Our diversity curriculum is beginning to taper off and we've started to talk about the circus, space and dinosaurs! But, before we completely move on, we have continued to learn about three new cultures and traditions. We had Ryan's mom come in to teach us about Germany with a pretend trip across the Atlantic Ocean, perogies and bratwurst, and some newly learned words from the German language. As some of you may have heard, my father came to visit to talk about our Italian heritage. The kids were in awe of the fact that I actually have a dad. When they heard the news, many of them decided to decorate the classroom with ribbons and streamers, and some even made him sculptures out of blocks. When he came to the classroom, we talked about our big family dinners and cooking with fresh ingredients like tomatoes, basil and mozzarella. We all got to taste these ingredients after learning some Italian words and learning about the story of Pinocchio. Anna brought in her Matryoshka Doll, also known as a Russian Nested Doll. After counting how many dolls were inside, she told us about coming over to America with her family from Russia. Marcia also came in to talk to us about her Jewish traditions and read us a story about a Carpenter who could fix anything, just like her father.
A great ending to our cultural curriculum will be our international pot-luck dinner. It will be this Thursday at 5:30. Please make sure you sign up on the list outside of our classroom! It already looks like we have a lot of great dishes to eat.
As I mentioned earlier in an e-mail, our Thanksgiving feast was great! All of the kids got to make cranberry sauce and take some home to share with their family. Cooking is always a great opportunity to talk about math and science. The kids learned about boiling water, and what 1 half is compared to 1 whole.
I quickly want to mention that, on our early dismissal day before Thanksgiving break, the kids were so disappointed about not having rest that they decided to grab the pillows and blankets and rest during freeplay. They really value their downtime!
When we arrived back in school after our break, the kids have been going crazy with blocks, beads and modeling clay. We have quite a colorful display on the shelf in the back of our classroom. We've also learned a lot of new songs, like "Get up and Dance!", where everyone gets to dance in the middle of the circle while we all sing for them. We also learned the Peanut-Butter and Jelly song, Down by the Bay, and Frosty the Snowman. Some of you may think it's too early for Frosty, but the kids love to use the balls on the playground to build snowmen. We actually had a request for the Frosty the Snowman song, and we did some brainstorming about how we can make snowmen using the materials in our classroom. They started their work on Friday with a drawing, and some included rules to follow. They cut out clothes from fabric (underwear, dresses, scarves, etc. The typical snowman outerwear) Some used buttons for a nose, some used orange triangles to make it look like a carrot nose, and some added snowflakes and stick arms. We'll continue to work on these next week.
Towards the end of the week, we conducted some science experiments relating to ice and water. The kids got to learn first hand why ice melts. They watched ice melt in a hot pot, they saw how it melts slowly in a bag of water, and they experimented with frozen water colors in the sensory table and observed the colors mixing together.
We also had a fun discussion on Friday about space and dinosaurs. Read below for some of the conversation that took place:
Julia J: Aliens, too. They are space aliens. They have lots of eyes and they are green and purple.
Dylan: [Aliens have] No legs or arms.
[So how do they move?]
Dylan: They float.
Ryan: In space.
Julia C: My dad was in space. He says Pluto is not a planet.
Julia J: Pluto is a dog from Micky Mouse!
Eva Y: There are space rocks. There are shoot rocks that are pink and they hurt you like this.
[What are the space rocks called?]
Ryan: A Comet
Dylan: Micky's Comet. [it hit the Dinosaurs]
[What happened to the Dinosaurs?]
Eva. C: They died. The people killed them.
[People weren't alive when Dinosaurs were alive, so how did they die?]
Julia J: Their skin fell off and they died. Now they live in a museum.
Dylan: Very strong wind, volcano and skin.
Macy: I went to the museum and saw the Dinosaurs. It's just their bones.
We also talked about how our moon actually is a piece of the Earth that fell off after being struck by a crater, and will hopefully continue to talk more about space this week.
We had Sarah read the class a story that she has been working on at home. If any of your kids have a story they love to read at home, feel free to have them bring it into school to share with their friends. It's a great way for them to feel proud of themselves, and their friends feel inspired by it, too.
Lastly, we have designated Friday as our share day. The kids love to share!! We have a sign up at the pink door, so remind them to do so in order to share something special in front of the class.
I hope you all had a great weekend! Again, make sure you sign up for the pot-luck dinner before Thursday.
Amanda
Sunday, December 6, 2009
Sunday, November 15, 2009
Full of Surprises
It was great meeting with all of you this week during parent teacher conferences. I was so interested in hearing about how the children act at home compared to in the classroom.
We had many visitors in the classroom this week, including our newest student, Macy! All of the kids were so excited to meet her, and they did a great job making her feel at home. Just another one of the many ways the kids spread peace.
We had two surprise visitors on Tuesday. Gonzalo and Armando came to celebrate Emma's birthday. They showed us Cuba on the map, which is where they're from, and taught us that Cuba is an island. Gonzalo read "The Family Book", by Todd Parr, which demonstrated that, no matter how different families can be, all families hug each other and love each other! Emma also read one of her favorite Spanish poems and helped her friends learn some new Spanish words.
On Wednesday, Agusta, Julia J's mom, came in to celebrate Julia's birthday and to teach us about Iceland. We learned that Iceland can be very cold, but is not actually covered in ice as its name implies. Julia and her mom read the kids an Icelandic story that is well known to their family, and the kids learned some new words in Icelandic like 'bless', which means good-bye! They also donated a new book to our classroom written in 3 different languages, including English and Icelandic.
There was so much excitement throughout the day on Wednesday. We had the photographer snapping shots throughout the day during freeplay, meeting, dance, and during Agusta's visit. The kids also baked cookies and muffins for the pajama party Thursday night. This was a long awaited event, and it ended up being a lot of fun for everyone.
The kids have really expressed a lot of interest in measuring objects around the classroom. This coming week, we will be making a height chart. This idea came from all of the kids, and they will be measuring their height using measuring tape. They also chose to measure themselves using blocks. Tyler brought back a huge leaf from Miami, and they compared the size of the leaf to the size of their heads. The Leaf was actually bigger!
The seehere.com website is down for maintenance. Fortunately, I was able to show you some of the pictures from this week and last week during conferences. I will send you a link once the website is up and running.
See you all during the week,
Amanda
We had many visitors in the classroom this week, including our newest student, Macy! All of the kids were so excited to meet her, and they did a great job making her feel at home. Just another one of the many ways the kids spread peace.
We had two surprise visitors on Tuesday. Gonzalo and Armando came to celebrate Emma's birthday. They showed us Cuba on the map, which is where they're from, and taught us that Cuba is an island. Gonzalo read "The Family Book", by Todd Parr, which demonstrated that, no matter how different families can be, all families hug each other and love each other! Emma also read one of her favorite Spanish poems and helped her friends learn some new Spanish words.
On Wednesday, Agusta, Julia J's mom, came in to celebrate Julia's birthday and to teach us about Iceland. We learned that Iceland can be very cold, but is not actually covered in ice as its name implies. Julia and her mom read the kids an Icelandic story that is well known to their family, and the kids learned some new words in Icelandic like 'bless', which means good-bye! They also donated a new book to our classroom written in 3 different languages, including English and Icelandic.
