Tuesday, October 11, 2011
Well......I warned you that today was going to be MESSY! I'm sure we sent home plenty of proof (on their clothes, under their fingernails, in their hair, and who knows where else) that we actually talked about dirt and mud today. The hidden theme for the day was "How many times can the children wash their hands in one day?" :)
We started the day with dirt and carrots in the Touch and Feel pool. There were measuring cups and magnifying glasses for the children to use as the explored how dirt feels, smells, and looks!
Our book today was How to Make a Mudpie by Rozanne Lanczak Williams. This book told us all the tools and ingredients we needed to make a mudpie. The kids learned that if you take dirt and water and mix them together, you get mud! I think, for once, Ms. Michelle was not the highlight of Tuesday!
After reading the book, we gathered our materials and headed outside to make mudpies. The rain helped make them extra soupy! We went around the courtyard searching for the perfect leaves and sticks to add to our creation. Then we added some special, sparkly jewels.....just because! The mudpies were looking a little drab and needed a little shine! When we were finished, we got to wash our hands outside in the spicket....and splashed our way back inside. We saw several worms on the sidewalk too! It was a great day for "out of the box" learning! There were so many spontaneous sentences being said outside, I couldn't even keep track of them all! But be careful when you unpack from school today.....in the plastic bag we sent home today, you will find your child's mudpie!
Since we were already dirty from science in the mud, we decided to bring some "dirt" inside for art. We made Dirt Paintings. Brown paint mixed with some potting soil makes a beautiful picture.....probably not well suited for your walls....but beautiful just the same!
Oh yeah.....somewhere in the middle of all the dirt activities, Ms. Michelle came! As usual, she was awesome. We started with some gross motor cards where the children imitated animals. We slithered like snakes, hopped like rabbits, walked like penguins, and galloped like horses. Everyone took two turns going through the long blue tunnel today! In the past we've had some holdouts, but today everyone went without hesitation! Ms. Michelle also brought a really fun activity from her program Fundanoodle. The kids had an outline of a jack-o-lantern and some multi-colored pegs that they hammered in one at a time. There was a thick foam back that provided some resistance and stability to our pictures. The kids LOVED it!
Today was jam-packed with dirty fun! Wet socks, muddy pants, dirty fingernails.....and that's just how Ms. Tiffany and I looked at the end of the day! Hot baths and naps for everyone! Lots more fun planned for tomorrow!
We started the day with dirt and carrots in the Touch and Feel pool. There were measuring cups and magnifying glasses for the children to use as the explored how dirt feels, smells, and looks!
Our book today was How to Make a Mudpie by Rozanne Lanczak Williams. This book told us all the tools and ingredients we needed to make a mudpie. The kids learned that if you take dirt and water and mix them together, you get mud! I think, for once, Ms. Michelle was not the highlight of Tuesday!
After reading the book, we gathered our materials and headed outside to make mudpies. The rain helped make them extra soupy! We went around the courtyard searching for the perfect leaves and sticks to add to our creation. Then we added some special, sparkly jewels.....just because! The mudpies were looking a little drab and needed a little shine! When we were finished, we got to wash our hands outside in the spicket....and splashed our way back inside. We saw several worms on the sidewalk too! It was a great day for "out of the box" learning! There were so many spontaneous sentences being said outside, I couldn't even keep track of them all! But be careful when you unpack from school today.....in the plastic bag we sent home today, you will find your child's mudpie!
Since we were already dirty from science in the mud, we decided to bring some "dirt" inside for art. We made Dirt Paintings. Brown paint mixed with some potting soil makes a beautiful picture.....probably not well suited for your walls....but beautiful just the same!
Oh yeah.....somewhere in the middle of all the dirt activities, Ms. Michelle came! As usual, she was awesome. We started with some gross motor cards where the children imitated animals. We slithered like snakes, hopped like rabbits, walked like penguins, and galloped like horses. Everyone took two turns going through the long blue tunnel today! In the past we've had some holdouts, but today everyone went without hesitation! Ms. Michelle also brought a really fun activity from her program Fundanoodle. The kids had an outline of a jack-o-lantern and some multi-colored pegs that they hammered in one at a time. There was a thick foam back that provided some resistance and stability to our pictures. The kids LOVED it!
Today was jam-packed with dirty fun! Wet socks, muddy pants, dirty fingernails.....and that's just how Ms. Tiffany and I looked at the end of the day! Hot baths and naps for everyone! Lots more fun planned for tomorrow!
Friday, October 7, 2011
Thursday, October 6, 2011
Wow! What a Thursday! The big excitement of the day was Ms. Kim and her Natural Wonders class! We walked outside to the courtyard to find several "stations" set up with all kinds of neat things to explore. There were shiny gems, sea shells of all sizes, a large tub of oatmeal, rocks, Indian corn, pumpkins, mirrors, blocks, and play dough. It was all neat and organized with calm music playing in the background. How perfect! I thought that there would be some sort of "talking walk-through" each station, but Ms. Kim said to just let them go and explore! I'll admit that I was a little skeptical of how it was going to turn out.....but it was fabulous! So many sensory experiences.....so many language activities embedded.....so much pretend play.....so many chances to practice turn taking! The kids loved it! It was very self-directed with no expectations! We took lots of pictures! I promise to post a slide show later today! The courtyard makes such a beautiful back drop to whatever we do!
Our story today was Barnyard Beat by Lindsay Craig. The story is about the animals of the farm making noises and keeping Farmer Sue awake. When she comes outside to find out what all the noise is, the animals hide for awhile. But, they can't keep quiet for long. Everyone starts dancing to the barnyard beat of all the animal noises. As soon as they all fall asleep, the rooster crows and wakes them all up again!
I'm sure that by now, you've all seen the precious roosters that we made during Art. We had to do something with those extra gloves from yesterday....I told you how hard it was to blow them up! We weren't sure how the mixture of glue and feathers would turn out, but the finished product was so cute! The kids really enjoyed "cock-a doodle do"-ing all around the room!
In our center time, we contrasted big and little animals. We talked about the concepts using visuals and hand motions and tried to use the adjective in a complete sentence. I think that they all understood. Between identifying EVERY object in the room "big" and/or "little" and all the "cock-a doodle do" noises.....you wouldn't have guessed that it was a preschool classroom for children with communication difficulties!
And that.....after all.....is our goal!! Happy Weekend!
Our story today was Barnyard Beat by Lindsay Craig. The story is about the animals of the farm making noises and keeping Farmer Sue awake. When she comes outside to find out what all the noise is, the animals hide for awhile. But, they can't keep quiet for long. Everyone starts dancing to the barnyard beat of all the animal noises. As soon as they all fall asleep, the rooster crows and wakes them all up again!
I'm sure that by now, you've all seen the precious roosters that we made during Art. We had to do something with those extra gloves from yesterday....I told you how hard it was to blow them up! We weren't sure how the mixture of glue and feathers would turn out, but the finished product was so cute! The kids really enjoyed "cock-a doodle do"-ing all around the room!
In our center time, we contrasted big and little animals. We talked about the concepts using visuals and hand motions and tried to use the adjective in a complete sentence. I think that they all understood. Between identifying EVERY object in the room "big" and/or "little" and all the "cock-a doodle do" noises.....you wouldn't have guessed that it was a preschool classroom for children with communication difficulties!
And that.....after all.....is our goal!! Happy Weekend!
Wednesday, October 5, 2011
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