This week we have been learning and exploring the letter D. We have talked about ducks, dogs, and drums. Our art experiences this week have been a lot of dots! When I finished putting up the work on our board we had 3 different kinds of dot art. We used the dot markers to create some masterpieces, we used dot stickers to decorate our D's, and we made dots with our fingers to make our dogs into dalmatians.
I will begin to try to blog about our week over the weekend. I hope everyone has a safe Labor Day weekend.
Friday, September 2, 2011
Thursday, March 24, 2011
Spring has sprung!
We have been busy this week reviewing R, S and T. It always amazes me at this time of the year how much preschoolers have learned since August! It also makes me sad that some of them will be leaving from my class soon. Most of the children recognize the letters and can give you the name and sound! They soak up so much. When one of them stops me in the middle of centers and says "Playdough starts with P!" I know they have been listening! These are the perks of being a preschool teacher! That and all the hugs and giggles I get!
We have been watching the season change and are becoming aware of the differences in each season! The kids are more and more aware of the world around them! We made spring trees on Wednesday. We used watercolors with droppers. Then we added pink for flowers. They made some pretty trees.
We have been reading "The Very Hungry Caterpillar" and talking about the changes that happen during metamorphosis. This story is excellent for expanding the children's vocabulary. We are on the lookout for a caterpillar to "adopt" so that we can watch it transform in our classroom.
We have 3 new friends in our class this week. Whenever we get new students it gives a chance to review class rules, practice being Super Friends, and practice being patient. Learning to empathize with others is a difficult skill to learn, and when our new friends are sad and upset, it gives us more opportunities to practice.
Speaking of skills to practice, we have been working on a "Manners Chain" since February. Any time I catch one of the children using there manners, we add a link to the chain. When the chain gets to the floor we are going to have a special treat. I think we may make it to the ground sometime next week. Some of the manners we are working on are - please and thank you, being respectful, taking care of our things, table manners, and being polite. We are also practicing speaking when someone speaks to you. All of these are life skills and are easier to learn when you are little. They are getting good at reminding each other (politely) and telling me when they see a friend using their manners.
We have been watching the season change and are becoming aware of the differences in each season! The kids are more and more aware of the world around them! We made spring trees on Wednesday. We used watercolors with droppers. Then we added pink for flowers. They made some pretty trees.
We have been reading "The Very Hungry Caterpillar" and talking about the changes that happen during metamorphosis. This story is excellent for expanding the children's vocabulary. We are on the lookout for a caterpillar to "adopt" so that we can watch it transform in our classroom.
We have 3 new friends in our class this week. Whenever we get new students it gives a chance to review class rules, practice being Super Friends, and practice being patient. Learning to empathize with others is a difficult skill to learn, and when our new friends are sad and upset, it gives us more opportunities to practice.
Speaking of skills to practice, we have been working on a "Manners Chain" since February. Any time I catch one of the children using there manners, we add a link to the chain. When the chain gets to the floor we are going to have a special treat. I think we may make it to the ground sometime next week. Some of the manners we are working on are - please and thank you, being respectful, taking care of our things, table manners, and being polite. We are also practicing speaking when someone speaks to you. All of these are life skills and are easier to learn when you are little. They are getting good at reminding each other (politely) and telling me when they see a friend using their manners.
Thursday, March 10, 2011
Rockets Away
Last week we talked about the letter R. Our favorite thing during the week was building our rocket ships. The children glued and taped and cut and colored to create there individual rockets. We also watched a video of the space shuttle taking off. It was an excellent chance for us to talk about space, astronauts, and earth. Here are some pictures of the kids and their rocket ships.
Waylon - He's working hard. That is a look of concentration. :-)
Charley - She's alll grins!
Keily - She built the whole launch pad!
Zoi is explaining how the rocket is going to go "up and up and up," see how she talks with her hands. 
Waylon - He's working hard. That is a look of concentration. :-)
Charley - She's alll grins! 
Tyler was so proud when he figured out how to get the two paper towel roll
is to stay togeter. This project is the first time we have ever used tape in our classroom.
Kayden
He was so into this project. His rocket kept getting bigger and bigger and he kept adding more and more boosters. If NASA was sending more space shuttles up, they should consider hiring him as an engineer!
This activity is a perfect example of the awesome hands on experiences that your kids need (and get at Perpetual Motion). The more they get to broaden their world and use multiple senses to apply what they are seeing and hearing, the better off they will be.
It is a joy to see them learning and enjoying things like this. That is why I don't mind a gigantic mess and mass chaos for small amounts of time. BTW - Thanks to Ms. Heather for everything she does! She loves it when we make huge messes like this. We all clean as we go, but she still gets stuck scrubbing glue off the table and fun things like that. Our classroom would not function like it does without her.
Thursday, February 24, 2011
Hooray for Log Cabins and long walks.
We had a fun and busy day today. We started the morning out by swapping out some of our toys in our classroom. The kids are always excited when I open the closet and start pulling stuff out. Yesterday I put out new puzzles, and they all went around the rooms and worked all of the new ones. Today I put ladder blocks and lacing spools out in the Math Center, new magnetic letters and lacing cards in the Language Center, and several new stencils in the Art Center. It's amazing what a few new toys can do for our mood!
