It's a Good Day in Pre-K

I hope you all enjoyed your early April break this year. Now that we are in April we are counting down the remaining days and weeks in Pre-K. As emotional as that can be to be thinking of your child jumping into kindergarten, from what I have seen, they are ready. What an exciting year it has been already, and we still have three months left. Let's hope that there are no more snow storms, earthquakes and we all survived the eclipse. Here is to more sunshine and warmer weather!

Students in Mrs. Johnson's Pre-K classroom in Hudson have been enjoying their Lego kits! Below you will see some pictures of them working in groups to make restaurants, bus stops, hospitals, and fire stations to name a few. These kits are aligned with the new New York State Computer Science and Digital Fluency Standards which will be rolled out next year. Our Pre-K students are definitely going to be kindergarten ready with the skills they have been mastering!

Here students in Mrs. Ferretti's Pre-K classroom at Catskill are using another Lego Education kit called STEAM Park. The STEAM Park unit allows students to explore the world around them as they use functional elements to build interactive models. The lessons provide opportunities for students to think like scientists as they build models, and experiment and test ideas to answer questions. Throughout their learning, strategic questions will also guide students to apply science, technology, engineering, art, and math skills. Most importantly, the lessons will help students to become problem-solvers by enhancing their creativity, collaboration, and communication skills.

We're thrilled to introduce you to OSMO Monster, an innovative educational tool designed to ignite your preschooler's creativity and curiosity! OSMO Monster brings storytelling to life in an interactive and engaging way, captivating young minds as they embark on magical adventures with their new virtual friend, Mo the Monster.

OSMO Monster is a unique blend of digital and physical play designed specifically for young children. It combines a tablet or iPad with interactive, hands-on manipulatives to create an immersive learning experience. Through this innovative technology, children can interact with a lovable character named Mo, who resides in a magical world full of creativity and exploration.

OSMO Monster offers a range of activities that support these crucial areas of growth:

• Creativity and Imagination: With OSMO Monster, children can unleash their creativity as they design their own animated stories starring Mo. They'll have the freedom to create characters, scenery, and narratives, fostering imaginative thinking and self-expression.

• Language Development: OSMO Monster offers interactive storytelling experiences that promote language development. Through storytelling, children will enhance their vocabulary, comprehension, and narrative skills as they engage with Mo and his world.

• Problem-Solving and Critical Thinking: OSMO Monster presents children with puzzles and challenges that encourage problem-solving and critical thinking skills. By guiding Mo through various obstacles and adventures, children will learn to strategize, experiment, and persevere in the face of challenges.

• Social-Emotional Learning: Through interactions with Mo, children will develop important social-emotional skills such as empathy, cooperation, and self-regulation. They'll learn to understand Mo's feelings and respond to his needs, fostering empathy and emotional intelligence.

Soon our preschool students will be exploring the wonders of OSMO Monster and their imagination will soar!

Did you know, "Two decades of research show that children build number and math skills from a very early age, and that those who are strong in early math skills excel in math in the later years. Research shows that children’s block play is related to later math competence and particular interest in STEM careers." Feel free to read more below! Also check out some block play from Mrs. Ferguson's classroom at Cairo Durham!

https://www.naeyc.org/resources/blog/what-research-tells-us-about-block-play-and-stem-learning

Earlier this year, Questar III BOCES received a Helping Kids Mini-Grant from AASA, The School Superintendents Association, for our Early Childhood Education (Pre-K) programs. The grant, funded by AASA and supported by its government cooperative procurement partner, Sourcewell, was used to purchase innovative equipment for our classrooms, 3D printers.

One of our printers is housed in our Pre-K classroom at Hudson. Mrs. Johnson and Mrs. Utter have been very excited to come up with some lessons with the kids to show them how 3D printers work. Here are some photos of their fun day with the printer.

"Before printing even began, students completed several tasks, including deciding individually which toy to create, using the smartboard to cast their vote, coloring in a bar graph to match the votes, and more. This process allowed them to work on fine motor skills, hand-eye coordination, decision-making, voting processes, and graph interpretation. These are all skills that help develop their critical thinking, basic math concepts, independence, collaboration, and more. Larissa shared that in the future, they will be incorporating the 3D printer into a community service project for the nearby Firemen’s Home, another great learning opportunity for students."

Students at our Ichabod Crane Pre-K had the chance to comb, crimp, and style their mannequin heads in their cosmetology center thanks to a donation from Questar's cosmetology class. While a big hit with the kids, learning the importance of hair hygiene is essential for kids. This also allows the students to learn through play. Here they used toy hair dryers, mirrors, and scissors to role play as cosmetologists. They tried giving me a makeover but realized I don't have enough hair.

May 27th- Memorial Day- classes not in session

*Please follow your host district's calendar for other possible days off in May due to give back snow days.

Email: michael.burns@questar.org
Phone: (518) 479-6898