What’s Happening at UDA Creative Arts Preschool- February!

Preschool themes

Love isn’t the only thing in the air this Valentine season. From snowflakes and bubbles to shadows and balloons, we’re lovin’ our learnin’! At UDA Creative Arts Preschool, our preschool theme weeks keep us learning and exploring our world.

preschool theme

Humpty Dumpty & Other Fun Nursery Rhymes

Science & Engineering

Our scientific studies on “Humpty Dumpty” led to many hypotheses and deductions.

preschool theme

It takes some serious skill to build a wall “Humpty” will stay on.  We also experimented with different insulators to protect our “Humpty Dumpty” from his fall.  We tried cotton balls, rocks, sand, tissue and dried beans.  Conclusion: dried beans are the only substance that protects “Humpty” from cracking.  Who knew?

Preschool Theme

Our engineers went to work building a variety of walls for our “Humpty Dumpty” to sit on.  We learned it’s hard for a round “Humpty” to sit on a flat surface.  But leave it to our scientific learners to create solutions!  A ledge is a perfect fix.

Preschool Theme

Math & Language

Hickory Dickory Doc…

Preschool Theme

…the mouse ran up the clock.  Learning to tell time can be a tricky concept.  Introducing your preschooler to analog and digital clocks at an early age can give them a jump start in math.

Hickory Dickory Doc.

You can change the time of your clock.

As you make a new time, you invent a new rhyme.

Hickory Dickory Doc.

Math and language development lesson in one. Cha-Ching!

Groundhog Day & Movement

For Ground Hog Day we learned about our shadows.  Here is a sneak peek at one of our classes experimenting with shadow sizes.

Playing with shadows isn’t just a fun scientific learning activity, it also develops your child’s small and large motor skills.  At home, you can set up a flashlight or bright light and have a dance party or do a puppet show.  And if your kiddo is concerned about those monsters under the bed, playing in the dark will also help your child feel more comfortable when it’s time for lights out.

Uu-Underwater Adventures!

Dramatic Play

After our fun nursery rhymes, we “row, row, rowed our boats” right into our Underwater Adventure theme week.

Preschool theme

In the discovery room we used our boats to fish for fishy letters, My Little Ponies…

preschool theme

preschool theme

…and even rescue babies.  Besides letter recognition with the fish, this dramatic play activity helped us discover our water world, as well as develop balance and small motor skills.

Math

theme weekA fun math activity this week was counting the right number of pearls to match the number in the shell.

preschool theme

Textures are great for sensory play!  As children touch different textures, ask how they feel.  Is it smooth, bumpy, rough, hard or soft?

Sensory Play

preschool theme

At the sensory table, the children play with different objects in the water beads.  This multisensory learning is developing brain synapses that will produce a better foundation for later learning.

preschool theme

Not to mention all the colorful fun that can be had under the sea!

preschool theme

Do you ever have those moments when your preschooler stumps you? Why do fish have scales?  Why don’t birds have eyebrows? Now there is one you can explore together!  Check out our post on integrated learning to find out more on how to explore with your child!

Alphabet Learning

preschool theme

Can alphabet learning get any more fun than Jaws? 

preschool theme

Just kidding.  But seriously, we love making alphabet learning a game.  By integrating our letters into our play, children are learning the alphabet and loving it!

Science

Preschool theme

Meanwhile, at the science table, our preschoolers explore real underwater life in our aquarium. Children are great at discovering the answers to questions when asked.  Don’t forget to ask lots of questions at home to help your preschooler’s brain make more connections!

Movement

preschool theme

“We’ve got no troubles, life is the bubbles, under the sea!”–Little Mermaid

preschool theme

Ah, to be as carefree as a child with bubbles!

Art

preschool theme

Our preschool theme followed us into art time as well.  We had so much fun creating our sea with water colors.

preschool theme

After we created our ocean background, we decorated our sea with a plethora of sea life.

preschool theme

Name Writing

preschool theme

Last, but not least, what better way to learn spacial relations for under than being under something?  Why not practice writing our names under the table?  We can’t wait to hear how dinner under the table goes at your house!

Vv is for Valentine

preschool theme

Discovery Room

Love was all around as we celebrated Valentine’s Day and the letter “V”.

preschool theme

And so was our yummy smelling play dough!  We used it to bake up a storm in our dramatic play kitchen.

preschool theme

Playing with scented play dough is a great multisensory activity.  Not only is it using several parts of the brain and creating more connections, it also develops stronger hand and pincer grip muscles, an important skill for kindergarten.

Preschool Theme

Roll playing builds confidence and independence, characteristics needed  for life skills.  Check our our recipes below for your own chocolate and strawberry scented play dough!

Math Centers

Preschool Theme

Our scented dough found it’s way to our math activities as well.  How can math not be fun when it smells like chocolate?

preschool theme

Kids love small objects and math becomes more concrete when they have something to hold.  Click here for 16 fun counting activities you can do at home with your preschooler.

Art

preschool theme

We also went to work making our own valentines and decorating our valentine boxes.  Process-focused art activities teach your child to be creative, independent, and induce a feeling of success.  Check out this great website to learn more about process-focused art.

Play Dough!

preschool theme

We had so much fun with our scented play dough, we’d love to share! You can (and should) try this at home.

Chocolate Play Dough Recipe

Ingredients:

  • 1 3/4 cups flour
  • 1/4 cup salt
  • 1/2 cup cocoa powder
  • 2 tbsp. cream of tartar 
  • 2 cups water
  • 2 tbsp vegetable oil

First, pour all ingredients into a saucepan and cook over low heat while stirring and mixing.  When it starts to thicken and resemble dough, remove from the heat and let cool. When cool, knead the dough until it is smooth.

