Getting ready for tomorrow...

Group Meeting:  Today was our final regular class day.  I encouraged the children to play in all of the areas one last time including the art table.  I explained our schedule for tomorrow so that the children would know what to expect.

Story:  I know that many of you may be planning a summer vacation, so I read Twas the Night Before Summer Vacation.  In this story, a family is preparing to go on a camping trip.  They begin to pack the night before including all of the things that they think they will need.  The car is crammed full.  As the family pulls out of the driveway, a child asks, "are we there yet?"  

Small Group:  The children were measured for their "graduation" hats.  They will wear them tomorrow during the program.

Large Group:  The children practiced the program for tomorrow.  Then, we went to the Outdoor Classroom.

Snacks:  The morning class had Go-gurt and juice brought by Mason W.  The afternoon class had Cheddar Chickadees and juice brought by Mason D.  Thank you!

I am hoping that the rain holds off long enough for both parties tomorrow.  We noticed that it was quite buggy outside today.  I would suggest sunscreen and bug spray.  I'm looking forward to a fun day.

Summers coming...so are the ants.

Group Meeting:  The children discussed things that they saw on our field trip.  They seemed to enjoy climbing inside of the helicopter the best.  I want to thank all of the parents and grandparents who were able to take us on this trip.  It interesting for the children and adults.

Story:  The story I read today was The Ants Go Marching One by One.  This is a story version of the song by the same title.  It has lots of rhyming words and repeating phrases that the children enjoy.  This story also went along with our snack for today.

Small Group:  The children practiced the Last Day Program.  We learned a new song to sing and brushed up on a few of the old.

Large Group:  The children went to the Outdoor Classroom.

Snacks:  Today was Summer Birthday Day.  We celebrated the birthdays that will take place in June, July, and August.  The snack that the children prepared was Ants on a Log.  The children spread peanut butter or cheese onto a piece of celery and added raisins as ants.  When we were outside, we noticed quite a few ants (real ones) on our new play house.

I shared a "duck" story with the afternoon class today and one of the children asked me to put it on the blog so that her parents could read it, so here it goes...  I have a pen of five ducks that I have raised as pets.  Occasionally, we have had predators try to get into the duck pen.  Over the weekend, I noticed that something had scratched a small hole on one end of the pen.  I asked Mr. Christiansen to put out the trap to see if we could catch whatever was trying to get into the pen.  We have had to do this before and usually catch skunks.  However, on Wednesday morning, Mr. Christiansen found a raccoon in the trap.  The raccoon was not very happy.  After school on Wednesday, we took the raccoon for a long ride and left him near a farm creek where I'm hoping he will make a new home and not hitch hike back to our house.  We'll set the trap again tonight to see if he had any friends or relatives!

Preparing for our Field Trip

Group Meeting:  The children prepared for our trip to the National Guard tomorrow.  I told the children a few facts about what we would be seeing.  We also discussed good manners and how to ask questions.  I think we are ready!

Story:  To prepare for our trip, I went to the library and checked out three books.  One was The National Guard.  The other two were both titled Helicopters.  Both of these books had a lot of information to help us prepare for our trip tomorrow.  We read a few pages from each book.

Small Group:  In the morning, Lucie's dad came to visit.  He has an electronic keyboard that makes wonderful music as well as some really cool sounds.  He explained to the children that a keyboard is easy to carry around so that you can make music without having to move around a piano or organ.  This keyboard could also make the sounds of thunder, trains, footsteps, and a few others.  The children each had a turn to make some sounds.
In the afternoon, the children counted M&Ms.  Each child was given a fun size bag of M&Ms.  They had to sort them by color and determine how many they had of each.  We compared and found that no two bags of M&Ms are the same.

Large Group:  The children practiced their last day songs and then headed out to the Outdoor Classroom.  Mrs. Hoogheem and I put the playhouse together with some help from Mr. Hoogheem.  The children enjoyed playing in it, but also enjoyed playing in the empty cardboard boxes!

Snacks:  The morning class had cheese crackers and juice brought by Lucy.  Thank you!   In the afternoon, the scheduled snack person was absent.  Because I knew this ahead of time, I told the children that I would bring the snack and asked for suggestions.  Many of them suggested macaroni and cheese.  I laughed at first, but then thought that there aught to be a way to make that work.  I went to Hy-Vee and bought a pan of frozen macaroni and cheese, popped it in the oven and had it for snack!  These children can think and make me think outside of the box!

What is your favorite thing about preschool?

Group Meeting:  The children and I talked about many of the things that we have done at preschool this year.  I asked them to think of one thing that was their favorite.  During small group, they will draw a picture of their favorite thing.  We also started a countdown to the last day.  I drew 6 stars on the board.  We will erase one each day.

Story:  The story I selected for today was An Annoying ABC.   The children and I talked about what it means to be annoying.  I told them that the ABC's were in the book, but that they would have to find them. In the story, all of the children's names are printed in alphabetical order.  Adelaide annoyed Blair, Blair bothered Clive, Clive chased David, etc.  At the end of the story, all of the children apologized to their friends.  

Small Group:  I gave the children paper and crayons and asked them to draw a favorite thing about preschool.  Everyone drew a picture and printed the words to describe what they had drawn.  These pictures will be placed in the hallway for everyone to see.

Large Group:   The children will be performing a program for the grown-ups on the last day of school.  We practiced it today.  It is called "We Know Our Stuff".

Snacks:  The morning class had cheese sticks and juice brought by Logan.  The afternoon class had fruit bars and milk brought by Leah Z.  Thank you!

Piggies!

Group Meeting:  Today, we are celebrating the May birthdays.  We will be making the snack for the day.  A while back, we read the Three Little Pigs.  We reviewed it yesterday because we will be making Pigs in a Blanket today!

Story:  I read the story The Three Little Wolves and the Big Bad Pig.  This story if very similar to the Three Little Pigs, with a twist.  This time, it's the pig who is big and bad.  He chases the wolves out of three houses.  How can the wolves be safe from the pig?  What kind of house did they build?  What happened at the end?

Small Group:  The children made Pigs in a Blanket for snack time.  The pig was a hot dog.  The blanket was biscuit dough.  The children flattened the dough and wrapped it around the hot dog.  We put them in the oven. 

