Halloween

We had a very fun day today.  I enjoyed seeing everyone in their costumes.  At the beginning of the session, the children danced to "If You're a Kid: Halloween".
Next, the children watched a video of the story Ten Timid Ghosts by Jennifer O'Connell.   Following the story, the children were divided into groups of four to construct a house for a ghost using toothpicks, marshmallows, and candy corn.  Then, the children played "Spider Race".  I've included a few pictures of this game.  I'm hoping  your child will be able to explain the rules to you.  For snack, the children created a bat using Oreos, Triscuit crackers, white chocolate chips, and candy corn.  After snacks, the children trick or treated at Senior Star.  Thank you, grownups for taking us to Senior Star.  We had a great time!

Group Meeting:  The children are very excited about our party tomorrow.  We went over our plans for games and a snack. 

Small Groups:  During small group time, the children completed a Let's Find Out magazine that was about growing pumpkins.  At the end of the magazine, the children completed patterns by coloring the next pumpkins in a row.  This was easy for some, but challenging for others.  We haven't worked on patterns much this year, but will do so.

Story:  The story for today was Pumpkin Jack by Will Hubbell. In this story, Tim carves a pumpkin for Halloween.  When Halloween is over, his mother discovers that the pumpkin is starting to rot.  Tim doesn't want to throw it into the garbage, so he places it in the garden.  Ask your child to tell you what happens next.

Large Group:  The children practiced the songs that we will be singing at Senior Star tomorrow. 

Letter Learning:  The letter for today was Oo.

Snacks:  The morning snack was cheese, crackers, grapes, and milk brought by Emmett A.  The afternoon snack was apples, peanut butter and milk brought by Carson.  Thank you, Emmett and Carson!

We will be leaving for Senior Star at approximately 10:20 (AM class) and 2:10 (PM class).  The morning class will be going to the Independent Living building which is all the way at the end the driveway.  The afternoon class will be going to the Assisted Living building which is the first building on the left.

Group Meeting:  The children learned a new song that we will be singing at Senior Star on Halloween.  We will learn two Halloween songs and a song that we think the residents will be able to sing along with us.

Small Groups:  The children completed a Let's Find Out Magazine about firefighters.  They also watched a video about fire safety.  Following the video, we did a fire drill. 

Story:  The story for today was Ten Orange Pumpkins by Stephen Savage.  Ten orange pumpkins are in a wheelbarrow.  One by one they disappear as Halloween characters come and take them away.  At the end, there is one pumpkin that becomes a Jack-o-Lantern. 

Large Group:  The Yellow Group brought items for Show and Tell.

Letter Learning:  The letter for today was Zz. 

Snacks:  The snack for the morning class was cheese sticks, Goldfish, and juice brought by Daphne.  The afternoon snack was Teddy Grahams and milk brought by Caden.  Thank you, Daphne and Caden!

We will not have school on Monday.  Bettendorf Schools are taking a few days for a Fall Break.  School will resume on Tuesday.  A note about Halloween is in your child's bag today!

Group Meeting:  For Where is it Wednesday, I hid cards that had Halloween characters printed on them.  After the children found them, we talked about how many syllables were in the character's name.  I use claps to help the children decide how many syllables or parts are in the word.  For example, the word spider has two claps or syllables.

Small Groups:  For small group time, the children received a paper with the same pictures as the cards that we used at Group Meeting.  The children had to decide how many syllables were in the word and use a dauber to stamp that many circles on the paper.

Story:  The story for today was The Little Old Lady Who Was Not Afraid of Anything by Linda D. Williams.  In this story, a little old lady is walking in the forest.   When she turns around to go home, she hears something behind her.  It is a pair of shoes going "clomp, clomp".  But she is not afraid of anything, so she keeps on going.  Next, she hears a pair of pants behind her going "wiggle, wiggle".  Again, she is not afraid of anything so she keeps on going.  Through out the story, she hears a shirt, hat, gloves and a pumpkin head behind her.  At the end  of the story, these things come together to make something in her garden.  Ask your child to tell you what it is.

