Why Our Private 4K/5K is the Heart of Kindergarten Prep

If you’ve peeked into our Blossoms classroom lately, you might have seen a familiar face! I (Grammy Kim) have been back in the classroom leading our oldest learners, and it has been such a joy to see their growth firsthand.

Whether your child is one of our “Buds” (our younger preschool group) preparing for the next level, or you are a Pewaukee family looking for a smaller, more intentional alternative to the “big” public school 4K programs—we are so glad you’re here. We believe these final years before “big kid school” are the most critical, so we wanted to share exactly what makes the 4K/5K experience at Just Like GRAMMY & POPPOP’S so unique for both our long-time families and the new friends joining us this season.

Purposeful Design (Yes, even the floor plan!)

Some parents notice that our classroom feels a bit “tighter” than a gymnasium-sized public school room. That is 100% intentional! We’ve designed the space to prevent “the zoomies” and running around. Instead, the layout naturally guides children toward focused play and fine motor development. It turns a large room into a cozy, high-functioning learning lab where every corner has a purpose.

The “Sprinkle” of Academics

We are, and will always be, play-based. But in our Blossoms class, we’ve mastered the art of “academic sprinkling.” While the kids think they are just having a blast, we are intentionally weaving in:

• • • Math Magic: Recognizing numbers 0-9, counting to 20, and even simple addition.

    • Early Literacy: Rhyming, identifying first sounds in words, and learning to write first and last names.

    • Spatial Awareness: Understanding “over, under, and behind”—the building blocks of geometry!

Small Groups, Big Results

This is the “Private School” difference. Unlike the large ratios in public preschools, we keep our groups small. This allows me (and our future lead teachers) to work at the child’s level. I can sit with one group that is mastering the tripod grip and writing letters, while simultaneously helping another group that is still in the “beautiful scribbling” stage of expression. No one gets left behind, and no one is held back.

The “Secret” Outdoor Games

Recess isn’t just about burning off steam; it’s about “Gross Motor Mastery.” We play games like Red Light, Green Light, hopping on one foot, and mid-line crossing (like touching your right hand to your left foot). The kids just think they’re playing a special game for being great listeners at the fence—but we know they’re actually building the balance and coordination they need for healthy physical development.

“I can do it myself!” (The Gift of Independence)

A huge part of Kindergarten readiness is self-care. We follow a “try it first” rule. Whether it’s zipping a jacket, pouring a drink, or independent bathrooming, we empower our kids to attempt the task before we step in. This builds a Growth Mindset where it’s okay to make mistakes—because that’s how we learn!

Our 4K/5K Checklist: What We’re Tracking

We don’t just “hope” they are ready for Kindergarten; we track it. We are currently using a comprehensive assessment (that I personally refined) to ensure our kids are hitting milestones in:

• Cognition: Sorting, puzzles, and shape drawing.

• Social-Emotional: Managing impulses, waiting for turns, and showing sympathy for others.

• Health: Using scissors properly and independent dressing.

Why Stay with the “Grammy & PopPop” Family?

We know the “free” public school options are out there. But they can’t offer the tiny ratios, the “home-away-from-home” consistency, and the deep personal relationships we have here. We are shadowing our lead teachers and raising our expectations because your child deserves a transition that feels like a step up, not just a move out.

Space is Limited!

Because we keep our ratios so small, we rarely have more than a couple of spots open at any given time. If you’re looking ahead to the Fall or even next year, let’s chat!

Want to see the Blossoms room in action? The windows face the right side of the front walkway—give a wave if you see us in between our window bean plantings! Or better yet, book a Meet & Greet to walk through and see the lesson plans for yourself.

Have questions? Pop in and ask! We’re here to help your “Blossom” thrive.  Inquire here.

Watch this short video to take a peek inside our preschool class to see a fun way to wash hands as a group. It’s only 40 seconds – you can do it!

We like to make things fun at Just Like GRAMMY & POPPOP’s and we wash hands a lot – so we change it up and turn up the tunes for this one….

I created our positive reward system, YayTags, stemming from the popular Brag Tags that are used in a lot of elementary schools. I am not a huge fan of the word brag though, so I knew that had to change.

