FBI - Pumpkin Carving

Our first Families Being Involved (FBI) Workshop was held on Friday, October 18th in the MAES Cafeteria.  Families from all Pre-K classes were invited to attend a pumpkin carving workshop!  Fun was had by all and the pumpkins turned out wonderfully!  I really enjoyed taking some extra time to get to know the families that were able to make it!  Here are some pictures of the pumpkin carving fun!

Cash works on getting the top off of his pumpkin as his grandma helps.

Peyton and his sister patiently wait for Dad to get the pumpkin open.

Maniah and her mom pose for a picture.

Alexis and her family work on putting the seeds in the bag to take home!

Lauren's family draws on a great jack-o-lantern face.  

Tristen and his dad work together to carve the pumpkin.

Cheyanne spends time with Mom and Dad as they carve their pumpkin.

October 2013

October is already here and fall is rolling in!!  We will be very busy in October learning, exploring and creating!  Below are the themes we will cover in October, as well as dates and reminders!

October 7-10 : Leaves and Fall

**During this week, we will be conducting a bus evacuation drill.  Our pumpkin family projects are due on Wednesday and Thursday.

October 14-17 : Hibernation and Migration

**This is a short week as there is NO SCHOOL on Monday, Oct. 14th due to Parent/Teacher Conferences and again on Thursday, Oct. 17th due to Child Development Day.

**Friday, October 18th is our first Families Being Involved event!  We will be carving pumpkins in the MAES cafeteria at 8:30 A.M.  Slips were due back Oct. 7th and 8th.

October 21-31 : Halloween

**Our theme of Halloween will be two weeks long and end with our Halloween parties!

**There will be NO SCHOOL on Friday, October 25th for all grades.

**The PBIS fall festival will be on Tuesday, October 29th from 4:30-6:30.

The Magic of Play Doh

Although very messy and not a favorite of parents, playing with PlayDoh is a GREAT way to give your child's hands a work out!  Because of it's consistency, PlayDoh targets fine motor skills as the children work to kneed it, cut it, roll it into balls, roll it out to be a snake, and/or press cookie cutters into it.  The ideas and creativity are endless!!!  Below is a coveted PlayDoh recipe from one of my college teachers at UW-River Falls.

PlayDoh

2 cups flour

1 cup salt

2 cups water with food coloring

2 tablespoons oil

2 teaspoons of cream of tartar

Mix all in a large pan (or pot) and stir over low heat until the magic of PlayDoh happens!

Here are some ideas that you can encourage your child to do with PlayDoh:

• Roll it out to look like a snake and then cut it with scissors
• Roll it out with a rolling pin and make "cookies" using cooking cutters
• Create a pretend "meal" using the PlayDoh
• Make animals with it
• Create a person's face - don't forget to add all the parts: ears, a nose, hair, eyes, eyebrows, a mouth and teeth!!

The possibilities are endless!  One thing that is certain, is that your child will be building up those little muscles in their hands and fingers, which will help them complete many important tasks!

Fire Safety Week

On Monday and Tuesday of this week, Mr. Mike and Mr. Troy from the Medford Fire Department, came to school for a visit!  Mr. Mike showed us all of his fire gear and explained the equipment's purpose.  He showed us that it is important to never be scared of a firefighter and that under all of those clothes, he is just a regular person.  Mr. Troy showed us Medford's brand new fire truck.  This truck had a big ladder and a loud siren! 

We appreciate Mr. Mike and Mr. Troy sharing their time and knowledge with us!  They reminded us that it is important to have working fire alarms in our homes, fire stickers on the windows of children's bedrooms, and a plan/meeting place in case of a fire.  Here are some fun photos taken during their visits!