Pre-K News!
April 26th, 2013
Dear Parents,
Metamorphosis, molt, proboscis, Monarch, camouflage, life cycle, chrysalis! These are some of the words heard in our classroom this week, and it wasn’t the teachers who were doing the talking! Sarah and I were very proud of the focus, interest, and understanding that the children demonstrated as they watched the butterflies emerge this week. We recorded their observations and questions in their butterfly journals that will come home next week. Here are a few of our favorite comments:
I drawed six legs, cause insects have six legs.
If you blow on it, it moves!
She’s tasting the orange, ‘cause they taste with their feet!
No, they taste with their tongues!
You mean its proboscis?
Can we keep them forever?
No they need to go outside and see nature and get pollen, and see flowers.
When are they going to lay their eggs?
Not today, ‘cause they have to dry their wings, right?
We’re observationing!
Our class will take the butterflies to the pond and release them next week.
Here are other highlights of the week:
· Letter Z centers - We zigged and zagged, worked on mazes, made zinnias, decorated ‘Z’s with zebras, and ate zucchini (thank you, Logan).
· Handwriting - We wrote in our handwriting journals and practiced writing the alphabet. The alphabet presentation is done but we will continue to support upper and lowercase letter recognition and letter formation in the weeks to come.
· Letter/sound association - Children sounded out words during journal writing and in the books they are making during free time.
· Greenfest - On Friday, all of Pre-k and ELC transitioned through 5 earth-day centers. We took the children on a nature walk and found grubs, worms, bees, seeds, buds, birds, insects, flowers, etc. We also cleaned up four small bags of trash!
· Math - The children impressed us this week with their ability to manipulate an abacus. Counting by 1’s, 5’s, and 10’s, and seeing the visual representation and groupings of numbers was fun for all of us. The concepts of addition and subtraction are becoming familiar and easier to understand.
Special Note: Grandparents and Special Friends Day is coming up on Friday, May 10th: Grandparents or special friends are invited to join your child on Friday morning. The day begins at 9:00 with coffee and greetings outside the Meeting for Worship room. There will be a short concert in the Meeting for Worship Room beginning at 9:15, and then our guests are invited to enjoy treats with us here in the classroom. Your child will then have time with their guests to show their work and visit places around the classroom and school. We will conclude the morning with a Meeting for Worship here in the classroom around 11:00. The day has lots of flexibility built in to accommodate siblings and other special needs. Children often leave with grandparents or special friends at the end of the morning, but are welcome to stay here for an afternoon program as well.
Have a wonderful weekend,
Sue and Sarah
Metamorphosis, molt, proboscis, Monarch, camouflage, life cycle, chrysalis! These are some of the words heard in our classroom this week, and it wasn’t the teachers who were doing the talking! Sarah and I were very proud of the focus, interest, and understanding that the children demonstrated as they watched the butterflies emerge this week. We recorded their observations and questions in their butterfly journals that will come home next week. Here are a few of our favorite comments:
I drawed six legs, cause insects have six legs.
If you blow on it, it moves!
She’s tasting the orange, ‘cause they taste with their feet!
No, they taste with their tongues!
You mean its proboscis?
Can we keep them forever?
No they need to go outside and see nature and get pollen, and see flowers.
When are they going to lay their eggs?
Not today, ‘cause they have to dry their wings, right?
We’re observationing!
Our class will take the butterflies to the pond and release them next week.
Here are other highlights of the week:
· Letter Z centers - We zigged and zagged, worked on mazes, made zinnias, decorated ‘Z’s with zebras, and ate zucchini (thank you, Logan).
· Handwriting - We wrote in our handwriting journals and practiced writing the alphabet. The alphabet presentation is done but we will continue to support upper and lowercase letter recognition and letter formation in the weeks to come.
· Letter/sound association - Children sounded out words during journal writing and in the books they are making during free time.
· Greenfest - On Friday, all of Pre-k and ELC transitioned through 5 earth-day centers. We took the children on a nature walk and found grubs, worms, bees, seeds, buds, birds, insects, flowers, etc. We also cleaned up four small bags of trash!
· Math - The children impressed us this week with their ability to manipulate an abacus. Counting by 1’s, 5’s, and 10’s, and seeing the visual representation and groupings of numbers was fun for all of us. The concepts of addition and subtraction are becoming familiar and easier to understand.
