Wednesday, October 26

Group Meeting:  We are so excited for our Halloween party.   I've asked the children to keep their costumes a secret so that we can be surprised.

Story:  The story for today was Crankenstein by Samantha Berger.  He may look like any ordinary boy, but when faced with a rainy day, a melting popsicle, or an early bedtime, this little boy transforms into a mumbling, grumbling Crankenstein. When Crankenstein meets his match in a fellow Crankenstein, it could be just what he needs to brighten his day!  Before reading the story, we talked about what it means to be cranky.  After the story, we discussed that having a friend can help us feel happy instead of cranky.

Small Groups:  Today, we learned that all words have parts.  Some words have just one part and some words have many.  We call them syllables.  To find out how many parts are in a word, we clap when we say it.  To start, we clapped everyone's name.  Ask your child to show you how.  After that, we clapped Halloween words.  Next, we used dot-a-dot markers to stamp the number of syllables in the Halloween words.

Letter Learning:  The letter for today was E.

Snack:  The snack for today was blueberry Belvita bars, juice and water.

Tuesday, October 25

Group Meeting:  We have learned a few songs to sing for Senior Star.  We practice them a little every day. 

Story:  The story for today was Little Boo by Stephen Wunderli.  A little seed wants to be scary.  He tries to scare a leaf, a grub, and snowflakes. However, he is so cute and tiny that he is not scary at all.  During the winter, he falls asleep in the garden and is covered with soil.  When spring arrives, he wakes up and starts to grow.  Ask your child to tell you what takes place to make the little seed become scary.

Small Groups:  The children participated in a science/art activity.  They were given a tray of shaving cream and two colors of liquid watercolor: yellow and red.  The children sprinkled the watercolors on the shaving cream and swirled them together to make a new color.  Then they pressed a piece of paper onto the shaving cream.  Tomorrow, we will turn this paper into something else.

Letter Learning:  The letter for today was F.  We made the letter using our Wet, Dry, Try boards.

Large Group:  The children played Halloween Musical Chairs.  They walked around chairs while Halloween music played.  When the music stopped, they could sit on any chair except the witches chair.  If you didn't have a chair, you had to sit in the middle (witches cauldron) for one turn.  What was funny to me was that everyone wanted to sit in the witches cauldron :) 

Snacks:  The snack for today was white cheddar rice cakes, juice and water.

Monday, October 24

Group Meeting:  "What will you be for Halloween?: This was the question that was asked in our movement song for today.  I have asked the children to keep their costume a secret for now.  I want to be surprised on Thursday.  I am keeping mine a secret as well.

Story:  The story for today was Pumpkin Jack by Will Hubbell.  Tim has a Jack-o-lantern that he has appropriately named Jack.  He loves watching Jack glow at night time.  When Halloween is over, Tim's mother tells him that the pumpkin is rotting and needs to be thrown out.  Tim doesn't want to throw Jack in the trash can, so he puts him in the garden instead.  He watches Jack slowly fall apart until there is almost nothing left.   After winter, Tim finds Jack's shell and a few seeds.  He covers it.  In the Spring, Tim makes a discovery.  Ask your child to tell you what Tim finds.  

Letter Learning:  We are starting with the letter L.  I demonstrated how to the make the L with a big line and a little line using the wooden pieces.  I made the L sound and the children echoed it back to me.  Next, we practiced printing the L with our Wet, Dry, Try chalkboards.  The L is already printed on the board with chalk.  The children use a wet sponge to erase the L.  When it dries, they use chalk to make the L.  This is the method that we will use for the first time that we go through the alphabet.  Right now, we will only do the uppercase letters, but will later add the lowercase letters.

Large Group:  The children played "Marching Around the Alphabet".  We placed large letters on the floor all over the classroom.  While the music played, they marched around the room.  When the whistle blew, the children stopped at a letter and tried to identify it.  If they did not know the letter, we identified it. 

Snack:  The snack for today was cinnamon raisin bread, juice and water.

Thursday, October 20

Group Meeting:  At parent/teacher conferences, I mentioned to a few parents that we do fine motor activities at the beginning of the session.  At the sensory table, we have put some Halloween things in the table for the children to use.  A favorite item is pretend witch fingers with long fingernails that they can put over their own fingers.  They have had so much fun putting these on and wiggling their fingers.  As silly as it is, it is a great way for them to build strength in their fingers.  

