THANK YOU!

Thank you to all the parents and grandparents who came in this past Friday to help cut, assemble, xerox, laminate, etc. materials for our class.  We GREATLY appreciate the time and effort you contributed! 

FANTASTIC FRIDAY 9-28-12

TERRIFIC TUBES!~

Collier, Lily, and Shelby create a tube structure.

 DECORATING THE LETTER "T"~

 Check out what we used to decorate our letter "T".  It was "TRIPLE TROUBLE"!!  Everyone TAPED TWO TOOTHPICKS on the "T"!

 STAR OF THE WEEK~

On Friday, we introduced our first "Star of the Week".  It was Mrs. Spolter.  Every child will have a turn to be the "Star of the Week".  When it is your child's turn, he/she will complete a page about his/her favorite things, choose 8-10 photos to bring in and display on the bulletin board, and choose 1 special item to show the class.  We will send home a note in your child's folder when it is his/her turn to be "Star of the Week".  

 TORNADOES~

On Friday, we held a discussion about tornadoes--what they are, what they do, and what we should do if a tornado comes close to us.   We also discussed the different names for a tornado....twister, funnel cloud, and even vortex!!  Following our discussion, we watched a tornado in a bottle. 

THRILLING THURSDAY 9-27-12

~SCHOOL SPIRIT DAY!~

Reminder:  Tomorrow children can wear Academy "spirit wear"/sportswear from the waist up.  Dress Code clothing should be worn from the waist down.

GO VIKES!

REPTILES AND MAMMALS~

On Tuesday, we read a book about reptiles.  Yesterday, we read a book about mammals.  We discussed the differences and similarities between mammals and reptiles.  Using real photo cards, we then played a game sorting animals into 2 different categories--mammal or reptile.  This activity is at the Discovery Station and is available for students to do during Free Choice time.

FREE CHOICE~

Madelyn and Emma work on a floor puzzle.

Shelby and David work on stamping and writing the letter "T" and "t' at the Writing Station.

 Dominic tries to solve a tangram puzzle at the Overhead Station.

 Cody puts together the alphabet puzzle at the ABC Station.

 Madelyn works on the Fall sequencing pictures at the Discovery Station.

PRE-K ALPHABET MEMORY BOOK~

Throughout this school year, Pre-K children will work on a Pre-K Alphabet Memory Book which will be a collection of their work and photos of special events.  Today, we did the "T" page of the book.  Children were asked to draw a picture of a turtle and then decide on one more item to draw, beginning with the /T/ sound.  We then assisted the children in labeling their pictures, using "inventive spelling" (spelling words phonetically).  Be sure to ask your child what he/she drew.

TERRIFIC TUESDAY 9-25-12

NEW FREE CHOICE ACTIVITIES~

 SOUND DISCRIMINATION ACTIVITY~Each week, we add a drawer of objects for the new letter sound.  Currently, we have a drawers for the /B/, /M/ and /T/ sounds.  For this activity, children choose 2 drawers of objects....

 

 ...this child chose the /B/ and /T/ drawers.

The child dumps out the objects from both drawers into 1 pile.

Next, the child divides the objects into 2 groups, based on the beginning sound of each object.

Once finished, the child puts the objects back into their correct drawers.

Building with tubes.

Tossing 20 paper wads into the trash can.

Using tweezers to pick up beads and transferring them to a toothpick.

Using tweezers to pick up bugs to "feed the frog".

Storytelling in the Book Nook.

Working with tangram puzzles at Math Magic.

STORYTELLING~

Today we read the story, Shortcut.  Be sure to ask your child the following questions about this story...

~What is a shortcut?

~What does a freight train carry?

~What does a passenger train carry?

~What happened when the children in the story took the shortcut?

~Did the children in the story take the shortcut all the way home?

 

REPTILE OR MAMMAL?~

This week's "animal of the week" is a tiny turtle.  Today we discussed the fact that turtles are reptiles.  Our previous "animal of the week" animals were a bear and a monkey--both mammals.  On Wednesday, we will continue to discuss and learn about the differences and similarities between mammals and reptiles.

MARVELOUS MONDAY 9-24-12

MORNING MESSAGE~

Today we introduced a new part of our morning message--answering a question.  After they have completed their morning jobs and before they sit down for morning meeting, children were asked to answer a question on the morning message.   We will continue this practice for the remainder of the school year. 

 OUTDOOR PLAY~

Today we introduced our scooters during outdoor play.  These were a huge hit with the children!

 OVERHEAD STATION~

Today we opened the "Overhead Station".  This week, children can use tangrams (various shapes including 2 large triangles, 1 medium triangle, 2 small triangles, 1 square, and 1 parallelogram) to fit inside various puzzle cards.  Tangram puzzles practice and develop spatial reasoning and problem-solving skills. 

 T is for TEETH!~

Emma and Cody model some interesting teeth for us.  Be sure to ask your child to show you his/her new teeth and why we gave these to everyone today!