Summer camp ends for 2012

We had a great summer camp this year, with a record number of kids and unfortunately having to turn many away.  I always feel bad when we can't fit every one in to our camp.  


What makes Trinity Preschool summer camp so special?  


1.  We don't hire "summer staff", our regular classroom teachers work camp as well.  So, they know the kids, they know our materials and they use everything! Really our camp is an extended version of our regular classes, just held outdoors!


2. Kids get outside time- so many children don't get to be outside for extended periods of time, but at camp we are outside about 2 hours a day (weather permitting, of course).  I love that the kids could relax on a blanket and look at books or play with quiet toys, or they could play with the messy art, or they could just run and scream.  


3. We love to experiment with new, messy, wet,  play, art, water play, etc.  We had corn starch and water, ice cubes and shaving cream, ice cube painting, spray bottles with paint, gutters with buckets of water and balls, and boats; even something as simple as sponges with buckets of water were fun for the kids.  

4. We bring so many activities out, the kids can't get bored.  But, if they want quiet time, that is ok too. 

5. We have shade!  This was a hot summer and we are so fortunate to have shade trees to give us a way to stay out of the sun.

6. Playing music instruments and marching is always fun!
  

Trinity Preschool Summer Camp June 2012

We have been having fun with camp, last week the weather was cool and now it is HOT!  But the children have had fun no matter what the weather!  Today we brought out the sprinklers and hoses and I just love the excited sounds of laughter.  We also had water tables, art and plenty of quiet activities too.

Sand in trays with dinosaurs and small accessories

water play with new items added daily to change it up

We added paint to water and put it in spray bottles for the children to squirt at large sheets of paper.

We have peg board ties to the fence for our outdoor easels.  Wworks great.

Fly swatter painting- always a hit!

We put out powder paint and cups with water.  The children dip their brush in water and then in the powder paint.

Clear plastic containers of water with and eye droppers with liquid water colors.

The picture made from the fly swatters being whacked against the paper.

Getting ready for truck painting in large boxes.

Water play every day!

Truck painting in large boxes- they could roll the trucks with their hands, or two friends could pick up the box and roll the truck back and forth.

Ice blocks with watercolors

Ice sure is fun in the summer heat.

Summer Camp

I have been super busy lately and have gotten behind of my blogging.  We have been having a great camp and the first week went pretty smoothly.  It was not hot, so we limited water play.  WELL. this week the temps will make up for lost time!  It is going to be in the 90's and we will have a lot of water play, sprinklers, etc.  So make sure your kids are dressed in swim suits and we will have a great time.  Don't forget the sun screen. 

Trinity Preschool Activities for Thursday, May 17, 2012

Willow Room- T/Th class

We read "Fidgety Fish" by Ruth Galloway

We asked the children "Do you have a fish at home?"

We wrote the children's name on a white paper with a white crayon- then the children painted over it with watercolors.  The watercolors don't stick to the crayon, so the name magically appears.

We had painting at the easel.

We did "Went to the pet store" song and "Put your finger on" for music time.  

We let one of the butterflies go today.  We watched as it flew away.

Maple Room:

We read "How groundhog's garden grew" by Lynne Cherry

The children made their own "oil" paints today.  They mixed dry tempra paint and dish soap. The result looks like oil paint.  Then they painted great pictures.

We did "Down around the corner", pretty flowers, and the May song for music.

We did a listening lotto game.  We listened to words on a CD  and tried to figure out rhyming words and beginning sounds.

We had the new magnetic ramps in the room, we had fun exploring them.

Oak Room:

We read" Ella, of course!"  by Sarah Weeks (an umbrella story)

We painted on an umbrella shape and sprayed water on it (like rain)

We did bug sorting, ans some word puzzles

We did "jumping and counting" by Jim Gill

We did a graph of how many buttons do you have on your clothes?  

Trinity Preschool Activities for Wednesday, May 16, 2012

Stay & Play:

We read "The duckling gets a cookie" by Mo Willems

We did a group painting project, we played a variety of kinds and tempos of music and the children walked around the table moving to the music and painting on a mural. We ended up with a brown blob of a painting, but they sure had fun creating it and that is what matters!