Story:  The story for today was Nightsong by Ari Berk and Loren Long.  This is the story of a little bat named Chiro.  Chiro's mother is ready for him to fly out of the cave on his own.  He is not sure he's ready to fly without her.  Chiro's mother assures him that if he sings his song, he will know where to go.  Chiro flies through obstacles using his song (echolocation) and finds the pond.  Ask your child to tell you what he eats at the pond.

Small Groups:  The children are preparing to make lines for the letters we will be learning next week by tracing bird legs and fence posts.  

Large Group:  Our Let's Find Out Magazine was about bats.  We watched a very good video about bats.  We learned that they are nocturnal and use echolocation to find bugs to eat.  There was also a game to play online in which the children had to find words that matched with bat.  If you'd like to try it, go to the website, log in as a student and use the password redeemer.   Here's the link letsfindout.com

Snacks:  The snack for today was Berry Cheerios, milk, and water.

We went to the Outdoor Classroom for play time today.

Wednesday, October 19

Group Meeting:  We are starting to include Halloween activities in our routine.  We've been using Halloween movement songs, reading Halloween stories, and playing Halloween games.

Story:  The story for today was Big Pumpkin by Erika Silverman.  A witch wants to grow a pumpkin so that she can make pumpkin pie on Halloween.  The pumpkin grows and grows.  On Halloween, the witch tries to take the pumpkin off of the vine, but it is too big.  A ghost, vampire, and mummy try to take the pumpkin off as well but cannot.  A bat comes along and wants to try.  Will he be able to get the pumpkin off of the vine?  Ask your child to tell you.

Small Groups:  During the past few days, we have learned the song, "The Ant, the Bug and the Bee".  Bugs can walk up and down the walls without falling.  We use this song and it's activities to learn to make lines up and down.  This will help us with letter formation.

Large Group:  The children were given a paper with the numerals 1-10.  The had to search the room for numeral cards and pictures that I had placed in random places.  Once they found a numeral, they printed it on the paper.

Snack:  The snack for today was Goldfish, cheese sticks, and water.

Thursday, October 13

Group Meeting:  October is Fire Prevention month.  This was our focus for today.  

Story:  The story for today was No Dragons for Tea by Jean Pendziwol and Martine Gourbault.  In this story, a little girl meets a dragon on the way to the creek.  She and the dragon have a wonderful time and become friends.  The girl invites the dragon to her house for tea.  While they are eating, some pepper gets in the dragon's nose.  Do you know what happens when a dragon sneezes?  Ask your child to tell you what happens next.

This story is great for starting a discussion about what to do if there is a fire.  We learned that everyone should get out and stay out.  

Small Groups:  Today was Birthday Day.  The children made Apple Roll-ups for a snack.  Each child was given a piece of Pillsbury crescent roll dough.  They placed an apple slice on the wide end, sprinkled cinnamon sugar on it, and rolled it up.  They placed them on a cookie sheet and the roll-ups were baked in the oven.  

Large Group:  The Let's Find Out magazine for this week was about fire safety.  The morning class had time to complete it, but we ran out of time for the afternoon.   We will try to have the afternoon class finish it next week.  

Snack:  The children enjoyed the Apple Roll-ups with milk, water, and birthday brownies.

The afternoon class does not have school on Monday due to Parent/Teacher conferences.

Wednesday, October 12

Group Meeting: We learned how to sing “Apples and Bananas” using sing language. Ask your child to show you the sign for banana.

Story: The story for today was Ten Apples Up on Top by Dr. Seuss.  Three animal friends practice balancing apples on their heads in this counting and rhyming book.   Someone wants to make their apples fall.  Will the animals be able to keep the apples on their heads?  Ask your child to tell you how this ends!

Small Groups:  The children watched me draw Mat Man on the Promethean board and then the children took turns by adding one feature at a time.  Tomorrow, we will draw him on paper.

Large Group:  Following the story, we tried to balance bean bags on our heads.  We moved around the room trying to keep the bags up on top.  We also balanced them on our shoulders, feet, and between our knees.

Snack:  The snack for today was cheese slices, Triscuits, milk, and water.

Yesterday, we used apples and paint to make apple prints at the art table.  Your child may be bringing one home today.

Tuesday, October 11

Group Meeting:  I started the day by telling the children a story of a little red house with no windows, a chimney on the top, and a star in the middle. See if your child can repeat some of the story to you.  They may want you to cut an apple afterwards.

Story: The story for today was Abiyoyo retold by Pete Seager.  This is an old folk tale about a boy and his father who save their community from the horrible monster, Abiyoyo.  Youtube has a video with Pete Seager telling the story.  Check it out here https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cPZtuPyXRfw This story is usually a favorite in the classroom.  We will read it several times.

