Wednesday, March 31

Group Meeting:  Not only was today the last day of March, it was also the 100th day of school.  We have filled 10, 10 frames with stickers and can count by 10s to 100.  This year is flying by....

Story:  The story for today was Happy Easter Curious George by R.P. Anderson.  George and the Man with the Yellow Hat are walking in the park.  They see children dying Easter eggs.  George helps them mix the colors for the eggs.   George notices that a man is putting eggs all over the park.  He decides to help him pick them up.  Ask your child to tell you what happens next.

Let's Find Out Magazine:  The magazine today was about how seeds spread by wind, animals and contact with other things.  

Letter Learning:  Aa

Snack:  The snack for today was bagels, milk and water.

Tuesday, March 30

Group Meeting:  Our opening movement song was the "Easter Bunny Dance and Freeze".  We did a lot of hopping and wagging our bunny tails.

Story:  The story for today was It's Not Easy Being a Bunny by Marilyn Sadler.   P.J. Funnybunny doesn't like being a bunny.  He is tired of carrots and has too many brothers and sisters.  P.J. decides to find another animal family to live with.  He finds that he doesn't fit in as well.  Ask your child to tell you what P.J. decides to do at the end of the story.

Rhyming Riddle Eggs:  In a pocket chart, I placed paper eggs with pictures on them.  In a bag, I placed eggs that had rhyming word riddles printed on them.  The children took turns listening to a riddle and finding the matching rhyming word picture.

Outdoor Play:  We went to the Outdoor Classroom during play time today.

Letter Learning:  Ss

Snack:  The snack for today was Clementines, milk and water.

Monday, March 29

Group Meeting:  This week, we will be learning about Spring and participating in some Easter fun.  The weather is finally becoming warmer, so we will spend more time outside.  The bean seeds that we planted last week are swelling with moisture.  We are watching for roots to begin to grow.

Story:  The story for today was When Spring Comes by Kevin Henkes.  This is a beautifully illustrated book about the signs of Spring.  As I was reading, I stopped to hear comments about the smells, sights, and sounds of Spring.

Writing Journal:  The children were asked to draw a picture of a bug that they would like to keep for a pet.  The bug could be real or imaginary.  

Letter Learning:  Gg

Outdoor Play:  The children went to the Outdoor Classroom.  

Snacks:  The snack for today was Cheerios, milk, and water.  The children could choose if they wanted dry Cheerios or Cheerios and milk to eat with a spoon.

Thursday, March 25

 Group Meeting:  This time of year, we are need to be aware of possible weather changes that would be unsafe.  Today, we talked about how we would know if we needed to take cover from a storm and where we would go.  We have a weather radio that would tell us if we needed to take shelter.  We practiced going down to the basement which is our shelter place.

Story:  The story for today was a re-read of   Trust Me, Jack Beanstalk Stinks.  After the story, we voted for which character we thought was telling the truth.  The majority thought that Jack was telling the truth, but a few voted for the giant.

Science:  The children planted green bean seeds.  They put a folded wet paper towel into a Ziplock bag.  They placed two seed on the paper towel.  We taped the bags to the window for light.  We are hoping to see some growth already next week.

Letter Learning:  Cc

Let's Find Out Magazine:  The magazine was about eggs and what hatches from them.  If you'd like to check out the resources that go with this magazine, go to letsfindout.com  Log in as a student and use the password redeemer.

Snack:  The snack for today was cheese sticks, Goldfish, juice and water.

Wednesday, March 24

Group Meeting:  We finished the yoga video of Jack and the Beanstalk.  We also finished putting the leaves that we had cut onto our beanstalk.  I have a few children trying to create a castle, Jack, and a giant to add to the beanstalk.

Story:  The story for today was Trust Me, Jack's Beanstalk Stinks by Mark Braun.  Before we started the story, I had to explain what the giant means when he says that the beanstalk stinks.  Ask your child to tell you what it means.  This book is the giant's version of what happened when Jack climbed the beanstalk.  After the story, I asked the children if they believed Jack or the giant.  

Syllables:  Following the story, I placed four beanstalks in a pocket chart.  The beanstalks were labeled with numerals 1-4.  In a bag, I had placed golden paper eggs which had pictures of the story characters or props on them.  The children took turns selecting an egg, saying the name of the character, and clapping the syllables.  For example, Jack has one syllable.  Giant has two.  

Letter Learning:  Yy

Snack:  The snack for today was peanut butter, apples, milk and water.

Tuesday, March 23

Group Meeting:  Yesterday, one of the children told me that they had seen a yoga video that told the story of Jack and the Beanstalk.  I looked it up on Youtube and found it.  We used that as our opening activity today.  