Strawberry Play Dough

Ingredients:

  • 2 cups flour
  • 1/4 cup salt
  • 2 pkgs unsweetened strawberry flavored Koolaid powder
  • 2 tbsp. cream of tartar 
  • 2 cups water
  • 2 tbsp vegetable oil

First, pour all ingredients into a saucepan and cook over low heat while stirring and mixing.  When it starts to thicken and resemble dough, remove from the heat and let cool. When cool, knead the dough until it is smooth.

Suggested Supplies 

Come Visit Us!

As you can see, we have so much fun learning and adventuring at UDA Creative Arts Preschool!  Beyond the fun of our theme weeks is a network of learning experiences integrated throughout everything we do.  We invite you to come visit our Draper, Utah campus and join us for an open house.  Click here to make an appointment today!

Written by: Elsje Dension

4 Dr. Seuss Life Lessons We’re Glad We Have

 

March 2 is Theodor Seuss Geisel’s (Dr. Seuss) birthday. When we sat down to list all the many important lessons Dr. Seuss taught us through his books, we couldn’t stop! Through a creative writing style that nobody seems able to duplicate, Dr. Seuss’s books teach sophisticated life lessons in a way that just sticks — without us always even realizing it!

If you sat down with even just a handful of Dr. Seuss’s 60 books and looked for lessons, you’d end up with a list a mile long. (You could even read that mile-long list in a box with a fox if you like.)

We’re not sure a complete list could ever be compiled, but here are four of our favorite Dr. Seuss life lessons at UDA Creative Arts Preschool.

Dr. Seuss Life Lessons — Reading Is Important

Dr. Seuss life lessons

Over and over, readers get the message from Dr. Seuss that reading is important. Often, he stated that message outright:

The more that you read, the more things that you’ll know. The more that you learn, the more places you’ll go.”

I can read in red. I can read in blue.
I can read in pickle color too.”

-from I Can Read With My Eyes Shut!

 

But even when reading wasn’t the dedicated subject of Dr. Seuss’s books, nobody can deny how enjoyable it is to read the fun cadence of Dr. Seuss’s imaginative rhymes. His rhymes are so fun, in fact, that we use them to teach rhyme to our 2-, 3-, and 4-year-olds at preschool. Children easily pick up on predicting the next rhyming sound when they are read to from Dr. Seuss books.

And did you know?: In 1954,  a Life magazine article criticized children’s reading levels, so Houghton Mifflin and Random House asked Dr. Seuss to write a children’s primer using 220 vocabulary words. The Cat in the Hat was the result, proving that children’s literature can be fun while introducing new words.

Dr. Seuss Life Lessons: Compassion

dr. seuss life lessons

Dr. Seuss teaches his readers that we have a responsibility to care for other people (and creatures and plants). He teaches us to look outside our own problems; to look beyond our own noses and actually see other people. This is something we care deeply about at UDA Creative Arts Preschool. We believe children can understand the concept that their actions affect others, and we emphasize important character traits like honesty, compassion, respect, and more every day.

In fact, our character trait we focus on during the month of March (the month of Dr. Seuss’s birthday) is compassion.

The children already have so much compassion for each other, and Dr. Seuss helps us to reinforce those important concepts. Hear his pleading to please, please consider the plights of others.

When you think things are bad,
when you feel sour and blue,
when you start to get mad… you should do what I do!
Just tell yourself, Duckie, you’re really quite lucky!
Some people are much more… oh, ever so much more…
oh, muchly much-much more unlucky than you!”

–  Did I Ever Tell You How Lucky You Are?

Even plants deserve to be thought of:

I am the Lorax. I speak for the trees.
I speak for the trees for the trees have no tongues.” 

 

– The Lorax

It’s such a simple concept — trees cannot speak. So we must speak for them.

Unless someone like you cares a whole awful lot,
nothing is going to get better. It’s not.”

 

The Lorax

Not only can we care about other people, we can also do something to help them. That’s a powerful message for every child (and adult) to internalize.

Dr. Seuss Life Lessons — You’re Good Enough, and It’s Okay to Be Different

dr. seuss life lessons

Dr. Seuss gave us the message that we have the power to transform our lives. We have responsibility over our own decisions, and we can change the outcome at any time.

You have brains in your head.
You have feet in your shoes.
You can steer yourself in any direction you choose.
You’re on your own. And you know what you know.
You are the guy who’ll decide where to go.”

Oh, the Places You’ll Go!

So be sure when you step, step with care and great tact.
And remember that life’s a great balancing act.
And will you succeed?
Yes! You will, indeed!
(98 and 3/4 percent guaranteed)
Kid, you’ll move mountains.”

Oh, The Places You’ll Go!

It doesn’t matter what limitations you have. You are important and can do what you were made to do.

Don’t give up. I believe in you all.
A person’s a person no matter how small.”

Horton Hears a Who!

Today you are You, that is truer than true.
There is no one alive who is Youer than You.”

Happy Birthday to You!

 

Dr. Seuss Life Lessons – Live Life with Imagination

dr. seuss life lessons

Dr. Seuss created illustrations, stories, and characters that were so different from anything that had ever been done before. He showed us that we aren’t limited by what is real. We can create our own worlds. He used words in new ways, and didn’t limit himself to established rules.

He showed us that creativity and imagination are valuable traits to develop.

Think left and think right and think low and think high.
Oh the thinks you can think up if only you try!”

Oh, the Things You Can Think

We subscribe heavily to this belief that creativity drives our learning. That’s why we incorporate art, music, creative movement, dance, science, math, and so much more into every single day of learning at UDA Creative Arts Preschool in Draper. Each day we are amazed by how the children cement important life and academic concepts through the creative arts. Give us a call at (801) 523-5930, or send us a message  to arrange a tour to see how we enrich the lives of preschoolers every day!

I like nonsense, it wakes up the brain cells. Fantasy is a necessary ingredient in living, it’s a way of looking at life through the wrong end of a telescope.”

