Tuesday May 24 Pod B

As the weather continues to warm up, we are having many more activities outside!  Many of the children enjoy going outside to work in the outside art studio.  Children have the opportunity to paint on the easel, do water colors, or color.  Children have been taking advantage of the great weather and outdoor environment as inspiration for their artwork. The warm weather also allows us to have some of our group time outside.  At least one small group met outside today, and we also did our music and movement activity outside, singing a song about taking the children on a bear hunt.

The children continue to be interested in playing doctor in the pretend area, with many different children becoming doctors everyday.  The children have several patients, both teachers and other children, and enjoy doing checkups or "performing surgeries."  The children call the tools, such as thermometer and stethoscope by name and enjoy exploring with these tools.

Several children, along with Mr. Jonaitis, were exploring gross motor movements and were attempting to do headstands or somersaults in the maple classroom.

Jonny did several handstands, and even did a couple of headstands! Mr. Jonaitis showed the children some techniques on how to start doing a handstand, which helped the children to accomplish them more easily.  Liam is shown trying to get into the same position as Mr. Jonaitis.  Mr. Gursky even joined the fun and showed the students that she could do a handstand!

Michigan Standards of Quality for Pre K: Physical Development 2-1

Early Learning Expectation: Children experience growth in gross motor development and use large muscles to improve a variety of gross motor skills in both structured and unstructured settings.

In the construction area, children discovered both wood glue and nails and were making creations using both.  Some students added to a community project, adding small wooden pieces with the glue or nails, and others worked on independent projects.

 

Here Tanayah explains to me that she is building a birdhouse, and on the right she is using glue to put together two sides of her birdhouse.

We look forward to the future days we will have together and hope that we can continue to have wonderful days where a lot of creativity is being shown!

Until next Tuesday,

Ms. Voyles

May 23rd, 2011 in Pod B!

Hello Everyone! Today was the first day of week two of the summer session for the CDLL and we had lots of fun exploring different things while in school today!

Due to the every-changing weather, after lunch we took the students on a walk through the Education Building.  Ten minutes later, the sun was out so Ms. Weller led the students in a walk around the Education building so we could enjoy the sun and get some exercise.

We’ve started back up our Science Play preparation and some students worked on the curtain and script with Mrs. Gursky and Ms. Weller during center time as well.

Also during center time, many children put together a collaborative effort in the Construction area to build a tall tower.  Another thing that happened were two students who usually play independently played together in cooperation with cars and blocks! It was very exciting to see the children play together and assist one another in order to successfully build a tower.

The Sensory table was also a big hit today, especially the “crystals.”  These “crystals” are a type of plastic that we used to fill the Sensory tub. They were yellow and the students had a lot of fun putting their hands in the tub and feeling around. When prompted to describe what these crystals felt like, many students replied thoughtfully.  Jordyn claimed they were “slobby,” while Aiden said they were “ gooey because they sitck.”  Finally Danielle stated that “They feel good, like ice.”  It was a slimy, slippery experience which the students enjoyed very much.

 

This week the other 409 Students and I are starting to take over some of the lead teaching jobs/roles throughout the classroom, and I’d say week two is off to a great start!   We’re excited to start taking on more of a leadership role in the classrooms. The children are also becoming familiar with the student teachers and are beginning to remember and call us by our last names (very rewarding I might add!)

 We have had a great time with your children and look forward to many sunny days and play!

Until next Monday,

Rachel Lepine

Student Teacher, Pod B

Michigan State Standards for Pre-K Achieved: 
Social-Emotional Development: #2 Children develop healthy relationships with other children and adults. 
Physical Development: #2 Children experience growth in gross motor development and use large muscles to improve a variety of gross motor skills in both structured and unstructured settings.

A Little Bit About Me

My name is Ericca Peters and I will be one of the lead teachers in Pod B. I am a senior at CMU and grew up in both Mt. Pleasant and Coleman. I am the older of two siblings; I have two younger bothers Matthew, who is 13, and Phillip who is 11. I graduated from Coleman High School in May of 2008 and began attending Central the fall of 2008. I have always been interested in working with children, but began my concentration in early childhood my sophomore year at CMU when taking a human growth and development lifespan class.

