It's Good to Be Back!

Group Meeting:  The children shared their holiday experiences as well as a few snow stories.  We will not be starting Christmas activities until next week.  This week, we will focus on what animals are doing to get ready for winter.

Small Groups:  The activities for this week are listed below as well as the schedule for today.
Activity #1  (Red Group)  The children used small plastic bear counters and a balance scale to weigh a few school supplies.  They also used to the bears to measure the length of the school supply.  The answers were recorded on a paper.
Activity #2 (Yellow Group)  The children made a book about animals that hibernate.  They used scissors to cut the pictures and glue to fasten them to the book pages.
Activity #3  (Green Group)  The children listened to a re-read of The Letters are Lost and completed an activity with rhyming words from the book. 

Story:  The story for today was Bear Can't Sleep by Marni McGee.  Bear is ready to hibernate, but can't seem to fall asleep.  His animals friend are trying to figure out why.  Ask your child to tell you why Bear can't sleep and what his friends do to help him.

Large Group:  The children watched a video about hibernation which was the topic of a Let's Find Out Magazine.  The morning class had time to complete the back page, but the afternoon class ran out of time.  They can complete it at home with a little help from an adult.

Letter Learning:  For this time around, we are learning about the letters in alphabetical order.  The children will be using dry erase markers to form the letters on boards.

Snacks:  Due to the cancellation of school yesterday, we had several snack choices today.  The morning class had cheese sticks, carrot coins, crackers, and milk brought by Noah and Rory.  The afternoon had plantain chips, apple slices, and milk brought by Willie and Zenie.  Thank you, everyone!

Thank you to everyone who provided transportation for our field trip today.  Starting in December, we will collecting a monthly food item to be donated to the pantry.  This will be included in the December newsletter.

Group Meeting:  Today was birthday day.  We went right to Small Groups so that we could get the muffins in the oven in time for snack time.

Small Groups:  The children got into groups to make banana bread.  They mashed the bananas, cracked an egg, and added that with flour, sugar, baking soda, baking powder, salt and butter.  They put it into muffin cups. 

Story:  The story for today was a re-read of Our Tree Named Steve.  The children enjoyed this story the first time around and were excited to see it again.  This will end our tree study.  During the next two weeks, we will be preparing for Thanksgiving.

Large Group:  The children learned about Veteran's Day with a Let's Find Out Magazine. 

Letter Learning:  The letter for today was Pp.

Snacks:  The children ate the banana muffins with milk followed by Birthday Brownies. 

Group Meeting:  The excitement for the last day party was evident today:)  Tomorrow, we will be popping the last balloon!

Small Groups:  The children drew pictures of themselves in their writing journals.  They compared them to the drawings that they did on the first day.  We have seen much improvement in the fine motor skill area.  They also collected signatures of their friends.

Story:  The story I read today was Whistle for Willie by Ezra Jack Keats.    Peter has a dog named Willie.  He wishes that he could whistle to make him come to him.  He tries and tries.  Ask your child to tell you how this story ends.

Large Group:  The children practiced the program for tomorrow one more time.  Then, we went to the Outdoor Classroom.

Snacks:  The morning class had breadsticks, cheese, and juice brought by Kenedy.  The afternoon class had grapes, cheese sticks, and milk brought by Greta.  Thank you, Kenedy and Greta!

I truly cannot believe that the last day is here.  We have had such a great time getting to know these kids!  They will be missed!

Group Meeting:  We popped another balloon today.  Only two left!

Small Groups:  The children played Friend Bingo.  I made bingo cards with the children's pictures on them.  I help up cards with names printed on them.  They identified the name and found the matching picture.

Story:  The story for today was Little Red Riding Hood as retold by Bonnie Dobkin.  In this story, Red Riding Hood walks through the forest to her grandmother's house.  Her mother tells her to stay on the path, go straight to Grandmother's, and not to talk to strangers.  Does she listen?  Ask your child to tell you the rest!

Large Group:  The children went to the Outdoor Classroom.

Snacks:  The morning class had Teddy Grahams and juice brought by Julia.  The afternoon class had bananas and milk brought by Grace O.  Thank you, Julia and Grace!

The permission slips for the last day bounce houses need to be turned in by tomorrow.  If you have misplaced yours, please let Mrs. Heimendinger know when you drop off.

Group Meeting:  We are counting down to Thursday.  I have placed four balloons on the top of the message board.  Each day, we will pop a balloon.  Hopefully, this will help us keep the excitement in check:)

Small Groups:  The children got into their groups to work on something for the last day party. Sorry, I can't share the details here.

Story:   It seems that I always have more stories to share than days of the school year.  So, during this last week, I will be reading a few of my favorites that just didn't fit into our studies this year.  Today, I read Caps for Sale by Esphyr Slobodkina.  This book was originally copyrighted in 1940.  It is still a great story.  A peddler selling caps is walking through town with caps stacked on his head.  He walks into the country to rest under a tree.  When he wakes up from a nap, his caps are gone.  Ask your child to tell you what happened and how he got the caps back.

Large Group:  The children practiced a few songs that we will be singing during the last day program.

Snacks:  The morning class had Club crackers, Goldfish, blackberries, and juice brought by Jay.  The afternoon class had strawberries, carrots, ranch dip, vanilla wafers, and milk brought by Grace K.  Thank you, Jay and Grace!

Summer Birthday Day

Group Meeting:  During group meeting, we made a list of things that we learned at the farm.  I was very impressed with the things that the children had learned.    I love visiting that farm.  The gentleman that led the tour was great with kids.

Small Groups:  The children made Energy Balls to eat at snack time.  This week, we had learned about grains and proteins.  We used  oats, crispy rice, peanut butter, and honey.  We also added a few mini M&Ms to add to the taste.  After mixing the ingredients, the children used their hands to shape the balls.

