Farms??? In January? Why not!!!??

Well, I have a new "first" in teaching Early Childhood... 

Today while the children helped me take down the holiday things in the classroom, I asked them what we should learn about in January when they come back.  I gave them a few ideas (winter, snowmen, etc) that I usually teach in January.  Well...  one of my little friends said "Farms.  Because I am a farmer.  And that would be good."  The friends he was playing with all chimed in...  "Yea!  Let's do farms."  Then went on to tell me about farms and tractors for the next few minutes.  So I guess we are going to learn about farms in January :}  I am really excited!  I think it will be a nice change. 

We will really be working on rhyming next month.  Please help your child recognize rhyming words and play games/read rhymes to them to help them to hear the similarities in rhyming words.  There are even children's games online that you can have them play for a burst of novelty.  Research tells us that children that are able to rhyme in their early years are much more likely to be good readers at age 8.  This is a really hard concept for some children to learn so the additional help and support from you would be great!!!

Week of 12/19

This week we will be listening to the story "Snowmen at Christmas"  on CD.  This is a fun story about all the things that snowmen could do when we are sleeping.  The children really enjoyed listening to the music and narration that went along with the story.

This Week....

Target Vocabulary:  sleigh, wait, owl, mantle

This is a super fun story that is similar to "Goldilocks and the Three Bears."  In this story, Santa Claus comes into the cabin and does some silly things!  He eats gingerbread men cookies, leaves a trail of crumbs, sits on/breaks chairs, and tries out the beds upstairs.  All through the house Santa is leaving a trail of outer wear as he goes (coat, mitten, hat, boots). 

We will be doing some rearranging in our classroom this week.  Isn't it amazing how children will play with old toys more when they are moved to a new location??!!  We will also be decorating our playhouse as a Gingerbread House.

Cognitive Skills (early academics)....

It is exciting to see so many children come into preschool knowing their colors/shapes...some even know some letters/numbers.   As a well rounded learner though, we want children to be able to use information that they know visually and use it in different ways. 

An example of this might be...  Melisa knows all of her colors!  YAY!!!  But...  can Melisa tell you common objects that are that color?  (Tell me 3 things that are yellow).  Another example might be...  Melisa knows LOTS of animal pictures and can name them all when asked.   But....  when asked questions like "What animals can fly? or live in the ocean? or can you ride?" can your child process that language to give you an answer?

Processing information, using knowledge creatively, problem solving ...These are important skills that children will need to use as they go through their school years and beyond. 

How can parents help....

***Read to their children-- the more vocabulary they hear and learn the more background knowledge they will have.  While reading, ask them questions and give them lots of time to respond (giving clues if they need it).  Not just "what is this" kind of questions but "Why do you think..."  "What else could she have done?" etc. 

***  Hang out!  Spend time playing, fixing things, cleaning together, baking, etc.  Help them to think or solve problems as you go. 

*** Play games in the car-- ("Hey, we just passed a farm!  What kind of animals might you find there?"  "The light turned red.  We need to stop.  Can you think of other things that might be red?"  etc.

The possibilities are endless....  Have fun and enjoy helping your child learn!

This Week...

We are reading a really fun story about Santa Claus.  He has a cold and is sneezing a lot!  Thankfully, his friends help him finish all of his projects and clean things in the workshop so Santa can get some rest.  The really used teamwork!!!

We are talking about covering our sneezes and coughs, washing our hands well, and using a tissue instead of our sleeves when needed.  Please reinforce this at home :)


Target Vocabulary: sneeze, quilt, "Bless you" (manners/being polite)

It's a Busy Week!!

This week my friends helped make a special tree for Doug (speech teacher).  They worked together to cut it out, make hand prints, and then cut/glued on decorations. 

Why buy toys???

This morning I had a box in my room when my little friends came in.  They saw it and went to it immediately.  They thought it was a "firetruck."  Then they decided it needed a steering wheel.  One of the children suggested they draw one then went to get crayons.  When more friends came in they ALL wanted to drive in the "firetruck."  We had to go ask Roger for another box!  These boxes kept the children engaged for a big chunk of the morning.  They talked, problem solved, drew things on the firetrucks (tires, hoses, etc), and sang the "Firetruck song" that we learned during fire safety week.  Even children that do not usually like to color/draw colored by their own choice.

