What are your children learning at Preschool?

[JessRabbit]

Hi!
I just was wondering for those who have children in preschool - what are your children learning?
My DD is 4 and loves school but we are having problems with the things she is learning. She has now developed an extreme fear of bugs since learning about them at school. She found them interesting but could really care less about them before. Rumor is that they will be learning about dinosaurs soon. She already has a problem with dinosaurs ( needless to say, we won't be eating at the T-Rex Cafe ) I am planning to meet with her teacher.
Has anyone been through this or have advice?

Thanks

 

[imthatgirl]

my son is 4 and in preschool. today they were working on the days of the week. i remember he cam ehome one day and they had been working on writing different letters in the alphebet, i think they were z,q,k and j. im guessing they are the letter some of the kids ahve trouble with.
of course nothing is just taught once, its all prety much on going.
some other things include putting activities in order(what came first type things) counting and number work and recognition of higher numbers above 10.
it all stays pretty basic at this age, and its all through play.

 

[KirstenB]

My 3 yr old's class is working on a unit on families. They read stories, listen and move to music, and make snacks (relating to a book about a bunny and his family) that all relate to families. They're painting this week, it's supposed to be pictures of what they read about.

I'm sorry your dd is afraid of bugs. Could you find some stories about something really cute like ladybugs? When our older dd was 4, it was a tough age. She got scared of some WDW rides she'd always been fine with. Maybe it's the age, I don't know.

 

[ajk912]

My daughter is 4. They do a different letter of the week, right now it's D. They brought home a diamond and they need to draw a D thing on it for homework. Yay. Like I don't have enough of that with my 2nd and 4th graders. They will start their animal unit after the zoo field trip in October. They focus on coloring and using a pencil, too.

 

[mjantz]

What style of learning are they practicing? If its center-based learning then she should have no problem steering clear of the more intense dinosaur things. She could stick to the home center or possibly art. Steer clear of science & possibly any book or listening center.
Honestly, at 4, the dino books they're reading should lean more towards 'How do Dinosaurs Say Goodnight' as opposed to 'T-Rex: Terror of the Cretaeous Period'.

 

[GoofyG]

my DD4 goes every day but it's pre-k. She will be learning to read next month. She also was learnig how to not right everything in capital letters. Only the first letter of her name is capital. They work on what doesn't belong, small to big. She stays pretty busy at school, they sent her homework with us to disney world. She had more papers then days of vacation. CRAZY!
My kids have gone to a mothers day out program since they were babies. My DD2 is working on shapes and counting to 5.

 

[princessmom29]

My Dd is in K 4 and they are working on letter blends and other pre-reading phonics, addition and subtraction of numbers less than 10, basic geometry (how many sides does a triangle have), they have science lessons. She came how yesaterday explaining to me that the black spots in themiddle of the eye are called pupils and they get big when it is dark and small in bright light. It is a christian school so they do bible and learn bible verses. her teacher says they will be reading simple sentences by christmas and 2 vowel words by year end. They will also know numbers to 100. Edited to add thay they are also learning to write all letters in both cases (most of them have most of this) and their name

 

[nessz79]

Wow!! Some of these preschools are learning some crazy things! My Kindergartner is just learning letter combination phenomics, writing basic sentences, etc. And I thought that was great!

Anyway, my 4 year old is in PreK. They learn a letter and number each week. This week they are on E and 5 (I think). They write the upper and lower case of each letter and practice writing the number. They also learn some basic preschool things like cutting, gluing, holding a pencil correctly, etc. They also have a theme each week. This past week was all about apples. Next week is community workers.

They also learn things like the Pledge of Allegiance, the song "God Bless America", some prayers (it's affiliated with a church), etc.

 

[marcyinPA]

Hi!
I just was wondering for those who have children in preschool - what are your children learning?
My DD is 4 and loves school but we are having problems with the things she is learning. She has now developed an extreme fear of bugs since learning about them at school. She found them interesting but could really care less about them before. Rumor is that they will be learning about dinosaurs soon. She already has a problem with dinosaurs ( needless to say, we won't be eating at the T-Rex Cafe ) I am planning to meet with her teacher.
Has anyone been through this or have advice?

Thanks

Those are pretty normal and basic themes for pre-school. We do those with our 2's in my class. Our materials are pretty basic, and if the children didn't want to use them/touch them, they didn't have to.

My suggestion is to continue to expose her to bugs and dinosaurs, through books and toys. Don't force her to touch the plastic toys, but show her through your participation with them that there is nothing to be afraid of.

Unfortunately, these themes don't go away....the first graders at my son's elementary school have dinosaur week too. And bugs, well they'll get those units in science all throughout elementary school.

