Let it Snow… and Then Some!

Week of January 5, 2015

Let it Snow! Let it Snow! Let it Snow!

This week is all about science the senses as the children experience freezing and melting! We will see what happens when we place balloons filled with water outside overnight, and then what happens when we put them in our water table over the course of the morning! We will learn about snowflakes - that each crystal formation is different! We will look at photos of real snowflakes under a microscope and attempt to make our own crystal snowflakes with pipe cleaners and Borax soap solution. Finally, we will read one author's book about snowmen -Snowballsby Lois Ehlert. We will recreate her art by making our own snowmen with a mixture of shaving cream and glue. The children will collect "good stuff" from around the room to decorate their snowmen, like they do in the book!

Some of the vocabulary we will introduce and review this week includes winter, water, ice, freeze, melt, snow, snowflake, cold, and snowman.

Making a snowman with Lily

Week of January 12, 2015

Ice, Ice, Baby!

Last week, we did a few experiments with the winter theme. We put balloons filled with water outside overnight, and the children practiced making predictions about what would happen to them! Some children thought they would pop, that the water would go out, and some thought they would fly away. They were excited to open the balloons and find ice inside! The children also enjoyed making snowflakes using a mixture of hot water and Borax soap. They left a pipe cleaner snowflake in the mixture, and crystals formed! You can find them on display in the window of our classroom.

This week, we will reinforce the concept of melting and freezing, as well as integrate new and familiar textures into our sensory vocabulary. We will experience ice melting as we paint with frozen paint. We will also make “snow” out of a mixture of corn starch and shaving cream.  

Some of the vocabulary we will introduce and review this week includes winter, ice, freezing, snow, liquid, cold, melt, snowflake, sledding, skating, snowman, coat, mittens, hat, and boots.

The teachers recreated an indoor Frog Pond Skating Rink! 

Emma helping Lily at the cash register.

The kids put plastic bags on their feet and "skated" around!

Drew and Addie enjoying a refreshment break while skating. 

Week of January 26, 2015

Bears!

This week, we are heading into the forest and learning about bears! The children will learn some of the characteristics of bears in the forest. They will learn that many bears like to eat fish, berries, and honey. They will learn that they live in caves and hibernate in winter. We will even have a bear cave in our dramatic play area, where the children can practice fishing for food, taking care of their cubs, or sleeping through the winter! We will play “Wake Up Sleeping Bear” in the gym, and we will go on a “bear hunt” around the school.

Next week, we will transition into learning about teddy bears. We will have a special HIBERNATION DAY at school on Wednesday, February 4, dressing up in our pajamas to get ready to sleep through the winter! The children can bring in their favorite teddy bear (or any lovey…) to join them throughout the school day and for a special Teddy Bear Picnic at snack. We will be sure to include a bear’s favorite foods!

Some of the vocabulary we will introduce and review this week includes forest, tree, pine, pinecones, branches, snow, night, dark, chilly, bear, paw, fur, cub, cave, hibernate, fish, berries, honey, and hive.

Poetry Corner

This week, we will learn the poem "We're Going on a Bear Hunt" from the book by Michael Rosen. 

Music, Month of January

Wow! It is January and the year 2015!

As we move into serious winter, my Toddler and Toddler Transition classes will keep it warm and light with songs like "The Mitten" song and ice skating as we sing "A Cold and Frosty Morning."

I will be using and helping students play the autoharp on the song "Mary Wore a Red Dress." (We obviously change the name and the choose the clothing.)  We will also explore our Boomwhacker instrument which is a series of multi-colored plastic tubes which are meant to be hit -whacked- on the floor to produce pitch. You can hear and see the pitch difference in the tubes as we play simple songs.

Week of February 2, 2015

Valentine Bears

We miss you all!! I hope everyone is staying safe and warm during the blizzards and having LOTS of fun playing in the snow! 

This week, we are going to combine learning about bears with learning about Valentine's Day. We will read the book pictured above, where Mr. and Mrs. Bear set their alarms to go off for February, so they can wake up from hibernating and celebrate Valentine's Day together! The children will learn that many bears live in caves or dens and hibernate in winter. We will even have a bear cave in our dramatic play area, where the children can practice fishing for food, taking care of their cubs, or sleeping through the winter! We will play “Wake Up Sleeping Bear” in the gym, and we will go on a “bear hunt” around the school. We will also talk about celebrating Valentine's Day by making cards for people that you love. We will start to get ready for Valentine's Day by making cards for one another in class!

We will postpone HIBERNATION DAY and make it part of a small Valentine's Day celebration at school on Thursday, February 12. Children should come to school with their pajamas on, ready to hibernate! They can bring their favorite lovey to join us during a special bear snack (a Teddy Bear Picnic of sorts...) and to deliver valentines during Goodbye Circle! They are welcome to bring valentines from home, but we will be making them for one another at school, so every child will have at least one to deliver and receive!

Some of the vocabulary we will introduce and review this week includes forest, tree, pine, pinecones, branches, snow, night, dark, chilly, bear, paw, fur, cub, cave, hibernate, fish, berries, honey, hive, valentines, love, card, and mail.

I never saw any pics from the bear hunt but the kids did go "Owling" after making their own binoculors or as Emma calls them "nanoculors".  

Emma and Drew searching for an owl. 

Can you spot an owl?  Lily is pointing to one on the wall!

Emma with her "nanoculors"

There is an owl! 

Week of February 9, 2015

My Funny Valentine

This week we will celebrate Valentine's Day like the bears! We will make Valentines for one another, for our families, and practice telling others how you care about them. We will have a Hibernation Day Valentine's celebration on Friday. The children can bring valentines from home. We will be making them in school, also, if we have the chance! They will deliver them to each other during circle time. They can wear pajamas and bring their favorite lovey. We will play our favorite hibernation game, "Wake Up Sleeping Bear," during gym time!

We have a secondary focus on the Post Office. There is a Post Office in dramatic play, where children can practice collecting and delivering mail, buying stamps, and writing letters for the mail.

Music, Month of February

In our Toddler and Toddler Transition classes we will learn the movement song "Down I Flop". The song is in a minor key which gives us a different tonality to explore. The students must move (bounce, walk, jump, etc) and then stand still then flop down.

We are also learning "The Dingle Dangle Scarecrow" and we will begin some of our dinosaur songs such as "Stegosaurus" and "We Are the Dinosaurs".

In our classes it is more frequent to see the faces of students as they respond with delight to the various instruments and I am noticing more laughter and expressions of pleasure.