Lakewood Avenue Children's School

Preschool Ages 1-5

Lakewood at Home

Lakewood for Toddlers: July 7

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Good morning! July feels like it is racing by as we prepare to reopen August 5th. We hope you are finding moments to slow down and be present with your toddler in the middle of all the things happening around us. Here are three invitations for today.

Fine Motor Invitation: Exploring loose parts

Loose parts are such a wonderful way for children to explore a variety of concepts. Loose parts are also wonderful because they are often free or very inexpensive. They can be shower curtain rings and a paper towel stand, or a collection of empty cracker boxes, or a basket of fabric scraps and an old bicycle wheel. We have offered several specific loose parts suggestions throughout this blog. Today, pull out something your toddler has enjoyed, or look through your cabinets or junk drawer for something different to add to the mix. Make sure you check items for safety before giving them to your child. What will they create today?

Art Invitation: Paint and paper

Today is going to be cooler than the past few days, it might be a nice day to take some paint and paper outside. You can set them up on the ground or a large cardboard box. Invite your child to explore the paint with brushes or natural materials. Painting is a wonderful medium for creative expression and builds motor skills.

Large Motor/Dramatic play Invitation: Bubble wrap road

This is an interesting way to use bubble wrap left over from a package. Use painter’s tape to attach strips of it to the floor and invite your child to use it as a road. They might drive vehicles over it, or baby strollers, or take a zoo full of animals for a stroll. They might also just want to jump up and down along the road until it stops making noise. Part of the joy of offering open-ended invitations to young children is how their responses and investigations can surprise us!

Lakewood for Middlers: July 6

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Good morning! We hope you had a fun and safe holiday weekend. Here are three invitations for middlers on this first Monday in July.

Sensory Invitation: Summer moon sand

You can use regular sand, kinetic sand, or homemade moon sand (8 parts flour to 1 part baby oil) for this invitation. Spread the moon sand in a large storage bin or small plastic pool and add a variety of summery accessories. These could be natural materials like shells, driftwood and stones, or sandcastle supplies like pails and shovels. Invite your child to explore what they can do with the sand and other materials.

Fine Motor/Building Invitation: Interlocking blocks

Interlocking blocks (Duplo or Quattro blocks) are often offered as a fine motor invitation in the middler room at LACS. While these do use fine motor skills they also engage other areas as children build and explore. When children count how tall their towers are they are using pre-math skills; when they build strong houses for the three little pigs, they are using their imaginations; and when they fit blocks of different sizes together they are exploring concepts in geometry and often building persistence.

Art Invitation: Crayons and paper

Today we are wondering how children might express how they felt hearing or seeing fireworks over the weekend using crayons and paper. Was it exciting? Was it a little frightening? What would their feelings look like? Identifying and expressing emotions are important social-emotional skills. This might also simply be a time for creative expression using crayons and paper.

Lakewood for Toddlers: July 6

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Welcome to another week of Lakewood at Home for Toddlers! We hope you had a wonderful holiday weekend with safe celebrations. Here are three simple invitations for toddlers this Monday morning.

Sensory Invitation: Summer moon sand

You can use regular sand, kinetic sand, or homemade moon sand (8 parts flour to 1 part baby oil) for this invitation. Spread the moon sand in a large storage bin or small plastic pool and add a variety of summery accessories. These could be natural materials like shells, driftwood and stones, or sandcastle supplies like pails and shovels. Invite your child to explore what they can do with the sand and other materials.

Dramatic Play Invitation: Exploring Puppets

Puppets can be a wonderful way to engage with your child. You can use puppets you have on hand, or create one with a sock. Children delight in having puppets come to life before their eyes. You can engage your child in conversation, share a book, or have the puppet do silly things like try to munch the furniture or ask your toddler to make them a bed. Older toddlers may want a turn to work the puppet.

Large Motor Invitation: Yoga

We hope you and your child have been able to find fun ways to use your bodies in this warm weather. Today we would like to offer a yoga exploration. You can do this inside or outside in the shade. We find Jamie’s Cosmic Kids Yoga“On the Farm”  to be fun and accessible, but you can do any form of yoga that works for you and your child. Yoga is wonderful for building strength and balance, stretching, and connecting with our bodies.

Lakewood for PreK: July 6

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Good morning! We hope you had a wonderful and safe holiday weekend. Here are three invitations you might offer your preschooler today.

Social/Emotional Invitation: Connect with a friend!

Connecting with friends these days is a very different experience these days. It is difficult, but not impossible, for preschool-aged children to practice physical distancing. You might be able to find a friend whose family is comfortable with your children kicking a soccer ball back and forth, or for planning some socially distanced water relay games. Your child might also enjoy a videochat tea party or block building play date. Video puppet shows and dance parties are also ways to connect in real time. Your child might also have enjoyed sending (and possibly receiving) mail over the last three months and you can set out paper and drawing/writing utensils for them today. Whatever you and your child come up with, we hope it helps them feel connected with the world in some small way and brings them joy.

Sensory Invitation: Summer moon sand

You can use regular sand, kinetic sand, or homemade moon sand (8 parts flour to 1 part baby oil) for this invitation. Spread the moon sand in a large storage bin or small plastic pool and add a variety of summery accessories. These could be natural materials like shells, driftwood and stones, or sandcastle supplies like pails and shovels. Invite your child to explore what they can do with the sand and other materials.

Fine Motor/Building Invitation: Interlocking blocks

Interlocking blocks (Duplo or Lego blocks) are often offered as a fine motor invitation in the preschool room at LACS. The preschool teachers will open one of the large bins of Lego and offer them on the large front porch table or offer smaller sets inside. While these do use fine motor skills they also engage other areas as children build and explore. When children count how tall their towers are they are using pre-math skills; when they build strong houses for the three little pigs, they are using their imaginations; and when they fit blocks of different sizes together they are exploring concepts in geometry and often building persistence.