Group Meeting: The children have been telling me for two weeks that Halloween is coming, and that we need to get ready. So for the next three days, we will be participating in Halloween activities and making Halloween decorations. Our party will be on Monday. For our opening song today, we did "If You're a Kid: Halloween re-mix" by Harry Kindergarten Music.
Story: The story for today was Big Pumpkin by Erica Silverman. In this story, a witch has planted a pumpkin seed. It grows and grows into a big pumpkin. She would like to make pumpkin pie on Halloween, but the pumpkin is too heavy for her to move. A ghost, a vampire, and a mummy, come to help her, but it is to heavy for them as well. Finally, someone comes along with an idea. Ask your child to tell you who the hero of the story is and why.
Small Groups: The activities and schedule for today is as follows:
Activity #1 (red group) The children played a board game in which the pieces were added according to how many syllables were in a selected Halloween word. If the word had one syllable, it was added to the ghost line which also has one syllable. If it had two syllables, it was added to the monster line. To help the children understand syllables, I use clapping. A clap represents a syllable.
Activity #2 (yellow group) The children sorted pictures of monsters. They selected the categories such as color, eyes, spots, etc.
Activity #3 (green group)The children counted pumpkins, added the correct amount of chips onto a 10 frame and added the correct numeral.
Large Group: The children helped me brainstorm some ideas for our Halloween party. We thought of several game and snack ideas. Tomorrow, we will vote for our favorites. We are also learning a few Halloween songs to sing at Senior Star.
Snacks: The morning class had graham crackers and milk by Brogan. The afternoon class had Goldfish and juice brought by Ellie. Thank you!
Monday, October 24, 2016
Thursday, October 20, 2016
Fire Prevention Day
Group Meeting: We discussed fire prevention today. Our opening song was "Hurry, Hurry, Drive the Firetruck". We conducted a fire drill following our story.
The afternoon welcomed a new student to our class. Her name is Elliott.
Story: The story for today was It's Time for a Fire Drill by Steve Metzger. In this story, Albert's preschool class is going to have a fire drill. Mrs. Dee tells them that when the alarm sounds, they should all line up to go outside. Albert is afraid of the loud alarm. Mrs. Dee tells him that although the alarm is loud, it is a good sound. It is the sound of children being safe from fire. When the alarm goes off, Albert realizes that it is not as loud as he thought it would be.
Our preschool cannot set off the alarms without the fire department being notified first. For now, we will pretend, but someday we will sound the alarm to let the children know what it sounds like.
Small Groups: The children completed the "Let's Find Out" leaflet about fire safety. Take a few minutes to review this at home.
Large Group: The red group brought items for show and tell. We also completed the letter H page in our workbooks.
Snacks: The morning class had cinnamon graham crackers and milk brought by Ben. The afternoon class had oranges and milk brought by Ella. Thank you!
The afternoon welcomed a new student to our class. Her name is Elliott.
Story: The story for today was It's Time for a Fire Drill by Steve Metzger. In this story, Albert's preschool class is going to have a fire drill. Mrs. Dee tells them that when the alarm sounds, they should all line up to go outside. Albert is afraid of the loud alarm. Mrs. Dee tells him that although the alarm is loud, it is a good sound. It is the sound of children being safe from fire. When the alarm goes off, Albert realizes that it is not as loud as he thought it would be.
Our preschool cannot set off the alarms without the fire department being notified first. For now, we will pretend, but someday we will sound the alarm to let the children know what it sounds like.
Small Groups: The children completed the "Let's Find Out" leaflet about fire safety. Take a few minutes to review this at home.
Large Group: The red group brought items for show and tell. We also completed the letter H page in our workbooks.
Snacks: The morning class had cinnamon graham crackers and milk brought by Ben. The afternoon class had oranges and milk brought by Ella. Thank you!
Wednesday, October 19, 2016
Group Meeting: As the children arrive at school, one of their tasks before Group Meeting is to sign in. I've noticed that the children have improved greatly in printing their names. Please encourage your child to practice at home, remembering to start all letters at the top. They have learned a song to help them remember this.
Story: Our story for today was Tomas' and the Library Lady by Pat Mora. Tomas' family are migrant workers. In the winter, they pick fruit in Texas. In the summer, they help the harvest in Iowa. As Tomas' travels back and forth, his grandfather shares stories with him. However, Tomas' has heard all of grandfather's stories. Grandfather encourages him to visit the library. Tomas' has never been to the library before. He is amazed at the size of the building and amount of books in the library. A very nice library lady helps him find books that he enjoys. Now as he is riding back and forth in the car, he has books to help him enjoy the ride. Ask your child to tell you what Tomas' favorite book topics are.
Small Groups: The activities for small groups 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: Yesterday, we made a list of things that we know about roads. Today, we came up with a few things that we would like to learn about roads. I'll be sharing that soon.
