Play, Learn, & Grow in 4K
September 27th
4K Reminders
- Folders come home every Thursday for our PM class and Friday for our AM class. Make sure you are continuing to check these every weekend as they will contain important information and pieces of work your child has completed through the week!
- A huge adjustment for our 4K friends is using a public restroom independently. So far our little ones have been doing a great job, but it is always helps to continue this independence practice as best you can at home. If able, it may also be beneficial to take your child to the restroom in public bathrooms so they continue to get used to the stall doors, sounds of other people flushing, wiping on their own, etc.
- Please send your child to school in shoes that are safe for running around and being active. Tennis shoes or slip on shoes that will not fall off when your child runs and kicks their feet are best to ensure the safety of our students during outside time and free play in the classroom!
- If your child returns home wearing their extra set of clothes, please be sure to return the extra set to school when able. We want to make sure every student has that extra set just in case, and we know it's easy to set and forget once it comes home!
Pumpkin Patch Permission Slips Due Oct 3rd!
Math
In math, students have been working on identifying shapes. The shapes we focus on in 4K are rectangle, triangle, square, circle, rhombus, heart, oval, and star. We have been working on many different activities and games to help familiarize students with these shapes and give them practice drawing the shapes themselves. Some shape activities have included shape stamping with paints, tracing and cutting out shapes, playing "crocodile crocodile" where students each get a different shape and when their shape is called out they put it into the crocodile's mouth, creating a shape monster, and exploring with shape manipulatives. We have also read many books that focus on shapes such as Shape Capers, Shapes Around Me, and The Shape Monster. While we are still working on naming the shapes, eventually our goal will be to identify why each shape is what it is, for example knowing that a rectangle has 4 straight sides, 2 long and 2 short, that a triangle has 3 sides, that a square has 4 straight sides all the same length, etc.
Shape Manipulatives
Exploring different shapes using manipualtives at table time.
Crocodile Crocodile Shape Game
Shape Stamping
Literacy
We have been working on identifying our names and are in the beginning stages of identifying letters. After reading the story Chicka Chicka Boom Boom, we learned a game where students practice finding their name on the coconut tree when called up, just like the letters in our story were on the coconut tree. We also put name cards down on tables for the children to find where they should sit for different activities such as snack and table time as extra practice getting comfortable seeing their name in print and know what it looks like. This week, we started looking at the alphabet and practicing saying the letter names as we point to each individual letter. We also read Dr. Seuss's ABC Book and encouraged students to put their thumb up when they heard the first letter of their name to make the connection between names and letters.
Chicka Chicka Boom Boom
Children find their name when called up using the rhyme.
ABC Chart
Practicing following an ABC chart and pointing to each letter as we say its name.
Independent Reading
When student complete a task, we have been working on independent reading while waiting for their peers to join them.
Social/Emotional Growth
Our big focus these first few weeks of school has been on feelings. Rose Glen uses what's called the "Zones of Regulation", these "zones" are color coordinated and have different feelings that are associated with each color. The blue zone means you are feeling sad, tired, bored, or sick, the green zone means you are feeling happy, calm, focused, or okay, the yellow zone means you are feeling anxious/worried, frustrated, silly, or excited, and the red zone means you are feeling angry, scared, elated, or just feeling out of control with an extreme feeling of some sort. Each day when student's come in they do a feelings check in where they are asked to stop for a moment and think about how they are feeling and they then put their name magnet under the zone that matches. We have discussed how just because we come to school sad because we are missing moms, dads, brothers, sisters, grandmas, grandpas, etc. does not mean that we have to remain sad all day because we know our feelings can change depending on what we're doing and if we are working towards getting back into the green zone by finding things we enjoy to help make us happy. A favorite book of many children in the class has been Glad Monster, Sad Monster which puts a face on different emotions and helps children identify different situations that may make them feel a certain way.
We have also introduced our new social/emotional curriculum called Second Step. Second Step is a program designed to help students learn social skills and coping strategies. Our focus has been on how to make a friend feel welcome and cared for. Using our puppets, Sammy and Dorothy, students have been practicing greeting a new friend, telling them about school, and inviting friends to play with them if they notice they are feeling sad or if they do not have anyone to place with.
Zones of Regulation
Students check in with how they are feeling when they arrive at school.
Glad Monster, Sad Monster
A favorite book of many students.
Sammy and Dorothy
Second Step puppet pals.
We LOVE to READ!
It is recommended that parents read with their child each night. The first week of school, we sent home a reading tracking sheet with apples all over that your child could color in after each book they've read. October's reading log has pumpkins and is in Thursday/Friday folders this week. Make sure to continue filling these out and return them to school once complete so your child can choose a prize to celebrate being a fantastic reader!