Our School Pet

As you all know our frog mascot is ACE (Academy Children Excel) and all the kids love him!  For pet week last week we introduced our school pet...a stuffed version of ACE!  Every week ACE will be sent home with the student of the week, someone who had good behavior all week and truly EXCELLED.  Our first student of the week was Leighton and she took ACE all the way to Memphis to visit her cousins.  They had a great time and took great care of ACE.  Check out the picture below.  :)

Toddler Adventures

Time for another round of Toddler Adventures!  Check out the busiest one-year-olds we know!

 Making our homes for Home Week.

 Do you see what I see?!

 Friends make play time so much fun!

 Busy at work!

 Making art helps our creativity and fine motor skills.

 Busy making houses.

 Need a push?  We gotcha covered.

Welcome to our newest friend!

 Outside time is the BEST time!

 Or snack time...snack time may be the best time!  :) 

 This sweet girl's done a great time transitioning into the busy world of tods!

Mat Man!

You haven't heard of Mat Man?!  Then you must not have visited PK2 just yet!  Mat Man is our favorite cool guy because he is made up of all the shapes we use to make our letters.  Mat Man teaches us about short and long lines, short and long curves, and dots.  He is so much fun to assemble and the kids did a great job working together to make Mat Man come to life!

Congrats Ms. Lindsay

Well today was a first for us at AoCS.  Ms. Lindsay's boyfriend proposed to her here right outside the front door!!!  We worked very hard to keep this a secret from her all week as we were planning.  It was such a special moment that brought a tear to our eyes.  Oh - and she said YES!  Help us congratulate Ms. Lindsay on her exciting life event!

Police Dog Visit

We had two special visitors today...police dogs!  Their names were Axel and Yager.  They both came wearing their badges and one even had on a bullet proof vest.  They came to show us what all they could do.  They each had a human partner.  They work with their partner every day and even live with them.  They showed us all kinds of neat tricks and commands they follow.  They even spoke German!  All the commands were in German and the dogs were very obedient.  The officers talked and answered questions about these amazing animals.  It was one of our favorite guests EVER!

 Yager showing everyone how he can bite a bad guy if needed.

 The officers were so nice and answered all our questions.

 The officer assured us that it didn't hurt and this was good practice for Yager.

 Axel knew a lot of commands and listened to his partner.

 Yager loved biting the giant bath mat wrapped around the officers arm. It was like a giant chew toy for him.

 We loved having the demo outside when the weather was nice!

 Axel was very obedient.

 Axel walked right beside his partner's knee and never left his side.

Thank you so much to the Franklin K9 unit for coming and being one of our BEST special guests ever!

Pet Yoga!

Thank you to Ms. Elizabeth (former AoCS teacher turned fitness pro) for coming and helping us during pet week with some pet yoga.  To get in on the fun at home follow the pose descriptions below.  And for more information about personal fitness training with Ms. Elizabeth you can contact her at the info below:

Elizabeth Warn

Personal Fitness Trainer

(615) 970-1132

ewarn11@gmail.com

Jungle Animal Yoga Sequence

You can follow the jungle animal yoga sequence below or make up your own jungle yoga journey.

Macaw – Warrior 3 Pose
Stand on one leg. Extend the other leg behind you, flexing your foot. Bend your torso forward and take your arms out to the side.  Flap your arms like the wings of the macaw.

Monkey – Squat Pose
Come down to a squat and tap your chest like a monkey.

Alligator – Plank Pose
Step back to balance on your palms and on your bent toes, keeping your arms straight and your back long and flat. Pretend to be an alligator floating in the water.

Boa Constrictor – Cobra Pose
Come to lie on your tummy, place your palms flat on the floor next to your shoulders, lift your head and shoulders off ground, and hiss like a snake.

Jaguar – Cat Pose
Press up to an all-fours position, round your back, and tuck your chin into your chest. Pretend to be a jaguar about to pounce.

Turtle – Extended Child’s Pose
Come to sitting back on your heels, slowly bring your forehead down to rest on the floor in front of your knees, place the palms of your hands flat out in front of you, and take a few deep breaths. Pretend to be a turtle looking out of his shell.

Sloth – Happy Baby Pose
Come to lie on your back with your chin tucked in, hug your knees into your chest, then grab the outer parts of your feet with both of your hands, with one foot in each hand. Pretend to be a sloth hanging out in a tree.

Rest – Resting Pose
Lie on your back with your arms and legs stretched out. Imagine listening to the sounds in the jungle. Breathe and rest.

 Stretch it out!

 Ms. Elizabeth and Pre-K One

Ms. Elizabeth and Preschool Two

Every Child is an Artist!

Artists at work!  Caution...our students are serious about their art time.  We love to paint, draw, trace, collage, and much more.  Check out Preschool One as they work on their fine motor skills as they use their creativity.