Group Meeting: At the beginning of the school year, the children drew a picture of themselves in their writing journals. As they entered school today, I asked them to do that task one more time. After everyone arrived, we took turns signing each other's journal. I heard one child say, "This is so we will remember everyone when we get old." Such wisdom! A few other children said, "Look at how many friends I have!" It brought happy tears to my eyes.
Small Groups: We had one more Let's Find Out Magazine to complete. This one was about our five senses and how we use them in the summer.
Story: I wanted to read the same book that I read on the first day of school. It was What Color is Your Underwear? by Sam Lloyd. The children still thought it was hilarious!
Large Group: The children went to the Outdoor Classroom.
Snacks: The snack for the morning class was pancakes, bananas, and juice brought by Jai. The afternoon snack was Clementine organges, marshmellows, and juice brought by Nia. Thank you, Jai and Nia!
It looks like the weather is going to cooperate for tomorrow. We will be starting indoors at arrival time and will be finishing at the park.
Wednesday, May 22, 2019
Tuesday, May 21, 2019
Group Meeting: The children helped me make a list of all of the things that we like to do at preschool. It was quite a long list and it included everything from play time to snack time and field trips to art work.
Small Groups: The children drew pictures in their writing journals of the things that we like best about school. They will be bringing their journals home tomorrow. We have two more things to put in them.
Story: I picked a story that I read during our tree study in the fall. I selected it because the children really enjoyed it. In fact, when I told them I had selected one of their favorites, they guessed it: Abiyoyo. Abiyoyo, by Pete Seeger, is the story of a father and his son who are ostracized from the community after the boy plays his ukulele and the father performs magic tricks. When the giant Abiyoyo comes to town, the father and son think of a way to make him disappear. Ask your child to retell this story for you.
Large Group: The children moved the parachute while we sang one of the songs we are planning to sing on Thursday. We can't wait to share it with you!
Snacks: The morning snack was cheese sticks, Goldfish, and juice brought by Jackson. The afternoon snack was animal crackers and juice brought by Landon. Thank you, Jackson and Landon!
Small Groups: The children drew pictures in their writing journals of the things that we like best about school. They will be bringing their journals home tomorrow. We have two more things to put in them.
Story: I picked a story that I read during our tree study in the fall. I selected it because the children really enjoyed it. In fact, when I told them I had selected one of their favorites, they guessed it: Abiyoyo. Abiyoyo, by Pete Seeger, is the story of a father and his son who are ostracized from the community after the boy plays his ukulele and the father performs magic tricks. When the giant Abiyoyo comes to town, the father and son think of a way to make him disappear. Ask your child to retell this story for you.
Large Group: The children moved the parachute while we sang one of the songs we are planning to sing on Thursday. We can't wait to share it with you!
Snacks: The morning snack was cheese sticks, Goldfish, and juice brought by Jackson. The afternoon snack was animal crackers and juice brought by Landon. Thank you, Jackson and Landon!
Monday, May 20, 2019
Group Meeting: We have been doing a countdown for the last day of school for a few weeks now. We are down to four days. We had a little discussion about what would happen on the last day. I'm praying for a sunny, dry day!
Small Groups: I have two Let's Find Out Magazines left for the children to read. They are both about summer activities. Today, we did a magazine about summer safety. We learned to wear sunscreen and swim with a grown-up nearby.
Story: The morning class had a visitor today. Pastor John asked if he could read a story, so I invited him to read to this class. He brought a book that was a favorite to read to his children and now grandchildren. It was It's Not Easy Being a Bunny by Marilyn Sadler. PJ is a bunny. He thinks it would be easier to be another animal such as a bear or possom. However, he finds that every animal has it's own unique feature, including bunnies. He decides that being a bunny is the best thing for him to be.
The afternoon class enjoyed the book Tillie Lays an Egg by Terry Golson. We were supposed to read this one on Thursday, but ran out of time.
Large Group: The children practiced singing a few songs that we will be presenting on Thursday.
Snacks: The morning snack was bagels, jam, and milk brought by Finn. The afternoon snack was pretzels and juice brought by Kinley. Thank you, Finn and Kinley!
Small Groups: I have two Let's Find Out Magazines left for the children to read. They are both about summer activities. Today, we did a magazine about summer safety. We learned to wear sunscreen and swim with a grown-up nearby.
