Thanksgiving Feast (M-W-F Class)

We ate our delicious Thanksgiving Feast on placemats we made ourselves! I have never seen kids eat so much! They had so much fun sharing all their snacks. We also read a book called Thank You Thanksgiving and talked about the things we are thankful for. Here are what these cuties said:

Collin is thankful for His Family

Madison is thankful for Cleaning Her Room

Allie is thankful for her Mom and Jesus

Reese is thankful for Her Family

Emma is thankful for Heavenly Father and Jesus

Deborah is thankful for Her Family

Hayden is thankful for Friends

Macie is thankful for Christmas

Ellie is thankful for Family and Friends

Kate is thankful for Everything

Miss Crystal is thankful for such Awesome Kids in Her Preschool Classes

Thanksgiving Feast (T-Th Class)

We had so much fun at our Thanksgiving Feast! We shared all the yummy treats that the kids brought while we had a picnic on the floor. We read a book called Thank You Thanksgiving And talked about what we are thankful for. Here is what these darling little ones told me:

Madeline is thankful for Trees

Porter is thankful for Animals

James is thankful for Grandpa

Breana is thankful for Cookies

Kate is thankful for her Bedroom

Maren is thankful for Grandma

Cohen is thankful for Playing In The Leaves

Gavin is thankful for His Dad

Miss Crystal is thankful that I have such cute kids in my preschool classes!

November Kids Kitchen (M-W-F Class)

This month in Kid's Kitchen we made Oreo Cookie Turkeys and Marshmellow Pilgrim Hats.

Before the fun even began, Miss Crystal got to fell like a junk food junkie at the store when she bought only the following items in a transaction:

Double Stuff Oreos
White, Yellow & Orange Frosting
Orange Candy Slices
Whoppers
Reeses Peanut Butter Cups
Jumbo Marshmellows
Chocolate Chips
Fudge Stripe Cookies

I got some seriously funny looks from the people in the grocery store! I promise that in December we will cook something with absolutely NOOOOO SUGAR! Despite the sugar-high, we had a great time! Thanks to Madison's mom Bre for helping out in our class that day! The kids love her and even told me later that she is much better as circling their "Best Work" than I am. Apparently she is better at drawing smiley faces... Miss Crystal promises to work on that...

November Fieldtrip (M-W-F Class)

In November we spent a week learning about our Five Senses. What better place to put what we learned to the test than at COLDSTONE CREAMERY!!!

We got to go on a short tour of the ice cream shop. We squished a bag of ice-cream mix and learned that Cold Stone makes their ice cream out of 12% milk (my poor family who always drinks skim...). We even got to go behind the counter and see the stone where they mix the ice cream. I think that every kid's favorite part was where they got to pick out their favorite flavor of ice cream and a mix-in, and of course eat it! I loved watching the excitement on these little one's faces. It puts a new meaning to "Kids in a Candy Shop"...

October Fieldtrip: Linder Farms (M/W/F Class)

PUMPKIN PATCH! It was a PERFECT day for a trip to the pumpkin patch! Here are some of my favorite pictures from the day:

HALLOWEEN 2009!

I really don't like cold weather AT ALL! But, I must say that I love all of the fun kid and family activities that happen throughout the fall and winter. Halloween just kicks off a season of fun holidays! We had so much fun in our preschool classes this week with our halloween parties. Some of my favorite activities:

• In the M/W/F Class we played "BOO". This is a fun version of "Hot & Cold". We hid a spooky spider in the class room and then the kids took turns looking for it. The rest of us would BOOOOO like a ghost to guide their way. The closer the child got to the spider the louder all of the ghosts had to BOOOO!



• In the T/TH Class we danced to music that matched each costume. We danced like princesses to "Once Upon a Dream" from Sleeping Beauty because we had a lot of princesses (Maren, Kate, Breana & Reese) and we had a beautiful bride (Madeline). We flew around like Superman and superheroes to the Spiderman song because Gavin came as Superman. We danced crazy to Scooby Doo because Porter was dressed up like the crazy cartoon dog. We pretended to drive a car to some car sounds because Gavin was dressed up like Bumblebee the Transformer. We pretended to be monsters to "Monster Mash" because James was a pirate.

T/TH Class

M/W/F Class

October Kids Kitchen Day (M/W/F Class)

If you know me even a little bit you know that I LOVE to cook! So, thanks to all your kids for indulging my love of all things related to my kitchen! In October we had a spooky Halloween-themed kids kitchen. We made "Spiders" and "Spooky Chips".

RECIPES:

Spooky Chips

Step 1
Use your favorite Halloween Cookie Cutters to cut shapes from flour tortillas. Place on a cookie sheet and spray with cooking spray.

Step 2
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Bake the chips until they start to brown. Let cool completely. They will crisp up as they cool.

