-n-peel twizzlers for the legs, but the pretzels are easier to manipulate. Then they enjoyed eating! Ding dongs are messy!

Chick-Fil-A!

We had our first field trip of the year on Thursday. Everyone was so accommodating to the early time-I really appreciate it! The kids were so well behaved-thank you. We got to see the "behind the scenes and even meet the cow mascot.It was a lot of talking and explaining, but they were really patient-even when waiting for Ice Cream-and that's hard to do. Really a good experience! Some pictures:

Even some time to play!

Note home

We have our first preschool field trip on Thursday October 22^nd. Our theme that week is “Community Helpers,” so we are going to learn about the inner-workings of Chick-Fil-A restaurant (at Jordan Landing). We are going behind the scenes to see how things are made and what the employees do there. We will also have a few samples! You are welcome to come (if you don’t you need to arrange transportation and sign a medical release for me). Other (younger and off-track) siblings are also welcome to come. We are meeting there at 9:00 am. Since it’s a working restaurant, our afternoon kids wouldn’t be able to tour until 2:30, so I have chosen to have everyone meet together. This will be school for that day. We are planning on about an hour (and of course you will be welcome to stay and eat/play if you choose). PLEASE let me know if you have questions! If not, we will see you there!

When we're helping, we're happy

This week, in addition to the letter D and discussing the change in season, we also had our theme of "Helping and Using our Manners." We discussed polite words and actions. I also used the story of the Little Red Hen to illustrate NOT being like the friends who couldn't eat the bread because they were unwilling to help along the way. Then, we made bread-we even ground the wheat! Here's the recipe I used:

Bread

2 cups warm water
1/3 cup Honey (or white sugar)
Put in bowl of mixer and
Dissolve honey in water and add
1 Tbsp yeast
Let rise about 5 min

Then in mixer add about
5 cups flour (wheat or white or a combo of the two)
1/3 cup vegetable oil
1 tsp salt

Let mix 10 minutes. Check about 1/2 way and if
the dough is too sticky can add up to 1 cup additional flour (add
about 1/4 cup at a time, using your judgment).
Pull out of bowl and form into 2 loaves. Place in greased
and floured loaf pans. Cover (I prefer cloth). Let rise about 30 min.
Cook for 30 min at 350.
Let cool on side to prevent falling. Enjoy!

Be Safe

Last week, we discussed ways to be and stay safe. This included some discussion on fire and earthquake drills. (I think some of the kids may have been a little scared by this, but I did explain that we have to be prepared so if we have an emergency then we won't panic or be scared) Really everyone should have plans at their house so they know what to do in case of fire, especially. (I also told them to encourage you to do this at home-did they?) We also discussed other ways to be safe, including: wearing bike helmets, wearing life jackets, wearing seat belts, stopping at stop signs, not going anywhere with strangers, and calling for help when we need it. We also discussed kitchen safety (hot stove, no knives) and made cookies as part of that. Hope you enjoyed the cookies! The students did a great job not only helping but being patient when others were helping. Thought I would share the recipe:

Best Chocolate Chip Cookies
4 1/2 Cups Flour
2 tsp baking soda
2 Cups butter (softened)
1 1/2 cups packed brown sugar
1/2 cup white sugar
2 (3.4 oz) pkg vanilla pudding mix
4 eggs
2 tsp vanilla extract
4 cups (2 pkgs) chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350. Mix flour and baking soda; set aside.
In a large bowl, cream together butter, brown sugar, and white sugar.
Beat in instant pudding and mix until well blended. Stir in eggs and vanilla.
Blend in flour mixture. Finally, stir in chocolate chips. Drop cookies
by rounded spoonfuls onto ungreased cookie sheet. Bake abt 15 min.
Edges should be golden brown.
Enjoy!