Reindeer games

Today during centers the children made reindeer headbands.  To do this they cut out the outline of their hands.  They then glued them on a paper headband for antlers.  Next, they drew on two eyes.  Lastly, they glued on a red nose and added glitter glue for bling.  We will use the antlers on Friday for our reindeer games.  The children will do the reindeer poky, as well as play reindeer, reindeer, Santa.

At one of our independent centers the children played a reindeer roll and cover game.  They were each given dice.  They rolled their dice and placed the corresponding amount of cubes on their reindeer mats.  Playing games is a great way to involve your children in learning.  Here is a list of my top 5 children's games.

1.  Sequence For Kids
2.  Going to Grandma's House
3.  Monopoly Junior
4.  Zingo
5.  Candy Land

Rudolph

Today we read the following Rudolph color poem:

 

Rudolph! Rudolph!

What will you do?

You can’t guide Santa

IF your nose is

blue!

Rudolph! Rudolph!

You’re such a silly fellow,

Who will know it’s you

If your nose is

yellow!

Rudolph! Rudolph!

Your way cannot be seen

Through the wintry weather

If your nose is

green!

Rudolph! Rudolph!

Santa gave a wink,

But what will Santa think

If your nose is

pink?

Rudolph! Rudolph!

It’s time to fly at night

But you’re quite a sight

Cause your nose is

white!

Rudolph! Rudolph!

It’s time to go to town

But Santa’s wearing a frown

Cause your nose is

brown!

Rudolph! Rudolph!

Santa has his sack,

But you’re not ready

If your nose is

black!

Rudolph! Rudolph!

The children are in bed.

And now I know you’re ready

Cause your nose is
red!

 

During center time the children made their own take home book based on this poem.  The objective of this poem is to practice rhyming words.  Red sounds the same as bed they rhyme.  Yellow sounds the same as fellow they rhyme.

 

In keeping with the literacy theme the children played the Christmas stocking mystery game.  Each child took a turn pulling one item out of the stocking.  They identified the object that they pulled out.  They then decided what letter it began with. The children then put the item in the corresponding gift bag.  If your child needs extra help with beginning sounds, this activity can be easily replicated at home.  Just collect small objects around the house and place them in a stocking.

 



Children

In the wake of the tragic events that happened in Connecticut, I would like to leave you with a poem to ponder this weekend.

ABC's of Children

Submitted by: familyof3

Author: Meiji Steward

Amazing, acknowledge them.
Believable, trust them.
Childlike, allow them.
Divine, honor them.
Energetic, nourish them.
Fallible, embrace them.
Gifts, treasure them.
Here now, be with them.
Innocent, delight with them.
Joyful, appreciate them.
Kindhearted, learn from them.
Lovable, cherish them.
Magical, fly with them.
Noble, esteem them.
Open minded, respect them.
Precious, value them.
Questioners, encourage them.
Resourceful, support them.
Spontaneous, enjoy them.
Talented, believe in them.
Unique, affirm them.
Vulnerable, protect them.
Whole, recognize them.
Xtraspecial, celebrate them.
Yearning, notice them.
Zany, laugh with them

Children=our most precious gift!

W is for Winter

Today our read aloud was titled 10 Shiny Snowflakes.  The concepts that were focused on in this book were rhyming words and counting backwards(subtracting one).  The children love these types of books because they can actively participate in the story by reading some of the parts.

During centers today the children made the letter "W" for their alphabet book.  They cut the "W" out on the line provided.  Then they used snowflake stamps to make their "W" look like winter. At my center the children journaled what they like to do when it is cold outside.  We focused on drawing a recognizable person as well as adding detail to our picture.

I also want to share with you another play center that we are using during the month of December.  Math and Science has been transformed into Santa's workshop.  The children can go to the workshop and make a list of toys that they would like to purchase.  Santa's Elves will then fill their orders.  The toys are then given to friends as gifts.

Tips for a happy Holiday Program!

       
 
Don’t forget . . . to drop off your child in room 300,at 8:40 a.m. on Wednesday, December 12^th!  You and your family will then go to the cafeteria to find a place to sit and we will do a little bit of practice with all of the children. 