Theodor Seuss Geisel, Dr. Seuss

Individualized Learning- What It Is and Why Your Child Needs It

We’ve all heard that no two snowflakes are the same.  According to science, the likeliness of two snowflakes being identical is so minuscule, it could be called none.  Isn’t it amazing that billions of snowflakes, for ions of time, can be so unique, and so beautiful?  At UDA Creative Arts Preschool, we feel the same way about each one of our amazing preschoolers.  This is why we believe in and apply individualized learning methods for each of our children.

It may have come as a shock to you when your child first started to exhibit personality traits, physical features, and likes and dislikes completely different than your own.  What?!!  They don’t have your same love of U2? Baseball? Not even peanut butter?!

individualized learning

The individual personalities, life circumstances, learning styles, and developmental progress that make each child unique should also be considered when they’re learning.  Every child has different strengths and weaknesses, learned abilities, and various experiences which establish their knowledge base.   This is why we do not teach any two children exactly the same.

We Do Not Teach a Class.  We Teach a Child.

Individualized learning begins with coming to know and evaluate each child.  UDA Creative Arts Preschool evaluates our preschoolers at the beginning, as well as periodically throughout the school year.  From these evaluations we differentiate learning to meet that student’s needs.  This is accomplished in various ways and over a spectrum of curriculum.

speech and language development

One thing that is so important for parents and educators to remember is that each child reaches milestones at different speeds.  The nine-month walker is not necessarily the future gold medalist olympian.  The same is true for learning.  Your neighbor’s reading three-year-old is not the next generation J. R. R. Tolkien.  Obviously, effort needs to be put into learning, but children reach milestones at their own pace.  It’s important not to push them before they are ready.

What does Individualized Learning Look Like?

At UDA Creative Arts Preschool, we are able to accomplish individualized learning in several disciplines because of our low teacher-to-student ratio.

Individualized Mathematics

individualized learning

As children break into centers for mathematics, each activity is designed to be played differently, depending on the child’s level of understanding and capabilities.  Our teachers are able to sit with the group and play with several children at the same time, all doing the activity on their level.

Individualized Language Arts

Individualized Learning

As children divide into groups of similar language development skills, teachers work with each child within these small groups.  Children  are learning letter identification and phonics up to different reading levels, depending on what they are developmentally ready for.

Individualized Sciences

Individualized Learning

Most of our science activities are child-led, allowing children to explore and discover on their own.  Teachers engage students in questions that lead to further exploration while each child has hands-on experiences.   This not only allows children to discover science, but also fosters a love for learning.

Individualized Discovery Room

Individualized Learning

Besides the sciences, preschool children are also able to explore their interests in our Discovery Room.  For one hour, children are able to chose from blocks, theme-based dramatic play, the sensory table, the writing station, the science station, and many other rotating activities.  During this time, children pursue their own discovery and development in ways they love.  Don’t we all wish we had an hour in a discovery room?!

Individualized  Social Development

Individualized learning

Many times we only consider academics when assessing children’s learning; however, we know that children come with all different levels of social development as well.   That’s why we teach character traits and tools to be good friends and problem solvers.

Children learn to be effective in conflict resolution and in taking responsibility for their actions.  Perhaps this type of learning brings us the greatest joy as we watch our preschoolers progress throughout the year.

Individualized learning

Knowing your child is like no other, why would you want anything other than individualized learning?  Each child deserves to learn at their speed, applying their strengths and improving their weaknesses.  Every child should have the freedom to explore their interests and develop a love of learning through personal discovery.

individualized learning

At UDA Creative Arts Preschool, we see each child as the unique, intricate and delicate work of art they truly are.  Just like a snowflake, we see them as a beautiful individual, deserving to be taught as one.  We invite you to come see what we have to offer!  Click here to register for our upcoming open houses and see for yourself!

Written by: Elsje Denison

Finding a Quality Preschool

quality preschool

Cloth or disposable, to nurse or use formula, stay at home or daycare…seems like just yesterday you were embarking on those life decisions for your little one.  But just because you’re past picking paint for the nursery doesn’t mean decisions regarding your preschooler are any less exciting!  At UDA Creative Arts Preschool, we believe choosing a quality preschool is not only an exciting decision, it’s just as important!

Did you know that by the time a child heads for kindergarten, 85% of who they are, their personality, social-skills, and intellect, have already been developed?  These preschool years are critical for your child’s development.

quality preschool

It’s all about the brain!  As your child immerses in experiences, particularly hands-on, self-initiated learning experiences, highways of neural synapses form.  The more your child engages, the more synaptic connections are made, the more brain development occurs.

So how do you find this quality preschool that will provide synaptic connections for improved brain development, as well as assist your child to develop personality, social skills, and intellect?  That’s a pretty tall order!

What to Look For When Searching for a Quality Preschool-

 Not All Preschools are Created Equal-

There are currently no regulations on what defines a “preschool” in Utah, so there is a wide variety of schools with the preschool label.

Many schools tout having children “kindergarten ready.”  But what does that mean exactly?  Does that include social and personality development?  Did the children learn ABCs and 123s in a way that fostered a love of learning?

As a parent, you need to decide what your preschool standards are.  Here are some ideas of what you can look for:

1- Age-Appropriate Learning Environment-

A learning environment for you may look very different from what a learning environment looks like for a preschooler.  Adults like a desk and quiet place to study.  Preschoolers, however, are all about creating those synaptic connections.  Their learning looks very much like play.

speech and language development, quality preschool

Preschoolers are also just beginning to learn how to hold their bodies still for short periods of time.  Rug time and table times should be limited to 10-20 minutes, depending on the age and activity, and involve some small movement.  And let’s be honest, a lot of adults are the same way.  (Hence the the fidget spinner.)

2- Language Rich-

alphabet learning, quality preschool

There is something to be said for Mother Goose.  A quality preschool is immersed in language.  You will see books and labels, hear story telling, singing, and rhyming.  Children will have opportunities to practice writing their names, letters and numbers, as well as write during their play.  They should also have an abundance of opportunities to express themselves verbally, (some more exuberantly than others), especially during dramatic play.

