Saturday, September 27, 2014

September 27th, 2014


We were busy bees this week!



















As we examined the letter Bb, we listened to its sound...














...and we practiced writing the letter in shaving cream.











b is also for buttons!


















This week, we wrapped up our apple unit.  Focusing on the life cycle of  an apple, we created a group project together: "Eat an apple. Save the core.  Plant the seeds.  And grow some more!"






























As we practiced with numbers 1-4, we counted apples on trees...
















...and bears.












We definitely needed a sand break in between.

















Going back to the letter Bb, we eventually were ready to print on paper.















And, of course, on an interactive whiteboard.

















We worked hard this week and earned an apple cider treat.  So, we juiced the remaining apples together on Friday as we closed out the theme.

Have a wonderful weekend!

Friday, September 19, 2014

September 19th, 2014


This week, we got down to business.  Alligator business...





















...and apple business.

















While we've briefly worked with our interactive white board before, this Monday was the first time we really used it for a group learning tool.  As we rotated through small group time, each student had an opportunity to participate in some high-tech "Aa" listening, visual recognition and writing activities. 





We also got low-tech and practiced writing in sand...















...and with paper and pencil.  We're a well-balanced bunch.














As we learned the letter "Aa", we've also been examining apples this week.  We grouped and counted them...




...dissected and stamped them...
















...wore them on our Johnny Appleseed tin pot hats...

















...and made applesauce with them.













Actually, we really had fun with that!  Thanks to a Great News Cookware gift card given to me from my last class at graduation, I am now the proud owner of the coolest apple peeler this side of the San Diego River.  Everyone had fun peeling their apple...


...especially Miss Lauren and Miss Rachel.



Now, I explained to my students that my last Spanish course was taken back the 1900's (senior year, 1998).  But, I do enjoy teaching preschool Spanish lessons and retained just enough to read and create simple books and rhymes.  Four and five-year-olds are also very forgiving.

Una manzana roja para Lauren,
una grande para mi.
Una manzana amarilla para Rachel,
una manzana verde para ti.






This Friday also marked our first show-n-tell.  For our "Aa" theme, we had an alligators, accessories, an apron, Alfie the robot, autobots, an armadillo, Ariel, Anna, and some things amazing and/or awesome.  It was a good show-n-tell.

















In fact, it's always a good day in preschool.

Saturday, September 13, 2014

September 13th, 2014


This week, we celebrated our 5 senses.  As we pretended to be bumblebees while listening to Rimsky-Korsakov's Flight of the Bumblebee, we remembered our sense of hearing.










We devoted one day to each sense


Learning about the sense of smell, we had a chance to sift through spices, tea leaves, a scented candle, and oils.  The next day, as we examined our sense of taste, we tried salty pretzel sticks, sweet gummies, and sour lemon wedges (which was our favorite part).




We also learned about our bodies this week...












...and we outlined them to get an understanding of measurement.  This made the blacktop look like a crime scene.


















We also continued our Wednesday yoga














This week, we've increased our responsibilities.  Each day, our jobs are assigned to a different student (and the children have taken them very seriously).



We had a chance to complete our "all about me" posters and every student has their own little mark in the classroom.  


Preschool is a tough job...



















...but somebody's gotta do it.

:)

Saturday, September 6, 2014

September 6th, 2014


Welcome to a new school year!













Some things old, some things new.  Library books borrowed, lots of blue!




For this week's ice cream sensory bin, I felt it my duty to consume 2 pints of Ben & Jerry's.  Solely for the children.












This week, we also used our noodles.















My measurements are NASA precise (± 1/2 inch)

Throughout our first days together, we measured our heights...


















...we made a ceramic tile mural...


...we finger-painted...


...we made a collage with a few of our favorite things...


...we made precise scale models of our heads...



...we played with our emotions...



















...and we painted together.














By Friday, we definitely needed some chocolate chip cookies!




We worked hard.


















We played hard.




















We love preschool!!!