Jacob's Ladder 1 Pre-K

02/02/2026

Pre-K students learned about Groundhog Day today! We made flip books in small groups and headbands this morning!

01/27/2026

During small groups today, our boys and girls are working on writing their full names!

01/27/2026

Today we decided that since it was too cold to play outside, we would do Cosmic Yoga in the classroom before we rested.

01/01/2026

https://www.facebook.com/share/p/1YorTXeRAT/?mibextid=wwXIfr This really shows you why we focus so much on building those hand muscles with play doh and other pincer grip tasks!

Did you know that a 3-year old (top left image) and a 6-year old (top right image) have significantly different skeletal structure in their hands?! Notice the bones in the wrist of the 3-year old -- many of them are still mostly cartilage! Look at all the spaces in between the bones where muscles and tendons will change through the years. Even the difference between a 6-year old and a 14-year old (lower right) is huge!

Preschoolers have SO much development to do before they can write the way school-aged children or adults can!

Please do NOT stress if your preschooler does not want to write or draw. Some love it and some don't.

While they are growing, strengthen those little bones and muscles! Here are some great pre-writing, muscle-strengthening activities:

* painting, drawing, coloring
* playdough
* tearing and cutting
* gluing
* poking holes in things (try toothpicks and paper!)
* digging in dirt
* building with LEGOS, marble runs, or other blocks
* beading (try beads, cut straws, or even bobbins!)
* puzzles
* squeezing (try stress balls, squeezing water in a sponge, or using a pipette)
* picking up and throwing balls (use different sizes!)
* playing with toys (watch what their little fingers do when they pick up and move little cars, marbles, action figures, etc!)
These all strengthen and help develop little hands, muscles, and bones. When they are physically ready to write, it will be so much easier than if they were pushed when they didn't want to and weren't ready!

10/17/2025

Ms. Michaelanne and Ms. Bree’s PreK class carved their class pumpkin on Wednesday. They got to touch the pumpkin guts and count the pumpkin seeds. Some kids even wanted to taste them. Today, they began their Pumpkin Jack observations. The Jack o lantern was placed in soil in a jar in the window sill. The students will watch the pumpkin decompose and in a few months, when the seeds sprout, the class will plant the sprouts outside where they will grow for next year’s PreK class to pick their pumpkin from.

10/14/2025

So it has been a while since I have posted some of the things we are doing in Pre-K. Here comes a huge photo dump! Enjoy! Our first field trip was to the fair!

07/30/2025

We also got to explore all the fun learning centers in our Pre-K room! We had so much fun!

07/30/2025

Today is our 1st day of Pre-K! We have been learning our new routines. Today we had our first morning meeting!

07/28/2025

Here is a tip for a great . Follow along with DECAL social media as we give tips for a GREAT .

07/27/2025

Here is a list of wish list items that would be so helpful for our pre-k classroom!

07/26/2025

Hello! My name is Michaelanne Schultheisz and I am the lead teacher for the new Pre-K program at Jacob's Ladder in Centerville, GA. I have been teaching for 13 years now in primary grades with a focus on literacy instruction. I have a dyslexia endorsement as well that I have used to help neurodivergent students learn to read. A little bit about me...I am a married stepmom to Justin and Jesse who are 23 and 19, a godmother to Kasey who is 9 and a foster parent to a wild 2 year old that I am about to adopt and his baby sister. I love to travel and cruises are my favorite vacation ever! I attend church at the Grove in Perry. I look forward to learning and growing with our children this year!