Large Group:  Following the story, the children used props to retell the story by acting out the scenes.  I'm guessing that they could show you how!

Snacks:  Both classes had apples and milk for snacks today.  They were brought by Clara and Brooklyn P.  Thank you, Clara and Brooklyn!

Small Groups:  The activities for this week are listed in Monday's post.  The schedule for today was:
Activity #1 Green Group
Activity #2 Red Group
Activity #3 Yellow Group

Story:  The story for today was The Fox and the Falling Leaves by Julia Rawlinson.  Fletcher is a fox who has never experienced Fall before.  When the leaves from his favorite tree turn brown and fall off of the tree, he is worried.  Fletcher thinks that his tree is sick.  He tries to reattach the leaves, but nothing seems to help.  His mother tells him that it is Autumn.  One morning he wakes up and discovers that something beautiful has happened to his tree.  Ask your child to tell you what it was.

Large Group:  The children from the Red Group brought items for Show and Tell.  Next week, the Show and Tell bags will go home again.  This time it will be the Yellow Group's turn.

Letter Learning:  The letter for today was Ff.

Snacks:  The snack for the morning class was bagels, cream cheese, and juice brought by Brody.  The snack for the afternoon class was graham crackers and juice brought by Brayden.  Thank you, Brody and Brayden!
Yesterday, I incorrectly identified the morning snack person as Brody.  Brody's turn was today.  Our snack person yesterday was Arlo.  Thank you, Arlo!

Group Meeting:  For Where is it Wednesday, I showed the children three new books that we have received with our book order.  The books are I Spy books that contain Halloween items to find.   These books were a bonus from the classroom orders.  Thanks!

Small Groups:  The activities for this week are listed in Monday's post.  The schedule for today was:
Activity #1 Yellow Group
Activity #2 Green Group
Activity #3 Red Group

Story:  The story for today was Picking Apples and Pumpkins by Richard and Amy Hutchings.  This is the story of Kristy who visits an apple orchard and pumpkin patch with her family.  After reading, we compared our visit with Kristy's visit.

Large Group:  The children completed a Let's Find Out magazine about a squirrel who visits an apple orchard.  The children had to cut and color.

Letter Learning:  The letter for today was Dd.

Snack:  The snack for the morning class was graham crackers, peanut butter and juice brought by Brody.  The afternoon snack was cinnamon letter grahams and juice brought by Avani.  Thank you, Brody and Avani!

Thank you to all of the adults who provided transportation for us yesterday.  Even though the weather was chilly, we had a good time!

Group Meeting:  For Method Monday, we talked to the children about changing the Housekeeping Area into an Apple Orchard/Pumpkin Patch.  We have a few items there already and are hoping the children will help us come up with some more things.  We will be sending a note home about this on Wednesday. 

Small Groups:  The activities for this week are listed below along with the schedule for today.
Activity #1 (Red Group)  The children sorted tree items into groups.  Then, they tried to think of another way to group them.  The items were leaves, acorns, pinecones, chestnuts, and branches.  Suggestions were grouping by item, shape, color,  and size.
Activity #2 (Yellow Group)  The children used liquid watercolor to drop onto leaf shaped defuser paper to create decorations for our classroom windows.  They discovered what happened when two colors mixed together.
Activity #3 (Green Group)  The children listened to the story of Bungle in the Jungle By Giles Andreae and answered questions from the Read It Again Curriculum.

Story:  The book for today was Trees Count by Alison Formento.  This is a non-fiction book in which the readers are asked to count items from various trees.  The children counted apples, pinecones, pecans, blossoms, etc.

Letter Learning:  The letter for today was Hh.

Large Group:  During Large Group time, the children got into their assigned Small Groups and visited a tree in the yard.  They used yarn to measure the circumference of the tree, collected samples of leaves from the tree, and collected any other items such as seeds that were on or around the tree.  They brought the items in and compared them.

Snacks:  The morning class had bananas and milk brought by Abby.  The afternoon class had Wheat Thins and juice brought by Anaya.  Thank you, Abby and Anaya.

Tomorrow is our field trip.  It is supposed to be chilly.  Dress warmly!