Step 3
Once the chips are cool, serve with “vampire blood” (salsa) or “ghost slime” (Ranch dip)

Variation: sprinkle with cinnamon sugar before baking for a sweet and crispy treat.



Spiders

Step 1
Gently insert 8 pretzel sticks into a Ding Dong (4 on each side)

Step 2
Attach chocolate candies as eyes to the Ding Dong using frosting.

Step 3
Enjoy!

September Fieldtrip: Zoo Boise (M/W/F Class)

One of the best things about teaching preschool is that I get to see the world through the eyes of little kids. Why do we have to lose that enthusiasm, happiness and innocence as we grow older? These little ones get so excited about each and every "special" activity and fieldtrips are certainly no exception. I had so much fun going to Zoo Boise with the M/W/F Class in September. Thanks to everyone for sharing such a beautiful day!

Crazy Hair Day!

What better way to kick off the school year than to SHARE SOME CRAZY HAIR! My personal favorite hair styles were Collin in the M/W/F class with his Bronco orange and blue hair (he was late and missed the picture- sorry buddy!) and Andrew in the T/TH class who had a SNAKE in his hair!

M/W/F Class

(Kate, Madison, Deborah, Allie, Emma, Ellie, Macie)

T/TH Class

(back row: James, Andrew, Gaving, Cohen

front row: Reese, Kate, Madeline, Maren, Breana, Porter)

First Week of School 2009 (T-TH Class)

Welcome to Tiny Hands Preschool! I think that my students are all just the cutest little things! I am so excited to get to know each of them throughout the 2009-2010 school year. Here are all of the darling little ones in the Tuesday/Thursday class:

Porter -------------Maren

Madeline ------------- Kate

James ------------- Gavin

Cohen ----------- Breana

Andrew

First Week of School 2009 (M-W-F Class)

Welcome to Preschool! The 2009-2010 school year is going to be great! I am so excited to get to know each of the little ones in my class as the year progresses. Here is a look at all of the kids in the Monday/Wednesday/Friday Class:

Emma ------------- Macie

Madison ------------- Kate

Hayden ------------- Ellie

Deborah ------------- Collin

Allie ------------- Reese

(Reese joins class Nov. 2nd)

Easter at Tiny Hands Preschool

We had such a fun time at our Easter Egg Hunt. Somehow that sneaky Easter Bunny hid eggs all over Miss Crystal's yard without us even being able to see him through our big window. There were even some eggs right outside our classroom door. Amazing!

Now Registering for the 2009-2010 School Year

I am now accepting registration for Tiny Hands Preschool for the 2009-2010 school year. I will be teaching TWO classes next year:

3-Yr-Old Class (Child turns 4 before September 1, 2010)
Tuesday and Thursday 9:15-11:45 AM
$75 tuition each month / $50 registration fee

4-Yr-Old Pre-Kindergarten Class (Child turns 5 before September 1, 2010)
Monday, Wednesday and Friday 9:15-11:45 AM
$100 tuition each month / $50 registration fee

The 4-Yr-Old Pre-Kindergarten class will also participate in the following each month:

• A Fieldtrip to a local venue (parents are encouraged to attend)
• A “Kid's Kitchen” experience where our class can make fun, kid-friendly foods while also learning how to work and help in the kitchen.

The school year runs September through May, following the Meridian School District traditional schedule.

The curriculum is the right balance of structure and fun. We will focus on all the concepts your child needs for kindergarten, but we will also focus on the confidence, manners, listening and teamwork skills needed to succeed in school and life.


A Typical Day at Tiny Hands Pre-School
9:15-9:30 As each child arrives we will have gathering activities that include toys, games and puzzles to start getting the children focused on learning.

9:30-9:45 Once we are all gathered we will start the day with songs, the Pledge of Allegience, calendar, and communication activities.

9:45-10:15 “Office Time” at the children’s desks with learning activities and work sheets focused on letter and number recognition, phonics, math skills, colors, shapes, writing skills, etc.

10:15-10:30 Snack

10:30-10:45 Physical Activity (outside if weather permits)

10:45-11:00 Quiet Activities (books, learning programs, etc) to re-focus the children after snack and physical activity.

11:00-11:30 Special Learning Activities and Art Projects

11:30-11:45 Farewell Activities with songs, books, games, etc. to close the day.


Please call or email me to requast a Registration Packet or to arrange a classroom visit with your child.

Thanks!
Crystal Ashton
Tiny Hands Preschool
bcashton@qwest.net
949-0594

Bowling Fieldtrip

Our fieldtrip in February was to Meridian Lanes for a little bowling. After the basic granny roll was learned by all, we discovered that we had a good group of bowlers. The bumpers were still a must, but I think that all of the kids bowled better than my average. My only regret, is that I didn't take a picture of all of their feet. They were just too cute in those rented shoes!