Busy Bees & ABC's Preschool

e basis. Please contact the preschool directly for questions about younger 3's)

The preschool is owned and operated by me, Kim Betzsold (a.k.a. I am an accredited teacher with a Bachelor of Arts in English and Secondary Education. I have an excellent awareness of the skills that your child needs to develop in order to be successful upon entering kindergarten, and have drawn my own personal and unique theme-based curriculum from several professional sources. I love children and enjoy working with them, and I will alays respect the fact that you have entrusted me with your precious child! My preschool program offers 30 weeks of instruction from September until May, and will closely follow the Richland School District calendar for holidays and breaks. Each new week we will explore a different theme through the following experiences:

Free Play/Choice Time:
Each day upon arrival, students will be able to choose from a variety of age-appropriate toys to play with such as building blocks, puzzles, picture books, play-dough, pretend kitchen, baby dolls, action figures, dinosaurs, cars, trains and much MORE! Cut & Color Table/Fine Motor Development: (available during Free Play/Choice Time)
Preschoolers are pre-readers and pre-writers. The activities provided at the cut and color table will help give students the skills that they will need before they learn to read and write. These skills strengthen small muscles, reinforce left to right eye movement, and build language skills: cutting, coloring, gluing, lacing cards, and push-pinning to name a few. Learning Table/One-on-One Instruction:
During free play and choice time, each student will be called to the Learning Table, either one at a time or in small groups, for "individual" instruction while the other children continue playing. This is where we will learn letter recognition, phonics, begin letter formation (writing), and introduce other preschool academic concepts. Since this instruction is one-on-one, I can work more effectively with each student at the level most appropriate for them. Their academic papers will be kept and stored in their own Busy Bee notebook, and will go home with the students at the end of each month for parents to review. A new calendar and preschool newsletter will also go home in their notebooks on the last preschool day of each month. Creative Art:
I am an artist-at-heart, and love to supply a variety of art and craft projects that support our weekly themes. Art projects will encourage self-expression, and will involve cutting, pasting, painting, clay modeling, etc. If we have learned a little song or poem during the theme, I will usually include the words for them to “paste” onto their art project. My desire is that the students will be proud of what they make at school, and have something to take home and share with Mom and Dad at least once a week! Circle Time/Music:
Show & Tell will be scheduled during circle time as the school year progresses. This is the time of day when we will all sit together on the Busy Bee & ABC rug to “explore” stories, “experience” songs, and ACT SILLY! We will study our calendar, observe the weather, learn and sing original songs, finger-plays, and flannel board stories, read-aloud books, play games, and other child-centered activities that relate to the weekly theme. Each month, we will focus on one of the different character-building “bee-haviors” that our circle time rug illustrates, such as what it means to “Bee Polite” or “Bee Honest”. Snacks:
A daily snack will be served, and parents will be asked to donate to the school “pantry” periodically during the year—about every other month or so. We will also recognize birthdays and welcome special treats to share with the class! Outside Activities/Large Motor Development:
Wow...how wonderful it would be to have child-like energy again??!! Our outdoor activities will be a balance of free play and structured movement activities such as “tag” games. There is a large concrete area for riding toys, bouncing balls, sidewalk chalk, etc., as well as a grassy area for running, two climbing structures, a slide, tire swing and a large swing set. There is also a sand-box area for digging and playing with trucks!