2-Day Tales
A Peek Inside Our Preschool Classroom
taking advantage of this break in our schedule....
...to let you know what we've been up to when we have been in school!
Hopefully, everyone is having a "lovely" Valentine's Day. It will be nice to celebrate with the students at school next Thursday. Thank you in advance to those donating to the upcoming party.
Show & Tell
We've had wonderful Show & Tell presentations by Arleigh, Cassidy and Connor in January and Ella last week. The children are doing a terrific job in their presentations and the students are asking great questions. It's hard to believe the difference in their question-asking skills between last month when we began (and they were actually giving statements rather than asking questions) and now. Their questions are varied and show a deeper level of thinking and interest in the subject.
OUR rainforest unit...
- We talked about the 4 layers to the rainforest and used flannel board cut-outs to build the layers.
- Throughout the unit, we talked about the weather, life that is found in a rainforest and food and products that come from the rainforest.
- The children made adorable sloths which will be displayed in the Art Show in May...these came together in several small steps that included: painting with sponge rollers in various shades of green; lots of cutting with scissors; drawing with chalk; gluing; and drawing with crayons. We think you're going to like them!!
- Other centers included: patterning with rainforest pictures; counting rainforest animals and number matching with clothespins; and digging (and cutting) through the sensory box filled with grass to find animals and camouflaged items.
- Taste testing rainforest foods.
Rainforest Floor Puzzle
Friends worked together cooperatively to assemble this floor puzzle.
Rainforest Layers with Playdough
The children used mats showing the layers of the rainforest as backdrops for their creations, or they added colorful craft sticks to make rainforest creatures.
Where are they?
Camouflaged in the rainforest! The children played a game asking us to find them -- their clothes matched the colors on the rainforest poster behind them, so Mrs. Nier pretended she couldn't see them...they had tons of fun "hiding" from us!
Binoculars for Exploring...
...several sets of binoculars and plastic safari hats were made available for dramatic play.
Sloth projects...
..gluing on the tissue paper "fur".
Flowers in the Rainforest
making flowers with Builders & Benders.
Groundhog Day
Can't forget the fun the children had using flashlights to make shadows all around the classroom walls and boards. Mrs. Nier give the children some animals to shine their flashlights on to make shadows. The boys and girls had a blast with the flashlight. The light table was also out for more light exploration. You've seen the groundhog crafts that came home...now if only the groundhog didn't see his shadow!
Pajama Day Fun last friday!
- The children painted Teddy Bears with water color paints -- always a favorite activity for the children.
- PJ decorating activity with markers and crayons
- Fruit Loop cereal lacing (and eating the broken ones!)
- Cereal box puzzles to put together (3 different varieties)
- Tossing our stuffed animals up and down in a blanket (great arm workout!)
- Eating donut holes for snack time...yum!
- Songs: Teddy Bear, Teddy Bear Turn Around; 5 Little Monkeys Jumping on the Bed
Painting with Water Colors
Cereal Box Puzzles
Cereal Necklace Lacing
books we've read...
Slowly, Slowly, Slowly, Said the Sloth, Eric Carle
Non-fiction Rainforest books (which I didn't note the titles of...)
Llama, Llama, Red Pajama, Anne Dewdney
STILL TO COME IN FEBRUARY:
- Vision screenings have been rescheduled, again! The new date is not here at home with me, so I'll advise next week (it's either the 20th or 27th).
- Our rescheduled Valentine's party on Thursday, 2/20 (Abbey's birthday will now be celebrated on Friday, 2/21).
- Our Patriotic Unit (one of my personal favorites): our Country (looking at a map); symbols of the USA (Flag, Bald Eagle, Liberty Bell, Statue of Liberty in red, white, blue rice in sensory box); George Washington, The Father of our Country; Abraham Lincoln; marching to Patriotic music!
March field Trip...
Once again to let you know, our class will have a field trip to the Bucks County Children's Museum, New Hope, PA http://www.buckskids.org/ on Thursday, 3/27/14...details will be sent home to all 2-day families in a separate letter. In the meantime, I'd like to make you aware that we have been asked that only one (1) family member attend the trip with each student. Usually, we welcome siblings and other family members on our trips, but this one involves time in a small classroom for a brief (20 min.) lesson, as well as activities designed for one-on-one adult-child interaction. Hopefully, this advance notice will enable you to plan accordingly.
Save the date: April 4...
...and invite your guests...the children will present a Spring show on Friday, April 4th at 11:00 a.m. in the Sanctuary!!!
my little disclaimer....
Please forgive me if/when I fail to include a picture of every student in these updates...it's not intentional...our classroom is a very busy place so it's not possible to catch everything, plus absences and other factors (paint or glue on my hands!) affect picture taking...I operate without a plan - just snap when opportunities present themselves...hope you enjoy seeing those that I do catch. Thanks for your understanding.