"This Little Light of Mine"

Sneak Peak into the NEW 2010-2011 Themes

2010-07-26T11:40:00.000-07:00

September 2010
Count on Me
Fabulous Friends/corresponding Bible story-David and Jonathon
Animals in the Forest
A,B,C
1,2,3
Red
Introduce Shapes

October 2010
Oh, Nuts!
Community Helpers/corresponding Bible story-God Heals Naaman
Night Creatures
D,E,F
4,5,6
Black,Orange
Triangle

November 2010
Music and Song
Medievel Make-Believe
Thanksgiving Time/corresponding Bible story-Parable of the Great Feast
G,H,I
7,8
Brown
Rectangle

December 2010
Sock Hop
Choo, Choo!
Jolly Holidays/corresponding Bible story-Christmas/Three Kings Visit Jesus
J,K,L
9,10
White
Star

January 2011
How Things Work
Penguin Party
Mitten Magic/corresponding Bible story-A Woman Touches Jesus' Clothing
M,N,O
11,12
Blue
Circle

Enroll now!! ONLY ONE SPOT LEFT! :)

2010-05-31T09:42:00.000-07:00

‘And all thy children shall be taught of the Lord; and great shall be the peace of thy children”
Isaiah 54:13

Our Objective and Goals

Rather than simply operating a day care, I hope to open my home as a place where children can learn kindergarten readiness skills in a fun, comfortable environment, and I hope to bring God’s Word to a preschooler’s world.

What We Believe

* Children need to be exposed to God and have a relationship with Him at a very early age.

* We believe the Bible to be the inspired Word of God.

* God’s love for each of us is so great and is beyond our human understanding.

* We believe that Jesus is the Son of God, that He died for our sins, and rose on the third day. We believe Jesus went back to Heaven and is preparing a place for us to spend eternity with Him.

Catching up...

2010-04-28T11:00:00.000-07:00

It's been awhile since my last post! Sorry for the wait! Here are some random shots from the last few months(March through May). :)

Included is Easter party, egg hunt, treasure maps in the making, outside time, etc... :) ENJOY!

Valentine Fun!

2010-03-01T12:27:00.000-08:00

February layout

2010-02-03T08:36:00.000-08:00

FEBRUARY-The month of LOVE. That will be our main focus. Loving one another and loving Jesus!
February themes include:

Healthy Me: February is Dental Health Month. This theme includes activities that teach the children how to keep their teeth and entire bodies as healthy as possible.

Treats for My Sweet!: This theme includes activities to celebrate Valentine’s Day and National Heart Health Month. Hearts, love, and sweet things will be abundant.

Tropics in Winter*: to bring some warmth to winter and incorporate more rainforest activities. The children will learn fun jungle songs, play silly animal games, and hang out in the rainforest. :)

"If You Take a Mouse To School" Science experiment :)

2010-01-15T11:03:00.000-08:00

In our "Nice Mice" theme, we read the "If You Take a Mouse to...." series. In this particular "If You Take a Mouse To School" story, there was a purple lava experiment. We made our own! :) So much fun!

Christmas party excitement!

2010-01-15T10:57:00.000-08:00

Christmas/Winter activities...

2010-01-15T09:10:00.000-08:00

We made lots of pretty ornaments, painted handprint trees, decorated our tree, etc.
Our discovery table was full of different things this month..."digging for numbers and letters in the "snow", ornament match ups, and present wrapping are a few things they enjoyed doing at the table." Making(or eating half of)the gingerbread house was their favorite!

"Nice Mice" week

2010-01-15T09:03:00.000-08:00

Tracing letters in shaving cream!

2010-01-15T08:47:00.000-08:00

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas...

2009-12-08T12:01:00.000-08:00

This month, our themes are Nice Mice, Filling Santa's Sleigh,and All My Feelings. However, I am trying to stress this month the real meaning of Christmas..and that its not about the presents, the food, or the trees. All those things are nice and pretty and good. But, we are learning to be thankful for what we have and for our Savior..and how we need to show love like Jesus. We are learning about Jesus and the first Christmas,learning some new songs, and have been making lots of ornaments for our little classroom tree. The kids will get to take all of those home before Christmas to hang on thier own tree. Our "Happy Birthday Jesus" Christmas party will be Thursday, December 17th. I'll be sending home more info on that. Hope you all have a very blessed Christmas season.

