Tuesday, February 28

Group Meeting:  Today, we said goodbye to the simple machines.  If your child brought a simple machine to school, it should be in their bag today.  We did have a few items left over that lost their name tags.  I'll have them available at Parent/Teacher conferences for anyone who is missing an item.

Story:  The story for today was How Do You Lift a Lion? by Robert E. Wells.   This is a book that I read at the beginning of our study.  This time, it was easier for children to see how a lever could lift a lion, wheels could make a panda move on a pallet, and a pulley would make it easy to deliver bananas to a baboon birthday party.

Small Groups:  We spent playtime outdoors since the weather was so nice.  It was good to get out and run around.

Large Group:  The children used the parachute to play a number game.  We put number cards on the parachute.  The children had to shake them off.  When all of the cards were off of the parachute, they picked one up to identify.

Snack:  The snack for today was applesauce, milk and water.

AM book (yesterday):  The Grouchy Ladybug by Eric Carle brought by Konnor.

AM book (today):  Paw Patrol-Five Minute Stories Collection by Nickelodeon brought by Cecilia

PM book: Under the Sea by Usborne brought by Auggie

Monday, February 27

Group Meeting:  The handshake for this week is the fist bump.  We tried to fist bump as many friends as we could during our song.

Story:  The book that I read today was Simple Machines by Erin Seagraves and Heather Baker.  I read this story at the beginning of our Simple Machine study.  As Ama walks through her apartment building, she sees people using simple machines to do their daily work.  When I read it this time, I left out the word of the simple machine to see if the children could name it.  They did a pretty good job!

Letter Learning:  The letter for today was Yy.  We did yoga with Yoyo and traced and printed the letter Yy.

Large Group:  We sorted the simple machines that the children have been bringing throughout our study.  We sorted them into groups of levers, screws, wheels, wedges, and inclined planes.

Play Buddies:  At the start of play time, the children were given a buddy chosen by me to play with for 10 minutes.  They had to decide what area to play in together.  After 10 minutes, they could choose to stay with that friend or play somewhere else.  This is to help us explore playing with new friends and trying new play areas.

Snack:  The snack for today was Belivta Bars, juice and water.

Thursday, February 23

Group Meeting:  We had a great pajama day!  We started by dancing to "Pajama Time".

Story:  We watched Llama Llama Red Pajama by Anna Dewdney on the Promethean board.  We turned off the lights and ate popcorn while watching.  Llama Llama has been tucked into bed by his mama.  She goes into the kitchen to do some chores and talk on the phone.  Llama Llama can't sleep.  He calls for Mama.  When Mama doesn't come, he gets nervous.  He yells for her.  Mama comes running and finds that nothing is wrong.  Llama Llama just missed his mama.  Mama is always there.

Letter Learning:  The letter for today was Xx.  We traced and printed the letter.

Let's Find Out:  Our magazine for today was about dental health.  We watched a video which told of ways that we can keep our teeth healthy.  For more information, go to letsfindout.com  Login as a student and use the password redeemer.

Snack:  The children watched me use a big popcorn popper to make our snack.  I explained what causes the popcorn to pop.  We ate our popcorn during the movie and had juice boxes as well.

March newsletters were sent home with a permission form for the field trip to the fire station.

AM book:  Little Critter's Joke Book by Mercer Mayer brought by Hazel.

PM book:  Nibbles Numbers by Emma Yarlett brought by Calvin.

Wednesday, February 22

Group Meeting:  Tomorrow will be Pajama Day.  I let the children help me make a few plans for tomorrow.  It should be a fun day!

Story:  The story for today was Dinosaur Woods by George McClements.  The animals that live in the woods are going to lose their homes due to construction.  The animals wonder how they can save the woods from destruction.  The fox has an idea.  They will build a dinosaur and scare away the people.  When the dinosaur falls apart, the animals are discovered.  Will they lose their home?  Ask your child to tell you what happens. 

Small Groups:  The assessment that we must complete for the state is due on Friday.  During Small Groups this week, I have been doing a few activities to collect some information for the assessment and will be sharing that with you at conferences.

Letter Learning:  The letter for today was Ww.  We did creative walking and traced and printed the letter Ww.  This letter was a little difficult.  Diagonal lines are challenging.

Large Group:  The children loved the obstacle course last week, so I made another one today.  This one involved stepping stones, the crawling tunnel, bean bags and hurdles.

Snack:  The snack for today was Life cereal, milk, and water.

AM book:  Magical Unicorn Dreams by Louise Tate brought by Brynlee

PM book: Secret Pizza Party by Adam Rubin brought by Enzo.

Tuesday, February 21

Group Meeting:  Our handshake for this week is the Saw Handshake.  Pretend you are a lumberjack and try this with your child.

Story:  The book that I read today was Pull, Lift, Lower: A Book About Pulleys by Michael Dahl.  This nonfiction book gave us several examples of how pulleys are used.  A few examples were pulleys on a flag pole, on window blinds, and on an elevator.  Ask your child to look around your home or neighborhood to find pulleys in action.

Small Groups:  The children were invited to go to the art table to experiment with different thing with which to paint.  They tried a potato masher, a fork, a dish scrubber, a foam roller, and a foam mop.  

Letter Learning:  The letter for today was Vv.  We danced like volcanos and traced and printed the letter Vv.

Study:  I had several examples of simple machines for the children to try; a inclined plane, a gear, a wheel, and a pulley.  Tomorrow, we will try to build a pulley to lift things in the classroom.

Snack:  The snack for today was canned peaches, milk and water.

AM book:  No Kimchi For Me! by Aram Kim brought by Malia 

PM book:  Little Penguin Gets the Hiccups by Tadgh Bentley brought by Aurora

Thursday, February 16

 No School today due to the weather.  No School on Monday, February 20th for President's Day.  

Wednesday, February 15

Group Meeting:  After Valentines Day, we are back to learning about simple machines.  We are learning about all kinds of wheels.

Story:  The story for today was What Do Wheels Do All Day? by April Prince.  This non-fiction book gave us pictures of different kinds of wheels.  We typically think of cars, bicycles, and wagon wheels.  However, a helicopter has a wheel, a windmill has a wheel, and a pizza cutter can be a wheel.  

Small Groups:  The children were given a picture of a snow scene.  They had to listen to the directions to add items and color items.  It was a good exercise in listening and following.

Large Group:  The children played "Jump the River".  I laid two jump ropes parallel to each other on the floor.  We pretended that there was a river running in between them.  The children had to jump over the river.  The river got wider and wider causing us to jump farther and farther.

Letter Learning:  The letter for today was Uu.  We moved to the song "Up and Down" and traced and printed the letter Uu.

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

AM book:  Five Little Monkeys Trick or Treat by Eileen Christelow brought by Harper.

PM book:  Our afternoon Queen is still on the mend.  

Please watch for notifications tomorrow.  I hear a snow storm has been predicted.  We will use the brightwheel system and put it on this blog.  If Bettendorf Public Schools cancel, we will too.