BALLS

We created our own balls this week. We used crystal powder and water to make a ball. The children loved making balls!

A WOW MOMENT WITH COACH PICKET AND HIS ASSISTANT MRS. PICKETT

We ended our ball unit this week with a tennis lesson from Ace's dad. Mr. Pickett is the tennis coach at Pleasant Grove School and we were thrilled have him on the St. James tennis court.

A special thank you to Mr. and Mrs. Pickett for giving us a WOW MOMENT!

CATERPILLARS

I love the spring and I love bringing caterpillars into the classroom! As we watch the caterpillars grow we will learn about the lifecycle of a butterfly.

IN THE MANOR OF ERIC CARLE

The children had a blast at the easel this week as they painted caterpillars. I love the bright colors of Eric Carle's books.

EASTER EGG MATH

Your child had to find an egg , recognize the number on the egg and put the correct amount of chicks inside it. They did an eggcellent job!

RESURRECTION EGGS

The set of resurrection eggs helps your child to understand the meaning of Easter. As we sit during large group time the students take turns opening the eggs. After each egg is opened we discuss the meaning of the item inside.

EASTER EGG HUNT

Everyone was thrilled to see the Easter Bunny this week! A special thank you to Mrs. kandice for bringing her pet rabbit to our classroom. Sugar was right at home in our classroom.

I appreciate our parents helping to make this a wonderful event for the children.

Mrs. Diane

During large group time we learned that children, parents, pets and construction workers use balls. Balls are used for sports, play and work.

WE MADE A RAMP.

What a blast we had with our ramp! The class put different types of balls on the ramp and they were happy to watch them roll down. We discussed gravity and forces that make a ball move.

HUFF AND PUFF - OBJ. 26 COMPARES AND MEASURES

The children were invited to participate in a measuring experiment this week. Each child learned that we can move a light ball with the air from our lungs. One child blew through a straw while two children held a measuring tape. We were excited to see how far the pom pom ball would travel! The class learned that a measuring tape has numbers on it and it is a tool used to measure distance.

NUMBER 11

The students had to touch and count eleven robots and then watercolor them.

WRECKING BALL

I told the children that a wrecking ball is used by construction workers to tear down old, unwanted buildings. The children watched a video of a wrecking ball and they could not wait to use one in the classroom. We used wooden blocks to make buildings and tear them down. As your child created a building they used their imagination , cooperated with others, and developed self -esteem.

Mrs. Diane

THE BALL UNIT

As we study balls, we will learn concepts and skills in science, social studies, literacy, math, the arts, and technology. The children will be using thinking skills to investigate, ask questions, solve problems, and make predictions.

BOWLING BALL COUNTING

As the children bowled they had to count how many pins were knocked down and how many pins were left up. Bowing and math skills go together.

SORTING BALLS

The class had to sort balls by their texture. Each child loved sorting marbles , pom pom balls and bouncy balls. Sorting involves making a variety of different decisions. Sorting and grouping things together is an important cognitive skill.

SPECIAL VISITOR

Top of the morning to you! Mr. McDaniel gave us a WOW moment as he showed us his kilt and sporran. I love to bring in special visitors. What a thrill is was for our class to learn about other countries! Logan was very proud of his dad and he was proud to show us his very own kilt. A special thank you to Mr. McDaniel.

ST. PATRICK'S DAY !

The children enjoyed rainbow punch and a delicious cookie. We danced a jig and had a blast. We were happy to have Mrs. Lisa's class join us for the St. Patrick's Day fun. A special thank you to Ace for bringing the cookies.

Mrs. Diane

RED LIGHT, GREEN LIGHT - HANDWRITING WITHOUT TEARS

It is important that children understand top, middle and bottom so they can describe position in geometry. They also need to understand directions. We use these terms when teaching children how to form their letters and numbers. As they get older they will learn to read from top to bottom. I let the children use cubes to make their own traffic light.

SECRET NUMBERS - OBJECTIVE 20 USES NUMBER CONCEPTS AND OPERATIONS

What a blast we had with our number game this week! I held up a number and each child had to see if they were my match.

PATTERNS UNDER COVER - OBJECTIVE 23 DEMONSTRATES KNOWLEDGE OF PATTERNS

The children pretended to be detectives for this activity. As detectives, they had to figure out which color cube was under the bowl.

DRAMATIC PLAY

Dramatic play teaches and encourages expressive language. As you see the photos below your child is learning as they play.

THE DOCTOR , THE POLICE AND THE FIREMEN

After all the fun at the post office it was time to talk about a few community helpers. The boys loved pretending to work at a police station , fire station and a doctor's office.

Our next unit will be about balls.

Mrs. Diane

WHAT IS SPECIAL ABOUT OUR BUILDING?

This week we talked about our building and what makes it special. The children told me that we have a roof, windows, doors and walls. Our school building is a place where we learn and make friends. We toured the other classrooms in our building and we noticed that we have wonderful teachers and wonderful children at our school. All in all our building is special because we are in it.

ALL ABOUT SHAPES!

The children had to listen to a shape song and find the shape that was called out on our rug. After we located the shapes on our rug it was time to put our skills to use on paper.

LONDON BRIDGE IS FALLING DOWN

Mrs. Allison had the class moving and singing. I love the way Mrs. Allison used this song to fit in with our building unit.

COUNT THE HEARTS

Each child had to count and place the correct amount of hearts on the cloud.

WILL YOU BE MY VALENTINE?

What a great time we had at the Valentine Ball ! Mrs. Amanda's class came to visit and we danced all morning!

It looks like our building was the place to be this week.

See you soon,

Mrs. Diane