There was so much excitement throughout the day on Wednesday. We had the photographer snapping shots throughout the day during freeplay, meeting, dance, and during Agusta's visit. The kids also baked cookies and muffins for the pajama party Thursday night. This was a long awaited event, and it ended up being a lot of fun for everyone.
The kids have really expressed a lot of interest in measuring objects around the classroom. This coming week, we will be making a height chart. This idea came from all of the kids, and they will be measuring their height using measuring tape. They also chose to measure themselves using blocks. Tyler brought back a huge leaf from Miami, and they compared the size of the leaf to the size of their heads. The Leaf was actually bigger!
The seehere.com website is down for maintenance. Fortunately, I was able to show you some of the pictures from this week and last week during conferences. I will send you a link once the website is up and running.
See you all during the week,
Amanda
Sunday, November 8, 2009
Give Peace a Chance
The kids have been eating peace up!! I have seen many of them come in with peace signs on their clothes, and they love showing the peace sign with their fingers, especially when it's time to remember to turn our voices off. Tyler brought in a picture of a diamond encrusted peace sign, too. So cool! This is something that all of the children have been very enthusiastic about. There is such a wide range of topics we are going to cover, but in order to love others, we need to start with loving ourselves. This week, we have been focusing on who we are and what makes us special.
The children started to think about what it would be like if everything was the same. What if we all looked the same? What if all of the seasons were the same? What if all of the toys were the same!? I think Ryan put it best when he said "It would be boring". We then explored the many ways we can be different from each other during a brainstorming activity. You can see what the kids came up with if you look on the bulletin board near the bamboo plant. Although, I would like to share with you the ways in which we can smell different, according to our brainstormers. Sarah said some of us smell like curry-puffs, Dylan said some of us smell like oatmeal, and some other thoughts were shoes, mint and pasta. The kids also had the opportunity to go around the circle and share something about themselves that makes them special. Here are just a few of the things some of the kids shared with their class: Emma loves to eat candy, Eva Y. has a special necklace from her Grandma, Darby loves to give hugs and Joshua loves to play soccer.
Another one of the ways the kids noticed we are different is through our skin color. Using our "Colorations People Paint", the kids took a very close look at their skin and mixed the flesh toned paint in order to create their own skin color. They used the color they created to start making self portraits. This week they will add a new physical attribute. The children will observe the many details of themselves and learn to appreciate how their physical appearances also make them special and unique. We all have eyes, ears and noses, yet there is no one else who looks quite like us.
Also this week, the kids designed a mirror to use while we read the story, "Today I Feel Silly: And Other Moods that Make My Day", by Jamie Lee Curtis. We discussed some of the many feelings we can express, and the kids practiced some of them while looking into their mirrors. There is so much more to feelings than happy, mad and sad!
We started to touch on living in places outside of New York City, and how not all people live the way we do. They learned that some people need help from others to get the things they need. Sometimes when we don't need something anymore, it's nice to give it to others for them to use. Some were able to share with the class ways in which they gave to others when they were done using something. They recognized that it's kind of like recycling, and it's a way to spread peace.
This week, we have two parents coming in to talk to the kids a bit about their different languages and traditions. The children will continue to learn about themselves, and then begin to branch off to learn about their family. We only have a three day week this coming week because of parent teacher conferences, but I would like to introduce some new music if time permits.
The children started to think about what it would be like if everything was the same. What if we all looked the same? What if all of the seasons were the same? What if all of the toys were the same!? I think Ryan put it best when he said "It would be boring". We then explored the many ways we can be different from each other during a brainstorming activity. You can see what the kids came up with if you look on the bulletin board near the bamboo plant. Although, I would like to share with you the ways in which we can smell different, according to our brainstormers. Sarah said some of us smell like curry-puffs, Dylan said some of us smell like oatmeal, and some other thoughts were shoes, mint and pasta. The kids also had the opportunity to go around the circle and share something about themselves that makes them special. Here are just a few of the things some of the kids shared with their class: Emma loves to eat candy, Eva Y. has a special necklace from her Grandma, Darby loves to give hugs and Joshua loves to play soccer.
Another one of the ways the kids noticed we are different is through our skin color. Using our "Colorations People Paint", the kids took a very close look at their skin and mixed the flesh toned paint in order to create their own skin color. They used the color they created to start making self portraits. This week they will add a new physical attribute. The children will observe the many details of themselves and learn to appreciate how their physical appearances also make them special and unique. We all have eyes, ears and noses, yet there is no one else who looks quite like us.
Also this week, the kids designed a mirror to use while we read the story, "Today I Feel Silly: And Other Moods that Make My Day", by Jamie Lee Curtis. We discussed some of the many feelings we can express, and the kids practiced some of them while looking into their mirrors. There is so much more to feelings than happy, mad and sad!
We started to touch on living in places outside of New York City, and how not all people live the way we do. They learned that some people need help from others to get the things they need. Sometimes when we don't need something anymore, it's nice to give it to others for them to use. Some were able to share with the class ways in which they gave to others when they were done using something. They recognized that it's kind of like recycling, and it's a way to spread peace.
This week, we have two parents coming in to talk to the kids a bit about their different languages and traditions. The children will continue to learn about themselves, and then begin to branch off to learn about their family. We only have a three day week this coming week because of parent teacher conferences, but I would like to introduce some new music if time permits.
REMINDERS
The parent-bulletin board has moved to the hallway leading to our classroom. Be sure to check it on a regular basis--there are important notices that are often posted along with our snack sign up and general classroom information.
Parent teacher conferences are on Thursday and Friday this week. If you haven't signed up, please make sure you do. The sign up is also posted on the parent-bulletin board.
We will be having our thanks-giving feast on Tuesday the 24th. The kids will be joining McKenzie's class for lunch, so we will have a community sign-up which will be posted in McKenzie's classroom next to the door that leads to the playground. It will be posted during this week. Class parents, it would be great if you could come and help set up and serve the kids!
Our Pajama Party is on Thursday!! This even is just for our classroom members and their parents. This means that their brothers and/or sisters will have to stay home, but there will be many more family events for them to attend. The kids will bake a special treat the day before, and get to enjoy it with a glass of milk (or soy milk) and some bedtime stories, all while wearing their PJs.
On Wednesday, we will have a videographer/photographer capturing images for the school's website. I will have a release form for you to sign either on Monday or Tuesday. If we have your permission for your child to appear on the website, a bright and colorful outfit would be perfect!
I hope you all had a great weekend, and I look forward to meeting with everyone at the end of the week. I will get in touch with you through e mail if there are any other updates or things you should be aware of.
Peace and Love!
Amanda
Sunday, November 1, 2009
Trick-or-Treat!
I hope everyone had a fun, safe Halloween. Growing up right outside the city, I have vivid memories of dragging my feet out the door after my mom made me wear a winter coat over my costume. This year we had some very moderate weather for the end of October, so I hope the kids got the most out of their costumes. It was awesome seeing those of you who went to the Safari park after school on Friday (and Michael Douglas, too). It looked like the kids had such a great time!
