Apple Week

 Our Apple Week presented a fun mix of learning. I had some parents ask about the daily routine their kids were explaining to them, so here is an outline:

AM Schedule
9:00-9:15 - Free Centers. I often integrate art projects, games, and other short learning opportunities for the class to choose from besides the toys.

9:15-9:35 - Welcome/Calendar. This is our opportunity to see who is at school that day and sing a welcome song. Anyone absent we "wish well" and blow a kiss. Anyone returning after an absence we welcome back. This is also the time we discuss months of the year, days of the week, seasons, weather, and how many days we have been in school.

9:35-10:00 - Math Centers. We hone in on math for this time period and I will cover in my weekly blog update the five centers used during that time.

10:00-10:20 - Bathroom/Snack. If we make a snack or have a special celebration, we most often enjoy that during this time. Otherwise, goldfish or animal crackers are our most common snack.

10:20-10:35 - Bible Story. Mrs. Nanette teaches our story using the Bible, flannel graphs, dramas, and other creative ways to enforce the lesson.

10:35-11:00 - Lit Centers. Similar to math centers, we focus on letter recognition, sound, and writing. I will update the center rotations on the blog also.

11:00-11:05 - Music and Movement. We sing a variety of themed songs as well as fun songs that get our bodies moving and our minds working.

11:05-11:30 - Activity. These vary greatly and can range from a game we all play to a science lesson to an art project. I will post on this in the blog as well.

11:30-12:00 - Lunch. Some parents have expressed concern over their child's eating habits during lunch time. We do help all students get out their lunches and open containers they struggle with. We will not open snack-like food (such as cookies, chips, etc.) until some fruit, vegetable, and meat have been eaten. Some students choose not to eat their sandwiches and so they do not get their treats opened, leaving a larger portion of their lunch intact. But we do provide plenty of time and encouragement for the class to enjoy their lunch and still interact with their friends.

12:00-12:30 - Outdoor Play. As the weather changes, be sure to send appropriate outerwear for your child. In case of inclimate weather we will move our play to the Family Life Center's gym.

12:30-12:45 - Frog Street. We use Frog Street Press curriculum to introduce letter recognition and writing skills via song and instruction. We practice singing the song, counting our letter of the week throughout the letter book, writing our letters, and finding them in our take-home books.

12:45-1:00 - Read/Graph. To close our day, a book is read with a short discussion to follow or the class participates in graphing to reinforce math principles.

PM Schedule The same activities are used at the following schedule:

11:30-12:00 - Outdoor Play
12:00-12:30 - Lunch
12:30-12:50 - Welcome/Calendar
12:50-1:15 - Math Centers
1:15 - 1:20 - Music and Movement
1:20-1:45 - Lit Centers
1:45-2:05 - Bathroom/Snack
2:05-2:20 - Bible Story
2:20-2:45 - Activity
2:45-3:00 - Free Centers
3:00-3:15 - Frog Street
3:15-3:30 - Read/Graph



AM Orange Day



PM Orange Day

Connor and Cade enjoy painting circles during Free Centers

Apple slices were the perfect snack for apple week

Isabelle and Hank discuss what the beginning letter of a word might be

Using tongs to pick up beads helps develop find motor hand muscles necessary for good writing

Lauren, Kaylee, and Owen search for O's on the letter tree

Micah shows how to write letters of the alphabet

Thayer reads the Bible in the Reading Loft

Picking up the beads can be tricky

Eric practices writing his capital and lowercase O's

Math Centers from this week:
Estimation - How many orange objects are in the jar?
Number Sense - Trace the numbers on a birthday cake. Draw that number of candles on the cake.
Money - Shake a cup of pennies. Line up whether they fell on heads or tails. Count how many of each and then cut and glue the correct number onto your paper.
Add/Sub - Color a bus on your paper to match the bus in front of you. Count how many students are on that bus, then write that number on your paper.
Shapes and Patterns - Cut out and complete the ABAB and AABB patterns.

Lit Centers from this week:
Reading Loft
Game - Find the o's on your Letter Tree, then cover them with a sticker.
ABC - Use tongs to pick up beads to cover letters
Word Work - Examine the picture in the backpack. Write the letter that picture begins with (ex: picture of a fish, write the letter F)
Mrs. Marisha - Write all the letters of the alphabet you know.

Activities from this week:
Apple Investigation - discover the color, height, and weight of your apple. Make a print and learn how many red v. green the class had.
Octopus Windsock - cut along dotted lines to create an octopus
Apple-Oat Cookies - bake cookies for Thursday snack
Snake Paper Chain - create a snake from the Bible lesson

Our favorite songs:

Two Red Apples

(Sung to: This Old Man)

Way up high, in a tree (raise hands over head)
Two red apples smiled at me (smile)
So I shook that tree as harrd as I could (pretend to shake tree)
Down came the apples, Yumm, they were good (Rub tummy)

The Apple Seed
(Sung to: Itsy Bitsy Spider)

Once a little apple seed was planted in the ground
Down came rain, falling all around.
Out came the sun as bright as it could be
And that little seed
grew up to be an apple treeEnjoy these songs as a family! Have a great weekend!