3- Multisensory Learning-

Quality preschools will abound in multisensory learning activities, or opportunities to learn with multiple senses at once.  Children’s brains are going to expand and remember more effectively as their synapses are in rapid fire.  Multiple learning styles are reached with these activities.

Plus, it’s just fun!

quality preschool

Multisensory learning also encourages children to discover as they feel, taste, smell, hear and see the world around them.  This fosters a love of learning and a desire to pursue knowledge.  Look for water tables, movement activities, play-doh, singing, art, cooking, and basically all things messy.

4- Creativity-

Do you remember when you were a kid and you could play for hours with toys and friends and your brain just imagined things?  Too many of us have lost that ability!  Part of the problem is our culture and schools telling children the “right” way do it.

preschool theme ideas, quality preschool

Look for a preschool that encourages explorative, open-ended art.  Art should be about the process more than the product.  We all like to make choices, and children should feel confident in their choice of color and technique. Children should also have opportunities to express themselves through journaling and dramatic play.

5- Character Development-

quality preschool

Academics are of course important, but look for a quality preschool that also teaches social skills and character development.  Preschools should encourage development of skills in constructive conflict resolution, cooperation, and respect.  What does the school offer to teach your child confidence, problem solving, accountability, responsibility, gratitude and compassion?  You want a school that will reach the “whole child,” and provide guidance in the development of life skills, as well as personality growth.

6- Integrated Learning-

You want to ask about a preschool’s curriculum.  How are language, math and science taught?  How does the school teach reasoning and problem solving?  We recommend you look for integrated learning.

preschool themes, quality preschool

Integrated learning is making connections across multiple disciplines.  You could look at it as the “spoonful of sugar” for learning.  It looks like play, but inside the fun is a scrumptious morsel of delicious knowledge the children wouldn’t enjoy in the form of a worksheet.  UDA Creative Arts Preschool does this through our learning themes.  This article can give you more information on how it works.

7-Assessments-

speech and language development

Without a road map (or GPS in our day and age), how is one to get from point A to point B?  Quality preschools will asses your child to determine point A in order to  create a learning map to navigate them to point B.  Quality teachers will keep parents informed of their child’s growth and development.  No child is the same, so no learning map should be the same.  A quality preschool will work with your child to reach his or her full potential.   As you look at preschools, find out how teachers asses the children’s learning.

8- Safety & Love-

Above all, your child deserves to be in a safe and loving environment.  Is the establishment clean and sanitary?  How are bathroom trips and illness handled?  And in today’s world, it’s important to find out if employees have background checks.

The National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC)  lists some great ideas on standard things to look for, including the physical environment and management of a preschool. Check out this link to their article.

quality preschool

Make sure you observe teachers and staff and their interactions with the children, and most importantly, your child.  You want your child to feel welcomed, comfortable, and loved.

What You Can Do to Find a Quality Preschool-

1- Do Your Homework-

Again, you set the standards, so do some reading.  What is available?  What is most important to you?  Here are some articles to consider:

2- Take a Tour-

Once you have an idea of your standards, observe schools in action.  Allow your child to interact with the teachers.  Ask your questions.

3- Listen to Your Heart-

Weigh your pros and cons, but also listen to your parent’s intuition.  As long as you’re not Rapunzel, Mother (and Father) knows best.

We welcome parents to come visit our Draper, Utah campus at UDA Creative Arts Preschool.  As we open registration for the 2018-19 school year, we hold open houses and love to give tours.  Give us a call to schedule yours at (801) 523-5930.  We are confident you will love what you see!

Written By: Elsje Denison

Escape of the Gingerbread Man: The Power of Integrated Learning

Integrated learning

The age-old story of the gingerbread man is one that has been shared across generations.  But did you know that the gingerbread man teaches so much more than the speed of a cookie?  At UDA Creative Arts Preschool, we put this animated fairytale to work as a theme for our integrated learning curriculum, and we can’t wait to share the results!

Integrated learning is helping children make connections across the disciplines, or topics, for learning.  We cover math, science, culinary arts, engineering, reading, writing, art, music, and even a little drama.  Those preschool minds worked overtime finding clues to locate that notorious disappearing gingerbread man! (Sorry kiddo, I don’t think that bobby pin is a cookie clue.)

Integrated learning

Why is integrated learning important? Integrated learning allows children to learn in a holistic way, without creating boundaries between topics.  This helps them see how all learning is interconnected and provides them with tools to explore and discover.   We’d love to share some of the ways we do this and offer you some ideas for using integrated learning in your home as well!

The Power of Integrated Learning

Integrated Learning is Fun!

Integrated Learning

Call it frosting, call it art, or maybe even call it science and engineering.  Decorating a gingerbread house is more than gluing candy.  Children are learning about weight, gravity, and even balance.

Integrated Learning

And nothing can compare to the feeling of satisfaction that comes from mastering…that big peppermint on the ridge of the roof!  Putting science into action can be fun and tasty!

Teaches Children to Transfer Knowledge to Other Settings

Integrated Learning

For our “Nn” week, we learned about numbers.  We can learn math and numbers as we count and manipulate them in a puzzle.

Integrated Learning

Those numbers become more concrete as we attach them to objects that we can count.

Integrated Learning

Writing our numbers allows us to kinesthetically learn them.

Integrated Learning

And then, we can transfer that knowledge to our gingerbread man as we count how many raisins we use to create him.

Unfortunately, that’s where our trouble begins!  After we worked so hard to make our gingerbread man, Miss Vicky put him in the oven for us.  Why, oh why, didn’t someone watch him?

Integrated Learning

How could that infamous gingerbread man have escaped at our own preschool?  (Poor Miss Vicky may have lost some credibility with the preschoolers.  We all know he wants to escape!  How could she not have kept a closer eye on him? )

Integrated Learning

Fortunately, that tricky gingerbread man left us a paper trail of clues.  Time for some numerical application!  The children were able to transfer their knowledge of math as they sequenced the numbered clues to find…

Integrated Learning

…the little gingerbread men left behind.  Our big gingerbread man may have escaped, but at least he left some of his friends for us to consume.  Phew, Miss Vicky’s reputation is saved!