As the philosopher John Locke once said, children’s minds are like a “tabula rasa,” or a blank slate. I believe that children are explorers of their environment and learn from discovering new things on a daily basis. This discovery process is all part of childhood, which I feel to be a very important part in a child’s life. What children learn when they are young, they will take with them for future experiences whether it is in the social or the academic world. Children are competent of completing many tasks at a young age; as long as we give them ample amount of time and patience to complete the task and discover. I feel that we need to give children the opportunities to try many different things, otherwise how do we really know what they can do?

While working with children I still learn everyday. Children may come up with an alternative way of completing a task that we as adults have never thought of. Throughout this learning process I hope to learn from you, the parents, as well. I hope that we are able to collaborate with one another to bring important experiences and materials to the children’s curriculum. If at anytime during school you would like to share ideas, experiences, ask or talk about your child, or talk about anything school related I invite you to talk with me while you are in the school. As a student teacher I will be blogging on our blog site and encourage you to read our blog and also comment on posts if you wish.

 Aside from my interests in early childhood, I have other hobbies. In my spare time I enjoy traveling as much as I can. Aside from the U.S. I have visited Mexico, Jamaica, Italy, Germany, and Canada. I also enjoy listening to music and visiting with friends. In the future I hope to work with young children with the career that I choose, as I am undecided on exactly what my career will be once I graduate in December 2011. As a child, my favorite books were Sesame Street books. I also enjoyed swimming and playing outside. Once again I look forward to learning more about you and your children and also look forward to learning together throughout the rest of this school year. 


Sincerely, 
Ericca Peters

Hello Family And Friends!

 About Me :

Hello CDLL Parents! My name is Sherryia Armstrong! I am a senior at CMU from Muskegon, Michigan. I am an Early Childhood Development Major and a Youth Studies Minor. I became interested in Early Childhood in 2005 when my nephew was born. My interest in his growth and development has led me to want to learn more about the development of children and childhood and also want to be able to teach and make a difference in the lives of the children that I cross paths with. 

My Interest and Future Plans Post Graduation : 

I am an inspiring teacher who loves sports! One sport that I really love is basketball. After graduation, I plan on relocating and teaching in Florida! There's no specific reason why I am moving to Florida, I just want a change of scenery. I also wouldn't mind coaching a little league basketball team in the future. : ) 

I am a person who values children's interest and their well being. Childhood is important to me because it is the critical time in life where development (Cognitively, Physically, Socially,etc) takes place. Being a preschool teacher, I will be there to help children with the different developmental stages using Developmental Appropriate Practices. Your children are our future Presidents, Lawyers, Doctors, Preschool Teachers, etc. They can make a difference in other children's lives with the right direction from You (the Parents) and Me (the Teacher) To make sure that I can be a great asset in your child's life, I encourage you communicate with me to share thoughts, experiences, feelings about your child's experience here at CDLL. I want to learn from you as much as I can to add more materials and experiences to the curriculum. I invite you to view the student teacher blog and make comments. Feel free to view and comment as you wish! : ) 

Regards, 

Ms. Sherryia Armstrong 

A Little About Me

Dear Students and Families of the CDLL:

My Name is Rachel Lepine and this is my first semester as a Lead teacher in Pod B at the CDLL!  I’m very thrilled to be working with your children and gracious for this opportunity to learn and grow in my own personal and professional development as a future educator.

This is my final class to take for my Early Childhood Major, and I will be graduating in the fall in order to finish up my Entrepreneurship minor.  After graduating, I plan on becoming a lead teacher in Arizona (where extended family lives) and my lifetime goal is to own and operate my own Preschool or Childcare Center.

My family is my number one priority and also hobby! I have an older brother Drew, who also went to CMU, and a younger sister Emily who is a sophomore in High school.  We grew up in Cadillac, Michigan, only an hour away from Mount Pleasant.  Currently Emily is playing Varsity tennis, so I try to attend her matches as much as possible!  I also go home on weekends to visit and spend time with my family, two dogs, and cat. 

My sister is my inspiration for working with young children.  When I was six years old she was born, and I was constantly bugging my Mom to hold, bathe, feed, and change her when she was a baby. I was only in first grade when she arrived, and my love for babies, and young children, stemmed from watching her grow up.

Growing up my fondest memories are from being outside.  Whether it’s playing capture the flag with neighbors or participating in organized sports, I always found a reason to be outdoors. Because of this, I want to provide an environment for students where they can explore and experience the wonders of the outdoors, (Which is why I love being at the CDLL).

