Transportation is a VERY big word with lots of letters and FOUR syllables!  (And an obvious favorite topic!!)  After we practiced saying it several times, we talked about things that go using wheels.  Lots of everyday things use wheels.....and the kids could name a whole bunch of them!  We talked about cars, trucks, vans, bicycles, tricycles, unicycles, buses, jeeps, trains, and motorcycles.  I didn't realize that they knew so many!

Today's book was My Truck is Stuck by Kevin Lewis.  It's a story about a truck that's accidentally driven into a gopher hole. All kinds of different vehicles (car, van, bus) arrive to try and pull it out, but none can help until the tow truck arrives!  The whole time the drivers are trying to get the truck unstuck.....the gophers are working to empty the dump truck's load of bones!  At the end the tow truck pulls out the dump truck and everyone goes on their way.....but the dump truck is empty!

We explored all kinds of cars and trucks during centers today, and even went out to look at the wheels on the big transfer truck in the parking lot.  We determined that it was missing some wheels and place for the driver to sit.....so that truck is stuck......just like the one in our book.  It's nice when something real life happens to support the vocabulary and literature in the classroom!! And we didn't even plan it that way!!

Taste Test

Are you listening?? What does it sound like?  Today we learned all about the sense of HEARING!!  The adults are pretty clear that there is a difference is hearing and listening....but to the kids, it's kinda all the same thing!!!

We've introduced some new things into the morning circle because now everyone knows the days of the week and the months of the year!  We still review them everyday, but it goes much faster now!  We are learning more specific calendar vocabulary like yesterday and tomorrow, practicing each other's last names, and even starting to talk about some letter sounds!!  I can't believe how much progress they have made from the beginning of the year!!

I know you all came to school prepared for warm, sunny weather.....but outside playground time was quite chilly today!!  There were lots of other children on the playground and it's so neat to see our classes blend in naturally.  A class favorite is definitely the bikes.....for those that can't yet ride alone....no worries....there are two-seaters available!!

Our book today was We Hear With Our Ears by Melvin and Gilda Berger.  We learned that sound travels through the air and deep inside our ear. Our ears "talk" to our brains to help us figure out what we are hearing.  We took the rest of the language circle and listened to all different kinds of sounds and guessed what animal or object produced it.  We listened to some animals, and some sirens and a even heard a song about letter sounds.  This just proves it....the kids can all listen really well....when they want to!   

After lunch, we had a special surprise!  Each child took turns and recorded a sentence video on the iPad.  When everyone was finished, the kids listened (using only their ears.....we didn't show the video part) and guessed whose voice they heard.  They were really good at this game!  The best part was watching their beaming faces when they recognized their own voice and saw themselves on the screen! 

Using our sense of SMELL!

There are so many wonderful activities about The Five Senses!  Today we started with an overview of all the senses and what those associated body parts help us do!  We read You Five Senses by Melvin and Gilda Berger during our morning circle.  This book helped us learn some new vocabulary that the kiddos probably aren't used to using.  For example, we talked about sight instead of seeing....taste instead of eating...hearing versus listening...sniffing....LOTS of new words!!  Since today was all about smelling, we challenged the children to pay close attention to their sense of smell while on the playground!

Ahhhh.....the playground!  It was so beautiful outside today!  We made everyone wear their coats outside, but it didn't take long until there were more coats on the table than on little bodies!!  We even stopped for a cold drink of water on our way inside!  I hope this early warm weather isn't indicative of the summer we have coming!!

Our book of the day was You Smell With Your Nose by Melvin and Gilda Berger.  The book talks about smells that are strong and weak, smells that are sweet and sour, and smells that are good and yucky!  The children listened to the story, but were very eager to share the things that they "smelled" outside.  I have to tell you that I personally, did not smell any distinct smells, but the children.....they smelled everything!  Flowers, sand, grass.....and someone must have been eating ice cream nearby, because we smelled that too!!!

We will be science instead of art all week!  The kids acted disappointed at first, but they LOVED today's activity so much that they quickly forgot to be upset!  We had a variety of smells, each in a ziploc bag. There was grass, cinnamon, garlic, perfume, oranges, coffee, and vanilla.  We passed each bag around for smelling, then voted (thumbs up or thumbs down) whether we like it or not!  We have some VERY sensitive noses in our class!  Our adult predictions didn't hold true....I don't know why we even make them....they are never right.....the children liked smells that they probably shouldn't have and didn't like the ones that we thought they would! 

For the record there was no clear winner on the class favorite smell!  Everyone had a different favorite!  It was a good chance to talk about how everyone's nose is different.....and nobody is right or wrong about how something smells!!

One last book for an "emotional" week!  We have learned so many new vocabulary words to describe our feelings.....our conversations with each other have really changed!!  Today's book was Brave Lion, Scared Lion by Joan Stimson.  This is the story of two twin brother lions who have very different personalities.  One afternoon, ignoring their mother's directions, they head out to the river.  One brother jumps rocks across the river, while the other brother notices all the crocodiles.....that look like rocks. The brother on the shoreline races off to help his brother to safety.  Hence the name of the book....one brave lion and one scared lion!  This was also a good story to help remind us how bad things can happen when we don't listen to grown-ups!  We can never get enough reminders about that!!