Story: The morning class had a visitor today. Pastor John asked if he could read a story, so I invited him to read to this class. He brought a book that was a favorite to read to his children and now grandchildren. It was It's Not Easy Being a Bunny by Marilyn Sadler. PJ is a bunny. He thinks it would be easier to be another animal such as a bear or possom. However, he finds that every animal has it's own unique feature, including bunnies. He decides that being a bunny is the best thing for him to be.
The afternoon class enjoyed the book Tillie Lays an Egg by Terry Golson. We were supposed to read this one on Thursday, but ran out of time.
Large Group: The children practiced singing a few songs that we will be presenting on Thursday.
Snacks: The morning snack was bagels, jam, and milk brought by Finn. The afternoon snack was pretzels and juice brought by Kinley. Thank you, Finn and Kinley!
Thursday, May 16, 2019
Summer Birthday Day!
Group Meeting: We did a review of the field trip to the farm. The children made a list of all of the things that we saw at the farm.
Small Groups: The children drew in their writing journals to document the trip to the farm. We had lots of great pictures and a few words that the children sounded out on their own.
Story: The story for the morning class was Tillie Lays an Egg by Terry Golson. Tillie, a chicken, doesn't like to lay her eggs in a nesting box like the other chickens. She likes to wander and lay her eggs all over the farm. The children had to search the pictures to find where Tillie laid her egg. The afternoon class ran out of time for a story today. We had lots of summer birthdays to address at snack time. I'll save the story for Monday.
Large Group: The Green Group brought items for Show and Tell. It was the last time for Show and Tell :(
Snacks: The children made butter by shaking cream in jars. They spread the butter onto French bread. It was delicious. We also had birthday brownies and celebrated the June, July and August birthdays.
Small Groups: The children drew in their writing journals to document the trip to the farm. We had lots of great pictures and a few words that the children sounded out on their own.
Story: The story for the morning class was Tillie Lays an Egg by Terry Golson. Tillie, a chicken, doesn't like to lay her eggs in a nesting box like the other chickens. She likes to wander and lay her eggs all over the farm. The children had to search the pictures to find where Tillie laid her egg. The afternoon class ran out of time for a story today. We had lots of summer birthdays to address at snack time. I'll save the story for Monday.
Large Group: The Green Group brought items for Show and Tell. It was the last time for Show and Tell :(
Snacks: The children made butter by shaking cream in jars. They spread the butter onto French bread. It was delicious. We also had birthday brownies and celebrated the June, July and August birthdays.
Tuesday, May 14, 2019
Getting ready for the field trip!
Group Meeting: We discussed our plans for the field trip tomorrow. The children thought of a few questions to ask. We will be leaving for the farm at 8:30 (AM class) and 12:15( PM class) and will be returning at 11:00 and 2:45.
Small Groups: Our group activity today was listening to and following a set of directions. We tried one, two, and three step directions to see how well we could remember what to do and in what sequence.
Story: The story for today was The Great Pig Escape by Eileen Christelow. Farmers Bert and Ethel raise vegetables on their farm. Bert decides that they should have pigs. Ethel thinks pigs are trouble. When the pigs get big enough to take to market, they load them up into the back of Bert's truck. When they arrive at the market, the pigs are gone. Where did they go? Ask your child to tell you how the pigs managed to escape and where they escaped to.
Large Group: The children went to the Outdoor Classroom.
Snacks: The morning snack was cheese sticks, Goldfish, and juice brought by Emmett W. The afternoon snack was cheese sticks, Goldfish, and juice brought by John. Thank you, Emmett and John!
Small Groups: Our group activity today was listening to and following a set of directions. We tried one, two, and three step directions to see how well we could remember what to do and in what sequence.
Story: The story for today was The Great Pig Escape by Eileen Christelow. Farmers Bert and Ethel raise vegetables on their farm. Bert decides that they should have pigs. Ethel thinks pigs are trouble. When the pigs get big enough to take to market, they load them up into the back of Bert's truck. When they arrive at the market, the pigs are gone. Where did they go? Ask your child to tell you how the pigs managed to escape and where they escaped to.
Large Group: The children went to the Outdoor Classroom.
Snacks: The morning snack was cheese sticks, Goldfish, and juice brought by Emmett W. The afternoon snack was cheese sticks, Goldfish, and juice brought by John. Thank you, Emmett and John!
Monday, May 13, 2019
Group Meeting: For Method Monday, the children learned a new method of painting using a straw. The most important rule was "remember to blow".
Small Groups: With the field trip this week, we are doing small groups a little differently. All three groups will be doing the same thing. Today, the children found different ways to sort a group of items. We tried to think of many ways to group items such as by color, shape, size, beginning sound, etc.
