Morrow Memorial Preschool Celebrates the Week of the Young Child

Morrow Memorial Preschool in Maplewood celebrated “The Week of the Young Child” April 14 – 20 by having a series of special activities and events for their students. It is an annual celebration sponsored by the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC).  The theme this year was “Early Years are Learning Years.” Morrow Preschool’s focus was teaching children how to make healthy choices such as eating well and exercising.

Each day had a different color theme with a healthy snack to match. By the end of the week the students had consumed a variety of fruits and vegetables in all the colors of the rainbow. One class made their own dinosaur kale chips. A particularly picky eater enjoyed them so much that he had his parents make them the very next day! Another class had a pretend farm stand with some real fruits and vegetables to sell to their classmates. One teacher was surprised all her classes tried radishes. She was excited to see her students so proud of themselves for trying new things.

Judie Hurtado, who teaches a kid's yoga class at Shakti Yoga, taught yoga to the 3’s and 4’s classes.  She had the students try a tree pose. When some of the kids had difficulty balancing, she suggested they hold hands with a friend “to make a forest” for support. She also showed them her healing singing bowl, a type of bell that creates a peaceful sound and also a physical vibration.

As a finale to the week, Bari Koral performed a music concert for the school. Her interactive songs had the kids pretending to be monkeys and snakes and jumping like popcorn. Bari Koral has a new CD “Anna and the Cupcakes” and will be performing at SOPAC on Saturday, May 11 at 11:00 am.

It was a great week and we hope all the students continue to eat a rainbow of fruits and vegetables. Thank you to everyone who participated!