Young Athletes Field Day Celebration!

Thank you Ms. Angela! You are awesome!

Rainy days inside make for LONG days at preschool!  Lots of grumpy faces arrived at school this morning which was not a happy way for the teachers to start the day!  We worked through all that in a morning circle time where everyone expressed their feelings and we gave each other COMPLIMENTS!  That was an unexpected vocabulary bonus for this week.....the kids love using big words and really understanding what they mean.....and it's kinda neat for us to hear too!

We learned some new weather songs today in a special music time.  The rainy weather interfered with our playground time, which turned out not to be a huge deal.  The kids haven't had a free-play, center time in so long, we decided that might be a good thing to do.  There were puzzles, farm animals, blocks, books, and a writing center.  I think everyone took a turn at the writing center.  Drawing, writing, tracing, coloring letters.....guess that's not really "work" to them yet!!

Our book today was Storm is Coming by Heather Tekavec.  It's a story about farm animals who get very scared when the farmer tells them to hurry to the barn because Storm is coming!  They don't really know what a "storm" is, but as each sign of the storm appears (wind, rain, thunder, and lightning), they are reassured that those things will scare Storm away.  It is a cute book and the kids listened so intently.  Then everyone took a turn sharing about a storm that they could remember.  Some days it's REALLY hard to tell that this is a communication preschool.....and that makes me smile!!

Thankfully the sun came out today, so we could explore the lesson on shadows!  The kids enjoyed running and jumping and watching their shadows move in the same way. We looked at shadows of trees, playground equipment, the church.....and did you know.....even sticks have shadows??  After a short experiment, the kids all now know that you need bright light or the sun to make a shadow.  We tried really hard to find our shadows in the shade and in the dark.....but, they weren't there!

Ms. Michelle came today and played a really fun letter game with us.  Each child picked an animal card, named the animal, and identified the written letter on the back of the card.  Ms. Michelle helped everyone trace that letter, then find the matching letter from the floor.  After that, the child had to find their letter in the alphabet and put it in the correct spot.  Then....they had to find a puzzle letter from a tub of beans and put that piece in the puzzle.  MANY STEPS.....but they each knew their letter when they were done!  Lots of practice with the same thing, in a bunch of different ways!!  Ms. Michelle also brought the tunnel and some circles that make sound when you jump on them.  The kids were breathing hard after a couple turns at each! 

The book today was Guess Whose Shadow! by Stephen Swinburne.  It a book that explains what shadows are and how everything has a shadow of it's own.  At the end of the book it shows different shadows and the kids have to guess what is making that shadow.  Once they got the hang of it....they got every one right.  They even started high-fiving each other!

13 more days.....

Recycle, reuse, and conserve! All new vocabulary words that we've learned this week!! The kids are really excited about learning how to "take care of the Earth"!

I have to admit that the teachers found out something new today too. Dilworth is a much cleaner neighborhood than we thought when we headed out for a Litter Pick-Up Walk! We had BIG plans to rid the streets of all kinds of trash! It was a fairly unproductive trip.....the eagle eye children did find some tiny pieces of paper, and there was the occasional rare find of a bottle top, but overall, the sidewalks to and from the park are trash-free!

The highlight of the trip was teaching the kiddos about the buddy system. Everyone had a partner for the trash walk. Each set of children was given a plastic bag for collecting. Learning to work together, take turns, and stay with your partner was probably more valuable than any actual trash that we might have picked up!

Evan brought a book from home called Protect The Earth that we used as our literature for today. It was a great story that had all of our vocabulary words from the week. The kids were all able to talk about what each word meant and give examples about how we could help the earth. It was very exciting to see how much they remember from our discussions earlier in the week. And lunch time was a whole new experience....no more throwing all the trash away.....the kiddos insisted that we start recycling some of that trash!! To protect the Earth, of course.....wow.....they take this learning thing VERY seriously!!

The Touch and Feel this morning was all the recyclable products that we collected over the weekend. I wasn't sure what the children were going to do with the stuff, but their imagination far exceeded my expectations. They found pretend telephones, telescopes, the makings for a really great tea party....and, of course.....musical instruments!! Who knew that trash could be so much fun!

To "clean up" from the morning mess, we sorted all the recyclables into categories: paper and plastic. The children did very well with this.....and they thought it was great to cheer each other on during this process.

The cheering continued as we went outside to join Ms. Angela. After a much needed warm-up (the weather was a little chilly), we practiced our hockey aims. There was a course set up and the kids took aim, and made their way through the courtyard. The object was NOT to use their hands.....but that didn't come very naturally to any of them! Ms. Angela is so much fun....the whole time is filled with laughter!

Our book today was Are We Hurting The Earth? by Margie Burton and Friends. This book reviewed all the ways that we could help keep the Earth clean and healthy. We talked about how at Preschool we could only use one squirt of soap in the bathroom, one paper towel, and make sure the lights were off when we left the room. TSGI is on a mission to do our part to take care of the Earth!

Art was a big hit! We took the recycled materials and made Trash People. The kids had so much fun designing their person. Some even found hats and earrings for their people! With a little direction, they created some great art!

We ended the day by celebrating Gianni's birthday with cookies. The kids all sang very loudly.....they have been getting lots of practice lately! LOTS of birthday kiddos this time of year!!

Trash People!

Trash OR Treasure?

What is the EARTH and how can we take care of it?  We learned that turning off the lights when we aren't in a room, using both sides of a piece of paper, planting trees, picking up litter, and recycling are just a few ways to help keep our Earth happy and healthy!

