Thank you, Miss Sam

September Team Member of the Month: Miss Sam

Miss Sam has been a ray of sunshine for Bubbles Academy since she began in early 2011. She will be bringing her glowing energy and animation as a lead teacher in both Bubble Bees and Bubble Step during our First Fall Session.

We are delighted to soon kick off September by recognizing Sam as our Team Member of the Month. We sat her down for a Q&A!

What was one of your favorite pastimes as a child?

I was a competitive dancer for many years. Tap was my specialty! My first trip to Disney World was for a national competition (where my dance company placed gold and we even snuck in a bit of ride time).

The academic theme in Bubble Bees during First Fall session is Occupations. What did you want to be when you were a child?

I was very inclined to become Miss America and definitely a Rockette — they lowered the height requirement to 5’7”, which I had reached by the 5^th grade!

What do you enjoy about teaching at Bubbles Academy?

It is a daily joy to receive hugs from the most precious group of people — young children! I get to lead both Jedi Knight and Rock Star training at work!

I greatly value my time spent in the Bubble Step & Bees classrooms. Helping these little ones to reach a new level of confidence is so rewarding! Both students and their caregivers are so proud when no grown up is needed in the classroom. It is wonderfully exciting to play an active role in a student’s progress towards independence.

What is your favorite class activity?

Get messy (but of course clean up together after)!

What do you take pleasure in outside of the Academy?

My dog Chewbacca and I love to take adventures outside together, and as an actress, I get a kick out of watching reality television in my spare time!

What is something you are truly passionate about?

I strive to be an activist for Crohn’s Disease research and awareness. It’s a condition that affects me daily, but it has also taught me the value of positivity and persistence.

Dino Bees!

This week was Dinosaur Week! We got in the spirit by dressing up with dinosaur hats and tails. Our first book of the week was Ten Terrible Dinosaurs. We tested out our dino skills by marching, roaring and eating just like dinosaurs do! I'd say our Bees are some pretty convincing prehistoric critters! At Art time, we made some absolutely beautiful pictures using dinosaur stencils and koosh balls.

The second book of the week was How Do Dinosaurs Eat Their Food? We of course, had more fun playing with dinosaurs and coloring together during Open Choice. We discussed nice manners, and the importance of trying new foods and eating healthy. During Art, we talked even more about healthy choices as we made paper salads with salad dressing glue! I was very impressed with how well our Bees knew the names of all of the fruits and vegetables.

During snack, we continued to build on our confidence and responsibility by passing out place mats and cups all by ourselves! Tune in next week for more updates on our progress as we go on lots of Animal Adventures!

My Bubble Best,

Miss Sam

Stepping Up the Silly!

In Bubble Step, we aim to get our students school ready by cultivating an appreciation for fun and a love of learning. Sometimes when you feel nervous or anxious in the classroom, it helps to just get silly!  We sang goofy songs in circle time, banged on the drums with our toes, and this week, we became painters!

Who wouldn't love school when you get to dip a fire truck in finger paint? We also experimented with foam paint — a very soft sensory experience! I wouldn’t be Miss Becca if I didn't love paint up to my elbows!

We are certainly taking some big steps towards becoming confident, independent and joy-filled preschoolers.

My Bubble Best,

Miss Becca

Step in Play-Doh & Bee a Potato!

Playing with Play-Doh!

I try to take pictures in every Bubble Step class. Most of the time I only get a chance to capture what our students play with during Open Choice. Last week it was Play-Doh! We had such a good time modeling, rolling and cutting. I love Play-Doh because it not only works those ever developing fine motor skills, but you can also use it to encourage sharing and problem solving! Check out some of our wonderful rollers and shapers!

Fun with Mr. Potato Head

This week in Bubble Bees we're talking all about feelings. What better way to express yourself than by changing your face? Miss Sam found a Mr. Potato Head family hidden in our giant Bubble Toy closet!  We had a great time making silly faces together! Mr. Potato Head is a great tool for teaching body part recognition and building fine motor skills. Check out our silly creations!  - Miss Becca

Bubble Step in the Clouds!

Last week in Bubble Step class, we made cloud dough! This was a great way to foster independence and teamwork through measuring, mixing and getting messy together. First we took turns feeling the flour, and then measuring and pouring into a cup.

We then practiced measuring out one cup of Baby Oil and pouring it in the flour. The best part came next — using our hands to mix it all together! Of course, it isn't a Bubbles’ art project without a little sparkle, so we each took turns shaking in different colors of glitter!

The students had a blast feeling the different textures, making castles and smashing the cloud dough. This easy and cost conscious project provides hours of fun. Give it a try at home!

We found the cloud dough recipe from The Imagination Tree blog. Search their site for even more cool sensory bins and projects!

Bubble Bees talk feelings!

Today, the book of the day was When Sophie Gets Angry... Really, Really Angry by Molly Bang. This week we are reading books that talk about feelings. Bang's book was a perfect way for our students to learn about what to do when they get angry just like Sophie. Some of the student's ideas included "getting a Band-Aid!” or "talking to our friend about what happened", "sharing our toys" and "dancing and jumping up and down!"

Since Sophie climbed a tree to help herself calm down after she got angry, we made a beautiful tissue paper tree art project. Here at Bubbles Academy, we often find that doing an art project for our Moms or Dads or Uncle Steves is a great way for students to calm down and feel more confident about doing class all on their own. These Bubble Bees are not only brilliant artists, but they are also very in touch with their feelings! 

A beautiful blog post by Inner Child Fun (a great blog for crafts, games and play) inspired the tissue paper tree project.      

Week 2 & 3: Mex Fusion & Tea Party!

Week 2

Today our little chefs had a taste of Mex Fusion!  We started class by shredding grilled chicken for our tacos. We placed our chicken, beans and fresco cheese on top of a corn tortilla and carefully placed them in the oven to get a nice warm shell. Next, it was time to make our chips. Buddies took funny mustache cookie cutters and fun letter shapes to create some silly chips. We placed those in the oven to get them nice and crispy.

The last thing on our menu was to whip up some yummy guacamole. Our buddies pealed their own avocado, mashed it up and added some onion, tomato, a hint of lime, and a dash of salt to create some mouthwatering dip. We had so much fun and created a wonderful meal to share together at the table!

Week 3

We had a very fancy tea party today in Tastebuddies. We started our morning by shredding up some carrots for our tasty veggie wrap. Buddies then set the carrots aside and spread on a yummy amount of cream cheese onto a wheat a wrap. Next, we peeled a beautiful roasted red pepper.  We then carefully place carrots, spinach, and roasted red pepper into the wrap and set them aside for later.

Next, we mixed together a refreshing strawberry lemonade iced tea. We first placed frozen strawberries into our glasses to cool off our tea. Chef Marc and Chef Meg then poured a combination of strawberry lemonade and iced tea into our glasses to create our fancy drink. Lastly, we all received a butter cookie, whipped frosting, sprinkles, and chopped strawberries to make a beautiful, delectable dessert. We had a blast learning new cooking skills together and enjoyed a “berry” tasty meal.