Bayler Hall-guest for a day :)

2009-12-08T11:54:00.000-08:00

Fall Fun!

2009-12-08T11:31:00.000-08:00

"Mrs. Ashley, the sun is toooo bright"! :)We had a little guest for a week..Mr. Maverick :)

Indian day!

2009-12-08T11:12:00.000-08:00

We learned about Indians and Pilgrims and the First Thanksgiving. We made necklaces, indian vests, and feather hats. Pocahontas came and read our stories for the day and we had yummy pumpkin pie!

Where do your child care fees go?

2009-11-24T06:40:00.000-08:00

*Family environment and small ratio
*Craft supplies: crayons, tape, scissors, glue, paint, markers, paper, pipe cleaners, etc.
*Healthy snacks & fun treats
*Educational toys, games and fun activities, puzzles, books,movies,outdoor play equipment, rest mats, etc.
*monthly preschool curriculum
*Birthday,Christmas, and classroom parties
*Extra load in the washer/dryer for blankets, towels etc
*Utilities: electricity, gas, water,phone, garbage etc.
*Furniture wear and tear, cleaning, replacing, repairing rips and tears etc
*Cleaning supplies and sanitation for everything..(floors, dishes, laundry, toys, furniture, etc.)

So I Thank you for paying your childcare bill on time as I do rely on my income to live and support my family as you do the same :)

Classroom Wishlist (the basics)

2009-11-11T06:50:00.000-08:00

paper towels
crayons
glue sticks
old magazines
non-toxic washable paints
pump antibacterial bathroom soap
paper plates

A Gift to the Soldiers

2009-11-10T12:24:00.000-08:00

My precious mother in law bakes cookies for a soldier every month. We made pictures to send with October's batch of cookies. Thought these were sweet. We will try to participate in this as much as we can. Thank you soldiers!

OCTOBER at a glance...

2009-11-10T10:55:00.000-08:00

Playing catch up!

2009-11-10T10:22:00.000-08:00

Ok..so I apologize for not keeping up with this blog very well. Preschool is very time consuming. :) We have been having tons of fun and learning all kinds of new things the last month or so. The next few posts will include photos from mostly the month of October. The kids participated in a lot of hands on activites that allowed them to explore their "5 Super Senses". For our "Capes and Wings" theme, we dressed up as different things and used our imaginations every day to become things like a fireman, a princess, an animal doctor, and great superheroes. We discussed that Jesus is our greatest hero and we should want to be like Him. "On The Farm" was one of the kids favorite themes so far. We were "pigs in the mud" one day. We talked about all the things we eat that come from a farm, and they thought that was very cool. :) Our bible lessons in October was that "God Heals Us (Exodus 15:26).
We had a lot of sick kids starting out. This lesson was a great one for the time. We are always praying for God to make people feel better and keep everyone healthy. The kids enjoy getting to pray for their families every day. Enjoy the pics! :)

"Homes to Live In"

2009-09-21T08:32:00.000-07:00

Last week our theme was "Homes To Live In". We talked about our own homes and different animal homes, our neighborhoods, all the different things houses are made out of, who builds houses, and the different parts of a house. We learned the "Muffin Man" song and learned that he lives on Drury Lane. So, we made yummy muffins for our Kitchen Corner project this week. We also learned to always thank God for our homes and our families. Our letter of the week was "B". We introduced number 2!
We were very excited to start our Christian curriculum supplement this week too!
We started the week making people from playdough. We learned that God created us all and made each one of us very different and special(just like our playdough people were designed very differently)and that He calls us by name. He knows who we are. He knows everything about us...the hairs on our heads, the things we do. Each one of us is special and God loves us so much. We learned who Adam and Eve were, and that God created them and us and ALL things in the world.Our memory verse is God said, "I have chosen you". Isaiah 41:9. We are actually doing very well at reciting this! :) This brings me lots of joy by the way...all these little hearts that are so open to hearing God's word. He is so good.

2nd week -"Leaves and Trees" continued...

2009-09-11T11:20:00.000-07:00

This week we continued our Leaves and Trees theme. We discussed what kinds of animals live in trees and all the things that are made from trees. We "swirled and twirled" like leaves falling from a tree. We filled our discovery table with leaves,nuts,and apples. It has been a huge hit! We made grandparents Day gifts and learned a new song about how much we love our grandmas/grandpas. Our letter of the month is "A". This week "A" was for address. We drew ourselves pretty pictures that we are going to mail to our own homes. Parents, be sure and be on the lookout for your childs picture in the mail next week. :) They are excited about this!

