You’ve got mail

We are learning how to make friends and keep them. We discussed ways to let others know we care. One of our ideas was to draw pictures for our friends. I introduced postcards and how we use them. We discussed why we give cards to others and how it feels to receive a card. Using markers, colors, and scissors the boys and girls decorated their postcards. When they were done we discussed how the postal system works, from the mailbox to the sorting office to the letter which arrives at their mailbox. Having a post office dramatic play area in our classroom offers a variety of opportunities for working together, writing and sending notes and learning how mail is delivered. While our students are sorting, transporting, and sending packages, they are building language skills while working and playing together.

Learning to love letters and numbers

Handwriting Without Tears is a program that was designed by an occupational therapist to teach children how to write without frustrating them to tears. It uses hands-on, multisensory materials and was designed in such a way that it introduces shapes, numbers, and letters in an order that matches the progression of children’s developmental abilities so that it is easier for them to practice, learn, and remember.

We start by using the wood pieces to teach children what a big line, little line, big curve, and little curve are called. This is SUPER important because we use these very same terms when teaching them to build or write letters. Consistency is key!

Geoboards

Using rubber bands we made several different shapes and letters. The geoboards are used to help fine motor skills, understand spatial relationships and shapes. This helps build the foundation for geometry.

The beginning of the school year is not only exciting but emotional too! So many routines to teach and so many little learners to get to know! It's important that our classroom family builds trust and relationships with each other so they can feel safe and happy. Being able to establish relationships are essential skills for school and for success in life. On the first day of school, students made name tags and introduced themselves to each other. It’s important to support each student as they say good-bye to their family, become familiar with the classroom and school routines, and learn to find comfort in being a member of the classroom community while maintaining a secure connection to home.

Nursery Rhymes

We recited the nursery rhymes: Humpty Dumpty, The Three Little Kittens, and Little Miss Muffet. These nursery rhymes teach Phonological awareness, or phonological sensitivity, which is the ability to discern the sounds and patterns of spoken language. Children become phonologically aware through experiences such as reciting poems and nursery rhymes, singing, and clapping the syllables of chanted words.

Humpty Dumpty

We also discussed how an egg is easily broken when mishandled. Once cracked, an eggshell can't be put back together. I asked the students, "Is it safe for Humpty Dumpty to sit on the wall?" This led to an entire discussion about safety and making good choices.

Three Little Kittens

After reciting The Three Little Kittens we went outside to find their mittens. Once we found all the mittens we matched them by color and size to make a pair. I also asked them, “Why did the kittens lose their mittens?” The children said, “they lost them because they didn’t take care of them.” We talked about taking care of our things in the classroom and at home. We also learned where things go in our classroom so we don’t lose them(backpack, folder, lunch box, toys).

Little Miss Muffet

What should we do if we get scared at school? A lot of the children said they would tell me or their parents. After reciting the nursery rhyme Little Miss Muffet, I asked them “How do you think Little Miss Muffet felt?" Everyone said “scared.” Each student had a chance to pretend they were scared as we reenacted Little Miss Muffet.

We’re off to a great start!

Change is stressful for everyone, especially children.  Having a routine in place for learning at home will bring a sense of security, comfort, and consistency to a child’s life.  Parents, you are doing a great job. I love seeing photos of our students completing their weekly focus packets.  These packets include an investigation question about our unit of study, opportunities to learn through play, fine motor skill activities, and cognitive skills.

I was glad to hear that everyone enjoyed Easter and our Easter Video.  The video premiered the Easter Bunny and we counted his eggs. This was a big hit with our students.  Try it with yours!

Last week we started our new study about reduce, reuse, and recycle.  This study offers opportunities for our children to explore a topic that not only interests them but allows them to gather information, become more aware of the world around them, and solve problems.  In a video, I asked our students to create their own recycling center at home. During this study we will enjoy sorting and reusing the trash collected.  

The boys and girls are also able to watch lessons through videos I have put together.  These videos teach things like: the letter and number of the week, math, and Handwriting Without Tears.  They enjoy getting to see and hear their Teacher.

Children love to play with balls in many different ways.  They throw them, catch them, kick them, and roll them with seemingly endless delight.  We are learning how natural forces, such as gravity and friction, affect the movement of balls.  Our focus question was “ What do you think it takes to make balls roll?” We discussed how using force from our muscles made our bodies roll and we needed to use force or gravity for a ball to roll.  At our soccer field, we used force to kick our balls into the net.

We also talked about gravity and used a ramp to roll different balls.  I asked the boys and girls “Do you think some balls roll faster than others?”  We recorded and discussed our predictions. Then we used different types of balls to test out our theories.  The boys and girls were amazed with the results. Putting a ramp in the classroom gives the children a chance to interact not only with me, but the other children as well.  This type of play influences the way children approach learning and influences other aspects of their cognitive development. 

Teaching Outdoors

One of the things I love about St. James is our beautiful campus and being able to teach outside. Using a parachute and some balls we continued to discover the meaning of force. The boys and girls had a blast.

This week we studied the letter “N” and “7”.

This week, we started our new study, “Balls.”  To introduce our new study, I asked the students a question, “What’s inside the box?”  I had placed a ball into a box and had the boys and girls try and guess what was inside.  While they took turns shaking and smelling the box, I gave them some clues. What can you bounce?  What can you throw? The children guessed a ball.

One of our focus questions was, “What do we know about balls?”  Some of their answers were: They are round, you can bounce them, throw them, kick them, air is inside them and so on.  Another question I asked was, “Do all balls bounce?” We decided to do our own experiment by testing out different kinds of balls.  After each child made their prediction we tested the ball and discussed why it did or didn’t bounce.

In order for children to develop the knowledge needed for later formal learning, they need frequent practice with materials in play settings and adult-guided activities.  Some of the activities include meaningful discussions and applications. One of our activities is a guessing jar. The students had to guess if we had more or fewer than 10 balls in our jar.  We recorded our answers and counted to see how many balls were in the jar. There were 22. The boys and girls also noticed that there were 3 different colors, so we decided to classify and count them. Everyone had fun, but we were also learning.