This last week, I took the students' suggestion and we learned more about the book Chicka Chicka Boom Boom. The class I share with another teacher had done this lesson previously and the students wanted to learn more also. We had a lot of fun learning more about the letters. We made our own Chicka Chicka tree and added what letters we already knew. We also read the book several times and sang along to the Chicka Chicka song.
Now comes my favorite time of the year: the Holiday Season! We have so many different crafts to complete, I don't know if we will have enough time! This next week, we are learning about gingerbread men. We will make gingerbread ornaments, cinnamon ornaments, and decorate our own paperbag gingerbread man. Our room is going to smell great!
Later days!
Sunday, December 5, 2010
Monday, November 22, 2010
Too Busy to Post, I guess.
I cannot believe it is already the end of November. We have been so busy that time has slipped away from me and blogging has been set aside.
We have been very active. We completed a unit called, My Body, Myself. We learned about different things are body can do. We saw pictures with skeletons and blood vessels. We also used a stethoscope to hear our heart beating. We made our own book about our five senses and learned the name of some of our trickier body parts, like our elbows and neck. We also did a unit on sharing and what it means to be a good friend. We dyed daisies a color of our choice, then added them to one large bouquet. We read several books about sharing also.
This last week we read a story called "I know an Old Lady who Swallowed a Pie." We also read other stories about an "Old Lady" who swallowed a fly, the sea and a star. The students colored and cut out their own "Old Lady" and food pieces. After laminating them, the students were able to retell the story themselves. We also talked about what might happen if you eat too much and wrote a story together about "I know an ___________ who swallowed a ____________." The students could fill in the blank and we came up with very creative story sentences.
As we approach the holiday season, we will only continue to be busy. We will be learning more about the book "Chicka Chicka Boom Boom" and gingerbread men. We will also do a whole unit on trains.
Later Days!
We have been very active. We completed a unit called, My Body, Myself. We learned about different things are body can do. We saw pictures with skeletons and blood vessels. We also used a stethoscope to hear our heart beating. We made our own book about our five senses and learned the name of some of our trickier body parts, like our elbows and neck. We also did a unit on sharing and what it means to be a good friend. We dyed daisies a color of our choice, then added them to one large bouquet. We read several books about sharing also.
This last week we read a story called "I know an Old Lady who Swallowed a Pie." We also read other stories about an "Old Lady" who swallowed a fly, the sea and a star. The students colored and cut out their own "Old Lady" and food pieces. After laminating them, the students were able to retell the story themselves. We also talked about what might happen if you eat too much and wrote a story together about "I know an ___________ who swallowed a ____________." The students could fill in the blank and we came up with very creative story sentences.
As we approach the holiday season, we will only continue to be busy. We will be learning more about the book "Chicka Chicka Boom Boom" and gingerbread men. We will also do a whole unit on trains.
Later Days!
Saturday, October 30, 2010
Pumpkins, Pumpkins, Everywhere
The week started out ok for us. We took a vote on what shapes we wanted to carve into our pumpkin. We chose round eyes, triangle nose and a happy grin with triangle teeth. For some students, this was the first time they were able to help clean out a pumpkin. AND IT WAS A HUGE PUMPKIN! It took all of us to get it cleaned out. We also learned a song about "5 Little Pumpkins" and colored our own book to take home.
Unfortunately, I wasn't able to be in class on Tuesday or Wednesday due to a miserable stomach flu. Several students were home sick with it also this week and even Miss Kirstie, the class's assistant, was home sick on Thursday. Luckily, Miss Jessica and Miss Kasey from the owl class were able to help our students out.
Thursday we were able to have a Parent/Child activity day. We invited the parents to join our class as we painted our own pumpkin and also glued shapes onto a construction paper pumpkin. Everyone seemed to have a good time.
Next week, we will hopefully all be back to 100% health and start our unit on "My Body, Myself".
Later days!
Unfortunately, I wasn't able to be in class on Tuesday or Wednesday due to a miserable stomach flu. Several students were home sick with it also this week and even Miss Kirstie, the class's assistant, was home sick on Thursday. Luckily, Miss Jessica and Miss Kasey from the owl class were able to help our students out.
Thursday we were able to have a Parent/Child activity day. We invited the parents to join our class as we painted our own pumpkin and also glued shapes onto a construction paper pumpkin. Everyone seemed to have a good time.
Next week, we will hopefully all be back to 100% health and start our unit on "My Body, Myself".
