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!
Wednesday, February 28, 2018
Thursday, February 22, 2018
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!
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!
Wednesday, February 21, 2018
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!
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!
Tuesday, February 20, 2018
Group Meeting: We will be finishing our Bread Study this week, concluding with the field trip to Quad City Pizza Co.
Small Groups: The children made a list of everything that we have done with the Bread Study. Then we broke into our groups and drew pictures to display.
Story: I read The Little Red Hen which was the story that started our Bread Study. This time, the children helped by providing words that I would leave out.
Large Group: The children played musical chairs. However, in our version of the game, we do not want anyone to sit out. So, if there isn't a chair to sit in, you have to share one with a friend or sit on their lap. This usually leads to lots of giggling.
Letter Learning: The morning class learned about the letter Vv. The afternoon class learned about the letter Tt.
Snacks: The morning class had crackers, cheese, and milk brought by Kinsley. The afternoon class had Mandarin oranges, cheese sticks, and juice brought by Lynae. Thank you, Kinsley and Lynae!
Tomorrow is Pajama Day! Please read the notes in your child's backpack.
Small Groups: The children made a list of everything that we have done with the Bread Study. Then we broke into our groups and drew pictures to display.
Story: I read The Little Red Hen which was the story that started our Bread Study. This time, the children helped by providing words that I would leave out.
Large Group: The children played musical chairs. However, in our version of the game, we do not want anyone to sit out. So, if there isn't a chair to sit in, you have to share one with a friend or sit on their lap. This usually leads to lots of giggling.
Letter Learning: The morning class learned about the letter Vv. The afternoon class learned about the letter Tt.
Snacks: The morning class had crackers, cheese, and milk brought by Kinsley. The afternoon class had Mandarin oranges, cheese sticks, and juice brought by Lynae. Thank you, Kinsley and Lynae!
Tomorrow is Pajama Day! Please read the notes in your child's backpack.
Thursday, February 15, 2018
Group Meeting: Looking ahead to next week, we discussed President's Day on Monday, Pajama Day which will be Wednesday and the field trip on Thursday. It will be a short, busy week.
Small Groups: The children watched two videos that corresponded with our Let's Find Out magazine. The first was about George Washington and the other was about Abraham Lincoln. President's Day is on Monday, so this helped us understand why we will be honoring them.
Story: The story for today was Walter the Baker by Eric Carle. Walter was the village baker. He made wonderful breads for the villagers as well as sweet rolls for the Duke and Duchess. One day, the cat spills the milk, and Walter has to make the sweet rolls with water instead. The sweet rolls do not taste the same. The Duke banishes Walter from the village unless he can create a new roll made with one piece of dough that the sun can shine through three times. What does Walter create? Ask your child to tell you.
Large Group: The Yellow Group brought items for Show and Tell.
Letter Learning: The morning class learned about the letter Tt. The afternoon class learned about the letter Pp.
Snacks: The morning class had Teddy Grahams and juice brought by Khloe. The afternoon class had pretzels, cheese, and juice brought by Luke. Thank you, Khloe and Luke!
Small Groups: The children watched two videos that corresponded with our Let's Find Out magazine. The first was about George Washington and the other was about Abraham Lincoln. President's Day is on Monday, so this helped us understand why we will be honoring them.
Story: The story for today was Walter the Baker by Eric Carle. Walter was the village baker. He made wonderful breads for the villagers as well as sweet rolls for the Duke and Duchess. One day, the cat spills the milk, and Walter has to make the sweet rolls with water instead. The sweet rolls do not taste the same. The Duke banishes Walter from the village unless he can create a new roll made with one piece of dough that the sun can shine through three times. What does Walter create? Ask your child to tell you.
Large Group: The Yellow Group brought items for Show and Tell.
Letter Learning: The morning class learned about the letter Tt. The afternoon class learned about the letter Pp.
Snacks: The morning class had Teddy Grahams and juice brought by Khloe. The afternoon class had pretzels, cheese, and juice brought by Luke. Thank you, Khloe and Luke!