Wednesday Sept. 9

2009-09-08T11:13:00.000-07:00

Wednesday is wear RED day!!!

Parents help your child find an item from home that begins with the letter "A". Have them bring it to class to put in our "A" basket.

First week of preschool!

2009-09-02T13:36:00.000-07:00

We talked about fall weather and how we are going to be observing the trees in the back yard all year to see how they change with the seasons. We went outside with our "spy glasses" and gathered fall items in our own little baskets. Then, we came inside to the science center and shared with each other what we had found and what each item was called. We will keep these items in the center all throughout our fall theme. Jump roping was introduced,but we gave that up pretty quickly. Our art time was spent making tree headbands. We thought they were pretty cool!

Cutting different textures

2009-09-02T11:57:00.000-07:00

Lacing beads & using stencils

2009-09-02T11:49:00.000-07:00

We loved the bead lacing, but we haven't quite mastered the stencils. :D

Making fall sponge trees

2009-09-02T11:40:00.001-07:00

Our first September theme is "Leaves and Trees". We are learning all about the parts of a tree, things that grow on trees, and all the beautiful changing colors that we will be seeing soon.

"This little light of mine, I'm gonna let it shine". (some of my new little students)

2009-09-02T11:33:00.000-07:00

2009-07-07T00:34:00.000-07:00

‘And all thy children shall be taught of the Lord; and great shall be the peace of thy children”
Isaiah 54:13

Our Objective and Goals

Rather than simply operating a day care, I hope to open my home as a place where children will reach their full potential in readiness for school mentally, socially, and emotionally. Also, I hope to bring God’s Word to a preschooler’s world.

What We Believe

* Children need to be exposed to God and have a relationship with Him at a very early age.

* We believe the Bible to be the inspired Word of God.

* God’s love for each of us is so great and is beyond our human understanding.

* We believe that Jesus is the Son of God, that He died for our sins, and rose on the third day. We believe Jesus went back to Heaven and is preparing a place for us to spend eternity with Him.

2009-2010 Activity Schedule

2009-07-06T23:29:00.000-07:00

September '09
Leaves and Trees
Homes to Live In
I Am Special!
God Made Us
A,B,C
1,2,3
Red
Introduce Shapes

October '09
Five Super Senses
On the Farm
Pumpkins
God Heals Us
D,E,F
4,5,6
Black & Orange
Triangle

November '09
Animals in Winter
Native Americans/Pilgrims
Give Thanks
Word of God
G,H,I
7,8
Brown
Rectangle

December '09
Nice Mice
All My Feelings
Filling Santa’s Sleigh
God is With Us/Happy Bday Jesus
J,K,L
9,10
White
Star

January '10
Polar Bears and Eskimos
Our Global Friends
Kids in the Kitchen
Sharing
M,N,O
11,12
Blue
Circle

February '10
Healthy Me
Treats for My Sweet!
Tropics in Winter
God Loves Us So We Love Others
P,Q,R
13,14
Pink
Heart

March '10
Wacky Week
Changing Weather
Bunches of Bunnies
He is Risen
S,T,U
15,16
Green
Square

April '10
April Showers
Birds in Spring
Sail Away
Trust in God
V,W,X
17,18
Yellow
Oval

May '10
May Flowers
Friendly Monsters
A-Z Animals: North America
Praise God
Y,Z
19,20
Purple
Diamond

June '10
Fantastic Frogs
Summer Safety
Fun at the Fair
God Made Everything for a Reason
Review A-H
Review 1-8
Orange, Black,Pink, Brown
Triangle,Heart,Oval

July '10
Bubbles, Bubbles
In the Meadow
Summer Fun
God Will Never Leave Us
Review I-Q
Review 9-14
Red, White, Blue
Star, Square, Circle

August '10
Sand and Sun
Around the Campfire
Ants on the Go
Depend on God
Review R-Z
Review 15-20
Purple, Green,Yellow
Rectangle,Diamond

Well hello...

2008-11-20T22:56:00.000-08:00

My name is Ashley Manning.

