Wednesday, November 30, 2016

Group Meeting:  The Cookie Store held it's Grand Opening today.  After our discussion, the children were busy baking and selling cookies, hot chocolate and coffee.

Story:  Our story for today was If I Had a Snowplow by Jean L.S. Patrick.  "If I Had a Snowplow", is the story of a little boy who shows his love for his mother through imaginative play with his toys. If he had a snowplow he would crash through the deep snow to clear a road for her, if he had a cement mixer he would pour a sidewalk for her.  At the end of the story, the boy knows that his toys are pretend, so he tells his mother what he would like to do for her.  Ask your child to tell you what that was.

Small Groups:  The activities for this week are listed in Monday's post.  The schedule for today is:
Activity #1  Green Group
Activity #2  Red Group
Activity #3  Yellow Group

Large Group:  The children made the letter O on the wet, dry, try boards.   We checked out concrete to see if it had "cured".  We also started learning some new songs for the Christmas program. 

Snacks:  The morning class had peanut butter Ritz bits and milk brought by Andon.  The afternoon class had cheese sticks, oyster crackers, and juice brought by Beckett.  Thank you! 

Tuesday, November 29, 2016

Group Meeting:  Yesterday, we decided to change our Housekeeping Area into a cookie store.  Today, I brought a few of the items that I had gathered to show the children.  Tomorrow, we will make the change.

Story:  Our story for today was Me on the Map by Joan Sweeney.  In this book, a girl shows a map that she has drawn of her room.  Then, she shows a map of her house, street, state, country and world.   After the story,  we talked about addresses and where everyone lives.  Please take a few minutes to show your child the number on your house and your street sign if you have not already done so. 

Small Groups:  The activities for this week are listed in yesterday's post.  The schedule for today was:
Activity #1 Yellow Group
Activity #2 Green Group
Activity #3 Red Group

Large Group:  Following our story, the children drew a map of their bedroom.  The children wrote the words "My Room" on their papers.  We also looked at the concrete that we had mixed yesterday.  The surface was still a little wet.  We will check it again tomorrow.

Snacks:  The morning class had cheese sticks, graham crackers and juice brought by Adde.  The afternoon class had Scooby Snacks and milk brought by Ashlyn.  Thank you!

Monday, November 28, 2016

It's good to be back to school!

Group Meeting: We are going to change our Housekeeping Area into a Christmas Cookie Bakery.  The children helped me make a list of all of the things that we are going to need.  I will get those things together so that they can help me rearrange things on Wednesday.

Story:  Our story for today was David's Drawings by Cathryn Falwell.  One winter day David sees a beautiful bare tree. As soon as he gets to school, he begins to draw a beautiful picture of the tree he has seen. One by one his classmates come by with suggestions for the drawing, but the fun really starts when they all join David to add grass, stickers, clouds, a rainbow, and other imaginative details to the picture. And as the drawing develops, David finds a way to make new friends.  Ask you child to tell you what David does with the drawing.

Small Groups:  We are back to our regular small group schedule.  The activities and schedule for today were:
Activity #1 (red group)  The children played a game in which they had to count the number of syllables (claps) in a word and put that word in the correct box.
Activity #2  (yellow group)  The children made a group painting of roads.  They used brushes to guide paint around various obstacles that were placed on a large sheet of newsprint.  When the paint dries, the children will add houses and building to the empty spaces.
Activity #3 (green group)  The children colored a picture of Santa.  We will use these pictures to count down the days until Christmas, starting on Thursday. 

Large Group:  The children mixed concrete mix and water in individual cups.   When it was completely mixed, they dumped it into a square form.   When the square dries, we will take it out of the mold and add road lines, signs, etc.

Snacks:  The morning class had lemon poppy seed muffins and juice brought by Topher.  The afternoon class had Goldfish and juice brought by Addison.  Thank you!


Tuesday, November 22, 2016

Happy Thanksgiving!

Group Meeting:  The children shared their plans for the Thanksgiving holiday.  Then, we danced the Turkey Hokey Pokey.

