Mrs. LaPlante's Newsletter
Week of January 30 - February 3, 2023
UPCOMING EVENTS:
- February 8 - EARLY DISMISSAL
- February 10 - Class Group Pictures
- February 12 - PTO Family Dance
- February 14 - Friendship Day (aka Valentine's Day)
- February 17 - NO SCHOOL (Teacher Workday)
- February 20 - NO SCHOOL (Teacher Workday)
- February 23 - PTO Family Night: Focus on Math 5:30-7:00PM
- February 24 - Spirit Day (Wear your green & gold)
It's not real. It is a TOY Pet in our Enclosure :-)
We discussed that an enclosure is a space that is closed in, such as a plastic container, and that an aquarium is a glass tank where fish or animals are kept. We have our pet fish, Pebbles, living in a small aquarium showing us a good example of one. Then I remembered that I had a plastic enclosure filled with different plastic or rubber pet toys.
I acted spontaneously in the moment and selected a toy spider. My apologies for not asking parents first about this toy.
I pulled them all out and saw our toy (let me emphasize...TOY) spider. I knew that most would be interested in safely seeing a "pet spider" in an enclosure. Most of them wanted to hold it knowing that it was a toy that looked real-life. They thought it was amazing. I thought they were very BRAVE. I would never.never.never.never.ever want to be near a real one this size.
So, we got to see a real enclosure keeping a "pet" closed in with vents on top for air to flow in. I'm pretty sure the children will remember this new vocabulary word... enclosure.
I asked the children if they wanted a picture of them holding our TOY "pet" spider. Here you go!
A Pet Expert Visited Us TODAY!!
1. Do you keep domesticated cats at the zoo?
2. Do dogs and cats love food or people?
3. Can I pet a new animal?
4. Can I feed the new animal?
5. Does a snake bite people?
6. Can you come to my house to meet my new puppy?
7. Does the crab pinch?
Everyone was excited to greet our visitor. Journie had to no idea that our guest Pet Expert was going to be her Mom! She was grinning from ear to ear when she saw her mom. Her mom, Kim Hatfield, is the owner of Waggles just down the street from our school. She does a fantastic job grooming my daughter's doberman pet, so I knew I needed to access this wonderful resource to include in our Pets Study.
The children learned about an important sticker to display on their home window that says, "In Case of Emergency Please Save Our Pets!" if there was ever a need to get everyone out of a house and rescuers needed to know about the family pets. Your child will bring this home today. Your child will also bring home a gift from Ms. Hatfield that will be either a puppy playset or a kitten playset. She left some fun pet themed activities for us to do later in class this week. We talked about fostering pets and how Journie's family got Chia, their new little puppy.
We just wanted to say THANK YOU, MS. HATFIELD, FOR VISITING OUR CLASS AND FOR LETTING US MEET CHIA!!! Thank you for the gifts, too!
And let's not forget her little puppy, Chia....
The children each had a turn to ask the pet owner if they could pet her puppy. They let Chia smell their hand first and then was allowed to pet the puppy. Later they each got a chance to feed Chia a very small treat.
Enjoy the pictures!
Pets: INV. 2 - Where do pets live?
- What does our classroom pet need in his or her habitat?
- How do pets make their own beds?
- Why do some pets live in cages?
- Our pet in the natural world. What if our pet lived in the wild? What would his habitat look like?
- How much space does our pet need?
Vocabulary:
habitat
cage
enclosure
aquarium
nest
bedding
gallon
inch
Pets: INV. 1 - What kinds of animals are pets? What are some characteristics of pets?
- Why are some animals pets and others not pets. We sorted different pictures of these animals using a Venn diagram.
- Why wild animals are not pets because they can be dangerous and unpredictable, and they usually do not like to live with people.
- What is an animal shelter and what would we see in one. We looked at a map diagram of the different areas in an animal shelter.
- Did 2 virtual field trips to 2 different animal shelters.
- Introduced new vocabulary words: shelter, reception, rescued
- Came up with questions to ask an expert on how to meet and interact with new animals.
Pets: Exploring the Topic
- Display a collection of books about pets and a few items related to pets (e.g., pet toys, a collar, etc.) and discuss what did they notice about the pets in the books and pictures.
- We will begin a "What We Know About Pets" chart.
- Introduce the word domesticated into our discussion.
- Talk about the physical characteristics of our classroom pet fish.
- Introduce the word wild by comparing pics of domesticated animals living near people to pics of wild animals living apart from people.
- Sort toy stuffed animals into two categories: domesticated and wild.
- Discuss "What We Want to Find Out About Pets."
Great Discussion today! : "No touching" walk around pets
The children role-played asking for permission to touch a pet, using our classroom pet or stuffed animals. One group had a pet pig. Another group had a pet cat. Our last group had a pet dog. The activity went great and each child had the chance to be the pet owner while everyone else in the group practice how to approach an unfamiliar pet.
Our focus was to remind the children to use quiet voices and to move slowly around the animals so that the animals would feel more secure. This is the "no touching" walk meaning that they will observe the animals they find but not touch them. They must get the pet owner's permission first.
LEARNING FOCUS: the PETS STUDY
Please let us know if you or another family member works with pets or has a gentle, interesting pet to share with the class. We would love to arrange a time for you to join us in our investigations.
What You Can Do at Home:
- Notice pets in your community. Be on the lookout for pets at dog parks, on walks, in cars, and in homes. Talk about the kinds of animals you and your child like. How does it make you feel to interact with a pet?
- If you have a pet at home, invite your child to help care for the animal. Together, feed the pet and fill water containers. Talk about what, how often, and how much your pet eats and drinks. Invite children to watch as you clean the pet's habitat or to help you groom the pet.
- Look for books about pets at your local library, examine pet supplies at the grocery store, and watch how pets move and play. Invite your child to pretend to move or sound like different pets. Keep a tally of the pets you see each day.
ReadyRosie - PET GREETINGS
Learning Outcomes: Listening and Speaking, Self-Management, Social Awareness, Family Traditions and Identity
It can be exciting to meet a new animal! Talk to your child about how to approach unfamiliar pets and ask their owners for permission before touching.
Why It's Important
It’s important to teach children how to be safe when they approach unfamiliar animals. Some pets can get nervous and do not appreciate young children’s attention. Practicing how to ask permission and touch the pet gently can prepare your child to use these steps the next time they meet a new pet!
Not Ready Yet
Model how to ask for permission to interact with an unfamiliar pet, such as asking “May I pet your dog?,” and invite your child to take turns role-playing as a pet owner. Practice what your child can do if the pet’s owner does not give permission to touch.
Need a Challenge
Invite your child to think of other questions they might have for the pet owner. For example, your child might ask how the pet likes to play, the pet’s name, and how to pet or scratch the pet the way it likes.
REMINDERS:
- Check ClassDojo everyday for messages.
- SIGN your child's Read To Me LOG and Daily Reflection FORM every night.
- RETURN the Red Book Bags every Thursday morning.
Mrs. LaPlante
5:00 PM and into Evenings, including Weekends
Email: laplanted@wilkes.k12.nc.us
Phone: 336-651-4359