We also did Wet, Dry, Try for the letter H.
Snacks: The morning class had oranges, animal crackers, and juice brought by Angel. The afternoon class had pretzels and juice provided by the preschool. Charlie was supposed to be the snack helper today, but was ill. We hope he is better soon.
Story: Our story for today was Tomas' and the Library Lady by Pat Mora. Tomas' family are migrant workers. In the winter, they pick fruit in Texas. In the summer, they help the harvest in Iowa. As Tomas' travels back and forth, his grandfather shares stories with him. However, Tomas' has heard all of grandfather's stories. Grandfather encourages him to visit the library. Tomas' has never been to the library before. He is amazed at the size of the building and amount of books in the library. A very nice library lady helps him find books that he enjoys. Now as he is riding back and forth in the car, he has books to help him enjoy the ride. Ask your child to tell you what Tomas' favorite book topics are.
Small Groups: The activities for small groups 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: Yesterday, we made a list of things that we know about roads. Today, we came up with a few things that we would like to learn about roads. I'll be sharing that soon.
We also did Wet, Dry, Try for the letter H.
Snacks: The morning class had oranges, animal crackers, and juice brought by Angel. The afternoon class had pretzels and juice provided by the preschool. Charlie was supposed to be the snack helper today, but was ill. We hope he is better soon.
Tuesday, October 18, 2016
Group Meeting: Mrs. Hoogheem was absent again today. She has grandchildren from Michigan visiting her. She will be back tomorrow. It is also her birthday tomorrow, but don't tell her that I told you:) Our sub for today was Mrs. Smith. Some of the children were familiar with Mrs. Smith from last year, but for some, she was a new teacher.
Story: The story that I read today was Hooray, A Pinata by Elisa Kleven. Clara is planning her birthday party. She will have cake, balloons and a pinata. Her friend, Samson goes with her to the pinata store to pick one out. She selects a puppy pinata. Clara becomes very fond of her pinata, treating it like a real dog. When it's time to get ready for the party, she doesn't want to break it. Samson has a solution. Ask your child to tell you what he does to make Clara feel better.
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: Now that we have talked about roads for a few days, we made a list of everything that we know about roads. Tomorrow, we will think of things that we want to learn about roads. I will share the lists when we are finished. We also went to the Outdoor Classroom. We never know how many more nice days were are going to get.
Snacks: The morning class had peanut butter crackers and milk brought by Andon. The afternoon class had oyster crackers, apple slices, and milk brought by Beckett. Thank you!
Story: The story that I read today was Hooray, A Pinata by Elisa Kleven. Clara is planning her birthday party. She will have cake, balloons and a pinata. Her friend, Samson goes with her to the pinata store to pick one out. She selects a puppy pinata. Clara becomes very fond of her pinata, treating it like a real dog. When it's time to get ready for the party, she doesn't want to break it. Samson has a solution. Ask your child to tell you what he does to make Clara feel better.
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: Now that we have talked about roads for a few days, we made a list of everything that we know about roads. Tomorrow, we will think of things that we want to learn about roads. I will share the lists when we are finished. We also went to the Outdoor Classroom. We never know how many more nice days were are going to get.
Snacks: The morning class had peanut butter crackers and milk brought by Andon. The afternoon class had oyster crackers, apple slices, and milk brought by Beckett. Thank you!
Monday, October 17, 2016
Group Meeting: We received new paint sticks for the art table. I showed the children how to use them if they should want to go to the art table during play time.
Story: I read the book Machines on the Road by Sian Smith. This is a non-fiction book with lots of pictures of cars, trucks, buses, etc. that travel on the road. The book described the function of each machine. The last picture in the book was a steam roller. The text asked if we could identify the function of this machine. Ask you child to see if he/she remembers.
Small Groups: The activities and schedule for small groups this week are:
Activity #1 The children played a game in which they had to match rhyming picture words such as king/ring, boat/goat, etc. (red group)
Activity #2 The children made small towers using the Unifix cubes. Then they had to make towers that had more or fewer depending which the spinner indicated. We are working on using the words more or fewer/less. (yellow group)
Activity #3 The children took turns throwing a bean bag into a Halloween pail. After it landed, they had to describe where it landed such as in, next to, beside, in front of, or behind. (green group)
Large Group: We went outside to look at the parking lot. We noticed that the hard surface was made up of a lot of rocks held together by black stuff. We will be learning about how roads are made later in our study. A note concerning our new study was sent home today.
Snacks: The morning class had crackers, cheese, salami, and juice brought by Addelyn. The afternoon class had Cinnamon Toast Crunch and milk brought by Ashlyn. Thank you!
