Story: Our story for today was Mat Man On The Go by Jan Olsen. We first learned about Mat Man at the beginning of the school year. Mat Man taught us how to draw a person. In this story, Mat Man is doing all kinds of activities such as skateboard, surf, and construction work. He even goes to the moon. Following the story, we drew Mat Man in our journals.
Small Groups: The activities for this week are listed in Tuesday's post. The schedule for today was:
Activity #1 Yellow Group
Activity #2 Green Group
Activity #3 Red Group
Large Group: The children completed the R page in their workbooks. The Green Group brought items for Show and Tell.
Snacks: The morning class had apples, peanut butter and milk brought by Owen. The afternoon class had cheese, pepperoni, crackers and juice brought by Simon. Thank you!
If you have not scheduled a conference time for next week and would like to do so, please call the preschool!
Thursday, February 23, 2017
Wednesday, February 22, 2017
Group Meeting: We have air dry clay at the art table. During group meeting, we brainstormed some ideas of what we could make with it.
Story: I re-read Owen by Kevin Henkes. I read this book about two weeks ago. It is the story of a little mouse that has a blanket and doesn't want to part with it, even when it's time to go to school. We had a little discussion about security things that children have at home. All of the children agreed that they might need those things at home, but they did not need to bring them to school.
Small Groups: The activities for this week are listed in yesterdays post. The schedule for today was:
Activity #1 Yellow Group
Activity #2 Green Group
Activity #3 Red Group
Large Group: The children went to the Outdoor Classroom. We took bubbles and large bubble wands out today. It was fun to see the big bubbles and chase them around the yard.
Snack: The morning class had Scooby Snacks, peanut butter, and juice brought by Mason. The afternoon class had strawberries, carrots, ranch dip and juice brought by Elliott. Thank you!
The children have notes in their backpacks today. Please take a few minutes to look them over.
Story: I re-read Owen by Kevin Henkes. I read this book about two weeks ago. It is the story of a little mouse that has a blanket and doesn't want to part with it, even when it's time to go to school. We had a little discussion about security things that children have at home. All of the children agreed that they might need those things at home, but they did not need to bring them to school.
Small Groups: The activities for this week are listed in yesterdays post. The schedule for today was:
Activity #1 Yellow Group
Activity #2 Green Group
Activity #3 Red Group
Large Group: The children went to the Outdoor Classroom. We took bubbles and large bubble wands out today. It was fun to see the big bubbles and chase them around the yard.
Snack: The morning class had Scooby Snacks, peanut butter, and juice brought by Mason. The afternoon class had strawberries, carrots, ranch dip and juice brought by Elliott. Thank you!
The children have notes in their backpacks today. Please take a few minutes to look them over.
Tuesday, February 21, 2017
Group Meeting: During this week, we will be reviewing the simple machines that we have learned. On March 6th, we will be taking a field trip to the Bettendorf fire station to see how they use simple machines in their daily work. A note about this field trip will be sent home tomorrow.
Story: Our story for today was The Fort on Fourth Street: A Story About the Six Simple Machines by Lois Spangler. Kathleen and her Grandpa are building a fort. They use wheels, levers, pulleys, wedges, screws and inclined planes as they are building.
Small Groups: The activities for this week and schedule for today are listed below.
Activity #1 (Red Group) The children drew simple machines in their journals as we reviewed them.
Activity #2 (Yellow Group) The children used cylinders, plastic spoons, and rubber bands to make levers. They put puff balls on the spoons and launched the puffs into the air.
Activity #3 (Green Group) The children played a game in which the goal was to empty their cup of squares by rolling a dice and removing that number of squares from the cup. The winner was the first one to empty their cup.
Large Group: The children went outside and participated in an obstacle course. They also played with all of the toys in the area.
Snacks: The morning class had rolls, butter, jelly, and juice brought by Kolsyn. The afternoon class had rolls, cheese sticks, and juice brought by Paxton. Thank you!
