We're Under the Sea!

Wow!  What a month.  As you know I am retiring from teaching preschool at the end of the month.  That being said, we still have tons of fun planned for May here at Hands-On Preschool!  Our theme is the Under the Sea and Fun in the Sun! 

I want to say a big "THANK YOU" to all of the parents that have shared their children with me - this year and every year!  Teaching them has been a joy!  Also, I want to thank Tanya Harrison for helping me with the blog this year.  There are a lot of great ideas that were shared.  Here is a HUGE Thanks to Tina Royer for giving the students of Hands-On Preschool a talk on water safety (check your calendar for the dates) AND for hosting an open house for all of the current and past students of Hands-On Preschool on Friday, May 18th from 5 to 8 pm. There will be more details soon. 

For the May calendar for the Tuesday/Thursday class click HERE.  Click HERE for the Wednesday/Friday calendar.  

On our last day of school, May 17th we have a fabulous field trip planned to the Arizona SEA LIFE Aquarium. 

The aquarium is located inside the Arizona Mills Mall at Entrance !.  Click HERE for a map.  The tour begins promptly at 9am so be EARLY and wear your Hands-On Preschool shirts!  Admission is $11.00 for adults and $5.50 for children (2 and younger are free).  Invite your friends, but I need a count and the money ASAP (by May 5th). 

There will be no Scholastic book order for May.  There are fun summertime ideas over at the Homework tab.  Check them out!

Thanks again for all of the wonderful memories and friendships over the years! It has been great!

Its Off to the Farm We Go!

We have so much fun planned for April!  The theme here at Hands-On Developmental Preschool for this month is ANIMALS!  With that theme, we have a field trip planned to Superstition Farm.  What a wonderful time!  We need to RSVP ASAP to get the best price!  We need 20 people to receive the group discount of $6.50 per person.  The price goes way up if we don't get enough!  We'll get to feed the animals, take a hay ride, learn about how a dairy farm works, and even eat a treat or two!  Invite your friends and neighbors and give me a count today! 

Our Easter Egg Hunt is next week.  The Wednesday/Friday class will celebrate on Wednesday, April 4th.  The Tuesday/Thursday class will celebrate on Thursday, April 5th.  The festivities will begin at 10:30.  Parents are welcome!  Please send in 1 dozen plastic eggs filled with jelly beans (other candies will melt in the sun) per child for the hunt. 

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Our Scholastic book orders for April are due on April 28, 2012.  Scholastic no longer mails paper order forms.  Find the available books online.  Click HERE or use the link at the bottom of the page. 

Come over to the Homework tab and check out all of the fun April activities your family will love!

We'll Keep MARCHing On...

What fun we had learning about all of the wonderful people that make our community run smoothly!  Visiting Basha's was so fun! 

In March, the theme at Hands-On Developmental Preschool is "Our World: Insects, Plants, Recycle."  We will be planting flowers, sorting recyclables, and exploring the natural world in the neighborhood around us. 

SAVE THE DATE:
April 10th is our field trip to Superstition Farm.  Invite your friends!  

Don't forget to place your orders for books at Scholastic.com.  The link is at the bottom of the page.  And, as always, try the fun crafts, recipes, and activities on our homework tab! 

Hooray for the Community!

February is here and that means we will be celebrating all of the workers that keep our community running smoothly!  We'll say "thank you" to our policemen, firemen, construction workers, and so many others. 

We have an awesome field trip planned for Thursday, February 23, 2012 at 9:30am.  We will meet at the Basha's grocery store on the southeast corner of Higley and Elliott.  Wear your Hands On Developmental Preschool t-shirt and a HAT or HOODIE.  (Moms and Dads need a hat or hoodie too!) We'll learn all about how a grocery store is run!  It will be great!

Don't forget to bring in your clean, empty plastic bottles and jars as well as cans and boxes for the children to use at our Grocery Store Role Play on February 28, 2011.  Thank you to all of you who have already contributed!