Birthday Day

Group Meeting:  Birthday Day is always an exciting day at preschool.  During Group Meeting, we looked at a recipe for Apple Roll-ups and talked about how to follow a recipe so that the end product was correct.

Small Groups:  The children followed a recipe to make an Apple Roll-up.  They used crescent roll dough, apples, and cinnamon sugar.  They placed the apple on the wide end of the dough, sprinkled cinnamon sugar on it, and rolled it up to be placed in the oven.

Story:  The book that I read today was Apples for Everyone by Claudia Hanaford.  This is a non-fiction book about how apples grow.  It also told about things that could be made with apples and how they could be eaten.

Letter Learning:  The letter for today was Kk.

Large Group:  On Tuesday, we made a list of things that we know about trees.  Today, we made a list of things that we want to know about trees.  During the next few weeks, we will be exploring what grows on trees, what animals live in trees, and how trees grow.

Snacks:  The children enjoyed the Apple Roll-ups and milk.  Following, we had Birthday Brownies!

I want to apologize for having to cancel the field trip today.  Dan the Apple Man called the preschool and said that the conditions on the farm were not good for our trip.   They have offered to reschedule for Tuesday, October 16th.  I know that some of you had to make special plans for this trip.  If we can help with transportation of children, please let us know.  There are parents who are willing to take a few more children.  A teacher will accompany any children that go with another parent.    A note about the trip will be sent home tomorrow.

Group Meeting:  After talking about why we were not going on the trip, we proceeded with our usual routine. 

Story:  The story for today was Little Mouse and the Big Red Apple by A.H. Benjamin.  Little Mouse has found an apple.  He is pushing it home to enjoy all by himself.  Along the way, Little Mouse runs into some obstacles in getting the apple home.  His animal friends help him move the apple, but Little Mouse does not offer to share the apple with them.  Ask your child to tell you how the story ends.

Large Group:  The children played "Marching Around the Alphabet".  They marched around letters that had been placed on the floor.  When the tone sounded on the CD, the children had to stop, pick up a letter, and identify it or ask the teacher to identify it.   

Snacks:  The snack for the morning class was cheese sticks, applesauce, and juice brought by Rory.  The afternoon snack was superhero grahams and juice brought by Zenie.  Thank you, Rory and Zenie!

Group Meeting:  For Toy Tuesday, I demonstrated using the CD player to the children.  The CD player is available for them to use during center time.  I purchased 5 new CDs over the weekend.  The children can choose silly songs, classical music, soul music, and big band music.  We'll switch up the collection throughout the year.

Small Groups:  The children got into their small groups today to measure tree branches.  They used a variety of measuring tools.  The Red Group used plastic chain links to measure.  The Green Group used dominos.  The Yellow Group used Unifix cubes.  The children gathered together to share their results.

Story:  Last week, I read Little Red Riding Hood.  I read it again today.  This time, when I said the words "Little Red Riding Hood", the children raised their hands and said "Yea!".  When I said, "the wolf", they pointed their thumbs down and said "boo". 

Letter Learning:  The letter for today was Nn.

Large Group:  The children helped me make a list of everything that we know about trees.   On Thursday, we will make a list of everything that we want to know about trees.  Our trip to the orchard tomorrow will help us.

Snacks:  The snack for the morning class was vanilla yogurt, raspberries, blueberries, and juice brought by Noah.  The afternoon class had Goldfish and juice brought by Willie.  Thank you, Noah and Willie!

Group Meeting:  For Method Monday, we are learning how to get a friend's attention.  At preschool, we tap our friend on the shoulder and say their name.  We practiced this a little and will continue to do so throughout the week.   The next step will be learning how to share a toy.

Small Groups:  During small group time, we started to plan for the field trip that is coming up on Wednesday.  Tomorrow, we will be making a list of questions that we would like to ask about the trees that grow in the orchard. 

Story:  I did a reread of Abiyoyo as retold by Pete Seeger today.  The children really liked this one, so it was worth another visit.  This time, I had the children insert the words that described Abiyoyo.  Ask your children to tell you what Abiyoyo looked like and why.

Letter Learning:  The letter for today was Rr.

