MONDAY 2-6-17 and TUESDAY 2-7-17 and WEDNESDAY 2-8-17

ASK ME ABOUT...

...the new password.

...what I did in P.E.

...our new "Star of the Week".

...my new Work Station partner.

...our new Work Stations.

...showing you what I know about tally marks.
...the story, Great Day For Up!
...what I learned about Chinese New Year from Middle School students.
...my homework for the 100th day of school!
 

~NEW WORK STATIONS~

On Monday, we announced new work station partners and introduced a new set of Work Stations.

Children cut out the 6 pictures in the photo below and glue them in sequential order from a snowman to a puddle.

Children transfer pictures from a card on to the geoboard using rubber bands.

At Math Magic, children complete a number maze and then practice writing numbers on the back of their paper.

At the Fine Motor Station, children peel and stick stickers on a snowflake diagram.

~STAR OF THE WEEK~

Robert is our new Star of the Week!  Today we learned that Robert wants to be a Ghostbuster when he grows up.  He shared photos with us, showed us ribbons he has earned from a swimming class, and brought in a very funny underwear story to share with the class.  We enjoyed getting to know you better, Robert!

 

 ~EXTENDED DAY PRE-K~

Today was a Discovery Day and we made bouncy balls!

~FREE CHOICE LEARNING~

Jordan and Carter put together a mosaic of a butterfly.

Josie and Layla work on a word find.

Heath and Nola play a number game (Jungle Run).

Robert and Ella build sentences.

Pictured below are children exercise their spatial reasoning skills using trapezoid shapes to fill in a triangle or hexagon tray.

Anahí building and testing the water pipes.

 
Busy builders....

 ~CHINESE NEW YEAR~
Students from a 7th grade Mandarin class visited our classroom today to share about Chinese New Year.  Be sure to ask your child about the fan dance and chopstick dance.

 ~HANDWRITING~
We learned and practiced writing the upper case "H" today.

 ~STORY TIME~
The perfect story for this week's password....

THRILLING THURSDAY 2-2-17

ASK ME ABOUT...

...the question on the Morning Message.

...explaining to you why groundhog is a compound word.

...what I did in Spanish.

...the new games we learned to play at the Games Station.

...showing you what I know about tally marks.

...the story, The Peace Rose.

~MORNING MESSAGE~

On Groundhog Day, children were asked if they wanted the groundhog to see his shadow.  Three children answered yes (so they want more winter) and 13 children answered no (they are ready for spring!).  We also discussed how groundhog is a compound word--2 words put together to make 1 word.  We then looked at some other compound words--snowman, rainbow, and today.

~FREE CHOICE LEARNING~

We introduced various new materials and activities this week for use during Free Choice time. 

We have had many busy builders in our Construction Zone.

 

 
Ella and Nola combine their creative and fine motor skills using pipe cleaners and beads.

A popular activity has been building pipe structures and pouring water into the pipes to discover what happens.

 

We introduced 2 new games for use during Free Choice time.

"Jungle Run" is similar to Chutes and Ladders.

 "Teddy Bear's Picnic" works on rhyming skills.

We decorated our letter "Z" with zebra stripes.

~PEACE ROSE~

On Thursday, we read a story called The Peace Rose.  In the story, we learn how children use a (artificial) rose to help them resolve a problem/conflict.  The holder of the rose is the person whose turn it is to speak and express his/her feelings.  The rose is then handed to the other person who then gets a turn to speak.  Once each child has had a chance to express himself/herself and the problem is resolved, both children hold the rose together; say, "friends"; and then return the rose to the vase.  Next week, we will add a peace rose to our classroom for the children to use.

WONDERFUL WEDNESDAY 2-1-17

ASK ME ABOUT...

...how many days we've been in school.

...how we celebrated Zero the Hero Day.

...what I did in P.E.

...what is happening in the month of February.

...whose birthday we celebrated.

 ~BIRTHDAY~

On Wednesday, we helped Nola celebrate her February birthday.  Nola and her mom read to us the story, Danny the Dinosaur.  We then enjoyed eating Nola's birthday treat--chocolate frosted donuts with heart sprinkles.  Happy Birthday, Nola!

 ~ZERO THE HERO DAY~

We celebrated our 90th day of school on Wednesday.  Ella and her mom brought in materials for us to make a #90 mask.  Thank you for helping us celebrate!

~EXTENDED DAY PRE-K~

Wednesday was a cooking day and we made matzo ball soup!

We read the story, Duck Soup, which provided us with some laughs.

First, we beat the eggs.

 Next, we added the matzo and oil to the eggs and mixed it.

 

While the matzo was chilling in the refrigerator, we prepared our pot for the broth.  We poured 20 cups of water into the pot; added some seasoning; and stirred.

 Once the matzo was chilled, we rolled it into balls and.....

 

 ...added them to our broth mixture.

Our soup cooked on the stove during Rest and we were able to eat it for afternoon snack!