Germs

Since we were unable to go outside to play today, we talked about Germs.  We talked about how germs can spread and what we can do to get rid of them.  To demonstrate this topic I put my hand in a plate of glitter than shook everyone's hand.  We discussed how the glitter moved from my hand to theirs just like germs.  We talked about appropriate hand washing (20 seconds) or sing your ABCs while washing as well as coughing into your elbow.  After we washed away our 'glitter germs' we watched a video of Curious George - Toot Toot Tootsie Goodbye.  

Back to School Night

Please join us October 15th from 6:30-7:00 for our preschool Back to School Night.  


This is for parents/guardians only.  We will be discussing our curriculum and preschool day and not specific details of your child.  However we will have a sign up sheet for our December conferences.  I'd be happy to meet with you if you have any concerns before our scheduled conference day.

Following the brief presentation, we will be hosting a book fair in our big room.  We hope to see you there.

Unit 1 Week 1

Happy October!  

Opening the World of Learning (OWL) is the curriculum we will be using for the remainder of our year.  Our first unit is all about families.

Reminder – Please send in 3-5 pictures we can use for our family tree project.

Families Theme

Children will be exploring and talking about families and the many different ways families relate to and help one another.  Through the Story Time books, children will hear about a boy who helps his family take care of his baby sister, a boy who realizes how much he has grown when a new baby arrives, a girl who behaves badly when she want attention, and a lonely stuffed bear who finds a new friend.  Besides listening to stories, children will begin to recognize initial sounds in words and identify rhyming words as they build vocabulary and comprehension skills.  They will also be participating in a variety of music, poetry, mathematics, science, and art activities during Center Time and in Small Groups.

Theme Concepts:

*Family members have role names: mother, father, sister, and so on.
*Some family members live together; some live in other places but are still family members.
*Grown-ups in a family take care of the children. Younger children need more care.  Older children can help take care of younger brothers and sisters.
*Children sometimes get angry at parents and may feel that their parents don't love them as much as their siblings.
*Sometimes grown-ups in a family don't like things that children do and tell them to stop or be quiet.
*Families do things together that are fun.

Books This Week:
Oonga Boonga by Frieda Wishinsky

Peter's Chair by Ezra Jack Keats 

   

Small Groups:-
-Math- How many people live in your house?  This is a 2 day activity with coloring, cutting, gluing and counting.
-How many ducks in the pond? A math counting book

-Exploring Books – Students will ‘read to babies’ while learning how to hold a book and to turn pages gently

-Art- Making trees for our ‘Family Tree’ project

Choice Time
-Dramatic Play- Pet Shop
-Sensory Table- Water Movement using squeeze bottles and funnels
-Art Table- Making shakers and Sound Boards
-Writing- Making names with foam letters

-Blocks- Building with wooden blocks and drawing the building on a white board

-Library- Books about families

-Easel – Painting pictures Peter's Chair

Social Curriculum

We will continue to work on each of the preschool life skills each week as we introduce new skills.  This week we are continuing with out PLS 1 - Response to Name.

Songs, Word Play, and Letters
-Five Green and Speckled Frogs
-If Your Happy

-Itsy Bitsy Spider

-Down by the Bay

-If your name starts with ____ raise your hand

-Poem - Stand Up

Acorns

The kids in the Lucky Ducks have found acorns to be quite fascinating.  On the playground the majority of the class decided to gather acorns.  We have also planted an acorn on Tuesday.

We are following their lead and have changed some of our choice time activities to go along with their interest.  

This week during choice time we are:

painting with acorns

sink or float with acorns

counting acorns

Check out some fun photos from our choice time this week.

September 21, 2014

The Lucky Ducks are settling into the classroom nicely.  We are continuing to practice our classroom routine and responding to both individual names and the phrase Lucky Ducks.

This week in the Lucky Ducks:

Story:  Ten Red Apples up on Top

My Five Senses - Aliki

Small Groups:

Math: Counting Apples book

Math: Apple picking with tweezers.  Students will count and move the correct number of apples.

Fine Motor: - Lacing and Decorating Apple cards

Literacy - Letter matching to make their own name

Ducks in a Pond - Students will match 11 ducks to the correct colored spot in the pond.

Writing: - Journal Page - In the fall I like to....