I failed to mention that our pet, Mr. Crabby Crab has passed away. We miss him in our class room, but hopefully we will have a new pet soon. I do not know why, but I have the hardest time keeping our pets alive. I am very thankful, that so far Fish #3 is still alive.
We have been talking about our Presidents this week. The children are picking up on the names of several or our nations leaders. We have talked about George Washington, Abraham Lincoln, Franklin Roosevelt, and Barack Obama. We have sorted and counted coins, while we talk about the faces on each coin and we have read books about these great men. I don't expect for all the children to be able to repeat the names of all these presidents, but the exposure to the words and names is good for them. When I choose a theme, I don't do necessarily to teach the children facts about the theme. The theme is always used as a frame work to allow me to tie in as many different areas as possible. It helps me to keep new and interesting activities planned that keep the children interested. Sometimes the class is very interested in a theme and we may continue it or go back to it until they get bored, and sometimes they have no interest at all. In that case, we move on as quickly as possible. Our Log Cabins are another example of this. We discussed Abraham Lincoln and how he lived in a log cabin. Then we built log cabins out of pretzels. This was great building and thinking practice. The kids worked together in teams to stack the pretzels to look like Log Cabins. Then we glued them together. It was really fun, and when we got finished we got to taste the leftover pretzels.
To end our day today, we took a walk around the front and side of the building. We used a buddy system to walk and practiced being safe and watching out for cars. We heard a lot of sirens and talked about what the sirens mean. We tried to determine if the sirens were police, fire, or ambulance. It was really hard to tell. Waylon thought that they were firetruck sirens because of the sound they made. It was interesting to listen to them try to tell the difference between the different sirens we heard. We also saw the horses and some birds.
All and all it was a very pleasant day in our little world. Hopefully the sun will come out tomorrow so that we can spend some more time outside.
I failed to mention that our pet, Mr. Crabby Crab has passed away. We miss him in our class room, but hopefully we will have a new pet soon. I do not know why, but I have the hardest time keeping our pets alive. I am very thankful, that so far Fish #3 is still alive.
We have been talking about our Presidents this week. The children are picking up on the names of several or our nations leaders. We have talked about George Washington, Abraham Lincoln, Franklin Roosevelt, and Barack Obama. We have sorted and counted coins, while we talk about the faces on each coin and we have read books about these great men. I don't expect for all the children to be able to repeat the names of all these presidents, but the exposure to the words and names is good for them. When I choose a theme, I don't do necessarily to teach the children facts about the theme. The theme is always used as a frame work to allow me to tie in as many different areas as possible. It helps me to keep new and interesting activities planned that keep the children interested. Sometimes the class is very interested in a theme and we may continue it or go back to it until they get bored, and sometimes they have no interest at all. In that case, we move on as quickly as possible. Our Log Cabins are another example of this. We discussed Abraham Lincoln and how he lived in a log cabin. Then we built log cabins out of pretzels. This was great building and thinking practice. The kids worked together in teams to stack the pretzels to look like Log Cabins. Then we glued them together. It was really fun, and when we got finished we got to taste the leftover pretzels.
To end our day today, we took a walk around the front and side of the building. We used a buddy system to walk and practiced being safe and watching out for cars. We heard a lot of sirens and talked about what the sirens mean. We tried to determine if the sirens were police, fire, or ambulance. It was really hard to tell. Waylon thought that they were firetruck sirens because of the sound they made. It was interesting to listen to them try to tell the difference between the different sirens we heard. We also saw the horses and some birds.
All and all it was a very pleasant day in our little world. Hopefully the sun will come out tomorrow so that we can spend some more time outside.
Tuesday, February 15, 2011
O Be Careful What You Say and Do!
I had a good reminder today of how much is "caught" instead of "taught". I was asking Zoi a question today, and she looked at me as straight faced as possible, and said "Haven't I already answered that, I told you already!" LOL She sounded like a recording of me! AND, if I had to guess, the faces she was making were an imitation of mine as well. Preschoolers are like sponges, they soak up everything, even things that we don't realize they are absorbing!
Today we made STOP signs. We were reviewing the letter O, so we talked about OCTAGON (which Charley and Zoi could read all the letters to spell), and we traced the letters S-T-O-P, colored the sign red and then cut out the octagon. We also talked about where we see a STOP sign and what it means. So be aware, your children will be on the lookout for stop signs and what you are supposed to do when you see one. They are now Traffic Cops!
We are so thankful for the nice weather. It has been super nice to get to go outside. We all had cabin fever, bad. The children were in desperate need of some fresh air and space to run! I know winter isn't over yet, but we will enjoy it while we can.
