november 22
ART
This week we made a third visit to an activity that is essentially an introduction to collage - an assemblage of different materials on a flat surface. This time we explored an assortment of rubber stamps, ink pads, markers, glitter and glue to finish our Thanksgiving collage. Playing with different colors, textures and patterns helps us to make sensory discoveries and further develops our fine-motor and hand-eye coordination. We are continuing to learn about communicating through materials as we make independent choices to organize visual elements into satisfying arrangements.
DRAMA
Last week in drama, we did an interactive retelling of the familiar story of “The Little Red Hen.” The children played multiple roles of the duck, the cat, and the pig, who eventually come around to share the work of making the homemade bread for Thanksgiving dinner. We used poly spots to represent the bread dough. We had fun rolling, kneading, pounding, and baking together.
DRAMATIC PLAY / SOCIAL EMOTIONAL LEARNING
This week the children have been helping each other make their own capes in the dramatic play center. We have a bunch of large pieces of cloth, and the children figured out how to help tie it around each other’s shoulders so that they can be superheroes or princesses! It is great that they are able to help each other rather than ask teachers. They love to look in the long mirror admiring the capes they made.
LITERACY
This week in literacy, we listened to lots of stories at the listening center. We discussed how most stories have a main character, and we also started to identify each main character in the stories we listened to. We started putting the final touches on our Rules of the Roost (or the Rules of School) book. Each 4 year old (and some 3’s) contributed a rule they think is important to keep each other safe while at school. We wrote down each rule and added a colorful illustration. This annual book project will be published soon, and each family will be able to take home a copy. At the end of the week, we made signs for Caroline’s (drama) farmers market activity. The signs helped us to identify the different stands at our farmers market. We also played with alphabet sensory bags and wrote down what letters we identified in each bag.
MATH / COMMUNITY CENTER
This week in the math center we worked on our November self portraits. It’s been great to see the difference between their portraits in September and their portraits now! We also teamed up with Caroline in the drama center for her farmers market. We made dollar bills to buy fruit and vegetables and talked about how to count their money. Some of the kids also made wallets for their money!
MUSIC
This week in music, we continued on with our exploration of fast and slow tempos. Also, we started discussing our upcoming Winter Sing! Using a call and response format, the children began to learn the wintertime classic “Happy Holiday” by Irving Berlin. They were encouraged to “echo” back the tune that they heard me sing, a skill that hones their listening capabilities and ability to match pitch (sing back the note that our ears hear).
SCIENCE
This week at the science center we continued to focus on trees and animals that make their homes in trees. Our projects inspired great conversations about wood, trees, and the various habitats of different animals. We made a chart called “Parts of the Tree” wherein some children created a representation of a tree and others helped label the various parts of the tree. We also started making a home for our two new adorable beaver friends. The children worked together, sharing and listening to each other’s ideas. We discussed how beavers work together as a team to make their homes. We read several books about beavers and animal homes, including Animal Architects and Animal Homes by Angela Wilkes. Lastly, the children made a special place for our owl, which they decided to call an “owl pocket,” and they constructed a little house for our two frogs, which the children named Sam and Elliott.
TWOs
This week in the nest we started talking about Thanksgiving, and we spoke a bit about being thankful for our mommys, daddys, teachers, toys, and even our baby brothers and sisters. We began making turkeys which we will finish up next week. This week’s favorite book was Are You My Mother? by P.D. Eastman.
november 15
ART
This week we have been introduced to some basic printmaking concepts. We are discovering that many things can be used to create a print... even our own hands! As we press our hands or shaped sponges into paint and then onto paper we are experiencing cause and effect through our own actions. We are learning that rubbing will not transfer (print) the shape but that by carefully moving our materials up and down we can create multiple images. We are discovering, through this sometimes messy process of playing with color and shapes, that the unfamiliar or uncomfortable sensation of messy hands is not only harmless ..it can even be fun!
DRAMA
This past week in drama, we reenacted two fall-themed stories. Three year olds played multiple roles in the interactive telling of Possum's Harvest Moon by Anne Hunter, celebrating one last harvest soiree before hibernation. Four year olds interacted as the two famous friends, Frog and Toad in The Surprise. They have the same idea to surprise each other by raking the leaves in each other's yard, until some pesky squirrels have the last word. The children enjoyed exploring Frog's and Toad's houses and playing with colorful laminated leaves.
DRAMATIC PLAY / SOCIAL EMOTIONAL LEARNING
The children continue to enjoy using the (non-functioning) computers in the dramatic play center. Some of them even decided to take them on their train trip this morning! (Please see the photos of the train in this week’s folder.) At the sensory and playdough tables, the children used popsicle sticks with play dough and continued to rip paper in the small sensory bin - a wonderful fine motor activity.