What a FUN morning!!!

Conference Week

I am not having formal conferences for my children this fall.  I have met with many families recently or will be in the next couple of months so it is not necessary to double up.  Please know that I like to call families if there are concerns in the classroom with their child.  If you have not heard from me there is a great chance that your child is doing just fine and moving on their way to meeting their goals.  I will be in the building both evenings of conferences so please stop by and see me if you have specific questions to discuss.

Reminders:

There will be no school on Monday or Friday next week. 

October 31-November 3

Target Vocabulary: Idea, Problem, costume

We read this story last year in November but it is truly one of my favorites.  This year we are focusing on different vocabulary and story elements though.  We are talking about the turkey having a problem and trying to come up with ideas to help him solve his problem (He does not want Farmer Jake to eat him for Thanksgiving).  He dresses up in costumes pretending to be different farm yard animals.  In the end, he wears a "pizza delivery" costume and brings a pizza to the family for Thanksgiving!  Super cute story that the children LOVE!

REMINDER!!!!!!

We will not be having session tomorrow (Oct. 26).  Deanna, Heidi, and I will be at a literacy training for MN Reading Corps. 

Rearranging time...

Thanks to Heidi I did some rearranging this afternoon!!  There is nothing like re-organizing things to create more interest in "old things".  I can't wait to see how this room arrangement works with my little friends. 

Computer Fun!

Today we started using the classroom computer.  It was fun to see my friends learn how to move the mouse around and "click" it.  We were playing Curious George's Bubble Pop on the PBSKids.org site.  Curious George was in the bathtub and bubbles kept rising from the water.  The children had to move the mouse and left click on it for it to pop.  They LOVED it!!!  Check it out :} 

Is it over already???

I can't believe the week is almost over and it is MEA break already.  Where does the time go?  We had a fun week together.  We welcomed a new friend to our class.  Yesterday we started a fun "candy corn" man project with Julie (OT) and made a fun fall candy corn snack.  The children were able to measure and mix pretzels, chex mix, candy corn, and different small crackers together.  Today we spent a lot of time playing in the gym together.  We are really working on waiting, taking turns and not crying/whining if we don't get what we want right away.  This is a hard thing for children to learn.  It takes consistency, patience, modeling, and understanding from all the adults in a child's world.   I say many times to my preschool friends that I wish I were an octopus so I would have 8 arms to help all my friends at once.  But...  I am not so they will have to wait. :}  Have a great weekend everyone and enjoy the time with your families. 

"The Silly Monster That Went Waggle"

It was sure a fun day today.  We had a great time playing with blocks and stayed in the gym for a really long time.   Our "Spooky Wheels on the Bus" story was a hit!  The children giggled at all of the sound effects I made during our reading.  I am often glad that my audience is made up of preschoolers because I look/sound pretty silly sometimes!  Before we started there was one little friend that said he was afraid of monsters.  At the end of the story I asked each child what their favorite part of the story was... this little boy said the silly monster that went waggle.  I love my little friends... they make me smile :) 

October 17-October 31 Read Alouds

Target Vocabulary:  spooky, silly, witches, ghosts, mummies

This is a super silly story that combines math concepts with literacy.  The book is fashioned after "The Wheels on the Bus" song.  First there is 1 spooky bus that rattles and shakes all through town, then 2 white wipers that creak, creak, creak.  After cats, wheels, spiders, mummies, monsters, witches, and brooms we end the story with 10 goofy ghosts saying Boo! 

Target Vocabulary: Scarecrow, bats, Jack'o'lantern

This is a story we read last year that I love!  It is about a mouse that goes along one night and sees all these scary shadows of things but then realizes that they were not so scary after all. 

We will also read several other fun stories during this time! 

Oh... What to do? What to do?

This time of year always brings me to a dilemma in my teaching world.  We hear about Halloween- no Halloween in schools.  Should we read stories and do art/craft projects that seem to "promote" Halloween or not?  Is it insensitive?  Will it offend parents or the community?  So many questions I ask myself. 

