Discoveries Preschool and Childcare

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Spring at Discoveries

Discoveries is Looking Forward to Spring

At Discoveries we are looking forward to spring! Lots of fun crafts and outdoor activities. We will try our hand at gardening. Starting with flowers to watch them grow from seeds to beautiful blooms in our back playground flower box. We are planting a potato patch in the front raised bed. We will learn about how to grow plants from seeds, rooting from parts of plants and established plants. We will discover what it takes to make a plant grow water, sunshine and lots of encouragement. We plan on having a fenced in garden for other crops and have a wonderful tasting party after a harvest. We may even have pumpkins from our own patch for the fall.
Earth Day will be a big part of our month as we learn about caring for our fragile planet. A trip to the University of Nevada Planetarium helped to spark our interest during spring break. We will make paper from recycled ingredients. We will conduct many science experiments and share our results.
We hope to have some visitors to help us learn about the Reno, Sparks, Spanish Springs and Washoe County area we live in.

The weather is getting warmer and the longer days of sunlight are welcome sight after the long weather.
We are planning a graduation celebration for those moving up to Kindergarten at local elementary schools. Before we know it, school will be out and the summer fun will begin.

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Dinosaur Eggs at Discoveries

Dinosaur Week at Discoveries

The end of February brought Dinosaur week to the Alligator Class.  They were Archaeologists looking for the Alphabet in the sand, fossil hunters and of course dinosaur detectives themselves. They even did a dinosaur egg hunt; they went out searching to the archaeology site on the playground for dinosaur eggs. The eggs were made of baking soda by Miss Jessica’s special recipe.  A surprise was inside. We even invited the Monkeys and Mustangs to join in our science fun. Before the hunt, the Mustangs invited the other classes for a story about dinosaurs.

After finding the eggs each child got to discover what was inside.  To help with fine motor skills and have some science fun, the students used spray bottles to experiment with the different reactions between water and vinegar on the baking soda eggs. We also tried droppers to uncover the hidden secret inside.

The excitement grew as the eggs fizzed and dissolved before our very eyes. Inside was a baby dinosaur. We discovered that the vinegar and water melted the baking soda faster than just plain water.

An amazing time was shared by all.

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February at Discoveries

 

What’s In Store For February

The month of February is a busy time for all classes. The babies are growing fast. Miss Sara and team do a wonderful job keeping up with the changes. They have added some new friends to the group. Some of our older babies have moved up to the Cub class. Come see our LOVE BUG bulletin board.

The Cubs room has a new look and feel to it. We have moved the furniture around and developed new learning centers. We have the reading center, play toys, blocks and play house. We have a new fun zebra stripe rug that’s wonderful for playing on with many of the toys. New friends joined us this month. Some off our friends moved over to the Panda’s room. Miss Polly and Miss Olivia keep the Cubs busy exploring and learning thru play. This means we learn by hands on experiences.  Potty training is in session all the time and we are proud to say many of them have mastered this skill.

The Pandas tend to run in the middle of the pack. Bigger than the Cubs and babies, but not ready to move into the Monkeys.  They do know how to have a fun time. The dramatic center with fun dress up clothes is the favorite. The Pandas have a fun playing house and keep it in good shape with the help of tools that are kept in the colorful bins. The sensory center has the amazing SANDS ALIVE. This sticks to its self and molds into many shapes and things. The things they can create are limitless.

The Monkeys continue to work on the alphabet. They learn about the letters by using them to create animals. S is for snake. They are playing games to learn their numbers and shapes. Fishing game and hunting shapes hidden in the room are a fun way to learn.

Alligators are learning about the ocean and its creatures.  Valentine’s Day is a wonderful way to learn about our emotions and feelings. The Alligators are learning how to handle many emotions. The end of the month dinosaurs will entertain them as they become archaeolists, discovering fossils and find their dinosaur names.

The Mustangs are busy learning their phone numbers and addresses. They made cell phones to practice dialing their own phone numbers. To practice their addresses each child created their homes and Miss Dawn wrote their addresses on each house. Now the Mustangs have a neighborhood of all of our friends.

All the classes will have Valentines party to exchange cards and have a fun time. Happy Valentine’s Day to everyone.

 

 

 

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Discoveries Preschool Visits Discovery Museum

Museum Fun

As part of the fun of winter holiday break, the Mustang class went to the Discovery Museum on Dec. 31st. It was a great way to end the year. We were joined by friends, parents and grandparents to help chaperone. Thanks to all the adults who made this possible.

The main exhibit was Monster Fish. The large life size models of the fish were amazing. There was a movie to explain about the life of the giant fish and how they are being threatened by the pollution made by humans.

There were other exhibits to participate in as well. The Inside Out Anatomy Experience exhibit contained different aspects of our body. We learned how parts of our body work, how we age and how our bodies heal. We looked through a type of microscope to see our blood veins in our hands. We could move the bones of a person, hear our heart beat and listen to sounds of our body.

One of our favorites was the Cloud Climber. Cloud climber stretches 3 stories, to the top of the museum. Its many levels, challenging visitors to reach and climb, take risks, create their own adventures, blaze a trail, and are brave, feel competent, have fun, and learn about the environment.

Below the cloud was the Truckee River Connection. This is a great water feature with damns to divert the water, floating objects, a water fall and even a pretend floating inner tube so we could imagine floating down the river. Of course kids got wet, but that is the fun of it. In the next room there was a fishing game, a tent for camping and other hands on activities.

We took time to build with blocks, jump up and down to make an earthquake and sit in a glider airplane. We took part in a musical science experience of making music by never touching an instrument but by moving our hands.

Lunch at the Museum

We brought our lunch boxes and enjoyed time to sit and relax while we ate in the museums lunch room. After a relaxing lunch, well as relaxing as possible as lunch with 20 plus active students, we returned an experience the great adventures at the museum.

The Nevada Stories room had a mine and a campfire. We could ride a horse look inside a wagon that went on the wagon train across Nevada. There were fossils to do rubbing and artifacts to dig up. The old fashion food stand gave us a chance to sort and count the fruits and vegetables.

A wonderful time was had by all we agreed this is a marvelous place to visit.