Wow! This week flew by faster than any other so far! Here’s what we accomplished on Wednesday and Thursday:
We started journaling this week. Each child has a journal in which they write at the beginning of each class. In just one week, it is amazing to see how intentional their drawings and writing have become. At the beginning of the week, I saw a lot of this:
The kids would draw a picture, and I would add the words.
By the end of the week the kids were beginning to experiment with writing their own words, so I saw a lot of this:
It may not look like much, but those symbols at the bottom of the page are my friend's words! He will read them to you if you ask him to!
It is just the neatest thing to watch these early literacy skills growing in my young friends!
Ever since the Read-A-Thon, music has become a huge part of our classroom. The new CDs I’ve downloaded onto the iPads come in handy in so many ways. There are songs to help us line up by the letters our names start with, songs teaching us about rhyming, and songs just for fun. I’ve started taking the iPads into our music and movement area, and they are always in use.
Dancing to The Penguin Dance!
We experimented with making music using water on Friday. The kids used baby food jars and a metal spoon to make music. They noticed how the pitch of each jar was different and how it could be changed by adding or taking away water.
Outside, we played a game called Around and Around. The game was an exercise in alliteration (when two words start with the same beginning sound). The kids would walk around a pile of play food saying this rhyme:
Around and around and around we go.
Where we stop, nobody knows!
When I called, “Stop,” they would quickly grab a food item. I then pulled a picture card from my pile. The child who had a food that started with the same sound as my picture card won that round. This is a challenging skill for most of the preschoolers, but they are beginning to catch on. Take some time to talk about the beginning sounds of words with your child if you have some free time this weekend and let me know how it goes!
Next week, we’re going to start a study of Lake Mills. As I have been changing the dramatic play center to include different types of jobs, the kids have taken a strong interest in running a business and the different jobs people have. I’m hoping to take some field trips throughout this study to various businesses in Lake Mills. If you would like to assist with these field trips or have an idea for a field trip, please let me know!
On Monday, we are having a costume party. I sent home notes on each child’s shirt on Thursday, so hopefully you all found them. Please send your child’s costume with him/her on Monday. We’ll be parading our costumes throughout the church and at the big school. (The afternoon class will be participating in the costume parade with the big kids at the elementary school this year! I’m way too excited about this!) Then we’ll come back to the classroom for special snacks and games.
It should be a great week! I can’t wait!
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