Special Note: Grandparents and Special Friends Day is coming up on Friday, May 10th: Grandparents or special friends are invited to join your child on Friday morning. The day begins at 9:00 with coffee and greetings outside the Meeting for Worship room. There will be a short concert in the Meeting for Worship Room beginning at 9:15, and then our guests are invited to enjoy treats with us here in the classroom. Your child will then have time with their guests to show their work and visit places around the classroom and school. We will conclude the morning with a Meeting for Worship here in the classroom around 11:00. The day has lots of flexibility built in to accommodate siblings and other special needs. Children often leave with grandparents or special friends at the end of the morning, but are welcome to stay here for an afternoon program as well.
Have a wonderful weekend,
Sue and Sarah
Next week:Specials:
Monday - Gathering, Library and music Tuesday - Spanish Wednesday - Art and PE Thursday - Meeting for Worship, Science (Star Lab) and library (vegetable tasting) Friday - PE and Art Letter review with Show and Tell on Thursday or Friday (any letter) |
Going on a nature walk during Greenfest
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Exploring by the pond
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Examining crawly creatures
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Pre-K News!
April 19th, 2013
Dear Parents,
This was Eric Carle week! Your children worked hard and their creative talents were impressive! After watching a video on Monday about Eric Carle’s work, we set out to create collages of our own. The first step was to create ‘pretty papers’ using a variety of paint colors and techniques. Ask your child about this very messy process! But, the results were worth the effort. The beautiful papers were used to create masterpieces on Wednesday. We added details to the projects on Friday, and they will be ready to hang next week! Pictures are included on the Photo Page.
We also began a pre-k composting project on Monday. Each day, we collect left over veggie and fruit scraps after lunch and add them to our compost bin. Jackson and Cole were our first compost helpers. They did a great job turning the bin, adding water and brown matter to balance the scrap waste to begin the process. We look forward to watching it turn to soil in six short weeks (hopefully)!
Despite the busy week, we managed to find time to write in journals, work on the letter ‘Y’, enjoy Meeting for Worship with the other pre-k class, practice handwriting, transfer the newly formed chrysalises to a butterfly cage, and take care of a Chinese Hamster that lived in our classroom this week.
The year is flying by! Though it seems early, we want you to note a few important dates that come up between now and the end of the year (additional information will be forthcoming). Please see below.
Have a great weekend,
Sue and Sarah
This was Eric Carle week! Your children worked hard and their creative talents were impressive! After watching a video on Monday about Eric Carle’s work, we set out to create collages of our own. The first step was to create ‘pretty papers’ using a variety of paint colors and techniques. Ask your child about this very messy process! But, the results were worth the effort. The beautiful papers were used to create masterpieces on Wednesday. We added details to the projects on Friday, and they will be ready to hang next week! Pictures are included on the Photo Page.
We also began a pre-k composting project on Monday. Each day, we collect left over veggie and fruit scraps after lunch and add them to our compost bin. Jackson and Cole were our first compost helpers. They did a great job turning the bin, adding water and brown matter to balance the scrap waste to begin the process. We look forward to watching it turn to soil in six short weeks (hopefully)!
Despite the busy week, we managed to find time to write in journals, work on the letter ‘Y’, enjoy Meeting for Worship with the other pre-k class, practice handwriting, transfer the newly formed chrysalises to a butterfly cage, and take care of a Chinese Hamster that lived in our classroom this week.
The year is flying by! Though it seems early, we want you to note a few important dates that come up between now and the end of the year (additional information will be forthcoming). Please see below.
Have a great weekend,
Sue and Sarah
Dates for the calendar: (more information will be forthcoming)
Friday, May 10th - Grandparents and Special Friends Day Thursday, May 16th - Spring Concert at 10:00 with refreshments following in the classroom Friday, May 24th – Pajama Day Monday, May 27th, - Holiday – no school Tuesday, June 4th – Field Day (kids only) with a family picnic at noon Friday, June 7th – Last day of school (11:45am dismissal) |
Upcoming Field Trips:Wednesday, May 8th - Ashland Nature Center
Tuesday, May 21st - DuPont Theater ("Click Clack Moo") Wednesday, May 29th - Winterthur Children’s garden "Wonder and Wander" |
Next week:The letter of the week is Z with 'Z' Show and Tell on Thursday or Friday
Monday – Gathering, Art and PE Tuesday – Library and Science Wednesday – PE and Art Thursday – Meeting for Worship and Spanish Friday – Music and PE |
Pre-K News!
