FIRST WEEK OF SCHOOL!

Our first unit is - BEGINNING OF SCHOOL . Our topic this week is - WHAT NAMES DO WE NEED TO KNOW AT SCHOOL? The children are learning the names of teachers and friends at school.

We started our week learning about an egg with an interesting name. Humpty Dumpty is a name we all love and every child took a turn pretending to be Humpty Dumpty. During our large group time we learned that each child in our class has an interesting name.

WHY TEACH NURSERY RHYMES?

Listed below are a few reasons why nursery rhymes are an important part of your child's education.

1. The rhyme and rhythm in nursery rhymes help children hear the sounds and syllables in words.

2. Listening to nursery rhymes builds a strong vocabulary.

3. Children have a sense of accomplishment as they recite the rhyme.

OUR FIRST LETTER

I used a sponge to help the children learn the first letter of their name.

OUR MUSIC CLASS

We loved our first music class! Mrs. Allison had us moving to the beat.

It looks like we are off to a great start!

HOW CAN WE CREATE LESS TRASH?

We ended our recycling unit with a discussion about creating less trash. The students told me that we can create less trash by recycling. We all must work together to help our earth. Everyone can use items again, or recycle them. The children had a blast as they created their own recycling center.

PIRATE AND MERMAID PARTY 

A special thank you to all our parents who helped make this a wonderful party for the children. This was the only party that our parents were able to attend because of covid and I was thrilled that I had wonderful helpers.

I am sad to loose my children but I know that they will be in excellent hands as they continue their education with my co-workers. I am blessed to work with christian women. Your children will continue to grow and have amazing experiences at St. James. I am proud I was your child's teacher. Thank you for choosing St. James Day School.

ST. JAMES WHERE I DID SPEND MY CHILDHOOD DAYS.

May God bless and keep you.

Mrs. Diane

WHAT DO WE KNOW ABOUT REDUCING , REUSING, AND RECYCLING? 

We are all wrapped up in the RECYCLING UNIT! We learned that some items can be used again or recycled. This was exciting news! I am thrilled when parents send items to school to help with our units. One student brought a container that would have been thrown in the trash, but it was cleaned and used again as a pencil container.

MATH WITH THE R.R.R. UNIT 

During this lesson each child had to sort items into the paper, plastic or metal container. As your child placed the items into the recycling bins their mathematical skills were enhanced.

METAMORPHOSIS 

One of our vocabulary words this week was metamorphosis. I used dramatic role play to help the children understand the meaning of this word. A cardboard box became a chrysalis and your child became a butterfly as they put on wings and flew around the classroom. At age three your child may not be able to give you the exact definition of the word metamorphosis but they know that a change has occurred when I use this word in the classroom.

B is for BUTTERFLY! 

What a exciting week!! We were able to watch a butterfly as it came out of the chrysalis. I put up a butterfly tent and the children took turns getting in the tent and observing the butterflies. We learned that a butterfly is a insect that will not hurt you.

COLOR, CUT AND GLUE 

Our fine motor skills are progressing and we are learning to use the scissors. Each child was overjoyed to use the scissors as we completed the lifecycle of a butterfly sequence activity.

Stay tuned next time as we wrap up the R.R.R. unit.

Mrs. Diane

OUR EARTH 

April 22 was EARTH DAY and we painted a picture of the earth. As your child painted they looked at the globe and we discussed the land and water that makes up our beautiful planet. I used the computer to show the class photos of the earth from outer space.

EARTH DAY EVENT 

During one of our lessons this week we discussed the word liter. We learned that when people throw their trash on the ground it is called littering. I read a poem to the class about a liter monster. A liter monster is someone who does not keep their area clean and neat, and they do not put trash in a trash can. After I read the poem we decided to take a walk and see if a liter monster was on our campus. We were surprised and excited to find out that a liter monster had thrown liter on our beautiful school grounds. We put on gloves to keep the germs off of our hands and we went to work. This class learned to keep the earth clean. A special thank you to Mrs. Claire's class for helping with this activity. 

SCIENCE AND ART WITH CATERPILLARS

I ordered caterpillars for our classroom to help the children understand the lifecycle of a butterfly. We have been observing them everyday and waiting for them to form a chrysalis. We have been reading books and watching videos about caterpillars. After all of these observations it was time to paint.

TEXTURED LETTERS 

We used recycled materials to make the letter Z this week. As your child feels the texture with their finger they are more likely to remember and recall the letter.

STAY TUNED AS WE LEARN MORE ABOUT RECYCLING

Mrs. Diane

WHAT TYPE OF TOOLS ARE USED TO BUILD A BUILDING? 

I asked the children to tell me what type of tools would be used to build a building and I was overjoyed with the answers. We determined that we would need a saw, hammer and a few nails to create a building.

BUILDING TOWERS 

The class made wonderful towers during last weeks lesson. Each child tried to build a tower as tall as they were. As your child puts the pieces together they are using their fine motor skills.

WHAT IS IN THE BOX? 

I put items in a box and then I shook the box. The class had to guess what was in the box and then we counted the items. i put items in the box that would be used on a construction site.

PHYSICAL EDUCATION - WALKING A BALANCE BEAM 

We were walking on cloud nine as we balanced on the beam during P.E. this week. As your child walks on the balance beam they are developing better concentration needed for sitting and paying attention during class.

RESURRECTION EGGS - THE EASTER STORY FOR CHILDREN 

During this lesson the children learned about the love that Jesus has for us. Each child opened a egg and we discussed the meaning of the item inside. The twelve resurrection eggs help your child learn the true meaning of Easter. After we listened to the story of Easter it was time to hunt eggs and have a wonderful party. A special thank you to our parents for making this a special day.

NUMBER 10 

This week the students counted ten eggs. Each child had to take one egg out of the basket at a time and count all ten eggs.

A SPECIAL VISITOR 

We were thrilled to welcome Luna to our classroom this week. Luna is a precious little bunny and she had a great time hopping around our room. The children learned that animals need love and attention. We gave thanks to God for creating bunnies.

HAPPY EASTER EVERYONE!

Mrs. Diane