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. 

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. 

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! 

Keily - She built the whole launch pad!

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.