So much fun!

We had another busy week at Funtime! I don't know if your kids are as worn out as I am at the end of the day...

This week our theme was Arctic Animals. The kiddos enjoyed learning about Penguins - my favorite animal! On Wednesday we strayed a little bit from animals and talked about Inuit people or Eskimos.

Monday the kids made a penguin (yes, it was a penguin) out of a paper plate and construction paper cut into the shapes of wings, a head, feet and a beak. I know some of them didn't quite look like penguins, we put glue on the back of each piece and let the kids place them where they thought they should go. We did talk about the parts before they sat down at the table, we talked about where the head went and the wings and I pointed to the pictures of the penguins in a "You Big Backyard" magazine - still, some pieces didn't quite end up where they were 'supposed' to. We read about all different kinds of penguins in the magazine and discussed which were our favorites. Mine are Emperor penguins & Rock hopper. A few kids brought up the movie Happy Feet, when we looked at the pictures and I talked about March of the Penguins. Both are great movies, if you are looking for a little family entertainment.
The pre-k class did a math worksheet in which they had to count the penguins and then try and write the number. If they did not know how to write the number, I wrote it with a highlighter and they traced over it. We are really working on counting and number recognition, so I did not expect them to know how to write all the numbers. They did a great job and as always, I am so proud of them.

As I mentioned above, on Wednesday we strayed a little bit from animals and talked about Inuit (which means native) people or Eskimos. We discussed how they live in Igloos and use animals for food, clothing, weapons (I didn't really get into this - just said they also use the animals bones), etc. The kids had fun playing with the word Inuit... We made igloos by gluing mini marshmallows onto black construction paper. I told the kids not the eat the marshmallows, because they were old and yucky. The truth is, they were old - leftover from our movie and PJ day in December - but they were not hard and probably not yucky. The kids were so good, nobody ate any marshmallows; I was VERY impressed! We also had them glue cotton along the bottom of the page as snow on the ground. They had fun making the Igloos and saying Inuit over and over.
The pre-k class worked on writing slanted lines. We have done vertical lines, horizontal lines and now slanted lines. Next we will work on circles and half circles. All of this is in preparation for learning to write their letters. They are eager to learn and always try their best, I can't wait to begin writing letters with them.

Friday was gym day and the gym was all set up for basketball, so we were a little limited on space. Rather than trying to get more stuff out and risk someone getting hurt, we decided to just let them run back and forth. They didn't seem to mind one bit - back and forth they went - wore me out to watch them.

I've had a few questions from pre-k parents about what can be done at home to help prepare the kids for Kindergarten. Here's a list of some things you can do at home that we will also be working on in class:

Alphabet flash cards
Number flash cards
Learning address
Learning phone number
Zipping, buttoning and tying
Writing first and last name (using upper and lower case letters)

Next week we have 2 themes: Ground hog day and Chinese New Year
After that we will begin a unit on Community Helpers

Thank you all for helping your children wash their hands with soap and water before class. And for using the potty.

Happy Sunday! See you tomorrow.

Short week at Funtime

Because there was no school on Monday, the week just flew by! On Wednesday we talked about Arctic animals, with a focus on the polar bear. We read a story about a polar bear who learned all about the ways Mama's love their babies. For craft, the kids were instructed to glue the 'fur' onto a polar bear. The goal was for them to spread the quilt batting out and glue it to the shape of the polar bear, but it turned out more like a polar bear in a blizzard, because once they got done with the gluing, you couldn't even see the bear! It's all about the process....
The pre-k class worked on cutting and pre-writing skills.

Friday was gym day, as usual, and we decided to highlight a couple of different sports. We put out the soccer nets and ball and the basketball hoops and balls. The kids had fun trying to score on each other in soccer. They also had fun shooting hoops, a few kids even tried to get the ball into the big hoops (the true basketball hoops). Then we had a few kids who played their own versions of each game, throwing basketballs into the soccer nets and shooting soccer balls threw the hoops. It's so fun for me to watch what they come up with... I try to leave gym time unstructured and just put things out to guide the kids. What I mean by this, is I try to not play any games that require teacher instruction in the gym. During recess with the pre-k class, we often play what time is it Mr. Shark or other games, but during gym, I like to just give the kids 'tools' and let them use their imagination and just PLAY. They never cease to amaze me, they are so clever and think up ways of using things that I never would have imagined.

The pre-k kids are working really hard on letter & number recognition and writing their names. Most of the kids can write their name in all capital letters, if your child has mastered this, have them try to write it with upper and lower case. Next week we will begin working on writing the alphabet - not all at once, of course, but will begin the process one letter at a time. I will be sending home homework for them to work on. Please help your child with their letter & number recognition by doing flashcards with them or simply pointing to letters in written material and asking them to tell you what that letter is.

Sorry for the delay in my update - this weekend went way too fast!!

Reminders:
Please wash hands with soap and water before entering the classroom.
Please have your child try to go potty before class.

Thanks!
Lisa

Welcome back!

We had a fun and eventful first week back! This week we focused on Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and the lessons he taught the world. We talked a little bit about who he was and why he is so important in U.S. History. We also touched on Rosa Parks and the part she played in our history.

For craft on Monday we made a picture with a heart in the middle and one dark hand print and one light hand print. We had read a story about Martin Luther King Jr. and talked a little bit about hate and prejudice - in terms the kiddos can understand. Mostly we talked about friendship and being kind to others no matter what they looked like, whether they had blue eyes or brown, curly hair or straight. So, the picture was to symbolize friendship and kindness.

On Wednesday, I read the cutest story! It's called The Crayon Box that Talked by Shane DeRolf. I highly recommend this book - I made my whole family read it, including my husband! It's about a box of crayons who do not get along, certain colors don't like other colors and they don't really know why. After a little girl draws a picture with all of them, they see what they can make together and begin to like each other. It is a great lesson to all of us. The kids really understood what was happening and were happy that in the end they all became friends. I enjoyed this book for 2 reasons, it was a great way to teach the kids about prejudice, which went right along with our lesson on Mon. about MLK, but also, with the start of a new semester, we have new friends in class and it was a good way to teach the kids about friendship and kindness. It was a great way to start a conversation about what it's like to come into a class where you don't know anybody and how we can make each other feel welcome. I love, love, love this book for so many reasons! For craft the kids decorated their own paper crayon and I am going to make a crayon box for them - we will hang it all in the hall under our team funtime sign. Look for it next week!

On Friday we played with all kinds of balls in the gym. The kids had a blast, bouncing, rolling and chasing the balls and Amy and I had fun, kicking and throwing the balls with the kids. The kids seem to look so forward to Friday - they ask me everyday, "Miss Lisa, is it gym day today?" I love that they are excited about playing in the gym - they don't quite understand yet that exercise is hard work! :-) Wish I still felt that way about it....

For the next 2 weeks, our theme will be Winter Animals and their habitats.

Don't forget - No class on Monday for MLK day. See you all on Wednesday.

Have a great weekend!