Seventh & Eighth Grade Pumpkin Patch

Since July the seventh and eighth graders have been busy growing pumpkins for our primary students. They are also given a students name to write and illustrate a fall book just for them. During our pumpkin patch visit they learned the life cycle of a pumpkin, had a picnic and storytime, and sang a fall song. We are so proud of our seventh and eighth graders for all their hard work. The children had a blast!

Matching Game

Matching is an essential skill, helping to improve a number of cognitive abilities like visual memory, short term memory, and pattern recognition.

Goldilocks and The Three Bears

OUR INVESTIGATION OF CLOTHES

This week we started our investigation of clothing. We discussed how there are many features that make them unique. Using a magnifying glass each child explored the fabrics color, texture, and pattern.

After reading and discussing the book Goldilocks and the Three Bears, we discussed how clothes are different sizes. Using three raincoats, we placed them in descending order. We also measured the length of the jackets using blocks, chains, and a tape measure.

One of our focus questions was, “When do things happen at school?” We used our visual schedule to see what happens during the day and even took some time to plan activities together. Routines are very important at this age and their inquiring minds enjoy discussing what we are doing next. One of the activities on our schedule is story time. The story for the day was Peeny Butter Fudge. In this book When Mama leaves the kids with Nana, she also leaves a schedule and menu for the day on the fridge. But, when the door closes, all sorts of fun breaks loose. Then, Mom comes home, sees the house is a big mess and is temporarily annoyed until she sees that they've made peanut butter fudge.

We had our schedule planned for the day and who do you think showed up? Our very own Nana!

Nana knows how to take an ordinary day and make it extra special! She brought the recipe and all the ingredients to make peanut butter fudge. We read the recipe and discussed how important it was to follow the directions. If we missed a step, our fudge wouldn’t taste good. Knowledge of print and its uses includes understanding that print carries a message and that print is organized and read in particular ways. Each child was given a step from the recipe and couldn’t wait to help.

The first couple of days at school are exhausting for both teachers and students! So many routines to teach and so many little learners to get to know! The most important thing I do the first few weeks is to begin building trust and relationships with each child so they can feel safe and happy. If they feel safe and happy, our parents will feel confident in leaving their child in my care. Being able to establish relationships are essential skills for school and for success in life. During the first week, they learned how to do their morning chores, sit at circle time, get in line, eat lunch at school, wash their hands, clean up, and wait their turn.

The focus question for the week was, what names do we need to know at school? The children quickly decided that they needed to know my name, as well as their friends' names. This led to making name tag necklaces so we could introduce ourselves to each other.

During circle time, we are demonstrating phonological awareness by learning the following nursery rhymes: Humpty Dumpty and The Three Little Kittens. Phonological awareness, or phonological sensitivity, is the ability to discern the sounds and patterns of spoken language. Phonological awareness is an important skill in learning to read. Children become phonologically aware through experiences such as reciting poems and nursery rhymes, singing, and clapping the syllables of chanted words.

Humpty Dumpty

We discussed how Humpty Dumpty is an egg and easily broken when mishandled. I asked the students, "Where is Humpty Dumpty, and is it a safe place for him to be?" This led to an entire discussion about safety and making good choices so we stay safe.

The Three Little Kittens

We acted out The Three Little Kittens by going outside to find their mittens. Once we found all the mittens we matched them by color and size to make a pair. Afterwards, we ate our pie and discussed where things go in our classroom so we don’t lose them(backpack, folder, lunch box, toys).

Little Miss Muffet

As you can see, we’ve been busy! Check back with us on Friday to see what else we’ve been learning in Primary.