How many spiders can you fit?

The students had a blast counting to see how many spiders they could fit onto their straw.

Scary Hairy Pumpkin

How do we take care of clothes?

When I asked the students "How do you take care of your clothes?" several said, "we wash them." So I showed them a basket of clothes and we sorted them by color, washed, dried, ironed, and folded them. We also discussed cleaning products and how they can be poisonous for our body. If we want to do the laundry, we should ask for permission.

Writing in shaving cream.

Each child used their finger to write their name in shaving cream. This is great for phonological awareness and sensories.

Which laundry soap produces the most bubbles?

Each student examined the bar of laundry soap, liquid laundry soap, and powdered soap. We then made our predictions. Afterward, we tested them with water and a whisk. The powdered soap won.

Classifying Buttons By Color

The children had a chance to sift through the rice to look for buttons. Each color had a certain amount of buttons that they had to find. Once they found a button, they used a tong to put it into the matching colored container. Working with tongs helps children learn to grasp and release objects using fingers and hands. It also helps by using both hands together and often coordinating these movements with the eyes. This requires hand and finger strength and dexterity.

As you can see, there are a lot of fun educational activities to do with clothing.

Patterns

One of our focus questions was, “When do things happen at school?”  We used our visual schedule to see what happens during the day and even took some time to plan activities together.  Routines are very important at this age and their inquiring minds enjoy discussing what we are doing next.  One of the activities we planned was to read Peeny Butter Fudge.  In this book When Mama leaves the kids with Nana, she also leaves a set of instructions for the day. But, when the door closes, all sorts of fun breaks loose. Then, Mom comes home, sees the house is a big mess, and is temporarily annoyed until she sees that they've made peanut butter fudge.

We had our schedule planned for the day and who do you think showed up? Our very own Nana!

Nana knows how to take an ordinary day and make it extra special.  

She brought the recipe and all the ingredients to make peanut butter fudge.  We read the recipe and discussed how important it was to follow the directions. If we missed a step, our fudge wouldn’t taste good.  Knowledge of print and its uses includes understanding that print carries a message and that print is organized and read in particular ways.  Each child was given a step from the recipe and couldn’t wait to help. 

Our Community Service Project

When students get involved in community service, they not only help others — they expand their worldview, develop empathy and leadership skills, and realize how their actions can have a positive impact. Our community service project for this year was to donate books to our local library. I’m proud to say we collected over 500 books. The Director of the library and Mother Goose were thrilled to see all the books and read us a story.

One of our focus questions was "What should we do if we get scared at school?" A lot of the children said they would tell me or their parents. After reciting the nursery rhyme Little Miss Muffet, I asked them “How do you think Little Miss Muffet felt?" Everyone said “scared.” Each student had a chance to pretend they were scared as we reenacted Little Miss Muffet.

Spider Graphing

Are you scared of spiders? Yes or No

Trying curds and whey.

Another question was “What are our rules at school.” We sang Mary Had a Little Lamb and talked about her school and how lambs were not allowed. Each student shared a class rule and we discussed if it was a big rule (safety, walk in a crosswalk) or a little rule (how many kids can be in a center). For children to be able to regulate their behaviors, they must know what behaviors are acceptable.

Mary brought her lamb to school.

Tempo

This fun yet simple lesson about tempo engages young minds. Children love the challenge of trying to do something slow then fast. The boys and girls explored the concept of tempo through music. To identify the tempo we used rhythm sticks and scarves. We also used rhythm sticks to the nursery rhyme one-two buckle my shoe. These musical activities that relate to storytelling can focus on children's attention and enhance their social interaction.

GETTING TO KNOW EACH OTHER

The beginning of the school year is not only exciting but emotional too! So many routines to teach and so many little learners to get to know! It's important that our classroom family builds trust and relationships with each other so they can feel safe and happy. Being able to establish relationships are essential skills for school and for success in life. On the first day of school, students made name tags and introduced themselves to each other. It’s important to support each student as they say goodbye to their family and learn to find comfort in being a member of the classroom community.

Nursery Rhymes

This week we recited the nursery rhymes: Humpty Dumpty and The Three Little Kittens. These nursery rhymes teach Phonological awareness, or phonological sensitivity, which is the ability to discern the sounds and patterns of spoken language. Children become phonologically aware through experiences such as reciting poems and nursery rhymes, singing, and clapping the syllables of chanted words.

Meet Our Humpty Dumpties

We discussed how an egg "Humpty Dumpty" is easily broken when mishandled. Once cracked, an eggshell can't be put back together. I asked the students, "Is it safe for Humpty Dumpty to sit on the wall?" This led to an entire discussion about safety and making good choices.

How can we keep Humpty Dumpty from breaking?

Using cotton balls, toilet paper, and nest materials(pine needles and twigs), the boys and girls put together baskets to keep Humpty Dumpty from breaking. We tested our theories and I'm proud to say "no one's egg broke."

Testing Our Theories

Three Little Kittens

On our walk from P.E., we found mittens on the ground. The children kept asking "Whose mittens are these?" Once we returned to the room, we realized they belonged to three little kittens. We read the nursery rhyme and talked about taking care of our things in the classroom and at home. We also learned where things go in our classroom so we don’t lose them(backpack, folder, lunch box, toys).?" We then matched the mittens by color and size to make a pair. Ask your child, "What is a pair?"

Classifying

The Six Little Kittens