Fire Station

What a fun trip to the fire station for both classes! We were able to watch a movie about fire safety, see the tools and equipment fire fighters rely on, watch a fire fighter get dressed, climb in the truck, and for some, complete an obstacle course. Check out all the fun:

AM Pre-K Field Trip

Tanner and Connor show off their stickers

settling in for movie time

this multi-purpose tool the kids were able to guess breaks windows

a thermal imaging camera helps fire fighters see people in a burning building

friends smile while seated inside the fire truck

Kacie, Jade, and Tanner see the world from a fire fighter's perspective

the fire truck tires are bigger than some of our students!



PM Pre-K Field Trip

the couches were comfy, and easy to fit lots of friends

Lydia and Brynn enjoy the movie

peeking in the dispatcher's window where calls are taken

the fire fighter explains his oxygen tank and shows off other tools

Fire trucks' sirens are loud, so we protected our ears

Micah and Thayer receive stickers

Hannah checks the door with the back of her hand to learn its temperature

We don't have to be afraid of fire fighters! High-fives showed our fearless attitudes



Goodbye Manhattan Fire Station! Thanks for a great learning experience!

We also sang several fire safety songs this week. Here are the lyrics if you want to sing along at home:

Little Fireman (sung to "I'm a Little Teapot")
I'm a little fireman on the go,
Here is my helmet, here is my hose.
When I see a fire hear me shout:
"Turn on the water and put the fire out!"

Hurry, Hurry
Hurry, hurry, drive the fire truck
(Hands on steering wheel)
Hurry, hurry, drive the fire truck
Hurry, hurry, drive the fire truck
Ding, ding, ding, ding, ding!
(Ring bell)

Hurry, hurry, turn the corner
(Lean to the right)
Hurry, hurry, turn the corner
(Lean to the left)
Hurry, hurry, turn the corner
(Lean to the right and left)
Ding, ding, ding, ding, ding!
(Ring bell)

Hurry, hurry, climb the ladder
(Pretend to climb ladder)
Hurry, hurry, climb the ladder
Hurry, hurry, climb the ladder
Ding, ding, ding, ding, ding!
(Ring bell)

Hurry, hurry, squirt the water
(Pretend to spray hose)
Hurry, hurry, squirt the water
Hurry, hurry, squirt the water
Ding, ding, ding, ding, ding!
(Ring bell)

Slowly, slowly, back to the station
(Lean slowly to the left and right)
Slowly, slowly, back to the station
Slowly, slowly, back to the station
Ding, ding, ding, ding, ding!
(Ring bell)

If There's a Fire (sung to "Are you Sleeping?")
If there's a fire, if there's a fire
In your house, in your house
What do you do? What do you do?
You get out. You get out!!!

Back to School

What a fun start to our new year! We spent the week making new friends and learning the rules of school, as well as the rules God gave to his people through Moses. Take a look at some of the fun we had together:

Mrs. Nanette reads from the Bible about Moses receiving rules from God

Sand is always more fun when it's colored!

Micah and Hannah work on a 10 Commandments train

Friends practice our class rules: sharing and being kind!

Our friends watch our turtles, Prometheus (we call him Mr. P) and Dreamer

Connor and Lauren practice recognizing and writing numbers

"Roll the Block" allowed each student to take turns matching shapes

Our Math Centers this week included Estimation, Shapes and Patterns, Games, Number Sense, and Teacher Station. We guessed how many pencils were in a jar then counted the appropriate amount. Shapes and Patterns introduced an ABAB pattern using school supply pictures. Our game, Roll the Block, allowed each child to roll a die and match the shape with an image corresponding on their paper. Number Sense played "How Much is that Doggie in the Window" and counted the correct number of toys to give their pet. Finally, I worked to assess initial knowledge of counting and number recognition in a one-on-one setting.

Literacy Centers included ABC Station, Reading Loft, Word Wall, Word Work, and Teacher Station. "Roll a Letter" was similar to our math game, but allowed kids to name letters and practice tracing them. In the reading loft, literacy and book interest is encouraged for all students to spend time looking at books. Word Wall gave each child a special wand to wander the classroom and name letters they could find around the room. Word Work played "Beginning Sounds Cover Up"--each child spun and matched the beginning sound of a picture with the letter the spinner landed on. For example, landing on B, a boat would be colored. I also worked during this center time to assess initial capital and lowercase letter recognition one-on-one.

Look in the hallway for our Rainbow Names to correspond with the Science/Math concept of Rainbow Colors. We also introduced "reflection" and looked in the mirror to create a self-portrait. Venn diagrams were also introduced this week and will be used throughout the year to express similarities and differences.

We learned a lot of new songs, including "School is Fun." Practice singing this with your child at home to encourage the fun time we have at school!

I'm so excited to have another fun year with our preschoolers! I fall more in love with each child every day I see their smiling faces! Have a great weekend, and I'll see you next week!