Choice Time:

Rug - Doll Houses

Science Center - Exploring our fingerprints with magnifying glasses

Writing Center - Science Journal

Art - Leaf Rubbings

Blocks - wooden blocks

What's coming up

Back to School Night, Wednesday, October 15th.  The Lucky Duck session will be held 

from 6:30-7.  This is a parent only event.  During this evening we will be sharing about our classroom routine and expectations as well as discussing our curriculum.  Although I will have a sign up sheet for conferences for this day, this will not be a time for individual conferences.  If you have any concerns prior to conference day please email, call or speak with me after all the children have been dismissed and I would be happy to meet with you.

We will also be hosting a Book Fair during this week.  More information will follow.

9-15-2014

All About Me

This week we will continue learning about classroom expectations and routines while we get to know each other.  

Please remember to send in an extra set of clothes that we may keep here at school.  Please label the clothing.

Preschool Life Skills #1 Response to Name.  When a teacher calls your name, you stop, look and say 'yes'.

Our Stories for this week include:
Chicka Chicka Boom Boom- by Bill Martin Jr.

The Kissing Hand - Audrey Penn

Handwriting -

Peeling stickers

Playing with playdough with googly eyes and pipe cleaners

Play Dough Mats - making playdough coconuts (rolling balls) to put on palm trees that match the numeral on the mat. For example, the mat with numeral 3 will have 3 coconuts

Rip and Glue Green Paper to make our Coconut Tree Leaves

 

Small Groups - We are starting the year with "All about me"
Painting a brown trunk

Decorating a journal page for our first class book Lucky Duck Lucky Duck who do you see?

Using Bingo Markers on the first letter of the student's names to hang on our Chicka Chicka Boom Look Who's in the Lucky Duck  Room

Choice TimeDramatic Play - Kitchen
Blocks - Cardboard Blocks

Alphabet Puzzles
Art- Kissing Hand - Raccoon Mask
Rug - Legoes
Sensory - Sand
Table - Mr. Potato Head

Music
We incorporate music throughout our day as a motor break or transition.  We also set aside some time at the end of the day to dance and sing as well.  Children are typically given the choice of songs to sing.  Some songs may include - sticky sticky bubble gum, 5 little ducks put your finger on your head.

First Day!

We had a great first day of school.  We read the Kissing Hand and made a special project with it.  We also talked about how we felt about being in school.  We are keeping some of the children's art work to decorate our classroom as well as for our student portfolios.  They will all be returned at the end of the year.

Please check back for our pictures from our first week - I hope to update the blog on Friday.
Thank you.

First Week of School

Thank you for coming to our open house.  It was great to meet so many new friends.

This week we will be learning about classroom expectations and routines while we get to know each other.  Some of the activities will include our morning greeting song - Hello ____. The children have the choice to bounce on or roll a big ball while we sing.

Please remember to send in an extra set of clothes that we may keep here at school.  Please label the clothing.

Preschool Life Skills are an important component of our preschool curriculum.  A complete list can be found on the top of this page.  Our first life skill is Response to Name.  When a teacher calls your name, you stop, look and say 'yes'.

Our curriculum Opening the World of Learning (OWL) - develops and understanding of literacy through reading a variety of stories multiple times throughout the unit.  This provides for students to have a deeper understanding of the story, supports understanding vocabulary as well as retelling familiar stories.

Our Stories for this week include:
Preschool Day Hooray - Linda Strauss
The Kissing Hand - Audrey Penn

Handwriting - We will be exploring a variety of materials during this time to strengthen our hands to get ready to write properly.  Students will progress as they are developmentally ready with this task.  We are starting this week with exploring playdough -squeezing, pulling, and pushing the dough.

Small Groups - We are starting the year with "All about me"
Self Portraits
Decorating Name Tags
Decorating Birthday Crowns
Coloring Birthday Cakes and Candles
My Favorite Color is - students will glue items of that color on the paper.


Choice Time
Dramatic Play - Kitchen
Puzzles
Art- Kissing Hand - Hand Prints
Rug - Roads and Car Garages
Sensory - Sand
Writing Center - playing with stamps


Music
We incorporate music throughout our day as a motor break or transition.  We also set aside some time at the end of the day to dance and sing as well.  Children are typically given the choice of songs to sing.  Some songs may include - sticky sticky bubble gum, 5 little ducks and going to Kentucky