Story:  I re-read Jack and the Beanstalk.  We had a discussion on why we were reading the story again.  Sometimes we learn something new when we re-read a story.  Something that we noticed today was that Jack had a cat.  After reading, we talked about how Jack felt thoughtout the story.  When he saw the gold coins, he was happy.  When he was sneaking the coins out of the castle, he was afraid and anxious.  Tomorrow, we will read another version of the story.  This one is supposed to be the giants side of the story.

Writing Journal:  The children were asked to draw what they would see if they climbed to the top of the beanstalk.  We talked about it for a while first and got some great ideas.  

Fine Motor:  The children cut green leaves out of construction paper.  We are building a beanstalk that will go up the wall from the floor to the ceiling.

Letter Learning:  Ww

Snack:  The snack was Wheat Thins, hummus, juice and water.  

Monday, March 22

 Group Meeting:  It's good to be back to school.  The children shared stories of what they did during their week off.  

Story:  We are continuing the reading of Fairy Tales.  Today, we read Jack and the Beanstalk.  This is the story of Jack who trades his cow for magic beans.  After his mother throws them our of the window, a beanstalk grows.  Ask your child to tell you about what happens when Jack climbs up the beanstalk.

Measuring:  After our story, the children used Unifix cubes to measure pictures of the characters from our story.  After counting the correct number of cubes, the children had to print the corresponding numeral on their paper. 

Letter Learning:  Qq

Snack:  The snack for today was wheat bread, peanut butter, jelly, milk, and water.

Thursday, March 11

Group Meeting:  Today was Birthday Day.  We used a rainbow theme for the day.  The children danced to Awesome Rainbows by Koo Koo Kangaroo.  

Story:  I did a re-read of Henny Penny.  At the end of the story, I asked the children if they would like to change the ending.   We decided that Henny Penny and her friends would go straight to the King.  The King would tell them that they sky was not falling, and they would all go home.

Let's Find Out Magazine:  The video that accompanied the magazine was about Spring.  With Spring coming soon, we will be ready to see and hear the changes that are on the way.

Letter Learning:  Hh

Snack:  The children made Rainbow Toast for a snack.  This is made by painting bread (white bread works best) with milk that had been colored with food coloring.  When the bread is toasting in the oven, the milk evaporates leaving the color behind.  We enjoyed this with juice, water, and Birthday Brownies.

Spring Break is next week!

Wednesday, March 10

Group Meeting:  We started the day by talking about gravity.  I explained that gravity keeps us on the earth and pulls things down.  It will play an important part in our story today and many of our activities.

Story:  The story for today was Henny Penny retold by Bonnie Dobkin.  Henny Penny is a chicken that is looking for something to eat under a tree.  An acorn falls and hits her on the head.  Henny Penny thinks that the sky is falling.  She runs to tell her friends Ducky Lucky, Goosey Loosey, Turkey Lurkey, and Cocky Locky.  Without thinking, they all join her in running to tell the king.  Along the way, they meet a fox.  I'll let your child tell you the rest...

Science:  We did several experiments with gravity.  At the easel, we painted letting gravity pull the paint down the paper.  The children used eye droppers to drip paint at the top of the paper and watch it run down.  Sometimes it mixed with the other colors.  We also learned about parachutes.  We watched a SciShow video about parachutes and how drag reduces the gravitational pull.  We made a parachute with a coffee filter, string, and a cup.  Here's the link to the video to show you how.   https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w4Jgh9V9gwE

Letter Learning:  Xx

Snack:  The snack was apples, peanut butter, milk, and water.

Tuesday, March 9

Group Meeting:  The children have started making selections about their snacks using name cards to indicate what they would prefer.  For example, today's snack was cheese and crackers.  They had four choices; cheese only, crackers only, cheese and crackers, or no snack.  They indicated their preference by putting their name card into a corresponding basket.  

Story:  Today's story was a re-read of Little Red Riding Hood.  We discussed what Little Red Riding Hood learned in the story and how that relates to our life.  We all agreed that we need to think with our brain when making decisions.  

Writing Journal:  The children pretended to be walking in the woods like Little Red Riding Hood.  They drew pictures of what they would see.

Letter Learning:  Rr

Snack:  The snack was cheese slices, crackers, juice, and milk. 

Monday, March 8

Group Meeting:  This week, we will read two more fairy tales.  At play time, the children were still playing with the props from last week's stories.  