Story: Our story for today was The Fort on Fourth Street: A Story About the Six Simple Machines by Lois Spangler. Kathleen and her Grandpa are building a fort. They use wheels, levers, pulleys, wedges, screws and inclined planes as they are building.
Small Groups: The activities for this week and schedule for today are listed below.
Activity #1 (Red Group) The children drew simple machines in their journals as we reviewed them.
Activity #2 (Yellow Group) The children used cylinders, plastic spoons, and rubber bands to make levers. They put puff balls on the spoons and launched the puffs into the air.
Activity #3 (Green Group) The children played a game in which the goal was to empty their cup of squares by rolling a dice and removing that number of squares from the cup. The winner was the first one to empty their cup.
Large Group: The children went outside and participated in an obstacle course. They also played with all of the toys in the area.
Snacks: The morning class had rolls, butter, jelly, and juice brought by Kolsyn. The afternoon class had rolls, cheese sticks, and juice brought by Paxton. Thank you!
Thursday, February 16, 2017
Group Meeting: We talked about President's Day that is coming up on Monday. It's kind of a hard concept for preschoolers, but they seemed to grasp a little of it.
Story: Our story for today was Delivery by Anastasia Suen. It's the start of a new day, and there are many deliveries to be made. The paperboy tosses newspapers onto front porches. Trucks carry boxes to stores. Planes deliver people to faraway places. This book had few words, but lots of rich pictures.
Small Group: The activities for this week were listed in Monday's post. The schedule for today was:
Activity #1 Green Group
Activity #2 Red Group
Activity #3 Yellow Group
Activity #3 Yellow Group
Large Group: The children in the Yellow Group brought items for Show and Tell. We also had a few minutes to go the Outside Classroom. It was nice to get outside again.
Snacks: The morning class had Goldfish, cheese sticks, and juice brought by Kai. The afternoon class had Teddy Grahams, grapes, and juice brought by Nora. Thank you!
We will not be having classes on Monday due to the President's Day Holiday. The weather forecast is looking good!
Story: Our story for today was Delivery by Anastasia Suen. It's the start of a new day, and there are many deliveries to be made. The paperboy tosses newspapers onto front porches. Trucks carry boxes to stores. Planes deliver people to faraway places. This book had few words, but lots of rich pictures.
Small Group: The activities for this week were listed in Monday's post. The schedule for today was:
Activity #1 Green Group
Activity #2 Red Group
Activity #3 Yellow Group
Activity #3 Yellow Group
Large Group: The children in the Yellow Group brought items for Show and Tell. We also had a few minutes to go the Outside Classroom. It was nice to get outside again.
Snacks: The morning class had Goldfish, cheese sticks, and juice brought by Kai. The afternoon class had Teddy Grahams, grapes, and juice brought by Nora. Thank you!
We will not be having classes on Monday due to the President's Day Holiday. The weather forecast is looking good!
Wednesday, February 15, 2017
Group Meeting: At the Valentine's Party yesterday, the children did a science experiment with candy hearts. We placed three clear liquids into three cups; water, soda pop, and vinegar. We guessed what would happen if we added the hearts to the liquids. We saved the liquids to view the results today. Ask your child to tell you what happened.
Story: Our for today was Pull, Lift, and Lower: A Book About Pulleys by Michael Dahl. This is a non-fiction book about how we use pulleys in our everyday life. We used this to introduce wheels and axles. We will continue this discussion tomorrow.
Small Groups: The activities for this week are listed in Monday's post. The schedule for today was:
Activity #1 Yellow Group
Activity #2 Green Group
Activity #3 Red Group
Large Group: The children played a game today called "Hearts Around the Room". I had taped 10 colored hearts around the room. The children were given a piece of paper that had the same hearts on it, but without color. They had to find the hearts in the room and color the heart on their paper to match. The papers are in their backpacks today.