Although the change in the weather is nice, other changes are sometimes difficult. Stability is something that we work to maintain in our classroom. Preschoolers thrive when they know what to expect and what "normal" is. When the things that they know as constant change, they begin to question everything around them. Many of the children in our classroom are in a time of transition at home. When life happens and things have to change, there are some things you can do to maintain as much stability as possible and to prepare your preschooler for what is coming. Here are a few suggestions:
Today we made STOP signs. We were reviewing the letter O, so we talked about OCTAGON (which Charley and Zoi could read all the letters to spell), and we traced the letters S-T-O-P, colored the sign red and then cut out the octagon. We also talked about where we see a STOP sign and what it means. So be aware, your children will be on the lookout for stop signs and what you are supposed to do when you see one. They are now Traffic Cops!
We are so thankful for the nice weather. It has been super nice to get to go outside. We all had cabin fever, bad. The children were in desperate need of some fresh air and space to run! I know winter isn't over yet, but we will enjoy it while we can.
Although the change in the weather is nice, other changes are sometimes difficult. Stability is something that we work to maintain in our classroom. Preschoolers thrive when they know what to expect and what "normal" is. When the things that they know as constant change, they begin to question everything around them. Many of the children in our classroom are in a time of transition at home. When life happens and things have to change, there are some things you can do to maintain as much stability as possible and to prepare your preschooler for what is coming. Here are a few suggestions:
- Talk to your child. Give them as much information as is appropriate. If they have a vague idea of what is coming, they won't be caught completely off guard.
- Keep as many routines intact as possible - meals, bedtimes, wake up, school, etc... This will help keep them grounded.
- Make time for "down time." A little snuggle time goes a long way!
- Communicate, Communicate, Communicate - If I know things are changing, I can help your child work thru what is going on.
Thursday, February 10, 2011
Valentine's Cards
Today we made Valentine's Cards. I will admit to being overambitious and slightly insane, but I wanted the kids to have something personalized and handmade to share with each other. So we spent the day coloring hearts, gluing them to cards, and adding stickers and other decorations, then deciding who each card was for. 11 cards per child, for all 12 kids. Needless to say, this project took us all day. But, the kids are all excited for the Valentine's Day Party and are looking forward to the cards that they have made for each other.
Monday, January 10, 2011
Snow Days
Well, tommorrow is another Snow Day. We are closed again. You all know I am new to East Tennnessee, but this snow is something else!
Hopefully we will be back at school on Wednesday. Until then I hope that all of you are enjoying some extra time with your little ones. I can't wait to hear all the stories of what they did while we had this beautiful snow.
My family and I are moving into a new place this weekend, so I am using the extra time to pack and get ready. Moving is no fun, so I am thankful for a little extra time.
Hopefully we will be back at school on Wednesday. Until then I hope that all of you are enjoying some extra time with your little ones. I can't wait to hear all the stories of what they did while we had this beautiful snow.
My family and I are moving into a new place this weekend, so I am using the extra time to pack and get ready. Moving is no fun, so I am thankful for a little extra time.
Thursday, January 6, 2011
Welcome!
I thought that a blog for our classroom would be a fun way for you to have a glimpse of what we do on a day to day basis. I won't promise that it will be a daily thing, but I do hope to blog regularly. There won't be anything profound or extremely awesome here, just regular things that we do all the time. It might give you some insite to why we do things the way that we do them in our classroom.
Today we finished up some more of our snow people 3D projects. The older kids are really enjoying being creative and original as they build a snow person!
Two of our favorite stories right now are Pinkalicious and The Snowy Day. Both stories have a boy named Peter in them. Ask your child to tell you about the stories.
Last week we painted in the snow and measured a GIANT icicle. I posted some pictures by the door for you to see all the fun things we did.
Today we went on a walk just to get out of the room for a little while. We went outside and ran and hopped and jumped to burn off some energy. Then we walked around and found some things that are still green to add to our science center. We found several things, even when most everything is dead for the winter. One of the things we found was a piece of an evergreen tree, and it smells like christmas to me!
Speaking of everything being dead - we have lost our second fish friend since our Christmas party. I am apparently doing something wrong. So we will try one more time with a new fish and a new bowl. Keep your fingers crossed that this one survives for a little while. Luckily, the hermit crab is thriving and has become something the kids look forward to seeing everyday.
Leave me a comment and let me know what you think of the blog idea. I love to get some feedback from all of you.
Today we finished up some more of our snow people 3D projects. The older kids are really enjoying being creative and original as they build a snow person!
Two of our favorite stories right now are Pinkalicious and The Snowy Day. Both stories have a boy named Peter in them. Ask your child to tell you about the stories.
Last week we painted in the snow and measured a GIANT icicle. I posted some pictures by the door for you to see all the fun things we did.
Today we went on a walk just to get out of the room for a little while. We went outside and ran and hopped and jumped to burn off some energy. Then we walked around and found some things that are still green to add to our science center. We found several things, even when most everything is dead for the winter. One of the things we found was a piece of an evergreen tree, and it smells like christmas to me!
Speaking of everything being dead - we have lost our second fish friend since our Christmas party. I am apparently doing something wrong. So we will try one more time with a new fish and a new bowl. Keep your fingers crossed that this one survives for a little while. Luckily, the hermit crab is thriving and has become something the kids look forward to seeing everyday.
Leave me a comment and let me know what you think of the blog idea. I love to get some feedback from all of you.
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