Appreciating our natural gifts

By Ettie Zaklos, Preschool of the Arts Founder & Director

Spring is a season of hope, excitement and renewed vitality. I absolutely love this time of year at Preschool of the Arts, when we get to truly appreciate all the natural gifts we benefit from, like flowers, green grass, warm weather, sunshine, chirping birds, fluttering butterflies and lively animals. Although we are lucky enough to live in the Sunshine State all year, spring always holds the promise of new beginnings and plenty of adventures to come.

At Preschool of the Arts, we feel that pulsing energy every day as the children bring their youthful spirit and joy for life into our classrooms. We feel so blessed to be a part of our children’s first educational experience and are constantly inspired by their love for learning and curiosity for the world around them.

April was a very exciting one at POTA as we explored two themes — the holiday of Passover and the lifecycles of chickens. In preparation for Passover, our students “cleaned” their classrooms for the holiday to get rid of “chametz.” Children love to do real work and had a blast making their classrooms sparkling clean with small brooms, feather dusters, rags and spray bottles filled with water.

The children also learned all about the story of Passover, starting with the story of baby Moses who floated down the Nile River in a basket. In a science and sensory lesson, the children used the water table to discover different items that sink or float like Moses in the basket. In art, the children designed their own Seder plates and Matzah covers to use at the Passover Seder!

April was also the perfect month to learn about burgeoning life, and every year, we conduct a school-wide project to hatch baby chicks. Our children made daily visits to the eggs/chicks to check on their progress and discuss the various developments they could see, hear, touch and smell. This presented an excellent opportunity to build vocabulary and learn about the senses and early science. Our older students kept journals to document their learning and observations throughout the hatching project.

On April 28, we celebrated Teacher and Staff Appreciation Day! Our Preschool of the Arts staff are passionate, dedicated and committed to making our children the best they can possibly be. Our team of loving professionals are carefully selected for their warmth and passion for early childhood education. Every day, they expertly model the values of friendship, kindness and gratitude that make up the ethos of our school. Throughout the year, they toil to not only educate but love our students, guiding them to reach their full potential.

Our annual appreciation day is a chance for our entire POTA family to come together and express heartfelt thanks for everything our educators do. This year, we hosted an appreciation breakfast for our staff, while our parents gave generous gifts of appreciation. Our staff enjoyed a delicious breakfast and the loving gestures from our wonderful parent body.

Preschool of the Arts children delight in hands-on nature explorations in our nature playscape.

At the end of the month, we moved on to our preparations for Mother’s Day, when we will host a “Love and Lemonade” Mother’s Day celebration in early May. Our fun, lemonade-themed event will allow our adorable young students to express their appreciation for the most important woman in their lives: their moms! At POTA, we know that the mothers give their all to our children every single day and deserve all the recognition in the world. We cannot wait to shower them with gifts and love!

Want to learn more about our preschool and summer programs? Visit www. NaplesPreschooloftheArts.com or call 239-263-2620.