More Connections = Higher Level Learning

Integrated learning

Making gingerbread houses, cookies, and paint projects are fun, but they are also creating connections.  So many of our connections stem from language and literature!

Integrated Learning

We were able to read several versions of the gingerbread man story.  Each time the children heard it, they were able to repeat the lines spoken by the gingerbread man.

Run, run, as fast as you can.  You can’t catch me!  I’m the gingerbread man.

Repetition improves brain development, increases vocabulary, and reinforces memory and sequencing skills. Reading the same story to your preschooler over, and over, and over again may get old, but you are actually enhancing your child’s language development.

As we examine different versions of the gingerbread man story, the children are also able to make predictions, compare and contrast endings, and discuss emotions involved with the various conclusions of each story.  This enables them to create connections to their personal experiences.

Creating Positive Attitudes for Learning

integrated learning

When integrated learning is practiced, children enjoy the learning process and positive attitudes are developed.

integrated learning

Throughout our gingerbread unit, children applied their creativity in the discovery room and through their art projects, while making connections to the stories we read.  (You can connect at home with this pumpkin spice play dough recipe.)

integrated learning

When learning, be it math, science, or language, is fun, children can’t help but want to be a part of it.  It is stimulating and interesting.  Their brains are developing the way they were meant to.   Children develop a positive attitude that shapes their learning for the rest of their lives.

Integrated Learning At Home

If you’d like to implement integrated learning with your preschooler.  Here are a few suggestions to get you starated:

  • Pick a topic. (Ants)
  • Make a word web.  This website has other great templates.
  • Fill in the web with questions.
    • Where do ants live?
    • What do ants eat?
    • What are the different kinds of ants?
    • How do ants survive?
  • As you begin to explore the topics, you will find other learning disciplines emerge.  Help your preschooler make the connections.
    • Math- How many ant species are there?  How many ants in a colony?  How many worker ants?
    • Science- How do they make their homes?  What factors effect the type of home they live in?
    • Art- Your child can diagram or create ants and ant homes.
    • Language- What do species and colony mean? How do I find a book about ants at the library?  Read nonfiction books about ants.  Find fun fiction books about ants.

The exciting part of integrated learning is that one topic leads to another.  Ants can lead to insects.  Insects spark questions on habitats.  Habitats can begin a study on eco-systems.  Learning is adventurous and develops curiosity!

We thoroughly enjoy applying integrated learning at UDA Creative Arts Preschool.  If you would like to see what our theme of the week is, we encourage you to come in for a tour at our Draper, Utah facility by calling (801) 523-5930.

Written by: Elsje Denison

Santa’s Workshop: Our Top Picks for Books that Keep Giving

giving books

Our elves at UDA Creative Arts Preschool are busy getting ready for Christmas.  We are excited for the holidays and all the joy that comes with it.  We want to share with you the going-on’s around Santa’s workshop, as well our favorite giving books, for we believe the joy of the season is found in the presents we give away.

Santa’s Workshop

giving books

We’re working so hard on our program!  We can’t wait to share it with you.  Performing not only gives us the opportunity to share what we’ve been learning in our movement and music class, it helps us build confidence and courage!

giving books

It may not be snowing much around town, but we let it snow, let it snow, let it snow around the discovery room!  Adding props to our imaginative dramatic play encourages our play-based learning.

giving books

The snow works great for stuffing Santa too!  We love to see cooperation and team work as our friends help friends.

giving books

We’re making ornaments  for our “Oo” week and trimming the tree.

giving books

Our elves are working hard making toys,

giving books

and wrapping presents.  Cutting with scissors gives them great practice using their “pincher” grip, as well as developing fine motor skills.  Children love role playing what they see their parents and caregivers do.  It helps them develop life skills. 

giving books

And our team of reindeer…

giving books

…are the cutest in town.  Look out Rudolph, with these glowing noses, you just may be out of a job this Christmas Eve.

As you can see, our workshop has been hustling and bustling! We’re all ready for the holidays.  How about you?!

Giving Books

The holiday season offers wonderful literature experiences.  Your local library is a great place to start, but we’d like to share a few of our own favorites.  These giving books keep on giving as they provide occasion for discussion and application.  While reading them with your preschooler, ask about how the story makes them feel and how they can give too.

giving books

Mr. Willowby’s Christmas Tree, by Robert Barry

This delightful story is about a Christmas tree that is just a little too tall.  Each time the top is chopped, it finds a new home as someone else’s tree.  How can you help someone by sharing what you don’t need anymore?

giving books

The Christmas Train, by Thomas S. Monson, illustrated by Dan Burr

This beautifully illustrated story is about a young boy during the Great Depression who finds joy in not only giving a gift, but sacrificing something of his own.  How does giving something that you love help you feel more joy?

giving books

Merry Christmas Big Hungry Bear, by Don and Audrey Wood

This fun and colorful book shares the experience of our friend Little Mouse as he transforms his heart from hiding his gifts to sharing them with someone who may seem a little scary.  Who are people we overlook at Christmas time?

All of us at UDA Creative Arts Preschool wish you a happy holiday season.  We welcome visitors at Santa’s Workshop or whatever learning adventures we are engaging in.  Give us a call at (801) 523-5930 to schedule a tour at our Draper, Utah campus today!

Written by: Elsje Denison

4 Ways to Teach Gratitude & The Joy of Giving

teaching gratitude

Often our holiday season is filled and busy, more busy, and very, very busy: parties, donations and charities, food prep, and finding the perfect gifts for family and friends.  At the heart of checking off the lists, we know what the season is supposed to be about.  But in all the craziness, what do our children see?