Snacks: The morning class had Goldfish and juice brought by Jocelyn. The afternoon class had Life cereal, bananas, and milk brought by Mia. Thank you!
Story: Our for today was Pull, Lift, and Lower: A Book About Pulleys by Michael Dahl. This is a non-fiction book about how we use pulleys in our everyday life. We used this to introduce wheels and axles. We will continue this discussion tomorrow.
Small Groups: The activities for this week are listed in Monday's post. The schedule for today was:
Activity #1 Yellow Group
Activity #2 Green Group
Activity #3 Red Group
Large Group: The children played a game today called "Hearts Around the Room". I had taped 10 colored hearts around the room. The children were given a piece of paper that had the same hearts on it, but without color. They had to find the hearts in the room and color the heart on their paper to match. The papers are in their backpacks today.
Snacks: The morning class had Goldfish and juice brought by Jocelyn. The afternoon class had Life cereal, bananas, and milk brought by Mia. Thank you!
Monday, February 13, 2017
Group Meeting: We had added a music center to our play area for the children. The instruments are mainly percussion at this time. We have added a CD player with a microphone for the children to use for singing or for playing a variety of music.
Story: Our story for today was In My Heart: A Book of Feelings by Jo Witek. In this book, our many emotions are discussed using descriptive words that a child can understand. For example, when you are happy, your heart feels like a star that could lift you off the ground. When you are angry, your heart feels like it is going to explode.
Small Groups: The activities for this week and the schedule for today are listed below.
Activity #1 (red group) The children completed 10 frame puzzles to help them count and add to 10.
Activity #2 (yellow group) The children played a rhyming words game in which they had to match picture cards.
Activity #3 (green group) The children rolled a dice and drew the corresponding amount of dots onto a heart.
Large Group: The children played Musical Hearts. This is a game similar to Musical Chairs except that we use large heart cutouts instead of chairs. When the music stopped, they had to find a heart to stand on. Gradually, we removed hearts, but the children were encouraged to share a heart. At the end, everyone was standing on one large heart.
Snacks: The morning class had graham crackers, grapes, and juice brought by Jaxson. The afternoon class had muffins and milk brought by Libby. Thank you!
Story: Our story for today was In My Heart: A Book of Feelings by Jo Witek. In this book, our many emotions are discussed using descriptive words that a child can understand. For example, when you are happy, your heart feels like a star that could lift you off the ground. When you are angry, your heart feels like it is going to explode.
Small Groups: The activities for this week and the schedule for today are listed below.
Activity #1 (red group) The children completed 10 frame puzzles to help them count and add to 10.
Activity #2 (yellow group) The children played a rhyming words game in which they had to match picture cards.
Activity #3 (green group) The children rolled a dice and drew the corresponding amount of dots onto a heart.
Large Group: The children played Musical Hearts. This is a game similar to Musical Chairs except that we use large heart cutouts instead of chairs. When the music stopped, they had to find a heart to stand on. Gradually, we removed hearts, but the children were encouraged to share a heart. At the end, everyone was standing on one large heart.
Snacks: The morning class had graham crackers, grapes, and juice brought by Jaxson. The afternoon class had muffins and milk brought by Libby. Thank you!
Thursday, February 9, 2017
Group Meeting: We have reached the 80th day of school, so we counted to 80. Wow, time is really flying by.
Story: The story for today was The Valentine Bears by Eve Bunting. The Mr. and Mrs. Bear have never celebrated Valentines Day because they are usually hibernating. This year, Mrs. Bear sets her alarm clock for February 14 so that she can surprise Mr. Bear with a Valentine treat. When the day arrives, Mrs. Bear has a problem. Ask your child to tell you what the problem is and how she tries to solve it.
Small Group: The children used the Let's Find Out magazine to make a book about how animals express love for each other. We watched a video about how animals show their love and how we can show our love for our family and friends.