This week, I plan to have discussions with the kids about peace and diversity. We have been spending some time over the last week and a half talking about the countries of our world, different languages, and all of the different skin colors we find inside and outside of our classroom. We talked about peace and what some of us think peace means, and even learned how to draw the peace-sign. I know there are several of you who speak other languages and have unique family traditions. It would be great for all of the kids to learn from you about the diversity of our classroom in order to assist them to understand diversity on a grander scale. If you would like to come in one day to read a story or teach us about your culture or language, please let me know! I've started to talk with a few of you about this already.
Not only have the children started to observe themselves and their peers, they've also been making other various observations. Our student teacher, Audrey, brought in ladybugs for us to keep in our classroom. The kids spent a lot of time looking closely at how they move and crawl, how they look, and even experienced how they feel as they crawl around on their hands. Here's a quick look at some of the conversation that occured after the ladybugs' first introduction to the class:
Q: What are they doing?
Julia C "They're walking"
Dylan "They're walking and climbing up and down"
Caden "Look, they're going up to the ceiling!"
Joshua "They're flying"
Leo "I saw one walking on the wall"
Q: Where did they come from?
All "outside!"
Q: Where do they live?
"In the dirt"
"In trees"
"In the dessert"
Q: Where can we put them after we observe them?
"In the dirt"
"In the garden in the flowers"
"They can eat the pumpkins or apple pie"
After the kids had the opportunity to spend some time with our new, little friends, they each got to find a home for their own lady bug in the Community Garden.
Another addition to the classroom was our large and lumpy pumpkin. The kids decided they wanted to carve the pumpkin to turn it into a 'creepy jack-o-lantern'. They noticed the "pimples" on the outside, as well as the lines and irregularities. By the end of the week, they scraped out the seeds and pumpkin goo, drew shapes to be carved, and separated the seeds from the pumpkin flesh so we could bake them. They ate the seeds on Friday along with their own Halloween cookie they baked and decorated. They loved the seeds-- I'm not exaggerating when I say I gave out seconds, thirds, fourths and fifths to several of the kids. Many of them decided that the seeds tasted just like popcorn. I think they were a bigger hit than the cookies.
Along with baking the seeds and cookies, all of the children contributed to making our classroom supply of play-doh with Audrey. The recipe is very basic so you can do it at home, too. Let me know if you'd like a copy. When the kids get to participate in cooking, they appreciate the final product much more. With food, they're also more willing to taste it if they've helped with the cooking or baking process. Last week, we cooked two more of our squash and most of them really enjoyed it. They got to cut it, mash it, and add a bit of butter and a sprinkle of salt. So good!
Our easel has been getting a lot of attention lately. The kids have been using different textured paint brushes, leaves, and best of all, their hands to paint pictures. Many of them worked together to make a huge finger painting, which you may have seen hanging on our door. Some of them finger painted with some ooey-gooey paint, too. The texture and feel of paint always puts some interesting looks on the kids faces. Because the kids have been so interested in paint, I dug around at home to find all of my old acrylic paint from when I attended art school. Working with acrylic provides a totally different experience and look to a painting, compared to the tempera paint that the children are use to. I thought it would great if the kids could use the paint on their own white pumpkins.
After they painted the pumpkins, the kids worked so hard on creating a pumpkin patch to keep their pumpkins in. Each window-sill is covered in leaves, vines and stems-- they made such a great home for their pumpkins. Make sure to look for them on Monday. They are all very proud of what they made!
Speaking of leaves, we took a trip to central park with our journals to check out the changing leaves, and just to enjoy being outside in nature. They really wanted to take their journals along with them, so, after we all sat down to read a story together about our Earth, they all found a quiet place to sit and observe while they drew in their journals. They also wanted to take a walk by the water. I think if we could have, we would have stayed there for hours. It was a great way to spend the afternoon on a beautiful day.
Last but not least, I want to mention again how great the field trip was. Despite the rain, the kids had so much fun planting, digging, playing with worms, looking for frogs, and smelling herbs and flowers. They also got to sit in a wigwam and learned that, a VERY long time ago, people in New York would actually live in them. The kids also had the opportunity to apply what they learned in school about seeds and roots to some of the activities they did in the garden. The trip was a great success, not to mention the bus ride!! Thanks to all of the chaperones for all of their hard work.
REMINDERS:
Don't forget to sign up for parent-teacher conferences this week. They start on November 12th.
PLEASE send your child's lunch in a brown paper bag. I know you can do it, because we had all 100% disposable lunches on our field trip. There just simply isn't enough room in our fridge to house 17 large lunch-boxes. Thank you to those who have been using brown paper bags, plastic or canvas bags.
Also, starting Monday, we will be disposing of any food that is not eaten after lunch. If you would like your child to save their food, please let me know and we will keep it in the fridge for you to pick up at the end of the day. **No food in cubbies, please!!!*
Thank you for all who have been signing up for snack. A new calendar will be posted for November tomorrow morning. We had a suggestion from one of the parents to have the option of bringing in some fresh (inexpensive) flowers for the classroom. It's always great to bring a little bit of nature to the inside, so any natural materials are always welcome.
Have a great week!
Amanda
This week, I plan to have discussions with the kids about peace and diversity. We have been spending some time over the last week and a half talking about the countries of our world, different languages, and all of the different skin colors we find inside and outside of our classroom. We talked about peace and what some of us think peace means, and even learned how to draw the peace-sign. I know there are several of you who speak other languages and have unique family traditions. It would be great for all of the kids to learn from you about the diversity of our classroom in order to assist them to understand diversity on a grander scale. If you would like to come in one day to read a story or teach us about your culture or language, please let me know! I've started to talk with a few of you about this already.
Not only have the children started to observe themselves and their peers, they've also been making other various observations. Our student teacher, Audrey, brought in ladybugs for us to keep in our classroom. The kids spent a lot of time looking closely at how they move and crawl, how they look, and even experienced how they feel as they crawl around on their hands. Here's a quick look at some of the conversation that occured after the ladybugs' first introduction to the class:
Q: What are they doing?
Julia C "They're walking"
Dylan "They're walking and climbing up and down"
Caden "Look, they're going up to the ceiling!"
Joshua "They're flying"
Leo "I saw one walking on the wall"
Q: Where did they come from?
All "outside!"
Q: Where do they live?
"In the dirt"
"In trees"
"In the dessert"
Q: Where can we put them after we observe them?
"In the dirt"
"In the garden in the flowers"
"They can eat the pumpkins or apple pie"
After the kids had the opportunity to spend some time with our new, little friends, they each got to find a home for their own lady bug in the Community Garden.
Another addition to the classroom was our large and lumpy pumpkin. The kids decided they wanted to carve the pumpkin to turn it into a 'creepy jack-o-lantern'. They noticed the "pimples" on the outside, as well as the lines and irregularities. By the end of the week, they scraped out the seeds and pumpkin goo, drew shapes to be carved, and separated the seeds from the pumpkin flesh so we could bake them. They ate the seeds on Friday along with their own Halloween cookie they baked and decorated. They loved the seeds-- I'm not exaggerating when I say I gave out seconds, thirds, fourths and fifths to several of the kids. Many of them decided that the seeds tasted just like popcorn. I think they were a bigger hit than the cookies.