Story:  Our story was Who Will Carve the Turkey This Thanksgiving? by Jerry Pallotta.  It is Thanksgiving Day and the turkey needs to be carved. Who will do the job? A killer whale, or a saber-toothed tiger, or a Tyrannosaurus rex? None of those seem to be quite right. So who will carve the Turkey this Thanksgiving?  Ask your child to tell you.

Small Group:  The children had another "Let's Find Out" magazine to view and discuss.  This one was about the Wampanoag people and Pilgrim people.  The back page had words for us to complete by figuring out the beginning letter/sound.  The children did this page very well!

Large Group:  The children played a game called "The Turkeys and the Farmer".  The farmer is trying to catch a turkey for Thanksgiving (I played that part).  The turkeys (children) stand on one side of the room (field).  They ask if they can cross to the other side.  The farmer calls out a color.  If the turkeys are wearing that color, they may cross.  However, the rest of the turkeys get chased across the room trying to get to the other side without being tagged.  It was a fun way to end the day.

Snacks:  The morning class had cheese sticks, granola bars, and juice brought by Taylor.  The afternoon class had bread, peanut butter, jelly and juice brought by Wesley.  Thank you!

We hope that everyone enjoys the Thanksgiving Holiday!

Monday, November 21, 2016

Turkeys

Group Meeting:  This week, we have two days of school.  So, we will not be doing individual small groups or a letter of the week.  Our normal school routine will return on the 28th.

Story:  Our story for today was Twas the Night Before Thanksgiving by Dav Pilkey.  A group of  children are riding in a school bus when they happen upon a turkey farm.  They stop and meet the owner, Farmer Mack Nugget.  He introduces them to his turkeys.  The children have a wonderful time playing with the turkeys.  Then, one child notices an ax by the barn door.  What is it for?  What will happen to the turkeys?  Ask your child to tell you how the children save the turkeys from being eaten on Thanksgiving.

Small Group:  The children looked at and listened to the magazine "Let's Find Out", about turkeys.  They completed the coloring page on the back. 

Large Group:  The children played the game Marching Around the Alphabet.  This is musical game in which the children march in a circle around letters of the alphabet.  When the whistle blows, they stop by a letter, pick it up and identify it.  Help was given to those who were unsure.

Snacks:  The morning class had graham crackers and juice brought by Scarlett.  The afternoon class had Ritz crackers, peanut butter, and juice brought by Vivian.  Thank you!

Wednesday, November 16, 2016

Preparing for the Field Trip

Group Meeting:  We discussed our plans for tomorrows field trip.  We will have a little class time before having snacks and preparing to go.  We will have a list of questions prepared for Mrs. Emerson.

Story:  Our story for today was Ten Little Pilgrims by B.G. Hennessey.   This book uses the rhythm of the song "Ten Little Indians" to tell the story of the Pilgrims coming to America and meeting the Wampanoag people.  The Pilgrim and Wampanoag children help with growing food and hunting animals to prepare for the first Thanksgiving feast.  Ask your child to tell you what the turkeys were doing.

Small Groups:  I read the story Thanksgiving is for Giving Thanks by Margaret Sutherland.  The children in this story tell about the things for which they are thankful.  After the story, I gave the children a paper feather from our turkey bulletin board display.  On the feathers, they drew pictures of things that make them thankful. 

Large Group:  The children used the wet, dry, try boards to make the letter C.  Then we went to the Outdoor Classroom.

Snacks:  The morning class had muffins, bananas, and juice brought by Mason.  The afternoon class had diced peaches and milk brought by Elliott.  Yesterday, the afternoon class had yogurt and raspberries brought by Paxton.  Thank you, everyone!

Monday, November 14, 2016

Group Meeting:  We discussed the upcoming field trip to the Bettendorf Food Pantry.  I told them that the food pantry was a place for people to go to get food if they didn't have any at home or if they didn't have money to buy food.  On Thursday, the children will be taking food to the pantry and put it on the shelves. 

Story:  Our story was Last Stop on Market Street by Matt de la Pena.  Every Sunday after church, CJ and his grandma ride the bus across town. But today, CJ wonders why they don’t own a car like his friend Colby. Why doesn’t he have an iPod like the boys on the bus? How come they always have to get off in the dirty part of town? Each question is met with an encouraging answer from grandma, who helps him see the beauty—and fun—in their routine and the world around them.