Large Group:  Last week, we listened to the song "The Green Grass Grows All Around".  Today, I played the song again.  This time, the children listened to the words and drew the tree that was described in the song. 

Snacks:  The snack for the morning class was grapes, Cheez-its and juice brought by Monroe.  The afternoon snack was carrots, ranch dip, and milk brought by Stella.  Thank you, Monroe and Stella!

Group Meeting:  For Where is it Wednesday, the children took a tour of the Book Area.  We have books, puppets, felt board stories, Mat Man pieces and a few other things in the Book Area for the children to use.  We also talked about taking care of books. 

Small Groups:  During small group time, I played the music for "The Green Grass Grows All Around".  While it was playing, I listened to the lyrics and drew the tree parts described in the song.  On Monday, the children will do the same with paper and crayons.  They will add things that will make the tree their own.

Story:  The story for today was Little Red Riding Hood.  I think this is a story that we are all familar with.  Little Red Riding Hood's mother tells her three things as she leaves for Grandma's house; stay on the path, don't talk to strangers, and go straight to Grandma's.  After the story, we discussed how these rules apply to us.

Letter Learning:  The letter for today was Ss.

Large Group:  The children have been asking to play London Bridges again, so we squeezed in a few rounds of that game.

Snacks:  The morning snack was banana bread, cream cheese, blueberries and milk brought by Meier.  The afternoon snack was grapes, Parmesan crisps, and juice brought by Siler.  Thank you, Meier and Siler!

No School Tomorrow!  The teachers will be attending an Early Childhood Conference in Altoona.  I'm sure we'll be bringing back some wonderful ideas!

Group Meeting:  For Toy Tuesday, I demonstrated how to use stencils at the Art Table and at the Writing and Drawing table.   You may see some of these pictures coming home soon. 

Small Groups:  During Small Group time we watched a video of the song "The Green Grass Grows All Around".   This song lists the parts of a tree and includes a nest, egg, and bird.

Story:  The story for today was Abiyoyo as told by Pete Seager.  Abiyoyo is an old folk tale.  It is the story of a father, who is a magician, and his son, a ukulele player, who are ostracized from the village and live on the edge of town.  One day, a giant named Abiyoyo appears.  He is as tall as a tree!  The villagers are afraid of him.  The father and son grab their ukulele and magic wand to help.  Ask your child to tell you how they get the giant to disappear.

Letter Learning:  The letter for today was Ee.

Large Group:  The children were given clipboards with paper and a pencil.  I took them outside to a tree in the yard.  The children looked at and touched the tree.  Then, they drew a picture of the tree.  I thought the drawings were really good!

Snacks:  The morning snack was graham crackers, strawberries, and juice brought by Malia Y.  The afternoon snack was Clementine oranges and milk brought by Nia.  Thank you, Malia and Nia!

Group Meeting:  For Method Monday, I demonstrated painting with pot scrubbers at the Art Table.  The children were free to use these during Center Time.  With October starting, we had new stickers to put on the day frame that we use to count how many days we have been in school.  We also have new Math Journals.

Small Groups:  Because this week will be short a day (No School on Thursday), we will be doing small groups a little differently.  We are starting a study of trees.  During Small Group time today, we learned a poem about a tree.

Story:  The story for today was Our Tree Named Steve by Alan Zweibel.  This is the story of a family that is building a new home.  The lot they have selected has to be cleared of the trees.  However, there is one tree on the lot that the children become fond of.  So, they decide to leave it in the yard and name it Steve.  Steve is great for swings, holding a jump rope, hanging a hammock and many other things.  One day, there is a storm.  Ask your child to tell you what happens to Steve. 

Letter Learning:  The letter for today was Mm.

Large Group:  To begin our tree study, the children helped me draw a tree on the chalk board.  They told me the tree part, and I drew it.  Tomorrow, we will take clip boards, paper and pencils outside so that we can draw the trees that we see in the yard. 

Snacks:  The snack for the morning class was Goldfish and juice brought by Malia S.  The afternoon snack was granola bars and milk brought by Landon.  Thank you, Malia and Landon!