Along with baking the seeds and cookies, all of the children contributed to making our classroom supply of play-doh with Audrey. The recipe is very basic so you can do it at home, too. Let me know if you'd like a copy. When the kids get to participate in cooking, they appreciate the final product much more. With food, they're also more willing to taste it if they've helped with the cooking or baking process. Last week, we cooked two more of our squash and most of them really enjoyed it. They got to cut it, mash it, and add a bit of butter and a sprinkle of salt. So good!
Our easel has been getting a lot of attention lately. The kids have been using different textured paint brushes, leaves, and best of all, their hands to paint pictures. Many of them worked together to make a huge finger painting, which you may have seen hanging on our door. Some of them finger painted with some ooey-gooey paint, too. The texture and feel of paint always puts some interesting looks on the kids faces. Because the kids have been so interested in paint, I dug around at home to find all of my old acrylic paint from when I attended art school. Working with acrylic provides a totally different experience and look to a painting, compared to the tempera paint that the children are use to. I thought it would great if the kids could use the paint on their own white pumpkins.
After they painted the pumpkins, the kids worked so hard on creating a pumpkin patch to keep their pumpkins in. Each window-sill is covered in leaves, vines and stems-- they made such a great home for their pumpkins. Make sure to look for them on Monday. They are all very proud of what they made!
Speaking of leaves, we took a trip to central park with our journals to check out the changing leaves, and just to enjoy being outside in nature. They really wanted to take their journals along with them, so, after we all sat down to read a story together about our Earth, they all found a quiet place to sit and observe while they drew in their journals. They also wanted to take a walk by the water. I think if we could have, we would have stayed there for hours. It was a great way to spend the afternoon on a beautiful day.
Last but not least, I want to mention again how great the field trip was. Despite the rain, the kids had so much fun planting, digging, playing with worms, looking for frogs, and smelling herbs and flowers. They also got to sit in a wigwam and learned that, a VERY long time ago, people in New York would actually live in them. The kids also had the opportunity to apply what they learned in school about seeds and roots to some of the activities they did in the garden. The trip was a great success, not to mention the bus ride!! Thanks to all of the chaperones for all of their hard work.
REMINDERS:
Don't forget to sign up for parent-teacher conferences this week. They start on November 12th.
PLEASE send your child's lunch in a brown paper bag. I know you can do it, because we had all 100% disposable lunches on our field trip. There just simply isn't enough room in our fridge to house 17 large lunch-boxes. Thank you to those who have been using brown paper bags, plastic or canvas bags.
Also, starting Monday, we will be disposing of any food that is not eaten after lunch. If you would like your child to save their food, please let me know and we will keep it in the fridge for you to pick up at the end of the day. **No food in cubbies, please!!!*
Thank you for all who have been signing up for snack. A new calendar will be posted for November tomorrow morning. We had a suggestion from one of the parents to have the option of bringing in some fresh (inexpensive) flowers for the classroom. It's always great to bring a little bit of nature to the inside, so any natural materials are always welcome.
Have a great week!
Amanda
Sunday, October 18, 2009
Rain, Rain, Go Away!
We had quite a rainy week last week, which means there was a lot of extra time spent in our classroom. We had to figure out ways to make the most of our energy that would otherwise be expended running around on the playground. So, during the start of our week, we conducted our own music class. We had Tyler on the harmonica and the rest of the gang shaking along with their egg-shakers (similar to maracas with out the handle). After rocking out, they got to show off their dance moves to the sounds of the Beatles and each had a turn in the center of our circle. I think many of them have been strongly influenced by the NYC break-dancing we often see on our sidewalks. Just check out the pictures when you get a chance.
The kids had a chance to check out some very colorful squash this week from the Union Square Farmer's Market. They noticed that some are orange, yellow or green, long or round, or striped or spotted. Squash come in many different variations... just like us!
As I mentioned last week in the blog, we have added a new and very important aspect to our day-JOBS!! The kids have been doing so well at making sure they're doing their specified job for the day, and they even check up on their friends to make sure they're doing their job, too. I'd have to say that the current job of choice is the "1-2-3, eyes on me!" helper. Sarah suggested we have a cockroach checker, but I had to do my best to assure the children that there are (hopefully) no cockroaches hiding under our rug.
Joshua brought in a mystery-bag from his recent trip to the beach, and all of the kids had a fun time guessing what was inside. Emma thought there was a princess inside, Leo thought there may be a sandcastle, and Dylan thought there may be cupcakes inside. Wishful thinking, I suppose. It was actually full of pinecones he collected on the beach, and decided to share them with his classmates. Some of them wanted to work together to make a pinecone mural, which is hanging over the easle. They also made individual paintings during a visit from Joshua's dad. Paul and Josh showed them cool new ways to use a pinecone, and they learned that painting doesn't necessarily have to be done with a paintbrush. They all got to experiement with this new art material by dipping, rolling, dabbing and scratching their paper, and came up with really beautiful pieces.
We also had some other special visitors this week to celebrate Tyler's birthday. His mom, Diana, and sister, Olivia, came in to read "Where the Wild Things Are", and to enjoy homemade oatmeal-chocolate chip cookies. Tyler got a lot of Birthday hugs from his friends, and everyone got to have fun pretending they were "Wild Things" with Diana as she read the story.
On Wednesday, on their way back to the classroom from the playground, the kids were pleasantly surprised with a classroom full of silky spiderwebs. They loved exploring the texture and the elasticity, especially. Many enjoyed crawling under and through it, getting tangled in it, and then figuring a way out of it. They also knew that, if they want to keep the webs up in our classroom, they can't tug on it too hard!! We've still got the webs up. Needless to say, they did an awesome job.
During mathgames this week, we learned about weight using our scale, which is along the same lines as our previous more than/less than conversations from previous weeks. If one side of the scale contains more weight, it will move closer to the ground. If both sides have equal/the same/balanced weight, each side of the scale will be the same distance from the ground. The kids got to use the scales on their own to test their knowledge on how to balance objects, and to discover what happens when you add or take away objects from either side.
Towards the end of our week, the kids voted on whether we should cook the acorn, butternut or spaghetti squash. We had 7 votes for butternut, 10 for spaghetti, and 5 for acorn. We have 17 kids in our class, so you'll notice we're still getting the hang of the '1 vote per person' deal. After selecting the spaghetti squash, we talked about what the inside might look like. Spaghetti was the unanimous response. One person took it a bit further and mentioned meatballs, too. We let the squash cook to soften it up before cutting it. After it was cut, they were able to observe the inside and proved their hypothesis was right, but rather than meatballs, there were actually seeds. Other words and phrases used to describe it were "trees" and "a bathtub with lots of toys". Each of the kids had a chance to smell the squash, add a pinch of cinnamon or sugar, and then eat it. They ALL tried at least a bite, and most of them liked it. YAYE! Here are some of the reactions they had:
It smells like...
Emma- "A pancake"
Julia C.- "A cupcake"
Dylan- "Syrup"
Sarah- "Chicken and corn"
Greta- "Spaghetti"
Darby- "Shells"
It tastes like...
