November 1st, 2013

F is for Frankenstein!!!

This week we studied the letter, "F".  Discriminating the different sounds letters make can be a difficult task and it takes a lot of practice and exposure.  Luckily, Frankenstein helped us out this week.

We also practiced writing the letter.  We used sand trays, whiteboards with markers, and eventually paper and pencil. 

f is for feathers!

For the lower-case f, we made our f-feathers.  I adored watching each child carefully decide which feather went where.  It was absolutely a process.












 

And, of course, it was Halloween!  Ms. Rebecca dressed up as her classroom's favorite character, Pete the Cat (with her groovy buttons) while Miss Gabriella dressed as The Cat in the Hat.

 



Who had more fun?  The children... or the teachers?

On Thursday, the children got to come to school dressed in their costumes.  We had a special cookie decorating party - because, obviously, there's not enough sugar consumed on this holiday - and largely spent the day running and laughing.  This includes the teachers, too.

We love preschool!

:)

October 26th, 2013

What a fun-filled week we've had!  We started it off with our pumpkin patch field trip we took together on Monday.  It was a great success and we all had the best time.

We watched a pumpkin demonstration given by a pumpkin expert...

...and we explored the patch!  It was very memorable and we can't wait to return next year!

Back in my class on Tuesday, we studied some of the pumpkins and squash we brought back with us from the patch.  Some were bumpy, some were smooth, some were round, some looked like, "a cloud shaped like batman" (not my words, but just as valid).

We also finished up our class collection of paintings done with random objects - anything that wasn't a paintbrush.  Each student painted with something different and the objects varied from marbles (see photo) to feathers, to pumpkins, to combs, etc.  If you didn't at the open house, come and view our collection titled, "Paintbrushes Optional".

Because a week is never complete without making hand-prints, we made sure to make our scary spider hand-prints, too!

Meanwhile, in Ms. Suzie and Ms. Rebecca's class, the 2 and 3-year-olds were hard at work!  They learned the poem, "5 Little Pumpkins Sitting on a Gate", created their hand-print spiders in glitter-filled webs, and counted pumpkin seeds.

A song they learned this week is, "The Spider in the Web".

(To the tune of Farmer in the Dell)

The spider in the web,

The spider in the web.

Spin, spin, oh watch him spin, 

The spider in the web.

They celebrated dual birthdays...

...and worked on their finger-painting skills.

E is for Elephant!

Both classes also learned about the letter, "E".

And, of course, on Friday we celebrated our Halloween-themed Open House.  What a wonderful, wonderful night we spent together! 

We have the best jobs in the world!

October 18th, 2013

This week we started to learn all about pumpkins.  Kicking it off, we first dissected them, observing their "squishy" inside.

Afterwards, we mixed all the ingredients (including puréed pumpkin) to make pumpkin bread.

Everybody got a turn to help!

The pièce de résistance!

This week my class also worked on our D-Ducks

While Ms. Suzie and Ms. Rebecca's class created their ducks, too.  They read the book, "Quack, Daisy, Quack" and then each student dictated what their own ducks did.

We worked in small groups for language arts...

...and math...

...and mixed colors for science.


















We have fun in preschool!

October 4th, 2013

This week, we've celebrated autumn and the fall harvest. 

In my class, after reading the book Leaf Man, we made our own leaf collages.

We also learned the letter C.  In Ms. Suzie's class, the children learned "C is for Cars!"  Then they had a chance to roll their cars through paint and leave behind tracks.

The painting that was made by all of her students later served as a background for their car math ("How many wheels does your car have?") display.

Meanwhile, in my class, we worked hard on our C-Cats...

 ...and c-cotton balls.

After reading The Very Hungry Caterpillar, Ms. Suzie's students also got to make their c-caterpillars using pastels.  As messy as this was, it produced beautiful caterpillars.  

After spending much of September learning about my students and their individual needs, I've broken them up into small groups of 3 and 4.  Each day, from 10:45am - 11:45am, is devoted to small group learning in which myself and two other teachers take an opportunity to instruct in language arts, science, math and art.  The children rotate through the tables and learn in a more intimate setting with lots of one-on-one attention.

But we never forget to have fun in preschool!

September 27th, 2013

 

This week, we enjoyed learning about the letter "Bb".  After discussing some of the things that start with the letter, both classes got a chance to play with bubbles.

We also filled our sensory bins with some fun "B" objects.  Ms. Suzie's class played in beans, buttons & bears.  My class played with bowls & beads.

Our pre-k students devoted time this week to practice writing the letter Bb.  The children took turns printing the letters in sand and in finger paint.

In Ms. Suzie's class, her students were able to apply bandages to their B's.

In my class, we first made a letter B-Bumble Bee and then letter b-buttons.

Our favorite book this week (this year, actually) was Pete the Cat and His Four Groovy Buttons.  This book was read multiple times in both classes and is so much fun.

While my class added buttons to their lower-case b's, Ms. Suzie's class created shirts inspired by Pete the Cat's.
















We always have fun in preschool!

September 20th, 2013

Our oatmeal, cinnamon and apple sensory bin

This week, we celebrated apples and the letter, "A"!

In my class, we first practiced printing Aa's.  We drew them in sand, in fingerpaint, and then eventually with pens and pencils.  With children ages 3 and 4, I focus less on the ability to print a recognizable letter and more of an emphasis on letter recognition and fine motor development.  Of course, every student is unique and I carefully assess their individual abilities to meet each of their needs.

Meanwhile, in Ms. Suzie's 2 and 3-year-old class, they're also learning to recognize the letter A.  As more of a sensory process art, they had a great time applying apple stickers on their letters.

A is for alligator  and apple!

Back in my class, we created our A-Alligators and a-apples.

For a fun science/art project, students in both classes created apple stamps.  Dipping apple halves into paint, they were able to observe the shape and seed "star" that the apple half left behind on the paper.

Ms. Suzie's class is hard at work!

This week we also made homemade applesauce.  This is a great project that I do every year with my students. 












We enjoy eating it, too!

We have fun in preschool!