 

[natnelliesmom]

My DD3 is in our local Nature Center Preschool class MWF for 4 hrs. They operate with a nature based curriculum so they are learning about our local environment. Topics include, insects, trees and plants, composting, recycling, turtles, snakes, frogs, pond life, seasons, weather etc. They are outside for at least 2 of the 4 hours- whatever the weather. Today it rained all day- but she has a great rain suit and boots. She loves it!
They use the nature theme to teach letters, numbers, colors, shapes, patterns, etc. They are also learning rhyming words, and letter sounds found at the beginning and ends of words.
They also teach creative movement, music and yoga.
They do a lot of cutting and tracing work, as well as tactile projects like finger paints. Today they were learning about mushrooms and they made styrofoam mushrooms and painted them. Then they arranged their mushrooms on a log that they brought into the classroom.
They also do group cooking projects. On Wednesday they made mushroom soup and shared it for their snack. All of the 14 kids ate full bowls! I don't think my DD would have eaten it at home! Maybe I need to have her help out more in kitchen.
-Sarah

 

[scottishduffy]

Hello!

Not a mommy here but a former nanny for a 5 yr old for a girl who was similar to your daughter. Sam was easily scared when learning about new things in school. She was scared of Dinos, and Bugs, and Hurricanes, and Earthquakes, and The Pilgrims. Yes.... Sam was scared of Pilgrims because she had heard that some of the pilgrims had died on their way to America due to illness on the boats. She never knew Mom's or Dad's could die before and for a short while after was terrfied of every sniffle or cough her parents had.

I'm not entirely sure how speaking with the teacher will help. She is not likely to alter her teaching plan (Sam's mom tried it.. she got labeled as 'that mom'). The school will most likely teach these subjects in a very basic manner. Sam's school usually approached all these subjects in a very basic & non-threatening manner but Sam's imagination took over. I am not sure if the teacher will be receptive to avoiding the Dino subject as many in her class are probably Dino fans. Before giving further advice I would wonder what the goal of the teacher conference is. Is it to warn the teacher of you DD's fear or to attempt to change the material? The first option is perfectly acceptable but the second will NOT be taken well. Sam's school did not take it well at all.

The best thing I did was just let her talk and play it out. We played pilgrim, and talked through her fears. We talked about how to be safe in Hurricanes and Earthquakes (even though we don't even have earthquakes in FL). We went to the Science center to see Dino's. I found some funny videos of animated Dino's she liked so that not all Dino's were scary.

Just try to get her accustomed to these subjects as she will be dealing with them repeatedly through the school years. Sam's imagination kept her afraid of assorted things she had learned until 3rd grade.

 

[Aristomommy]

DS is in the 4's classroom, which means that he will have this year and next year of preschool (5's) before starting kindergarten. This year they are working on fine motor skills such as holding a crayon/marker, tracing straight lines, zigzag lines etc. They have a letter of the week, which they complete different activities for such as circling that letter from a picture. They learn to recognize their name and recognize the letters in their name. No child is expected to master these skills totally, but that learning continues in the 5's classroom.

They also work on social skills: sharing, taking turns, sitting quietly, show and tell etc. We have no homework, which is great.

 

[PaDisney02]

I'm a preschool teacher. Each month we have themes. I teach our 3 yr old class. Since its the begining of the year we r learning basic concepts now ex: shapes, colors, numbers (things most children already know upon entering our program) Now that its fall, things r stating to get really fun! We r going to be learning all about fall, leaves,apples,pumpkins, scarcrows etc. and of course holloween. Durring the year some of our themes r nutrition, the farm, the zoo, dinosaurs, hibernation etc. In the spring we do a unit on bugs too. The kids love it and we have a good time. Bugs and dinosaurs seem like pretty normal topics to study to me. Of course we would never make any subject scary to the children. I wonder y your child didnt like the bug theme. Thats usually one the kids love. Maybe its how the teacher was presenting it. Nothing should be scary about a preschool theme. I think talking to ur childs teacher is a good idea. We do however just have some kids who r very sensative...to everything! Maybe thats just how ur daughter is. Once u let your childs teacher know of ur concerns and ur childs feelings I'm sure she will adapt her lessons somewhat so ur child and all children of the class r getting something out of it without scaring them. Good Luck

 

[JessRabbit]

Thanks for all your insights and posts. I am hoping things will go better. I talked to the teacher today and she wasn't aware of my DD being fearful about anything. ( Yes, I will probally be labeled as "that mom" ) Now that she is aware of it, she said that she would pay more attention to my DD's reaction to things being taught at school. I didn't ask her to change anything but to help me find resources to help my DD overcome these new "fears". My DD has a very vivid imagination that seems to take over at times. I can see why "stingers and mosquitos that bite" would scare her. We will keep playing it out hoping it doesn't last to long. Oh to be talking about letters, writing, and reading...why couldn't all this science stuff wait until 1st grade ?!

Anyone know of any good bug or dinosaur books?