Wednesday, February 14, 2018
We had a wonderful Valentine's Day at school. The children made heart shaped bread sticks for a snack, played two games with the parachute, opened their Valentines, and heard the story Pete the Cat: Valentines are Cool. Our day was complete with a trip to Senior Star. The children sang beautifully and the residents were very appreciative of the hearts that the children had made. I want to thank all of the adults who provided transportation for us!
Tuesday, February 13, 2018
Group Meeting: One more day until Valentines Day! The Valentine cards have been passed out, our hearts and songs are ready for Senior Star, and the children are very excited for tomorrow!
Small Groups: The children did a Numbers Around the Room, Valentine version. I had taped colored hearts with numerals printed on them around the room for the children to find. The children took a clipboard with a paper that had matching hearts with numerals, but no color. They had to find the numeral and color in the correct color. I've attached a picture below to give you an idea of what they had to do.
Story: The story for today was Hugs and Kisses by Christophe Loupy. Hugs is a puppy who is trying to find out something. He wanders around the barnyard asking animals for a kiss. He discovers that all kisses are wonderful in their own way, but the best kiss comes from ....ask your child to tell you!
Large Group: The children played Musical Hearts. This is a version of musical chairs in which we used large heart cutouts instead of chairs. When a heart was taken away, the children had to share a heart with another friend. At the end, all of the children were standing on one heart.
Letter Learning: The letter for the morning class was Pp. The afternoon class learned the letter Kk.
Snacks: The morning class had breadsticks, cheese, and juice brought by Kenedy. The afternoon class had Goldfish and juice brought by Liam. Thank you, Kenedy and Liam!
Small Groups: The children did a Numbers Around the Room, Valentine version. I had taped colored hearts with numerals printed on them around the room for the children to find. The children took a clipboard with a paper that had matching hearts with numerals, but no color. They had to find the numeral and color in the correct color. I've attached a picture below to give you an idea of what they had to do.
Story: The story for today was Hugs and Kisses by Christophe Loupy. Hugs is a puppy who is trying to find out something. He wanders around the barnyard asking animals for a kiss. He discovers that all kisses are wonderful in their own way, but the best kiss comes from ....ask your child to tell you!
Large Group: The children played Musical Hearts. This is a version of musical chairs in which we used large heart cutouts instead of chairs. When a heart was taken away, the children had to share a heart with another friend. At the end, all of the children were standing on one heart.
Letter Learning: The letter for the morning class was Pp. The afternoon class learned the letter Kk.
Snacks: The morning class had breadsticks, cheese, and juice brought by Kenedy. The afternoon class had Goldfish and juice brought by Liam. Thank you, Kenedy and Liam!
Monday, February 12, 2018
Valentine's Week
Group Meeting: This week, we will be preparing for our Valentines celebration. Because of this, we will not break into small groups, but do some fun learning activities together during Small Group time.
Small Groups: The children were given a Let's Find Out magazine about heart shapes. They completed the back page by finding 10 hearts shapes.
Story: The story for today was There Was an Old Lady Who Swallowed a Rose by Lucille Colandro. This book is from a series of books that was started with the story I Know an Old Lady Who Swallowed a Fly. In this version, the old lady swallows a rose, lace ribbon, glitter, candy, a jewel and some hearts. Ask your child to tell you what happens at the end.
Large Group: The children practiced singing a few songs to perform at Senior Star on Wednesday. A note is in your child's backpack with times for that event as well as a permission form for the field trip next week.
Letter Learning: The letter for the morning class was Kk. The afternoon class had the letter Jj.
Snacks: The morning class had bananas, graham crackers, and juice brought by Julia. The afternoon class had cinnamon bagels, cream cheese, and juice brought by Jaxon. Thank you, Julia and Jaxon!
Small Groups: The children were given a Let's Find Out magazine about heart shapes. They completed the back page by finding 10 hearts shapes.
