BUTTERFLIES

With the school year almost over we are preparing the children for their transition to Summer Uproar!  If your child will not be here for the summer we will miss them!!  We are also practicing for the Spring Program so we hope you are coming to watch your children perform!  It’s been a great year and we have truly enjoyed having your children attend The Learning Tree!!

Miss Jacky, Miss Alicia, Miss Karly & Miss Brenna

FOR OUR CALENDAR THIS MONTH, CLICK HERE.

FIREFLIES

April snow showers bring May flowers? We sure hope so! As always May is very exciting and filled with many sad endings and new beginnings for many of the children. We will be practicing our addresses a little more and begin shoe tying! We will be finishing up our alphabet and spending some time finishing projects and preparing the children that will be going into kindergarten for Summer Safari. This means less and less time for napping and more time for watching a movie and playing outdoors (finally!!). 

On May 3, we will be having our Spring Program and Goodies Gathering!! Please make sure you attend! On May 17, we will be having our end of the year class picnic!! Each child will need to bring a sack lunch on that day. If you would like to bring snacks and munchies for our special day at the park it would be much appreciated! Our official last day of preschool is Friday, May 24. On Tuesday, May 28, those children going to Kindergarten this fall will transition into the Butterfly/Summer Safari room.

Numbers are so important to us and we would like to remind you to practice numbers with your child over the summer. One reason students struggle with math is that they haven’t built a strong math foundation in their early years (ages 3-8).  Something you can do with your child is puzzles; lots of different ones. You can also have your child set the table doing a 1:1 ratio. For example one chair needs one plate and one glass. Remember to also practice money recognition with your child as we have been working on coin recognition as well.

Thank you so much for sharing your child with us! We had a fun year!
Miss Amy, Miss Kaitlin & Miss Meghan

FOR OUR CALENDAR THIS MONTH, CLICK HERE.

GRASSHOPPERS

Family Game Night! What a wonderful way to spend the evening and to get to know your child a little more while they learn in the process. Playing games with your child is very beneficial, not only do you get to talk to your child and find out about their day, but communicating in this way can teach your child new vocabulary words as well! Playing games also helps children to learn important skills such as counting and color recognition, shapes, and number recognition. Games also teach your child important sharing and waiting their turn skills, which can be hard to understand at this age.

We will be having our Spring Program and Goodie Gathering on Friday, May 4 at 4:30pm. Friday, May 17 is our End of the Year Picnic with the Fireflies! Please watch for notes being sent home! The Learning Tree will be closed on Monday, May 27 in observance of Memorial Day.

We would like to say good-bye and wish the best of luck to Miss Sammy and Miss Meagan as they leave us for other adventures! A Happy Birthday to Trey on May 28!
Miss Amanda, Miss Robin, Miss Sammy, Miss Meagan & Grandma Joyce

FOR OUR CALENDAR THIS MONTH, CLICK HERE.

CATERPILLARS

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We have reached the time of year when we will be transitioning to a new room and staff. There are many great ways to help make the transition easier for you and your child. Provide empathy and support, make sure you listen with your heart and ask open-ended questions. Transition sometimes involves a sense of loss so try to involve your child as much as possible and talk about what will be happening and what the benefits are. Transitions are hard on us all but if we all work together we can make it smooth and easy for your child.

This month we are hoping to get to be outside more. We will still be talking about all things Spring and getting ready to move on to the next room. We will be having our end of the year picnic on May 22. Please send a sack lunch with your child that day. We would like to say Happy Birthday to Bostynn on May 1 and Paxton on May 17. We hope they have a great day!

Happy Spring!
Miss Shelley, Miss Trisha, Miss Mckenzie, Miss Abby, Miss Ali & Miss Erica

FOR OUR CALENDAR THIS MONTH, CLICK HERE.

DRAGONFLIES

Our children are growing up so fast!  Here are a few developmental milestones to look for in most children that are 18-24 months old, they can: throw a ball overhand, build a tower three to six blocks tall, can form three to four word sentences, and love to climb on everything! Children of this age also enjoy repetition in songs and nursery rhymes. They can point to body parts when you ask them to and can come when they are called by their name.

Right now, our class is learning to drink out of cups without using a "sippy" lid. They are learning to throw their own plates away when they are done eating.  All of these things are developmental milestones and important in the growth of a child.

We hope they are singing there A, B, C's and 1, 2, 3's to you. We sing them every day.

Miss Shana, Miss Dana, Miss Meagan, Miss Niki, Miss Kayla, Miss Karen & Grandma Karen

FOR OUR CALENDAR THIS MONTH, CLICK HERE.

HONEYBEES

Children are like sponges in that they are constantly learning what we are doing or saying by watching and listening to us. Toddlers are learning new words everyday and are starting to be able to communicate better with us about what they are trying to tell us. They can do this by using a word or even gestures to tell us what they are thinking or feeling. Toddlers should be able to take an adults hand and lead the adult to what they want and say “doll”.  One way that we can encourage children to develop their language skills is to have them ‘say’ the word, even if we think we know what they want.  By the time a child is 12 months, he/she should be able to follow one step instructions such as, “please go get your shoes”. By 18 months, they should be able to do three or four step instructions.

Miss Melissa, Miss Crystal, Miss Marissa, Miss Katie, Miss Jamie & Grandma Mae

FOR OUR CALENDAR THIS MONTH, CLICK HERE.

LADYBUGS

Infants and toddlers develop gross motor skills quickly. Gross motor skills enable infants and toddlers to move and coordinate the actions of large muscle groups. Lifting the head, sitting without assistance, or moving the entire body are all signs of developing gross motor skills. Playing music and allowing children to dance helps promote movement in older babies. Teaching them to raise both arms like the sun and wriggling fingers in a downward motion while singing itsy-bitsy spider makes it fun for you and your child.

To promote movement in infants, provide colorful and moving mobiles over their cribs that they can reach and grasp or kick with their feet. Play games that encourage infants to “come and get” toys within crawling or reaching distance. Infants should also be given opportunities to play with large blocks, stacking toys, nesting cups and textured balls.

Children over one should begin to explore the movement of their bodies. It is important to provide them with activities that introduce basic gross motor skills such as kicking, catching, and bouncing balls. Toddlers should also be given a variety of manipulatives, such as building blocks and large puzzles. It is also important to give them opportunities to develop their fine motor skills by encouraging them to scribble and draw with crayons and pencils.

Miss Brandi, Miss Amber, Miss Brittany, Miss Megan & Grandma Arlene

FOR OUR CALENDAR THIS MONTH, CLICK HERE.

AFTER THE BELL

In April, the YMCA offered a new class for children called “Kidz Dance Party”.  After the Bell children have been able to choose to attend on Tuesdays and Thursdays. The children that have gone really enjoy it!  It is dancing mixed with some aerobics and a good physical activity for the kids to participate in. They dance to all the new kids bop music including: Cha-Cha, Slide, Cupid Shuffle, Some Nights, and many more.

Regular physical activity…

• Helps build and maintain healthy bones and muscles.
• Helps reduce the risk of developing obesity and chronic diseases, such as diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and colon cancer.
• Reduces feelings of depression and anxiety and promotes psychological well-being.
• May help improve students’ academic performance, including
• Academic achievement and grades
• Academic behavior, such as time on task
• Factors that influence academic achievement, such as concentration and attentiveness in the classroom.

FOR OUR CALENDAR THIS MONTH, CLICK HERE.