Tyler- "I don't like it"
Eva C.- "A banana"
Eva Y.- "Leaves"
Sarah- "Cinnamon"
Some of the stories we read this week were "Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs" and "The Very Busy Spider". While reading "Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs", some of the kids were angered to hear that a huge pancake fell on the shcool, and the school had to close! They thought, if that ever happened to us, we would have to eat our way out, or a helicopter would have to lift the pancake off. Some kids decided they would run away really fast instead.
Reading "The Very Busy Spider" posed a different kind of dilema. The last page had been ripped out of the book. ARG! But, have no fear, the kids used this as an opportunity to make up their own endings. Many of them were familiar with the story, but they still had fun with originality. Darby decided the owl was going to eat the spider web. Dylan thought the spider left his web for all of the birds to see, and Julia C. thought the spider fell asleep in her web.
The last thing we did on our wet Friday afternoon was have a little scavenger hunt. The teachers turned out the lights while hiding the pretend cakes from dramatic play, and each child had a chance to find one. They had a lot of fun with this mystery game and did an awesome job with no peeking!!! For the last round, some of the kids had a turn hiding the cakes for the teachers. They must've played this game before because, I'll admit, we had to ask for a hint. Although, I'm sure you know that asking a 3 or 4 year old for a hint always results in them telling you exactly where it is, but we all had a lot of fun anyway.
Next week, we will be cooking some more squash- either acorn or butternut. I'd like to take a trip to Central Park because we weren't able to go last week due to the rain. We shall see how the weather holds up. Also, Janet is going to be doing a science experiment with the kids that will involve paper towel or toilet paper tubes. If you have any, don't throw them away-- I have a box in the classroom by the sink for you to drop them off in. Lastly, I want to thank those of you who have been signing up for snack. So wonderful!!! Please, please, please be sure to sign up. We've had snacks such as fresh date-bread, yogurt, melon, strawberries and pirate's booty, which are all much better than pretzles and graham crackers. Thanks!!
I'll see you during the week,
Amanda
The kids had a chance to check out some very colorful squash this week from the Union Square Farmer's Market. They noticed that some are orange, yellow or green, long or round, or striped or spotted. Squash come in many different variations... just like us!
As I mentioned last week in the blog, we have added a new and very important aspect to our day-JOBS!! The kids have been doing so well at making sure they're doing their specified job for the day, and they even check up on their friends to make sure they're doing their job, too. I'd have to say that the current job of choice is the "1-2-3, eyes on me!" helper. Sarah suggested we have a cockroach checker, but I had to do my best to assure the children that there are (hopefully) no cockroaches hiding under our rug.
Joshua brought in a mystery-bag from his recent trip to the beach, and all of the kids had a fun time guessing what was inside. Emma thought there was a princess inside, Leo thought there may be a sandcastle, and Dylan thought there may be cupcakes inside. Wishful thinking, I suppose. It was actually full of pinecones he collected on the beach, and decided to share them with his classmates. Some of them wanted to work together to make a pinecone mural, which is hanging over the easle. They also made individual paintings during a visit from Joshua's dad. Paul and Josh showed them cool new ways to use a pinecone, and they learned that painting doesn't necessarily have to be done with a paintbrush. They all got to experiement with this new art material by dipping, rolling, dabbing and scratching their paper, and came up with really beautiful pieces.
We also had some other special visitors this week to celebrate Tyler's birthday. His mom, Diana, and sister, Olivia, came in to read "Where the Wild Things Are", and to enjoy homemade oatmeal-chocolate chip cookies. Tyler got a lot of Birthday hugs from his friends, and everyone got to have fun pretending they were "Wild Things" with Diana as she read the story.
On Wednesday, on their way back to the classroom from the playground, the kids were pleasantly surprised with a classroom full of silky spiderwebs. They loved exploring the texture and the elasticity, especially. Many enjoyed crawling under and through it, getting tangled in it, and then figuring a way out of it. They also knew that, if they want to keep the webs up in our classroom, they can't tug on it too hard!! We've still got the webs up. Needless to say, they did an awesome job.
During mathgames this week, we learned about weight using our scale, which is along the same lines as our previous more than/less than conversations from previous weeks. If one side of the scale contains more weight, it will move closer to the ground. If both sides have equal/the same/balanced weight, each side of the scale will be the same distance from the ground. The kids got to use the scales on their own to test their knowledge on how to balance objects, and to discover what happens when you add or take away objects from either side.
Towards the end of our week, the kids voted on whether we should cook the acorn, butternut or spaghetti squash. We had 7 votes for butternut, 10 for spaghetti, and 5 for acorn. We have 17 kids in our class, so you'll notice we're still getting the hang of the '1 vote per person' deal. After selecting the spaghetti squash, we talked about what the inside might look like. Spaghetti was the unanimous response. One person took it a bit further and mentioned meatballs, too. We let the squash cook to soften it up before cutting it. After it was cut, they were able to observe the inside and proved their hypothesis was right, but rather than meatballs, there were actually seeds. Other words and phrases used to describe it were "trees" and "a bathtub with lots of toys". Each of the kids had a chance to smell the squash, add a pinch of cinnamon or sugar, and then eat it. They ALL tried at least a bite, and most of them liked it. YAYE! Here are some of the reactions they had:
It smells like...
Emma- "A pancake"
Julia C.- "A cupcake"
Dylan- "Syrup"
Sarah- "Chicken and corn"
Greta- "Spaghetti"
Darby- "Shells"
It tastes like...
Tyler- "I don't like it"
Eva C.- "A banana"
Eva Y.- "Leaves"
Sarah- "Cinnamon"
Some of the stories we read this week were "Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs" and "The Very Busy Spider". While reading "Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs", some of the kids were angered to hear that a huge pancake fell on the shcool, and the school had to close! They thought, if that ever happened to us, we would have to eat our way out, or a helicopter would have to lift the pancake off. Some kids decided they would run away really fast instead.
Reading "The Very Busy Spider" posed a different kind of dilema. The last page had been ripped out of the book. ARG! But, have no fear, the kids used this as an opportunity to make up their own endings. Many of them were familiar with the story, but they still had fun with originality. Darby decided the owl was going to eat the spider web. Dylan thought the spider left his web for all of the birds to see, and Julia C. thought the spider fell asleep in her web.
The last thing we did on our wet Friday afternoon was have a little scavenger hunt. The teachers turned out the lights while hiding the pretend cakes from dramatic play, and each child had a chance to find one. They had a lot of fun with this mystery game and did an awesome job with no peeking!!! For the last round, some of the kids had a turn hiding the cakes for the teachers. They must've played this game before because, I'll admit, we had to ask for a hint. Although, I'm sure you know that asking a 3 or 4 year old for a hint always results in them telling you exactly where it is, but we all had a lot of fun anyway.
Next week, we will be cooking some more squash- either acorn or butternut. I'd like to take a trip to Central Park because we weren't able to go last week due to the rain. We shall see how the weather holds up. Also, Janet is going to be doing a science experiment with the kids that will involve paper towel or toilet paper tubes. If you have any, don't throw them away-- I have a box in the classroom by the sink for you to drop them off in. Lastly, I want to thank those of you who have been signing up for snack. So wonderful!!! Please, please, please be sure to sign up. We've had snacks such as fresh date-bread, yogurt, melon, strawberries and pirate's booty, which are all much better than pretzles and graham crackers. Thanks!!
