Hi JK Parents!
Happy second week of school!
We had a wonderful time learning all about each other's families, hobbies
and interests!
Math & Science:
We made predictions on who
weighed more, less and the same as we weighed each student. We discussed
ABAB and AABB patterns as we practiced beading, and continued our Pete the Cat
dice game while the students wrote their numbers from 1-10.
Mr. Linkhart made PE time so
much fun as the children played games and ran an obstacle course around pins.
Each day in PE provides many different movements for working those large
muscles, including bi-lateral movement so critical for developing coordination
that also assists in learning.
Modeling different
movements, being both the leader and the follower, and teaming with classmates
as part of smaller groups are the many ways Mr. Linkhart is encouraging this
class to become their own community!
Literacy:
We read many stories about
different kinds of families, and the differences that make us all interesting.
We read the story about the elephant, Elmer, who didn't like being
different. He ended up loving how appreciated he was because of that very
difference, making the world a much more colorful and interesting place!
Fine Motor/Art:
The students made their own
Elmer the Elephants with tissue paper. They also began creating/painting
their own self-portraits they will paint each month. This provides a
developmental path to follow I will save for their portfolios, tracking their
progress as the year progresses. We continued making our almost life-size
self-portrait dolls, and will be working on those for a few weeks, as it's a
multi-step process.
Social/Emotional:
Snack time has been a great
opportunity for the children to chat with their friends and discuss their likes
and dislikes. We begin snack time with a thankful poem and take turns as
one table a day tells the class one thing for which they are thankful.
Sometimes it's thankfulness for their apples, and sometimes it's for hugs
from their mommy and daddy. It's a sweet time for sharing and also
provides practice for waiting for everyone to be seated before eating.
It's part of becoming aware of the other people around you and developing
a regard for their thoughts and feelings. Preschool is such a growing
period where the children become much more aware of everything in their
environment and the world begins to grow into a much bigger place. I have
an incredible vantage point inside the classroom with these little people and
it's such a delight to watch it all unfold!
Each student chooses a story
for individual reading time after snack, where they take "picture
walks" through books. This is a beneficial activity for building
literacy as the children use their imaginations along with the photos to tell a
story. They learn to follow the print from left to right and top to
bottom, and are able to turn pages and learn how a book should be followed.
It sounds so simple but is one of the first foundations for
literacy/reading.
Literacy:
The Writing Center is just one
center for literacy development, where students practice writing their names,
use pretend writing symbols and groups of letters to write stories, and use
stamps to illustrate their work. We use the "Handwriting Without
Tears" program with our daily sign in, and also while copying words in the
writing center.
Show and tell was exciting as
each child had their turn to showcase their special item. In this case,
it was a pet Guinea Pig! We took turns feeding him straw and treats as we
learned about his habits.
We read Elmer and
Rose, and learned that by sharing your thoughts with a friend, it can make all
the difference in helping someone feel better about themselves!
The children are already
developing higher-level game playing with their friends as their play becomes
more complex. And sometimes, all you want to do is spin round and round
and laugh like crazy!
Pebbles found on the
playground were "treasures" found and "jewels" to be
shared. Imaginations and fantasy play at it's finest at Roycemore!
The monkey bars are an
incredibly beneficial way to increase both fine and gross motor skills and a
wonderful way for the children to bond with friends as they challenge each
other.
Star Wars Yoga provided a fun
activity before lunch. The children loved it and were impressive in their
flexibility!
Our dining hall time is such a
beneficial way for students to practice their manners and socialize with
friends. They are all comfortable choosing their seat, and going up to
ask for seconds or dessert after they have tried a couple of items on their
plate.
This gear masterpiece was
created in about five minutes! I love the look of pride as I observe the
finished products during free play!
What a generous show and tell,
as each child was allowed to choose a sticker and wear it, based on his/her
favorite movie!
This home made show and
tell was a top that spins, and was created from recycled materials at home with
her mom! We love homemade creations!
Ms. Liubin makes everyone feel
more comfortable in the classroom! Her sense of humor and style are
wildly apparent in this photo!
We will be finishing up our All
About Me Theme this week and transitioning into fall and apples.
Each day we have "Higher
Level Thinking" themes and questions to stretch the student's approach to
thinking. Some of the questions from this week included "which super
power would you most want?" and "how would you end this story if you
were the author" when discussing after story time. We took a survey about
JK and will begin making charts and graphs to demonstrate our findings. I
was happy that each child voted in the affirmative for their love of JK!
Whew! Please feel free to explore the classroom as our findings may
often be found hanging on our walls.
It was such a pleasure to see
you all at Mini School Night! I was cramming a lot of information into
those 15 minutes so please feel free to contact me with any questions.
Ms. Massey
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