Story: The story for today was Wake Up, Rupert! by Mike Twohy. Rupert is a rooster that lives on Farmer Tim's farm. His job is waking everyone up in the morning. However, Rupert doesn't like getting up early. He has to set six alarm clocks to make sure that he gets up on time. His friend, Sherman the sheep, offers to help him. Sherman sets his alarm and goes to sleep. In the middle of the night, Sherman has a dream. Ask your child to tell you about his dream and what happens next.
Large Group: The children went to the Outdoor Classroom.
Snacks: The snack in the morning class was watermelon, pretzels, and milk brought by Emmett A. The afternoon snack was oranges, letter grahams, and juice brought by Jeremiah. Thank you, Emmett and Jeremiah!
Small Groups: With the field trip this week, we are doing small groups a little differently. All three groups will be doing the same thing. Today, the children found different ways to sort a group of items. We tried to think of many ways to group items such as by color, shape, size, beginning sound, etc.
Story: The story for today was Wake Up, Rupert! by Mike Twohy. Rupert is a rooster that lives on Farmer Tim's farm. His job is waking everyone up in the morning. However, Rupert doesn't like getting up early. He has to set six alarm clocks to make sure that he gets up on time. His friend, Sherman the sheep, offers to help him. Sherman sets his alarm and goes to sleep. In the middle of the night, Sherman has a dream. Ask your child to tell you about his dream and what happens next.
Large Group: The children went to the Outdoor Classroom.
Snacks: The snack in the morning class was watermelon, pretzels, and milk brought by Emmett A. The afternoon snack was oranges, letter grahams, and juice brought by Jeremiah. Thank you, Emmett and Jeremiah!
Thursday, May 9, 2019
Group Meeting: The children made pancakes for a snack today. I chose this because we have been talking about how wheat grows on the farm and is ground into flour. The flour can be used to make pancakes.
Small Groups: The children watched a Let's Find Out video about fish. We learned the characteristics of a fish. The video asked us to guess which of the following was a fish: jellyfish, dolphin, sea horse, or salamander. Do you know? Ask your child to tell you.
Story: The story for today matched our cooking project. The title was Pancakes, Pancakes by Eric Carle. In this story, Jack wakes up one morning hungry for pancakes. His mother tells him that he must help her make them. Jack cuts the wheat, gets an egg from the chicken, milks the cow, churns the butter, builds the fire, and gets jam from the cellar. Then he and his mother make pancakes.
Large Group: The children in the Yellow Group brought items for Show and Tell.
Snacks: The children had pancakes, syrup, milk and birthday brownies.
Small Groups: The children watched a Let's Find Out video about fish. We learned the characteristics of a fish. The video asked us to guess which of the following was a fish: jellyfish, dolphin, sea horse, or salamander. Do you know? Ask your child to tell you.
Story: The story for today matched our cooking project. The title was Pancakes, Pancakes by Eric Carle. In this story, Jack wakes up one morning hungry for pancakes. His mother tells him that he must help her make them. Jack cuts the wheat, gets an egg from the chicken, milks the cow, churns the butter, builds the fire, and gets jam from the cellar. Then he and his mother make pancakes.
Large Group: The children in the Yellow Group brought items for Show and Tell.
Snacks: The children had pancakes, syrup, milk and birthday brownies.
Wednesday, May 8, 2019
Group Meeting: For "Where is it Wednesday?" the children searched for farm animals that I had hidden in the room. When they found an animal, they took it to the rug and looked for others that had a similar animal.
Small Groups: The activities for this week are found 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 Little Red Hen. This classic story is of a hen who finds wheat seeds. She decides to plant them to grow wheat that she can turn into bread. She asks her friends for help, but they do not. When the wheat is turned into bread, it smells so good that her friends ask her to share it. Will she share it? Should she share it? Ask your child to tell you what we decided.
Large Group: We watched a short video about how wheat is grown. Tomorrow, we will be making our snack using flour made from wheat.
Snacks: The morning class had cheese sticks and juice brought by Daphne. The afternoon class had cheese sticks, grapes, and milk brought by Jayce. Thank you, Daphne and Jayce!
Small Groups: The activities for this week are found 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 Little Red Hen. This classic story is of a hen who finds wheat seeds. She decides to plant them to grow wheat that she can turn into bread. She asks her friends for help, but they do not. When the wheat is turned into bread, it smells so good that her friends ask her to share it. Will she share it? Should she share it? Ask your child to tell you what we decided.