Later days!
Sunday, October 24, 2010
Falling into Fall
The season is beginning to change and as always, we are very busy little bees. We had time off as the teacher's headed to Fargo for a conference, then more time off this week for the North Dakota Teacher Conference in Bismarck. Even through all of that, we have had several fun activities.
This last week started with a visit from 2 of the Williston Volunteer firefighters. We had originally scheduled them for fire safety week, but due to conflicts, they weren't able to come until this week. Two of their main points were that the students ask you as parents to check the smoke alarms and that it was important for them to keep their rooms clean. They also showed the students what they look like in their full fireman uniforms with the oxygen mask running and all. I was really proud of how well the students responded to the fireman and they came up with some great questions.
We also focused on Fall activities. We marble painted leaf cutouts and made a collage out of leaves and twigs we had collected on our Fall into Walking excursion. We also made a tree-like print using our hand and arm as a stamp. The students then added leaves using their fingertips.
This next week we are focusing on pumpkins. We have a HUGE pumpkin we will be carving on Monday. We will make different types of pumpkins on Tuesday and Wednesday. On Thursday, we are having a parent/child activity that involves painting a mini pumpkin.
As if we weren't busy enough, we will also be starting home visits at the end of this week.
Later Days!
This last week started with a visit from 2 of the Williston Volunteer firefighters. We had originally scheduled them for fire safety week, but due to conflicts, they weren't able to come until this week. Two of their main points were that the students ask you as parents to check the smoke alarms and that it was important for them to keep their rooms clean. They also showed the students what they look like in their full fireman uniforms with the oxygen mask running and all. I was really proud of how well the students responded to the fireman and they came up with some great questions.
We also focused on Fall activities. We marble painted leaf cutouts and made a collage out of leaves and twigs we had collected on our Fall into Walking excursion. We also made a tree-like print using our hand and arm as a stamp. The students then added leaves using their fingertips.
This next week we are focusing on pumpkins. We have a HUGE pumpkin we will be carving on Monday. We will make different types of pumpkins on Tuesday and Wednesday. On Thursday, we are having a parent/child activity that involves painting a mini pumpkin.
As if we weren't busy enough, we will also be starting home visits at the end of this week.
Later Days!
Friday, October 8, 2010
Fire Safety
We were really lucky to have another great week. This week we learned all about fire safety. We learned stop, drop, and roll. We also practiced crawling safely under a blanket to simulate crawling low under smoke. You may have seen a black paint blob on white paper come home with your child. We were supposed to add black dots to our dalmatian fire dog printout with a Q-tip, but once we started, it was too hard to stop painting! We just kept adding more and more paint until the dog was gone! We also used a straw to blow red, yellow and orange paint to look like fire. We also colored a fire truck and wrote what we would do if we were a fireman. These are laminated and will be combined into a classroom book. Finally, we played with a fire truck, fire hat and fire coats during dramatic play time.
Next week, we will only have school on Monday. The entire teaching staff is headed to Fargo for the Region 8 Head Start Conference. Although we only have one day next week, we still have a lot to do. We are having two of the volunteer fireman come to visit our class. We are also continuing with our "Fall into Walking" at 3:00. Last week, we were able to have two parents join us.
As you may or may not have noticed, the teachers are very busy working on observation based assessments. As part of our assessments, we must have an anecdotal note on each child. You the parents will see these during our next home visit with us at the end of October.
Next week, we will only have school on Monday. The entire teaching staff is headed to Fargo for the Region 8 Head Start Conference. Although we only have one day next week, we still have a lot to do. We are having two of the volunteer fireman come to visit our class. We are also continuing with our "Fall into Walking" at 3:00. Last week, we were able to have two parents join us.
As you may or may not have noticed, the teachers are very busy working on observation based assessments. As part of our assessments, we must have an anecdotal note on each child. You the parents will see these during our next home visit with us at the end of October.
Monday, October 4, 2010
Apples, Apples, Apples
What a nice week we had! The weather was especially nice. We were able to enjoy the weather on Monday as we went for our "Fall into Walking" walk around the neighborhood. The students were very observative and seemed to really enjoy the walking. The event is to encourage parents to join us in taking steps towards a healthy lifestyle. We were unable to have any parents join us last week, but maybe we will have some start to join us soon.