Large Group:  The morning class went to the Outdoor Classroom.  By the afternoon, it was raining.  We stayed inside and did a music action song.

Snacks:  We ate our Pigs in a Blanket and Birthday Brownies!

I was absent yesterday and did not post.  However, the afternoon class had a special visitor.  Lucy's dad came to share his musical talent with the class.  He plays the guitar in his band "Wild Oats".  He brought his guitar, drums and recording equipment with him.  The children had the opportunity to strum the guitar and play the drums.  They also sang and recorded songs.  I am attaching a video that was taken.  I hope it will work!

A Time to Say Thank You

Group Meeting:  The countdown has begun to the last day of school.  During group meeting today, I asked the children if we should send thank you notes to any grown-ups who helped us during the school year.  We made a list of places that we visited and people who came into the classroom to help.  The children will make a thank you card during small group time.

Story:  One of my favorite stories is Caps for Sale.   In this story, a peddler is selling caps.  He carries them through town balancing them on his head.  When he can't find anyone to buy a cap, he decides to go out into the country to rest.  He sits down under a tree and falls asleep.  When he wakes up, his caps are missing.  Where did they go?  How will he get them back?  Ask your child to tell you!

Small Group:  The children printed their name on a thank you card that we will send to grown-ups who were helpful to us throughout the year.  Some of the children wanted to draw little pictures as well.  

Large Group:  The children were divided into two teams to play a game.  Mrs. Hoogheem and I distributed little cubes all throughout the classroom.  When we said go, the children were to pick up the cubes and put them into their team's circle.  However, they could only pick up one cube to bring to the circle at a time.  When all the cubes were gathered, we counted to see how many were in each circle.  

Snacks:  The morning class had crackers and juice brought by Addisyn.  The afternoon group had Go-gurt and juice brought by Lucy.  Thank you!

Chicka, Chicka, BOOM, BOOM

Group Meeting:  Over the weekend, the green bean seeds really grew!  We took a few minutes at group meeting time to look at the stems and leaves that were growing.  Some of the seeds are still getting roots.  If that case,  I have told the children to try to hang them in a window a little longer before putting them outside.  We also took another look at the May calendar.  The days are winding down and we have several events coming up.

Story:  When the children sat down on the rug today, they noticed that the coconut tree that we had been putting our letters on had fallen down.  I asked them to think about why that had happened.  Then someone remembered the story Chicka, Chicka, Boom, Boom.  In this story, the letters climb to the top of the tree, but when all of the letters get to the top, the tree topples over.  We got the book out and read it again.  What will happen to our tree next?

Small Group:  After looking at our green bean seeds, we completed our Green Bean Book.  The children  are bring the books and their seeds home today.

Large Group:  The children played in the Outdoor Classroom.  We were able to add water and water painting today.  The new play house has arrived.  We are still looking over the directions.  We may need some help, stay tuned!  

Snacks:  The morning class had apples, peanut butter and milk provided by Addison.  However, Addison was ill today.  Get well soon!  The afternoon class had Cheese Nips, apples, and juice brought by Jameson.  Thank you!

Group Meeting:   The children have been enjoying the camping and fishing items that we have put to the play areas.  Today, we added flashlights and talked about using them when camping. During playtime, I saw a few children holding them under their chins to tell ghost stories.  They think of everything!

Story:  In the morning, I read The Selfish Crocodile.  Selfish was a new vocabulary word.  We talked about what it meant.  In this story, the crocodile would not let the other animals in the jungle drink or bathe in the river.  When they were thirsty, the animals had to walk a long way to another river.  One day, the crocodile had a terrible tooth ache.   The animals were afraid to help him because he was so mean, except for a little mouse.  The mouse scrambled up the crocodile's tummy and pulled the tooth out of his mouth.  Because the mouse was so kind, the crocodile was friendly to the other animals and allowed them to drink and bathe in the river.

In the afternoon, Evelyn brought a book with the title The Watermelon Seed.  Yesterday, we read One Watermelon Seed.  Evelyn's book was about a crocodile that accidentally ate a watermelon seed.  He became worried thinking that the seed would grow vines out of his ears and a watermelon in his tummy.  Then he burped.  Out came the watermelon and all was well, until he took another bite! The book was funny.  Thanks, Evelyn!

Small Group: I told the children that numbers could be odd or even.  Then, I showed them a way to figure out which numbers were odd and which were even.  I gave the children a two column grid.   We selected a number and counted out that many Cheerios.  We put the Cheerios into the grid.  If every Cheerio had a "buddy", that number was an even number.  If there was a left over Cheerio, that number was odd.  They caught on pretty quickly.

Large Group:  We went to the Outdoor Classroom.  In the afternoon, we were worried that it was going to rain, so they went out first thing and we did our routine backwards.  Very interesting!

Snacks:  The morning class had blueberry muffins and juice brought by Dawson.  The afternoon class had Cheez-its and juice brought by Noah.  Thank you!

What are our seeds doing?

Group Meeting:  Last week, we planted bean seeds in a plastic bag with a wet paper towel.  The bags are taped on the windows to receive the most light. In a weeks time, they have begun to grow.  The children and I took a few minutes today to look at the seeds.  They are beginning to grow roots.

Story:  I read the book One Watermelon Seed.  In this counting book (first by ones and then by tens), children plant one watermelon seed, two pumpkin seeds, three eggplant seeds, etc.  They water and weed the garden.  When the fruit and vegetables are ripe they pick ten watermelons, twenty pumpkins, thirty eggplants. etc.    At the end, they have picked one hundred ears of corn which pops into thousands of pieces of popcorn.

Small Group:  After we looked at our seeds, each child started a book to document what has happened.  The children drew the plastic bag with the seeds and the seeds growing roots.  We will add pictures to this book as the seeds continue to grow.

Large Group:  Our plan for the morning was to go to the Outdoor Classroom.  However, just as we stepped out of the door, it began to rain.  So the children voted to play Musical Chairs instead.  In the afternoon, it rained during snack time.  We thought that we might have to stay in as well, but it stopped just in time.

Snacks:  The morning class had vanilla wafers and strawberry milk brought by Grace.  The afternoon class had cheese popcorn and juice brought by Wyatt.  Thank you!

What is a conductor?