Story: The story for today was There Was an Old Lady Who Swallowed a Rose by Lucille Colandro. This book is from a series of books that was started with the story I Know an Old Lady Who Swallowed a Fly. In this version, the old lady swallows a rose, lace ribbon, glitter, candy, a jewel and some hearts. Ask your child to tell you what happens at the end.
Large Group: The children practiced singing a few songs to perform at Senior Star on Wednesday. A note is in your child's backpack with times for that event as well as a permission form for the field trip next week.
Letter Learning: The letter for the morning class was Kk. The afternoon class had the letter Jj.
Snacks: The morning class had bananas, graham crackers, and juice brought by Julia. The afternoon class had cinnamon bagels, cream cheese, and juice brought by Jaxon. Thank you, Julia and Jaxon!
Thursday, February 8, 2018
Group Meeting: Today was Birthday Day which is also cooking day. Since we are still in our bread study, we decided to make tortillas. I mixed the ingredients before school started. The children rolled out their own tortilla. The teachers friend them on an electric skillet. They were very good! (recipe is below)
Small Groups: Because we did not have school on Monday afternoon, the afternoon class finished up the small group rotation today. The schedule was:
Activity #1 Red Group
Activity #2 Yellow Group
Activity #3 Green Group
The afternoon class began to "mail" their Valentines during small group time.
Story: The story for today was Magda's Tortillas by Becky Chavarria-Chairez and Anne Vega. Magda is old enough to learn how to make tortillas. Her Abuela (grandmother) is going to teach her. They mix the dough and roll it out. Abuela's tortillas are perfectly round. Magda's are not. Magda's tortillas take on different shapes; a star, a heart, a banana, etc. Magda starts to get frustrated, but Abuela helps her see that her family members will like the unusual shapes.
Large Group: The Red Group brought items for show and tell.
Snacks: The children enjoyed the tortillas that they made. We also had birthday brownies.
The tortillas were very easy to make. We ate them plain, but they would be good with just about anything!
6 cups flour
1 cup butter (you can use shortening instead)
3 tsp. salt
1 3/4 cup boiling water
Mix the flour and salt. Cut the butter into the flour mixture with a fork or pastry blender. Add the boiling water and mix. Form the dough into balls. Roll the balls with a rolling pin. Fry in a skillet for a few minutes until they are dry and slightly brown.
This recipe made 40 small tortillas. You can half it to make a smaller amount.
Small Groups: Because we did not have school on Monday afternoon, the afternoon class finished up the small group rotation today. The schedule was:
Activity #1 Red Group
Activity #2 Yellow Group
Activity #3 Green Group
The afternoon class began to "mail" their Valentines during small group time.
Story: The story for today was Magda's Tortillas by Becky Chavarria-Chairez and Anne Vega. Magda is old enough to learn how to make tortillas. Her Abuela (grandmother) is going to teach her. They mix the dough and roll it out. Abuela's tortillas are perfectly round. Magda's are not. Magda's tortillas take on different shapes; a star, a heart, a banana, etc. Magda starts to get frustrated, but Abuela helps her see that her family members will like the unusual shapes.
Large Group: The Red Group brought items for show and tell.
Snacks: The children enjoyed the tortillas that they made. We also had birthday brownies.
The tortillas were very easy to make. We ate them plain, but they would be good with just about anything!
6 cups flour
1 cup butter (you can use shortening instead)
3 tsp. salt
1 3/4 cup boiling water
Mix the flour and salt. Cut the butter into the flour mixture with a fork or pastry blender. Add the boiling water and mix. Form the dough into balls. Roll the balls with a rolling pin. Fry in a skillet for a few minutes until they are dry and slightly brown.
This recipe made 40 small tortillas. You can half it to make a smaller amount.
Wednesday, February 7, 2018
Group Meeting: We are learning a few Valentine songs to sing for the residents of Senior Star. Today, we learned "I Made a Valentine for You". It is similar to "Bingo", but we spell out the word heart instead.
