Wee Tiger globetrotters

Posted on: Aug 21, 2017

Wee Tiger Preschoolers circled the globe this summer without ever leaving the friendly boundaries of the Delano Community Education building.

The eight-week program included lessons and fun activities based on topics ranging from the polar ice caps to African grasslands, and from outer space to the ocean depths.

“It’s been really wonderful, a lot of fun,” said Jane Shaffer, Early Childhood Family Education director. “There have been a lot of neat topics. The theme for our summer program this year was ‘Our World Tour,’ so the curriculum just picked up on topics that kids are most curious about.”

Other areas of study included woodlands and forest, the tropics, farms, and the state of Minnesota. Shaffer said one highlight of the Minnesota week involved playing recorded music provided by Delano’s own Dr. Timothy Diem, a former marching band director for the University of Minnesota.

“We all know about the Gophers, but for our preschoolers we’re able to talk about someone who lives right here in Delano. So we’re helping them to realize how personal some of their favorite things can be,” said Shaffer.

Another Minnesota highlight included a fishing expedition – from the safe shores of the sensory table, that is.

“I didn’t see them hiking down to the Crow and wetting a line,” said Shaffer with a laugh.

School year sessions

The three-day-a-week summer preschool session came to an end on Aug. 3, but classes will resume in September. During the school year sessions are available for children age 33 months through kindergarten. There are morning classes from 8:30 to 11:30 a.m. Monday through Friday, or afternoon sessions from noon to 3 p.m. Monday through Friday.

Within the academic year there are typically a few field trips in addition to the standard classroom time. In December, for example, the Wee Tigers will trek down to the Stages Theatre Company in Hopkins to watch a production of “Beauty and the Beast.”

“Kids have probably seen that movie at home on DVD a million times, but it’s a totally different experience when you actually go to a theater and see it as a live performance,” said Shaffer. “It’s just a different experience, a different visual piece for them, and for some of them it might be one of the only times they get to go to a play. It’s something that helps equalize kids as far as experiences.”

Anyone interested in signing up for Wee Tiger Preschool can contact Shaffer at 763-972-6210, or see www.delanocommunityed.com for more information.

“Kids have the chance to learn some pretty fun things here,” said Shaffer. “The ones who have been in it before love to come to school and be with their friends and hang out with their teachers.”