Thank you to all of the children who made the “candy” hunt so much fun! We appreciate all the support! It was so nice to see all of my prior students and how big they have all gotten through the last 3 years. Look for us next year!

On a weekly basis we  have several prospective parents come and tour our center.  I am very proud of both Murrieta and French Valley University’s staff and curriculum. However, I sometimes feel as if I am defending the way we do “things” around here. I often hear “there is just not enough structure” or “it looks like all they are doing is playing” or even “there is just not enough academics for my child”. What does all that mean exactly? Maybe I have been in this industry for so long that I lost focus… I thought children were supposed to play, I thought children were supposed to have fun!  Most people as adults, don’t have that much “fun” anymore. Maybe an occasional night out with friends or even a vacation once a year. I am lucky because I have fun at work. I enjoy watching how much fun the children have at our centers. I see smiles all day long. I see children that aren’t ready to go home there having so much fun. But guess what? They are learning, every minute of the day. How, do you ask? Because they are only 2, 3, 4 and 5 they haven’t been in this world all that long. So wouldn’t every day, every new thing they see, touch or explore be a new experience to them? The children at Murrieta and French Valley University learn new things every day! We just don’t make them sit down and do dittos or look at flash cards to do it!

So, this past Friday we did what we are calling “freestyle Friday”. Instead of having the children follow a schedule, we had the teachers each stay in a designated classroom and let the kids “roam and choose” which class they wanted to visit! Wow, what a day! We painted with flavored syrup in the Let’s Create room (yes, we did taste it), we did ice and food coloring in the courtyard, bubbles and chalk outside, building with lots of open ended stuff in the Let’s Build room, French Valley Idol in the Let’s Pretend, and lots of “mad” creations in the Mad Lab. Most of the children had no problem with the change, some of them were partial to stay with their teacher. Surprisingly the twos were great about moving around! Miss Julie was exhausted trying to keep count and keep up with all of them. But, what did I notice the most about the day? They all wanted to be outside! We actually had a wait list for the children who wanted to do all of the outdoor things! Parents; remember when you are trying to think of something fun to do with your child, play outside. We have soooo many parks in our community.

The bottom line is the children love to be outside. That doesn’t cost a thing!

I was listening to the children interact this morning. I had to laugh to myself thinking “What if adults could speak to eachother so freely?”.

The children I was working with were not very happy with eachother for some reason! Of course, we encourage them to use their words when they are angry. So this is what I heard…

I don’t like you right now!

You are being a liar! ( I asked if they knew what lying was, and they did!)

You are not being very nice.

I don’t want to play with you for a while.

You are not my friend right now.

Imagine how we would have so much less conflict if we could only be so honest with eachother while at work, with our spouses, our friends, with the person that cuts in front of you in line…But the great thing about children is, they always forgive and forget.  After all their words, they continued to play!

My favorite part of everyday at preschool is one I arrive and the children all run to hug me! I feel like a celebrity!

It’s time to get up and already your child has “school anxiety”. You may wonder why. The first thing you may question is does my child not like school, is there someone at school picking on my child? These are all legitimate questions. It is perfectly normal for your child to have a little bit of anxiety when they first enroll at a new center. How do you feel when you begin a new job, or go to a party where there are only a handful of people you know? Just reassure them that you will be back. Give them a time frame they understand, for example, Mommy will be back right after lunch, or Daddy will be here when you wake up from rest time. This helps them have a goal. Remember, the younger they are the more time they need to adjust. Two year olds can take up to a month to adjust, where prek kids are usually fine after 2 weeks. Communication is key and let your director know if your child continues to have “school anxiety”.

Thanks for visiting our website! We have a very unique school that of course I cannot say enough about! If you are not already enrolled, come by for a tour. Become a fan on facebook! We have lots of cool pics on our facebook fan page. Parents, let me know what kind of things you would like to see on our blog! I have the greatest job in the world
Julie/ Owner/ Director