Simple Reward System for Behavior

Children that are a part of our oldest classes of 3K and up at Just Like GRAMMY & POPPOP’s, can earn a YayTag for showing good behavior. They just love earning YayTags and we see lots of smiles.  A circular shaped badge is worn on a lanyard that is kept at school for them to collect YayTags AND a wrist badge adorns the wrist of the child so they can share their reward with their family at home!

These rewards are earned and praised with huge shout outs at the time of earning so all of the class can cheer the good behavior on. We are always looking for reasons to add additional YayTags (and remove) based on the needs of the class.

Like most things at preschool, there are some more motivated than others and different days and activities certainly brings a variety of opinions. But one thing is for sure… YayTags are loved by all.

Each class was asked to decorate a pumpkin. The only stipulation was that each child had to participate in part of the decorating and WOW did they do a great job!

Now, we need your help, because there is no way I could pick a favorite. There are many colors, creativity, and personality throughout the pumpkins.

Click here to cast your vote for the best pumpkin in Pewaukee!

Don’t wait… we need your vote by Wednesday at 6:00 PM Central time to count.

They just couldn’t stay sitting when the big reveal at the end happened

The Magic of “The Mouse’s Pumpkin House”

At Just Like GRAMMY & POPPOP’S, we believe the best early education happens when children are truly engaged and when they choose to. Here you can see we focused on hands-on storytelling to capture their imagination and foster a love of learning!

Today, our classroom with mostly 2.5-3.5 year olds had a magical moment with the short story, “The Mouse’s Pumpkin House.” As you can see in the photo, the children were completely captivated, watching closely as I dramatically tore the paper (shh, don’t tell them it was just paper!) to tell the tale of a mouse building a cozy home. The best part? Getting everyone to “nibble” like a little mouse! It was fun watching them try to wrinkle up their noses like I did.

I was very surprised they were so engaged!

This simple, immersive activity is a perfect example of our developmental curriculum at work. It naturally reinforces their listening comprehension, and creative play, preparing children for a lifetime of learning while celebrating the warmth of the season.

We love sharing these joyful, easy activities with you to enjoy with the littles in your life.

Click here to get the full story and simple instructions, so you can create your own cozy Mouse’s Pumpkin House at home. It’s free and you don’t have to give us information to get the pdf – just click and download.  All you really need is that and a piece of paper (orange preferred but not necessary). Have fun!

Ready for the next step in your child’s educational journey? Schedule a tour today to learn more about enrollment for children 6 weeks to 5+ years old!

Take Advantage of the Listening Ears

I mean…I love singing along to Laurie Berkner songs when in the car with the grands, but it’s also a fun opportunity to make up your own songs. You

have a captive audience and a little bit of novety can be the perfect fit to fill in the time until you get to your destination. You can create songs with no purpose at all singing about the grass being green and that 1 + 1 = 2 with some animal sounds and rhyming. Or you can have intentional lyrics, like the one I created, Lenny’s Favorite that is teaching letters and names.

The Story of Lenny’s Favorite

There are more songs that I’ve created over the years that were forgotten after the first rendition and never sung again, but there are a few that have stuck around too.  In the three-year old classroom, I joined for lunch one day and while waiting for everyone to be served, I saw them getting bored so I just started asking what each of their names start with. Some answered, and then… here it comes….. to the tune of the Sesame Street song, “C is for Cookie“, Lenny’s Favorite Kim song came out:

“L is for Lenny, that’s good enough for me,

L is for Lenny, that’s good enough for me,

Oh, Lenny, Lenny, Lenny starts with _____”

[and I would pause and hear the class shout, “L”!]

I know… it doesn’t make sense… like how is an L good enough for me?  I don’t know… but… it has been a song remembered by many of the kids and we take turns singing through their names, animals, objects, and more. I’m pretty sure Lenny may have even introduced it to his family at home.