Group Meeting:  Our camping and fishing continued today.  During group meeting, we went over our rules a little bit.  Sometimes new things can get so exciting that we forget them, but they are having a great time.  Thanks to the parents who sent sleeping bags.  They are being well used, but no sleeping!

Story:  We revisited the story Never Play Music Right Next to the Zoo.  This time, we looked for the conductor in the story.  Then, we talked about what the conductor's role is in the band or orchestra.  The children listened to the music from the book to hear when it got faster/slower and louder/softer.  

Small Group:  I rolled a dice to determine a number and  asked the children to build a cube tower with that number of cubes.  Then I asked them to add some or take some away.  Then we determined how many we had remaining.   This is something that you can do at home with items that you have available.  

Large Group:  After hearing the story, we got out our kazoos to see if we could follow a conductor.  I played the role of conductor and had the children follow my lead.  We played loudly and softly, quickly and slowly.

Snacks:  The morning class had apples, strawberries, and juice brought by Riley.  The afternoon class had Rice Krispie treats and milk brought by Leigha.  Thank you!

Camping and Fishing

Group Meeting:  Last week, the children helped me create a list of camping items that we could add to the Housekeeping area.  Today, Mrs. Hoogheem brought a HUGE tent, and we were able to add a picnic basket with dishes, toy roasting sticks, toy marshmallows and hot dogs, and a lantern.    The children would like to have sleeping bags.  This is something that I do not have.  If anyone would like to share a few child sized sleeping bags, we would appreciate it.

Story:  Today's story was  Whistle for Willie.  Peter would like to learn how to whistle so that he could call his dog, Willie.  He tries, but is unsuccessful.  After playing for a while, Peter sees Willie coming down the sidewalk.  He hides in a cardboard box and tries to whistle.  This time, it works.  Willie hears Peter whistle, but cannot find him.  Peter jumps out of the box.  Willie follows Peter as he runs an errand for his mother and whistles the whole way.

Small Group:  The children used a fishing pole with a clothes pin on the end to fish for numerals.  They took turns fishing and hiding behind a divider to put the fish on the line.  Even after group time was over, they continued to play this game.

Large Group:  We went to the Outdoor Classroom.  We took the art supplies for the easels, two new bouncing balls, and the ramps.  

Snacks:  The morning class had Go-gurts and juice brought by Aidan.  The afternoon class had crackers, strawberries, and juice brought by Kadence.  Thank you!

Let's go camping?!

Group Meeting:  The children have been playing with pets and veterinarian items in the Housekeeping Area for quite a while.  While they still enjoy it, we thought that we might try to suggest something new.  I asked the children if any of them liked to go on picnics or go camping during the summer.  There was a lot of interest in this!  The children and I made a list of items that we would need to pretend that we were going on a picnic or camping trip.  I will put these items in the Housekeeping Area on Monday.

Story:  Today, I read A Song for My Sister.    Mira makes a wish.  She wishes that she had a baby sister.  Four years later, her wish comes true.  However, the baby sister likes to cry, a lot!  Mira and her parents are preparing for the naming ceremony which will take place eight days after the baby is born.   Mira thinks "siren" and "thunder" would be good names.  During the naming ceremony, Mira's gift to her baby sister is a song.  While she sings, the baby calms down and coos at her.  Mira's parents decide to name the baby Shira which means song or melody.

Small Group:  The children participated in an tallying activity.  I had a number of questions for them to answer by making a mark under a programmed answer card.  After everyone had marked their answer, we counted the answers.

Large Group:  The children took turns on the tumbling mat and played with the balls.  Hopefully, we will return to the Outdoor Classroom next week.

Snacks:  The morning class had Go-gurt and juice brought by Payton.  The afternoon class had Goldfish grahams and juice brought by Lily.  Thank you!

Surprise Garden

Group Meeting:  This time of year is typically garden planting time.  During group meeting time, we talked about vegetable gardens and flower gardens.  Hopefully, the weather will shape up soon so that we can get some planting done.

Story:  The story I selected for today was The Surprise Garden.  In this story, children are given a mixture of unidentified seeds to plant.  As the plants grow and mature, they are able to tell what kind of seeds that they had planted.  After the story, we talked about what seeds need in order to grow.  We are going to try to grow a plant from a seed.

Small Group:  The children played a game called, "What's Missing?"  I placed 7 toys on the table.  I asked the children to close their eyes and then removed one item.  The children had to figure out which item was missing.  The children took turns taking toys away.  Then we tried taking two items, three items, etc.

Large Group:  The children planted seeds in plastic bags so that we can watch them grow.  Each child was given a Ziploc bag, a paper towel to get wet, and two seeds.  We will tape the bags onto the window so that they will get sunlight.  In about a week, we should be able to see the roots seeking water.  Then a stem will grow up and out of the bag.  In a few weeks, they will be ready to take home.  What seeds are we planting?  We'll find out.

Snacks:  The morning class had Go-gurt and juice brought by Parker.  The afternoon class had trail mix and juice brought by Allison.  Thank you!

The shaving cream was so much fun yesterday that we decided put it at the art table.  Ask your child to tell you if they did anything with the shaving cream today.

Kazoo Time

Group Meeting:  Yesterday, we learned that the sound of our voices comes from the vibrations of our vocal chords.  Today, we learned about the kazoo that also uses vibrations to make a sound.  

Story:  To prepare us for our kazoo band, I selected The Pirate and the Kazoo.  In this story, a young pirate is left on a deserted island because his crew thought he wasn't mean enough.  One day, while he is fishing, he catches a pelican by mistake.  The pelican is wearing a kazoo around his neck.  The pirate blows into the kazoo, but it doesn't make a sound.  His parrot reminds him that to make the kazoo work, he needs to hum into it.  The other pirates hear his kazoo music and come back to the island.  He is now the musician on the ship.

Small Group:  The children spread shaving cream onto the table and used their fingers to make letters in the shaving cream.  A lot of the children really enjoyed this activity.  It's great for fine motor experiences as well as learning letters, numbers, shapes, etc.  It's especially fun if the grown-ups get involved.  Just an idea... 

Large Group:  Every child was given a kazoo and became a member of our kazoo band.  We played our favorite songs such as "Mary Had a Little Lamb" and "Twinkle, Twinkle".  After a few more practices, they will be bringing their kazoos home.

