4. Identify Concerns Plan a science activity for 4-5 year olds in a preschool setting for the topic given. Prepare a large variety of resources to bring to competition. Set a Goal Have a variety of resources and ideas for different preschool science activities. Practice teaching many science activities to the preschool students. Plan a science activity that fits the topic for competition. Form a Plan Prepare Science Activities for Preschool Organize and gather resource materials for resource container. Review age appropriate science activities from several sources. Keep records of successful activities and materials used.
5. Act Using the resources that I have available around me at school and home, I compiled many items for my resource containers that are going to help me quickly prepare a science activity for a small group of 4-5 year olds. I also taught several lessons in the preschool that included different science activities and I practiced those activities with different themes. Follow Up My resource container contained a large variety of resources that made it possible for me to prepare a unique, engaging, age appropriate, and developmentally appropriate science activity. It was exciting to present my activities to the other members of my FCCLA chapter, and I felt prepared for the competition.
7. Guidance Paper To me, Guidance means providing direction and giving advice to children, as in helping them understand the conflicts and struggles they go through. Guidance is different than discipline or punishment. Guidance helps them understand what they do wrong and helps them improve what they can do next time. Guidance leads children in the right direction. The goal of guidance should help them go down the right path to understanding what is acceptable and what they can work on and make better. It should be about helping and providing direction more than telling them what they did wrong and punishing for it. They should be given the chance to improve on it and to work on things that need it. What I have learned about guidance is that we set an example for younger children and we need to be good examples in how we solve problems. Children are VERY perceptive and they pick up on everything we do. We need to be good guides to how we handle problems and our solutions to things that we have a hard time with. They need to see what they should do when they run into a problem or something happens and they need guidance when those things come up. We need to give them the tools and guidance so they can deal with it.
8. Room Arrangements The Jordan High preschool room has a variety of developmentally appropriate accommodations for the four-year-olds in the preschool. These accommodations include: cubbies that are lower to the ground so they could reach them, smaller bathroom equipment like the sink, and the paper towels, the dramatic play area has plenty of different items to keep them entertained and having fun. In our dramatic play area there are many different clothing items that they can dress themselves up and play house and different things. There is also a puppet show that has different puppets so they could make their own puppet show and take turns playing with the puppets. The kitchen area is another great example of the open ended items that are in the dramatic play area. With the kitchen they can pretend to cook and have dinner and shop around pretend to buy things and make dinner for their “family”. Children develop and grow through the many appropriate practices and activities provided for them. They adapt and accommodate physical and cognitive development through their environment and use it for their everyday lives. When they have things that are open ended it allows them to use their imagination and learn through social interactions.
9. Local Programs The Dancing Moose Montessori School’s is focused on the unique learning style of each individual child. Their curriculum is designed for student choice in a setting that is prepared to engage children in the discovery of knowledge that is connected to their experience. It focuses on the creative philosophy and letting the children learning through their senses. At the Corner Canyon Academy they help the children master self-discipline and which allows them to experience correct principles of learning and behavior, without being so strict as to frighten or challenge their self-security or jeopardize their self-esteem. They show the children how to behave and control themselves in a happy and calm environment. The Children’s Corner have a developmental approach. They pay attention to the child's particular interests and abilities are encouraged, and the teachers foster the development of new interests and abilities, through careful planning and individual evaluations. They have a very large variety in activities and focus on the cognitive aspect in everything they do. The benefits of the Montessori approach are the children learn through their senses and do what they love to do and get to explore the things they love. The benefits of the behaviorist approach are that they learn how to behave but in a way that is beneficial and easy. The benefits of the developmental approach are they are taught things that they are developmentally ready for and will be able to learn and remember the best.
10. Monthly Newsletter to Parents Dear Parents: We are so excited to meet you and your children! We have been working very hard to put everything together for them. We have: Organized the classroom, Written lesson plans, Created learning materials to teach with. The themes for September are: “All About Me” for the first week of preschool, along with the letter A. Be sure to bring your “All About Me” sack to preschool on that first day. The second week our theme is “Dogs”, specifically Wiener Dogs, and the letter W. One of the teachers is bringing her wiener dogs for us to play with!