Large Group: We watched a short video about how wheat is grown. Tomorrow, we will be making our snack using flour made from wheat.
Snacks: The morning class had cheese sticks and juice brought by Daphne. The afternoon class had cheese sticks, grapes, and milk brought by Jayce. Thank you, Daphne and Jayce!
Tuesday, May 7, 2019
Group Meeting: With the donations that we received from the art show, we have begun to receive a few new toys. The first thing that we received was a set of Hot Wheels cars and tracks. While this might seem more like a toy for at home, the children have really enjoyed creating race tracks with the blocks as ramps, bridges, and tunnels. There has been trial and error along with a lot of success! We have also received a new changing table and high chair for the babies in the Housekeeping Area.
Small Groups: The activities for this week are listed in yesterday'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 Farm Flu by Teresa Bateman. The cow has the flu! What should the farmer do? He will do what his mom did when he had the flu. He takes the cow in the house, gives him some tea and fluffs his pillow. Suddenly, all of the animals have the flu. How will the farmer get them out of the house? Ask your child to tell you how this story ends.
Large Group: The children planted corn seeds. They took paper towels, wet them with water, and placed them in a ziplock bag. They put two corn seeds on the paper towel and sealed the bag. We will hang them in the window and keep them wet. They should germinate in seven days. We'll see what happens!
Snacks: The snack for the morning class was grapes, Goldfish and milk brought by Clara. The afternoon snack was Raisin Bran with banana chips and milk brought by Gage. Thank you, Clara and Gage!
Small Groups: The activities for this week are listed in yesterday'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 Farm Flu by Teresa Bateman. The cow has the flu! What should the farmer do? He will do what his mom did when he had the flu. He takes the cow in the house, gives him some tea and fluffs his pillow. Suddenly, all of the animals have the flu. How will the farmer get them out of the house? Ask your child to tell you how this story ends.
Large Group: The children planted corn seeds. They took paper towels, wet them with water, and placed them in a ziplock bag. They put two corn seeds on the paper towel and sealed the bag. We will hang them in the window and keep them wet. They should germinate in seven days. We'll see what happens!
Snacks: The snack for the morning class was grapes, Goldfish and milk brought by Clara. The afternoon snack was Raisin Bran with banana chips and milk brought by Gage. Thank you, Clara and Gage!
Monday, May 6, 2019
Group Meeting: We're back to our regular routine after changing things just a little for Reading Month in April. Today, we had Method Monday which is when I present a new art media or idea for the children to try at play time. The art method that I demonstrated today used a fly swatter, little bottles of paint, and paper. Ask your child to tell you how to do this project.
Small Groups: The activities for this week are listed below along with the schedule for today.
Activity #1 (Red Group) The children completed a Roll and Write by rolling a letter die and printing that letter on their farm grid. They also tried to think of a farm item that would start with that letter.
Activity #2 (Yellow Group) The children made a book of farm animals from smallest to largest. They had to cut the paper with a scissors and put the pages in the correct order.
Activity #3 (Green Group) The children listened to the story Sheep in a Jeep by Nancy Shaw. After the story, the made a list of words that rhyme with farm animal names.
Story: I read the story Click Clack Peep by Doreen Cronin. The farm has a new delivery. It is a baby duck. The new duckling peeps and peeps and peeps. It is bed time, and the duckling is still peeping. How will the animals get the duckling to go to sleep? Duck has an idea. Ask your child to tell you how the duck gets the duckling to go to sleep.
Large Group: This morning, it was still wet in the Outdoor Classroom, so the children stayed inside, and we learned about how corn grows. It was dry in the afternoon, so the children went outside. Tomorrow, the afternoon class will catch up by learning about how corn grows. Rain is predicted for the remainder of the week :(
Snacks: The morning class snack was grapes, cereal bars, and milk brought by Carter. The afternoon snack was pears and milk brought by Evelyn. Thank you, Carter and Evelyn!
Small Groups: The activities for this week are listed below along with the schedule for today.
Activity #1 (Red Group) The children completed a Roll and Write by rolling a letter die and printing that letter on their farm grid. They also tried to think of a farm item that would start with that letter.
Activity #2 (Yellow Group) The children made a book of farm animals from smallest to largest. They had to cut the paper with a scissors and put the pages in the correct order.
Activity #3 (Green Group) The children listened to the story Sheep in a Jeep by Nancy Shaw. After the story, the made a list of words that rhyme with farm animal names.