It was such a beautiful afternoon.....we couldn't possibly spend the day inside.  We took our lunches to the park for a play day and a special picnic!  Since our last picnic was inside.....sitting at actual picnic tables.....outside.....like a real picnic....was a new experience!  The kids enjoyed the bigger playground at the park.  It was nice to watch the appropriately interact with other kids at the park. 

I have to tell you a funny story from the park.  There was an unnamed boy at the park with his mother.  He was eating a snack of apples while taking a break from playing.  His mother got up to push a sibling on a swing and the little boy decided he needed another apple.  At this exact moment....several of our kids happened to be in the area watching.  The boy dropped the apple slice.....picked it up.....blew it off....and ATE IT!  The gasps of horror from our kids was laughable!  They have internalized this germ business!  They ran over to tell the adults (in whispered voices) that the boy was going to have germs in his tummy.  He was definitely going to get sick.  We agreed that eating that apple was yucky.....but none of our business!!!  I guess that's a whole different lesson we haven't taught yet!!

Hip Hip Hooray! We made it 100 days!!

Well.....our class hasn't exactly been to school 100 days yet.....but....we certainly weren't going to miss out on the opportunity to have a celebration that centers around counting!!  What could be more fun....and educational, of course!!

Our massive undertaking of an art/math project today was making 100 day hats!  They turned out really cute and the kids LOVED making them, but the adults had their work cut out for them managing 100 objects for EIGHT children!!  Ms. Ellen, Ms. Cortney, and I each ran a center that the kids rotated through.  In each center, the children put 10 of each object on a blue strip.  There were stickers, cotton balls, noodles, rice, letters, dots, and beans.  After they had been to all the centers, each child had 100 items.....and had counted to 10 what seemed like a million times!!

What great fun.....and SOOOOO much math!!

What does 100 look like???

Feelings.....Feelings.....I think that's a song.....well, today it was topic of discussion!  You wouldn't believe all the feeling words the kids brainstormed first thing this morning.  We started with words like happy and sad, but once they got going.....we ended up with nervous, silly, frustrated, angry, and sorry.  Your children may not always be able to voice how they are feeling, but it's not because they are lacking the words to use!!

Drop off this morning was especially crowded.  With CMS out of school today, we had lots of class visitors.  Connor and Hope, Ms. Ellen's children, Roya, Ms. Cortney's daughter, and Ms. Maria an intern from Germany all spent the day with us!  Susannah was super happy with the addition of two other little girls.  She made fast friends, but she wasn't the only one enamored with our guests!!  Let's just say they were VERY popular with everyone!

We read two books today.  The first was When Sophie Gets Angry- Really, Really Angry by Molly Bang.  It's a story about a little girl who gets very angry when her sister takes her toys.  She yells, stomps her feet, and throws things....all Cold Pricklies.  After a short walk, she calms down and plays nicely with her family.  We talked about things that make us angry, how we act when we get angry, and how that makes our friends and family feel.  Our second book was Ruthie and The (Not So) Teeny, Tiny Lie by Laura Rankin.  This is a story about Ruthie finding a camera, that she loves, on the playground.  She lies and tells the teacher it's hers, even with her friend claiming that it's his. The teacher gives them time to think about it at home before she decides what to do.  Ruthie gets very nervous about telling a lie, cries to her mother, and in the end, is brave and decides to tell the truth.  LOTS of emotions.....and a good character lesson all wrapped in one story!!

No shoes for Ms. Michelle today!  The kids LOVE that....it's an unexpected treat to take your shoes off at school!!  She had a sensory maze lined with bumpy hand and footprints for the kids to follow.  She even had a bumpy balance beam!  We cut up straws to practice our cutting, then strung the pieces together on yarn make a beautiful piece of jewelry.  We tried blowing through straws to spread globs of paint across paper.....and by "tried" I mean attempted for a second!  You see.....straws and for sucking....and it was hard to change that.....and once the colored paint got on the end of the straw it was hard to keep out of the little mouths.....well.....you get the picture.....it was doomed from the start!!

Art was a beginning to the 100 days celebration!!  Even though the PK kiddos haven't actually been in school for 100 days.....we are celebrating with the Green Friends!!  The kids took different color markers and filled in 10 dots in 10 pre-drawn circles.  Math disguised as art.....and they didn't even know it!!  That is success!!

I'm always amazed at how much we get accomplished in one day....I don't really notice how busy we are until I stop to recount all the activities!  Today was jam packed!  Rest up.....lots more fun planned for tomorrow!!

Ms. Kelly, Ms. Ellen, and Ms. Tiffany present at the Augmentativecommunication Association Conference in Durham.