When I think about Preschool, and the part of their lives that your children are currently in, I think about my Preschool teacher Mrs. Veenstra.  She always made me feel welcome and apart of the classroom, and that is a feeling I strive to provide for not only your children, but my future students as well. 

Although my time with your children will be short, I’m so excited to be spending these next five weeks learning and growing from them and all of their experiences while at school! Thank you so much for allowing your children to be a part of my life this summer:)

Sincerely, Miss Lepine

Hello to all! My name is Katie Murphy and I am one of the lead student teachers in Pod A for this exciting summer semester. I am looking forward to the wonderful experience that I will gain in working with you and your children. Teaching children is a community effort. It is the job of the teachers and parents to work together in helping children expand on their knowledge through supportive learning. Preschool is the time to show children how fun learning can be, and inspire them to want to learn more. I believe that the children and I have an equal amount of knowledge to share among one another in the classroom. They will help me gain a better understanding of how to best interact and teach preschool aged children, and in return I will help them in the process of building  their developmental skills.

I have been interested in child development for the past three years. At first, Child development was my minor, but I quickly switched it to my major because I found child development was very interesting and intriguing. What I found most fascinating was the amount a child grows from birth to five years old; for instance, a child’s brain grows 90% of its adult size by age five. This inspired me to want to work with young children to help foster proper growth in all areas of development.

My strong interest in child development has inspired me to make future plans to attend Oakland University in the fall to work towards my masters in elementary education. While working on my masters, I plan to search for a Head Start lead teaching position in the Metro Detroit area.  After completing my masters and gaining a few years of experience, I plan on going onto a doctoral program in Child Development to become a researcher and professor.

Outside of my interest of child development, I love being around nature and I enjoy going on hikes.  I also love any kind water activity. When I first moved to Mt. Pleasant, I was thrilled to find out about the many wonderful nature trails and how beautiful the Chippewa river is.

I am from Livonia, MI, which is just outside of Detroit. I often go home one weekend a month to visit my parents and miniature poodle. I have a sister, named Elizabeth, who also attends CMU. She is a sophomore in the Business program, majoring in Marketing and Logistics.

As this summer semester continues I encourage parents, family and friends to keep updated on our new classroom blog. It will be updated each day to include activities the children have done for that day, along with pictures. Once again I look forward in working with and getting to know you and your children more.

Sincerely,

Katie Murphy 

Introduction to CDLL Families

Hello Families of the CDLL!

My name is Kyra Ziehmer and I am really excited to spend the next five weeks working with your children at the CDLL! Last semester I spent half a day once a week with the children in Pod A, and now I have been assigned to Pod B for the summer. It has been great getting to know a group of new students, and still being able to interact with the group of children I got to know last semester.

I am originally from Auburn, Michigan, but attended Midland Public Schools. However, I have been living in Mount Pleasant full time since the fall of 2009. I have one brother who is fifteen months younger than me who was attending CMU as well. We are very close and have stuck by each other even after being through some pretty rough circumstances. He and I are pretty opposite personality wise, but there is no mistaking that we are brother and sister when you look at us.

I have had many experiences working and volunteering with young children, including: three years of Big Brothers Big Sisters in high school, volunteering at church daycare, Head Start, and CAFÉ, as well as babysitting for a variety of people.  As far as choosing my major, I have always had an interest working with young children; but I wasn’t decided on the career path I wanted to take with it until the end of my junior year at Central when I signed my major in Child Development. After I am done with this student teaching experience I have one more summer class to take, and then I’ll be graduating in August.

After graduation I plan on looking for a job using my degree, and I am currently  most interested in staying in the preschool line of work. I would like to go back to school part time at some point in the next few years, and am considering getting my Master’s Degree in Social Work. There is also a possibility I will be moving to Nevada at the beginning of August, so I have a very busy, exciting, and nerve-wracking summer ahead! :)

With this student teaching experience I am most looking forward to being able to spend all day every day with these children, in hopes to form real relationships with each of them as well as the families. I am eager to learn everything I can from this experience! I enjoy being at the CDLL and feel like this is a great way to help prepare me for future jobs in a preschool. It is the first week in and I am constantly learning new things and am really glad I got the chance to meet and get to know some of you, and cannot wait to continue to learn more from you and your children.

I encourage all of you to check out the blog to get to learn a little bit more about what we are working on with the children throughout the day, and also to get your input. I am really interested in getting to know as much as I can, and look forward to working with all of you!

Sincerely,

Kyra Ziehmer