Fun with Science!

Cornstarch and water is so much fun!

Playing with helium balloons and weights.

Our four's class has been investigating science this week. They've studied gravity and air, solids and liquids, and chemical reactions. We've mixed cornstarch and water, played with vinegar and baking soda, and had one of our dad's come in to explore gravity with the children! It's been a busy week!





One of our favorite activities this week was making Irish Soda Bread. After exploring what happens when you mix vinegar and baking soda together, we made the bread. If the bread turns out right, which ours did, then the children will see holes in the baked bread very similar to the holes left in the baking soda after dripping the vinegar onto the soda.





Irish Soda Bread





Ingredients:


1 cup milk


1 teaspoon vinegar


2 cups flour


1/2 teaspoon salt


1/2 teaspoon baking soda





Preheat oven to 400 degrees


Mix milk and vinegar in cup and set aside for about 10 minutes. This will curdle the milk.


In the bowl, stir together the flour, salt, and baking soda.


Stir the milk mixture into the flour mixture until smooth.


Scrape the dough out of the bowl onto a floured surface.


Form dough into disk shape and put into pan.


Bake for approximately 15 minutes.





Have the children observe the air pockets in the bread. Discuss how the mixing of the baking soda and vinegar created bubbles. The bubbles in the bread happened to become stuck in the dough.

Spiders, Spiders, Everywhere!

It's always fun to build a human spider web!

Busy October!

We've been having lots of fun this October! All of the classes have visited the local pumpkin patch/apple orchard. The 3's and the 4's classes visited the local fire department's fire safety activities during the first week of October. They had lots of fun watching and participating in the puppet show, learning about crawling low in smoke, practicing stop, drop, and roll, and many other activities.

In the 4's class we spent the entire week learning about fire safety, doing science activities about fire, and lots of art! One of the science activities the class enjoyed was taking a candle, lighting it, and putting a jar over it to watch the fire go out. Really demonstrates to them that oxygen is one of the things needed for fire to burn. They really liked when the jar was pulled away just as the fire is going out only to magically re-light!

The next big event for the school is our annual Halloween party! Should be lots of fun!

Ending the month will be a visit from the Champaign County Forest Preserve doing an enrichment activity on "Trees". All of our classes will participate in this enrichment presentation.

Shaving cream!

Gotta love shaving cream in a preschool classroom! So many wonderful things to do with shaving cream! You can use the shaving cream as mortar between unit blocks, put it in your sensory table, fingerpaint with it, mix it with glue and paint for puffy paint pictures, and my very favorite (thanks to the "Ooey Gooey Lady" for this great science idea) is shaving cream on water in a clear container and take eye droppers of liquid watercolor and drop the liquid watercolor in the shaving cream. Fun for the children doing the dropping and fun for the children watching the liquid watercolor break through the cream into the water. Pretty cool!

Good Beginnings!

What a fantastic turnout for our Good Beginnings playgroup last week. Good Beginnings is a parent/child playgroup sponsored by The Cooperative Nursery School. A parent with a child/children between 6 weeks to 5 years attends one morning per week from 9:30 a.m. - 11:30 a.m. We currently have playgroup on Wednesday and Friday mornings. Our Wednesday morning group is full for this first session. We may have a few openings in our Friday morning session. Please call the school, 384-1128, for more information!

The playgroup is a great introduction to preschool but with the security of having mom or dad close by! There is a teacher that facilitates the playgroup. The teacher sets up an art activity for the parents to do with their child, she also conducts a short circle time with songs, fingerplays, and stories. The parents take turns bringing snack for the class each week. There is a small fee for this class.

Visit our website, www.coopnursery.org, for more information about our school!

Children, parents, and teachers working together!

School starts!

What a great first week we've had! It was busy and fun! Thanks to all the parents that cleaned and made our classrooms sparkle! Parent orientation went smoothly! And the Welcome Back to School picnic was so much fun!

The children are getting to know each other and their teachers. We're having fun playing while we learn. So many fun things to do in each classroom!

A little bit about our teachers!

Anna Cech, Director-4/5's Teacher

I joined the staff of Co-Op in September 2003 as the Four/Fives class teacher. In December 2004 I assumed the role of Director and continue to teach the Fours and Fives class. Previously to joining Co-Op, I owned and operated a family childcare business in my home for 13 years. I believe that preschool should provide an educational, safe, loving, and fun environment for children. The main focus of the classroom should be on social and emotional development with individualized academic instruction so that all children grow and learn at their own pace.


Brenda Carter, 2's and 3's Teacher

I graduated from Eastern Illinois University and Majored in Family Services with emphasis on Early Childhood. I began at Co-op in the fall of 2004. After working in the full time child care centers I decided to work part time so I could spend time with my own children also. I have worked in the child care field for 26years and have taught a variety of ages. Cooperative Nursery School is a great place for children and families who like to be involved with their children's education. In my classrooms I provide a safe, interesting learning environment for children and their families.