5 Steps to Create your next Toddler Earworm

1. Choose a simple tune. Pick a tune that you (or your toddler) enjoys and is easy.
   • Some ideas include: ABCs/Twinkle, Twinkle [did you even know that is the same tune?!]; B-I-N-G-O; and Open Shut Them.
2. Decide the topic. Choose if you are going to have a topic or just silly rhyming with no purpose at all.
3. Simple. Simple. Simple. Keep it very simple and start with lots of repetitive words & phrases
   • This is so you don’t forget the words and so that your toddler is all ears listening
4. Add some action. Add in some clapping and sounds, if you aren’t driving, of course!
5. Include them. Invite your child to sing along with you and just keep singing it over and over. Presto! You’ve got your new earworm.

Now you can sing it everywhere and share it with your family so they can help make your song, the latest earworm.

This article isn’t about how to be the next musician featured on stage at Summerfest, the song doesn’t have to make sense… it’s more about keeping your toddler and children entertained in the car while learning. [and maybe your car mate too!]

Smile or Acting Goofy

I just love to see the pictures of children heading to their first day back to school. The posed smiles with likely some challenges on some days of keeping still, shirt tucked in, holding the sign just right and knowing that there likely was some acting goofy and some crazy cheesy smiles in between.

The day filled with excitement and some nerves heading into the next class… and for parents, likely some of the same feelings plus some relief too It’s amazing to see the growth that happens in a year when parents post comparison pictures, often in the same spot.

What’s Written on the Signs

While I’m usually not one to focus on the negative thoughts, it’s important to be intentional and aware about those cute signs and what information you post when it comes to your children.  Like many things, you hear the stories and think, surely it wouldn’t happen to me, and then it does. Or to someone close to you. Identity theft, non-custodial parent issues, stalking, all with information handed to them on a platter.

I believe that each parent needs to make the decision about what they post on the internet (and permit others to post) regarding their children, but I also believe that they need the information in order to best make that decision.

What is Posted on the Internet… Stays on the Internet and Other Tips

• What is posted on the internet, stays on the internet
  It doesn’t matter if it’s a private account, information can get out easily to people you didn’t intend to see it.
• Watch what is in the background of your photo. Is there a street sign? House number? School name or logo?
  This can be information that you think you are not giving away, but prominent for a person that’s looking to do harm.
• Privacy and geotagging automatically will add the location of where the photo is taken.
  This can include when that photo is posted on Social Media. Review your settings on your phone and social media platforms.

But, I like those Signs

You know what? I do too. I even made the one in the picture for Grand7 (have you noticed that I do this? It’s intentional).  But think about either omitting or blurring some information from the signs on pictures to post on Social Media or even use a different generic sign that says “First Day of PreK” for those you will post. You can text the picture of the cute signs to the grandparents directly.

Be safe… and enjoy this back-to-school season,

We’ve been having a blast at our Summer Camp and we are in the second half of our summer program already – it’s hard to believe it! There has been no shortage of fun, even on the rainy days or quiet time for Just Like GRAMMY & POPPOP’s when the campers get to choose activities to do while most of the children at the school are sleeping.

Puzzles, Drawing, and….. MAZES

Among other things, Mazes are a favorite with our group. So I created a handful and thought… these might be enjoyed by other children that are not at our camp this year.  With a clip board in hand – download these for road trips, rainy days, waiting for meals at a restaurant, or… anytime!  I’m happy to share these in hopes of providing some smiles.  Feel free to pass them on to others too!

Easy Shark Maze                  Cat Maze                         Cubed Maze

Flower Maze                         Honeycomb Maze          Spaghetti Maze

Unicorn Maze

It’s not an easy task to get a class of infants, toddler, or preschoolers ready to go outside. You might think about it more in the winter about all of the layers to put on to stay warm, but the summer is a lot of work too! Thank you, Teachers! First, you want to make sure you are always guiding behaviors and cleaning up before the inside space is abandoned for outside play. So the clean up songs start playing or teachers start singing and children look for what they should do next.  I hear through the halls, “William, I see a book. Can you put the book away?”  “Good job, William!” and soon they are making their way to the bathroom for diaper changes, potty attempts, clothing changes, and…. SUNSCREEN application.

Tick tock, tick tock

It takes time and each child is at a different level so assistance happens in a variety of ways. Growth is so rewarding as you observe a child on day 1 of limp arms as you manipulate the disrobing and dressing into the swim wear followed by a blink-of-an-eye it seems of that same child taking their own shirt off and putting on their water clothes. It all takes time though when you have a handful of children and one teacher. They all have their own routines and systems and I admire them all!

