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.