Small Group:  Because of our schedule this week with Parent/Teacher conferences and the field trip, we will be doing more large group activities.  Today, the children were given a picture of a plate.  They were asked to draw their favorite meal.  I tied this in to our Group Meeting discussion of helping those who don't have enough food or don't always get to eat their favorite food.  We held a discussion on the kinds of food that they could bring with them to the food pantry.

Large Group:  In our road study, we are learning the purpose of roads.  We talked about vehicles using roads to transport people and using roads to transport things.  We took paper and pencils outside to tally how many vehicles go by the preschool that are transporting people and how many are moving things from one place to another.  You will find that we had many more vehicles transporting people due to the preschool being in a mostly residential area.

Snacks:  The morning class had beef sticks, cheese sticks, and juice brought by Kolsyn.

Thursday, November 10, 2016

A busy, but fun day!

Group Meeting:   We made some changes in our schedule so that we would have plenty of time to go outside during play time and spend most of our day outdoors.  It was very nice.

Story:  The story that I read was The Doorbell Rang by Pat Hutchins.  In this story, Ma has made a batch of cookies.  She puts them on the table for the two children to share, and then the doorbell rang.  Two neighbor children were at the door. There are enough cookies to share, and then the doorbell rang.  More children were at the door.  There are enough cookies to share, and then the doorbell rang.  As more and more children come to the door, there are only enough cookies for everyone to have one, and then the doorbell rang.  What happens next?  Ask your child to tell you.

Small Groups:  The children made Pumpkin Muffins to eat at snack time.  The recipe was very simple;  one yellow cake mix, one can of pumpkin, one teaspoon of cinnamon, a half teaspoon of nutmeg, and a quarter teaspoon of cloves.  The children mixed the ingredients and put the batter into muffin cups.  We baked them for 25 minutes in a 350 oven. 

Large Group:  The children completed the U page in their workbooks.  The green group brought show and tell items to tell us about. 

Snacks:  The children ate the pumpkin muffins and had juice to drink.  We also had birthday brownies.

The afternoon class will not meet on Monday due to Parent/Teacher Conferences.  The morning class will do the same on Tuesday. 

Wednesday, November 9, 2016

Group Meeting:  We have a lot of leaves in our Outdoor Classroom.  Today, we brought a few in and invited the children to use them at the art table to make leaf rubbings or anything else that they would like to do with them.

Story:  Our story was And to Think That I Saw it on Mulberry Street by Theodor Geisel aka Dr. Seuss.  This is Dr. Seuss' first published story (1937).  In this story, Marco's father tells him to keep his eyes open as he walks to school.  He wants to know what exciting things Marco will see on the way.  Marco sees a horse pulling a wagon.  Marco does not think that that makes a very exciting story.  So, he starts to change bits and pieces.  Instead of a horse, it was a zebra pulling the wagon.  Instead of a wagon, it was a chariot.  Marco keeps changing the story in his mind to include some elaborate details.  When he gets home, what does he tell his father?  Ask you child to tell you.  After we read the story, we talked about making up a funny story.  Your child may try to tell you something very interesting as we made up a story of what happened at school today.

Small Groups:  The activities for this week are listed in yesterday's post.  The schedule for today was:
Activity #1 Green Group
Activity #2 Red Group
Activity #3 Yellow Group

Large Group:  The children made the letter U on the wet, dry, try boards.  Then we went to the Outdoor Classroom.

Snacks:  The morning class had cheese, crackers, and juice brought by Kai.  The afternoon class had soft pretzels and juice brought by Nora.  Thank you!

Tuesday, November 8, 2016

Group Meeting:  Yesterday, we explained to the children that the preschool is going to be decorating a Christmas tree for the Festival of Trees in Davenport.  The children will be doing this during small groups throughout the week.  More information about this will be sent home in a letter.

Story:  Our story was A Hole in the Road by Philip Ardagh.  In this story, a water pipe has broken under the street.  The repair crew comes with all of their big machinery to fix the water pipe and repair the hole that was made in the road.  Throughout this story, two animals are playing around the workers.  Ask your child to tell you which animals and what they were doing.