Snacks:  The morning class had cheese, crackers, and juice brought by Lucie.  The afternoon class had Teddy Grahams and juice brought by Campbell.  Thank you!

Salsa!

Group Meeting:  This week, we will be talking about music that we make with our voices.  I held up a rubber band and ask the children to pluck it.  I asked them to see if they could tell how the rubber band was making noise.  They said that it was moving up and down very fast.  It was vibrating.  I told them about the vocal chords in their throat.  They held their throat while we sang "Mary Had a Little Lamb".  They could feel the vibrations in their throat.  

Story:  I read  My Name is Celia, which I read last Monday as well.  This is the story of the Queen of Salsa, Celia Cruz.  Following the story, we looked at YouTube videos of Celia Cruz singing and dancing.  Celia passed away in 2003, but her music lives on.  The salsa music made everyone want to wiggle and dance.

Small Group:  The children learned a rhyming words song today called "A Hunting We Will Go".  The children had to think of an animal that we could catch and put into something that would rhyme with the animal name such as bat in a hat, snake in a cake, duck in a truck.  Ask your child to sing it for you.

Large Group:  I had planned for the children to watch a video on salsa dancing, but we ran out of time.  Hopefully, we can squeeze it in tomorrow!

Snacks:  The morning class had Rice Krispie treats and juice brought by Carter.  The afternoon class had granola bars and juice brought by Gavin.  Thank you!

Monster Day!

Group Meeting:  Since tonight is our "Monster in the House" Art Show, we decided to make today Monster Day.  I started by reading Go Away, Big Green Monster to the children at Group Meeting time.  The Big Green Monster has yellow eyes, a bluish greenish nose, purple squiggly hair, etc.  On every page, a new feature is added to the monster.  Then the children say, "go away, big green monster", and on every following page, a part of the monster disappears.

Story:  I read Glad Monster, Sad Monster, a Book of Feelings which is written by Ed Emberly, the same author of Go Away, Big Green Monster.  In this book, the monsters describe what makes them glad, sad, angry, worried, etc.  The children discussed what makes them feel the same way.

Small Group:  I gave the children a picture of the Big Green Monster.  They had to color him as he appeared in the story.  They had to make bluish-greenish, which was the color of his nose.

Large Group:  The children played "What time is it Mr. Monster?" which is the same as the familiar "What time is it Mr. Shark?" game.  Lots of running, screaming, and giggling.

Snacks:  The morning class had graham crackers and juice brought by Hudson.  The afternoon class had bananas, granola, and milk brought by Robert.  Thank you!

We hope to see everyone at the Art Show tonight.  A name tag was sent home in your child's backpack today.

Group Meeting:  We made a "to do" list of things that needed to be done by the end of the week, which is tomorrow.  The children need to complete any monsters that they are working on for the art show.  They also need to draw the face that will be put onto our class T-shirts.  

Story:  Today, I read Jamaica and Brianna.   This is a book from a series of "Jamaica" book written by Juanita Havill.  These books, which feature a girl named Jamaica, are usually based on friendship and feelings. In this story, Jamaica has to wear her brother's boots to school because hers are too small.  Her friend, Brianna, makes fun of her "boy boots".  When Jamaica goes to the store to get new boots, she selects cowboy boots instead of pink boots like Brianna so that Brianna doesn't think that she copied her.   However, Brianna thinks that Jamaica selected cowboy boots because she thinks that pink boots are ugly.  The children learned that sometimes things we say can hurt friend's feelings.  We talked about how they needed to talk to each other to explain how they felt and how to be good friends to each other.

Small Group:  The children drew the face that they wanted to put on our class T-shirts.  They will be ordered soon!

Large Group:  We went to the Outdoor Classroom.

Snacks:  The morning class had crackers, cheese, and juice brought by Evie.  The afternoon class had Go-gurt, granola, and milk brought by Leah F.  Thank you!

Working on our T-shirts

Group Meeting:  It is time for us to draw the faces that will be put on the t-shirts that we are designing as a class project.  Each child will draw his/her face inside of a 2" square.  As easy as that sounds, I knew that we would need a little practice.  We will do this during small group time.

Story:  Today, I read Boom Boom, Go Away!  This story takes place in a child's nursery.  It is time for the little boy to go to bed, but he wants to play with his toys.  The toys are "playing" musical instruments.  The parents tell them to be quiet and go to bed, but they won't want to stop.  They say, "Go away!"   Is it the boy who is making the sounds or are the toys really playing the instruments?  We couldn't decide.  Finally, the boy falls asleep with the toys in bed with him.

Small Group:  The children were given a piece of paper with 2" squares drawn on them so that they could practice drawing their faces for our T-shirts.  I think we are ready to make our final drawings tomorrow.

Large Group:  We went to the  Outdoor Classroom to enjoy the beautiful day. 

Snacks:  The morning class had Minion Grahams, peanut butter crackers, and juice brought by Luca.  The afternoon class had strawberries, grapes, carrots, and juice brought by Ryan.  Thank you!

Preparing for the Art Show

Group Meeting:  The children are starting a count down to the Art Show.  They are working on their class monster again during small group.  We decided to add arms, feet, hair, and horns today.  Some of the children have been creating their own monsters to put on the bulletin board in the hallway.

Story:  I read the story My Name is Celia.  This is the true story of The Queen of Salsa, Celia Cruz.  Celia was born in 1924 in Havana, Cuba.  She tells about how she grew up around music and was influenced by her family and lifestyle to help create a new kind of music called Salsa.  When the revolution started in Cuba, Celia moved to Mexico and then to the United States.  Celia died in 2003.  When we read the book again, I will have some of Celia's music for them to hear.

Small Group:  The groups added pieces to our monster today.  We can't wait for you to see it!

Large Group:  Because it was raining outside, we stayed in and played Musical Chairs.  However, instead of having someone sit out each time, the person who did not have a chair had to sit on some one's lap.  This got very interesting when we were down to just a few chairs.  Lots of sharing and giggling!

Snacks:  The morning class had granola bars and juice brought by Jordyn.  The afternoon class had Rice Krispie treats and milk brought by Chloe.  Thank you!

Spring Party!

We had a wonderful time celebrating Spring today.  It was a little chilly in the morning, but warmed up nicely in the afternoon.  Thank you to all of the parents who were able to attend and help us.  Thanks also to those who sent items for snacks and games! 

