Early Learners
This week the EL class has continued their interest in Bugs. Our caterpillars have been a big hit. The children are still very into the caterpillars activity every day. By the end of the week the caterpillar have grown so much and have now begun the next stage....cocoons!!
We have started a butterfly life cycle mural on our wall. First we made a nice big tree, in the tree the children made leaves with caterpillar eggs on them. After reviewing the life cycle(and our own caterpillars) the children agreed that the caterpillar stage is next. They each made their own caterpillars using pom poms and popsicle sticks. Next week we will add cocoons and butterflies.
During a math game we practiced recognizing numbers, counting one to one correspondence, and fine motor by using the tweezers to add caterpillar "eggs" to the numbered leaves.
We made puzzles using pictures of different butterflies and talked about how butterflies are symmetrical meaning the patterns on their wings are the same on both sides.
The children made caterpillars using their names! They worked on writing one letter on each green circle then built and decorated their caterpillar by adding eyes, legs, and a mouth.
We also played a memory game during circle time using different bug pictures! We practiced our focus and attention skills while playing this game! Then the children made symmetrical painted lady butterflies using paint and folded paper!
Our favorite activity this week was our scavenger hunt outside. The children each were equipped with their clipboards and pencils as we ventured outside to find the pictures on our list. The children were great at figuring out where some of the items were but had to think hard about where to find some of the trickier ones!
We have been very busy kids in the classroom preparing for our first annual Art Show!!!
Pre-School 1
Preschool 1 has entered the world of bugs this week! The children have enjoyed making buggy crafts and reading stories from one of my favorite authors, Eric Carle. The little gardeners have also continued to care for their plants, and are super excited to see how tall they have grown each day. The sprout houses that the children put their beans in are still soaking up the sunshine in our windows, and some are growing really fast. We definitely have some big fans of science in our room, so it's fun to listen to their observations and conversations about the plants when they are chatting with their friends. I have heard some really clever observations recently such as, "My plant has new leaves on it and they're so little." "My dirt is not wet so it needs more water.", and "These leaves look the same as these!" The kiddos have also been working hard on their academic skills this week, lots of math and letters! There are such fun tools in our writing center to practice letter writing. like textured letter cards, little magnetic boards and mini chalkboards. At the beginning of the week, we learned two new math games, and we also did some role-playing on taking turns with friends, they always think it's so funny when I act like one of the kids. We are so happy spring is here with all of its fun activities and are looking forward to making the most of our last few weeks!
Pre-School 2
This week we continued with the spring/bug unit. In the beginning of the week, we received our caterpillars. Preschoolers have been so excited and observant. The first thing they do when they get to class is check if the caterpillars are on the top of the cup. When it turns into chrysalis we can transfer them to our butterfly garden. Preschoolers made their own caterpillar craft that is crawling all over our classroom wall! The book of the week is “The Very Hungry Caterpillar” by Eric Carle. After reading the story, preschoolers made their own hungry caterpillars using fruit loops and pipe cleaners. With help, children added their fruit loop caterpillars to a leaf, it was a good fine motor and hand-eye coordination activity.
We reviewed parts of the alphabet and practiced writing letters A through G. We also worked on writing numbers one through five. For Math: preschoolers practiced the concept of small, medium, and large. We had three different sized jars and students used their fine motor skills to sort out the different sized pom-poms. The weather has been nice this week, children have been enjoying playing outside and using the sandbox.
Pre-School 3
The Preschoolers are learning all about the life cycle of a butterfly. They have really enjoyed watching our class caterpillars grow and were amazed at how big they got in such a short amount of time. The excitement on the children's faces when they came in on Monday morning and discovered that the caterpillars had transformed into chrysalises was priceless. They were able to get an up close look as I transferred the chrysalises to the butterfly habitat. The preschoolers are anxiously waiting for the painted lady butterflies to emerge but in the meantime, they are taking great care of them by making sure they have enough sugar water in the feeding tray and lots of visual checks. The children couldn't believe that butterflies taste with their tongues and feet. To go along with the butterfly theme, the preschoolers made yummy Fruit Loop caterpillars and adorable handprint butterflies. They also created a life cycle of a butterfly book and played a fun math game where they had to add the correct amount of caterpillar eggs to leaves. The children have been working very hard on handwriting skills and beginning sounds knowledge. They went on a fun Letter Run where they searched for lowercase letters and had to check off each letter on their chart. While some friends were on the hunt for letters, others were on the lookout for three letter words. With the art show fast approaching, the children have been busy making new and amazing works of art. Some pieces are collaborative but everyone has their own special piece they have been working on as well. I am very excited for you all to see their masterpieces. Have a great weekend everyone!
Pre-K1
Pre-K1 had a fun-filled week of Art! They worked on two beautiful projects. One project was making flowers using forks and the other project was a shape collage made out of different colored paper. Both worked on their fine motor skills. The children love using paint and being creative! We also celebrated the letter “Z.” We now know all the letters and the sounds the letters make in the alphabet! In science we started our caterpillar unit. We read the “Very Hungry Caterpillar.” In the story we learned about the life cycle of a caterpillar. Then we got to observe our very own caterpillars using microscopes. We are waiting patiently for our caterpillars to make a chrysalis and turn into beautiful butterflies. We also planted sunflower seeds. The children scooped the soil into cups and dug small holes to drop their seeds into. We take turns everyday watering them. We can’t wait to see them sprout! We ended the week writing about our favorite memory of Pre-K. The memories not only filled us with joy, but also left us with some sadness realizing the year is coming to an end. We hope everyone has a wonderful weekend!
Pre-K2
Pre K 2 has had another fun and busy week. We finished up the letter of the week. The class worked hard all year learning new words that began with each letter and activities that went along with the letters. During "Z" week we used the internet to look up our favorite zoo animals. We also used the internet to watch animals live on cameras at certain zoos. The class thought it was awesome to watch the animals from all over the world.
We also focused on Science this week. Our live caterpillars came in and they keep checking on them by using magnify glasses or just their eyes. They are crawling and eating so much. We can't wait to see them get big and fat. We planted green beans and carrots about a week ago in our classroom Green House and we can see the roots and stems finally growing.
The class is working hard on their special Art Work for our art show. They can't wait to show off their masterpieces. I love how they all put so much work and details into their art pieces.
Pre-K 3
The children in Pk3 have been very busy this week practicing songs for the May procession and graduation. It is hard to believe that the school year is coming to an end. The letter of the week is “Z” and they are very proud that they have gone through the whole alphabet! They are very excited about the upcoming art show and have been working hard on some special art projects. They continue to study their butterflies, which are still in the chrysalis stage, but should be emerging very soon. I hope that they are all taking good care of the sunflower plants that they took home this week. They have also been working on another cute emergent reader book called What’s in Your Garden? I hope that they impress their families with their phonetic skills by reading these little books to them. After listening to the story Inch by Inch by Leo Lionni, they learned how to measure using unifix cubes, a ruler, a yardstick and a measuring tape. They had a lot of fun while measuring items found in the classroom. They have also been spending a lot more time outside now that the weather is warming up again.
