And we thought yesterday was messy! Today the mess wasn't exactly planned.....but, it is true that everyone went home in different clothes than they arrived in this morning. The puddles on the playground were irresistable! And once the kids figured out that the adults didn't really mind the splashing or running through the puddles....they got a little carried away! You know the saying about give them an inch.....well.....it's totally true! Regardless of the mess, everyone had so much fun. We took some really great videos that I will try and post later.
Ms. Angela came today and did another lesson on balancing. There were relay races where you had to run down to the other end, get a bean bag, and balance it on your head while you walked back. Not everyone could make it the whole way, but there was some evidence of really good problem solving skills while kids tried to figure it out! Ms. Angela also had this really long, multi-colored balance beam that snaked around the room. In pairs, kids had to use good listening skills and navigate from color to color without falling off the beam. After that, each child took a turn on the dizzy disc. A dizzy disc is a round, spinning disc that turns when you twist your body. Everyone needed to hold Ms. Anglea's hand while on the disc because it turns really fast. After the initial shock wore off, they all loved it and asked to take another turn before we left!
Every activity today incorporated seeds. The touch and feel pool had many different kinds of seeds. We talked about how each kind (corn, sunflower, pumpkin, grass, and pinto beans) all look very different. The book today was Planting Seeds by Amy Jo. It is about a boy and a girl who plant all kinds of vegetable seeds to grow a garden. In art, we made a seed mosiac, where we took the seeds from the touch and feel pool and glued them to our flower picture. For science, we took turns and worked together to plant a seed in a pot. We sang a song to help us remember the things our seed will need to grow into a plant. The song says, "We plant seeds. We plant seeds. The rain, and the sun, and the flowers grow." We will keep giving our seed what it needs, and watch to see what happens!
We had a special treat today that Joseph and his Mommy made to share with our class. It was Dirt Dessert. He kept giving hints all day about his Show and Tell was in the kitchen.....his Show and Tell had worms.....and dirt. Susannah and Garrett enjoyed asking questions and making guessing. Reid, Henry, and Jack enjoyed eating the wonderful dessert, and Gianni like stirring and cleaning up. It was a tasty (and messy) way to celebrate our theme for the week. Thank you so much, Joseph and Jenn!
Wednesday, October 12, 2011
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
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