I'll see you during the week,
Amanda
Saturday, October 10, 2009
Spooks and Space
While we've still been pretending to be trick-or-treaters and spooky ghosts, outer-space chatter has been creeping into our classroom. It all started with a Venus sighting earlier this week by one of our classmates. We learned our 9 (or 8 if you don't count poor Pluto) planets, and discovered that, since Earth is a planet and all planets are in space, that means we are in space, too! On Friday, the children learned that, at 7:31 AM that morning, scientists set out for a "moon crash" in search for H20. When asked, what could happen if there is water on the moon, some replied "maybe it rained" or "maybe there's an alligator!" We took those thoughts further and concluded that, if water is needed for all living things here on Earth, then maybe there are life forms on the Moon... There's some food for thought. Some of the kids also brought back space books from the library and have been turning various objects into rocket-ships. I'd be on the look-out for a space curriculum.
We have been going letter crazy this week. The kids love using white-boards, chalk boards, markers and magnadoodles to practice the letters we've been learning during our morning meetings. We have been digging through the sand to find and recognize hidden letters, and some used the letters they found to make some yummy alphabet soup. The kids have been starting to learn how to determine the spelling of words by listening to the different sounds. I was amazed when we did the letter Q together on Wednesday. They came up with words like squeal, squirt, quilt, queen and quit. Q is a tough letter!!
The open-ended materials have finally been getting some action this week. Our collection of Central Park's natural materials have been used in conjunction with the styrofoam box, egg cartons and paper towel tubes to make what many of the kids are calling a castle, but we can make it/call it anything we'd like. Now we are in the process of trying to figure out where to put it or what we should do with it... any ideas??
The children have really peen expressing a particular interest in music and songs. Some have been improvising lyrics, and some have been changing words to songs we already know, such as "Twinkle twinkle, little diamond" and "5 little pumpkins" vs. "5 little ghosts". I asked them if they wanted to sing 5 little ghosts on Friday, and they all pleaded "NOO" in unison... I think we've tired it out. Even so, they love being given the opportunity to perform in front of their friends and teachers, whether it's using their vocals, dancing or shaking their maracas! We encourage musical influences (or any influences) from home to carry over to the classroom. It gives the kids a great opportunity to teach their friends new things about themselves, to learn about diversity, and to feel proud of themselves. And, while I'm on the subject, I hope your kids have been coming home to teach you how to say "STOP!" when someone is doing something we don't like. We did some role-playing this week to help develop a sense of empowerment in the children, and it's also just as important to listen to someone who is telling us to stop as it is making sure we're standing up for ourselves. We've also practiced how to give a good hug through role-play... so precious.
We have posted the class rules in the classroom, which the kids will actually refer to throughout the day. Make sure you ask them to show you. They also came up with some classroom jobs, which is a great way to teach them responsibility. Next week, we'll start to assign jobs to everyone. Don't be too surprised when they come home excited about being the "pillow fluffer".
By next week, we will have pumpkins, gourds and other various squash to observe and maybe use to cook or carve (under close teacher supervision). We will be taking another trip to Central Park to witness first hand how nature is continuing to change. It is so important for our city kids to get as close to nature as possible. On October 22nd we will be taking a trip to Dr. Davies Farm in Congers, NY to go apple picking. It is about 45 minutes outside the city by school bus, which always seems to be the best part of the field-trip for the kids. I will be e-mailing 4 families shortly about joining us as chaperones. Remember, we are going on four field trips so everyone will have the opportunity to chaperone.
Have a great 3 day weekend, and keep your ears open for space talk, classroom jobs and squash. There have also been Halloween Party ideas brewing, and you'd probably be invited...
Amanda
p.s. thanks to all who responded to my e mails. All and any input is always appreciated. I love hearing from you guys, whether in the classroom or via e-mail.
We have been going letter crazy this week. The kids love using white-boards, chalk boards, markers and magnadoodles to practice the letters we've been learning during our morning meetings. We have been digging through the sand to find and recognize hidden letters, and some used the letters they found to make some yummy alphabet soup. The kids have been starting to learn how to determine the spelling of words by listening to the different sounds. I was amazed when we did the letter Q together on Wednesday. They came up with words like squeal, squirt, quilt, queen and quit. Q is a tough letter!!
The open-ended materials have finally been getting some action this week. Our collection of Central Park's natural materials have been used in conjunction with the styrofoam box, egg cartons and paper towel tubes to make what many of the kids are calling a castle, but we can make it/call it anything we'd like. Now we are in the process of trying to figure out where to put it or what we should do with it... any ideas??
The children have really peen expressing a particular interest in music and songs. Some have been improvising lyrics, and some have been changing words to songs we already know, such as "Twinkle twinkle, little diamond" and "5 little pumpkins" vs. "5 little ghosts". I asked them if they wanted to sing 5 little ghosts on Friday, and they all pleaded "NOO" in unison... I think we've tired it out. Even so, they love being given the opportunity to perform in front of their friends and teachers, whether it's using their vocals, dancing or shaking their maracas! We encourage musical influences (or any influences) from home to carry over to the classroom. It gives the kids a great opportunity to teach their friends new things about themselves, to learn about diversity, and to feel proud of themselves. And, while I'm on the subject, I hope your kids have been coming home to teach you how to say "STOP!" when someone is doing something we don't like. We did some role-playing this week to help develop a sense of empowerment in the children, and it's also just as important to listen to someone who is telling us to stop as it is making sure we're standing up for ourselves. We've also practiced how to give a good hug through role-play... so precious.
We have posted the class rules in the classroom, which the kids will actually refer to throughout the day. Make sure you ask them to show you. They also came up with some classroom jobs, which is a great way to teach them responsibility. Next week, we'll start to assign jobs to everyone. Don't be too surprised when they come home excited about being the "pillow fluffer".
By next week, we will have pumpkins, gourds and other various squash to observe and maybe use to cook or carve (under close teacher supervision). We will be taking another trip to Central Park to witness first hand how nature is continuing to change. It is so important for our city kids to get as close to nature as possible. On October 22nd we will be taking a trip to Dr. Davies Farm in Congers, NY to go apple picking. It is about 45 minutes outside the city by school bus, which always seems to be the best part of the field-trip for the kids. I will be e-mailing 4 families shortly about joining us as chaperones. Remember, we are going on four field trips so everyone will have the opportunity to chaperone.
Have a great 3 day weekend, and keep your ears open for space talk, classroom jobs and squash. There have also been Halloween Party ideas brewing, and you'd probably be invited...
Amanda
p.s. thanks to all who responded to my e mails. All and any input is always appreciated. I love hearing from you guys, whether in the classroom or via e-mail.
Saturday, October 3, 2009
October 3
Hello Everyone!
Despite the fact that we had a four day week, so many things have been happening in our young 4's classroom. Has anyone been hearing anything about five little ghosts going out to play? With Halloween approaching, ghosts, pumpkins and costumes have been on the minds of many of your children. But, rest assured, we all made sure that everyone knows ghosts are just pretend. And even though we don't actually celebrate Halloween in school, we're still having fun talking to our friends about dressing up in costume to pretend we're something or someone different-- there have been a lot of spooky ghosts wandering around lately...
