The Leaves are Falling!

Fall is here! In our morning meeting this week we read several fall books including: The Colors of Fall, Why Leaves Change Color, and Fall is Here! We discussed the new fall environmental changes we will see outside.    

Circle time

We had our first Monkey of the Week, Henry, present his all about me poster. He had pictures of his family, his favorite foods, movies, and activities which he shared with the class.  When Henry finished telling us about his poster, each of the kiddos asked him a question about his favorite things. The kiddos found out they had many things in common with each other!  Also, we met our new zoo phonics friends Dee Dee Deer and Ellie Elephant.  

Centers

In the language arts center, the children used dot stamp markers to find letters on fall leaves. The children continue to learn at their own pace. For some students, we worked on letter sounds, and others worked on letter recognition with both uppercase and lowercase letters. In our math center, we had trees with numbers on them.  The students had to use their tools to count the apples and put the corresponding number on the apple trees. In our fine motor center, we had a variety of fall play dough mats.  The students added faces to scarecrows, made pumpkins, and filled the basket with colored apples. They enjoyed being creative in this center!

                      

Small groups

In our reading groups, we matched fall leaves with uppercase and lowercase letters.  ‘What happens in the Fall' was the question we asked the PK kids in journals this week. We have some very imaginative storytellers, and along with leaves falling and jumping in the leaves, we also had stories about superheroes in the fall. In our art center, we used our upper bodies to paint fall trees. Our arms and fingers were used to make the trunk and branches. Using pom poms, we painted yellow, red, and orange leaves. These works of art are displayed on the bulletin board outside the classroom. Our independent center this week was the big blocks. 

Special events

We had two birthday celebrations this week, Simon and Saul! Mrs. Coffeen and Mrs. Petty-Adams had the opportunity to come in and read to the class. 

Next week

We have a busy week ahead of us! We will welcome a new student, Sage, to our class on Monday and are excited to have her join us.  Also, our Monkey of the Week will be Austin.  I know he is busy preparing his poster to share with the kids. We will continue our Fall unit and go on a leaf scavenger hunt with the JK kiddos. We will use our senses to explore some of Fall’s environmental changes. 

Another great week in PreK! This was the last week for our All About Me unit and we will be moving into fall activities next! Here is a look at the week:

Centers

In our Language Arts center this week we played Alphabet Bingo. We focused on matching letter names and other kids were challenged by listening to letter sounds and finding the corresponding letter. The kids were excited to find all the letters and cover their board shouting, “Bingo!”  In Math, we rolled dice and counted the number of dots. The kids used cookies as manipulatives to fill the cookie jar practicing one to one correspondence.  In the fine motor center we played with play dough using cookie cutters and rolling pins to develop an individual creation. The independent center this week was pattern mats with shapes. 

                           

                                                                Small groups

In our reading groups, we read the story Chicka, Chicka Boom Boom. We searched for foam letters to use to practice spelling our name. For the Art center, we made our own chicka, chicka  boom boom trees.  The kiddos practiced their fine motor skills by gluing small colored squares on their tree. We added our names and coconuts to the tree. In our journals we drew pictures about our family. 

                                                 

Circle Time

We met our new zoo phonic friends Allie alligator, Bubba bear, and Catina cat. Ask your child to do the motion that goes with the sound of the letter.

Next week, we will be starting our Fall unit!  We will be learning about all the new changes with fall and creating new art projects.  Also, Henry will be the Monkey of the Week!

Just a reminder, we will have no school on Thursday, September 25 for Rosh Hashanah. The Extended Day Program will still be available for childcare on Thursday. 

Thank you to all the parents who were able to attend Miniature school night. It was great to see you and discuss the exciting events that will be happening this year!

This week we continued with the theme All About Me. During morning meeting we read the story, A is for Alice by Jane Bayer and made a class list. We looked at our names and shared our favorite thing that started with the same letter. It was fun to hear all of their ideas.

Centers

This week, in our Language Arts center, we finished our I Am Special books. The kiddos explored many different concepts such as how many letters they had in their name, recognizing tall vs. short letters, and the sounds the letters make. In our math center, we practiced rolling the dice and counting the number of dots. They used chips to cover the number they found on the mat. In our fine motor center, the children worked on puzzles.  Finally, in the independent center the kiddos enjoyed making lunch for each other and practiced sharing the toys. 

Small groups

This week we continued assessing in our reading groups. Coinciding with the story A is for Alice, we made our own pictures and practiced writing our names and finding pictures that started with the same letter. These pictures are inside the classroom so come take a look!  We explored painting with finger paint in the Art center. Some of the kiddos were hesitant to get messy, but soon realized how much fun it was. They described their pictures as we dictated their responses. It is fun to see their imaginations shine through! In the Independent center, the children are looking at books in the library. 

Special events

The kiddos were excited to meet their new sixth grade reading buddies!  They partnered with the sixth graders and picked their own spot around the room to read. They really enjoyed this experience and will continue reading with their buddies every other Friday. 

Next week: We will finish our unit on All About Me. We will read the story, Chicka Chicka Boom Boom by Bill Martin Jr. and John Archambault and continue exploring letters and sounds. The kids will create their own scene from the story! 

We have had a busy, fun week in Pre-k!  Exploring many new toys, painting, and singing songs. The children are picking up the classroom routines very quickly and are becoming more comfortable in the classroom in regards to socializing with new friends, asking questions and for help, and knowing the expectations. Here are the highlights from the week. 

Free choice: The children already know the routine of coming into the classroom and choosing their own table toy or activity to get started for the day. This part of the day really allows the chidden to socialize with one another in an organized environment.  We are focusing on taking turns and learning to wait.  Also, I have introduced the language of “bugs and wishes.”  It bugs me when…I wish you would…  This language allows the children to problem solve independently. They must use their words to talk to a friend when a problem occurs instead of immediately coming to a teacher or adult for help. I really encourage them to talk to their friend first! 

Morning meeting: We read the story, I Like Me by Karen Beaumont. We talked about how we are special on the inside and have different feelings. What makes us feel happy, sad, angry etc.  Also, we learned the weather and days of the week song. Ask your child to sing these to you.  The favorite part of the morning is dressing weather monkey. The children will ask about it all day, and get excited.  We are practicing the calendar and counting the days. 

Small groups: The children are learning how to follow directions and look at the centers chart to know their learning activity for the day. We have three small groups that rotate throughout the week. This week’s theme was all about me.  We painted our own self –portraits.  We discussed the different parts of our body, eye color, hair color, etc. They had fun looking in the mirror to look at all these parts. These self-portraits will be done each month. They are displayed on the bulletin board in the classroom, so come take a look! 

Learning centers: I introduced the sign-in folder. The students will come in each morning and sign their name.. We discussed how to hold a pencil and will continue to practice each day. Practicing fine motor activities will help strengthen hand muscles used for gripping a pencil. We used the Handwriting Without Tears program for language about how to write each letter.

Also, we played friend bingo to put a name to a face! I encourage them to use each other’s names, so they can start to call each other by name. 

Friend bingo was a highlight from this week!

Music: The children danced with finger puppets to the beat of the music. 

P.E.: The children played a game of freeze tag. The music would play and they must freeze their bodies when the music stops. 

Special events: Roycemore Upper school soccer, cross country, and volleyball teams visited our class to sign pictures for the kiddos.