But... every year I bring myself back to reality by looking at my purpose and intent.  How can I help support my preschoolers and their needs?  That helps me a lot! 

Here is what I feel that young children gain from this unit:

*** Comfort and security- They learn through the funny stories we read and activities we do that it is not scary to walk down the street and see people dressed up in a costume-whether they are participating in "trick or treating" or just going home from childcare or the store.  They learn that it is ok if they walk past the costume aisle at Target and see scary things or hear that spooky music.  It is only pretend. 

*** They learn vocabulary.  They are able to put a name to that scary skeleton they may see and remember the story where the skeleton's bones "rattle, rattle".  They remember that we used the maracas to "rattle" the bones.  They connect the vocabulary with fun and silliness rather than something scary. 

*** Increases expressive communication.  Several children are SO EXCITED about Halloween.  They want to talk about it all the time.  Even children that have limited communication will often initiate conversations to tell everyone what they are going to be.  This is a way to extend their interests and learn about things that the children are interested in.  It has meaning to many children!

***  Without getting into "grown up" debates about what is "real" and not real we are able to look at real and pretend.  This is a huge developmental stage for children to go through.  They learn that they can pretend to be something that they are not and it is really fun.  This will extend to their play and social/language development.  When chidren pretend to be parents and take care of a doll they are practicing social/language/vocabulary skills.  When children pretend to be firefighters putting out fires they learn to cooperate/work together/solve problems.  These are all very important social skills that children need to learn.  So when I read "Clifford's Halloween" and Clifford is dressed up as a ghost we will talk about the real/pretend side of it in that manner.  Is it really a ghost or is Clifford just pretending to be a ghost and wearing a costume? If you see someone that is dressed up like a scary monster/pirate/dracula is it really a monster or is just someone pretending and having fun?  etc. 

*** I am in the business of teaching young children and helping them learn about the world around them.  Reality is that Halloween is part of their world.  I am not promoting Halloween or "Trick or Treating"  I am just helping children learn. 

I hope this offers some explanation of why I continue to do a unit like this every year even when it is not always the most "politically correct" thing to do.  If you have questions or concerns about this please call me and we can meet. 

Fire Safety Week

                                       

This week we read stories and talked about fire safety in our little group.  Today we had a school wide fire drill to practice what to do if there is ever a fire in our school.  Please talk with your children about what to do if there is ever a fire in your home.  It really makes a difference! 

When my own children were preschool age we had a kitchen fire in our house when making dinner one night.  Two of my preschool age sons heard the fire alarm go off and went to the "meeting spot" right away.  It was winter and they were in only their underwear after their bath.  Because they knew what to do and we had practiced going to the meeting spot I was able to get my toddler and get out of the house while their dad used the fire extinguisher to put out the fire. 

Since that experience things have changed a bit at my house.  I have high school boys now.  We no longer "practice" fire drills and if the fire alarm goes off it usually means that mom is trying to cook again and someone needs to fan under the alarm!!!  But... I know if there was ever a real fire they would know what to do. 

Thursday Fun!

Today Mrs. Grabow's 3rd grade class came in to read with us.  We had a great time listening to stories!! 

October 10-13 Going To The Firehouse

Target Vocabulary: firefighter, fire house/station, hoses, ladder, siren, smoke

This is one of my favorite authors!!  I love Critter books.  We read this story last year in preschool so some children will get to experience it again.  Children will learn more about firefighters and what they do to help us.  They will also learn what to do if there is really a fire. 

Our second book for the week will be Clifford the Firehouse Dog.  

 Each session we have 4 large group times. 

1) Read Aloud

2) Math Center/Calendar game then a thematic fingerplay

3) Supporting book/non fiction book that ties in with the read aloud. 

4) Nursery Rhymes/Fairy Tales then a group game

REMINDER!!!!!!

There will be NO PM SESSION on Monday the 10th or Wednesday the 12th. 

AM Session will meet as usual. 

Pajama Day!!!

Today we celebrated the MN Reading Corps "Read for the Record" in our preschool classroom.  We celebrated by wearing our pajamas and reading "Llama, Llama Red Pajama"  Mr. Denny's 5/6 grade class came to read with us today.  It was fun reading with our new friends :}

Bubbles....