Some of the kids have also noted not only the change of season, but also the change of month. More and more, we have been learning the days of the week and the order of the months and seasons. The kids learned, to their surprise, the teachers don't actually live in school and are not there on the weekends, either. Crazy thought!!
Anyway, with the change of season and the start of a new month comes many other changes around us. We took a trip to central park to notice some of the things that started falling to the ground, hence the name of our current seasn, FALL! The children collected various types of seeds, sticks and leaves to further investigate in our classroom. Some of the kids have been thinking about other ways to use these natural materials including making a leaf pile, a treehouse, and a leaf monster. We even had a volunteer to be the aparatus for which to glue the leaves on.
We have been continuing to observe with our magnifying glasses, but this week we cut open an apple and a small cactus plant. Those who observed found that the apple contains seeds on the inside-- for others, they were not seeds, but coffee beans. That's my kind of apple :D They also explored the different textures, smells and colors of each, and how they are different on the inside compared to the outside.
With plant disection and Fall on our minds, the kids came up with the idea to cut open a pumpkin to see what is inside. Some think cheese, some think peas, and some think we should use what is inside to make a pumpkin pie. We can eat pumpkin!! It is my intent to explore with your children the many ways in which to eat and use a pumpkin. Ohh, the possibilities.
This week, we introduced a few new specials to our schedule. The kids met our new, fantastic music teacher, Lorna-Beth, and had the opportunity to learn a few new songs, dance, and play with musical instruments. We also began writing in our journals. The kids learned that we can use our journals however we'd like in order to express ourselves. We can write about our feelings, our day, or maybe write about something we like or don't like. We can also draw pictures to show how we feel. The children will be able to reflect in their journals once a week, or more upon their request.
On Friday, we had the chance to use our aprons for the first time. After reading "If You Give a Moose a Muffin" earlier in the week, we got to make our own cinnamon apple muffins. The kids had such a great time adding the ingredients and, of course, mixing them together. Very good fraction exposure, by the way. They will all get a chance to eat and enjoy them for snack on monday. Thank you to Alissa and Gonzalo for your great help.
You can get a sense that mathematical concepts have been creeping into our day in many different ways. During story time, the kids have been voting on which book they would like to read. So, if 12 people want to read book A, and 5 people want to read book B, and all 17 kids in our class voted, how many votes should we have all together? Which book has more votes? Which book has less votes? Or, if there are only 16 votes in total, how many are missing? It is really exciting to see your children begin to grasp the fundamentals of math.
Lastly, our bookshelves are overflowing with your kid's hand made books AND new library books. That means they've done such a great job taking care of their books and they're ready to use our library books again. I'm also pleased to say that the children are very well adjusted to the routine of our day. They are raising their hands with out many reminders, are respectful of others and our classroom, and are really enjoying our jam-packed days. You should all be so proud!!
Have a great rest of the weekend, and I will be uploading more pictures ASAP. An e mail will be sent once they're posted.
Amanda
Despite the fact that we had a four day week, so many things have been happening in our young 4's classroom. Has anyone been hearing anything about five little ghosts going out to play? With Halloween approaching, ghosts, pumpkins and costumes have been on the minds of many of your children. But, rest assured, we all made sure that everyone knows ghosts are just pretend. And even though we don't actually celebrate Halloween in school, we're still having fun talking to our friends about dressing up in costume to pretend we're something or someone different-- there have been a lot of spooky ghosts wandering around lately...
Some of the kids have also noted not only the change of season, but also the change of month. More and more, we have been learning the days of the week and the order of the months and seasons. The kids learned, to their surprise, the teachers don't actually live in school and are not there on the weekends, either. Crazy thought!!
Anyway, with the change of season and the start of a new month comes many other changes around us. We took a trip to central park to notice some of the things that started falling to the ground, hence the name of our current seasn, FALL! The children collected various types of seeds, sticks and leaves to further investigate in our classroom. Some of the kids have been thinking about other ways to use these natural materials including making a leaf pile, a treehouse, and a leaf monster. We even had a volunteer to be the aparatus for which to glue the leaves on.
We have been continuing to observe with our magnifying glasses, but this week we cut open an apple and a small cactus plant. Those who observed found that the apple contains seeds on the inside-- for others, they were not seeds, but coffee beans. That's my kind of apple :D They also explored the different textures, smells and colors of each, and how they are different on the inside compared to the outside.
With plant disection and Fall on our minds, the kids came up with the idea to cut open a pumpkin to see what is inside. Some think cheese, some think peas, and some think we should use what is inside to make a pumpkin pie. We can eat pumpkin!! It is my intent to explore with your children the many ways in which to eat and use a pumpkin. Ohh, the possibilities.
This week, we introduced a few new specials to our schedule. The kids met our new, fantastic music teacher, Lorna-Beth, and had the opportunity to learn a few new songs, dance, and play with musical instruments. We also began writing in our journals. The kids learned that we can use our journals however we'd like in order to express ourselves. We can write about our feelings, our day, or maybe write about something we like or don't like. We can also draw pictures to show how we feel. The children will be able to reflect in their journals once a week, or more upon their request.
On Friday, we had the chance to use our aprons for the first time. After reading "If You Give a Moose a Muffin" earlier in the week, we got to make our own cinnamon apple muffins. The kids had such a great time adding the ingredients and, of course, mixing them together. Very good fraction exposure, by the way. They will all get a chance to eat and enjoy them for snack on monday. Thank you to Alissa and Gonzalo for your great help.
You can get a sense that mathematical concepts have been creeping into our day in many different ways. During story time, the kids have been voting on which book they would like to read. So, if 12 people want to read book A, and 5 people want to read book B, and all 17 kids in our class voted, how many votes should we have all together? Which book has more votes? Which book has less votes? Or, if there are only 16 votes in total, how many are missing? It is really exciting to see your children begin to grasp the fundamentals of math.
Lastly, our bookshelves are overflowing with your kid's hand made books AND new library books. That means they've done such a great job taking care of their books and they're ready to use our library books again. I'm also pleased to say that the children are very well adjusted to the routine of our day. They are raising their hands with out many reminders, are respectful of others and our classroom, and are really enjoying our jam-packed days. You should all be so proud!!
Have a great rest of the weekend, and I will be uploading more pictures ASAP. An e mail will be sent once they're posted.
Amanda
Friday, September 25, 2009
Welcome to the Young 4's Class!
Hi Everyone!
First off, it was so great seeing you all at curriculum night. We’ve got such a great classroom community and I am looking forward to a fun and exciting year.
Now… down to business…
Over the last two weeks, things have been off to a great start. During phase-in week, we learned how to wash our hands by rubbing the soap on the fronts and backs of our hands until they start to get foamy, and we should definitely see lots of bubbles in the sink while we rinse. We used that rainy Thursday as an opportunity to further talk about water and how important it is for all living things. The children got to explore the sounds of the rain-stick and ways to alter the sound, make observational art from the classroom windows, noticing the rain drops and umbrellas, and we also read the book, Rain, by Manya Stojic. While reading the story, the question “what does rain smell like” prompted some very interesting responses including jelly, peanut butter, camouflage, drops, paint and candy; such imaginations.
