Preschool - Writing & Spelling their names & Fire station Trip

 I noticed last week in preschool that most of the kids were trying to write their names or at least part of them by themselves. So, I thought we'd spend some time working on it at preschool this week.

I got some small wood cubes and some small vinyl alphabet stickers. I put the letter stickers on the blocks to spell out each of their names.

During preschool I had them paint the blocks over the stickers. I instructed the Moms to remove the stickers after the paint dried.

Here's Aubrey's completed name blocks. I thought the kids could use them to practice spelling their names.

 Then they worked on tracing and writing their names.

Aubrey wrote out her whole name in order for the first time!

 I had also prepared previously some cards with the letters of their names on each one. I glittered each letter so that they were textured. I had the kids shuffle their name cards and then put them in the right order. Then I had them trace with their finger the letters on the cards. (Feeling the texture is supposed to help them to write the letters correctly. I had something similar when I was a kid because I wrote some of my letters and numbers backwards.) Then we shuffled all of their name cards together and put them upside down on the table. They took a turns turning one letter over and deciding whose name the letter belonged to.

After our short lesson, we took a trip to the Fire Station.

They got to see the bedroom area, kitchen, offices & of course the big trucks!

Here the firefighter is telling them all about the fire truck and how it works.

Then one firefighter suited up in his gear to show them. He explained to them that if they are in a building on fire to not be afraid of the firefighters dressed like this but to call out to them for help.

Showing them the mask.

They each got to check out the ambulance.

And pretend to drive the fire truck.

Then they got hats, coloring books & rulers.

They even showed them the lights and the horns.

It was a real fun trip to the Fire station!

Stuff

 On Aubrey's birthday I asked her how she felt and she replied, "Bigger." She must have been right because I have noticed a maturity growth spurt this week.

I was doing laundry and she saw a basket of kitchen towels. She said, "Do these need to be folded?" And then proceeded to fold them, almost perfectly, and put them away without being asked. What a nice treat for Mommy! Yesterday, she put all of her laundry away on her own, then without being asked cleaned her room and then went on to Brooke's and cleaned hers too! So far I am really liking 4!

 One evening last week Brooke was playing out back while I was doing the dishes. She ran in saying, "A birdie in backyard." I told her birdie's were nice and that she could go back out and play. She started to go out and then stepped back in and said, "Birdie coming to get me." That peaked my curiosity because birds don't usually get very close. I looked outside and found that it was 2 ducks visiting our yard. The girls got a kick out of that. They had fun feeding them bread . . .

. . . and chasing them around the yard. They were not happy when their new friends finally flew away.

"Mommy take a picture of me sitting on all of these pillows, holding a balloon." Funny kid.

Showing off her completed fruit charm bracelet that we made together a couple days after her party.

Aubrey drew a picture that I thought had a lot of detail. The red in the middle is a pirate on his pirate ship. He's even wearing a hat. Then she has blue sky on top and blue water and a yellow sidewalk below. After I shot the picture she added a sun to the top and some pizza next to the pirate. I love to see her being creative!

So in LOVE with Baby Isla

One day last week I told Aubrey that Grandpa was on his way over. She responded, "Can baby Isla come over too?" I explained that she was too little to visit quite yet. Aubrey said, "But we have baby books here. Does Aunt Esther read Isla stories?" I told her that I was sure Esther would be reading her lots of stories. To which Aubrey responded, "I know how to read some stories, can I read to baby Isla?"

So, when I told her the next day that we were going to see baby Isla, the first thing she did was pack a bag full of stories that she knows how to read.

 When we got there, the first item of business for Aubrey was to read her cousin a story!

 Then of course, Brooke had to read her one too.

These two girls just adored holding, touching, kissing, hugging and looking at their new cousin.

 Brooke was so excited to get her turn holding Isla.

She's always LOVED baby dolls and she couldn't get enough of a real live one the same size as her dolls!

Sweet hugs!

Kisses too.

Oh yeah, Esther was there too! But, as soon as she tried to take away Isla to feed her, she was mobbed by the Buell crew!

 

Brooke and I got colds a few days later, so we haven't been able to see her since. As soon as we're healed I know the girls will be thrilled to see Isla again!

Am I Four today?

 That's the question Aubrey has asked the last couple of mornings!

Here's her 4 year pictures. Once again, family, tell me which pictures you want a print of and what size. I'll get Brooke's and Aubrey's off to you together soon!

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3 (a close up of #2)

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7 (a close up of #6)

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