P is for Popcorn and Pajamas

“Popcorn! Popcorn! Poppin' everywhere. Popcorn! Popcorn! Poppin' here and there!”

And, there was plenty of popcorn to go around in the Creative Corners preschool class on January 15, when the Terrific 3s discovered “P is for Popcorn.” The preschoolers were invited to wear their pajamas to class and spent one-on-one instruction time at the learning table seeing and hearing how to recognize the letter P and make the sound. Children glued popcorn into an outline of the letter and practiced holding up their finger and blowing out the “candle” with a “Pu.” “These activities help children learn to recognize letters and their sounds. We try to connect the letters to something the children already know, like popcorn and pajamas, which helps the process,” said Karyn Roth, Recreation Supervisor.

During free play, children searched for other things in their classroom that started with the letter P, and found the book, “Pinkalicious,” plastic peppers and pretzels in the café, and puzzles.

“Most of our children have only seen popcorn made in a microwave, so today we talked about the tiny bit of water inside the kernel, and they got to see the popcorn pop right before their eyes using an air popper,” said Sue Poklop, Creative Corners Terrific 3s instructor.

Both the Terrific 3s and the Fabulous 4s and 5s study each letter of the alphabet in multi-day units that include crafts, stories, games, and special activities. Hands-on activities focus on small motor skills. Play-acting encourages socialization skills and imagination, and specially selected stories help reinforce literacy. Creative Corners Preschool classes meet Monday/Wednesday and Tuesday/Thursday, with the option of adding Friday mornings and afternoon Lunch Bunch Classes from noon to 2:00pm. For more information about all of the Des Plaines Park District early childhood classes call 847-391-5700. Look for information about the annual Creative Corners Open House on Wednesday, April 16, 6:30-8:00pm at www.DPParks.org.