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February is special because Arizona turns 100 years old on February 14, 2011!  HAPPY BIRTHDAY, ARIZONA!  We will be celebrating Valentine'e Day too!  Help your children practice writing their names on the valentines they distribute to their friends.  The Wednesday class will celebrate on Wednesday, February 15th. 

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Don't forget to place your Scholastic Book orders.  Orders are due on Tuesday, February 28th.  There are a lot of fun titles this month!  Check them out in your fliers!  Click HERE or at the link at the bottom of the page. 

Check out our HOMEWORK page for some really fun activities to do at home with your little ones!  Here is a sneak peek!  Find this great activity and more by visiting our HOMEWORK page!

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We'll see you in class!

On The Move...

Welcome back!  I hope you all had a fun and relaxing holiday!  Our theme at Hands-On Developmental Preschool for January is "Transportation."  We have tons of great activities planned to teach all of your little ones about all the different ways there are to travel!  Click HERE for the latest calendars. 

Mr. Carlson talking to the class.

We have a special outing planned for the end of the month! (January 24th for T/Th, January 25th for W/F)  We will be walking around the corner to the park at the corners of Merrill and Rockwell.  There we will get to watch a demonstration of some amazing aerial acrobatics performed using a remote controlled airplane!  This is a favorite activity every year!  *Please do not send a backpack with your child on that day, but send a water bottle labeled with your child's name instead.*  Parents:  you are welcome to join us at the park for the demo.  We'll see you there at 10:30.  If you can't make it, pick your child up at the park at the end of class. 

What a neat plane!

If you have class on January 31st, bring your favorite RC vehicle (or other transportation toy) to school.  We will share the fun with all of our friends!

Scholastic Book Orders are due on January 28th this month.  Click HERE for a link or use the link at the bottom of the page.  Don't forget that our classroom code is HYL9G.  You will need this code to place your order.  Remember that every time you order, you earn new books for our classroom.  Thanks!

In February we will be having our Community Worker dramatic play Grocery Store.  We need CLEAN, EMPTY boxes, cans, and bottles (NO GLASS) for this event.  Please start saving these items now.  Just bring them in when you have a full bag.  This is always a fun day!

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Remember you can always check out our Facebook page, and be sure to try some of the fun transportation activities you will find on our HOMEWORK tab!

See you in class!

Happy Holidays!

Wow!  We are having a wonderful time learning about the world around us here at Hands-On Developmental Preschool!  Our field trip to the Arizona Museum of Natural History was a huge success.  Everyone enjoyed exploring every nook and cranny of the museum. See the video link on the Hands-On Developmental Preschool Facebook page HERE!



There are lots of fun activities planned for December.  Our theme is "Holiday Traditions."  There will be some great art projects to be made and some fabulous stories to be read.  Parents, we need to collect wide mouth, medium to large-sized glass jars for an art project we have planned.

Our December book order is due on December 9th (this is earlier than usual).  This early date should allow your orders to arrive before Christmas.  We appreciate your orders.  For every online order that is placed, we earn $3 in books for our classroom.  Click HERE or the link at the bottom of the homepage to be connected to Scholastic, and remember that our classroom code is HYL9G.

Don't forget to check out the Homework tab for fun activities you can do at home with your family!  Maybe you will find some new family holiday traditions while you are there!

We will not be holding classes during Winter Break.  We will see you back in January!  The Tuesday/Thursday class will return on January 10th.  The Wednesday/Friday class will return on January 11th.  Have a wonderful vacation!

We're Going on a Field Trip!

We had such a wonderful time learning our colors, shapes, and all about patterns last month!  Check out the Hands-On Developmental Preschool page on Facebook for some great photos of the fun!  You can also find snapshots of our Halloween party! The fabulous theme for November is Simple Science.  We have great fun planned for the little ones!  We will discuss the five senses and how to stay healthy,  we will learn about fossils and do some problem solving, and there will great art projects and some kitchen chemistry as well!  I can hardly wait! 

As promised in the title, we will be going on a field trip to the Arizona Museum of Natural History!

Here are some fun photos from their website...

 

Wow, what a fun place!  