Small Groups:  The activities for this week are listed below along with the schedule for today:
Activity #1 (yellow group) The children are taking turns pretending to read story books to their classmates.  These are books that we have read before during story time.
Activity #2  (green group) The children are painting letters of the alphabet to put on a Christmas tree for the Festival of Trees.
Activity #3 (red group) The children are using blocks in the block area to build a bridge for the Three Billy Goats Gruff.  They used goat and troll figures to test the bridge to see if it is strong enough to hold them.

Large Group:  The children used paper and crayons to do rubbings of the sidewalk, the parking lot, and the stone block steps at the entrance of the church.  We looked at the rubbings to compare the textures.  These will hang in our hallway.

Snacks:  The morning class had muffins and juice provided by Jackson.  Jackson was absent today.  We hope he feels better soon.  The afternoon class had apples and milk brought by Mia.  Thank you!

Thursday, November 3, 2016

Story:  Our story for today was The Three Billy Goats Gruff retold by Bonnie Dobkin.  In this classic tale, three billy goat brothers are trying to get across the bridge to get to green grass on the other side of the meadow.  However, under the bridge lives a scary, stinky old troll that likes to eat anyone who crosses.  The billy goats need a plan.  Ask your child to tell you how they got across.

Small Groups:  The activities for small groups are listed in Tuesday's post.  The schedule for today was:
Activity #1 Green Group
Activity #2 Red Group
Activity #3 Yellow Group

Large Group:  The children completed the I page in their workbooks.  Then, we went to the Outdoor Classroom. 

Snacks:  The morning class had Goldfish and juice brought by Jocelyn.  The afternoon class had frozen blueberries and raspberries and milk brought by Leslie.  Thank you!

I will be absent on Monday so there will not be a post for Monday's activities.  I'll try to catch up on Tuesday.  Mrs. Hoogheem will be leading the class in my absence. 

Wednesday, November 2, 2016

 Group Meeting: The movement video that we watched today was Simon Says by the Kiboomers.  Some children were familiar with this game, but for some, it was new.  It is a very good game for practicing listening skills.  Play it at home to help your child learn to listen for details.

Story:  Our book for today was Backseat A-B-See by Maria van Lieshout.  This is a book of street signs that you might see as you are riding in the car.  They are arranged alphabetically.  For example, A is for Airport, B is for Bike Route, C is for Children at Play, etc.  As you are riding in the car with your child, take a few moments to point out the street signs that you are passing.  They know that signs that are yellow mean slow down, signs that are red mean stop, and signs that are green mean go.

Small Groups:  The activities for this week are listed in yesterday's post.  The schedule for today was:
Activity #1 Yellow Group
Activity #2 Green Group
Activity #3 Red Group

Large Group:  The children looked at pictures of parts of roads.  They included curbs, rumble strips, traffic lights, man hole covers, and reflectors.  The morning class had a little extra time to make their own street sign.

Snacks:  The morning class had muffins and juice brought by Isla.  The afternoon class had granola bars and juice brought by Lani.  Thank you!

Tuesday, November 1, 2016

Continuing our Road Study

Group Meeting:  We took a break from our road study last week to do some Halloween activities.  Today, we started back into our study.

Story:  The story for today was Along A Long Road by Frank Viva.  This was a picture book with a few words describing the road that a man was driving on with his scooter.  It had a lot of words that we use when describing roads; up, down, around, bump, bend, etc.  

Small Group:  The activities for this week and schedule for today are:

Activity #1 (red group)  The children selected road puzzle pieces that had pictures of words that begin with an f, b, or t sound.  They had to identify the beginning sound and attach the matching sounds together to make a road.
Activity #2  (yellow group)  The children sorted small cars by color and identified which group had the most and least.
Activity #3 (green group)  The children used a tape measure to measure how far a car traveled down a ramp.  They thought of other things that they could use to measure distance.

Large Group:  The children looked at pictures of different types of roads and documented what they saw in their journals.  Ask your child to tell you about some of the pictures.

Snacks:  The morning class had animal crackers and juice brought by Hollie.  The afternoon class had cheese sticks, pumpkin muffins, and milk brought by Kullen.  Thank you!

I want to thank all of the adults that provided transportation to Senior Star for the children yesterday.  I am so glad that we can visit the residents and share some of the joy that we get from the children at school.