 

*Before leaving for the program, explain to your child that you will bring him/her to our classroom and that you will go to the cafeteria.  Tell him/her that you will be watching for him/her and you can’t wait to hear his/her pretty singing voice!

*Watch for your child as he/she enters the cafeteria!  Wave and smile to your child!  It’s always nice to have a friendly, familiar face to look at amidst the crowd!

*After the program, tell your child how proud you are of him or her!  Go through the treat line together and pick out some treats to share! 

*Please watch all of your children closely after the program.  Children should stay OFF the risers and should always WALK in the cafeteria.  This is for everyone’s safety! 

 

Thank you!  We’ll see you there!

Let it Snow, Let it Snow, Let it Snow

Today the students took part in one center.  They made a Santa Claus art project.  The main objective for this project was to have the students work on their fine motor skills as well as their ability to follow directions.  I am going to let this project be a surprise!  Look for it decorating the walls at our Holiday Program. 

The children are getting very excited for our program on Wednesday.  Since we practiced extra hard today, instead of inside playtime I gave the children extra outdoor play time.  The snow sparked the children's use of describing words and conversational skills.  They worked together to build a snow castle.  They described the snow blocks as enormous and heavy.  They worked together to plan how to build walls and get their structure to be sound.

Fun Friday

Today our read aloud was titled Dream Snow.  As I read a story to the children I stop every couple of pages to ask the children what they think is going to happen next.  For this book I had to stop after almost all of the pages, because in the story there is a snowstorm.  The snow blankets all of the farmer's animals.  We had to predict which animal was under the blanket of snow.  As you read bedtime books to your children take time to stop and ask them what they think will happen next.

During centers today the children cut out the letter I.  Their I looked like an igloo.  They painted their I with glue and then sprinkled it with white glitter to make ice on their igloo.

At Mrs. Severson's center the children experimented with ice.  They were each given a direction sheet.  They rolled a die and followed the corresponding direction.  Sometimes they had to shake salt on their ice, while other times they had to hold it in their glove.  The purpose of this activity was to observe the reaction to warmth on ice.

 

 

We couldn't talk about ice and winter without mentioning cocoa.  Today during snack the children taste tested hot cocoa with marshmallows.  The reason we do taste tests in 4K is so that we can graph the results.  Being able to analyse information and make comparisons is a life skill.



I is for Ice and Icicles W is for Winter

Sorry for the delay in blogging today!  I have had a busy day.  I had the wonderful opportunity to sub for second grade this afternoon.  Then this evening at the high school, I ran the clock for the wrestling meet.  Between that I took my daughter to piano practice.  These opportunities allow me to see the wonderful learning opportunities that are occurring all over our school district.

Today our read aloud story was Snowballs by Lois Ehlert.   Lois Ehlert is a master of collage and Snowballs is a delightful look at a variety of snow people and animals that can be made with snowballs and household items like mittens, buttons, and nuts. Snowballs is told in the words of a child who, along with the rest of the family, has "been waiting for a really big snow, saving good stuff in a sack." The good stuff includes corn, bird seed, and nuts for the birds and squirrels to eat off of the snow creatures; hats, scarves, bottle caps, plastic forks, buttons, fall leaves, a man's tie, and a lot of other things. The photo collages feature fabric circles as snowballs that are transformed when stacked and decked out with features and accessories.
 
Today at my center the children read the story Snowflakes Falling.  We learned that I can be a letter as well as a word.  On each page the children read the sentence, and identified how many snowflakes they needed to stamp to have the correlating number.

At one of our independent centers the children cut out, wrote their name on the back of, and colored a hot coco mug.  Tomorrow they will be given the opportunity to taste test hot cocoa.  On Monday during play time they will add marshmallows to their cocoa by dipping the end of a pencil in white paint and stamping it on their mug.  I was very impressed with the children's ability to follow directions independently at this center.  As you can see they also did a great job of coloring.