Story:  The story for today was Yogurt and Cheeses and Ice Cream That Pleases by Brian P. Cleary. 
This cute book of rhymes taught us why dairy foods are good for us and different ways to enjoy them.  Ask your child to name one food from the dairy group.

Large Group:  We started working on our last day program by learning a new song to sing to you.

Snacks:  The children ate the Energy Bars and Birthday Brownies.  We had 6 birthdays to celebrate in each class. 

Next week will be our last week of school.  Hard to believe!

Group Meeting:  The food group that we learned about today was the protein group.  Many of the proteins that we get are from farm animals.  This is always a tricky subject to talk about with preschoolers, because it is probably the first time they have thought about eating an animal.  We included peanut butter, diary products, beans, etc. as a good source of protein. 

Small Groups:  The children played a game using toy farm animals.  They were given a small toy farm animal to put in their hand so that no one could see it.  Then, they walked around the room making their farm animal sound.  They had to try to find all of the children who were making the same sound.  At the end, we had a group of cows, horses, pigs, chickens, and sheep.  

Story:  The story I read today was The Three Little Pigs as retold by Bonnie Dobkin.  This is the classic tale of three pigs who venture off to build their own homes.  Two of the pigs do not make good choices for building materials, while the third builds a very strong home.  Ask your child to tell you what happens when the big bad wolf comes around.

Large Group:  The children went to the Outdoor Classroom.

Snacks:  The morning class had Goldfish and juice brought by Jade.  The afternoon class had bagels, cream cheese, strawberries, blueberries and juice brought by Freyja.  Thank you, Jade and Freyja!

We are prepared for our field trip tomorrow.  A map is in your child's backpack. 

Group Meeting:  Today, we discussed the grains food group.  The children remembered wheat from our bread study.  I read a non-fiction book about farm machinery and how the implements plant the grains that are grown in Iowa.

Small Groups:  The children participated in a Count the Room activity.  They were given a paper with 10 farm characters.  They had to find the matching characters around the room and count the dots in a 10 frame underneath.  They printed the correct numeral on their paper.  This was an activity that was challenging for some.  We offered help if needed.

Story:  I read the story of Henny Penny as retold by Bonnie Dobkin.  This is a classic tale of a hen who thinks that the sky is falling.  She goes about the farm telling the others who then join in with her quest to tell the king.  Along the way, they meet a fox.  Should they follow his short cut?  Ask your child to tell you what happened.  After the story, we talked about "using your brain"  when making a decision to follow someone.  

Large Groups:  The children went to the Outdoor Classroom. 

Snacks:  The morning class had crackers, cheese, and juice brought by Jacob.  The afternoon class had cantaloupe, cheese sticks, and juice brought by Emmy.  Thank you, Jacob and Emmy! 

Group Meeting:  Our farm food for today was fruit.  I read The Fruit Group by Mari Schuh.   The children learned that fruit grows on trees, bushes, and vines. 

Small Groups:  The children completed the paper that is in their backpacks today titled Where Does It Grow?  I had pictures of fruits and vegetables on the Promethean board.  They had to decide if that fruit or vegetable grew in the ground, on the ground or in a tree.   They drew the correct answer on their paper.  I had pictures of the fruits and vegetables growing for them to see.

Story:  The story for today was A Farmer's Life for Me by Jan Dobbins.    This story tells of the things that a farmer does to grow crops and animals.  It is written in rhyming words and can be sung as a song. 

Large Group:  The children assisted me in making smoothies.  We placed ice, milk, and fruit into the blender and watch it mix together.  We had a good mix of fruits.  Thank you, parents, for the fruit.

Snacks:  The children drank the smoothies and ate Birthday Brownies. 

Group Meeting:  During Group Meeting, we learned about vegetables.  I read the book Where Do Vegetables Come From? by Linda Staniford.  This non-fiction book shows how carrots are planted, irrigated and harvested from the field.  It also explains how the carrots are washed and bagged to go to the grocery store. 

Small Groups:  The children got into their small groups to play a game called "Can You Follow the Directions?"  The children took turns selecting cards on which a one step, two step, or three step direction was printed.  They had to use their listening skills to remember the order for completing the steps.  Some of the directions were pretty funny.

Story:  I read Growing Vegetable Soup by Lois Ehlert.  The narrator of this story tells about planting vegetables and harvesting them to make vegetable soup.  On the front of the book was a picture of a tomato.  I was surprised at how many children commented that a tomato was not a vegetable.  Smart kids!

Large Group:  The children went to the Outdoor Playground.  We took out wrist ribbons and a parachute.

Snacks:  The morning class had peanut butter crackers and milk brought by Jackson.  The afternoon class had graham crackers, oranges, bananas, and milk brought by Colin.  Thank you, Jackson and Colin!

Tomorrow we will be learning about fruit.  The children will be making fruit smoothies.  They may bring their favorite fruit to add!

Group Meeting:  Today, we are starting a mini study called Farm to Fork.  We will be learning about healthy food and where it comes from.

Small Groups:  The children completed a Let's Find Out magazine about healthy food.  We watched a video about eating a balanced diet so that we will have energy for our body and brain.

Story:  The story I read today was Jack and the Hungry Giant by Loreen Leedy.  This story is similar to the classic Jack and the Beanstalk.  However, in this book, the giant doesn't want to eat Jack, he wants to eat with Jack!  Together, the giant and Jack fill a plate with healthy fruits, vegetables, grain, and proteins.  Then, they head outside to do some exercises together, such as climbing a beanstalk.

Large Group:  The children went to the Outdoor Classroom.  We knew it was windy outside, so we took out ribbons on sticks  to wave in the wind.  

Letter Learning:  We have been learning a few sight words during the past two weeks.  Today, I had two sentences on the board that were missing those sight words.  The children helped me find the correct place for them.

Snacks:  The morning class had three kinds of Goldfish and juice brought by Isaac.  The afternoon class had Clementines, animal crackers, and milk brought by Charlie.  Thank you, Isaac and Charlie!

