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!