There are beautiful things all around us...

Hi Followers,

Just this morning, when it seemed grey and dreary outside, we discovered something quite beautiful. An almost perfectly formed spider web, dripping with raindrops! Amazing! We each took turns coming up and viewing it and marveling at it's strength and symmetry. "Wow! That spider must know something we don't", said one child. I said, "How do you know?" They replied, "The spider thinks he will catch something in that web, right here!" Ahhh, the wonderment of preschoolers, the emergent curriculum dovetailing from our "not so scary" talks about spiders and the actuality of seeing something very cool.

Today we had volunteers from the Martinez Lioness Club do a eye screening on our 3-5 year olds. Everyone past with flying colors...so glad to know everyone has excellent eye health. The screening took about 5-10 minutes per child and the results are in your child's cubby. The one screener stated that this was one of the most well behaved group they had worked with! Yowza! Props to all of our children!

See you tomorrow!
Miss Sue

Oh Happy Monday!

Hello Followers,

Today we started our week off learning about what it means to be a friend, how to be a friend and the usual life lessons that are not so obvious to our short people here! Maybe to some adults too, you never know. We talked about rules, asking for their input about good ideas that you might need to know if you want to be a friend...."no hitting", "help people up if they fall", "say thank you" were just a few things our friends here suggested for friendship tips. From the mouths of babes, as they say.....

We have puppet shows, friendship fruit salad and more planned for the week. Don't miss this fun time of year here...I know I won't!

Have a great evening!

Miss Sue

Wednesday

Hello to All Followers,

We have had a busy day today with our teeny, tiny group today...for a total of 7 children, both toddlers and preschoolers. That does not deter us from having any fun though....first up, making a pumpkin pie from scratch and baking it so we can have it for afternoon snack. Everyone got a turn with the electric mixer, counting the eggs, checking out the measurements on our measuring spoons and cup. Plus we watched the whole mixture go into the pie crust and bake. We took peeks through the oven window, plus it smelled heavenly as it was baking. The best part is that we will have it for afternoon snack! Yahoo!

Many good wishes to you all for a memorable Thanksgiving and a few days off! Can't wait to sleep in myself and get recharged for next week!

Hugs all around,
Miss Sue

Hello and Happy Thanksgiving to You!

Hello FOCs,

We have been a small but mighty group here at Cherub this week. Lots of people off for the holiday, especially those with older siblings...We have been busy making this Thanksgiving Cookbook. Move over Food Network with Paula Dean, Tyler Florence, The Barefoot Contessa...we have many chef's in the making right here!

We have several sections of the book: How to Make Stone Soup, How to Roast a Turkey, How to Make a Pumpkin Pie. So many "interesting" recipes...."take a turkey, put it in a bathtub for hours." How about "Pumpkin Pie....add gravy, apples and some pumpkin" and my personal favorite, "How to Make Stone Soup" Add one horse and some circles cook until done.

Enjoy the photo!
Have a great day,

Miss Sue

TGIF

Hello Blogger Friends,

Another great day here at Cherub! We had fun making handprint turkeys and finding out about turkeys...Did you know they can grow to over 50 lbs. The rain deterred us from going outside, but we sure had a lot of energy! Whew! We played all sorts of games, read every book in the Library of Congress, including how to split atoms!

We also had "Kids Night Out" tonight. What is it, you ask? It's an opportunity for parents to go out for an evening, or stay at home and relax or enjoy friends. I took care of 9 very well behaved and fun children from 6-10 p.m....we had pizza, ice cream sundaes, made mini-books, colored, played with toys and saw two great movies all for the low price of $35 per child! All the proceeds are going towards our purchase of sand in the spring! We'll have a Holiday Kids Night Out, too, so parents can shop, enjoy a nice dinner out, see a play, or just enjoy some alone time. All for $35! Cherub families only...so come join us soon!

Happy Weekend,

Miss Sue

Turkey Time

Hello FOCs (Friends of Cherub),

Busy as usual today.....reading books, dress up, outdoor play, playing with beans by measuring and pouring, a banana muffin cooking project, singing songs, learning how to serve ourselves our snack by chosing what we want to eat, cleaning up after ourselves and much more. It's all in a days experience here at school.