I am very happily married to Richard Manning. He is more than I could ever ask for in a husband. We have a beautiful four year old little girl Kaitlin. She is my life.

I am a child of God. I am blessed beyond measure. My God has never forsaken me.

I have an awesome family. I enjoy just being at home with them.

My daughter is my inspiration for this preschool program. I love being at stay at home mommy. It is such a blessing.

When I was a little girl, I dreamed of being a teacher. My sister and I played "school" all the time. I attended Central Baptist college and the UACCM in Morrilton and took numerous early childhood classes.
In 2005, my little "surprise" bundle of joy, Kaitlin arrived, and I decided to stay home with her. Here I am almost 4 years later, trying to live my dream again. :)
Life is good!

Some training I have completed includes:
Early Childhood Competencies
Methods and Materials
Foundations of Early Childhood Education
Educational Technology
Introduction to Education
General Psychology
Nutrition

Sample schedule

2008-11-09T21:58:00.000-08:00

A typical day may include all or some of the following activites: (We will try to follow this, but may be changed according to children's interests).

*Welcome-Students will arrive and spend some time looking at books and working with puzzles. This quiet morning will help students make the transition to school as they greet me and each other.

*Morning Circle Time-
Every day will start with prayer and prayer requests from each little one.
May include songs, calendar/weather, days of the week, the Pledge of Allegiance , colors, numbers and letters of the day, intro to new topics, theme based stories, fingerplays/puppets, creative movement, Bible verse of the week, etc.

*Dramatic Play/free play
Dramatic play or pretend cooperative play is very important for preschool children to develop language skills along with social skills. This is where the children use their imaginations! I will be playing right along with them to encourage cooperation and learning. This time may include building block towers, dress up, learning center games, etc. Be a Queen or a Prince and knight a bear to Bearhood; or be a Fireman: rescue a bear from a burning cave. (examples only)!Some days we will just have free play. The children can choose from a variety of things such as scensory, puzzles, blocks, computer game, reading, file folder games, etc.

*Outside play or planned activity Short walks will be provided for children while weather is pleasant. During inclement weather, we will stay inside. Your child will be provided one hour of gross motor play outside in the play area or inside due to inclimate weather.

*Math- We will be counting, dividing, measuring, play math games, grouping, sorting, etc..

*Creative Arts/Writing-

Developing early writing and fine motor skills with a variety of different tools such as play dough, markers, sidewalk chalk, paint, crayons, scissors, glue, etc. This art time also helps encourage a child's natural creativity.

*Science/ Scensory-
Students will practice lining up and walking in a line as they discover the out doors. We will discover many of God's wonderful creations like bugs, plants, clouds, air planes, the moon, the sun, rocks, dirt, the weather, etc. We experience with our senses using different textures and materials to touch, feel and smell.

*Final Circle Time-

This final circle time is a wonderful time to discuss our day. Students will take turns talking about their favorite parts of the day and sharing what they learned. Another song or story may be shared. The day will end in prayer and praises to God.

Welcome!

2008-11-08T13:11:00.000-08:00

"I have no greater joy than to hear that my children are walking in the truth." 3 John 4 AFFORDABLE DAYCARE WITH A PRESCHOOL CURRICULUM

Welcome to the "This Little Light of Mine" blog. This is where I will post updates, photos, and information about our activities and upcoming events.

At "This Little Light of Mine preschool" your child will…learn • listen • imagine • discover • build • try new things • grow • play • paint • pretend • share • create • count • run • skip • jump • make friends • dream • draw • dance…and feel special!

Ages nearly 3 to 5 years

Monday-Friday

8:00 am-3:00pm (days and times negotiable)

DAMASCUS Hwy 65

Small group size of no more than 6 for lots of one on one teaching
Warm, comfortable home setting, non-smoking
Snacks & drinks provided. Children in full day program must bring a sack lunch.

We will be using the Funshine Express Preschool curriculum. It correlates with the guidelines developed by the National Association for the Education of Young Children and the National Association of Early Childhood Specialists in State Departments of Education.

Areas focused on but not limited to:
Creative Art, Number Concepts, Alphabet & Language, Colors & Shapes, Music & Movement, Supervised Play, Hands on Math, Hands on Science, Safety & Manners, Social Activities, Listening Skills, etc. Throughout the year we will also talk about how God created the world and us, and that He loves us and sent Jesus to us.

Call 501.253.2709 for more information.