We did a lady bug rhyme where we talked about colors. we also danced to the music we used for art- different tempos and we used scarves.

Willow Room- MWF class:

We read "Fidgety fish" by Ruth Galloway

Our question today was "If you do not have the letter Z in your name, can you think of a word that begins with the letter Z?"

We wrote our name using write crayons, then painted over it with watercolors to reveal our name.  

We painted at the easel with green peppers to make a flower print.

We sang "Went to the pet shop (to buy a fish)", Put your finger on, and the pirate song.

We played with water that has bubbles in it; with fish, and plastic fish, ducks and a lot of other fun water toys.

We trimmed our grassy heads too.

Maple Room:

We read "Mortimer's First Garden" by Karma Wilson and "From caterpillar to butterfly" a great book about the transformation.  JER 595.789 HEI  (at the library)

We did a cutting and gluing project to make sun flowers.  We painted with real sun flowers at the easel and with ferns.

We did the May song, The freeze dance using new bell ribbons on sticks, (we also did jingle bells with them); and  we did The shaker hop with them too.  we also did the Alphabet letter sounds song.

We practiced letter sounds.  
 

Oak Room:

We read "Flap your wings" by PD Eastman

We planted a paper garden- we spread thick black paint on paper (paint mixed with salt) and then glued on flowers made from crumpled up tissue paper.

The children are really enjoying the magnetic ramps with the marbles.  It is great to see how much thought they put into where to put the blocks to block the path and where the marble goes then.

We did some rubber band designs on geo boards.

We did Shaking everywhere- a Jim Gill song, and colored flowers using props for music time today.

We had the estimating jar, how many bugs?

 

Trinity Preschool Activities for Tuesday, May 15, 2012

Willow Room: T/TH class

We talked about our mom's coming to school last week.

We read "The three little fish and the big bad shark"

We looked at our butterflies and our growing plants.

We did fish in fish bowls.  We added blue hair gel and fish stickers with glitter into baggies and sealed them shut.  The we added a fish bowl frame.

We did The bean bag alphabet rag for music.

We gave haircuts to our grassy heads and we had water play in the room.

Oak Room:

We read "Franklin plants a tree"  and "I'll fly away" by David Kirk

We painted with green peppers cut in half crosswise.  they look like flowers.

We did deep in the jungle with the drums; Old Mc Donald had a band and let's play in a band using instruments.

We talked about  nocturnal animals as a review of our earlier learning this year.

We cut our grass today on our lawns of our houses.

 

Trinity Preschool Activities for Monday, May 14, 2012

Stay & Play: 

 We read "Animal Masquerade" by Marianne Dubuc

We experimented with paint, we had paint in small egg carton cups and we mixed some with salt, some with corn starch and some with flour to see how it changed the consistency.

We did "Poison ivy" by Jim Gill and used maracas to dance along.

We had fun with some new floor puzzles and a magnetic ramp with tunnels, and marbles.

We had our snack outside as a picnic and spent some extra time playing outside.

Wilow Room: MWF class

We asked the children if they have the letter Y in their name?  

Our story was "The three little fish ad the big bad shark" by Ken Geist

We made little fish bowls for art.  The children squeezed blue hair gel into a baggie and we added some glitter and little fish.  We sealed it up and added a fish bowl frame around it.

We had alphabet letter magnets at the easel.

We did  The bean abg alphabet rag song using bean bags and the ABC song.

We had water play today and we have a picnic area set up in our dramatic corner.

Maple room:

We read "What makes a rainbow?" by Betty Ann Schwartz

We made rainbows with only three colors- red, yellow and blue, then we covered the paper with wax paper and smooshed the colors together.  

We made rainbows at the easel with dab a doo painters.

We did Tap your toe and follow me, can't sit still for music time.

We did a "Where is the rainbow hiding" color game and a rainbow rhyme.

Oak Room:

We read "Mortimer's First Garden" by Karma Wilson and "Llama llama red pajama" by Anna Dewdney

We cut out sun flower shapes and added a stick to the shape.  Then we stuck it in a cup that we planted sun flowers into.

We got to use some new magnetic ramp toys and some new floor puzzles.

We did animal actions, Tommy thumb is up, and two little butterflies.