We are ready to party!

Group Meeting:  Well, even if it doesn't feel like Spring yet, we are ready to celebrate.  We made our final preparations for our party tomorrow.

Story:  We haven't talked a lot about Spring in our classroom because it has been so cold.  Today, we read People In Spring to learn about the changes that are beginning to take place.  We learned about how the weather will become warmer which will make us dress differently, make plants grow, and allow us to do more outdoor activities.

Small Group:  The children divided the eggs in to four groups according to color.  Then, they put candy into the eggs.  Tomorrow, the grown-ups will hide them for us to find.

Large Group:  In the afternoon class, Mason's sisters, Lauren and Emma, came to play their violin and saxophone.  The children enjoyed their performances. 

The morning class went outside and hid the eggs for the 3 year olds Easter Egg hunt.

Snacks:  The morning class had apples, carmel dip and juice brought by Reese.  The afternoon class had apples, carmel dip, and milk brought by Mason.  Thank you!

Music and Monster Making

Group Meeting:  Our small group activity for today was to add a face to our monster for the Art Show.  During Group Meeting, we decided that the red group would design the eyes, the green group would create a nose, and the yellow group would make the mouth.  We did some brainstorming to generate ideas for all three groups.

Story:  Yesterday, I read Never Play Music Right Next to the Zoo.  This is a story written by John Lithgow.  Today, we played the CD that accompanies the story.  Mr. Lithgow reads the text while an orchestra plays the background music.  It really makes you feel like you are at the concert listening to the animals play.  I hope that the children enjoyed it as much as I did.

Small Group:  The groups designed the facial features for our monsters.  I am not going to share this information so that it will be a surprise for you when you attend the Art Show next week.

Large Group:  The morning class had a visitor.  Lucy's brother, Carter, is an 11 year old student who plays the violin, piano, drums, and bells.  He brought his instruments and gave a very nice talk and demonstration of how to play them.  The children were very impressed.  He couraged them to join the orchestra or band when they were old enough.

The afternoon class will have a visit tomorrow from Mason's sisters.  They play musical instruments in the school band.  Today, the children played Animal Action.

Snacks:  The morning class had Go-gurt and juice brought by Mason.  The afternoon class had Triscuits, cheese, and juice brought by Evelyn.  Thank you!

Preparing for two big days

Group Meeting:  We have two big events coming up.  We took a little time to go over our Spring Party plans.  On Wednesday, we will stuff the eggs for the egg hunt.  On Thursday, we will prepare our fruit salad for the spring snack.  Next week, we will need to be ready for the Art Show.  Our theme this year is "Monster in the House".  We will be making a monster decoration during small group time this week.

Story:  Our story today was Never Play Music Right Next to the Zoo.  This is the story of a boy who attends a concert with his parents at a band shelter which happens to be next to a zoo.  The boy finds the concert a little long and settles back to take a nap.   Suddenly, the animals from the zoo burst onto the stage and take over the instruments.  They enjoy playing music until the concert is over.  When it is time to go home, the boy's sister must wake him up to go home.  My question for the children was "did the boy dream about the animals or was it real?"  I had many different responses.  What did your child think?

Small Group:  The children are creating a class monster to hang on our door for the Art Show.  Today, I covered the table with a large piece of paper and asked the children to think of how we could decorate it to look like a monster's body.  The morning class suggested finger paint.  I got out the colors they asked for and they stamped their hands onto the paper.  The afternoon class suggested paint and rollers.   They rolled many colors of paint all over another paper.  Tomorrow, they will think of what we can use for eyes, nose and a mouth. 

Large Group:  The children played a shadow shape game.  I used the film projector to shine light on the wall.  Then we put shapes in front of the light for the children to identify.  After that, they enjoyed making their own shadow puppets on the wall, a good game for a cold day.

Snacks:  The morning class had graham crackers and juice brought by Maddie.   The afternoon class had grapes and milk brought by Lana.  Thank you!

We're making pizza!

Group Meeting:  Today was birthday day.  For a snack, the children will be making pizza.  At the art table, the children have been busy making decorations for our upcoming Spring Party. 

Story:  Our story for today was The Little Red Hen Makes a Pizza.  Not too long ago, we read The Little Red Hen so the children were familiar with the plot of this story.  However, this time, the hen is making pizza instead of bread.  The hen asks for help in making the pizza but her friends are too busy to help.  Will the hen share her pizza with the other animals when it is finished?  Will the friends help her at all?  Ask your child to tell you!

Small Group:  The children followed the recipe to make a pizza using English muffins, pizza sauce, mozzarella, and pepperoni. 

Large Group:  The children completed the workbook page for the letter V.  The morning class did not have enough time for outdoor play, so we played a quick game of Four Corners.  The afternoon class did get outdoor time.

Snacks:  The children had pizza and birthday brownies. 

Do You Like to Dance?

Group Meeting:  We talked about patterns and made several patterns with felt shapes on the felt board.   The children will be doing patterns in our small group activity and this gave them some reminders of how patterns work.  Also, the children were encouraged to make decorations for our spring party at the art table. 

Story:  I read How Can You Dance?  This books asks the children if they can dance like animals and things in nature.  We danced like bee, snakes, kangaroos, and trees in the wind, to name a few.  We found that we could dance, even without music.

Small Group:  The children made patterns using cards that had movement pictures on them.  Then, we performed the movements.  We did touch your nose, pat your head, touch your nose, pat your head.  We added and took away movements to make all kinds of patterns that we would make us move.  Ask your child to show you a few.

Large Group:  After dancing, we went outdoors to play.  Things are starting to come together in the outside classroom.  I just need to get some more playground sand.  Perhaps it will get warm enough for water toys soon.

Snacks:  The morning class had blueberry muffins and milk brought by Lucy.  The afternoon class had Go-gurt, animal crackers, and juice brought by Leah Z.  Thank you!

Making a Musical Instrument

Group Meeting:  I brought a metal bowl, some aluminum foil, and a spoon to group meeting today.  I asked the children if they could think of a way to make a musical instrument using all three materials.  The children offered several suggestions and finally came up with stretching the foil over the bowl to make a drum.  The spoon was the drum stick. 