Away they go

After they get their sunscreen on, they march outside to see what might await them to get their hands on.  This week we had our first real water day as it took a while to get our outside faucet working for the season.  We had an obstacle type inflatable water activity that sprayed water in different directions with tunnels to crawl through or sprays to jump in. From the infants who got their feet wet to the school aged summer campers – they truly had a blast!

Before you know it

It does seem long, and if you asked the children, I don’t think they are ever ready, but 30 minutes of outside play goes by fast! Before you know it, they are marching back inside with their towels and water bottles in hands to disrobe, diaper changes, potty attempts, and getting their dry clothes back on. Again, all by [mostly] one teacher per classroom. Usually by this time, the energy is spent, so they are ready for lunch and quickly followed by rest time!

Here is a Facebook post of a video reel of our recent outside play at Just Like GRAMMY & POPPOP’s. Enjoy and we hope you have a lovely summer of fun, whatever you may be doing!

Transitioning from home to school can be tough at all different ages. As a matter of fact, maybe we could consider how difficult some goodbyes are even for adults! Mondays seem to be notably different than other days as well. Children really like routines and it is helpful to have a routine at drop off. What that is can vary from child to child but it is helpful that whatever you and your child figure out, to keep it similar each day.

Tips to make transition time easier on everyone

Let’s be real, leaving your child when you know they are sad is hard. Even though you’ve heard it said many times, “as soon as you are to your car, they are fine”, it’s still hard. It’s that word again … mom guilt or just plain ‘ole guilt.

Top 5 tips for drop off at child care time

1. Timely: Quick is best. Of course take time for the goodbye hug, snuggle, whispered words of comfort, then … go.  I know it’s fun to watch them interact with their friends, see what they choose to play with, ask them to show you something, but drawing out the goodbye is not easy. The caregiver you are trusting the education and care to with your child should be experienced to take over and guide them to a fun activity for the morning.
   (Think… when you are ready to leave and the other party you’re with keeps saying goodbye in different languages and “ooh, one more thing…” conversations. Don’t you love it? #sarcasm)
2. Prepare: What is next conversations are always helpful to prepare your child even if you think they aren’t quite comprehending. When you are getting dressed, your conversation can be about school, even if it’s your infant, “shall we wear this shirt to school today?” Loading into the car, “are you going to see Mr. PopPop Matt today at Just Like GRAMMY & POPPOP’s?”. When you are almost to your center, “Ok, it’s almost time to go inside and put your back pack away and give really big hugs until we pick you up.” Knowing what is coming next is helpful to many children so they can get their feelings ready and not have to adjust immediately to something they were not prepared for.
3. Routine: As I mentioned above, a routine is super helpful. We have a “high five” in our entryway at our early learning center. Some children and families use this upon entry before they are greeted. We encourage the children help to put their belongings away and get their water bottle ready before joining their class or before care which we have in our Kindness Hub. Then… is it a hug? a “what happens after school today” mention? routine… and don’t forget #1.

Meet Kade and his routine

Mr. PopPop Matt and Kade have developed a special routine that I think both of them look forward to each day. When Kade arrives, he says goodbyes and then Mr. Matt comes out to our Kindness Hub and reaches out his hand. Kade quickly reaches out with anticipation and they walk to the kitchen turning around for a last goodbye wave before heading to find out what should be served for breakfast. Of course, Kade doesn’t know that this has been well-planned in advance, but they have a discussion and he is happy to help. Before you know it, they are back to the hub to report their decision to the others… and if his parents are on top it – they are off to start their work day.

Kade and his family as well as another family at Just Like GRAMMY & POPPOP’s use the phrase “Mommy and Daddy always come back”, which we sometimes hear as they make sure we are aware and agree with the statement.

Now… pick ups

Drop offs won’t always be easy. They won’t always be a struggle. Just as pick ups. We have seen some children run into their family’s arms and go for the door to leave where others are not in that much of a hurry.  Life as a toddler and preschooler (and parent), eh?

Miss “Grammy” Kim