Our centers this month included Art, Science, Numbers, Games, Literacy, Teacher's Choice, Author's Throne, Drama, Reading, Puzzles, and Cooking Stations.
The weeks of November 2nd and 9th we focused our Art Station on creating our placemats for the Thanksgiving Feast. We first used corncobs to paint and create unique designs, and then used seasonal stamps to assist in our creative process. Finally, Psalm 107:1 was added to remind us of whom we are ultimately giving thanks to.
In Science Station, Mrs. Nanette helped us hypothesize whether items like clothespins, straws, coins, and toys would sink or float. We drew our own interpretation of each object as we guessed, and then watched and discovered what each item actually did.
Our Numbers Station allowed us to identify numbers 1-6 and count. We also saw numbers in a different format on the enlarged die we rolled to discover which "pie" we should add "whipped cream" to.
The Games Station pictured a large turkey we threw bean bags at to assist our gross motor development and hand-eye coordination. Standing on a line, we tossed overhand or underhand to hit the turkey. There were quite a few bullseyes!
In our Literacy Center, we examined the sight words "-it," "-at," "-old," and "-ear." We practiced our rhyming and beginning sounds by sorting pictures onto the appropriate plates and then placing letters beginning with that sound on top of the picture. For example, a picture of a cat would be placed on the "-at" plate and the letter "Cc" would be placed on top of the picture.
At the Teacher's Choice Station, we used our creativity again to draw a self portrait. Some of these stopped with the individual, but some students went on to create an entire family of characters.
Hopefully you were able to look through the result of our Author's Throne Station--a book including all our class is thankful for. This book will remain in our reading loft for the year so everyone can look back on their work, feel a sense of pride and accomplishment, and see how far we have all come.
The Drama Center included a felt board that allowed imaginative play with characters besides the student.
Finally, we rotated the books in our Reading Station to include rhyming books, books about Thanksgiving, and the letter books for the month. The kids were all excited to find copies of their letter books, sometimes before we had even sung about that letter, when they went up in the loft!
The weeks of November 16th and 30th included first the Thanksgiving card in the Art Station, and a fun project yet to come!
Our Games Station moved on to Turkey Bowling but continued the practice of hand-eye coordination and gross motor development.
At Teacher's Choice, we identified colors, letters, and shapes to have a better idea of each individual's base knowledge.
Mrs. Lindsay purchased some new play clothes for our classroom, so Drama Station became all about our costumes and acting as new characters.
In Science Station, Mrs. Nanette taught about "primary" and "secondary" colors, and we were all able to mix colors and create new colors.
Our Numbers Station introduced measurement using tools. We used uniform plastic frogs to count how long each turkey's beak was as a pre-math lesson.
The Cooking Station furthered our use of patterns, shapes, and fine motor skills. We used triangular pineapple pieces, round grapes, and cheese cubes to fill a wooden skewer with patterns. And of course, we enjoyed the results of our labor with a tasty snack--yum!
The Puzzles Station challenged each group to work together to complete a large floor puzzle with over 20 pieces. Teamwork can be tough, but is a necessary life skill we encourage through our work.
Finally, more time in the Reading Station with our different books.
Through the weeks we also discovered all about Pilgrims, Indians, and Thanksgiving through our group activities and discussions. We made dreamcatchers, Mayflower ships, and turkey centerpieces. Stone Soup became a fun and interactive feast for all of our families, and we truly appreciate your support and attendance at this special event. Our classes were so excited to perform their songs for you, and to sit and have a meal with their families while at school. What could be better? As always, thank you for being such a part of the team at UCCPA. We depend on you and thank you for all you do with your children in and out of school!