April 12th, 2013
Dear Parents,
We enjoyed our trip to Coverdale Farm yesterday! The weather was beautiful, the kids were great, and we thank our parents, Mati Buccini, Amy Bell and Paul Gaskell for coming with us. We learned about four farm families including chickens, sheep, cows and pigs. We saw a mommy sow and her piglets, two cows and three calves, lots of hens, roosters and chicks, and ewes, rams and their lambs. The baby animals were especially adorable! We enjoyed petting all of the animals and were able to feed the sheep. We then washed our hands and had a snack at the farm. It was a great day!
The specialist’s supported the farm unit in their classes as well, singing Senor MacDonald Teine una Finca, and other farm related songs in Spanish, reading Mrs. Wishy-washy’s Farm in library, and creating flower and animal paintings in art.
We also worked on letter ’X’, shared language dictations about the farm trip, visited buddies for Meeting for Worship, went to a second grade Wax Museum, and enjoyed the beautiful warm weather with lots of outdoor play. The Wax Museum included historic figures ‘frozen in time’ until one of our children pushed a red button. Then, the figures ‘came to life’, and shared stories about their roles in history. Pictures are on the Photo page.
Next week we will read stories by Eric Carle. Please note that this is a change on the calendar – we will focus on butterflies the following week. each child will create a masterpiece and get very messy on Tuesday. Please have your children wear clothing that can withstand paint!
We hope you have a great weekend!
Sue and Sarah
We enjoyed our trip to Coverdale Farm yesterday! The weather was beautiful, the kids were great, and we thank our parents, Mati Buccini, Amy Bell and Paul Gaskell for coming with us. We learned about four farm families including chickens, sheep, cows and pigs. We saw a mommy sow and her piglets, two cows and three calves, lots of hens, roosters and chicks, and ewes, rams and their lambs. The baby animals were especially adorable! We enjoyed petting all of the animals and were able to feed the sheep. We then washed our hands and had a snack at the farm. It was a great day!
The specialist’s supported the farm unit in their classes as well, singing Senor MacDonald Teine una Finca, and other farm related songs in Spanish, reading Mrs. Wishy-washy’s Farm in library, and creating flower and animal paintings in art.
We also worked on letter ’X’, shared language dictations about the farm trip, visited buddies for Meeting for Worship, went to a second grade Wax Museum, and enjoyed the beautiful warm weather with lots of outdoor play. The Wax Museum included historic figures ‘frozen in time’ until one of our children pushed a red button. Then, the figures ‘came to life’, and shared stories about their roles in history. Pictures are on the Photo page.
Next week we will read stories by Eric Carle. Please note that this is a change on the calendar – we will focus on butterflies the following week. each child will create a masterpiece and get very messy on Tuesday. Please have your children wear clothing that can withstand paint!
We hope you have a great weekend!
Sue and Sarah
Pre-K News!
April 5th, 2013
Dear Families,
Welcome back! We enjoyed hearing about spring break adventures from your children on Monday! Florida, Easter Egg Hunts, cousin visits, gondolas, Bethany, the aquarium, Haskell's, NYC, Puerto Rico... many, many wonderful family moments that will be remembered and treasured by your children! They recorded some of their favorite memories with pictures and language dictations.
An incubator full of eggs and two baby chicks arrived in the classroom on Monday. Watching the newly hatched chicks trying to gain their footing to stand, listening to their peeps and cheeps, seeing the eggs rock, and watching little beaks emerge as new chicks hatched was awe inspiring for all of us! By the end of the day we had a total of three, and on Tuesday morning, two more were waiting for us in the incubator! By the end of the week eleven of the eggs had hatched – a record year! There are pictures on the photo page of Cloudy, Sparky, Midnight, Dusty, Goldy, Sunshine, Flower, Butterscotch, Lightbulb, Midday, Scruffy and Wobbles.
The hatching experience is not without some difficult realities. We watched and worried about Wobbles all day Tuesday. We had to help him out of his shell and he looked the worse for wear for a long while. He finally perked up, fortunately. Each day the children’s observations are added to their Chick Journals. We also hold, weigh, measure, count, and sort chicks by color each day. We created a village for them out of recyclable material and blocks, which the chicks seemed to enjoy (not really!) Jackson made them a bed, Abbie made another bed, Henry Gaskell made an obstacle course for them, Henry Gardner and Cole made a swimming pool, Ava made a slide to play on, Cereniti made a bed, Erin and Sutton made a sliding board, Rupi made a playground, Gabriel made them a high perch to see the farm better, Jack made an obstacle course, and Logan made a village. Pictures are on the photo page.