Story: I read the story Click Clack Peep by Doreen Cronin. The farm has a new delivery. It is a baby duck. The new duckling peeps and peeps and peeps. It is bed time, and the duckling is still peeping. How will the animals get the duckling to go to sleep? Duck has an idea. Ask your child to tell you how the duck gets the duckling to go to sleep.
Large Group: This morning, it was still wet in the Outdoor Classroom, so the children stayed inside, and we learned about how corn grows. It was dry in the afternoon, so the children went outside. Tomorrow, the afternoon class will catch up by learning about how corn grows. Rain is predicted for the remainder of the week :(
Snacks: The morning class snack was grapes, cereal bars, and milk brought by Carter. The afternoon snack was pears and milk brought by Evelyn. Thank you, Carter and Evelyn!
Thursday, May 2, 2019
Group Meeting: To start our farm study, we looked at various pictures of things that belong on a farm. The children saw a tractor, silo, field of corn and wheat, and several farm animals.
Small Groups: The children played Farm Bingo. Printed on the Bingo card were items that you would find on a farm. I read a clue to go with one of the pictures. The children used the clues to figure out what they should mark on their card.
Story: The story for today was Mrs. Wishy Washy's Farm by Joy Cowley. The animals on Mrs. Wishy Washy's farm do not like to take a bath. One day after bath time, the animals run away to live in the city. They find out that the city is no place for animals, especially when they end up in the animal jail. Mrs. Wishy Washy rescues the animals and takes them back to the farm. What do the animals want when they get home? Ask your child to tell you.
Large Group: The Red Group brought items for Show and Tell.
Snacks: The morning class snack was bagels, cream cheese, and juice brought by Brody. The afternoon snack was cereal, bananas, and milk brought by Carson. Thank you, Brody and Carson!
Small Groups: The children played Farm Bingo. Printed on the Bingo card were items that you would find on a farm. I read a clue to go with one of the pictures. The children used the clues to figure out what they should mark on their card.
Story: The story for today was Mrs. Wishy Washy's Farm by Joy Cowley. The animals on Mrs. Wishy Washy's farm do not like to take a bath. One day after bath time, the animals run away to live in the city. They find out that the city is no place for animals, especially when they end up in the animal jail. Mrs. Wishy Washy rescues the animals and takes them back to the farm. What do the animals want when they get home? Ask your child to tell you.
Large Group: The Red Group brought items for Show and Tell.
Snacks: The morning class snack was bagels, cream cheese, and juice brought by Brody. The afternoon snack was cereal, bananas, and milk brought by Carson. Thank you, Brody and Carson!
Wednesday, May 1, 2019
Farms!
Group Meeting: We have started the last month of preschool! On our ten frame chart, we counted that we have been in school for 115 days. We have 13 left. Wow, this school year is going by quickly.
Small Groups: Typically, we do our Let's Find Out Magazines on Thursday. However, I have a busy day planned for us tomorrow, so we did the magazine today. It was about Ladybugs. Please take a few minutes to look through the magazine with your child.
Story: Our story today was Big Bird Learns About the Farm. Big Bird is at the Farmers Market. He guesses that the food at the Farmers Market comes from the grocery store. The children at the Farmers Market explain to him that all of the food that we eat comes from a farm.
Large Group: The children drew pictures of their favorite foods. After the children told us about their picture, we discussed where all of the food comes from. This begins our study of farms. For the next two weeks, we will be learning about farms. A note is in your child's bag today with a list of my objectives for this study.
Snacks: The morning class snack was cheese sticks, Teddy Grahams, and juice brought by Arlo. The afternoon snack was Ritz Bitz with peanut butter and juice brought by Caden. Thank you, Arlo and Caden!
Small Groups: Typically, we do our Let's Find Out Magazines on Thursday. However, I have a busy day planned for us tomorrow, so we did the magazine today. It was about Ladybugs. Please take a few minutes to look through the magazine with your child.
Story: Our story today was Big Bird Learns About the Farm. Big Bird is at the Farmers Market. He guesses that the food at the Farmers Market comes from the grocery store. The children at the Farmers Market explain to him that all of the food that we eat comes from a farm.
Large Group: The children drew pictures of their favorite foods. After the children told us about their picture, we discussed where all of the food comes from. This begins our study of farms. For the next two weeks, we will be learning about farms. A note is in your child's bag today with a list of my objectives for this study.
Snacks: The morning class snack was cheese sticks, Teddy Grahams, and juice brought by Arlo. The afternoon snack was Ritz Bitz with peanut butter and juice brought by Caden. Thank you, Arlo and Caden!
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