Story: I read the book Machines on the Road by Sian Smith. This is a non-fiction book with lots of pictures of cars, trucks, buses, etc. that travel on the road. The book described the function of each machine. The last picture in the book was a steam roller. The text asked if we could identify the function of this machine. Ask you child to see if he/she remembers.
Small Groups: The activities and schedule for small groups this week are:
Activity #1 The children played a game in which they had to match rhyming picture words such as king/ring, boat/goat, etc. (red group)
Activity #2 The children made small towers using the Unifix cubes. Then they had to make towers that had more or fewer depending which the spinner indicated. We are working on using the words more or fewer/less. (yellow group)
Activity #3 The children took turns throwing a bean bag into a Halloween pail. After it landed, they had to describe where it landed such as in, next to, beside, in front of, or behind. (green group)
Large Group: We went outside to look at the parking lot. We noticed that the hard surface was made up of a lot of rocks held together by black stuff. We will be learning about how roads are made later in our study. A note concerning our new study was sent home today.
Snacks: The morning class had crackers, cheese, salami, and juice brought by Addelyn. The afternoon class had Cinnamon Toast Crunch and milk brought by Ashlyn. Thank you!
Thursday, October 13, 2016
Group Meeting: Today was Birthday Day. We had one birthday in the morning, but none in the afternoon.
Story: The story for today was 20 Big Trucks In the Middle of the Street by Mark Lee. An ice cream truck breaks down in the middle of the street. Other trucks come upon it, but cannot move around it. In all, 20 trucks are stuck in the middle of the street. A young boy has an idea of how to get traffic moving. Ask your child to tell you the solution.
Small Groups: The children made Apple Crescents for snack. Each child was given a Pillsbury crescent dough triangle and an apple. The apple was placed on the wide end of the triangle and was then sprinkled with cinnamon sugar. The children rolled up the apple in the crescent and put it on the cookie sheet to bake. It tasted just like apple pie.
Large Group: Six children brought items for Show and Tell. Everyone has now had one turn. We will start over again next week.
Snacks: The children enjoyed the Apple Crescents and Birthday Brownies with juice.
Story: The story for today was 20 Big Trucks In the Middle of the Street by Mark Lee. An ice cream truck breaks down in the middle of the street. Other trucks come upon it, but cannot move around it. In all, 20 trucks are stuck in the middle of the street. A young boy has an idea of how to get traffic moving. Ask your child to tell you the solution.
Small Groups: The children made Apple Crescents for snack. Each child was given a Pillsbury crescent dough triangle and an apple. The apple was placed on the wide end of the triangle and was then sprinkled with cinnamon sugar. The children rolled up the apple in the crescent and put it on the cookie sheet to bake. It tasted just like apple pie.
Large Group: Six children brought items for Show and Tell. Everyone has now had one turn. We will start over again next week.
Snacks: The children enjoyed the Apple Crescents and Birthday Brownies with juice.
Wednesday, October 12, 2016
Maps
Group Meeting: We have three new floor puzzles. I introduced them to the children as they will be available during play time.
Story: Our story for today was Walk on Maps by Mel Campbell. This is the story of Anthony who will be attending a new school. He lives close enough to the school to walk. His father has drawn a map of the streets in his neighborhood. Together they select the best route to get to school. The book had pictures of street signs and school crossing signs. As you are traveling in your vehicle, point out signs to your child along the way.
Small Groups: 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: Following our story, I displayed a road map of Iowa. I pointed out Bettendorf, Davenport, and DeWitt (my home). I also pointed out Des Moines which is where the teachers went to the inservice training two weeks ago. Some children were familiar with Ames, Iowa City, and the Mississippi River.
We also learned two new songs today; "Where Do You Start Your Letters?" and "Boom a Chicka Boom".
Snacks: The morning class had graham crackers and juice provided by Topher. Topher was absent today due to illness. We hope he is back tomorrow. The afternoon class had Goldfish and juice brought by Addison. Thank you!
Story: Our story for today was Walk on Maps by Mel Campbell. This is the story of Anthony who will be attending a new school. He lives close enough to the school to walk. His father has drawn a map of the streets in his neighborhood. Together they select the best route to get to school. The book had pictures of street signs and school crossing signs. As you are traveling in your vehicle, point out signs to your child along the way.
Small Groups: 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: Following our story, I displayed a road map of Iowa. I pointed out Bettendorf, Davenport, and DeWitt (my home). I also pointed out Des Moines which is where the teachers went to the inservice training two weeks ago. Some children were familiar with Ames, Iowa City, and the Mississippi River.
We also learned two new songs today; "Where Do You Start Your Letters?" and "Boom a Chicka Boom".
Snacks: The morning class had graham crackers and juice provided by Topher. Topher was absent today due to illness. We hope he is back tomorrow. The afternoon class had Goldfish and juice brought by Addison. Thank you!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)