We learned about apples this week. We taste tested apples, then chose which one was our favorite. We made a graph for our favorite and found out that more students liked the green apples than the red or yellow ones. We also created apples out of paper plates and tissue paper and used real apples to stamp paint on our paper. Both of these projects are displayed in the hallway outside of our room with our new tree. We will decorate this tree throughout the seasons, so keep your eye on it to see the changes.
This next week we are focusing on fire safety. Be prepared to answer questions about your safe meeting place in case of a fire. The students will also be able to demonstrate stop, drop and roll to you.
Later Days!
We learned about apples this week. We taste tested apples, then chose which one was our favorite. We made a graph for our favorite and found out that more students liked the green apples than the red or yellow ones. We also created apples out of paper plates and tissue paper and used real apples to stamp paint on our paper. Both of these projects are displayed in the hallway outside of our room with our new tree. We will decorate this tree throughout the seasons, so keep your eye on it to see the changes.
This next week we are focusing on fire safety. Be prepared to answer questions about your safe meeting place in case of a fire. The students will also be able to demonstrate stop, drop and roll to you.
Later Days!
Saturday, September 25, 2010
Dental Hygiene Week
Despite the rainy weather all week, we had a great time. We learned about brushing our teeth and how to take care of our mouth. Our health nurse recently purchased a couple of sets of "Flossy Pals" which are stuffed animals with realistic looking teeth. We used these in many ways throughout the week.
On Monday, we counted our "Flossy Pals" teeth, then counted our own teeth. We also used a GIANT toothbrush to brush his teeth. The students were able to play with the stuffed animals all week in the dramatic play center. We were also fortunate enough to recieve a donation from Dr. Maisey's Dental clinic of dentist masks and bibs. The students loved pretending to be a dentist!
On Tuesday, we painted teeth printed on yellow paper. We used white paint to make the teeth look like our teeth using a toothbrush. The students started laughing when we told them we were going to "brush teeth with paint" today. They did great at painting the teeth in a circular motion, just like when we brush our own teeth.
On Wednesday, we read a great book about "Moose's Loose Tooth." Moose had a loose tooth that wouldn't come out, but with the help of his friends, he was able to leave the tooth fairy a moose's tooth, even if it was in Elephant's belly.
On Thursday, we did a demonstration using eggs to imitate our teeth. We dipped them in milk, water and soda and watched how the one in water didn't change, the one in milk looked whiter, and the one in soda turned brown. We decided that milk and water are better choices for our teeth.
Next week starts our apple theme. We have lots of great projects to do.
Later days!
On Monday, we counted our "Flossy Pals" teeth, then counted our own teeth. We also used a GIANT toothbrush to brush his teeth. The students were able to play with the stuffed animals all week in the dramatic play center. We were also fortunate enough to recieve a donation from Dr. Maisey's Dental clinic of dentist masks and bibs. The students loved pretending to be a dentist!
On Tuesday, we painted teeth printed on yellow paper. We used white paint to make the teeth look like our teeth using a toothbrush. The students started laughing when we told them we were going to "brush teeth with paint" today. They did great at painting the teeth in a circular motion, just like when we brush our own teeth.
On Wednesday, we read a great book about "Moose's Loose Tooth." Moose had a loose tooth that wouldn't come out, but with the help of his friends, he was able to leave the tooth fairy a moose's tooth, even if it was in Elephant's belly.
On Thursday, we did a demonstration using eggs to imitate our teeth. We dipped them in milk, water and soda and watched how the one in water didn't change, the one in milk looked whiter, and the one in soda turned brown. We decided that milk and water are better choices for our teeth.
Next week starts our apple theme. We have lots of great projects to do.
Later days!
Sunday, September 19, 2010
We made it through!
Our first week of school went really well. The students are great and we only had a couple of tears, but I think everyone is excited for our year to come. We spent most of the week working on routine and how our class is run. We also worked on a couple of pieces of artwork that will be placed into our portfolios for parent/teacher conferences. These include self portraits, pictures of our family, and cutting out shapes. These pieces of work are great for showing progression throughout the year. We were also able to have our first fire drill. Luckily the students listened amazingly and everything went smoothly.
This next week we will focus on dental hygiene. A local dentist donated masks and bibs for our students to play with. We will also practice teeth brushing through different lessons. Watch for pictures in next weeks blog!
Later days!
This next week we will focus on dental hygiene. A local dentist donated masks and bibs for our students to play with. We will also practice teeth brushing through different lessons. Watch for pictures in next weeks blog!
Later days!
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