Small Groups: The activities for this week are listed in yesterday'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 The Valentine Bears by Eve Bunting. Mr. and Mrs. Bear have never celebrated Valentines Day because they are usually hibernating. This year, Mrs. Bear decides to set her alarm so that she can surprise Mr. Bear with Valentine treats. When it is time to wake him up, Mr. Bear keeps snoring. Ask your child to tell you what Mrs. Bear plans to do to try to wake him up.
Large Group: The children played a team game in which each team was trying to move a pile of hearts from one side of the room to the other. They passed the hearts to each other like a bucket brigade as quickly as they could. They passed side to side and over their heads.
Letter Learning: The letter for the morning class was Jj. The letter for the afternoon class was Dd.
Snacks: The morning class had Club crackers and juice brought by Jay. The afternoon class had grapes, graham crackers, and milk brought by Greta. Thank you, Jay and Greta!
Small Groups: The activities for this week are listed in yesterday'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 The Valentine Bears by Eve Bunting. Mr. and Mrs. Bear have never celebrated Valentines Day because they are usually hibernating. This year, Mrs. Bear decides to set her alarm so that she can surprise Mr. Bear with Valentine treats. When it is time to wake him up, Mr. Bear keeps snoring. Ask your child to tell you what Mrs. Bear plans to do to try to wake him up.
Large Group: The children played a team game in which each team was trying to move a pile of hearts from one side of the room to the other. They passed the hearts to each other like a bucket brigade as quickly as they could. They passed side to side and over their heads.
Letter Learning: The letter for the morning class was Jj. The letter for the afternoon class was Dd.
Snacks: The morning class had Club crackers and juice brought by Jay. The afternoon class had grapes, graham crackers, and milk brought by Greta. Thank you, Jay and Greta!
Tuesday, February 6, 2018
Group Meeting: We are preparing for Valentines Day. This week, the children will be decorating their mailboxes, making Valentines for the residents of Senior Star and learning a few new songs to sing.
Small Groups: The activities for this week are listed below as well as the schedule for today.
Activity #1 (Yellow Group) The children sorted candy hearts by color. They counted how many they had of each color and printed the correct numeral on the recording paper that they are bringing home.
Activity #2 (Green Group) The children dropped liquid watercolor onto color diffusing hearts. As the color hits the paper, it spreads and mixes with other colors. We will be taking these to Senior Star.
Activity #3 (Red Group) The children decorated their Valentine mailboxes using a variety of decorations from the art area.
Story: The story for the morning class was Stone Soup by Marcia Brown. This is the story of three soldiers who are walking home from the war. They are hungry and stop at a village. The villagers are worried that the soldiers will eat all of their food, so they hide it. The soldiers create a plan to get the villagers to share their food. They will make stone soup. Ask your child to tell you how making stone soup gets the villagers to share.
The story for the afternoon class was Will You Be My Valentine? by Steven Kroll. This was the story for the morning class yesterday. Thomas' class is getting ready for Valentine's Day. He has selected Gretchen's name out of a hat and must make a Valentine for her. He likes Gretchen, but Gretchen doesn't like him. Ask your child to tell you how Thomas' mom helps Thomas and Gretchen become friends.
Large Group: The children watched a video about how bread is made in a factory. It was very interesting to see how the bread was made by the large machines.
Letter Learning: We are going through the alphabet again. This time, the order will be determined by letter name-letter sound relationship. We will begin with consonant letters that have a letter sound at the beginning of the name (b, d, j, k, p, t, v, s), then consonant letters that have the sound at the end of the letter name (f, l, m, n, r, x), then consonants with no letter/sound association (h, q, w, y), and those with more than one sound (c,g, s, a, e, i, o, u). The morning class did Bb yesterday and Dd today. Because of the early dismissal yesterday, the afternoon class did Bb today. We will catch up soon!
Snacks: The morning class had Goldfish and juice brought by Jade. The afternoon class had granola bars and juice brought by Grace K. Thank you, Jade and Grace!
Small Groups: The activities for this week are listed below as well as the schedule for today.
Activity #1 (Yellow Group) The children sorted candy hearts by color. They counted how many they had of each color and printed the correct numeral on the recording paper that they are bringing home.