14. This was the art lesson, where we had the children make their picture frame and gave them to their grandparents. Grandparents Theme
15. Sugar crystals: I filled a bowl with sugar and showed the children that it was a solid and then added water and had them watch in amazement what happened when it was stirred it. We then gave them a cup and put food coloring in them and gave them water. After a week of letting them crystallize we gave them back to children and let them see what happened to them. Winter
16. We took the children into the hall and had them sit quietly, then picked one of them to go first. They loved it, and most of the time they didn’t want to sit back down. Duck, Duck.. GOOSE!
17. We had the children put together and decorate pouches for the Valentine’s Day party. We helped the children with their names and helped them learn the right directions their letters would go and what order they would be in. Valentine’s Pouches
19. Carly Wade 4-5 years Music and Movement Thanksgiving Music and Movement Memorization It helps them to be social and memorize things that they may have to know later.
20. The rug in the center of the room. Just the music for the teachers. Have all of the children stand up and sing the first song to them once, just the teachers. Then have them sing along to it. Then repeat with the second song. Have the kids do action with the words. Let the children who don’t want to do the actions just sing or stand up. Have them all sing loud and the ones who want to sing and do actions do it for the class. 7. How will you evaluate the children’s achievement? If they tried to sing the songs and got into it, made a little effort.
21. Carly Wade 4-5 years Art- Grandparents Day Picture Frames The goal for this activity was for them to create a picture frame to give to their grandparents. It helps with fine motor skills.
22. Their pictures, paper, popsicle sticks, glue, stickers and markers. The art table The children would first glue their pictures on their choice of paper and then they would glue the popsicle sticks around their picture and color them and add stickers. If they ask for help or look like they are struggling, help them and show them what to do. 7. How will you evaluate the children’s achievement? By putting the sticks on. Making the frame and coloring it. They could color it anything they wanted and do anything they wanted in that aspect, I just made sure they added something besides just the picture.
23. Carly Wade 4-5 years Science Activity Sugar Crystals To learn what happens when you mix water and sugar together and let it sit for awhile It helps expand their scientific knowledge, and learn about water.
24. Sugar, water, cups, measuring cups, string, popsicle sticks, food coloring. The kidney-shaped table Put the water and sugar in a bowl and mix, let children watch as the sugar dissolves in the water. Heat water until it boils. Let it sit and cool off, and then pour in the cups for the children and give them food coloring, let sit for a week and then give them to the children and talk about crystals. Because this is for winter theme, we talked about other things that look like crystals and what happens in the winter with snowflakes and icicles. 7. How will you evaluate the children’s achievement? If they listened and did what was asked within reason.
25. Carly Wade 4-5 years Math Kangaroo Puppet Learn how to cut along lines Helps them develop fine motor skills
26. Math table Glue sticks, cut out kangaroo parts, paper sacks, small children’s scissors Have them cut along the lines and when they finish, help them glue the pieces on the paper bags and write their names on them. Help them cut the pieces out and glue. 7. How will you evaluate the children’s achievement? If they like their puppet and understood what and why we were making them.
27. Carly Wade 4-5 years Math Color by Numbers Knowing their numbers and colors Help them learn how to count and color and number recognition
28. Math table Color by number worksheet, crayons Give them each one sheet and have them color the numbers with the right color. Help children with the colors and their numbers if they look like they are struggling 7. How will you evaluate the children’s achievement? If they understood what they were supposed to do by asking them what they knew and learned
30. Being lead was so much fun, I got a chance to read to the class ad help them with their show and tell. I loved it! Being Lead
31. 3 Little Pigs: For fairytales week we gave each of the children an the bottom of egg carton and had them paint it pink, while they were painting it we told them the story of the 3 little pigs. After they were done, we punched holes in the sides and put in the pipe cleaners and had them wear it so they looked like pig noses. Fairytales
32. Zoo Flip Book: for math I put together a flip book with animals in them, I had the children predict what animal was going to come next and how many babies the animal had by looking for clues in the picture. Then they counted the number of animals total for each page. Jungle
33. This was a file folder game where I had the children match one half of an animal to another half of the animal so they could practice their matching skills. Funny Farm
35. Conclusion I have learned so much from teaching Preschool: Patience, Trust, and be able to be silly and just enjoy it. I have gotten so much out of this. I absolutely love children and being able to spend so much time with them has been an amazing opportunity. These children have taught me more than I thought possible
