Hi everyone!
We have all of our friends back and feeling better, with the exception of some lingering coughs and runny noses. We've been practicing our vampire coughs and blowing our noses, then washing our hands. Overall, this class-wide experience has done wonders in increasing awareness of personal hygiene with these kiddos!
We're having a fun time continuing to learn about dinosaurs. This week we began to talk about whether or not dinosaurs still existed. For example, if they evolved into birds, does that mean birds are dinosaurs or that dinosaurs were birds? Did all the dinosaurs evolve? Why or why not? We are very much in the exploratory stage in these conversations and it's been so much fun to watch the kids contemplate these challenging questions!
Given the ice outside this week, I decided to bring an ice activity inside :) I froze some small dinosaurs for the kids in small cups of water. I let the kids pick out which cup they wanted then put that ice block on a tray with a bowl of warm water, a dropper, and a bowl of salt. Then I asked them to figure out how to get their dinosaur out of the block of ice. Some of the strategies the kids tried were putting salt and warm water on the ice, cutting it with a plastic knife, licking/chewing it, heating up the ice with their hands, setting the block in the sunlight, and just letting it melt. In the end, every kiddo discovered a way to free their dinosaur! It was such a delight to watch them experiment and support each other through this process. What do you think is the fastest way to get the dinosaur out?
Other highlights this week include focusing on:
Books we highlighted this week:
![It's Not Easy Being Number Three by [Dernavich, Drew]](https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/5165ugHbZeL.jpg)
Extension activities:
We have all of our friends back and feeling better, with the exception of some lingering coughs and runny noses. We've been practicing our vampire coughs and blowing our noses, then washing our hands. Overall, this class-wide experience has done wonders in increasing awareness of personal hygiene with these kiddos!
We're having a fun time continuing to learn about dinosaurs. This week we began to talk about whether or not dinosaurs still existed. For example, if they evolved into birds, does that mean birds are dinosaurs or that dinosaurs were birds? Did all the dinosaurs evolve? Why or why not? We are very much in the exploratory stage in these conversations and it's been so much fun to watch the kids contemplate these challenging questions!
Given the ice outside this week, I decided to bring an ice activity inside :) I froze some small dinosaurs for the kids in small cups of water. I let the kids pick out which cup they wanted then put that ice block on a tray with a bowl of warm water, a dropper, and a bowl of salt. Then I asked them to figure out how to get their dinosaur out of the block of ice. Some of the strategies the kids tried were putting salt and warm water on the ice, cutting it with a plastic knife, licking/chewing it, heating up the ice with their hands, setting the block in the sunlight, and just letting it melt. In the end, every kiddo discovered a way to free their dinosaur! It was such a delight to watch them experiment and support each other through this process. What do you think is the fastest way to get the dinosaur out?
Other highlights this week include focusing on:
- the letter Ss,
- learning how to read the number sight words (one, two, three, etc)
- creating thankful trees,
- coloring dinosaurs that start with S (Stegosaurus, Spinosaurus, and Saltasaurus),
- exploring new sensory bottles,
- finding fractals in nature,
- introducing how analog clocks work,
- and experimenting with color-changing putty to see what makes it change color.
Number sight word obstacle course!
I gave the kids the number sight words "one" through "ten". We then created an obstacle course in the room putting the word on the corresponding obstacle. For example, "one" on the first bean bag. The kids moved from obstacle to obstacle while "reading" the sight words. Eventually, they were actually reading them and began matching number cookie cutters to the correct word and replacing the obstacle course words after I mixed them up. By the end of the morning, they were independently spelling the words as the moved through the course. We'll do this when we return from the break to review. (Plus, it was super fun!!!)
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| Dinosaur stensils! Fine motor practice and learning about dinosaurs! Can there be anything more fun than that?! |
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| The kids came up with 50+ words this week that start with S. While only 50 are listed here, we kept adding after this photo was taken. |
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| S describes artwork she created during our morning share time. (Share time is an ideal time to practice listening to others, elocution while sharing what you're interested in, and provides everyone the opportunity to get exposed to new topics, ideas, and fun.) |
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| S teaches O and A some of the games she's invented using Uno cards. |
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| The kids LOVE to help clean up. Using the dustbuster is the perfect sized vacuum for them and using the spray bottle works on developing hand muscles. And those are just bonuses to learning how to be responsible and keep your things clean :) |
One of our favorite times of the day: SNACK MATH!
On the hunt for fractals in nature during art with Leanne:
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| A quick side trip to taste how our mint is doing :) |
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| S shares about her art work with Leanne |
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| Whole school circle time is a chance for all to get together as a school, practice our breathing techniques, hear important announcements, and more. The kids have the routine down now and it's beautiful to see them all spend this time together in the morning. |
Dinosaur Ice Experiment!
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| Part of the challenge was emptying out the cold water into the sink in the kitchen. Walking while holding a bowl of water is very tricky at this age and they did it! |
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| Will the cold window change the color of the putty? |
Books we highlighted this week:
Extension activities:
- This is a time of year that people think about what they are thankful for. We began this topic in school, but extending the topic at home would be marvelous. What does being thankful mean? Why is it good to express being thankful?
- Watch and sing along to the ABCMouse Letter S song
- For parents: This time of year can start to be super hectic. Take a moment and think about how awesome and amazing your kids are. They are here because of you! They are all individually special, fun, and loving. They have their own interests and personalities. It's pretty spectacular to think that these young people growing up right before our eyes every day are unconditionally loving, have giggles that can make everyone in the room smile, and are enthusiastic about learning everything they possibly can. THAT is something to be thankful for :) Thank YOU so much for letting me be a part of their lives and your lives. It's a gift and a responsibility I don't take lightly. THANK YOU!
- November 19-23: No school for staff and students
- Thursday, November 29: School wide field trip to Zach Theater to see Tortoise and the Hare
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