Sara presented letters ‘V’ and ‘W’ this week. Watercolors, whistling, waves, and wind were explored, played with, and practiced. Handwriting books, journal writing and saying goodbye to the chicks on Friday rounded out the week. Here are our hopes and dreams for the chicks as they head on…
Ava – I wish they have a happy night.
Abbie – I hope they have good dreams.
Cereniti- I hope they have a happy life.
Cole – I hope they go to a good farm.
Erin – I hope they have pigs and horses.
Gabriel – I hope they’ll have some good food.
Henry Gardner – I hope they all get to go to the same farm.
Henry Gaskell – I hope they feel good at the farm.
Jack – I hope they miss us.
Jackson – I hope when they get to the farm they stay healthy.
Logan – I wish they would see their mom and dad again.
Molly – I hope they get to be with their family.
Nathan – I hope they eat and sleep well.
Rupi – I hop their mom and dad takes care of them.
Sutton – I hope the chicks have a good time at the farm.
Next week we will talk about farming and visit Coverdale Farm on Thursday. Please sign and return permission slips and have your children dress in casual clothes for the trip with appropriate footwear and outerwear.
The letter of the week is ‘X’ and our specials are:
Monday – Gathering, Music and PE
Tuesday – Library and Music
Wednesday - Spanish
Thursday – Meeting for Worship, Trip to Coverdale Farm
Friday - Science
Have a great weekend!
Sue and Sarah
Welcome back! We enjoyed hearing about spring break adventures from your children on Monday! Florida, Easter Egg Hunts, cousin visits, gondolas, Bethany, the aquarium, Haskell's, NYC, Puerto Rico... many, many wonderful family moments that will be remembered and treasured by your children! They recorded some of their favorite memories with pictures and language dictations.
An incubator full of eggs and two baby chicks arrived in the classroom on Monday. Watching the newly hatched chicks trying to gain their footing to stand, listening to their peeps and cheeps, seeing the eggs rock, and watching little beaks emerge as new chicks hatched was awe inspiring for all of us! By the end of the day we had a total of three, and on Tuesday morning, two more were waiting for us in the incubator! By the end of the week eleven of the eggs had hatched – a record year! There are pictures on the photo page of Cloudy, Sparky, Midnight, Dusty, Goldy, Sunshine, Flower, Butterscotch, Lightbulb, Midday, Scruffy and Wobbles.
The hatching experience is not without some difficult realities. We watched and worried about Wobbles all day Tuesday. We had to help him out of his shell and he looked the worse for wear for a long while. He finally perked up, fortunately. Each day the children’s observations are added to their Chick Journals. We also hold, weigh, measure, count, and sort chicks by color each day. We created a village for them out of recyclable material and blocks, which the chicks seemed to enjoy (not really!) Jackson made them a bed, Abbie made another bed, Henry Gaskell made an obstacle course for them, Henry Gardner and Cole made a swimming pool, Ava made a slide to play on, Cereniti made a bed, Erin and Sutton made a sliding board, Rupi made a playground, Gabriel made them a high perch to see the farm better, Jack made an obstacle course, and Logan made a village. Pictures are on the photo page.
Sara presented letters ‘V’ and ‘W’ this week. Watercolors, whistling, waves, and wind were explored, played with, and practiced. Handwriting books, journal writing and saying goodbye to the chicks on Friday rounded out the week. Here are our hopes and dreams for the chicks as they head on…
Ava – I wish they have a happy night.
Abbie – I hope they have good dreams.
Cereniti- I hope they have a happy life.
Cole – I hope they go to a good farm.
Erin – I hope they have pigs and horses.
Gabriel – I hope they’ll have some good food.
Henry Gardner – I hope they all get to go to the same farm.
Henry Gaskell – I hope they feel good at the farm.
Jack – I hope they miss us.
Jackson – I hope when they get to the farm they stay healthy.
Logan – I wish they would see their mom and dad again.
Molly – I hope they get to be with their family.
Nathan – I hope they eat and sleep well.
Rupi – I hop their mom and dad takes care of them.
Sutton – I hope the chicks have a good time at the farm.
Next week we will talk about farming and visit Coverdale Farm on Thursday. Please sign and return permission slips and have your children dress in casual clothes for the trip with appropriate footwear and outerwear.
The letter of the week is ‘X’ and our specials are:
Monday – Gathering, Music and PE
Tuesday – Library and Music
Wednesday - Spanish
Thursday – Meeting for Worship, Trip to Coverdale Farm
Friday - Science
Have a great weekend!
Sue and Sarah