Story:  Our story today was Hush.  This Caldecott award winning book is based on a Thai lullaby.   The mother in the story is trying to put her baby to bed, but animals keep making noises.  She sings a soothing song to calm the animals so that her baby will sleep.  At the end of the story, the animals and mom are sleeping, but how about baby?  Ask your child to tell you.

Small Group:  The children played a game called Jelly Bean.  I had paper jelly beans programed with the letters of the alphabet on them.  The children took turns selecting a jelly bean out of a bag.  If they knew the letter, they could put the bean in their candy dish.  If they did not, they had to put it back in the bag.  For those who know all of the letters, I asked them to name a word that began with the chosen letter.

Large Group:  The children enjoyed an elephant musical movement activity that we did a few weeks ago and have been asking to do it again.  This activity works in well with our musical making study as the music changes tempo through out.    We also went outdoors to enjoy the wonderful weather.  We plan to do this every day that the weather is favorable.

Snacks:  The morning class had Rice Krispie treats and juice brought by Logan.  The afternoon class had banana bread and milk brought by Marlie.  Thank you!

Spring May Finally Be Here!

Group Meeting:  In about two weeks, we will be celebrating the arrival of spring with a Spring Party.  At group meeting time, we talked how we could celebrate.  The children made a list of possible snacks and games.  I will be sending out a note tomorrow for items that the children would like to have for our party games and snacks.  We would appreciate any help!

Story:  I read the story Chrysanthemum to the children again.  I read this book last week as well.  It is such a good book that leads into wonderful discussions of friendships.  A word that kept coming up was "bully".  I talked to the children about what it means to be a bully and what you should do if you feel you are being bullied.  We also talked about what you should do if you see someone being bullied.  Perhaps this is a discussion that you can have at home as well.

Small Group:  The children have been working on sorting.  Today, I had a mixed bag of toys and ask the children to put them into groups.  They sorted them by color, shape, type of toy, and texture. We compared the groups by size.

Large Group:  We went outside!  Even though all of our toys aren't out yet, they enjoyed just being outdoors to run and be loud.

Snacks:  The morning class had Goldfish and juice brought by Max.  The afternoon class had granola bars and milk brought by Lucy.  Thank you!

Show and Tell

Group Meeting:  I asked the children if they had found anything at home that could make music.  A few children volunteered saying they could play music with spoons and pots and pans.  Some children shared that they had toys instruments at home with which they liked to play. 

Story:  Our story today was Violet's Music.   Violet has loved music since she was a baby with a rattle in her crib.  When she was two, she loved to make paper horns to make music around the house.  When she started Kindergarten, she thought that she would find someone else who liked music as much as she did, but no one loved music as much as Violet.   Then, when Violet was older, she was playing her guitar in the park.  What did she find in the park?  Ask your child to tell you!

Small Group:  The children played a game called "Appy, Tappy".  Each child had a numeral card that they hid in their lap.  When it was their turn, each child said the "appy tappy" verse and showed their card to see who could identify it.  We are trying to identify numerals up to 20.

Large Group:  The children brought items for show and tell.  We took turns listening to what they had to tell us about their items.  It was good practice for speaking to a group and listening when it wasn't your turn to talk.

Snacks:  The morning class had Go-gurt and juice brought by Addisyn.  The afternoon class had Cheez-its and juice brought by Jameson.  Thank you!

What can we use to make music?

Group Meeting:  We have added several new things to the art table lately, so I took a few minutes to show them to the children.  It always amazes me at how the children can come up with such creative things to do with the items that we have.  They think of things to do that I would have never thought of.  It's always interesting.

Story:  Today, I read Chrysanthemum.  This is the story of a little girl mouse who is adored by her parents.   They give her the name Chrysanthemum because they feel it is special like her.  However, when she gets to school, the other girls tease her because her name is long and is the name of a flower.  Chrysanthemum no longer thinks her name is special and wishes to change her name.  Then, she meets the school music teacher.  Her music teacher thinks her name is wonderful.  Ask your child to tell you why.  (Hint:  Delphinium)

Small Group:  I gave the children a collection of farm animals and asked them to help me think of ways that we could put them into groups.  We sorted them by color, how many legs they had, if they had horns, adult animals/baby animals, etc.  It was interesting when someone said that we should sort them by ears and no ears.  I had to explain that ducks, chickens and turkeys have ears-you just can't see them :)

Large Group:  I brought a basket of household items to the group and asked the children if any of the items were musical instruments.  Most of the children said no, but a few said that they could be made into musical instruments.  The keys would jingle if shaken.  The rubber bands could be strummed if stretched across the basket.  The wooden spoon could be drum stick.  I told the children to find something at home that could be a musical instrument and to tell me about it tomorrow.

Snacks:  The morning class had peanut butter crackers and juice brought by Addison.  The afternoon class had Rice Krispie treats and juice brought by Noah.  Thank you!

Show and Tell tomorrow!

A New Month...I Got Fooled

Group Meeting:  The children and I looked at the calendar to see what school events would be coming up for us in April.  Some of the children knew it was April Fool's day.  I was even fooled by a student who told me that she brought brownies to school.  When I opened the package, I found brown E's.  Very funny!  

Story:  I read a non-fiction book today.  Music is a book that tells about different kinds of music and how it is made.  The pictures in this book were from all over the world.  It told of different ways we can make music and different reasons for playing music.

Small Group:  The children used rhythm sticks to follow the beat of our favorite children's songs.  They found that when they sang faster that they needed  to make the beats a little faster, too. 

Large Group:  The children used the percussion instruments that we have to create a marching band.  I played marching music on the CD player and the children followed the drum major.

Snacks:  The morning class had blueberry muffins and juice brought by Dawson.  The afternoon class had cheese popcorn and juice brought by Wyatt.

Music Making

Group Meeting:  We are going to start a new study about music making.  There will be a note in your child's backpack today to give you an idea of what we will be learning. The children made of list of everything that they know about music.  We will add to that list as we explore new ideas.

Story:  I read Abiyoyo.  This is a story that we read back in the fall when we were doing our tree unit.  The children were excited to hear it again.   They all know the story and should be able to tell you the major details.  One of the reasons I read it is because of the music.  Ask your child to tell you what music does to Abiyoyo.

Small Group:  I read tongue twisters to the children to see if they could pick out the words that had the same beginning sounds.  An example would be: A bug bit a beetle and the beetle big the bug back. 