Check out our turkeys in progress...it's a brown paper cup, a pompom for a head, wiggily eyes, foam beak, lots more. So much fun...more turkey fun in the very near future coming to your Thanksgiving table at your house!

We also made banana nut muffins, just from a mix but everyone got a turn to mix and put the papers in the muffin tins, help pour the oil, water, eggs in. It's a science project ready for the making!

We have so much fun, come join us soon!

Have a terrific evening,

Miss Sue

Fall Fun

Hello Blog Friends,

Today we had fun with leaves other things we can find outdoors. We gathered everything, with the help of Johanna who shook the tree to get us some good, fresh leaves to add to our leaf collage. First we colored with fall colors, then placed the leaves, some glitter for bling and for decoration. Then I covered it with contact paper and we rubbed and rubbed with our fingers and blocks.

The sensory table is always a hit with everyone, measuring and pouring dry beans with scoops, strawberry baskets, cups and more. We're busy all the time. Fun, laughs and lots of learning.

Enjoy the photos and I'll keep you updated on the finished collage!

Happy day to you!
Miss Sue

Now we're cooking!

Hi Blogger Friends,

No pictures today...persnickity phone camera has not produced anything...but that doesn't mean we haven't been doing anything....This morning we worked on making an awesome holiday gift for you families, plus learning more about the alphabet, numbers and the meaning of Thanksgiving.

This afternoon we worked on our cookbooks! The children's part is finished, but we just need to duplicate and bind it to send it home in time for Thanksgiving....Ever wonder what a 3 year old's recipe for roasting a turkey is? How about putting it in the bathtub for days or knowing when it is done when you smell it burning? Pumpkin Pie recipes abound also....did you know, according to our preschoolers, you do not need pumpkin to make a pumpkin pie? Silly us, you can have a pumpkin pie with gravy, blueberries and apples and call it a pumpkin pie.

Have a great evening,
Miss Sue

Natural Children

Hello Blogger Friends,

This week's schedule is all about Harvest, Autumn and Nature. We looked at leaves of all shapes and sizes and stages of decomposition. Some were brown, some were still green, some were yellow and had spots on them. We discussed the cycle of nature and the various parts to a leaf. Check out the leaf rubbings on the bulletin board in the lunch room. Cool!

Then, we are trying different set ups here at Cherub. Johanna and our fantastic volunteer, Teresa, set up the library corner in the big room, an imagination area where the kitchen set is, our blocks are out in the carpeted area. Then for a really vintage retro experience...an ironing board and iron. Only one child told us what it was, everyone else had no idea! We are moving toward having "centers" that change frequently to have interesting things available to our children.

Oh yes, please help us fill our barrels from the Contra Costa Food Bank. We want to make a difference in people's lives by giving them something to eat. Can you help?

We had a great experience at the VA...so many happy faces and so much gratitude to us for making and bringing the stars down to acknowledge our devoted Veterans. I was unable to take any pictures due to privacy issues, but take my word for it, it was great. We distributed over 100 hand colored, painted, collaged or spray painted stars.

Enjoy the photos...have a great evening!
Hugs to all,
Miss Sue

Portraits and Fingerpainting

Hello Blog Friends,

Sorry I was unable to blog yesterday. Whew! So many things to do...so little time. I get involved and realize it is the end of the day and I need to leave...even after a 10+ hour day. We have been busy learning how to draw circles, how to draw a person and practice, practice, practice. Today we made portraits of our family, check your cubbies. This is preparation for a big surprise at Christmas for all of you!

Today we fingerpainted with red, white and blue paint which we use as a collage for a bigger project. Yesterday we made our windsocks, Johanna completed them with the yarn and they are ready to be hung. Tomorrow, look for some great photos when we go down to the VA to say THANK YOU to our Vets.

Enjoy the photos,
Miss Sue

Support Our Vets and Service Women and Men

Hello Blogsters,

We have a short week this week with being closed on Friday, 11/11, for Veteran's Day. Short, but not shortchanged. We are devoting this week to a patriotic theme with a culmination of going down to the VA on Thursday, 11/10 at about 10 a.m. to deliver our handmade stars to our honored Veterans. We are the home of the free because of the brave.