Bubbles, Bubbles, Bubbles.... 
Why are bubbles so fun?  :)

Today a friend brought bubbles to share and the children didn't even wait until we went outside before they opened the little bottles and started making bubbles.  It is so fun to hear squeals of excitement when children are trying to pop bubbles floating around the room :}

October 3-6 Four Day Read Aloud

Target Vocabulary:  llama, pajama, red, waiting

Next week we will be reading this cute story about a llama that has been read a story and tucked into bed and wants his mama.  The rhyming text and illustrations reminds me so much of when my boys were little and did not want to be in bed!  On Thursday, we will have a pajama day here in preschool to celebrate the story.  (red pajamas would be really fun if your child has a pair :}) 

October Calendar

Today I sent home the October calendar.  Please note some important dates on the calendar. 
***Pajama Day--  October 6
***No PM Session on the 10th and 12th (AM session meets as usual). 
***No School on the 20-21 due to MEA. 
***No Preschool on October 26-

Calendar Math is Fun!!!

Calendar Math:
Every day in preschool we do calendar math.  Calendar math involves identifying and extending patterns (usually AB), rote counting, number identification to 5, counting one to one with gumball pieces, and looking at a daily color and shape. We finish by having a child "feed" the piggy bank 10 coins while we all count with.  Calendar math addresses several of our math standards and is repetitive in nature. 

hThis was really fun!  This little boy went over to the calendar today and started pointing to the colored apples pretending to be the "teacher" to another child (not in the picture).  He asked what came next in the pattern then extended it using the right colored apple.  It is amazing how much he sounded just like me! :}  I think the neatest part of this is the fact that even though calendar math is preacademic in focus it can be fun and game-like to young children.  So much so that they choose to "play" it during free choice time.  Learning is fun!

Check It Out!!!

I received this email from another teacher today.  Check it out!!!

I found something exciting through Scholastic today that I would like to let parents know about!!!

By getting 2 Kellogg’s items at Walmart (not sure if it can be other places or not)- parents can submit the codes and kids can pick out a book up to $5 value!   The awesome thing is it looks like you can turn in as many as you want- so for every 2 items, you can get a book!  Parents can either submit online if teachers have online ordering or turn it in to the teacher.

Go to Scholasticbookclubs.com then click on Contests & Programs, then scroll down to Kellogg’s Free Book Offer

Please let me know if you have questions.   At this time I do not have online ordering so please send in the code with your child's book order and I will make sure it gets submitted. 

Important Calendar Change for the Afternoon Session

There will be NO PM session on October 10 or October 12.  I will be at a training. 

You are welcome to bring your child to ECFE on Friday, October 14 from 9-10:30 to make up the session.  This is a parent/child session so you would need to stay at school with your child on this date. 
If you have any questions, please let me know. 

*** We will still have AM session on those days. 

Tons Of Fun!

Today was so much fun!  We listened to our Clifford story and made a pretty fall picture to take home.  It is Monday so the children were able to paint today and play games with Grandma Andrine.  We also started a mini book about leaves that children will be able to take home later this week.  Finally, we played outside.  It is such a beautiful fall day.  I sure hope it stays that way for awhile :} 

Melisa has gone Kicking and Screaming!!!!

Into the new technology era...

In an effort to go green and drag myself into the next technology era I will be discontinuing paper newsletters starting the end of September.  Please visit this blog for information on upcoming dates and classroom learning.  :}

If there is important information that you want me to include on this blog please let me know.

September 26-30

Target Vocabulary: naughty, frightened, football, rake

 Our 4 Day Read Aloud will be "Clifford's First Autumn".  This is a fun story about a little pup that is experiencing fall for the first time.  

It is important that children learn about the changing seasons and how it changes their environment.  However, we will only spend this week talking about leaves and fall.  Last year I spent a month on this unit doing many activities.  Because I have many children here for a second year I want to make sure that I do not do the same things as last year.  We are in luck though... there are so many fun things to learn about that I do not think we will ever run out of lessons! :}  

Science Everywhere!