Ice Cream Party Book Celebration!

Group Meeting:  The children were very excited today as we celebrated meeting our goal of reading 1500 books.  During Group Meeting, we became actors and actresses as we portrayed one of our favorites, Mouse Count by Ellen Stoll Walsh.

Story:  Since we were celebrating book reading today, I read Wild About Books by Judy Sierra.  In this story, the librarian accidentally drives the bookmobile to the library.  The animals are curious about the books and soon find themselves selecting books that they like to read.  The animals also write books of their own and decide to build a library to house their books. 

Large Group:  The children went to the Outdoor Classroom.

Snacks:  The children enjoyed chocolate, vanilla, and strawberry ice cream with sprinkles.  We were very pleased with the good manners that the children displayed as they were waiting for us to scoop their selections. 

Thank you, adults for all of the reading that you did with your child.  Reading is such a good way to spend time together!

Group Meeting:  The children are very excited about the Art Show tonight.  We took a few minutes to look at their art work that will be on display.

Small Groups:  The children watched a video about animals that are born in the Spring.  Then, they made a book out of their Let's Find Out magazine, featuring baby lambs.

Story:  I read For Pete's Sake by Ellen Stoll Walsh.  Pete is an alligator who thinks he is a flamingo just like his friends.  He notices that he doesn't have feathers or long legs.    Ask your child to tell you how he figures out that he is not a flamingo after all. 

Large Group:  We spent most of Playtime and Large Group time outside today.  The children got to try out our new piece of equipment!

Snacks:  The morning class had Cheez-its and juice brought by Graham.  The afternoon class had Teddy Grahams and juice brought by Cameron.  Thank you, Graham and Cameron!

We hope to see everyone tonight!  Stop in anytime between 7 and 8.

Group Meeting:  The story that I wanted to read today was not available at the library or local bookstore, so we watched it as a YouTube video.   The name of the story is Balancing Act by Ellen Stoll Walsh, our author for the week.  In this story, mice are balancing on a stick that they have placed on a rock.  When a frog jumps on one end, they need another frog to jump on the other end to make it balance.  Ask your child to tell you what happens at the end.

Small Groups:  Following the story of Balancing Act, the children used blocks to see if they could make items balance.  We used the word fulcrum as we were working.

Story:  At story time, I read Dot and Jabber and the Big Bug Mystery.  In this story, Dot and Jabber, mice, have noticed that the bugs are disappearing.   They soon discover that they are not disappearing, but rather are using camouflage to blend in with the environment so that birds and toads do not eat them.

Large Group:  The children went to the Outdoor Classroom.  The new toy for outside has arrived and is being installed this afternoon!

Snacks:  The morning class had graham crackers, cheese sticks, and juice brought by Dominic.  The afternoon class had Ritz crackers, cheese sticks, and juice brought by Callie.  Thank you, Dominic and Callie!

The Art Show is tomorrow night!  The children are starting to see their art work being displayed.

Group Meeting:  I read Mouse Shapes by Ellen Stoll Walsh.  In this book, the mice are hiding from the cat in a pile of shapes.  One of the mice notices that they can use the shapes to make pictures.  They make a house, tree, and sun.  They discover that they can use the shapes to make big mice that will scare the cat.

Small Groups:  The children played a game using a mouse picture from the story Mouse Shapes.  To play the game, the children took turns rolling a dice.  Using a key that came with their picture, they had to find which shape to color.  For example, if they rolled a one, they had to color the circles.  If they rolled a two, they had to color the rectangles.  The game was complete when their mouse was colored.

Story:  At story time, I read Dot and Jabber and the Mystery of the Missing Stream by Ellen Stoll Walsh.  Dot and Jabber are mice detectives.  One night after a storm, they discover that the water is missing from the stream.  They look for clues and question their animal friends to find the missing water.  Ask your child to tell you why the water was missing.

Large Group:  The children went to the Outdoor Classroom.

Snacks:  The morning class had Penguin crackers and juice brought by Brooke S.  The afternoon class had bananas and milk brought by Brody.  Thank you, Brooke and Brody!

Ellen Stoll Walsh

Group Meeting:  The author/illustrator for this week is Ellen Stoll Walsh.  I read Mouse Paint which is about three little mice that find three jars of paint.  When they play in the paint, they discover new colors.

Small Groups:  The children painted pictures of mice using their fingers to mix the colors.  These are drying and will be taken home tomorrow.

Story:  At story time, I read Where is Jumper? by Ellen Stoll Walsh.  Five little mice are walking through the forest.  Suddenly, Jumper disappears.  Where is he?  The children had to look carefully on the page to find Jumper hiding.  This book uses directional words such as over, under, between, inside, etc.

Large Group:  The children went to the Outdoor Classroom.

Snacks:  The morning class had breadsticks, cheese, blueberries, and juice brought by Brooke R.  The afternoon class had breadsticks, cheese, and juice brought by Aiden.  Thank you, Brooke and Aiden!

We are counting down the days until the Art Show!

Group Meeting:  We have reached our reading goal!  Wow, we are one week early as well.  Congratulations to the children and thank you to all of the adults who helped us reach this goal.  An ice cream party will be held on April 30th!

Small Groups:  Sunday is Earth Day.  The children watched a short video about taking care of our environment and completed a Let's Find Out Magazine.

Story:  I read What Pet Should We Get? by Dr. Seuss.  In this story, a boy and his sister are allowed to get a pet from the pet store, however, they don't know which pet they should get.  Should they get a puppy, kitten, bird, or rabbit?  They can only get one.  Ask your child to tell you how the story ends.

Large Group:  The Red Group brought items for Show and Tell.

Snacks:  The morning class had celery, peanut butter, blueberries, and milk brought by Benjamin.  The afternoon class had Cheerios, raspberries, and milk brought by Shelby.  Thank you, Benjamin and Shelby!