Check out the great stars we spray painted. We also collaged some, colored some and these are my favorites. We also are making red, white and blue windsocks that we will hang outside and some other fun art projects this week.

Come join us soon! We would love to see you!
Miss Sue

Pajama Day Rocks!

Hello and Happy Friday to you!

Pajama day rocks! Everyone came in their pajamas and we have been having a great day! We have Snow White pjs, Disney Princesses nightgowns, Diego pjs, flower, elephant and sock monkey pjs. So fun! We had a great morning with sharing and working on our shape book. Just wait until you see it.

I have had many parents ask about academics here at Cherub. Yes, academics have their place, but remember, developing fine motor skills happens when you finger paint, color, string beads and any other fine motor activity so that they work their finger muscles. Number and letter recognition happen several times a day. "It's time to go to snack...if your name starts with A, B, C. etc." "Let's talk about how many children are here today...."(this is counting with correspondence).

Remember play is your child's work. They work through things, they learn and develop valuable social skills, cooperation, cause and effect, conservation skills like more and less, bigger and smaller, tall and short etc. Every activity we schedule here has a reason and a desired outcome for each child. Some of our younger ones will be learning to use more words, older ones will learn how to cooperate, participate, take responsibility, etc.

We have several activities every day that exercise different areas of the brain like: large motor skills, fine motor skills, social skills, showing empathy and becoming a cooperative member of our group, etc. We focus on the science of life, the practical side of life, the whimsy of life.

Remember that they are only (fill in the blank) years out of the nest and are learning how to negoiate this complex world. What may seem commonplace to you and I, is often met with confusion, the need for reassurance, repetition and enthusiasm of something new.

A recent study showed that children need to hear something on average of 75 times before they understand and "get it". We use a lot of repetition here to help children grasp a concept. We use many different ways to communicate with your children; tactile, auditory, visual etc. Questions? Please ask.

I have a semi-uncooperative camera today...so only one photo from the internet. Have a great weekend and make a memory together!

Miss Sue

Books, books and books

Hello Followers,

Thank you to everyone who is following us and reading the blog daily. We appreciate your follow...and if you are not a regular follower, please consider "following" us. As I look at our statistics, we have had views by people on 6 continents! The only place we haven't been viewed is Antarctica!

Today we are working on several projects at once. One is the making of peanut butter balls, rolled in rice crispies for snack today. Secondly, we are working on our Rainbow Book, made from paint chip samples and children's drawings of their favorite red, orange, yellow, green, blue and purple things included. Additionally, as if that's not enough activity, we are creating our own Shape book. The shape pages are drying at least 24 hours, due to...well, you know...the prolific use of glue. It's all in the exploration of a preschooler.

Looks like we will not be going out this afternoon due to the rain, so we have fun things planned...stay tuned. Thanks for the support. We appreciate it!

Also, keep your eyes peeled for a new name and reincarnation of Cherub. Way back in the day, "Cherub Child Care" was a cute name. Now, it seems a bit dated, so we are working on getting a new name. Look for it by the 1st of the year in all likelihood. Can't reveal it yet, but it's going to be great....to go with our reinvigorated program, staff etc.

Have a great day,

Miss Sue

The Library at it's best

Hi Followers,

Today we played in our library, plus we had Ellie, a retired librarian, come and visit and read us two stories. Plus told us two stories and brought her friend, Humpty Dumpty, to visit with us too! It was mesmerizing, spellbinding and powerful! She was fantastic and we can't wait until she comes to visit us again.

Plus, dress up is back full force. Check out the fashion risk/statement made by one of our enthusiastic fashionistas! Tomorrow...more fun in the library...our Rainbow Book is almost finished! Can't wait until it goes home!

Best to you all,

Miss Sue

The Literary Arts

Hello Friends,

Today we began our study of books, libraries and all things literary. We learned how the library works, what resources they have available and played like we were at the Cherub County Library. Each child had a ticket to check out 2 books and how to return them when they were through reading them. Additionally this week we will be creating some of our own books, dictating what they would like their book to be about.

Halloween was terrific, we are all recovering today...especially the children who look very tired after a super fun day yesterday. Looking forward to more literary events coming up...stay tuned.

Have a fabulous day,
Miss Sue