At UDA Creative Arts Preschool, we believe that the best part of Christmas time, and all of the holidays, are the presents we give away.  We feel the greatest joy comes to children as we teach gratitude and the joy of giving.

teaching gratitude

A song we like to teach our preschoolers, called “The Very Best Part of Christmas Time,” composed by Janeen Brady, starts like this:

The very best part of Christmas time, the very best part I know, it’s not the tree, it’s not the treats, it’s not the lights that glow. The very best part of Christmas time, I’ll tell you any day.  The very best, happiest, part I know are the presents you give away.

From what we’ve observed, children, by nature, have giving hearts.  But we know what it’s like to hear the “I wants” every time you walk through the store.  It’s easy for children to get “wrapped up” in the gifts.   However, the holidays are the perfect opportunity for children to learn how to give, how giving feels, and how to be grateful.

Here are four simple ways to help you teach gratitude and the joy of giving to your preschooler.

4 Ways to Teach Gratitude & The Joy of Giving

1- Ask What They are Going to Give

teaching gratitude

It’s so easy to ask, because we were all asked the same question: “What do you want Santa to bring you for Christmas?”.  And as fun (or scary) as it is to climb onto the big man’s bright red lap and relay to him the wish list, try to shift the focus to what your child is going to give for Christmas.  Gifts from young children don’t even need to cost money.  The best gifts they can give come from their hearts and artistic hands.

Instead of making a wish list, help them make a give list.  As they make a list of the people they love, help them think of acts of service they can do for those people.

2- Identify the Joy of Giving

Preschoolers are still identifying emotions that they feel.  You can help them identify that warm glowing feeling they get when they give something by naming it joy.  As they create or pick out gifts for family and friends, help them feel excited as they anticipate how the person will feel as they open the gift.

teaching gratitude

As parents, we can also model gratitude in daily conversation.  “Someone helped me put my cart away while I loaded the kids in the car today.  That made me feel so grateful.” Or, “Someone dropped these cookies off on our front steps.  How does that make you feel?”. Try spending a few minutes every dinner or tuck-in time discussing things you are grateful for that day.

teaching gratitude

And, as always, reading a book is a natural way to start up a conversation on the topic.  Here are a few links to book lists on gratitude you can check out:

When children can identify the happiness that comes from receiving, they can better identify the joy that comes from giving someone happiness.

3- Share What They Have

Sometimes it’s hard to provide our children with the opportunity to see those less fortunate than themselves.  As a parent, you need to be the judge of what is appropriate for them to see.  But for a child, seeing someone who has less than herself can be a game-changer for giving.

“In with the new and out with the old” can bless the lives of others.  As they receive new toys for the holidays, help them pick old ones they can donate.  Talk about where it is going.  If they’ve seen other children who have less, they will have a better idea of who will be playing with their toys, which can bring them joy.

teaching gratitude

During the holiday season, opportunities to give are all around us.   For example, you can find a Sub 4 Santa or Giving Tree.  Have your child help you do the shopping and wrapping.  At UDA Creative Arts Preschool, we do Project Sleep Tight in the winter.  Children will be able to donate a blanket, book, and stuffed animal for a child who is displaced from their home.

4- Thank You!

teaching gratitude

Having a gratitude attitude begins with saying “Thank you”.  As your child opens presents this season, help them remember those polite little words.  Some families choose to open presents one at a time so the giver and the receiver can enjoy the moment and thank you’s (and great big hugs) can be given.

teaching gratitude

You can also have your child write or draw thank you notes for the gifts they’ve received.   Even if they dictate, verbalizing their gratitude helps them recognize what they are given and how it makes them feel.

In November, we teach gratitude as our monthly character trait.  We hope you can also help them identify gratitude through the holiday season.  There is nothing that brings us more joy than seeing our preschoolers find the joy of sharing and giving.  Come see the joy we are having at UDA Creative Arts Preschool by scheduling a tour of our Draper, Utah facility by calling 801-523-5930.

Written by: Elsje Denison

What’s Happening at UDA Creative Arts Preschool- November!

If you thought the kitchen was busy for Thanksgiving, you should see what our little chefs have been up to this month!  Besides baking up a storm, our November preschool themes develop skills in all aspects of the whole child.  That’s because at UDA Creative Arts Preschool, we believe all our learning should be fun.  So it is!

Jets and Journey- Jj

preschool themes

In our movement class, we took turns being the “Stop” and “Go” sign.  The children used their large motor skills to push their cars (scooters) around, as well as practice inhibitory control when it’s time to stop…but their inner Lightning McQueen is saying, “I am speed”!

preschool themes

Our vehicles helped us learn our letters and numbers.  Children matched the number of car with the number on the garage.  Our cars also drove the roads on their letter sheets…or was that streets?

preschool theme

We took on roles of pilots and other community helpers that use so many special types of transportation.  Role playing provides our preschoolers with opportunities to develop language skills, as well as characteristics like kindness and empathy.

preschool themes

We put our engineering skills to work as we used tinker toys to build wheels for our ramps.  The children learned problem solving skills as they worked together to make vehicles that could go down the ramps.  They also discovered laws of physics as they compared the speeds of different inclines.

preschool themes

 

Kitchen- Kk

preschool theme

Our homemade lip paint (lipgloss) was a fun language arts activity.  Whoever said lipgloss had to be pink?  Whoever said it had to stay on your lips?  These kissing cuties had a fun time decorating the letter “K”…

preschool theme

…and themselves!

preschool theme

Did you know apple cider changes color?  We put science to work as we discovered that when you first make apple cider it’s an off white color, but the juice color changes as it’s in the air, just like an apple turns brown.  We also made some delicious apple sauce after we all took turns peeling the apples.

preschool theme

We continued our multisensory learning as we each made our own fruit salad.  Cutting up fruit helped our preschoolers develop small motor skills and confidence as they learn real life skills.

preschool theme

The results?

preschool theme

Most satisfying!

