Mrs. Diane's and our class went on a Gingerbread Man hunt. He left us clues all over campus and the children even saw him running about! The Gingerbread Man us waiting on us when we got back to the room and everyone got a chance to have a piece of cookie

TheColorBrown

One of the greatest benefits of using bingo daubers is they allow children to practice hand-eye coordination and fine motor skills. As they direct the dauber to go where they want, they must use their little muscles and hand-eye coordination to maneuver it. Their dexterity improves as they hold and flip the bingo daubers, which is an important skill when it comes to handwriting. Using a brown dauber, we made a gingerbread man.

P.E.

In P.E. this week, Coach Nicole gave the children a paddle and a balloon to work on hand eye coordination.

Peeny Butter Fudge

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. 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.

Hickory Dickory dock

handwriting without tears

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 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. We also use other materials to create these letters.

We will learn our letters in this order. This week we learned how to make the letter F.

L, F, E, H, T, I, U, C, O, Q, G, S, J, D, P, B, R, K, A, M, N, V, W, X, X, Y, & Z

The first couple of days at school are exhausting for both teachers and students! So many routines to teach and so many learners to get to know! The most important thing I do in the first few weeks is to begin building trust and relationships with each child to that they 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 learn 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.

CreativeCurriculum

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 and their friends names. This led to making names tags so we could introduce ourselves to each other.

PhonologicalAwareness

During circle time, we are demonstrating phonological awareness by learning the 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.

HumptyDumpty

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 a discussion about safety and making good choices so we stay safe.

TheThreeLittleKittens

We acted out the Three Little KIttens by finding the lost mittens around the room. Once they were found, we matched them up by color and size to make a pair. Afterwards, we ate our pie and discussed where our things go in our classroom so we don't lose them (backpack, folder, lunchbox, toys).

Music

During our discussion about Earth Day and how to reduce, reuse, and recycle we decided to make a collage. We used old newspapers to paint a picture of earth and recyclable items we collected. Preschoolers need three separate skills in order to make a collage: ripping, cutting, and gluing. These skills are "process oriented" art skills and the child’s final product is often just part of that process. Children should be encouraged and praised not only for the final product but also for their progress in handling scissors, coordination in ripping, and the ability to use glue.

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