LITERACY
This week in literacy, we used unifix cubes and alphabet templates to create letters. We also started to talk about kindness, as we will be introducing a weekly kindness project in the upcoming weeks. We continued to work on our collaborative Thanksgiving project with Nancy. Lastly, we contributed to the classroom by writing the days of the week on big poster board to help us identify what day it is during our daily morning and afternoon meetings. We finished the week with a fun day of Zingo to help work on matching pictures and words!
MATH / COMMUNITY CENTER
This week in the math and community center the kids worked on patterning and shape identification. They completed different puzzles using a variety of shapes. I also started speech screenings this week, which meant that our super substitute Nancy D covered the math and community center on Thursday and Friday. She and the children used a variety of different materials for building, exploring balance and stability while they built.
MUSIC
During music, all of our students worked hard to find the beat of many of our favorite songs. The three and four year olds explored fast and slow songs by tapping rhythm sticks to the pulse of our music. The children enjoyed "playing in a band" and making sure they were tapping in time with one another. They also learned a new word: tempo. We learned that tempo measures how fast or slow a song is played. Our two year olds joined in on the rhythm fun, as well! They were introduced to egg shakers this week and last. They had the opportunity to shake along to their favorite songs, and play "Stop and Go" with their shakers, which is a fun way to hone our listening skills in group.
SCIENCE
This week at the science center we continued our exploration of trees and leaves, focusing more closely on how trees are also homes and food for many animals. The children remain particularly interested in beavers and owls, so we will continue to explore those animals and the ways they use and interact with trees. We have begun work around constructing a beaver dam - stay tuned to see how this project unfolds. In addition to our work on beavers and owls this week, we also planted our Halloween pumpkin seeds in large pots and predicted when the seeds might sprout. Answers ranged from “tomorrow” to “100 years!”
TWOs
This week in the nest we finished painting the first letters of our names, which is a great exercise for letter recognition as well as fine motor skill development. We also played more frequently in the big classroom because the weather was often too cold to allow us to fully enjoy the park or walks. When in the nest, we started talking about feelings and how sometimes we can feel happy, sad, mad or silly. To accompany our feelings conversation we read the books When Sophie Gets Angry, Really, Really, Angry by Molly Bang and also the book Everything by Christopher Silas Neal.
november 8
ART
We have been painting using wide brushes, thinned tempera and liquid watercolors in varying shades of blue onto large sheets of watercolor paper wetted with clean water. The objective in this first step of a three step Thanksgiving activity is to create a beautiful sky using a “wash”. We are watching how color spreads and blends as it floats in the water, and we are learning to brush gently rather than scrubbing with our brushes which might cause our paper to pill or even drill holes . By working side by side and comparing solutions we are discovering that even using a limited and subtle color palette our paintings are each wonderfully unique.
DRAMA
This past week in drama, Old Mother Witch made her annual visit to celebrate Halloween with the children. She taught them some games, incorporating various call and response rhymes that explore different emotions. We used this rhyming dialogue to play a version of Red Light/ Green Light. The children really enjoyed sneaking up on Old Mother Witch when her back was turned and running away when she "caught" them moving.
DRAMATIC PLAY / SOCIAL EMOTIONAL LEARNING
This week we had paper for the children to rip in the small sensory bin. This is great for their fine motor skills as well as a great lesson in cause and effect. In the dramatic play area I put out some old real laptops and keyboards which they have really enjoyed. There are only a few so they have had to work hard at taking turns!
LITERACY
In literacy, we started the week by opening the listening center and listening to stories like “The Very Hungry Caterpillar,” “How Do Dinosaurs Eat Their Food,” and “The New Bear At School.” We started to work on a collaborative project with Nancy by talking about Thanksgiving and what it means to be thankful. We then drew pictures and wrote all of the many things that we were thankful for. The children also enjoyed drawing in their journals and “fishing” with magnetic letters at the sensory table.
MATH / COMMUNITY CENTER
This week, we discussed the different attributes of objects by way of understanding that objects can be sorted according to different factors. For example, we organized the counting bears by color and then by size. We also collaborated with science by building houses for the plastic animals, designing each habitat to match the size and shape of each animal or animal family.
MUSIC
This week in music, we continued to explore the cigar box guitar and started talking about how instruments are made up of many different parts. We learned some of the names of the guitar, such as resonator and strings.
SCIENCE
This week at the science center we continued to talk about leaves and trees. The children sorted, counted and charted an assortment of leaves. On the table, I presented an assortment of objects that come from trees. We identified the objects and compared them to other objects in nature such as rocks, crystals, feathers, and shells. This led to a conversation about environments and where the different objects come from. We also started a discussion about trees as homes for animals, thus far focusing on beavers and owls. We read Tree by Britta Teckantup, Animal Homes by Angela Wilkes, and Tap the Magic Tree by Christie Matheson.