Preschool Bakery

preschool theme

The discovery room bakery was busy. Chocolate, vanilla, and spice-scented play dough inspired the creation of cupcakes, cookies, cakes–with sprinkles of course!  In the process of manipulating the dough, children are developing stronger hand muscles and coordination that will help them with scissors and writing.

preschool theme

Preschool Pizzaria!

preschool theme

If you think our baking skills are impressive, you should check out our pizzeria!  With the kind of helping hands we have going here, we could start our own business!

preschool theme

preschool theme

The children loved adding the toppings to their personal pizzas and we loved seeing so many healthy food choices, like peppers and onions.  One of our preschoolers even exclaimed, “This is the best pizza I’ve ever had!”  Look out Papa Murphy’s!  You have some competition.

preschool theme

preschool theme

Leaves-Ll

Preschool theme

Even though our Ll week was short, we spent some time discussing our character trait, gratitude.  We are so grateful for the beautiful fall leaves and nature outside that we enjoy.

Thanksgiving Feast

preschool theme

Our Thanksgiving feast was attended by Pilgrims and Native Americans alike.  We offered the children the choice of dressing as a Pilgrim or a Native American.  After hearing the Thanksgiving Feast story, many of the children chose to be Native Americans because they were so friendly to the Pilgrims.

preschool theme

But we think it’s pretty safe to say that everyone who partook enjoyed the feast!

preschool theme

preschool theme

Plus, it was a wonderful opportunity for us to practice our manners for our “Mm” week.

preschool theme

preschool theme

Continue Learning-

preschool theme

As we focus on whole child learning, we try to integrate different styles and types of learning in all our activities.  We also focus on having our preschoolers kindergarten ready.  You can help your child by encouraging them to practice with writing tools and scissors.

preschool theme

And of course, a life time of learning begins with a passion for learning.  By surrounding your child with books, and taking time to read to him, you will foster that passion.

preschool theme

Our preschool themes for November were both delicious and educational.  Feel free to stop by and see what learning adventures we have going on today by calling (801) 523-5930 for a free tour of our Draper, Utah UDA Creative Arts Preschool facility.

Written by: Elsje Denison

 

8 Ways to Lose the Flashcards: Make Alphabet Learning Fun!

alphabet learning

We’ve all been singing the ABC song for longer than we can remember.  Thanks to Mozart  and Charles Bradlee, we have a fabulous tune for all our language learners.  But the Alphabet song is just the beginning of making those letters into useful language.  At UDA Creative Arts Preschool, we believe Charles had the right idea.  Let’s lose the flashcards and make learning the alphabet fun!

Making It Fun and Keeping It Real

alphabet learning

Learning the alphabet and the alphabet sounds is a process over a few years, not an event from a few lessons.  We believe that in order for those sounds to really sink in, we need to reach the whole child.  So no stress Mom and Dad!  No “language lesson” needed.  Here are some fun ways you can make alphabet learning a part of your every day life.  Fun for you!  Fun for them!

1- Integrated Learning

First, we asked some of our UDA Creative Arts Preschool teachers what advice they have for pre-readers, and what we can do as parents to help children recognize letters and their sounds.

Melissa Giraldi, our three-year-old teacher, recommends encouraging your preschooler to notice the letters all around them.  You’ll be surprised how quickly your daily life becomes a lesson in language!  Keep them interested by just adding your alphabet conversation to the things you are already doing.

alphabet learning

For example, while giving a bath, you could discuss the letter “W.”  Draw it with soap on the shower wall, or by make it with your thumbs and pointer fingers.  Then you can make the “w” sound in “water,” “wash,” “washcloth,” or a toy “whale.”  You can also find some fun, inexpensive alphabet bath toys.  Spell words in the tub!

2- Sign Search

Amber Blackburn, one of our four-year-old teachers, suggests watching for letters while you’re driving.  For older children, you can play the alphabet game, searching for the letters in alphabetical order.  You can even make it a habit and do it while driving to and from preschool!

Younger children can simply identify the letters on the signs they see and then discuss their sound.

alphabet learning

Stop sign!  “S”!  What sound does “S” make?

3- Shopping Hunt

alphabet learning

The grocery store is a place Miss Melissa suggests to find lots of letter discussion.  Encourage your child to look at the letters on the packaging.  When you are looking at a jar of peanut butter, encourage them to find the “P”.  Then make the “P” sound together as you say “peanut butter.”  Easy Peasy!

Besides packaging, you can find letters on the item descriptions on the shelves, on the aisle signs, and at the cash register.  When they are getting a grasp on sound/letter connections, you can say things like: “There are the oranges.  What letter does ‘O’range start with?”

4- Snack Time

While we’re on the subject of food, who doesn’t love alphabet food?  Of course you have your traditional alphabet soup, but now there are a plethora of crackers and other snacks with alphabet shapes.   Miss Amber recommends pointing out the letters to them as they eat them.

alphabet learning

Miss Melissa suggests using celery, carrot, or pretzel sticks to make an “I,” “T,” “H,” “L,” etc.  You can even use smaller pieces in the middle for an “A” or “R.”   Or, just notice the random letters like an “O” shaped Cheerio.

Whatever it is, don’t drill it into them, just make it into a game and have fun with it!

5- Get a Little Messy

alphabet learning

We all know it’s the extraordinary that we remember.  You can make learning the alphabet stick (and sticky) by creating different experiences.  Amber says, if you’re not afraid of getting a little messy, let your preschooler write letters in her pudding.  We happen to know from experience that shaving cream is also the perfect medium for writing letters and also makes your preschooler smell nice and musky.

6- Make Name Connections

alphabet learning

Making connections is an essential part of memory.  You can help your preschooler make connections by helping them to recognize what is the same and what is different between two things being compared.

Children love making connections to their name, or the names of people they know.  As you point out letters, Miss Melissa advises to help them recognize whose name that letter connects to.   You’ll begin to hear phrases like, “Mom!  That’s your letter!”   Connection made.

7- Read! Read! Read!

alphabet learning

There is no better way to see those alphabet letters in action than in a book.  As your bookworm develops a love for books, your child will develop a love for language.

