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**** Upcoming Dates****

  • April 5 and April 9 No Early Childhood
  • April 23-- No Early Childhood Session
  • April 23- Big Wheels 5-7PM
  • May 17- Last Day of Early Childhood

Wednesday, January 25, 2012

Playdoh is GREAT!

Playdoh is a great activity for children!  Squeezing and molding playdoh strengthens hand and finger muscles that young children need to draw and write.  There are several recipes out there for playdoh but this is one of my favorites.  I love the color and SCENT of the koolaid playdoh!  It makes it so much fun to play with.  This playdoh is not as crumbly as some. 
 
I remember when my children were young.  I would always have an ice cream bucket of playdoh and some cookie cutters on hand.  It was a great "rainy day" activity that would keep them busy and happy for a long time.  I could even get dishes done or fold the laundry while talking to them and watching them play. :)
 
 
Koolaid Playdoh
  • 2 1/2 cups flour
  • 1/2 cup salt
  • 2 (4 g) packages unsweetened Kool-Aid powdered drink mix (Orange and Grape are my favorites)
  • 2 cups boiling water 
  • 3 tablespoons oil

Directions:

  1. Mix flour, salt, Kool-Aid until blended.
  2. Add oil and boiling water, mix with spoon until cool enough to knead.
  3. Continue kneading until color is blended.
  4. Store in air tight bag or container in the refrigerator. 

Thursday, January 19, 2012

IGDI'S

It is really hard to believe that it is already time to do the IGDI's again.  I always say that after Winter Break the school year just flies by!  Your child will be participating in the Individual Growth and Development Indicators.  This assessment looks at a child's pre literacy skills in the areas of vocabulary, rhyming, letter identification/sounds, and alliteration.  We give this assessment to children in the fall, winter, and spring.  I am hoping to see nice gains. 

REMINDER!!!!!!

We will not be having session on Monday.  It is a Teacher Workshop day.  Stay warm and enjoy an extra day at home. 

What A FUN Week!!!



HOMEMADE BUTTER!!!

We made homemade butter by shaking whipping cream for a really long time (about 5 minutes).  We watched it change in consistency until it turned into a solid!  We ate the homemade butter on crackers for a snack.  ( I used a plastic container with a cover instead of a glass baby food jar.  It seems to drip less)




We got to play in flour and "mix up the dough" just like the Little Red Hen did. I was so pleased to see how careful my little friends were so they did not get flour on the floor!

 We made our February Calendar!  Expect a fun Valentine surprise coming home next week. 


"Little Red Hens" 
We made little red hens out of our hand prints.  They turned out adorable!


Thursday, January 12, 2012

January 17-January 26 Read Alouds



Target Vocabulary:  hen, fox, tomato, chop

This is a fun story about a little red hen that asks her friends to help her make lunch.  The duck and fox had lots of reasons why they could not help.  In the end, she makes a delicious pizza for lunch and her friends are out of luck! 

There are lots of rhyming words in this story.  We will talk a lot about helping others and being a good friend.  We may just end the week sharing a delicious snack! 


Story 2:
The Little Red Hen

We will also read the original version of the story "The Little Red Hen" in our group.  We will do some comparisons between the two stories.  We will make fresh butter from cream to put on top of some homemade rolls!

Story 3:

This is a very short story that does not have a lot of words in it.  It is an excellent story for learning/practicing positional concepts with young children. 

REMINDER!!!!!!

We will not have school on Monday the 16th.  Enjoy your time with your children :}

Wednesday, January 11, 2012

Classroom Fun!

We started our mural today.  Painting pigs was a lot of fun!




In both of our stories this week, the pigs get a bath.  These friends giving the colored pigs a "bubble bath"

It is GREAT to have my little friends back!

We have had a fun couple of days!  It is fun to see my friends again and my how some of them have grown!  We are settling into a classroom routine again.

Monday, January 9, 2012

Snack

I just checked our cabinets and they reminded me of "Old Mother Hubbard"

If you are able, please send in a snack donation with your child.  We would love to have crackers, cereal, fruit, granola bars, cheese, yogurt, etc.  Thanks!!

January 10-12

Target Vocabulary:  Instructions, Duck, Trouble, Giggle

This is a funny story about a farmer that goes away on a vacation leaving his brother in charge of the animals.  The duck is quite a clever animal.  He writes notes for the brother on how to care for them...  After a pizza delivery for dinner, bubble baths for the pigs, and a movie night for the cows... the farmer figures out something is up and heads home. 




This is a fun and interactive story about animals that need a bath!