The children are bringing home a note about the upcoming Art Show that will be held next week.

Group Meeting:  I read There's a Wocket in My Pocket by Dr. Seuss.  In this book, a boy tells us about the unusual creatures that live in his house.  The names of these creatures rhyme with items in the house such as a Wasket in the basket, a Geller in the celler, and a Jertain in the Curtain.  After the story, the children thought of other creatures that we could create to rhyme with things in school.

Small Groups:  The list of activities for this week is listed in Monday's post.

Story:  At story time, I read My Many Colored Days by Dr. Seuss.  In this book, Dr. Seuss uses colors and animals to describe feelings that we all have throughout our day.   On a blue day, I feel like a bird flying through the sky.  On a brown day, I feel low down.  The illustrations in this book are painted by Steve Johnson and Lou Fancher, and therefore, this book doesn't look like the typical "Dr. Seuss" book.  But, the pictures are beautiful and reflect the feelings of the author.

Large Group:  The children conducted a science experiment using milk, liquid water color, and soap.  We poured milk into a pie tin and added the liquid water color using tiny drops so that the color wouldn't spread.  Then, the children dipped a Q-tip into dish soap and touched the milk.  Ask your child to tell you what happened to the colors and why it happened.

Snacks:  The morning class had bagels, cream cheese, and juice brought by Tula.  The afternoon class had graham crackers and milk brought by Paxton.  Thank you, Tula and Paxton!

Group Meeting:  We are enjoying books written by Dr. Seuss this week.  At Group Meeting, I read Mr. Brown Can Moo, Can You?  The children mimicked the sounds that Mr. Brown can make.

Small Groups:  The activities for this week are listed in yesterday's post.  The schedule for this week is a little mixed up as we are working on some art show projects.

Story:  At story time, I read One Fish, Two Fish, Red Fish, Blue Fish by Dr. Seuss.  In this book, Dr. Seuss uses his wonderful imagination to create unusual animals and pairs them with great rhyming words.  Some of the words become tongue twisters that the children tried to repeat over and over.

Large Group:  Yesterday, I read the story Ten Apples Up on Top by Dr. Seuss.  Today, we used bean bags to represent the apples from the story and tried to balance them on our head.   The children raced across the room trying to get as many "apples" as they could to balance on their head.

Snacks:  The morning class had Scooby Snacks and juice brought by Spencer.  The afternoon class had graham crackers and juice brought by Miriam.  Thank you, Spencer and Tula!

We are getting very close to meeting our reading goal.  At last count, we only needed 50 more books. 

Dr. Seuss

Group Meeting:  Our author/illustrator for this week is Theodor Seuss Geisel, aka Dr. Seuss.  I read The Foot Book as an introduction to his work. 

Small Groups:  The activities for this week are listed below.  The children will not be in their usual color groups this week as we are preparing for the Art Show.  You will have to ask your child which activity he or she participated in today.
Activity #1  (The Foot Book)  The children measured one of their feet using Unifix cubes and a ruler.  They recorded their findings on a paper to take home.
Activity #2  (Ten Apples Up On Top)  The children used daubers to create apples on the animals heads to match the numerals printed below them.
Activity #3  I can't tell you about this one.  It's for the Art Show.   Top Secret!

Story:  At story time, I read Ten Apples Up On Top by Dr. Seuss.  The children remembered this book as I had read it in the Fall as we prepared for our field trip to the apple orchard.  Three animals are balancing apples on their heads.  Will they let the apples drop? 

Large Group:  The children watched a video about Dr. Seuss and completed the Let's Find Out magazine that corresponded with it.

Snacks:  The morning class had graham crackers, peanut butter and juice.  The afternoon class had apples and juice brought by Melanie.  Thank you, Melanie!

Beautiful Day!

Group Meeting:  Today was birthday day.  We had a lot planned and the weather was beautiful, so we got right to work so that we could spend as much time as possible outside. 

Small Groups:  For a snack, we made Pigs in a Blanket.   In our story yesterday, the pigeon loved his hot dog and shared it with Duckling.  To make a Pig in a Blanket, the children flattened biscuit dough and wrapped it around a half of a hot dog.  We put them in the oven.

Story:  The story for today was Don't Let the Pigeon Stay Up Late by Mo Willems.  Pigeon insists that he is not tired.  However, he is yawning a little.  Pigeon tries to convince us that he does not need to go to bed.  Ask your child to tell you how this ends.

Large Group:  The children went outside and spent all of play time in the Outdoor Classroom.  It was wonderful.

Letter Learning:  During this week, I have been putting short sentences on the board about the Mo Willem stories that we have been reading.  We have pointed out the beginning letters of some of the words and have pointed out two sight words: the and to.

Snacks: The children enjoyed  Pigs in the Blankets with a choice of ketchup and mustard with juice to drink.  Birthday Brownies were enjoyed as well!

Group Meeting:  I read The Pigeon Wants a Puppy by Mo Willems.  The pigeon wants a puppy, but does he know what a puppy is? 
Several more children brought in reading papers, so we added more ice cream scoops to our bulletin board. 

Small Groups:  The activities for this week are listed in Monday's post.  The schedule for today was:
Activity #1 Green Group
Activity #2 Red Group
Activity #3 Yellow Group

Story:  At story time, I read The Pigeon Finds a Hot Dog by Mo Willems.  Pigeon has found a hot dog.  Along comes his friend Duckling.  Duckling is asking a lot of questions about the hot dog?  Does Duckling want the hot dog?  Ask your child to tell you what happens at the end.

Large Group:  We finally got to go outside!!  It was a nice day to be out.

Snacks:  The morning class had Goldfish and milk brought by Meier.  The afternoon class had crackers, cheese sticks, and juice brought by Lyndsey.  Thank you, Meier and Lyndsey!