The field trip is scheduled for Thursday, November 10th for BOTH CLASSES.  We will meet at the museum at 10 am.  Click HERE for a map.  The cost is $4 per person.  You can purchase memory packs for $1.  A memory packet includes the following items:

• A pencil featuring different types of dinosaurs
• A dinosaur sticker
• Two different tumbled stones
• A dinosaur item
• A map showing the various dinosaurs that have been found in Arizona

Please be aware that there is no food or drink allowed in the museum.  (This includes water bottles.)

Please arrive promptly as we must enter as a group to receive the group discount. 

Field Trip Quick Facts:
Where: Arizona Museum of Natural History
When: Thursday, November 10, 2011
What Time:  10:00 am
How Much: $4.00 per person
Extras:  $1.00 per memory pack
Map:  ckick HERE

Please include your field trip fees with your November tuition payment. 

Remember that you can always order books for your home from Scholastic.  Click HERE or use the link at the bottom of the page to connect.  Every book you order means fun for your family and more books for the classroom.  Our classroom code is HYL9G.  You will need it to complete your order.  November book orders are due by Monday, November 28th.  Thanks! 

Don't forget to check out the Homework tab at the top of the page for more fun recipes and activities you can do with your family at home!

Happy October!

Your children had a wonderful time in September getting to know their new preschool friends.  They shared favorite toys, listened to stories, created fabulous art projects, and did some cooking!

The exciting theme for October at Hands-On Developmental Preschool is "Colors, Shapes, and Patterns." We have lots of fun activities planned.  Check the current calendar on the Calendar page above for the color of the day that the students are asked to wear.  There will be a fantastically fun Halloween party!  (Don't forget to sign up for party items and wish list items.)

 As always, you can place a Scholastic book order.  The order due date is October 29th, and the classroom code is HYL9G.  The link is at the bottom of this blog, or click HERE.

October also brings our friend Buddy Bear!  Each child gets to bring Buddy Bear home for some fantastic adventures and fun.  Buddy Bear always brings excitement.  Then, document the fun in Buddy Bear's special journal.  See some examples below...

Click HERE for more of Buddy Bear's Adventures with his Hands-On Developmental Preschool friends!  This link will take you to a Google Docs Photo Collection.

Happy October!

We're off to a great start!

We are off to a great start at Hands-On Developmental Preschool!  Click on the links below to see the slide shows of our first days of school!  We are enjoying getting to know one another.

Tuesday/Thursday

Wednesday/Friday

Wow!  We sure are having a lot of fun!  Come and join us!

School is Right Around the Corner!

We had a wonderful and fun night at The Little Gym!  Thanks to all of the children and parents that were able to attend!  Here are some photos of the fun...

Click HERE to view a copy of the parent letter that was passed out at this event.

Scholastic Book order forms for the month of September were also passed out.  Ordering will be done online this year!  Click the text link or the button below to place your order.  All orders are due by September 24th, and our classroom code is HYL9G.

Hands-On Developmental Preschool t-shirts are available for purchase for $15.  The t-shirts come in two sizes: youth and small.  The t-shirts are worn on field trip days.  Click HERE to see the design. 

Remember to bring a change of clothes for your child in a Ziploc bag labeled with his or her name and a box of Kleenex on the first day of class along with their bag of getting-to-know-you items.

Also remember that tuition is due on the first day of class to avoid any late fees.

See you all after Labor Day!

Meet and Greet with Hands-On Developmental Preschool

Hands-On Developmental Preschool is having a Meet & Greet night!  Here are all of the details...

Who:  All Hands-On Developmental Preschool Families
What: Meet & Greet
When: August 26, 2011 6:30 - 7:30 pm
Where: The Little Gym in Gilbert.  Click HERE for a map then type "The Little Gym" into the search box.
Why:  Get to know your Hands-On Developmental Preschool classmates
How Much:  The cost will be between $5 and $8 per child.
What to Wear:  Comfortable Clothes
Please RSVP to Teacher Jeanne with your attendance numbers at handsondevpreschool@gmail.com

Welcome!

Welcome to the website for Hands-On Developmental Preschool!  It is currently under construction.  Check back often for the newest information.  Thanks for visiting!