Sorry for the small break in posts. First, fall break really threw me off my game. Second, I lost my camera so I haven't been able to take pictures (my phone camera doesn't work either). But I promise daily posts are back in the schedule! So this week are really just having a lot of fun in the classroom. Today we made hand print Frankensteins. The kids enjoyed painting their owns hands. We then participated in a science experiment to see if a pumpkin would float. Today we tried a small pumpkin and sure enough! It floats! Tomorrow we will be experimenting with a large pumpkin. The general hypothesis was that a large pumpkin will not float. What do you think? We then wrote on the table with our dry erase markers. Usually we play a game where I call out a letter or number they have to write it on the table. The kids love this game! Tomorrow is our first Halloween party! Can't wait!
Hello everyone! I hope you all had a great fall break. I was on my way to and from Missouri on Friday and Monday so some wonderful subs took care of the kiddos while I was gone. On Friday they concluded the dinosaur theme by making dinos from Q-Tips. Monday morning Jen introduced our Ocean theme by reading Rainbow fish and the students made their own rainbow fish to take home. She also led them in several singing and dancing activities.
Today we enjoyed reading about the Ocean and discussing what kind of water it is and what animals live there. We did a counting exercise on the table and then headed outside. Jen led them in a song of Tooty-Ta. And then we watched a video from National Geographic call Open Ocean. The kids really enjoyed watching the whales, dolphins, and fish.
This morning we discussed the names animals are called because of the things they eat. Many of the students struggled with the large words. We brainstormed the names of the dinosaurs they know, then looked up online a picture of that dinosaur and if it was a herbivore, a carnivore, or an omnivore. Some of the students were very interested to know which dinosaur was like them- an omnivore. I explained that because dinosaurs lived so long ago that it is hard for us to know now what they were like. I did pull up one dinosaur and explained how the dinosaurs teeth were a bit like ours and how scientists believe they ate both plants and animals. The dino is called a Heterodonotosaurus. This was the database we used: http://www.kidsdinos.com/dinosaurs-for-children.php?dinosaur=Heterodontosaurus
The students then completed a letter H maze where they colored the big letter H one color and the little letter h a different color. We have done these mazes in the past but I try to put a different twist on them to work on patterns, colors, numbers, etc. as well.
We then worked on our pattern skills by cutting and pasting on the next dinosaur in a pattern. I enjoyed this worksheet because it was more than just the ABAB pattern and it let them think about variances in a pattern a little more. Some of the students finished faster that others so they got to choose between lacing boards or pattern sticks with me. These are two of the different activities I have for students during transition times/waiting periods for other kids to finish up.
After snack and outside time we once again discussed biggest and smallest. We reenacted the activity where the students sorted who was biggest (tallest) or smallest (shortest). We had a good time laughing at each other trying to be one or the other. (At one point I tried being the smallest but I'll spare you that picture!) In this picture one of the girls rolled into a ball so she could be the smallest in the class.
Yesterday I introduced a favorite song of mine- The Dinosaur Dance. The kids love acting out the words to the song, especially when it comes time to ROAR and then stop and freeze. I got some fun pictures of them all dancing around- some of them blurry, I wonder why?! :)
Vocab words like herbivores, omnivores, carnivores
Biggest to smallest
Letter H word/sound recognition- Point out everyday items that start with H!
We started out our day discussing like and different. We completed a worksheet that most students felt was really easy. So most students had to answer why some of the dinosaurs were different which proved to be difficult. The majority knew that one dino was different but had difficulty explaining why it was different. I think asking these why questions are so important. It helps the students analyze why they are choosing something and it also increases their ability to use words to express themselves.
We also completed a counting and number exercise where the students counted the dinosaurs and then colored in the correct number. I am starting to see more students grasping number recognition this week which is exciting!
Today was chapel- something they look forward to every week. We learned about Jericho and the Isrealites marching around the walls. Pastor Pam had the children reenact the Bible story by building a wall around a table, which then became the city. The kids marched around the wall 6 times and then on the 7th time the boys played pretend trumpets and the girls yelled out "Praise the Lord!" Pastor Pam then explained how the walls came down without any of the Israelites touching the wall. She then knocked over the blocks. It was a lot of fun.
After outside time the students went on a fossil hunt. Sadly we weren't able to find any fossils near our buildings but we discussed how it might be hard to find fossils because they are small even if you look closely you might miss it. We went back to the class and made our own "fossils" out of model magic clay. The fossils are now drying and will go home Friday. The students had a great time making imprints in the clay. I had them take turns picking a stencil, making the imprint and then having the class guess which imprint it was.
Vocab words like herbivores, omnivores, carnivores
Biggest to smallest
Letter H word/sound recognition- Point out everyday items that start with H!
So first I apologize because I have no pictures. My camera was sitting on the counter all morning and we were having such a good time (I think I was covered in glue today!) that I didn't even think about the camera. We started the morning out by discussing volcanoes and if they were real and still exist. It was a very interesting conversation as most of the kids did not think there were still real volcanoes. We then made our own paper volcano with red tissue paper. The students took squares of tissue paper, squished them up, and glued them to the top. It looked something like this:
After snack and outside play time we spent the majority of our morning discussing biggest and smallest. I'm really sad I forgot to take pictures here because we played a fun game of the students acting out who was biggest and who was smallest, including one child curling up into a small ball.
