First Day of School

Our first day of pre-school was so much fun. The kids were great and really worked well together. They followed directions & were very willing to do each change of activity. During Center Time, Riley, Carsten, & Anneclaire spent the entire time in the tent, reading books: together, with me, and by themselves. Riley was especially excited when he would see certain animals in the pictures. Every so often, Carsten would lean over and put his arm around Riley or pat him on the back. So happy to be together. Carsten needed to point out the feelings of each character in the book. Riley was into naming the animals and making their sounds. I think their favorite book they read was O Sullivan Stew. Riley also really enjoyed I Love You Stinky Face, as Carsten read Would you like to be my Friend?, by Eric Carle.

The main event was the reading of a "making a cake" book, followed by the boys helping me make their own Play Dough. It went very smoothly. The were great at taking turns, adding the ingredients, and enjoyed watching the mixer stir the dough. The only part I did alone was the food coloring (because as good as Carsten & Anneclaire were with it last time, it still managed to stain their hands). When I asked them what color they wanted the dough to be, I gave a few suggestions, and Riley announced "pink." A great choice: very easy for me to do successfully :). I was amazed at how good the boys were in front of the gas range, on their stools, watching the dough come together. They were soo good. We had a blast!

Playdough Recipe

1 cup flour

1/2 cup salt

1 cup water

1 tbs oil

1 tsp tartar

food coloring (or kool aid--smells good)

Mix dry ingredients & combine with oil, water & food coloring

Cook over stove on medium heat until dough pulls away form the sides of the pan

Should take 30 sec to a minute

knead dough until smooth

keep in air tight container in fridge or cool place

the boys are waiting for the dough to pull away from the pan

Riley & Carsten were so excited to make shapes in their playdough with cookie cutters

Riley announced that he had made an "o." He also found it fun making prints on his cheek.

Carsten had me help him create a catepillar, butterfly, & a crocodile, where Riley was very satisfied working alone and showing me his creations every once in a while.

snack time

washing their hands before cooking

Riley & Carsten took turns adding each ingedient into the mixer.

reading in the tent

Riley & Carsten reading O'Sullivan's Stew together

reading separately

Train Track fun






Here are our Centers for this week:

book reading tent

blocks

art center

table setting

We spent little time in Carpet Time, the boys wanted to play trains. So we took a break and built a track for them to drive on.

During Snack Time, Carsten tried to pour some water into his glass and was concerned when it got all over his pant leg. Just need a little practice. Riley was very polite during snack time...you would have thought the boys were having "tea."

The sun came out so we went on a 10 walk for Outside Time. Everyone geared up for the cold: including Riley wearing his backpack. Riley enjoyed the horses, dogs, and chickens, while Carsten was very intent on making tracks in the snow.

As Riley went to say "good-bye" to Carsten, Carsten shy-ed up and hid behind the door. The door shut and Carsten looked at me with the puppy dog eyes. I asked him if he was hurt. He said, "no," but then started to sob. He did not want to see Riley go. It was a wonderful first day of pre-school, and a fun morning.

meet Riley :)

introducing Riley Duke

Birthday: August 29th

Favorite Foods: Unfortunately he loves sugar. This does not make his mother happy, and we try not to let him have much of it. However, since he was a baby he was almost like he could smell when there was chocolate in the room! He also loves cottage cheese, which his mom IS happy about! He also likes slices of cheese, apple juice, pizza, mashed potatoes, and cooked carrots.

Least Favorite Foods: Orange slices, many other types of healthy food. We have always struggled to get him to like various fruits and vegetables. We offer them to him at every meal and hope he will someday learn to like them!

Food Allergies: None.

Favorite Pastimes: His favorite thing to do is entertain and make people laugh. He shows off by singing songs and saying silly things. He loves his big brother Liam and tries to do everything he does. He loves school buses. His favorite times of the day is when we take Liam to the school bus and pick him up. Riley wishes he could ride the bus with Liam. Riley also loves trains.

Favorite Songs: The Wheels on the Bus, Twinkle Little Star, ABC's

Favorite Movies: Cars, Elmo, and Barney

Miscellaneous: Riley loves to learn new things. He loves learning his colors. He likes to point out the color of things during the day. He also likes learning letters and numbers. He is most familiar with the letters "O" and "E" and gets so excited when he see them!

Hopes for Preschool: I am excited for Riley to be able to got to a friends house to play. He often sees his older brother going to friends houses and wishes he could play too. I want him to learn to share and play well with other kids his age. I am also excited for him to do exciting activities and to continue learning his colors, and letters and numbers.

getting to know your child

I'd like to have a picture of each child on the website and a few of his/her likes and dislikes. I'll write a few things about my Carsten to give you an idea. This is a great time to tell me about food tastes and any special needs/desires your child might have. For example:

Introducing Carsten Berg...

birthday: April 6th

favorite foods: peanut butter cracker sandwiches, meatballs, peaches, grapes, apples, raisins, peas, ice cream, treats at grandma's

least favorite foods: this varies, but mostly food with a new texture bother him for a bit

food allergies: he used to be lactose intolerant, but is doing much better

favorite pastimes: playdates with his best friend Jake, biking with his sister Anneclaire, riding the tractor with Uncle Scott, building tracks & playing with his trains, painting & drawing, going to grandmas, playing with his cousins, reading books, ASL & "Signing Time", building snowmen with Daddy, playing with his nursery friends at church, helping Mama cook, doing chores with Mom & Dad: dishes, sweeping & moping the floor, taking a bath with Anneclaire & washing the dump trucks, cars, & trains, & singing "my do it" (by himself).

favorite songs: "Wheels on the Bus," "Captain Brown,"Hey Diddle Diddle," "Twinkle Twinkle," "Itsy Bitsy Spider," "On top of Spaghetti," "Give said the Little Stream"

favorite movies: "Jungle Book," "Cars," "Incredibles"

Misc: Carsten loves his sister Anneclaire & in return she adores him. He has a great excitement for life, loves to run around the house with friends & his sister, is rarely without a burst of energy, loves to meet new friends, has a strong will and knows what he wants :), is especially gentle with babies, loves to give hugs and is usually willing to saying "sorry" when he has hurt someone.

His Mom's hopes for pre-school: improvement of his current interaction skills: sharing, listening, following directions, being aware of others, etc., to enjoy learning in a small group setting, making new friends & strengthening current friendships, progress with his emergent reading & mathmatic skills, & begin to develop a love of learning :).