 

[smacky1]

I just love the fun things my daughter is learning in her preschool. Yesterday she got on the ground and inched her body across the floor to show me how caterpillars move and showed me how they hang on branches to form a cocoon. She has so much fun in her school and Im really not concerned with what she is acually learning. She is getting time to interact with other kids her age, learning to be in a place with out her parents and with different rules than home, and getting exposed to things I cant/dont think to do.

 

[tammy1210]

I probably would have mentioned it to the teacher, too - at least now she's aware of it, and will maybe be sensitive to your dd when talking about "scary" things.

I just wanted to say about the preschool "homework" - we've got it, too - and I said the same thing, -"don't we do enough of this with our 3rd grader?" - of course, it's not mandatory (because several don't do it), and it's one thing sent home on Mondays that you can bring back any day of the week - but, it's been fun. Last week when they were learning about families we had to do a shadowbox - they sent home all of the stuff to go in the shoebox, and you made your own family. This week they sent home a blueprint and dd and I had to draw our floorplan - dd thinks it's great - just like brother, and it's been fun extra time for us to spend together.

 

[Ali]

As a Pre-K teacher I am apallled to learn that some schools are sending home worksheets with Pre-K kids - Wroksheets are not developmentally appropriate!!! Ok - now that I got that out, I can go back and take some deep breaths in my safe space and ponder the beauty of a child led classroom where we go off on many tangents based on my over all theme of Transportation next week. I wonder how we will get to school and I wonder how the kids will choose to walk - green light fast, yellow light slow and careful or just stop instead.

Pre- K is more for social skills than doing homework! Yes, society is forcing our kids to grow up too fast and to be ready for academics in Kindergarten so they can be on target for assessments and tests! (EEEEEK) but I believe that we need to bring back the self help skills, the sitting quietly and waiting skills, and the ability to talk through your problems skills instead of sitting and doing paperwork.

 

[BLAMBKY]

Given your description, I think that I recognize the curriculum! To many parents it (content covered) seems soooo overwhelming but in the end MOST are amazed at what their child has accomplish through the year- not to mention quite proud! I hope your child is enjoying school.


QUOTE=princessmom29;27822072]My Dd is in K 4 and they are working on letter blends and other pre-reading phonics, addition and subtraction of numbers less than 10, basic geometry (how many sides does a triangle have), they have science lessons. She came how yesaterday explaining to me that the black spots in themiddle of the eye are called pupils and they get big when it is dark and small in bright light. It is a christian school so they do bible and learn bible verses. her teacher says they will be reading simple sentences by christmas and 2 vowel words by year end. They will also know numbers to 100. Edited to add thay they are also learning to write all letters in both cases (most of them have most of this) and their name[/QUOTE]

 

[BLAMBKY]

I am a Pre-K teacher too and I agree . I send just a couple fun or rewarded homework home in a year. One Eg: I will send home a small pack of skittles. They are to count w/ parent 1-10 (most can count WAY beyond this), find specific colors and share (this tends to be the hardest part) candy w/family. Parents have commented that their children really enjoy seeing home work come home.

As a Pre-K teacher I am apallled to learn that some schools are sending home worksheets with Pre-K kids - Wroksheets are not developmentally appropriate!!! Ok - now that I got that out, I can go back and take some deep breaths in my safe space and ponder the beauty of a child led classroom where we go off on many tangents based on my over all theme of Transportation next week. I wonder how we will get to school and I wonder how the kids will choose to walk - green light fast, yellow light slow and careful or just stop instead.

Pre- K is more for social skills than doing homework! Yes, society is forcing our kids to grow up too fast and to be ready for academics in Kindergarten so they can be on target for assessments and tests! (EEEEEK) but I believe that we need to bring back the self help skills, the sitting quietly and waiting skills, and the ability to talk through your problems skills instead of sitting and doing paperwork.

 

[imthatgirl]

i was reading this thinking i cant believe parents are ok with homework in pre-k. at least i feel validated now, thanks .

but i thought i would share something my sons teach does. we have a notebook that he brings home on weekends. this is our "homework". he tells me a story, anything really. them i right what he wrote. i guess its supposed to show him how thoughts and words can be put into stories. its cute. its not mandatory. on monday if anyone brings one in the teacher reads it to the class. i think this is in place of show and tell.

As a Pre-K teacher I am apallled to learn that some schools are sending home worksheets with Pre-K kids - Wroksheets are not developmentally appropriate!!! Ok - now that I got that out, I can go back and take some deep breaths in my safe space and ponder the beauty of a child led classroom where we go off on many tangents based on my over all theme of Transportation next week. I wonder how we will get to school and I wonder how the kids will choose to walk - green light fast, yellow light slow and careful or just stop instead.

Pre- K is more for social skills than doing homework! Yes, society is forcing our kids to grow up too fast and to be ready for academics in Kindergarten so they can be on target for assessments and tests! (EEEEEK) but I believe that we need to bring back the self help skills, the sitting quietly and waiting skills, and the ability to talk through your problems skills instead of sitting and doing paperwork.