T-shirt orders are due tomorrow!  If you need another form, please let me know.

Group Meeting:  I read the book Cat the Cat, Who Is That? by Mo Willems.   Cat the Cat says hello to all of her friends.  What does she do when she meets someone she does not know?  She makes a new friend.
The children added more scoops to the bulletin board as reading papers are coming in.  We are about a third of the way to our goal.  Keep reading!

Small Groups:  The activities for this week are listed in yesterday's blog.  The schedule for today was:
Activity #1 Yellow Group
Activity #2 Green Group
Activity #3 Red Group

Story:  At story time,  I read Knuffle Bunny by Mo Willems.  Little Trixie is helping her dad at the laundromat.  When it is time to leave, they accidentally leave her favorite toy Knuffle Bunny behind.  Trixie tries to tell her dad, but because she is a toddler, her words don't make sense.  Will Trixie get Knuffle Bunny back?

Large Group:  Following our story, the children drew pictures of their favorite things that they would not want to leave behind. 
We also learned a new action song, The Pony Ride.  Ask your child to show you the motions.

Snacks:  The morning class had grapes, Scooby Snacks, and juice brought by Lauren.  The afternoon class had Minion graham crackers and juice brought by Lynae.  Thank you, Lauren and Lynae. 

Mo Willems

Group Meeting:  Our author/illustrator for this week is Mo Willems.  Please take a minute to read the note that was sent home concerning this favorite author.

Small Groups:  The activities for this week and schedule for today is listed below.
Activity #1 (Red Group) The children are designing a T-shirt for the end of school.  The children drew their faces onto a grid of 2" squares.  We practiced first because we have to use Sharpie markers for this project.
Activity #2 (Yellow Group)  The children are exploring another method of art used by Eric Carle.  At the art table, they are gluing tissue paper shapes onto paper.  After the glue is dry, we will cut out various characters from this paper.
Activity #3  (Green Group)  Two of the characters from a Mo Willems book, Pigeon and Duckling, are battling for a cookie.  The children took turns rolling the dice and counting the squares to see who would get the cookie first. 

Story:  At Group Meeting, I read Don't Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus! by Mo Willems.  In this story, the bus drivers asks the readers to keep an eye on his bus while he is gone.  The readers are instructed to not let Pigeon drive the bus.  Pigeon begs and pleads.  Did he get to drive the bus?  Ask your child to tell you.
At story time, I read Duckling Gets a Cookie!? also by Mo Willems.  Duckling has a cookie.  Pigeon would like to have it, but instead of asking for it, he begs and whines.  At the end of the book, Duckling gives him the cookie.  Ask your child to tell you why.

Large Group:  The children watched a video about Mo Willems and how he gets ideas for his books.  Then, they completed a Let's Find Out magazine about him.

Letter Learning:  We have completed the alphabet for the third time.  Now, we are looking for letters at the beginning of words in a sentence.  We will also be learning a few sight words.

Snacks:  The morning class had saltines, carrots, and milk brought by Kinsley.  The afternoon class had Chez-its, bananas, and milk brought by Luke.  Thank you, Kinsley and Luke!

Group Meeting:  During Group Meeting, the children who have returned their reading papers put a scoop of ice cream on the bulletin board.  I read the story The Mixed-Up Chameleon by Eric Carle. 

Small Groups:  Our Let's Find Out magazine was about Spring.  The video we watched was about the sounds that we hear during Spring.

Story:  I read The Very Quiet Cricket by Eric Carle.  A baby cricket has hatched from an egg.  It wanders about meeting other bugs.  The bugs tell him hello.  He tries to answer by rubbing his wings together, but he doesn't make a sound.  Finally, he meets another cricket.   This time, he rubs his legs together and makes the most wonderful sound.  (This book has a sound chip in it.  On the last page, you hear the cricket sound.)

Large Group:  Eric Carle has written many books about bugs.  We played a bug "hide and seek" game.  After finding all of the hidden bugs, we sorted them into categories.  The children thought of sorting them by color and by type of bug.

Letter Learning:  The letter for today was Uu.  This completes the third round of the alphabet. 

Snacks:  The morning class had cheese sticks, Teddy Grahams, and juice brought by Khloe.  The afternoon class had Goldfish and juice brought by Liam.  Thank you, Khloe and Liam!

Eric Carle

Group Meeting:  After being absent for two days, I'm going to try to catch you up on everything that is going on.  We are learning about Author/Illustrator Eric Carle this week as part of our Reading Month.  We will try to read as many of his stories as we can during this week. So far, we have read The Very Hungry Caterpillar, The Tiny Seed, From Head to Toe, Have You Seen My Cat?, and Little Cloud. Our Art Show is going to center around his art work. 

Small Groups:  Our small groups this week have also centered around Eric Carle. 
Activity #1 The children played numeral bingo with A Very Grouchy Ladybug bingo board.
Activity #2  The children learned an art method of Eric Carle which involved painting with a brush and scratching the paint with an object such as a comb, fork, or other instrument.  We will use these for our Art Show pictures.
Activity #3  The children created a class book using Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See? as a theme.  This book will be traveling to everyone's home this month.

Story:  The story for today was Little Cloud by Eric Carle.  Little Cloud likes to change his shape.  Sometimes, he resembles a bunny, an airplane, a tree, and many other objects.  After reading, we talked about being outside, looking up at the clouds and looking at the shapes that clouds make.

Large Group:  Because we didn't have many clouds to look at today, we made our own by putting shaving cream on the tables and using our fingers to create clouds. 

Letter Learning:  The letter for today was Oo.

Snacks:  The morning class had cheese, crackers, and juice brought by Kenedy.  The afternoon class had bagels, cream cheese, and juice brought by Jaxon.  Thank you, Kenedy and Jaxon.  Thank you also to the children who brought snacks on Monday and Tuesday!