Large Group:  After our discussion about music, the children danced with scarves to different types of musical numbers.  We danced to jazz, polka, samba, lullaby and a march to name a few.

Snacks:  Both classes had the same snacks today, grahams and juice.  They were brought by Grace and Leigha.  Thank you!

Grown-up Day

I would like to thank all of the grown-ups who came to school to be with us today.  The children enjoyed having you here.  I know that some of you have to take time away for work or other committments, so again, thank you!

The children are bringing home certificates from Happy Joe's for a free Little Joe's pizza.  On the certificate, there is an error in the fine print wording.  It reads "void only if child is accompanied by a parent or guardian".  It should read "valid only if child is accompanied by a parent or guardian".  Enjoy!

We CAN read 1000 books!

Group Meeting:  Our count of books this afternoon reached 1120 books.  This means that we get to have ice cream for our snack tomorrow.  Thank you parents for helping us reach this goal.  Tomorrow will be Bring a Grown Up to School Day.   The grown-ups will be participating in our ice cream party celebration.

Story:  Today, Pete the Cat is heading to school.  I read Pete the Cat Rocking in My School Shoes.  Pete is going to school.  He learns about the different areas in the school such as the library, lunchroom, and playground.  Is he worried about his new school environment?  Goodness, no!  It's all good!

Small Group:  Our story yesterday was about Pete's groovy buttons.  Today, the children counted groovy buttons onto a pipe cleaner.  We tried to see how many we could count.

Large Group:  We learned a new bean bag game that the children will be sharing with their grown-ups tomorrow.  I hope the grown-ups are good at throwing and catching.

Snacks:  The morning class had pretzel Goldfish, string cheese, and juice brought by Riley.  The afternoon class had crackers, string cheese, and juice brought by Kadence.  Thank you!

Groovy!

Group Meeting:  The children turned in a lot of reading papers today.  We are very close to our goal.  We need 50 more books by tomorrow.  We were feeling so confident that we decided to take a vote on flavors of ice cream for Thursday.  The four favorites were chocolate, strawberry, vanilla, and mint chip.  Of course, we will need chocolate syrup and sprinkles as well.  

Story:  We enjoyed another Pete the Cat book today.  It was Pete the Cat and His Groovy Buttons.  Before we could start this book, we needed to talk about what the word groovy means.  Pete's favorite yellow shirt has four groovy buttons on it.  One of the buttons pops off.  Did Pete cry?  Goodness, no.   How many buttons are left?  The children learn simple subtraction with this story.  We also learn that buttons come and buttons go, but it's all good.

Small Group:  The children had to remember the story from yesterday to put colored shoes in the correct order.  First, Pete's shoes were white.  What happened next?  

Large Group:  We were hoping to be outside this week, but the snow this morning made everything damp again.  We stayed indoors and created an obstacle course.  

Snack Time:  The morning class had Nilla Wafers and juice brought by Aidan.  The afternoon class had Scooby snacks, mini Oreos, and juice brought by Lily.  Thank you!

It's good to be back.

Group Meeting:  Following spring break, we took a few minutes to get reacquainted.  The children will be learning to print their names using an uppercase letter and then lower case letters.  They noticed that their coat hooks and name cards looked a little different today.  An explanation for this will be in the April newsletter which will be sent home tomorrow. 

Story:  This week, we will be reading "Pete the Cat" books which are written by Eric Litwin and illustrated by James Dean.  Today, we read Pete the Cat, I Love My New Shoes.  Pete has four new white shoes that he loves.  He sings about them as he walks down the street.  Oh no!  He steps into a pile of strawberries and they turn his shoes red.  Does Pete cry?  Goodness, no!  Ask you child to tell you what else happens to Pete's new shoes, because it's all good!

Small Group:  The children practiced printing their names using an uppercase letter and then lower case letters.  We will practice this often as we are learning more of the letters.

Large Group:  Following our story about Pete's shoes, we played the Shoe Game.  The children take off their shoes and hide one.  Then, we trade the shoes that we have left and try to find the match.  In the end, we all make sure that we have our own shoes back.  This is a good game to practice following directions.  The children have to pay attention to what they are supposed to do.  They love to play this very simple hide and seek game.

Snacks:  The morning class had Rice Krispie treats and orange juice brought by Payton.  The afternoon class had graham crackers and apple juice.  Thank you!

At the end of the day, our tally of books has reached 640.  That means we have 360 books left to read by Thursday.  I know we can do it.  Everyone keep reading!

We are happy being who we are!

Group Meeting:  Today was Birthday Day.  When thinking of a snack that we could make, I remembered that Eric Carle has a book called Pancakes, Pancakes.  So I read the book to the children, and we made pancakes for a snack.  I also reminded the children to keep reading over spring break.  As of this afternoon, we have read 500 books which is half way to our goal. 

Story:  I read The Mixed-up Chameleon.  In this story, a chameleon visits a zoo and wishes he could be like other animals.  He wishes he could be strong like a polar bear, and he turns white.  He wishes he could be handsome like a flamingo, and he gets pink wings.  This goes on and on until he doesn't look like a chameleon any more.  When a fly buzzes by, he no longer has his long sticky tongue to catch it.  It is then that he wishes he were a chameleon again and decides that he is happy to be himself.  We talked about this for a while afterwards.

Small Group:  The children mixed up the pancake batter and watched the pancakes fry in the pan. 

Large  Group: The children completed the A page in their workbooks. 

Snacks:  The children ate the pancakes that they had made.  In the story, Jack eats his pancakes with strawberry jam on top.  Most of the children tried this and found it to be very tasty.

I hope that the children enjoy their Spring Break.  We all need some time to get outside and soak up the sun!  The afternoon class bid a fond farwell to Chloe S. today.  Chloe is moving to Oklahoma.  We will miss her!

Slowly

Group Meeting:  Yesterday, our story was Little Cloud by Eric Carle.  At group meeting today, I showed the children how to make the clouds using white finger paint.  At free play, the white paint was available to them if they wanted to try.   

Story:  The Eric Carle story that I read today was Slowly, Slowly Said the Sloth.  A sloth is a very slow moving animal.  In this story, the sloth hangs from a tree and moves only to eat.  He stays on the same branch morning and night, even in the rain.  The other animals ask him why he is so boring, slow, quiet, and lazy.  The sloth thinks about it and comes up with an answer.  Ask your child to tell you what it is. 

