Last week & new session

Wow, the last 6 weeks have just flown by! We start a new session on Wednesday 2/23 and our classes are overflowing! We will have Mr. Drake with us for the 2 morning classes and for now, Ms. Emily has moved over to the Northside and EPIC to get some experience teaching different classes. We may see her again before this school year is over.

I'm a little behind with my update - I didn't forget about you guys, the weekend just flew by and I didn't get a chance to write about what we did last week. So, here is a quick summary of our week.

On Monday we had a great time exchanging Valentines and feasting on yummy treats! The kids had a lot of fun giving out their valentines and then talking about it with their Funtime friends. Telling each other about which valentines they picked and how this one had a tattoo and this one had a funny cat, etc. It was really cute and they were really into it. A big Thank you from all of the teachers for our wonderful and thoughtful gifts! We all appreciate all of you so much - thank you!!

Wednesday we focused on Presidents day, since there is no school today. We talked about Abraham Lincoln, it was kind of ironic, because it was 2/16 and he was the 16th President... mostly we talked about his early life and how he came to be President. We also talked a little bit about slavery, what it was and how Abe was against it and eventually abolished it in this country. Of course I didn't use words like abolished... but discussed it in much simpler terms. For craft we made a log cabin out of Popsicle sticks and glued a drawing of Abe's face on it.
The pre-k class worked on the letter T and a review of the letters they have learned up to this point. They have learned to write all the ones that begin with a straight line from the top to the bottom or sky to the ground (this is what I call the top and bottom lines) and have another straight vertical line in them. (ie: L, I) They work so hard when it's writing time and are very determined - I'm so proud of them!

Friday was gym day! We had a lot of fun playing with all the balls in the gym. I always really enjoy running and playing with the kids in the gym. But I've found that on the days we have free play in they gym, like when we have the balls out, I have to stand and watch, because when I am playing, I'm not able to see everything that is going on. It's very different when we are playing a game like "what time is it Mr. Shark", I actually get to play on those days. I still get to play with the kids when I am standing watch, but it's limited to throwing and kicking the balls. It's fun to watch and see what kinds of things they come up with when given free reign. They are so much more creative than I am when it comes to making up games to play with each other!

Housekeeping and reminders:

Don't forget to wash your child's hand and have them go potty before class.

The new session begins 2/23, for those of you who are taking a break, we will miss you!!  I talked to a few of you who will be back in April and we look forward to seeing you then.

Our theme for the next 3 weeks will be: Community Helpers
This week we will focus on Dentistry and on Friday we will have a visit from a dental hygienist in the 2 morning classes and possibly the afternoon class as well.

Enjoy the rest of your day and I look forward to seeing everybody on Wednesday!

Reminders & Fun stuff

Wow - what a gorgeous weekend! I hope you all are outside enjoying this beautiful Colorado weather!

A few quick reminders before I get into all the Fun things we did this week.

1. For those of you who drive on Horsetooth East of Timberline to get to the YAC - the road is closed at the railroad tracks beginning Monday and I believe it will be closed through the 17th. So plan on taking an alternative route

2. Pre-k class, don't forget to bring your Valentine's mailboxes in tomorrow.

3. All classes - don't forget to bring your Valentine's and other goodies (if you signed up to bring something) to class tomorrow for our celebration.

4. Friday 2/18 is the last day of this 6 week session. The next session begins 2/23 (Wed.) Be sure to sign up for the next session. Registration is open for all sessions of Funtime through May.

5. Ms. Amy update: Amy is recovering from her foot surgery and will be back at Funtime Monday 2/14. Yeah! I know the kids have missed her, they have all been asking about her. I am looking forward to her return!

6. Thers is no school on Monday 2/21 in honor of President's Day.


Now for the fun Stuff!

We had a busy week in Funtime working on Valentines and preparing for the celebration on Monday 2/14. I hope you all liked the 'Hug' the kids made for you on Monday. They were very excited to make a valentine for their parents and present them to you. Some kiddos were very secretive and wouldn't let their parents see it until Valentines Day. Too cute!

Wednesday the kids used stickers to decorate bags to put their valentines in. They had fun peeling and sticking all kinds of different stickers on the bags. I can't wait for them to put their valentines in them tomorrow.

The Pre-K kids worked on writing circles and half circles. This is  in preparation for learning to write the letters that use circles and half circles. We also worked on letter and number recognition. This week we will begin learning address and phone numbers and continue to work on writing our letters, names and letter/number recognition.