Your child brought home a reading paper on Monday.  We are trying to reach our goal of 1500 books by the end of April.  Once a reading paper is returned, your child will add a scoop of ice cream to our bulletin board.

Group Meeting:  The children danced to The Easter Bunny Freeze Song as we arrived at school.

Small Groups:  The children watched a video on pond habitats.  They completed the back of the Let's Find Out magazine that corresponded to the video. 

The rest of the day was our Spring Party.  First, the children participated in an "egg on the spoon" race.  Then, with a partner, they tried to guess how many jelly beans were in a plastic egg by shaking and listening for the sound.  At snack time, the morning class had decided to have decorated cookies with juice.  The afternoon class chose cupcakes and lemonade. All of this was followed by an Easter Egg hunt. 

We would like to thank the adults who provided the treats and stuffed and hid the Easter Eggs.  Happy Easter!

Group Meeting: One more day until the Spring Party!  The children made the final plans for our day tomorrow.

Small Groups:  The activities for this week are listed in Monday's post.  The schedule for today was:
Activity #1 Green Group
Activity #2 Red Group
Activity #3 Yellow Group

Story:  The story for today was Happy Easter Little Critter by Mercer Mayer.  Little Critter wakes up on Easter morning and tries to sneak downstairs to find his Easter surprise, but finds his sister is already digging into the goodies.  The rest of the book tells of how Little Critter and his family celebrate the holiday. 

Large Group:  The children participated in a variety of gross motor activities such as jumping jacks, toe touches, running, skipping, etc.  We are waiting patiently for the weather to cooperate so that we can go outside.

Letter Learning:  The letter for today was Aa.

Snacks:  The morning class had graham crackers, yogurt, and juice brought by Jade.  The afternoon class had oranges, bananas, and milk brought by Grace K.  Thank you, Jade and Grace!

Group Meeting:  Today was our 100th day of school.  We started the day by doing 100 exercises following the video by Jack Hartmann and counting to 100.

Small Groups:  The activities for this week are listed in yesterday's post.  The schedule for today was:
Activity #1 Yellow Group
Activity #2 Green Group
Activity #3 Red Group

Story:  The story for today was One Hundred Bones by Yuvol Zoomer.  Scruff the dog did not have an owner.  He did things that other dogs were not allowed to do, such as dig.  One day, he smelled the wonderful scent of bones.  He dug and dug until he found a pile of one hundred bones.  What could they be from?  Ask your child to tell you.  Scruff got something at the end of the story.  Does your child remember what it was?

Large Group:  The children used Q-tips and liquid watercolor to fill in 100 dots on a paper that announced that they are 100 days smarter!

Letter Learning:  The letter for today was Ss.

Snacks:  The morning class had Chicken in a Biscuit crackers, cheese, and juice brought by Jacob.  The afternoon class had bagels, cream cheese, and juice brought by Freyja.  Thank you, Jacob and Freyja!

Group Meeting:  We are counting down the days until the Spring Party on Easter.  We will erase one egg a day from the Message Board to help us keep track.  Today was the 99th day of school.  Tomorrow, we will celebrate 100 days with a few special activities.

Small Groups:  The activities for this week are listed below as well as the schedule for today.
Activity #1 (Red Group)  The children fixed broken paper Easter eggs by matching the rhyming word pictures that were on them.  We also made lists of other words that would rhyme.
Activity #2 (Yellow Group)  The children were given a game board that had 10 eggs printed on it.  Inside of each egg was an assorted number of chicks.  The children had to count the chicks and cover the egg with a numeral that was also printed on an Easter egg.
Activity #3 (Green Group)  The children listened to the story If You Give a Moose a Muffin and answered questions about the story.  This is part of  the Read It Again curriculum.  We are going to start doing more activities with this program during small group time.

Story:  The story for today was Bunny Trouble by Hans Wilhelm.  This is the story of a buuny named Ralph who lived in a colony of rabbits that decorate eggs for the Easter Bunny.  Ralph would rather play soccer than decorate eggs.  When his soccer tricks leads to a lot broken eggs, he is told to find something else to do.   That night, Ralph does not come home.  What has happened to him?  Will his sister be able to help him?  Ask your child to tell you how this story ends.

Large Group:  The children tried an experiment.  What will happen if you put jelly beans in various kinds of liquid?  We tried water, vinegar, and orange juice.  We will view the results tomorrow.

Letter Learning:  The letter for today was Gg.

Snacks:  The morning class had Peanut Butter Captian Crunch, bananas, and milk brought by Jackson.  The afternoon class had pretzels, cheese sticks, and juice brought by Emmy.  Thank you, Jackson and Emmy!

Group Meeting:  Our Let's Find Out magazine was all about weather.  That led to some discussion about Spring weather included storms and tornadoes.  I used this opportunity to talk about storm safety, especially what we would do at preschool to stay safe. 

Small Groups:  The children watched a Let's Find Out video about weather.  This is the time of year that we see all types of weather as I'm guessing we will see this weekend.  The magazine was about things that animals do in various kinds of weather that are similar to what children do.

Story:  The story for today was Safe in the Storm by Stephen Swinburne.  This book shows animal babies with their mothers and how they weather the storm by being close to each other.  I asked the children who they seek out when it storms.  Most of them said it was their mother.

Large Group:  We set up various gross motor equipment for the children to use.  This included a ball toss, a crawling tunnel, hoops to jump across, stepping stones, and a tumbling mat.  The children could pick and chose which activities they wanted to do. 

Letter Learning:  The letter for today was Cc.

Snacks:  The morning class had Goldfish and juice brought by Isaac.  The afternoon class had naan bread, turkey, cheese, and juice brought by Colin.  Thank you, Isaac and Colin!

Group Meeting: We are learning about spring weather this week.  Today, we talked about rainbows and how they are formed.

