Preschool Lesson Plan: Service

Schedule:
9:30-9:45
Opening/Carpet Time:
-Welcome Song
-Prayer
-Pledge
-Music/Singing Time
-Rhymes
-Calendar
-Show & Tell

9:45-10:15 
Read: Lucy likes to help


Music Exploration: While using instruments sing: When we're helping we're happy
Sing: Do as I'm doing while acting ways we can serve people (sweep the floor, wash the dishes, etc)

10:15-10:30
Play Time

10:30-10:45
Activity: Have each child make a service pillow. I made each child a small white throw pillow and let them decorate it with sharpie markers (they LOVED doing this). 
Once the pillows are made explain that when they do something to serve a family member, they can put the pillow on their bed. Then that family member will see the pillow on their bed and know someone did something nice for them. They will then do something nice for someone else and put the service pillow on their bed.

We then role played this idea. Lucy said something she could do to serve me was to give me a hug. She then gave me a hug and we all watched while she took her service pillow and put it on my bed. Then I took the pillow and had the students help me think of something nice to do for Lucy and I did what they said and then I said, "Now what should I do?" and they were all excited to inform me to put the service pillow on Lucy's bed! We then continued to practice as we put the pillow on different beds throughout my home.

Service: Students were challenged to take the pillows home, think of someone they could serve and put the service pillow on their bed.

10:45-11
Art: Making the pillows was art project here.

Setting up a neighborhood co-op preschool

I got together with some Moms in my neighborhood with a goal to set up a co-op preschool together. This is what we came up with:

-Meet once a week for 90 minutes
-Each child was 3 or 4 years-old
-Each Mom would teach 3-4 times a semester
-The lessons would be based around values that we selected. We felt strongly that we wanted our children's first experience in a school setting to be founded on core values.
-The values/themes we chose: sharing, respect, citizenship, honesty, imagination, Thanksgiving, Christmas, nature, families, service, obedience and kindness.
-We also decided what should be included in each teaching time. The key pieces we felt that would be important to include were: prayer, the pledge, nursery rhymes, read a-louds, calendar, weather, music time, show & tell, a lesson, an activity , a service project, art time and free play time.
-Here is a sample schedule:


9:30-9:45
Opening/Carpet Time:
-Welcome Song
-Prayer
-Pledge
-Music/Singing Time
-Rhymes
-Calendar
-Show & Tell


9:45-10:15
Story/Lesson Time/Music Exploration


10:15-10:30
Play Time


10:30-10:45
Activity/Service


10:45-11
Art

And thus began our little preschool. Stay tuned . . . I'll post lesson plans, art projects and more ;)

Reality check for Parenting

If you: need a good dose of honesty when it comes parenting, need to give yourself a little slack for not being the perfect parent or you just need a good laugh: READ THIS and Don't Carpe Diem!

In case of emergency

Often in the midst of our greatest trials we learn our greatest lessons. It is in this light that I share something I have come to feel very passionate about. It's really a very simple thing, but something that I believe if followed could help save lives.

When my friend Julie was at my home and her son began to choke (if you remember, she was alone as I had just ran to get Lucy from dance and was away for about 5 minutes) she needed to call 9-1-1. She did so using her cell phone and when they asked her for the address, she didn't know it.

Would you? Do you know your best friend's address by heart? Your parents? Do they know your address? Could those you leave to watch your children tell others your address in the event of an emergency?

After I got back from the hospital after being with Julie after Jonah passed away, I was sharing with my Mom how awful I felt about a lot of things and one was that it had to happen when I wasn't there (of course I've come to trust that this was meant to be, but it doesn't mean I don't feel bad about it) and my Mom asked, "Well what could you have done?" I answered that I know I couldn't have done anything more, but I could have at least told Julie my address so she wouldn't have had to figure that out in such a stressful moment. I recognize in our situation, her knowing my address immediately really wouldn't have changed the outcome, but it still opened my eyes to this idea.

I thought about making a cute little sign with my address on it and putting it on my fridge for all to see and I thought about the fonts and colors I could use. Then as I pondered on why I wanted to do this I knew I needed to just do something. Fancy fonts and cute pictures could wait. I then took a scrap of orange paper out of the drawer and wrote my address on it and stuck it to the side of my fridge.  I point out that it is there whenever anyone is at my home.

It's nothing big, but I believe it could help. I also believe we could just make it a given that our address can always be found on our fridge. My thoughts for this campaign are very much in the infancy stage, but like the scrap of orange paper that hangs on the side of my fridge, I know it just needs to have a start.

So I challenge all of you to put your address on the side of your fridge. Those moments of not having to scramble to figure that out just might make all the difference . . .

Dry cracked heels?

Do not spend money on any other lotion than this. I have had a problem with dry skin (especially my heels) since I moved to Utah in 1995. I have tried EVERYTHING. I finally consulted a foot doctor who recommended this cream and it is heaven sent! I also use the sleep-n-heels and they make my heels softer than you know what. If you have problems with dry skin, GET THIS LOTION. You can thank me later.

Gingerbread Nativity

I saw how to make this here and it was so much fun and quite simple. Merry Christmas!

A great cause

My friend's fundraising raffle is up! Please help them bring their daughter home from Ecuador! You could win Ragedy Ann & Andy dolls made by Mom (she also made the cowboy booties and memory bear). Check it out and please help spread the word. All items can be shipped to wherever you are! Go HERE