We Are America Week

 

We had the best celebration leading up to the 4th of July! 

We had military guest readers, everyday! They were reading books about America, the flag, and our soldiers. 

We ended the week with a HUGE bang! Wear Red, White, and Blue day! The kiddos all participated (Thanks mom and dad!!) and we all had a blast. 

Finally, everyone got to take home a glow stick "A Quiet Light for 4th of July Night!!" 

What a time we had! <3 

Summer Kickoff Week!

 What a better way to celebrate the first day of Summer in the United States than with Summer Kickoff Week at the academy!! 

Starting with water play day- what a BLAST! 

Next we had popsicle snacks- absolutely DELISH! 

We wore pink for National Pink Day- everyone did so well! 

Thursday was Bike Day!!!

Friday ended with a Parent's Night Out.. SO much fun! 

Ooey Gooey Week

 When it comes to Preschool- is there anything more fun than a week completely themed around slime, playdoh, and all things gooey? 

We spent last week talking about all things SLIME! Ooey gooey, mushy gushy, slimey sticky were all words used to describe the Elephants Toothpaste, Cloud Slime, Whipped Topping, and Chia Seed Slime that was made during this week! 

Toddler 1 really had the best time! They made chocolate dirt, iciing slime, and chia seed slime. I think our Toddler teachers really learned this week that edible is better! These little loves will eat anything even remotely close to their mouth! 

One of the best parts of weeks like Ooey Gooey week is the opportunity to introduce some fun sensory play to Toddlers- what does it feel like? How does it smell? What color is it? Is it hard or soft? 

Sensory play allows so much growth! We love it. 

One of our teachers offered the best advice: "Allow the kids the opportunity to explore all these sensory activities on their own. It's one thing to ask them to color or want them to do their gross motor dancing, but sensory is something that has to be taken at each child's own pace." 

Green Thumb Week

 Its summer curriculum time at AoILV which calls for themed weeks! This week- Green Thumb! 

Our Week Looked Something Like This: 

Monday- Water Play Day 

Tuesday- National Best Friend Day- Dress Like Your BFF Day

Wednesday- Tractor Supply Visit

Thursday- Wear "Earth Colors" Day

Friday- Outdoor Themed Scavenger Hunt

Summer is HERE!

 While summer, the season, isn't officially here.. Summer has begun at The Academy of Indian Lake Village! We are sooo PUMPED to celebrate this good time with your kiddos. 

We have waterplay, summer curriculum, special guests and more. 

As a way to make summer the most fun it can be, we kicked it off with a HUGE Summer Kickoff party after school. We had inflatables, face painting, yard games, and the most delicious BBQ served by our very own, Mrs. Patrice. 

We had a fun evening of playing, socializing, and getting back to our "normal" that we've been missing so much!! 

We are so excited that summer curriculum is getting started. We are starting off this week with Just Imagine, next week is Green Thumb followed by Ooey Gooey and Summer Kickoff! I know I cant wait to see what the teachers come up with to teach.. it will be loads of fun, really focusing on our play-centered learning. 

Here's to summer memories and experiences these kids will never forget!! 

Kindergarten is NEAR!

With the summer approaching, its only a matter of months until our Pre-K 3 babies head off to kindergarten and we aren't quite sure that we are ready. It makes me think of the lyrics, "it won't be like this for long, one day soon you'll drop them off and they won't even know you're gone. This phase is gonna fly by, so i'm trying to hold on- it won't be like this for long." 

I have said it a million times, but all you do is blink and they are walking, talking, arguing (lol), grown-ups. It is truly crazy how quickly they turn into elementary students and how soon elementary turns to high school and then they are graduating college and getting married. As a mom of an upcoming kindergartener, it has been such a bittersweet year of "lasts" and while I know that there are lots of "firsts" coming up, I can't help but hold on a little longer. 

Take in the last preschool photos, hold onto the last of the pre-k art, and suck in the sound of "mommy!!!!!" or "daddy!!!!" at pick-up because we won't get that much longer. Take the harder days in stride, knowing that it won't be like that forever. 

All those last might be a "closed door" for some, but it's an open door for our rising super-stars. They will be exposed to new people, different classes, and a variety of different activities. Their experiences, field-trips, and field days will make them forget they ever participated in a Pre-K to begin with ;) 

We had a panel of Kindergarten teachers come out to talk to our upcoming kindergarten parent's and they were full of some of the best information! 

Important points from their conversation included:

1. Parent Involvement is key to Kindergarten success. 

2. Practice makes perfect especially with Sight Words, Numbers, and Reading. 

3. Self-help skills are crucial for them to develop independence

With these 3 things and a great "village" around you- our sweet babies will have no problem transitioning from little Pre-K kiddos to big Kindergarten students. 

Teacher Appreciation Week

 HAPPY TEACHER APPRECIATION WEEK!!!! 

We are so excited to spend the week celebrating this amazing group of teachers that we have here at AoILV!! 

We decided that sports was going to be the best theme! Our "all-star lineup" of teachers are getting sports themed fun all week long. 

Our gifts for the teachers this week were as follows: 

Monday- Teacher Jerseys! 

Tuesday- "Teacher Fuel" Water Bottles! 

Wednesday- "Nacho" Average Shopper- $10 Amazon Giftcards 

Thursday- Badger&Bear Soap Co. Bars of Soap

Friday- $5 Gift Cards to Buff City Soap 

While we knew our parents would show up and show out-everyone has FAR exceeded anything we could have ever imagined. Between food, snacks, gifts, sweet pictures and kind words- our teachers are just blown away by the kindness and generosity of each and every one of you!