Next week we will have our Valentine's Day Celebration and then our focus will be President's Day.

Have a great Sunday! See you all tomorrow.

Ms. Lisa

Oh Baby it's cold outside!

We made it through a really, really cold week! Although, it was pretty cozy in the Funtime room. Thanks to those of you who braved the cold and brought your kiddos on Wednesday even though PSD cancelled school.

This is a long post, so if you read nothing else, please scroll down to the bottom and read "A few house keeping items"

This week we had 2 different themes, on Monday, we focused on Ground hog day. The kids were really cute, asking all kinds of questions about the ground hog; why he came out of his hole, why did his shadow scare him, what was his name.... I answered these questions as best I could and we talked about the most famous ground hog, Pucksatawny Phil. The kids thought this was a silly name for a ground hog and I had to agree, so we brainstormed some other names for ground hogs - these kiddos are so creative!
For craft we made a ground hog puppet out of pom, poms and Popsicle sticks. Yes, I promise they were ground hogs, I know some of them were white and some were a golden color, but use your imaginations... we had to use the supplies we had. The kids had a lot of fun making the ground hog puppets and the older 2 classes even made theirs talk to each other, talking about how it was cold and 'did you see your shadow, because I didn't see mine.' I just love to listen to where their imaginations take them! The good news is, the ground hog did not see his shadow, so that means an early spring... I'll believe it when I see it!

On Wednesday, a cold, cold Wednesday, we talked about Chinese New Year. Thursday was the first day of Chinese New Year, the year of the Rabbit. We made Chinese Dragon puppets. The kids enjoyed hearing about this holiday celebrated in China, as well as in Chinese/American homes around the United States. A few kiddos had their own tales of New Year's Eve, so we talked a little bit about the differences. Not only is it a different date, it's a similar, but different kind of celebration. We also talked about how each year in China is dedicated to a different animal and each animal signifies something new. The Rabbit, or Hare as he is referred to in Chinese mythology, is the emblem of longevity and is said to derive his essence from the Moon.
2011 will be a placid year compared with last year, the year of the Tiger - a much welcomed and needed change. We had a few guests in our class today, Ms. Amy brought her kids and James' sister Hannah stayed to help out and play. They were so helpful and a joy to have in class! Thanks you guys for sharing part or all of you day with us, I truly enjoyed it!




our guest reader Hannah





The pre-k class worked extremely hard on writing the letter Ll, we did 4 different worksheets and they all tried their best on each one. Some of you have asked what you can do at home to help prepare your child for Kindergarten, working on name writing and letter and number recognition is a great place to start. If your child has this down, then begin working on learning/memorizing address and phone number.


Gym day was perfect for running off some steam after those frigid days earlier in the week. We got out big balls, little balls and some in-between balls and let the kiddos run and play to their hearts content. They were sweaty and tired by the time we were done with them! :-)

A few house keeping items:

Please continue to wash your child's hands and have them use the restroom before class.

Pre-K (12:30) class valentine mailboxes are due on Monday 2/14. I have a few extra shoe boxes if anybody needs one. You can bring them to class whenever they are complete, you don't have to wait until Valentines Day.
Pre-K class, please help your child write the name of each class member in the To: portion of their valentines and their name in the From: portion. If you need the class list again, please email me and I will send it to you.

The other 2 classes will be decorating valentine bags during class and only need to have their names written in the From: portion of their valentines.

My week was thrown off a little bit by the 'snow' days, so I did not post a Valentine's Day party sign-up sheet, I will do that on Monday.

Ms. Amy is having surgery on her foot on Monday, so we will have a variety of helpers in class this week. Mr.Drake, Ms. Emily and Ms. Jenn (the Curious 2's teacher). Please discuss this with your child if you feel they might be uncomfortable with this change.
Wishing you a speedy recovery Amy!

Have a great Sunday - stay warm and safe!

Lisa

Fun Pictures from the Afternoon class

Woo Wee is it COLD outside!! Here are some cute (and even one cozy) pictures from the afternoon class.
(Thanks to Shelley Moore - Max's mom for taking them)



Group hug - the kids in the afternoon class all came up one by one to give me a hug. It now happens everyday! They are just little sweet hearts and I will take all the hugs I can get!




The kids would work together to build a castle and then as soon as Shelley snapped the photo, they would destroy it.




So proud of their accomplishments... or are they just grinning so big, because they know they will destroy it as soon as picture is taken? - you decide!

Stay warm!

Lisa



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!