Sneezing, Sniffling, and Upset Bellies

Today we had it all.  It is definitely that time of the year.  Today we had three children out sick.  We do our best at school to have the children wash their hands before they eat.  We also wipe down the tables with cleaning wipes various times throughout the day, but those germs still make their way into our systems.  Today I have included a link from Parenting the Magazine on how to try to stay healthy during the winter months.  http://www.parents.com/parenting/better-parenting/advice/your-guide-to-staying-healthy-this-winter/#page=7

Snowmen

How do you make a snowman without any snow?  Today in 4K we found out how.  At one of our independent centers the children visited the website starfall.com.  Here they read an interactive story titled 10 Little Snowmen.   To read the words the children had to click on each one going form left to right, just like reading a real story.  The program then sounded out each word for the children.  After each sentence was read, the children could click and drag different items onto the snowman to decorate it.  I have included the link for you enjoyment at home.http://www.starfall.com/n/holiday/snowman/load.htm?f

At Miss Sue's center the children played a snowman rhyming word concentration game.  Research has shown that children who struggle with rhymes will more than likely later struggle with reading.  To help your child in this area take part in reading and rereading nursery rhymes.  As you read them identify the rhyming words and ask your child to produce more word that rhyme with them.  At this age it is OK for the rhyming words to be nonsense words.  These words are actually more fun.  At my center the children were given a snowball for each letter in their name.  Some children worked on their first names, while others worked on their last names.  The children glued their snowballs onto a piece of paper from largest to smallest.  They then wrote one letter of their name in each ball.  Lastly, they added details to their pictures like eyes, nose, mouth, hat, arms, and of course snow.

At Mrs. Severson's center the children were each given the outline of a snowman, a set of stickers, and a die.  They rolled their die and used one-to-one correspondence to place the correct umber of stickers around their snowman.  Some children are working with one die while others are working with two.  If they had time they decorated their project. 

Gingerbread Man Culmination

Today we read our last gingerbread story for the week.  It was titled Gingerbread Friends.  The interesting thing about this story was that the Gingerbread Baby from the story we read earlier in the week was the main character in this story too.  The problem in the story was that the Gingerbread  Baby was sad because it didn't have anyone to play with when its boy wasn't home.  He searched a bakery in the city to try to find a friend, but only ran into cookies who could not talk.  The solution to the Gingerbread Baby's problem came when Matti, the boy who baked him, baked him some gingerbread friends.

During centers today the children made a candy cane letter "c."  To do this they cut out the "c" then dipped a q-tip in red paint. They then made a turn taking pattern of red, white, red, white.  Mrs. Palmer our school speech pathologist helps in our classroom on Fridays, so she did this activity with many of the children.  At my center some of the children played a gingerbread letter recognition board game.  Other children worked on matching beginning sounds and other reading skills.  One of our state standards is that the children measure with nonstandard units.  At Mrs. Severson's center the children were given a bag of small gingerbread cutouts.  They used their counters to measure the height of a gingerbread dad, mom, and baby.  They then recorded their findings.  The children are not expected to write their numbers by the end of the year, but it is a skill we want to introduce them to.

Future Bakers

Well I must say we have some future bakers on our hands.  Today we started our day off by doing centers.  At Grandma Sue's center the children were given a Ziploc bag of the gingerbread cookie dough that they mixed up on Tuesday.  They were also each given a rolling pin.  They rolled out their dough and used a cookie cutter to cut a gingerbread man out of it.  At my center the children cut out the outline of a gingerbread man.  They then used doters to make an AA BB pattern around the edges of their man.  An example of this pattern would be red, red, blue, blue.  This is the pattern that we have been working on all month with our daily calendar. The purpose of this project was to see if the children could apply what they learned.  At the third center the children were each given a die and a recording sheet.  They rolled their die and dotted the number rolled.  A few children were given two dice and asked to add the two numbers rolled.

 

 

Today our story was titled Gingerbread Man Loose in the School.  Unlike the stories from the previous days in today's story the gingerbread man was chasing/looking for the school children, rather than being the one being chased.  After the story our cookies were cooled.  Each child took one bite of their cookie then STOPPED.  We then graphed what they bit first.  Was it the head, arm, or leg?  Lastly, I have included a picture from another Santa's Workshop play center.  At the sensory table the children are using blocks, wrapping paper and ribbons to wrap presents.  They give them to their friends and pretend that they are gifts.  Today I was given a sparkly golden bracelet as a gift(it was really a block in disguise).  I was very touched by the thought!