After going over the concept they cut out different sized dinosaurs and then glued them in order from biggest to smallest. We then enjoyed circle time and discussed how it was the first day of October (which I'm told is Halloween-tober). We ended class time with Count the Monkeys by Mac Barnett which is a great and funny book to reinforce number recognition. We also discussed which number was biggest-10 and which was smallest-0.
The dinosaur theme is one of my absolute favorites. First, the kids love it. Boys and girls get excited talking and learning about dinosaurs. Second, the learning opportunities are endless! So many fun science experiments can be added to the curriculum for the theme. It can be really hard to choose what activities you want to do!
Things to talk about at home:
Vocab words like herbivores, omnivores, carnivores
Biggest to smallest
Letter H word/sound recognition- Point out everyday items that start with H!
Today we introduced the letter H and discussed what sound it makes. Each student came up with a word that starts with the letter. They practiced writing the capital letter and colored a worksheet depicting items that start with H.
We then enjoyed water colors! I love making paper plate animals. I decided to do one of the most popular dinosaurs- the T Rex. We painted the plates and while the plates dried we ate snack. Then, while the kids were outside I cut the parts to the dinos out. Later the kids were able to put together the pieces with brad fasteners.
After our outside time we came back to the table and cut out our "D is for dinosaur" puzzles and then glued them in order. Already I have seen huge improvements in the kids cutting skills. I love these puzzles because it combines so many skills into one activity. They cut the strips out and then have to put them back in order from 1 to 10. Afterwards I have them practice counting and number recognition by counting the numbers.
After finishing our plate dinosaurs, we had just enough time to update our calendar and then discuss fossils. The students talked with partners about what they thought fossils were and where they have seen fossils. The consensus from the group was that fossils were bones turned into rocks. I asked if they thought other things could turn into fossils. And to answer that question we watched a short clip and learned that fossils can also come from other things, like plants. Many times I like to supplement our discussions and readings with a short clip. So many of them are plugged into tv and it helps reinforce what we are talking about in class. Here is the cute clip we watched today:
We've officially begun a new year. Everyone has settled in and get our routine. I am thoroughly enjoying my class. They are all so eager to learn and I have many "people pleasers" in my class. So far these year is proving to be a great group of sweet kids that are good listeners and hard workers. I am quite excited to see where this year leads us!
This week I introduced journaling to the students. Each child received their own notebook and pencil. After brainstorming words to write on the board, they spend roughly 10-15 minutes writing in their journals every day. I have explained that there is no right or wrong way in these journals. I just want them to try and write the words or any letters they want. I do ask that they write their name at least once for practice. Many of them have already conquered this so therefore I will be introducing last names as well. They seem to be enjoying this activity even though it has been a bit difficult for some to understand that they can write whatever they want. I want them to use their imagination! :)
We are on our farm theme and it was fun to see their expressions when we learned where milk came yesterday. I love this theme because I have a short 1-2 minute video for each farm animal we learn. They love using any type of technology. I get begged daily to read to them but use one of the books from Scholastic's eStoria. It cracks me up! I think one of my favorite things to do in this theme is "milk" the glove udder. I'll update with pictures!
This past week we celebrated Dr. Seuss in honor of his birthday. It was a lot of fun. The kids just love these books. I had many activities planned but instead we ended up reading 30-45 minutes or more each day. They are still begging for more of the books, especially their favorites. We were able to make some Cat in the Hat hats and took some fun pictures for you.
We also had an exciting day where it actually snowed in TUCSON. This has never happened for me and I've lived here for 8 years so I was really excited. You can imagine how excited the kids were as well. We let them get their jackets on and play in it for a little bit. I didn't them out in it too long because as you can see most of them weren't quite dressed for the occasion.
For the last two months I incorporated a sticker chart. It started out as an incentive to have the kids be on task in the mornings because our day kept starting later and later. I let them know that when their card was completely full that I would celebrate by bringing in a surprise. Since then, children have learned they can receive additional stickers by answering questions or displaying appropriate behaviors in the classroom. So sure enough, last week most of the cards were full and I brought in cupcakes. We celebrated together and discussed how nice it's been to earn a little surprise as a class.
We also started preparing for graduation this week. It still seems surreal that the end of this school year is a little over 2 months away and that it will be here before I know it. The kids are planning a surprise for their parents so if you're a parent reading this don't ask em what it is! :) These kids have made my life so full of joy and I couldn't ask for a better group of kids for my first year in this position. I am looking forward to the fun things I have planned for them in the weeks to come! (Like the visit from our very own classroom leprechaun!) So stay tuned.
Who doesn't love a teddy bear? I mean, I think it's only human to love a soft squishy lovable bear. One that is stuffed at least! So, I know it has been a long while since I have posted on this blog. I am sorry and I will be better. End of story. :) So the kids are in full swing preschool mode. Our routine is old history. We are doing Parent Teacher Conferences this week and all kids have been assessed. I am very happy with the progress so far. My goal is for the kids to leave here in May knowing how to write with a pencil, cut with scissors, spell and write their own name, and know all capital letters. We started a new journaling activity several weeks ago and with that their writing confidence has shot up!
But back to teddy bears, last week was our yearly Teddy Bear Picnic theme. The kids were able to bring a teddy bear all week long and could let them participate in any of our activities. At the end of the week we enjoyed an indoor picnic on the floor, as the weather was quite cold and rainy. All in all I think it was a terrific success! Tell me what you think about these cuties!