TWOs
This week in the nest was action-packed. We brought out some new toys, LEGO’s, and new puzzles. The children really enjoyed building towers with the LEGO’s - working alone and also in groups. We also took both groups to the playground for the first time. We learned the rules of the playground and the importance of staying safe. Lastly, the twos loved exploring the different fruits and vegetables that our duty parents have been providing at snack!
Photos will return next week!
november 1
ART
This week as some of us busied ourselves putting final touches on our Halloween webs, other friends who had already finished had the opportunity to drop by the Art Center to create a 2-D paper pumpkin. Markers, stickers, scissors, black paper and glue were provided as well as encouragement to consider our lines, shapes and design possibilities. Using the iPad together, we looked at the expressive qualities of jack-o-lantern faces for inspiration. The threes were particularly enthralled with practicing their scissor skills causing the table and floor to become quickly littered with scraps of paper as they happily clipped away. On Halloween we observed as our large classroom pumpkins were cut open and transformed into jack-o-lanterns. As we took turns scooping out the pulp and seeds we enjoyed exploring slimy stringy textures, smelling the pungent flesh, amplifying our voices inside the empty cavity and observing the exciting glow when a light was placed inside. Finally, we proudly delivered our excavated pumpkin seeds to the Science Center!
DRAMA
In our drama groups last week, we celebrated Halloween with a visit from Baby Bones and his dad, Mr. Bones. Everyone had a great time moving and shaking their Halloween bones, as we talked about the skeletons inside of our bodies and also played a follow the leader activity incorporating the song, Them Bones.
DRAMATIC PLAY / SOCIAL EMOTIONAL LEARNING
This week was a super exciting time in the dramatic play area because we introduced some “technology!” We added four realistic looking cell phones that unfortunately came pre-charged to blink and beep (a CHP no-no!). The kids were sent on a mission to “drain the batteries.” They were so proud when they finally got them to stop making noises and lighting up. The children made so many phone calls to those near (friends in the classroom) and far (family members not at school). I also added some old cameras which they have loved. They are able to press the buttons, strike a pose, and feel like real photographers.
LITERACY
This week in literacy, we used alphabet rocks and explored upper and lowercase letters. Some friends used them to line up and spell out the letters of their names and others used them to trace and copy the letters onto paper/ wipe boards. We spent time drawing and writing in our journals that are now out and accessible everyday for the children to use. We also enjoyed the listening center. This week we alternated between listening to a book on CD and reading a book aloud. At the end of the week, we worked on story sequencing and letter recognition with sequencing cards and word puzzles.
MATH / COMMUNITY CENTER
This week in the math and community center we got in the Halloween spirit! We pulled out our creepy spiders and webs for a 1-1 correspondence activity. We also practiced turn taking and group work during a pass the pumpkin activity. The kids all sat in a circle and passed a pumpkin to each other as we sang the Wonderpumpkin song (the same lyrics as the wonderball song). The student left holding the pumpkin when the song ended turned into a pumpkin themselves and sat in the middle of the circle (aka the “pumpkin patch”:)
MUSIC
This week in music, we dove into a spooky songwriting activity all about Halloween night! While singing to the tune of "Ten Little Pumpkins," we used our imaginations to picture the sights we might see while trick-or-treating on Halloween night. The children enjoyed singing about spooky ghosts, meeting their neighbors while trick-or-treating, and their very imaginative Halloween costumes. During group, the children also had the chance to hear Mel's cigar box guitar. We talked about its unique characteristics, and the ways it differs from the ukulele they usually see in music class. We learned that in the past, musicians without access to traditional instruments often made their own, out of things they found in their homes or cities. This sparked an interesting and unexpected discussion about making music with found instruments. I was delighted to hear about all the ways the children find and create music as they move through their own neighborhood!
SCIENCE
This week at the science center we continued talking about pumpkins. We sliced opened a small pumpkin and washed the seeds using sieves and spoons. We examined the pulp and seeds from the big pumpkins that Nancy carved and washed those seeds in the water table. This week, we also did some leaf observations on a neighborhood walk and did leaf rubbings and drawings of leaves in the classroom. We read Leaf Man and Red Leaf, Yellow Leaf by Lois Elhert.
TWOs
This week we finished our dot, dot paint Halloween activity, which was a great chance to practice fine motor skills alongside turn-taking and sharing. We did our first indoor activity and obstacle course in the back, because the weather didn’t always allow for a daily walk. This weeks favorite books were Little Owl Lost by Chris Haughton and Giraffes Can't Dance by Gile Andreae and Guy Parker-Rees. It is so fun to see as the children begin to take ownership of our bookshelf, selecting their favorite books and finding a cozy spot and a teacher with whom to share a story.