Large Group: Because today was Birthday Day, we did some cooking. The children made scrambled eggs by breaking an egg into a cup and scrambling it with a fork. The eggs were added to the frying pan. We enjoyed the eggs with salt and pepper.
Snacks: The children had scrambled eggs, juice, and birthday brownies.
Story: The story for today was The Valentine Bears by Eve Bunting. The Mr. and Mrs. Bear have never celebrated Valentines Day because they are usually hibernating. This year, Mrs. Bear sets her alarm clock for February 14 so that she can surprise Mr. Bear with a Valentine treat. When the day arrives, Mrs. Bear has a problem. Ask your child to tell you what the problem is and how she tries to solve it.
Small Group: The children used the Let's Find Out magazine to make a book about how animals express love for each other. We watched a video about how animals show their love and how we can show our love for our family and friends.
Large Group: Because today was Birthday Day, we did some cooking. The children made scrambled eggs by breaking an egg into a cup and scrambling it with a fork. The eggs were added to the frying pan. We enjoyed the eggs with salt and pepper.
Snacks: The children had scrambled eggs, juice, and birthday brownies.
Wednesday, February 8, 2017
Pajama Day
Group Meeting: We took a few minutes to check out everyone's pajamas and slippers. We were all very comfortable.
Story: The story for today was The Practically Perfect Pajamas by Erik Brooks. This is the story of Percy the polar bear who loves to wear his comfortable footed pajamas. They are warm and cozy and keep his fur white. While Percy thinks they are perfect, the other polar bears think differently. They tease him for wearing pajamas. So, Percy decides not to wear pajamas anymore. Will this make the other bears be nice to him? Ask your child to tell you to tell you what Percy decides to do. Also ask your child to tell you who the real friend was in the story.
Small Group: The activities for this week are listed in Monday's post. The schedule for today was:
Activity #1 Green Group
Activity #2 Red Group
Activity #3 Yellow Group
Large Group: The children watched popcorn popping out of an electric skillet. First, we talked about how popcorn grows and what makes it pop. Then, we put some oil and popcorn in the skillet. After it started to pop, we stood back and removed the lid to watch it pop.
Snacks: The morning class had English muffins, cinnamon sugar spread, and juice brought by Jackson. The afternoon class had pretzels, pineapple, pears, peaches, and milk brought by Leslie. Thank you!
Story: The story for today was The Practically Perfect Pajamas by Erik Brooks. This is the story of Percy the polar bear who loves to wear his comfortable footed pajamas. They are warm and cozy and keep his fur white. While Percy thinks they are perfect, the other polar bears think differently. They tease him for wearing pajamas. So, Percy decides not to wear pajamas anymore. Will this make the other bears be nice to him? Ask your child to tell you to tell you what Percy decides to do. Also ask your child to tell you who the real friend was in the story.
Small Group: The activities for this week are listed in Monday's post. The schedule for today was:
Activity #1 Green Group
Activity #2 Red Group
Activity #3 Yellow Group
Large Group: The children watched popcorn popping out of an electric skillet. First, we talked about how popcorn grows and what makes it pop. Then, we put some oil and popcorn in the skillet. After it started to pop, we stood back and removed the lid to watch it pop.
Snacks: The morning class had English muffins, cinnamon sugar spread, and juice brought by Jackson. The afternoon class had pretzels, pineapple, pears, peaches, and milk brought by Leslie. Thank you!
Tuesday, February 7, 2017
Group Meeting: The children are starting to bring their Valentines to school. Throughout the week, they will take turns putting them into the mailboxes that they have decorated.
Story: The book that I read today was My Neighbors and Their Simple Machines by Erin Seagraves and Heather Baker. Ama likes to visit her neighbors to see what kind of work they are doing and what kind of simple machines they are using. For example, Mrs. D'Angelo is making bread and cutting it with a knife. A knife is a wedge. Mr.Salgado is washing windows. He is using a pulley to raise and lower himself to reach the windows up above.