Small Group:  The children practiced making the letter A on the wet, dry, try boards.  A's can be difficult because of the diagonal lines.  We are practicing!

Large Group:  After reading about the slow sloth, the children moved to a song by Hap Palmer called "The Elephant".  In this song, the elephant moves slowly, but when it sees a tiger or mean hunter, it runs quickly.  The children had to listen to the tone of the music to decide if they should be moving fast or slow.  Here's an interesting note.  This song is sooooo simple.  The music moves slow and then fast.  But, the children LOVED it.  They asked me to play it again and again.  Sometimes simple is best.

Snacks:  The morning class had granola bars and juice brought by Parker.  The afternoon class had Bunnie grahams and juice brought by Campbell.  Thank you!

Look at the Clouds in the Sky

Group Meeting:  Yesterday, we read The Very Hungry Caterpillar.  Today, I showed the children how Eric Carle made the pictures for this book.  Mr. Carle uses painted tissue paper and cuts the shapes that he needs to create the caterpillar, butterfly, and other pictures.  I told the children that we had put tissue paper in the art center if they would like to try to make their own caterpillar.  We have been receiving many books from home and are trying to read as many as we can.  Eric Carle has so many books, we'll do our best!

Story:  I read Little Cloud.  This is a book about clouds in the sky and how they seem to change into shapes that we find familiar.  Little Cloud becomes a sheep, airplane, clown, tree, etc.  At the end, Little Cloud joins the other clouds and together they create rain.  In this book, Mr. Carle uses white finger paint to create the pictures.

Small Group:  The children retold the story from yesterday using flannel board shapes. 

Large Group:  The children put cotton balls (clouds) onto the parachute.  We lifted the parachute to try to get the clouds into the air.  We counted how many times we could move the parachute together.

Snacks:  The morning class had a Goldfish/marsh mellow mix and milk brought by Lucie.  The afternoon class had Goldfish and juice brought by Gavin.  Thank you!

A new author

Group Meeting:  I have added a few things to our learning centers this week and wanted to take a few minutes to go over them with the children.  In our media center, I have made separate book bins for Mo Willems books and the author/illustrator for this week, Eric Carle.  The preschool has purchased a computer to read books to the children.  The books titles are from the Creative Curriculum so most of them are books we have already read such as Three Billy Goats Gruff, Henny Penny, etc.  The children are learning how to select a book, turn the pages, and cue the sound.   We have also added pet care items to the Housekeeping Area.

Story:  Our author this week is Eric Carle.  I read The Very Hungry Caterpillar.  Many of the children were familiar with this story.  It starts with a tiny Caterpillar hatching from an egg.  The Caterpillar finds many things to eat to help it grow.  Finally, the Caterpillar spins a cocoon and hatches into a beautiful butterfly. 

We did not have a small group activity today as I was helping the children learn to work the computer program for books.

Large Group:  Eric Carle has created a book called From Head to Toe.  In this book, animals are named along with something that the animal can do.  The children are supposed to copy it.  For example,  a donkey can kick up it's legs, can you do it?  We worked through the book kicking, stretching, flapping, stamping, etc.

Snacks:  The morning class had Rice Krispie Treats and juice brought by Carter.  The afternoon class had chicken strips and milk brought by Robert.  Thank you!

We are up to 270 books for our ice cream party.  Keep reading!

A Good Week With Mo Willems

Group Meeting:  The children made a list of Mo Willems characters that we have met so far.  I think the Pigeon has been the favorite.  I showed the children how easy it is to draw Pigeon and several children tried during play time.  We have put their drawings up for display.  I think it's safe to say, that everyone has become a Mo Willems fan.

Story:  I read The Duckling Gets a Cookie.  Duckling asks politely for a cookie and receives it.  Pigeon wants to know why he doesn't get a cookie and puts on quite a show telling Duckling about all of the times he has asked for something.  At the end, Duckling gives the cookie to Pigeon.  Ask your child to tell you why.
We also read Knuffle Bunny which was loaned to us from a child in the class.

Small Group:   The children used unit cubes to measure Pigeon, Duckling, Elephant, and Piggie character pictures.  We compared their sizes. 

Large Group:  The children played Animal Action.  This is a movement activity on a CD.  The children act like the animals in the song.

Snacks:  The morning class had blueberry Nutrigrain bars and milk brought by Hudson.  The afternoon class had green beans, carrots, dip, and milk brought by Leah F.  Thank you!

Thank you to the parents and children who allowed us to borrow their Mo Willems books.  I wish we would have had time to read them again!

Introducing Elephant and Piggie

Group Meeting:  A child from the afternoon class brought a stuffed "Pigeon" to school for us to share.  When you squeeze him, he says, "Let me drive the bus!"  The children enjoyed this as we talked about the Mo Willems books that we have been reading.  A few children have brought their Mo Willems books to share.  We will read as many of them as we can.  Thank you!

Story:  I selected an Elephant and Piggie book to read today.  It was I Love My New Toy!  Piggie has a new toy.  Elephant wants to know what it can do.  Piggie isn't sure.  Elephant throws the toy.  When it comes down, it breaks.  Ask your child to tell you how Elephant and Piggie feel and what happens next. 
One of the children brought Don't Let the Pigeon Stay Up Late.  So, we read that one, too.  Pigeon is not supposed to stay up late, but he tries to convince us to let him do so.  He uses a lot of excuses to which the children can relate.  Will he get to stay up late?

Small Group:  We practiced making the letter K with our wet, dry, try boards.

Large Group:  The children played Jump the River.  We placed two jump ropes apart on the floor.  The children had to try to jump over them without landing in the river.  We gradually moved them more and more apart until we needed a stepping stone to get across.  We are trying to do a lot of gross motor activity at the end of the day.  The children are anxious to get outside and move!   Me, too!

Snacks:  The morning class had carrots, dip, and juice brought by Evie.  The afternoon class had grahams, grapes, and juice brought by Ryan.  Thank you!

Just a note...there will be a funeral at the church tomorrow.  The parking lot may be full at pick-up time for the morning class and drop-off time for the afternoon class.  Please use caution.  We will try to run things as normally as possible.  Thanks for your understanding.