Sunday, September 25, 2011

Newsletter

Shredded paper for Hunting Letters

Here's a Letter on a Lid :) Sorry the glare his the letter written on it.


Dear Families,
Thank you for your book orders. They are on the way!
Hope you are all following the blog. I have some photos above of what we used shredded paper for. It is an excellent sensory experience as they get to feel the texture, toss it, squish it, pile it & find the ‘buried treasure’. The treasure this week was milk jug lids with alphabet letters written on them. They were to find a letter & tell which one it was. Much language &pre-reading skills experienced with this activity.
                Our themes coming up are “Fall In the Forest” with Weekly Readers, and Sorting & Patterning activities & Letter C fun for this week. The following week will be
“Firefighters Help Us”, Letter D & E Fun & more!
Have a great week!
Stephanie
NEW Fingerplay for Infants/Toddlers
MAKE A PANCAKE
 Make a pancake, pat, pat, pat. 
Do not make it fat, fat, fat.
You must make it flat, flat, flat. 
Make a pancake just like that!
Learning Centers
Language:  Weekly Readers – On Track to Kindergarten – ABC assessment for Kindergarten prep – Writing Journals daily – B/b writing pages - ABC Basketball (put letter in ‘cup/basket’ if you name it) – Letter search in shredded paper – Apple A/a sorting – Name writing practice – Who’s knocking? Open door, reveal picture, say name & 1st letter –
Book reading by Rote:  By re-reading “I’m Your Bus” for several days in a row, preschool-agers can  begin to develop the ability to make predictions based on previous events. I created mini books to help them ‘tell the story’ as they remember what I’ve read to them. It is an important way to learn that print has meaning and an essential pre-reading skill. You will also see children doing this on their own at home with a favorite book. So keep reading to them at home!!!!
Math: Shape sorters – Color/Shape card game (find bear under shape after you name shape or color)-Color match w/weekly reader – Color block sorting – I Spy w/color block (match to something in the room) – Big/Small pig sorting – Hats/no Hats pig sorting
Science/Safety:  Fire/tornado drill – Sand play – Examine nature (leaves changing in some trees)
Art: Sticker initial art – Paper fans – Triangle shape rubbings – Open-ended coloring  
Large Muscles: Tool play – Simon Says – Parachute Play included 1. See-saw movement 2. Make rain softly, loudly, waves & gentle breeze movements & sounds w/parachute  - Jump on 2 feet – Bounce/catch ball practice (how many times can you catch in a row?)
Music:  I Had a Little Turtle,  This Old Man, Hickory Dickory Dock, I’m a Little Teapot & the week’s favorite Jack & Jill – singing Jack & Jill by replacing children’s names for Jack & Jill – Wheels on the Bus – Name song: (tune: Old MacDonald)
            Lou, Lou, L,L,L
            L Starts Lou’s Name
Dramatic Play: Scarves, hats, glasses play – School buses & Little People freeplay
Manipulatives: Shoe typing practice – Puzzles – Hide & seek an object outdoors

Sunday, September 4, 2011

Our First Public Blog Post

Beginning Rock Garden
Dear Families,
Fall is a Ball!!! We’ll spend some time with themes, “All About Me”(contd. From last week), “School Times”, & “I Like Apples” to follow along with our Weekly Readers. We have yet to receive them, but as I am able to log into our online resources, I will be able to continue on with the themes until they arrive.

I have decided to keep the blog for our newsletter picture free as far as showing faces of the children. It is totally my personal decision that the childrens’ safety should come first. I will continue to email pics to those who I currently email to & print to those who don’t.  Hope this is good for everyone.  The plus side of this is that I can open the blog page to everyone and therefore allow you to share it freely with family & friends. Grandparents too love to see what the children do at daycare. Again the blog address will be at the top of these newsletters that I email out.

Thanks to everyone for allowing me the 3-day weekend to enjoy.  I hope you all enjoyed yours as well.
Have a great week!
Stephanie

Learning Centers
Language: Conversation tub question:What’s Your Favorite game?—Positional Words game – Writing journals(daily)
Math: Counting Chicks game – Color match wheels – Match the bee’s wings (counting file folder game)
Art: Gluing practice with recycled magazine strips – Trace hands & ‘name things you know’
Science/Cooking:  Gathering acorns which are falling in abundance & examining them with magnifying lenses – Ice cream sodas – Rock Garden Creation
Music:  Song Stash Tub (these are strips of paper pulled out at random)
1.     London Bridge (of course we had to make the bridge & ‘lock them up’)
2.     Happy Birthday
3.     Mary Had a Little Lamb
4.     Frere Jacque (Are You Sleeping)
5.     Jack & Jill
6.     Did You Ever See a Lassie?
Computer: Reader Rabbit cd
Large Muscles: Slay the Dragon (bat the balloon with our hands) –
Parachute games included:
1.    Beach ball bounce
2.    Counting to how many they want to be
3.    Saying ABC’s & trying to keep ball on the parachute
Body Bean bag game – Scavenger Hunt –Tunnel crawling –Musical Magic Carpets
Dramatic Play: Pretend house painters
Manipulatives: Picture puzzles – Legos – Pass the Poison Apple – Hammering acorns

Stories
Look Out Kindergarten, Here I Come!
The Gingerbread Boy
Little Critter’s Little Sister’s Birthday
What Shall We Do Today?
The Poky Little Puppy
Have You Seen My Cat?
Just A Mess!
& Many More


Recycled Wallpaper samples for Princess Party Mural
Lou's Birthday party