While reading this book, I was pleasantly surprised at the vocabulary words that the children remembered such as inclined plane and fulcrum.
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 played a game called "Throw the Beanbag to Your Partner". While the music plays, the children must listen for the words "1, 2, 3, throw the beanbag" before they can throw the beanbag to their partner. This game is good practice for listening skills and self-regulation skills.
Snacks: The morning class had cheese sticks, pretzels, and juice brought by Isla. The afternoon class had muffins and milk brought by Lani. Thank you!
Tomorrow is Pajama Day!!!
Story: The book that I read today was My Neighbors and Their Simple Machines by Erin Seagraves and Heather Baker. Ama likes to visit her neighbors to see what kind of work they are doing and what kind of simple machines they are using. For example, Mrs. D'Angelo is making bread and cutting it with a knife. A knife is a wedge. Mr.Salgado is washing windows. He is using a pulley to raise and lower himself to reach the windows up above.
While reading this book, I was pleasantly surprised at the vocabulary words that the children remembered such as inclined plane and fulcrum.
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 played a game called "Throw the Beanbag to Your Partner". While the music plays, the children must listen for the words "1, 2, 3, throw the beanbag" before they can throw the beanbag to their partner. This game is good practice for listening skills and self-regulation skills.
Snacks: The morning class had cheese sticks, pretzels, and juice brought by Isla. The afternoon class had muffins and milk brought by Lani. Thank you!
Tomorrow is Pajama Day!!!
Monday, February 6, 2017
Getting ready for Valentines Day
Group Meeting: We will be celebrating Valentines Day next Tuesday. I like to have the children help plan the party activities so that they have a say in what we eat for snack and play for games. Today, the children made a list of snack choices and game ideas. I will be sending home a note asking for a few items that we will need.
Story: The story for today was Will You Be My Valentine? by Steven Kroll. At Thomas' preschool, the children select one child for which to make a Valentine. Thomas has selected Gretchen, and he is happy about that. Thomas likes everything about Gretchen. However, Gretchen doesn't like Thomas. Thomas' mother thinks a play date would be a good way for Gretchen to get to know Thomas. Ask your child to tell you what Gretchen and Thomas do together to discover that they can be good friends.
Small Groups: The activities for this week and schedule for today are listed below.
Activity #1 (Red Group) The children are using paper hearts to measure various Valentine pictures. They are recording their answers on a corresponding paper that they will be bringing home to share.
Activity #2 (Yellow Group) The children are making Valentine hearts with paper and liquid watercolor. The hearts will be taken to Senior Star to give to the residents.
Activity #3 (Green Group) The children are graphing candy hearts by color. They are creating a bar graph.
Large Group: This week, we will be learning about a few more simple machines. Today, we learned about a pulley. We discovered that our window shades use a pulley to raise and lower the shade.
Snacks: The morning class had Chex-mix and juice brought by Hollie. The afternoon class had Nutrigrain bars, Veggie Straws, and juice brought by Kullen. Thank you!
Story: The story for today was Will You Be My Valentine? by Steven Kroll. At Thomas' preschool, the children select one child for which to make a Valentine. Thomas has selected Gretchen, and he is happy about that. Thomas likes everything about Gretchen. However, Gretchen doesn't like Thomas. Thomas' mother thinks a play date would be a good way for Gretchen to get to know Thomas. Ask your child to tell you what Gretchen and Thomas do together to discover that they can be good friends.
Small Groups: The activities for this week and schedule for today are listed below.
Activity #1 (Red Group) The children are using paper hearts to measure various Valentine pictures. They are recording their answers on a corresponding paper that they will be bringing home to share.
Activity #2 (Yellow Group) The children are making Valentine hearts with paper and liquid watercolor. The hearts will be taken to Senior Star to give to the residents.
Activity #3 (Green Group) The children are graphing candy hearts by color. They are creating a bar graph.