Story:  The fairy tale for today was Little Red Riding Hood retold by Bonnie Dobkin.  Before reading, I warned the children that the wolf in the story was not a nice wolf.  However, we know that fairy tales are fiction and that the story ends well.  Little Red Riding Hood is sent to visit her grandmother.  Her mother warns her to go straight to Grandma's house, to not talk to strangers, and to stay on the path.  Along the way she meets a wolf.  Ask your child to tell you how this story ends.

Count the Room:  After the story, the children went on a search for pictures of the characters from the story that I had taped around the room.  They had to count how many characters were on the picture and print that numeral on their paper.

Letter Learning:  Nn

Outdoor Play:  We went to the outdoor classroom again today.  We will continue to do so as long as the weather stays warm.

Snack:  The snack was strawberry yogurt, granola, milk, and water.  

Thursday, March 4

Group Meeting:  The children were excited about the opportunity to go outside today.  We went out during play time.  We will plan to do so everyday that the weather allows now that the snow is gone.

Story:  I re-read The Three Billy Goats Gruff.  After reading the story, I asked the children to identify the hero.  I was pleasantly surprised that many of them said that the littlest goat was the hero.  He had the idea and shared his plan of how to trick the troll.  We also agreed that the biggest goat was a hero because he was strong.  I asked if the middle goat was a hero.  He was very afraid.  We agreed that he was a hero too because he had the courage to cross the bridge.  So, we learned to be smart, strong and courageous.  

Let's Find Out Magazine:  The magazine was about our five senses and the weather.  

Letter Learning: Mm

Snack:  The snack for today was Cheerios, milk, and water.  

Wednesday, March 3

Group Meeting:  Today, we are switching to a different fairy tale.  This one will teach us to think and work together as a team.  

Story:  The fairy tale for today was The Three Billy Goats Gruff retold by Bonnie Dobkin.  This is the story of three billy goats that need to cross a bridge to get to the green grass on the other side.  They know that there is a troll that lives under the bridge who wants to eat them.  So, the goats need to work together to outsmart the troll.  Ask your child to tell you how they get across the bridge.

Story retelling:  After hearing the story, the children took turns acting out the story using props.   Some were goats crossing the bridge and a few got to be the troll.  It was a lot of fun.  I'll keep the props out for tomorrow and see if I can get a few pictures.

Letter Learning:  Ll

Snack:  The snack for today was carrots, ranch dip, milk, and water.

We are planning to go outside tomorrow.  We will not be in the snow so no snow boots are needed. 

Tuesday, March 2

 Group Meeting:  Before play time, I showed the children a few toys that we have with the Goldilocks and the Three Bears.  I have a flannel story, a puppet set, two puzzles, and a sorting game.  We're having a good time with this story.

Story:  I read the story of Goldilocks and the Three Bears again.  This time, left out a few words to see if the children could insert the correct word.  After the story, I had a set of pictures.  Some of the pictures were from the story.  Some were not.  The children took turns selecting a picture, identifying it, and telling if it was from the story or not.  

Writing Journal:  The question for our journal was "what could the Three Bears do to keep Goldilocks out of their house?".  We had some typical answers like "lock the door" or "put something in front of the door".  We had a few creative ideas such as "put a sign on the door that said no Goldilocks allowed" and "put a guard dinosaur in the backyard".  

Letter Learning:  Ff

Snack:  The snack was applesauce, milk, and water.

Your child is bringing home a note about a possible picture day.  Please return it tomorrow.

Monday, March 1

Group Meeting:  We learned that March began today and started to add shamrock stickers to the 10 frame.  During the month of March, we will be learning through fairy tales.  Today, I explained that fairy tales are stories that are fiction (not real).  They usually involve animals doing things that people do such as talk to each other, wear clothes, live in houses, etc.  Fairy tales are told to teach us a lesson.  

Story:  The first fairy tale that we will read and re-read tomorrow is Goldilocks and the Three Bears  retold by Bonnie Dobkin.  This is the story of a little girl who is told by her parents to never wander into the woods.  Goldilocks doesn't listen and soon becomes lost.  She finds the cottage that belongs to the three bears.  I'm guessing you know the rest.  After the story, we talked about what it means to be curious.  Goldilocks was curious about what was in the woods and in the house.  In the book, it says, "Goldilocks knew she shouldn't, but she did."  We talked about times when we need to listen to our parents.

Rhyming words:  After the story, we played a rhyming words game.  The children walked in a circle around the rug.   I would say "bear" and another word.  If the other word rhymed with bear, the children stopped walking.  If the word did not rhyme with bear, the children kept walking.  It was an simple game, but the children enjoyed it.

Letter Learning:  Zz

Snack:  The snack for today was peanut butter, jelly, wheat bread, milk and water.