What an exciting day the Owls had! We began our day by retaking our class photo, since our class has grown in recent weeks. Then we were off to Motor Skills, where the children got to take their shoes and socks off for class today. Then we decided to have our snack out on the playground. That was a treat! Back inside we threaded beads on feathers, worked on our scissor skills, discussed what things we are thankful for, and played some Pin the Hat on the Turkey. Just before our Thanksgiving feast, we headed over to the amphitheater. There is a family of rock squirrels that reside in the rock wall. We decided to bring them a little Thanksgiving feast of their own. Working on our fine motor muscles, we were each given a deer corn cob. We know that the squirrels love corn. So we worked really hard to push the kernels off the cob and scatter them around for the squirrels to enjoy. This activity took a lot of concentration and we felt so accomplished when we cleaned our cob! Finally it was time for our feast. The sweetest Bento boxes were dropped off for us. They were perfect for this class! A little something for everyone to enjoy. We topped off our lunch with yummy cookies. Thank you to all who helped put this feast together. It was perfect. The only thing missing were our parents! I hope you all have a wonderful Thanksgiving week. I can't believe when we get back we only have three weeks together until Christmas and then we can put 2020 behind us. I am so blessed to spend a few mornings a week with these sweet Owls. They have grown us so much in the few short months we have been together. God Bless you all! Stay safe and healthy. We will see you December 2, when our room will be transformed into a bakery for Cookie Week.
This morning we welcomed another new owl. She fell right in as if she had been with us all year. On the playground we had a wonderful time climbing and building with the extra large blocks stored outside. Back inside we had story time, shared several new games and worked on several fine motor development activities. The children love theraputty! We pulled, stretched, and snipped away. The theraputty provides resistance to little hands and really gives a great fine motor workout. We also had a lot of fun making our Turkey headbands for our class party on Friday. Owls make the cutest Turkeys! We are all looking forward to celebrating Thanksgiving together on Friday. No need to pack a lunch, that will be provided. See you all Friday!
Friday was full of excitement as the boys and girls launched their own rockets. We made our way to the amphitheater where we talked about the safety of conducting science experiments. We all needed to remain in our seats so that we would be clear of any falling rockets. The children were very understanding and cooperative. Everyone had several opportunities to launch their rocket and enjoyed it so much we sent one home with everyone to try with their families. Simply fill the film canister about half way full of warm water and drop in a half tablet of Alka-Seltzer. Snap on the cap. Place it on the ground cap side down and step back. In a few moments the rocket will take flight. Back in the classroom, we painted our own rockets, continued exploring new centers, and enjoyed playing outside. The children also had an opportunity to work on learning their names in print in a fun, hands on way. They each received a copy of their name with big, bubble letters and were asked to trace their names with stars. Some enjoyed it so much they wanted to trade and work on a friends name as well. One game we have been playing this week is a game of concentration. I present the children with a tray of objects. We look them over, say them out loud as we point to them and commit them to memory. Then I cover the tray and wave my magic wand over everything. When I lift the cover an object is missing and we try to figure out which it is. The children have done an amazing job and really love playing. Perhaps another fun game to play while waiting for dinner at a restaurant. This coming week we will be discussing Thanksgiving and what it means to be thankful.
We began our morning with some story time. The children sit on dots with their names printed on them. We are slowly but surely learning not only our name but our classmates names as well. As I pass out the dots I sing this little song. The boys and girls are beginning to catch on. Recognizing our name in print is one of the first steps to reading. Perhaps this is one little song you would like to sing at home as well. The repetition and sing song pattern are a wonderful way to learn new concepts. Name Song Sung to the tune of Farmer in the Dell Addie starts with A, Addie starts with A, Addie is my friend, Addie starts with A. Repeat with other students names. We also had fun singing a song or two with scarves. We waved them back and forth, up and down, fast and slow, and round and round. We even squeeze them in our fists so small you can't see them and then "POP" them into the air. We continued with snack, where we peeled our own oranges again. We are experts at orange peeling now. Then we headed out to the playground for some fresh air and fun. Once back inside we got right to work. Today I introduced push pins and cork circles. The wonderful thing about these giant push pins is they force young learners to use a tripod grasp. There is no way to grab them with their entire fist, like they often do with pencils. The way that they have to hold the pin mimics a correct pencil grasp. We discussed how the pins are sharp like a shot and can hurt if you use them the wrong way. Under supervision I believe it is important for the children to be trusted to use "dangerous" things. It teaches them respect and earned trust. They know if they do not use the materials correctly they will not be allowed to participate. We laid on our bellies and propped ourselves up on our elbows. This allows for an isolation of the hands and keeps us from having the ability to stray from our personal bubble while holding giant push pins. Each student received a card with their first initial programed on it. They were tasked with punching holes along the letter. Once they were done, they could take their card to the light table and watch the light shine through their punches. So, goal #1 of this activity is fine motor control and pencil grasp. Goal #2, is to work on letter identification and correct letter formation. Because we are focusing on each student’s first letter, they are all capitals. During our table time we finger painted our own planets, worked on scissor skills, and enjoyed some play dough time. I just love how strong our hands and muscle memory is this early in the year. Take a look back to September and most of us were not holding our scissors correctly. That awkward scissor hold is gone for most of us and we are using proper scissor hold when we pick up a pair on our own! We continue to practice snipping. Our hands are not ready to control both scissor and paper to cut long or curved lines yet but we are making great progress. Practice makes perfect and we are getting plenty. We finished our morning with center time exploring new space themed offerings. Come ready for some excitement Friday. We will be launching Alka-Seltzer Rockets! Blast Off!