"Mixed" and "White"

This week we read the story "Mouse Paint".  Two of the vocabulary words we learned were white and mixed.  We used both concepts today to make a fun snack.  We measured and mixed white milk with pudding powder to make pudding!  This children loved to help cook :}

Butterflies

This morning we let our butterflies go.  We have watched them since they were caterpillars climbing on milkweed.  They crawled to the top of the container and spun themselves a chrysalis.  After about 10 days they came out of the chrysalis.  Today we let them go to start their journey south. 

Where is the Mouse?

This is a super fun game that we have been playing this week.  I hide the mouse "behind" a colored paintbrush.  The children take turns guessing where the mouse is.  We are practicing language skills, waiting for a turn, the concept "behind", and colors.  AND.... it is really FUN!!!! 

Lots Of Fun!

Today was so fun!  We learned that it is really fun to play with friends.  With some teacher modeling the children here were building a really tall mouse house just like in the story we read last week.  It made me smile to see that they remembered the story so well :}

I Want To Go Home!

I heard this a lot this morning!  It seemed like all of the children wanted to go home this morning (when it was clean up time)  It is really funny though that when it was time to actually go home a few of those that wanted to leave earlier wanted to stay :} 

We have started another busy week and are welcoming some new friends to the group.  Our story this week is about three little mice that mix paint to make new colors.  I am so excited to start painting this week! 

IGDI'S

Next week we will all the children will be given the IGDI assessment (Individual Growth and Development Indicators).  This is the early literacy assessment that all children take in preschool here at Parkers Prairie Elementary.  It assesses children's level of development in vocabulary, rhyming, letter identification, letter sounds, and alliteration (beginning letter sounds).  Teaching staff will use the information gathered from the assessment to help children that are not currently on target learn and grow in that area.  You will get information on how your child did on the assessment in the weeks to come.  If you have any questions please call or email me. 

September 19-22

Target Vocabulary:

white, jar, mixed, puddle

What a fun week we had!!  We are back into a routine and it feels good.  Next week we will be reading "Mouse Paint" as our 4 day read aloud.  It is a fun story about three white mice that get into all kinds of trouble with paint and mixing colors.  I have lots of fun things planned for the week.   I can't wait to see my friends again on Monday :}

We made cookies :}

In our story this week, Mouse took cookies to school for a snack.  We played a memory/matching game each day this week and talked alot about the vocabulary same/different/match. 

To end our week of "If You Take a Mouse to School" we made a batch of chocolate chip cookies.  We mixed, measured, and counted A LOT!!!  We made extra cookies to share with some special people in our school.  We will deliver cookies and practice communication skills.  What a fun activity to practice science, math, language, and social skills :}

Volcano!!!

Today we did an experiment in preschool!!  In our story, Mouse did an experiment at school and made a volcano using baking soda and vinegar.  We did the same experiment and the children loved seeing the volcano erupt :}  We followed up the activity with a journal page because all good scientists take notes on their experiments. 

You can do the same experiment at home by putting baking soda and food coloring in a glass then add vinegar and watch it fizz. 

I Can't Wait!!

Wednesday is VOLCANO day!  :}

If You Take A Mouse To School

I am playing with this blog!  I think I will like this :}

This is the story we are reading this week as our 4 day read-aloud.  Target vocabulary for this story:

Experiment

Basketball

Soccer Ball

pencils

I can't wait until Wednesday...  volcano experiments in preschool!!! 

September 8

Well we did it!!!  The first week of school went well and it was so fun to see my little friends again.  We spent the week getting back into the routine of school and playing with friends.  I did some baseline assessments of color and shape concepts and was very pleased to see little (if any) regression of skills over the summer months.  We read a super fun book about a mouse that went to school.  Some of the children remembered a story about the same mouse last year at Halloween time. 

Next week we will continue with a back to school theme.  We will read "If You Take A Mouse To School" and do several activities around the story. 

Welcome to a new year!!!

Welcome to a new year!  I am so excited to have my little friends come back to school.  Please remember that all forms need to be completed prior to the first day of school.  If you have any questions or concerns through the school year please do not hesitate to call or email me.  Thanks, Melisa