Small Groups:  The activities for this week are listed in Monday's post.  The schedule for today was:
Activity #1 Green Group
Activity #2 Red Group
Activity #3 Yellow Group

Story:  The story was Red Rubber Boot Day by Mary Lyn Ray.  It is a rainy day.  The boy can stay inside and read, play with blocks, make a cave, or have a tea party.    However, he chooses to go outside and splash in the rain with his red rubber boots.  Ask your child to tell you who is standing outside in his bare feet.

Large Group:  The children experimented with water and colors by mixing colored water droplets on wax paper.  As the water beads up, they could slide the drops together to mix the colors. 

Letter Learning:  The letter for today was Yy.

Snacks:  The morning class had yogurt and juice brought by Graham.  The afternoon class had Cookie Crisp cereal and milk brought by Charlie.  Thank you, Graham and Charlie!

Group Meeting:  During group meeting, we shared some ideas of things that could be used at the art table to create some decorations for our Spring Party. 

Small Groups:  The activities for this week are listed in yesterday's post.  The schedule for today was:
Activity #1 Yellow Group
Activity #2 Green Group
Activity #3 Red Group

Story:  The story was The Wind Blew by Pat Hutchins.  This story follows the wind as it blows things away from people in the city such as a man with an umbrella, a girl with a balloon, and letters from the postman.  Ask your child to tell you what the wind did with those items at the end of the story.

Large Group:  The children created wind using a straw between two sponges in a zip lock bag.  They worked in a group of three children to see if they could generate enough wind to blow the items I selected for them.  They found that they could create enough wind to blow a puff ball, a silk flower, a popsicle stick, and a button.  They could not blow a marble or a toy car.  They recorded their answers on a paper.

Letter Learning:  The letter for today was Ww.

Snacks:  The morning class had breadsticks, cheese, and juice brought by Dominic.  The afternoon class had bagels, cream cheese, and juice brought by Cameron.  Thank you, Dominic and Cameron!

Back to School!

Group Meeting:  The children had a lot to talk about today.  Some children went away for Spring Break and some stayed home, but all had stories to share.   For the next two weeks, we will be learning about the changes that will be taking place during Spring .

Small Groups:  The activities for this week are listed below as well as the schedule for today.
Activity #1  The children drew pictures in their journals of their favorite season.  Before drawing, we discussed activities that we do during all of the seasons.
Activity #2  The children rolled a dice and counted that number of raindrops (glass beads) onto umbrellas. 
Activity #3  The children listed to the story Where's My Teddy? by Jez Alborough and a completed a color activity to go along with the story.

Story:  The story for today was Spish,Splash, Spring by Jan Carr.  This book written in rhyme describes things that we see during the Spring season such as rain, wind, robins, and flowers.  Ask your child to tell you the color of the robin's feathers and why they don't live here in the winter.

Large Group:  Following our story, we went outdoors to look for signs of Spring.  We saw daffodils starting to bud and noticed how windy it was.  We did not see any robins or trees budding yet.  We will keep watching.

Letter Learning:  The letter for today was Qq.

Snacks:  The morning class had soft pretzels and juice brought by Brooke S.  The afternoon class had Ritz crackers and juice brought by Callie.  Thank you, Brooke and Callie!

Group Meeting:  Today, we are finishing up our mini study on spheres.  It was also Birthday Day for children celebrating in March.

Small Groups:  During small group time, the children made individual Monkey Bread.  The children cut biscuit dough into fourths, rolled the pieces into spheres, rolled the spheres in cinnamon sugar, and put the spheres into a muffin cup.  We baked them in the oven and ate them while they were still warm.  If you'd like the recipe, go to Pinterest and search Individual Monkey Bread.  I've attached pictures of the morning class making their Monkey Bread and the afternoon class eating theirs.

Story:  I did a re-read of the Three Billy Goats Gruff.  The children really enjoyed this story especially the horrible, stinky old troll.

Large Group:  Following story time, we used puppets to act out the Three Billy Goats Gruff.  Each child was given a chance to be a billy goat or the troll. 

Letter Learning:  The letter for today was Hh.

Snacks:  The children enjoyed the Monkey Bread and Birthday Brownies with juice.

Next week is Spring Break.  I'm hoping the weather will be nice wherever you are!

Group Meeting:  We are having a good time learning about spheres.  Today, we did two special activities that were a lot of fun!

Small Groups:  During small group time, the children made bouncy balls.  This is a great science activity in which we get to see how mixing one thing with another changes the property of it.  I have put the recipe below for those who would like to try it at home.  It's very easy and doesn't make much of a mess!

Story:  The book that I read today was Play Ball! by Nancy Noel Williams.  This is a picture book of sports that you can play using a ball.  Following the book, we learned how to play Kick Ball.

Large Group:  The children learned to play Kick Ball.  Before we played the game, we learned about running the bases and fielding the ball.  Then, the children broke into two teams and played the game.  Hopefully, it will warm up soon so that we can play it outside.

Letter Learning:  The letter for today was Xx.

Snacks:  The morning class had cheese, crackers, bananas, and juice brought by Brooke R.  The afternoon class had Teddy Grahams and juice brought by Brody.  Thank you, Brooke and Brody!

To make bouncy balls you will need:
1/2 cup warm water
1 Tb Borax
1 Tb Cornstarch
2 Tb white glue
Food Coloring

In a disposable cup, mix the glue, cornstarch and color.  In another cup, mix the warm water and borax.  Pour the borax water into the glue cup and stir.  The solid will separate from the liquid.  Pull the solid out of the cup and shape into a ball.   The balls may flatten after sitting for a while.  Carefully roll the ball between your hands to shape it back into a ball.

Group Meeting:  Today was the first day that everyone has been present for school.  Hopefully, this means that the flu bug and other illnesses are going away.  Even though it was a little gloomy today, we danced to the Rainbow Dance before starting school.