Activity #2 (Green Group) The children dropped liquid watercolor onto color diffusing hearts. As the color hits the paper, it spreads and mixes with other colors. We will be taking these to Senior Star.
Activity #3 (Red Group) The children decorated their Valentine mailboxes using a variety of decorations from the art area.
Story: The story for the morning class was Stone Soup by Marcia Brown. This is the story of three soldiers who are walking home from the war. They are hungry and stop at a village. The villagers are worried that the soldiers will eat all of their food, so they hide it. The soldiers create a plan to get the villagers to share their food. They will make stone soup. Ask your child to tell you how making stone soup gets the villagers to share.
The story for the afternoon class was Will You Be My Valentine? by Steven Kroll. This was the story for the morning class yesterday. Thomas' class is getting ready for Valentine's Day. He has selected Gretchen's name out of a hat and must make a Valentine for her. He likes Gretchen, but Gretchen doesn't like him. Ask your child to tell you how Thomas' mom helps Thomas and Gretchen become friends.
Large Group: The children watched a video about how bread is made in a factory. It was very interesting to see how the bread was made by the large machines.
Letter Learning: We are going through the alphabet again. This time, the order will be determined by letter name-letter sound relationship. We will begin with consonant letters that have a letter sound at the beginning of the name (b, d, j, k, p, t, v, s), then consonant letters that have the sound at the end of the letter name (f, l, m, n, r, x), then consonants with no letter/sound association (h, q, w, y), and those with more than one sound (c,g, s, a, e, i, o, u). The morning class did Bb yesterday and Dd today. Because of the early dismissal yesterday, the afternoon class did Bb today. We will catch up soon!
Snacks: The morning class had Goldfish and juice brought by Jade. The afternoon class had granola bars and juice brought by Grace K. Thank you, Jade and Grace!
Monday, February 5, 2018
No Afternoon Preschool
Bettendorf Schools have announced an early dismissal. Therefore, we will not be holding afternoon classes. Stay warm and safe!
Thursday, February 1, 2018
Group Meeting: With today being the first day of February, the children are starting a new math journal. I hope that they shared their January journal with you yesterday.
Small Groups: The children made corn bread. They mixed the dry ingredients, added milk and eggs, and poured it into a pan. We baked it in the oven during play time and tried a piece before dismissal. It was very good!
Story: Our story for today was The Biggest Sandwich Ever by Rita Gelman. Two children help assemble the biggest sandwich. The bread is carried in by 21 bakers. The butter is delivered with a cement truck. The tomatoes are thrown on by baseball players. Pickles are delivered by airplane. Ask you child to tell you how long it takes for them to eat the sandwich.
Large Group: The Green Group brought items for Show and Tell.
Letter Learning: The letters have fallen off of the Chicka Chicka Boom Boom tree. I wonder what will happen on Monday!
Snacks: The morning class had bread, peanut butter, and juice brought by Jackson. Thank you, Jackson. The afternoon class helper was sick today, so the children were served Cheez-its and milk from the preschool.
If your child has not brought a box to school to decorate for Valentine's Day, please bring one on Monday!
Small Groups: The children made corn bread. They mixed the dry ingredients, added milk and eggs, and poured it into a pan. We baked it in the oven during play time and tried a piece before dismissal. It was very good!
Story: Our story for today was The Biggest Sandwich Ever by Rita Gelman. Two children help assemble the biggest sandwich. The bread is carried in by 21 bakers. The butter is delivered with a cement truck. The tomatoes are thrown on by baseball players. Pickles are delivered by airplane. Ask you child to tell you how long it takes for them to eat the sandwich.
Large Group: The Green Group brought items for Show and Tell.
Letter Learning: The letters have fallen off of the Chicka Chicka Boom Boom tree. I wonder what will happen on Monday!
Snacks: The morning class had bread, peanut butter, and juice brought by Jackson. Thank you, Jackson. The afternoon class helper was sick today, so the children were served Cheez-its and milk from the preschool.
If your child has not brought a box to school to decorate for Valentine's Day, please bring one on Monday!
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