Large Group: This week, we will be learning about a few more simple machines. Today, we learned about a pulley. We discovered that our window shades use a pulley to raise and lower the shade.
Snacks: The morning class had Chex-mix and juice brought by Hollie. The afternoon class had Nutrigrain bars, Veggie Straws, and juice brought by Kullen. Thank you!
Thursday, February 2, 2017
Group Meeting: Today is Groundhog Day. We talked about the legend of the groundhog coming out of his burrow to see his shadow.
Story: The story for today was Who Will See Their Shadow? by Jerry Pallotta. The animals are waiting for the groundhog to come out and announce that Spring is coming. While they wait, they wonder what would happen if they saw their shadow. The chicken sees her shadow, and it rains. The polar bear sees his shadow, and it begins to sleet. The story continues as each animal's shadow brings a different kind of weather.
Small Groups: The children watched a video about groundhogs. They learned that groundhogs live in a burrow. They whistle to each other when they see a predator. The children looked at the Let's Find Out Magazine about groundhogs.
Large Group: The children completed the D page in their workbooks. The Red Group brought show and tell items.
Snacks: The morning class had graham crackers, cheese sticks, and juice brought by Gus. The afternoon class had Wheat Thins, grapes, and milk brought by Kennedy. Thank you!
Story: The story for today was Who Will See Their Shadow? by Jerry Pallotta. The animals are waiting for the groundhog to come out and announce that Spring is coming. While they wait, they wonder what would happen if they saw their shadow. The chicken sees her shadow, and it rains. The polar bear sees his shadow, and it begins to sleet. The story continues as each animal's shadow brings a different kind of weather.
Small Groups: The children watched a video about groundhogs. They learned that groundhogs live in a burrow. They whistle to each other when they see a predator. The children looked at the Let's Find Out Magazine about groundhogs.
Large Group: The children completed the D page in their workbooks. The Red Group brought show and tell items.
Snacks: The morning class had graham crackers, cheese sticks, and juice brought by Gus. The afternoon class had Wheat Thins, grapes, and milk brought by Kennedy. Thank you!
Wednesday, February 1, 2017
Group Meeting: I have brought to school a log from our wood pile at home along with some roofing nails and screws. The children have been having fun with it. We want to thank Mason's mom for providing the safety goggles.
Story: The story for today was Lola Loves Stories by Anna McQuinn. Lola loves to go to the library to borrow books for her parents to read to her. After hearing the story, Lola likes to pretend that she is like the characters in the books. After reading this story, the children told us the names of their favorite story books that they liked to hear over and over again.
Small Groups: The activities for this week are listed in Mondays post. The schedule for today was:
Activity #1 Green Group
Activity #2 Red Group
Activity #3 Yellow Group
Large Group: The children flattened play dough onto the table. They made impressions of the nails, screws, and bolts that we have in our collection. They enjoyed it so much that we are going to add this activity to the art table using clay that dries so that they may take it home.
Snacks: The morning class had graham crackers, cheese sticks, and juice brought by Colin. The afternoon class had granola bars and juice brought by Journey. Thank you!
Story: The story for today was Lola Loves Stories by Anna McQuinn. Lola loves to go to the library to borrow books for her parents to read to her. After hearing the story, Lola likes to pretend that she is like the characters in the books. After reading this story, the children told us the names of their favorite story books that they liked to hear over and over again.
Small Groups: The activities for this week are listed in Mondays post. The schedule for today was:
Activity #1 Green Group
Activity #2 Red Group
Activity #3 Yellow Group
Large Group: The children flattened play dough onto the table. They made impressions of the nails, screws, and bolts that we have in our collection. They enjoyed it so much that we are going to add this activity to the art table using clay that dries so that they may take it home.
Snacks: The morning class had graham crackers, cheese sticks, and juice brought by Colin. The afternoon class had granola bars and juice brought by Journey. Thank you!
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