Small Groups: In our small groups, the children measured the circumference of their spheres. They did this by wrapping a piece of yarn around the sphere, cutting the yarn, and measuring the yarn with a ruler or yard stick.  We compared the lengths of yarn to put the spheres in order from largest to smallest.

Story: The story for today was The Three Billy Goats Gruff retold by Bonnie Dobkin.   In this classic tale, three goat brothers want to cross the bridge to get to the green grass across the river. However, under the bridge lives a terrible troll that wants to eat them up.  How will the goats trick the troll into letting them cross? Ask our child to tell you.

Large Group:  The children played Balloon Badminton.  Each child was given a fly swatter to use as a racket. We used balloons as shuttle cocks.  The children tried to bat the balloon back and forth between them.

Letter Learning:  The letter for today was Rr. 

Snacks:  The morning class had grapes, blueberries, strawberries and milk brought by Benjamin.  The afternoon class had bread, ham, cheese, and juice brought by Aiden.  Thank you, Benjamin and Aiden!

Group Meeting:  We have placed two new art projects at the art table for children to participate if they wish; one is with marbles and the other with bubbles (spheres).  I've attached pictures below.

Small Groups: We spent our Small Group time exploring the new Animal Hospital that has been added to the Housekeeping Area.  I've attached pictures of this area as well.

Story: The story for today was Bounce by  Doreen Cronin.  This book explores different ways that we can bounce. We can bounce like a kangaroo, bounce on a pogo stick, and bounce on a ball.

Large Group: After the story, I asked the children if all spheres would bounce.  We got out the spheres that the children brought to school and tried to make each one bounce. Ask your child to tell you which spheres cannot bounce.

Letter Learning:  The letter for today was Nn.

Snacks: The morning class had graham crackers and juice brought by Tula. The afternoon class had Froot Loops and milk brought by Shelby.  Thank you, Tula and Shelby!

Group Meeting:  Perhaps the children told you that the Promethean board was down for a day or two.  After replacing a HDMI cord, we are back in business.  I became very aware of how much we use it for gross motor activities and exploring science facts.  What a valuable tool!

Small groups:  The children made a book about animal teeth with the Let's Find Out Magazine for this week.  We watched a video about teeth in carnivores and herbivores.

Story:  The book that I read today was Have a Ball by Nancy Noel Williams.  This is a non-fiction book about a variety of balls from sports balls to balls that you can eat.   Ask your child to name a ball that you can eat.

Large Group:  Following our story, the children displayed the spheres that they brought to school.  We had quite a variety.  We would like to keep these spheres at school for another week so that we can measure them, see which balls can bounce, and other activities.  If your child did not bring a sphere, they are welcome to do so on Monday.

Letter Learning:  The letter for today was Mm.

Snacks:  The morning snack was Goldfish and juice brought by Spencer.  The afternoon snack was Cheez-its and milk brought by Paxton.  Thank you, Spencer and Paxton!

Group Meeting:  During the next two weeks, we will be learning about spheres.  The children are asked to bring a sphere for show and tell tomorrow.  They may bring it in their backpack.

Small Groups:  Instead of small groups today, we did a large group activity with a ramp.  The children have learned that spheres will roll on all sides.  I had a container of items from the classroom.  We tested them to see if they were spheres by rolling them down the ramp in all the ways possible. 

Story:  The story for today was Ruby's New Brother by Kathryn White.  Ruby's mom is bringing a new baby home.  Ruby is anxious about the new brother.  She wonders if he is magic.  She worries that he will take her toys.  Most of all, she is worried that Mom and Dad will not have any time for her.  Ask your child to tell you how her feelings about the baby change by the end of the story.

Large Group:  The children played a game of bowling using toilet paper tubes as bowling pins and various sizes of spheres to knock them down. 

Letter Learning:  The letter for today was Ll.

Snacks:  The morning class had grapes, crackers, and juice brought by Rifa.  The afternoon class had bagels, cream cheese, and juice brought by Miriam.  Thank you, Rifa and Miriam!

Group Meeting:  The first thing we did today was dance to Koo Koo Kangaroo's "All I Want to Eat is Pizza".  That set the tone for the rest of the day. 

Small Groups:  The children completed a Let's Find Out Magazine about American Symbols.  It is in their backpack today along with the March calendar.

Large Group:  I thought that our trip to the Quad City Pizza Co. was great!  They took us in the kitchen to show us how the dough was mixed, how it rested in the cooler for 2 days, and how it was stretched and tossed.  The children made delicious pepperoni pizza and enjoyed eating it.  Thank you, adults for taking us on this trip!

Pajama Day!

Group Meeting:  We certainly had a fun and relaxing pajama day.  The children had such cute pajamas that we had to take a few minutes just to look at everyone.

Small Groups:  The children got into their designated small groups to play a "I Have, Who Has" game with numerals.  Each child is given four cards that have a numeral at the top and a numeral at the bottom.  A player starts by saying "I have (numeral on the top). Who has (numeral on the bottom)?"  The person with that numeral on the top of one of their cards goes next.  The game continues until all of the cards have been used.

Story:  The story for today was Piggies in Pajamas by Michelle Meadows.  Five little piggie children are in their pajamas, ready for bed.  Mother is on the phone.  Will the piggies go to sleep?  Ask your child to tell you what the piggies do when they are supposed to be sleeping.  Where do the piggies end up sleeping?  Why?

Large Group:  The children watched popcorn pop in an electric skillet with the lid OFF.  I placed the skillet in the middle of the protective table cloth.  I added oil and popcorn kernels.  We left  the lid on until the kernels started to pop.  While we waited for the kernels to get hot, we pretended to be the kernels in the hot pan.  After everything cooled, we tasted a few pieces.  With no salt or butter, it was a little bland, but good.

Snacks:  The morning class had Teddy Grahams, strawberries, and juice brought by Lauren.  The afternoon class had yogurt and juice brought by Lyndsey.  Thank you, Lauren and Lyndsey!