We also read the story, Fran’s Flower, by Lisa Bruce. We discussed all of the things a seed needs to grow. Water, soil, sun and a safe place to live are all very important things for a seed, but they definitely don’t need pizza and cookies like Fran thought. The children have even started to grow their own classroom plant. Make sure you’re watching it to see how they’ve been taking care of it! Take a peak at their window boxes, too. They’ve been working on them for days and have added some leaves they collected at the Community Garden most recently.
Along with collecting leaves, our garden visit also consisted of taking careful observations of what we see using a magnifying class. Some saw ladybugs, flowers, bumble-bees, and even a television. The magnifying glasses are exploration tools often revisited by the kids. We’ve looked at berries, seeds, rocks, shells and dirt. They love being able to observe things so closely, and the idea of making something small appear larger.
The children have also been able to observe how cornstarch changes the appearance of water, and what happens to sodium bicarbonate (aka Alka-Seltzer tablets) when water is added to it:
“It bubbled. It’s crunchy! It’s gone…”
“It’s fuzzing. It melted.”
“It’s floating away… Squirt it!”
“It kind of looks like medicine…”
“It’s floating. I see a reflection of the bubbles.”
Along with our various science experiments and activities, the class has shown a strong interest in building and blocks. We have had many dinosaur houses and schools—even an interpretation of our very own Columbus Pre-School. They have also been exploring building and math manipulatives with their friends from McKenzie’s class. The kids will have the opportunity to do this twice a week, alternating between visiting McKenzie’s classroom and staying in our own.
After all of their hard work, it is time for a well deserved rest. Rest has been something new for many of your children, and they have been adjusting to it well. It is a low key part of the day where each child has their own rest mat, and has the option of holding a rest toy, pillow or reading a book quietly. This is a time to rest their bodies and talk quietly to their neighbors. It is not necessary to sleep, but we have had a few exhausted students who couldn’t resist.
Inevitably, we’ve been paying extra attention to learning and understanding the importance of using safe hands, taking care of our classroom and classroom materials, and listening to our teachers, friends and others when it is their time to talk, especially after everyone has listened when it was their own turn. We came up with a great list of classroom rules that will soon become second nature to them. Special focus has been given to taking care of our library books. You’ll notice that our bookshelves are empty now! Stories will still be read in school, but the kids will be making their own books for the shelves in order to demonstrate they’re ready to take better care of the school’s books.
Gym has started this week and it has been a lot of jumping and balancing fun. Music will begin this upcoming week, and dance will begin the following Monday. All of the kids are really looking forward to these special activities. And, now that they have their aprons ready and decorated, we will also begin our food science activities. Yummy!!
We ended our week talking about apples, leaves and the fall. We learned that there are so many different kinds of apples, even one called Anna… just like their teacher! Next week we will be taking a trip to central park in order to add to our fall collection of leaves and other natural materials. I wonder what we’ll do with them…
**Remember** There is no school on Monday. Also, great job with on-time drop off and pick up. Transitions are always better for your children when they are arriving at the same time as their friends, and you know it’s never any fun being the last one picked up.
If you have not yet sent in a family photo, please do so!! We want all of our families represented on our family portrait wall.
Have a great weekend!
Amanda
First off, it was so great seeing you all at curriculum night. We’ve got such a great classroom community and I am looking forward to a fun and exciting year.
Now… down to business…
Over the last two weeks, things have been off to a great start. During phase-in week, we learned how to wash our hands by rubbing the soap on the fronts and backs of our hands until they start to get foamy, and we should definitely see lots of bubbles in the sink while we rinse. We used that rainy Thursday as an opportunity to further talk about water and how important it is for all living things. The children got to explore the sounds of the rain-stick and ways to alter the sound, make observational art from the classroom windows, noticing the rain drops and umbrellas, and we also read the book, Rain, by Manya Stojic. While reading the story, the question “what does rain smell like” prompted some very interesting responses including jelly, peanut butter, camouflage, drops, paint and candy; such imaginations.
We also read the story, Fran’s Flower, by Lisa Bruce. We discussed all of the things a seed needs to grow. Water, soil, sun and a safe place to live are all very important things for a seed, but they definitely don’t need pizza and cookies like Fran thought. The children have even started to grow their own classroom plant. Make sure you’re watching it to see how they’ve been taking care of it! Take a peak at their window boxes, too. They’ve been working on them for days and have added some leaves they collected at the Community Garden most recently.
Along with collecting leaves, our garden visit also consisted of taking careful observations of what we see using a magnifying class. Some saw ladybugs, flowers, bumble-bees, and even a television. The magnifying glasses are exploration tools often revisited by the kids. We’ve looked at berries, seeds, rocks, shells and dirt. They love being able to observe things so closely, and the idea of making something small appear larger.
The children have also been able to observe how cornstarch changes the appearance of water, and what happens to sodium bicarbonate (aka Alka-Seltzer tablets) when water is added to it:
“It bubbled. It’s crunchy! It’s gone…”
“It’s fuzzing. It melted.”
“It’s floating away… Squirt it!”
“It kind of looks like medicine…”
“It’s floating. I see a reflection of the bubbles.”
Along with our various science experiments and activities, the class has shown a strong interest in building and blocks. We have had many dinosaur houses and schools—even an interpretation of our very own Columbus Pre-School. They have also been exploring building and math manipulatives with their friends from McKenzie’s class. The kids will have the opportunity to do this twice a week, alternating between visiting McKenzie’s classroom and staying in our own.
After all of their hard work, it is time for a well deserved rest. Rest has been something new for many of your children, and they have been adjusting to it well. It is a low key part of the day where each child has their own rest mat, and has the option of holding a rest toy, pillow or reading a book quietly. This is a time to rest their bodies and talk quietly to their neighbors. It is not necessary to sleep, but we have had a few exhausted students who couldn’t resist.
Inevitably, we’ve been paying extra attention to learning and understanding the importance of using safe hands, taking care of our classroom and classroom materials, and listening to our teachers, friends and others when it is their time to talk, especially after everyone has listened when it was their own turn. We came up with a great list of classroom rules that will soon become second nature to them. Special focus has been given to taking care of our library books. You’ll notice that our bookshelves are empty now! Stories will still be read in school, but the kids will be making their own books for the shelves in order to demonstrate they’re ready to take better care of the school’s books.
Gym has started this week and it has been a lot of jumping and balancing fun. Music will begin this upcoming week, and dance will begin the following Monday. All of the kids are really looking forward to these special activities. And, now that they have their aprons ready and decorated, we will also begin our food science activities. Yummy!!
We ended our week talking about apples, leaves and the fall. We learned that there are so many different kinds of apples, even one called Anna… just like their teacher! Next week we will be taking a trip to central park in order to add to our fall collection of leaves and other natural materials. I wonder what we’ll do with them…
**Remember** There is no school on Monday. Also, great job with on-time drop off and pick up. Transitions are always better for your children when they are arriving at the same time as their friends, and you know it’s never any fun being the last one picked up.
If you have not yet sent in a family photo, please do so!! We want all of our families represented on our family portrait wall.
Have a great weekend!
Amanda
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