Get silly!  Miss Melissa suggests turning the book upside down and see what your child does.  Help your child understand the mechanics of a book as you joke around with turning the pages the wrong way.  Once in a while, track the lines with your finger.  Your child will begin to understand the mechanics of a book.

8- Follow Their Lead

Again, we recommend incorporating learning the alphabet into daily activities.  So what does your child love?  Miss Amber advises following their lead on what interests them.

alphabet learning

If your child loves trucks, find an alphabet book about trucks.  If your child enjoys insects, connect letters to bugs.  Encourage your dancer to make letters with her body.  And if your child likes food…well, who doesn’t like food?  As suggested before, use snack and meal time to your alphabet learning advantage!

For learning the alphabet on a computer, we like Starfall.com.  This is a great website for preschool-aged children to practice learning math and early reading skills.

If you’d like to come see how Melissa and Amber integrate alphabet learning into the classroom, or if you’d like a tour of our Utah facility, we’d love to have you visit us at UDA Creative Arts Preschool!  Just call (801) 523-5930.

4 Fun Math Activities for Early Math Skills

early math skills

Research shows that children who have exposure to mathematical experiences early on demonstrate a higher confidence in their ability to do math.  Furthermore, these children are more likely to demonstrate characteristics, like curiosity and creativity, imaginativeness and inventiveness, persistence and flexibility.  That’s why at UDA Creative Arts Preschool, we integrate math throughout our curriculum to provide plenty of experience for the development of early math skills.   

But if you’re one of those people who drudged your way through those high school math classes, never fear!  Your child’s early exposure to math doesn’t have to be structured or curricular.  In fact, teaching young children math skills is much easier than you think!  Even those of us who hate math, enjoy math.  Here’s what we mean: 

Math is Play!

The National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC) recommends that rather than rote memorization of facts or doing worksheets, children will have a better understanding of math if they have open-ended play exploration.  

early math skills

For example, the numbers become much more concrete when we’re adding legs and eyes to a bug, or body sections to our caterpillar, rather than 1+1 on a piece of paper.  

Make Connections-

Although math at an early age should be play, children still need to be guided to see the connections.  You can help your preschooler expand their thinking by taking their play a step further to see the mathematical relationships. 

early math skills

These kiddos are having a great time on the teeter-totter, but we can take this play a step further by asking who is heavier?  Who is up and who is down?  What happens if we fit two children on one side?  They are learning to measure weight.

Who knew parent = math teacher?  But like we said, it’s much easier than you think.  Here are four fun ways you can incorporate a little more math in your preschooler’s life:

1 – Games

early math skills

Games are a wonderful way to apply early math skills!  Whether your child is counting how many squares they need to move, or adding the dots on the dice, it doesn’t take a sleuth to see their little brain at work.  Here are a few of our favorites:

  • Yahtzee – Awesome for numbers and operations.  Guide them as they group the dice together and add them together.
  • Board games like Sorry!, Chutes and Ladders, and Candy Land – Great to help children count squares both forward and backward, working on adding and subtracting.
  • Card games like Go Fish! – Help with grouping.
  • Tenzi – You can start out following the rules, but how much more fun to make up your own!  The sky is the limit with the creativity you can do with this dice game.
  • Blokus – Younger preschool children may not understand the blocking concept, but they love to play with the shapes.

2 – Shapes

Early math skills

Playing with shapes develops your preschooler’s understanding of geometry and patterning.

early math skills

Of course, there are lots of wonderful resources out there, like puzzles and magnets, but you don’t need to wait for your Holiday bonus to provide shapes for learning.  Children can stack blocks in a linear row.

early math skills

They can stack them up and down as they develop spacial recognition.  Using Play-Doh or construction paper, you can create shapes and then encourage your child to make patterns by color or shape.

  • This tangram website provides a template to create your own tangram and gives you patterns for your child to recreate.
  • Origami is another fun way you can guide your child through spacial recognition together.  Check out this origami website for some fun beginner patterns.

3 – Measurements

Everything around us is measured: the weight of our breakfast cereal, our time, the length of our haircut.  Children begin to see these measurements and numbers all around them and you can begin having daily conversations about what all these measurements mean.

early math skills

But not everything needs to be measured by the “standard”.  How many pumpkins high are you?  Can you count how many sidewalk squares to the park?  How many Legos tall is this pencil?

early math skills

And, of course, cooking is a wonderful way to incorporate measurements in your day to day conversations.  Have your kitchen helper count how many cups of flour and measure out a tsp of vanilla.  Or use the scale at the store to measure the weight of your produce.

  • Show your preschooler how to use a sewing measuring tape.  Let them measure things around the house. (Sewing measuring tapes have a softer edge than the construction ones and will prevent cuts.)
  • Let them use a stop watch to time how fast they can get ready for bed, put their shoes on, make their bed, etc.

4 – Money

early math skills

The reality is that most of us live in a world of little plastic cards and internet purchases.  But kids still need to understand what money is and how to use it.  You can give your child an early start on these math skills by giving them coins (if they’re past choking hazard age) and money to play with.

  • Let them use coins to make small purchases at the store.  Even better, let them earn the coins first, and then let them use them to make a purchase.
  • Create your own monetary system at home.  Use it to reward good behavior and then let your child learn how to budget their money, be it puff balls or monopoly cash, to purchase rewards you have available to them.

early math skills

When it comes to math, you don’t need to put all your eggs in one basket of curriculum.  Just incorporate it in the things you are already doing by helping your preschooler make the connections and encourage the development of early math skills.

Whether in music, dramatic play, or even marching through the hallways, we do our best to integrate mathematical learning in all our curriculum.  By developing a love of math at a young age, we know our preschoolers at UDA Creative Arts Preschool will leave us having the confidence they need to tackle math and other problem solving skills they will encounter.  Come see us at work by scheduling a tour (801) 523-5930.

 

Written by: Elsje Denison