Small Groups:  The children assembled Mat Man by listening to the accompanying song about him.  Tomorrow, we will learn to draw him.

Large Group:  The morning class was able to go to the Outdoor Classroom, but it rained in the afternoon.  The afternoon class played "The Floor is Lava".

Snack:  The snack for today was apple slices, Nutella, milk, and water.

Monday, October 10

Group Meeting:  This week, we will be learning about apples.   We started the day by singing "Way Up High in the Apple Tree".  

Story:  The book that I read today was a non-fiction book.  The title was "An Apple a Day" by Melvin Berger.  We started by talking about the phrase, an apple a day keeps the doctor away.  This pictures and words in this book tell of how apples grow on trees.  After reading the book, we made a list of things that we know about pumpkins and a separate list of things that we know about apples.  We compared the two to look for things that are similar and things that are different.

Small Groups:  The children learned about Mat Man.  Mat Man is part of the Handwriting Without Tears curriculum.  Mat Man helps us learn how to draw a picture of a person.  We will do many activities with Mat Man this week.

Large Group:  The children went to the Outdoor Classroom.

Snack:  The snack for today was yogurt, granola, and water.

You should be receiving a note about the Halloween Party that will be coming up on October 27th.  There is also a note about how to view your child's photo proofs from Picture Day in September.

Thursday, October 6

Group Meeting:  When the children arrived today, they discovered that I had cut a pumpkin in half.  Some children dug at the seeds and pulp inside.  Others said it looked yucky😊  

Story:  The book for today was a big non-fictional book about pumpkins.  The title was Growing Pumpkins by Melvin Berger.  This book contained pictures of how pumpkins grow from seed to a ripe pumpkin.  

Small Groups:  The children were given two wooden big lines.  We used them to sing and play along with the song "Tap, Tap" from the Handwriting Without Tears curriculum.  

Large Group:  Our Let's Find Out magazine was about pumpkins.  It explored other things that you can do with a pumpkin besides using it for decoration and jack-o-lanterns.  You can watch the video and get other resources here letsfindout.com  Sign in as a student and use the password redeemer.

Snack:  The snack for today was whole grain waffles, milk and water.

Wednesday, October 5

Group Meeting: We have learned a chant about pumpkin foods.  Ask your child to show you how to do "Pumpkin, Pumpkin".  Be careful at the end!

Story: The story for today was The Roll Away Pumpkin by Julia Wonders and Daniela Volpari.  Marla's pumpkin is rolling away, and she can't catch it.  It rolls by the farmer, but he can't catch it, either.  Now, both of them are chasing it.  It rolls by a baker, a butcher and into the town parade.  No one seems to be able to catch the pumpkin.  It rolls towards a chef with a giant cauldron.  Ask your child to tell you what happens next.

Small Groups:  The children learned about big line, little line, big curves, and little curves.  The lines and curves are wooden pieces that are part of the Handwriting Without Tears curriculum.  They will be helpful in learning how to draw a person and how to print letters.  I will share more about these pieces later.

Large Group:  The children went to the Outdoor Classroom.

Snacks:  The snack for today was Wheat Thins, cheese slices, and water.

Tuesday, October 4

Before I start on today's activities, I want to thank everyone who attended the field trip yesterday.  It was such a beautiful day, and the farm was wonderful.  If you'd like to visit them again, they are open most afternoons and weekends until Halloween.  Check their Facebook page for more information.

Group Meeting:  We began our day by discussing our field trip to Shady Knoll.  Our fine motor activity included apple spice and pumpkin spice playdough.

Story:  The story for today was How Big Could Your Pumpkin Grow? by Wendell Minor.  In this story, we have to imagine that pumpkins can grow very big.  The author uses many words to describe big pumpkins such as; gigantic as a skyscraper, monstrous as a roller coaster, and so immense that it can't hide.   Ask your child to imagine what we could do with a huge pumpkin.

Small Groups:  We used an emergent reader book to review our field trip.  We started by remembering what Farmer Gene told us about soil and how he planted a seed which grew into a sprout.  We remembered the flower that grew first and how the bees came to pollinate.  We remembered the small green pumpkins which turned orange.   The children had to follow the directions to color certain parts of the book.  They may color the rest at home if they wish.

Large Group:  The children went to the Outdoor Classroom.

Snack:  The snack for today was bananas, yogurt dip, milk and water.