Wednesday, December 31, 2014

Oxbow farm field trip

Rylan's preschool class went on a field trip to Oxbow Farm in October.  It's a working farm, but has an emphasis on educating kids, and it was an awesome experience!  His 3's class went last spring also, so they got to see the results of beans they planted and what happens at harvest time.  Since Jason was free, he joined us too and took these fantastic photos...

Circle time... the kids learned about seeds, roots, stalks, leaves, flowers, and fruit, and got to taste one of each on the field trip

Checking out a slug

Looking at a bird's nest our farmer found in a fruit tree


In the spring, the kids planted scarlet runner beans (the magic beans from Jack in the Bean Stalk)... and got to harvest some on this trip!

The farmer gave them each a scarlet runner bean to take home and dry

Each kiddo got to dig up a carrot!

And eat it!

They also got to taste mini sweet peppers

And taste herbs

And pull sunflower seeds out of a sunflower to eat

Our final circle time

They also each got to pick out and take home a pumpkin... Rylan giving his pumpkin a hug :)

And they had pumpkin sugar cookies for snack!

Group photo :)

Adventures at preschool!

In September, Rylan started in the 4's class and Maylee started in the 3's class at Issaquah Cooperative Preschool!  This was Maylee's first year in preschool, and she handled the transition beautifully.  They have parents stay the first day, and on her second day there, she was happy to get right to playing as I left!  I think it helped that she'd seen Rylan having fun and she was ready for her turn.  Rylan asked me several times over the summer when his class would start again, so he was also very excited to go back to school.  We're thankful for the wonderful teachers and other families there, and that the kids enjoy it so much!

First day!


Running into school on her first day!

Creation station

Her first painting at preschool!

Designing her preschool bag

First day!

Rylan's art from the creation station on his first day of school

 
On the new tire swing at the preschool playground!

Field trip to the salmon hatchery


Maylee's class at the hatchery


Ry always loves snack :). I was the snack parent and brought in snack that day.

Bubbles!

Sand pit

Maylee's art from the creation station

Rylan's little person from the creation station

Ry's painting

Loving the new playhouse on the playground!

Learning about spiders and making a giant spider web

Fingerprint "spiders" made by several kids in the 2 classes


Rylan's glitter web

And they learned about bats!  Ry making his own bat...



Maylee's creation at Preschool Night when the kids can show their families the school :)

Flying a "star wars ship" he made at the creation station

And a close up... such silly little things, but I love to see what the kids come up with :)

Another fun one Ry made at the creation station

Another one of Maylee's paintings

Ry's bat in the night sky

Doing so well writing his name!

Maylee's bat :)

On Halloween the kids could dress up, and we walked to the nearby street and waved at cars and got lots of people smiling ;).  This is Maylee's class...



And Rylan's class...



Rylan's class doing a Halloween performance

Ry got to be the VIP for two weeks in November and we made this poster together showing when he was a baby, our family, and some of his favorite things


He got to wear a crown and talk about this poster in class

He got to take home the class "pet," Rosie the dog.  He was so excited that we got to take her with us on our adventures for a few weeks.

Alejandro was a bit annoyed... :)

The "VIPs"

At the playground with Rosie

One of Maylee's paintings from November

Maylee's class at circle time

I love how engaging and expressive Teacher Steffeny is.  Ry and May both often say they love Teacher Steffeny!

Reading with Teacher Barb

Rylan's class went on a field trip to Home Depot and learned about all the different departments

Maxing paint

They also got to make little tool boxes


Since they like parents to come help and I love to go, Maylee gets to join all the field trips too (and Rylan goes on her class's trips :) )


Proud of their tool boxes!

The water table was turned into a "bath tub" where the kids could give baby dolls a bath :)

Rylan's class taking apart a kids' CD player to see what's inside 

Taking apart a clock radio

He set up a bench and a "campfire" in front of it... all in front of the Teepee made from large branches in the wooded area next to the preschool playground


Maylee was the VIP for a week in her class in December!  She loved it and did well explaining photos of our family from her little photo book (parents all make a "comfort book" of family pictures, etc for their child at the beginning of the year... then the kids can look at them if they are sad at school, or it's fun for the kids to show their friends pictures of their family... I think this is so neat!)

Drawing on paper on a spinning lazy susan

Fabric dress up dolls

On this day in December, one of the rooms was turned into a Gingerbread Bakery... So fun!  They could make "gingerbread men" out of brown play doh, decorate them with beads and buttons, then "bake" them in the oven in the play kitchen, then "sell" them using the cash registers.

Reading "The Gingerbread Man" story during small group circle time

The kids have learned a lot, have good friends at preschool, and have had so much fun this first half of the year!