 

 



 

 

Mrs. Claus

A Visit With Mrs. Claus
Today the children took their e-field trip to the North Pole.  Mrs. Clause answered a few questions that the children had.  We learned that Santa will not bring a pony to our houses unless he first checks to see if their is enough room to raise it.  He will also ask our parents for permission before he brings one.  Mrs. Claus also read the story That's Not Santa to us.  When Santa cannot find his red suit, he tries on a cowboy suit, a baseball uniform, and other clothes, but none seems right for his yearly rounds.  At the end of the story Mrs. Claus gives Santa a new suit as a Christmas present.  She buys one for herself as well, so she can join in on the fun of delivering presents.  The following are the learning goals for this activity. Students will: be introduced to the idea of videoconferencing. learn how to use basic videoconferencing technology effectively. experience storytelling via videoconferencing modeled by a professional storyteller. develop an appreciation of videoconferencing. develop an appreciation of storytelling. observe how to add expression to a story by using variety in voices, facial gestures, body language, eye contact, pauses and volume. be able to ask questions about Santa Claus Today our gingerbread story was titled Gingerbread Baby.  When we compared the story to the one we read yesterday we learned that in yesterday's story the gingerbread man was eaten.  In today's story he lived happily ever after in a gingerbread house.  In today's story one of the main characters was a boy.  While yesterda's story did not have a boy in it.  Both stories did have a sneaky fox in them.   Today the children also made gingerbread dough.  During this lesson the children learned what ingredients are.  Why we use a recipe.  The difference between wet and dry ingredients.  How they don't like the smell of vinegar, ginger, or cloves.  As well as the beginning sound and letter that started each ingredient's name.

Santa's Workshop

Today when the children entered our classroom they found that it was transformed.  Our classroom now looks like Santa's Workshop.  In the writing center the children can make cards for loved ones, write a letter to Santa using words clipped to the dry earse board, or by sounding out the word and writing what they hear.  They can also color Christmas tree ornaments or string beads on a pipecleaner to make ornaments for our class tree.  Visit our blog again tomorrow to find out more about Santa's Workshop.

Today our read aloud was titled The Gingerbread Man.  The children listened to this story on a CD.  I must say that they truly enjoyed the readers use of different voices for each character in the story.  This week we are learning about the letter "C."  We can't talk about the letter "C" without talking about cookies.  Each day this week we will read a different version of the story The Gingerbread Man.  Through our discussions we will compare and contrast the characters in each story, the problem, and the solution in the story.  We will also make gingerbread cookies! 

At one of our centers today the children cut out four pictures form the story The Gingerbread Man.  They then sequenced the pictures in the correct order by what happened first, second, third, and last.  At Miss Sue's center the children sewed Christmas stockings.  Many of the children mentioned that they have never sewed before.  I must say that it did not show, for they did a super job!

Happy Thanksgving

Today the children really enjoyed the story 10 Turkeys In the Road.  The farmer was driving down the road when he saw ten turkeys in his way.  The farmer tried to beep, flash his lights, and opened his door to get the turkeys to move.  After each attempt one turkey flew away.  To interact with the story the children practiced subracting one each time by counting backwards from ten.  At the end of the story the turkeys took the farmers car to the Turkey Circus, so the farmer had to get a ride from the pigs.

Today we did another favorite activity of the children, which is called, "Find What's Missing."  I first showed the children a picture of a turkey.  They looked it over carefully.  Then I showed them another picture that had something missing.  The children then took turns identifying what was missing.  I have included a few pictures for you to give it a try.

At Grandma Sue's center the children made a turkey art project out of the coffee filter that they experimented with last week.  At Miss Sue's center the children drew a picture of what they are thankful for.  At my center the children made a story titled Where is Turkey?  This story worked on position words.  The word beside was very tricky for the children.  You may want to incorporate this word into the directions that you give your child.  For example you may say, "Put the fork beside the plate."

I hope you and your family have a safe and Happy Thanksgiving!!