Today's book The Earth Book by Todd Parr gave some specific examples of why we should take of Earth.  We save water so that the fish will have plenty of water to swim in.....we don't throw trash on the ground so that the animals will have clean homes.....and we turn off lights to save energy.  So much to learn and the kids were so interested.  (Earlier in the year, we made them all germ aware and gave them healthy food knowledge .....and now we may have created little "green" children who are socially conscious!!)

We spent some time during language circle talking about why everyone uses green and blue when they draw the Earth.  Green for the grass (and land) and blue for the water.  We needed these facts to help us complete our art today.....which was Earth Art.  We decorated coffee filters with green and blue markers.  They didn't look all that spectacular UNTIL we sprayed them with a water bottle!  The colors started to bleed together to make beautiful works of art.  We keep them overnight to dry.....but I can't wait for you to see!

Ms. Michelle had an obstacle course with balance beams and bowling for everyone to complete.  We made wind with the big parachute and tried to keep several balls from falling off the top while we each held a handle and shook it up and down.  It was a workout!!  She also had some bandannas for us to practice folding into shapes.  Ms. Michelle explained that folding into a rectangle and a triangle are age appropriate skills for our kiddos!  It was definitely a difficult task for all of them.....so now you can request special help with folding the laundry.....as a therapy activity!!

16 more days!!!

Learning the Parts of a Plant Through Dissection!

Now I know the secret.....if the kiddos are having a bad day.....we are going to invite Mr. George the photographer to come to school!  He was like magic today!  I have never seen such a group of picture hams!!  I will be surprised if anyone gets individual shots.....the kids were on top of each other trying to get his attention!

The book we read today was called The Story of a Seed.  It showed how all plants come from seeds, but seeds come in all kinds of shapes and sizes.  We learned how seeds grow....first the roots, then the sprout, and then the plant.  We practiced being seeds and growing with our bodies.  First, down for the roots, then up, for the plant.  The kids LOVE when we take a story and put some movements to it to help us remember! 

I would like to take a moment to thank the Gerber Daisy that sacrificed itself today in the name of a wonderful science lesson.  Flower Dissection!  We completely took the plant apart.....roots, stem, leaves, and flowers.....to show the class each separate part.  Once we studied it carefully, each child glued their plant back together on a piece of paper to take home.  I couldn't believe how pretty this science/art project turned out to be!! I took the remnants home to plant in my garden.....we'll see if a recovery is possible!!

17 days until SUMMER!  Yes....the teachers keep count too!

Despite the chilly weather outside, we spent all day learning about spring! 

We read How A Seed Grows by Helene Jordan.  This book tells how a seed changes and grows into a plant.  It explains the planting process…..and examines the seed at each change.  We could see the seed burst open and start to grow the roots.  Next the stem started to grow up from the dirt.  Then leaves started to unfold.  And finally, a flower bloomed.  The kids watched and listened intently, so anxious to find out what was going to happen next.

For our science lesson, we learned the parts of a plant.  Flower, stem, leaves, and roots.  We found a cute Dr. Jean song, to which we added body motions, that could help us remember.  I have added it below so that you do it at home!

Then we HAD to get dirty….so we gave out cups and dirt…..and got to planting!!  Everyone chose a seed from our multitude of seeds (sunflower, popcorn, bean, grass, and pumpkin) that they wanted to plant.  We gave our plants all the things on our list from yesterday…..and now we wait!  Keep your fingers crossed that we can actually grow something!

Ms. Angela came today and we practiced kicking, trapping the ball, and balancing.  The entire time she promised the kiddos that if they listened and followed directions, she had a GREAT, BIG surprise at the end.  She built the suspense as they kicked a soccer ball, trapped it with their feet, passed to a friend, and shot the ball in the goal.  Then…..she brought out this HUGE, multi-colored ball.  Each child took a turn sitting on top of the ball and balancing while Ms. Angela rolled it from side to side.  Some children needed more encouraging (and hand holding) than others…..but everyone took a turn!

We’ve started a countdown to the end of school…..only 18 days left!!  The kids love the countdown activity, but they all say that they don’t want to have summer……they want to come back to this school!!  EVERYDAY!!  As endearing as that is…..I think I’ll let you spend some time with them this summer!!

Planting Seeds!

What a GREAT first day back at school from Spring Break!  The kids all had so many fun stories to share with their friends about things that they did and places they visited.  It was so good to see them all again.....and by the looks of their suntans, many of you spent some of the break outside!

Today's book was Grow Flower, Grow by Lisa Bruce.  It's the story of a little girl named Fran who decides to grow her very own flower.  She tells it to grow, and when that doesn't work, she decides it must be hungry.  Fran feeds the flower all of her favorite foods: pizza, cheeseburgers, chocolate chip cookies, ice cream, and spaghetti.  The flower still won't grow.  By this time, Fran is very frustrated and throws the flowerpot outside.  It rains on the flower...the sun shines on the flower....the wind blows on the flower....and to Fran's surprise.....a beautiful flower grows!

We spent the time after the story, talking about what plants need to grow.  Although the kids all thought it was funny to feed the plants "people food", we agreed that it's not really what plants need.  We made a chart of the FIVE things that plants need.  We will need that chart tomorrow when we start our planting.  As always, we found a song to make learning those five things a little more fun!!

Ms. Michelle came today and we got to be outside!!  She had stations set up with different coordination activities.  Everyone's favorite seemed to be bouncing a balloon on a small, hand-held trampoline-like things.  The courtyard gave plenty of room to run after the balloons......the wind also helped make this activity a little more challenging! 

I think that we sent all the children home tired today....getting back into the routine is SOOO difficult!