We dove into our Chicka Chicka Boom Boom unit and the children enjoyed hearing this story and doing a variety of corresponding activities.  Here is a look at the week:

We had the opportunity to meet our 5^th grade reading buddies.  The kiddos were great leaders showing the big kids around the classroom and were great listeners during the stories.  They will meet with their reading buddies twice a month.

  

Centers

In language arts the children used the foam letters to spell their names for their chicka boom boom tree.  Also, they completed a letter matching activity.

Art-The kiddos were handworkers constructing their chicka boom boom tree out of construction paper.  They cut out 4 leaves by themselves and folded the paper to make the tree branches.  The final touches were the coconuts to match the picture in the story.  These pictures are displayed on the outside bulletin board. 

Reading- The children completed a letter hunt by listening to the letter and finding it on their tree.  They used dot stampers to cover up the letter identified. 

Fine motor- The children demonstrated counting with one to one correspondence by stringing coconuts (beads) on their trees (pipe cleaners) based on the corresponding number.   They were focused and enjoyed working with beads.

Math-Monster dice roll. The children counted the number of dots on the dice and matched it to the corresponding number on their monster mat. 

Circle time- Practiced gross motor activities and challenged our balance and coordination with go noodle yoga.  Also, we met two new zoo phonics friends Dee Dee Dear and Ellie Elephant.

Fun on the playgroundJ

P.E

What a fantastic week we had in Pre-K as the learning and fun continues.  Here is a look at the week:

Circle time- The kiddos met the new zoo phonics friends, Allie Alligator, Bubba Bear, and Catina Cat.  Ask your child to tell you about each animal and what they say!

Language Arts- The children put their fishing skills to test as they fished for letters.  Also, some were challenged to say the sound the letter makes and match it to the corresponding picture.  This was an engaging game they enjoyed.  

Math- We explored the concept of measuring and used a variety of manipulatives to measure their names on unifix cubes.  The kiddos practiced counting using one to one correspondence.  

Also, they played a monster memory game reinforcing number recognition. 

Fine motor- The children had number mats and rolled play dough into cookies to feed the monster the matching number.  

Art- The children used finger paint to create a masterpiece! They enjoyed mixing the colors and were telling creative stories about their pictures.

Spanish- watched a video and did interactive flashcards to learn the colors and parts of the body. 

P.E.

Music- Danced and moved their bodies to the beat of the song as Mrs. Novesky played the piano.  

Free choice- exploring new materials in the classroom.

Next week: We will dive into the Chicka, Chicka, Boom Boom unit! Also, we will meet our new 5^th grade reading buddies on Monday!

There will be no school on Wednesday, September 23, for Yom Kippur, but EDP will be available. 

All About Me!

We had a wonderful week learning about each other in our All About Me unit.  The PK kiddos are learning the flow of the classroom and are transitioning smoothly from one activity to the next.  I am impressed to see how quickly they adapt and are ready for the learning and action!

This week in morning meeting I introduced the ‘Build your rainbow’ chart.  We read a variety of books about how we can be safe and make smart choices in the classroom, recess, and lunchroom.  Every time I catch a child making a good choice they get to pick the next color piece of the rainbow.  This reinforces smart choices and the kiddos really start to connect with the rainbow through the next couple of weeks.  We read a few stories such as, ABC I Like Me!,  A my name is Alice,  and What I Like About Me.  Together we made a list about our unique and similar characteristics!  The kiddos had a chance to create their own pictures in centers.

Centers this week:

Reading groups- Got our hands messy with shaving cream as we explored and wrote the letters in our name.

L.A-The children used foam letters to spell their names.  Also, created a project based on the story, A My Name is Alice.  The children had a variety of pictures to chose from that had the same beginning sound as their name!

Art- Created their own pictures tearing and cutting construction paper to match their hair and eyes.  Cutting is a tricky, challenging skill we will be working on, but they did a great job!  The children started to pick up on similarities in appearance with friends, “Look! I have curly hair too!”  These pictures will be displayed on the inside bulletin board.

Fine motor- The kiddos glued tiny squares on each letter of their name based on the order of rainbow colors.  

Math-Monster dice roll game!

P.E- Freeze Tag with friends. 

Dramatic Play- Cooking in the kitchen!

 

Next week, we will meet our zoo friends and start our phonics program during circle time. 

We have had a wonderful first few days in PK: meeting new friends, learning new routines, and learning how to be a part of the classroom. I am excited for this school year and can’t wait to see how much growth and learning takes place!

Through this weekly blog you will see pictures and videos highlighting our daily activities, so you can be a part of the classroom too.

This week I will show you a typical day in Pre-K. We participate in morning meeting, free choice, centers, snack, recess, and circle time on a daily basis.   We have music and P.E two days a week.  This week we went to the big gym and met Mr. Ben Sira (Mr. B) and even played maracas with Mrs.Novesky in music.   The kids enjoyed traveling to different rooms and being active in these classes. 

Here is a look at our typical day:

Free choice: Playing in the dramatic play area and kitchen.  

Morning meeting: We are learning about our schedule and signing songs!  The calendar and morning message were introduced this week.

Gym:  Meeting Mr. B and playing a game of monster freeze tag.

Music:  Singing and dancing with Mrs. N.  We used maracas to keep the beat of the song on our body.

Spanish: Ms. Juanita taught us some colors and classroom items.

Snack time:  The kiddos are learning how to be independent and take responsibility for cleaning up their own mess. After snack, is a quiet book look in the classroom library. 

Recess:  Exploring the tire swing, slide, sand box, and big blocks.  The kiddos have big smiles running around and getting all their energy out J This is a great time to socialize and learn how to problem solve with one another.

Centers:  Working in two smaller groups.   One independent group and two teacher led groups.  The children are learning how to stay at one table for the whole activity.  This is when we will have our literacy, math, fine motor, art, and thematic activities.  

Circle time:  We are learning how to be good listeners on the carpet and taking turns sharing ideas and stories.

Next week ‘s focus- All About Me: We will discover our unique qualities that make us special. Each month we will be painting a self-portrait.  The children get to look in the mirror and examine their physical characteristics and will interpret their image into a painting.   It is exciting to see the changes and growth from the first self-portrait to the final one in June!  These paintings will be displayed in the classroom. 

First day orientation with our families!