Ned The Nutcracker

This week at The Academy, our students “traveled” to Germany as part of our Holidays Around the World unit to explore the history and tradition of nutcrackers. During our journey, the children practiced early math skills by organizing nutcrackers from smallest to largest—such a fun way to build measuring and comparison skills through play! To wrap up the experience, each class helped bring a little magic to our halls by painting a 6-foot nutcracker that will proudly decorate our school for the holidays. Our students loved being part of creating something so big and festive!

Learning through play + holiday traditions = pure preschool joy! 🎄✨

Playing with Patterns

Students dove into the wonderful world of patterns! Using a spinning color wheel, each child created their very own pattern ornament—mixing color and designs as they explored how patterns repeat and change. Once the masterpieces were complete, we hung all the ornaments on our school tree. Now it’s sparkling with creativity, curiosity, and a whole lot of Academy pride! Be sure to take a peek at the tree during drop-off or pick-up—it's a beautiful reminder of how joyful learning through play can be!

ACE's Thanksgiving Day Parade

Our campus was alive with the most adorable Thanksgiving Day Parade you’ve ever seen. Each classroom proudly marched in their themed costumes, showing off the creativity, confidence, and joy that make our school so special. We also loved seeing families stop by our Thankful Tree—now filled with sweet notes of gratitude from our students and teachers. It’s a beautiful reminder of the relationships, routines, and little moments that make our community feel like home. If you want to relive the parade, be sure to check out our Instagram Highlight for parade footage. We’re so grateful for our families and the chance to celebrate together. Happy Thanksgiving from all of us at AOILV! 🦃🍁

4th Annual Turkey Trot

Our students gobbled up some fun at our annual Turkey Trot! Students laced up their little sneakers and raced around the parking lot with big smiles and even bigger energy. Each child crossed the finish line like a champ and proudly received a shiny Turkey Trot medal to celebrate their hard work. After the race, everyone warmed up with a cozy cup of hot chocolate, the perfect treat on a chilly fall morning! But the fun didn’t stop there—our runners got creative by using their medals to make a special playdough keepsake. Each imprint is a sweet reminder of their effort, excitement, and the joy of celebrating healthy habits together. We’re so proud of our tiny trotters!

OUR Choices Matter!

Election Day came to The Academy of Indian Lake Village, and our preschoolers were ready to make their voices heard—one sweet vote at a time! Students stepped into the voting booths to choose between donuts or cookies for the afternoon snack bar. Each child had the chance to cast a ballot, count votes, and celebrate the power of making a choice. This fun activity ties perfectly into our Frog Street Pre-K curriculum theme of “Choices.” Through this hands-on experience, students learned that making decisions is an important part of being responsible, independent, and part of a community. Our teachers guided conversations about what it means to make a fair choice, listen to others, and respect different opinions—skills that help little learners grow into thoughtful friends and citizens.

Every child left feeling proud to participate and confident that their voice matters. Whether they voted for cookies or donuts, everyone enjoyed learning that making choices can be both meaningful and delicious!

Falling Back into Fun!

This week at The Academy of Indian Lake Village, our students are learning all about daylight saving time—and what it means to “fall back!” Through hands-on play, children have been exploring clocks, moving the hands backward, and discovering how time changes with the season. It’s a wonderful opportunity for little learners to build an early understanding of routines, sequencing, and cause and effect. As we turn our clocks back, we’re also jumping into autumn with themed sensory play! Our enrichment rooms are filled with the sights, smells, and textures of the season—think crunchy leaves, soft pumpkins, cinnamon sticks, and fall-colored rice bins. These sensory experiences help children build fine motor skills, language development, and curiosity about the world around them. At AOILV, we love finding playful ways to connect classroom learning to real-world experiences. Whether we’re “falling back” an hour or diving into a bin of autumn magic, every moment is a chance to explore, discover, and grow together!

Candy Corn Treat Trail!

Our parking lot was transformed into a Halloween wonderland for our annual Candy Corn Treat Trail Trunk or Treat! Families joined us for an evening full of festive fun, creative costumes, and plenty of treats. Each decorated trunk along our Candy Corn Treat Trail brought its own dose of Halloween magic — from spooky skeletons to silly pumpkins and everything in between! Children paraded from car to car collecting goodies, showing off their costumes, and sharing lots of laughter with friends and teachers. We even served up a Wicked Warm-Up Bar, complete with homemade chili, cheese, sour cream, oyster crackers, and warm cornbread — the perfect cozy touch to a crisp fall evening. Events like these bring our school community together and remind us how special it is to learn, laugh, and celebrate side by side. Thank you to our amazing families and staff for making the night so memorable — your creativity and energy light up our school in the best way! We’re so grateful for our AOILV families and the joy they bring to every event. Here’s to more sweet memories ahead! 🌽✨