One of the things I love most about working with the young threes is that so many experiences are new to them. I get to witness so many "aha" moments with these curious little learners. Today was no exception. We had a visit from a Kitty Robot and got to be scientists as we experimented with baking soda and vinegar. Our day began with circle time where the children begged to reread the story, "If You're a Robot and You Know It" and dance the Robot Rock. Copy and paste the link here to hear it for yourself: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mQcHsUevexM&feature=share Next, we headed out to the playground. We continue to develop our gross motor skills and take safe risks. Many of the children have discovered the swings and LOVE them! We are also getting much better at climbing the big structure. Some of the children rediscovered the treasure bags I always bring to the playground. They ran around filing their bags and playing pirates! Once back inside we sat down for circle time. Tootsie introduced us to a Kitty Robot! Everyone was very patient while they waited their turn to meet the kitty. When they would pet the kitty, she would purr. She meowed at us and kept us quite entertained. During art we added gears to our paintbrushes and free painted. What a fun little twist. Once the painting was cleaned up we dove into another science activity. We have spent time over the last two month learning how to use pipettes. This multi-step fine motor process is not an easy one for the children to master but they have done so well with it that we decided to kick things up a notch. Instead of water, we used vinegar (with blue food coloring). We filled our pipettes and dropped vinegar onto piles of baking soda. We were instantly amazed at the fizzing, bubbling reaction. This brought great excitement and lots of giggles. Over and over we added more and more vinegar. Some even dipped their pipette tips in the baking soda and when they put it in the vinegar the cup bubbled over. We spent 45 minutes working on this experiment During free play the children engaged in many activities. Come ready to blast into space next week. We will be launching Alka-Seltzer rockets! So much fun is still to come.
Another great day is in the books! We began our morning meeting some new classmates. They settled right in and joined our circle time. Tootsie brought another interactive story for us to enjoy. We pretended we were robots and sang and danced right along. Then we used our rhythm sticks as we tapped along together. We are getting really good at listening and following directions. Tootsie also brought us a real robot! Ozbot is a coding robot that my son got for Christmas a few years ago. It is so much fun! We met Ozbot and learned that he can read colors. When Ozbot is placed on a white paper with red, green, blue, or black lines he will "read" them and the little light inside will change to the color he is rolling over. The children were amazed and intrigued. We each had an opportunity to try to turn him on and off and watch him follow a "map". Then we got our own paper and markers and made "maps" for Ozbot to try. This was pretty exciting and everyone was astounded that Ozbot could "read" their map! Maps went home in totes tonight. During Art, we made robot collages with a variety of recycled materials. We squeezed glue and chose our own materials. We did discuss that a robot has a head and a body. Someone suggested that robots also have buttons. With that we got to work creating. We placed them out in the common area to dry. I can't tell you how many compliments we got on our robots. It's going to be tough to choose just one to be in the art show later this year. They are all so unique! During free play we enjoyed several robot themed centers. Kinetic sand in the sensory tub was a huge hit. Other favorites were our cutting station, magnetic gears, and Alphabots! Our day concluded with lunch as I read a few more books. We all had a wonderful day and look forward to more fun next time. Don't forget to wear your school t-shirts on Friday. See you then!
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Why Blog?Here you will find little snippets of our days together. When my children were in preschool and would come home I would always ask, "So, what did you do today?". All they ever said was, "Played." That didn't tell me much. I hope this blog will be a place to share what we have done and help you ask more directed questions of your child. You will see first hand just what we do after you kiss your little one goodbye in the morning. It will also be a great place to visit and see just how much your child has grown and learned throughout the year. Archives
March 2024
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