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| Ian making pizza playdoh. |
It’s official! We have had our first snowfall! This may have been the highlight of the week. The children stopped what they were doing today and shouted and hugged each other to celebrate this momentous occasion. I let them enjoy the moment (or two) and then we settled back into our end of day routine. The thermometer read 42 degrees Fahrenheit. I’m not sure how that happens, but it did.
Explorations: Playdoh is a big favorite. The students enjoy making pizza and other interesting foods. We have been working on proper painting procedures, including how to try stay clean and how to clean up. Occasionally wet paint gets smudged on clothing. They are wearing large t-shirts for smocks, but please note that paint may get on clothing in the process, (however It is washable), Airports have been the building of choice this week with some very elaborate structures. Once construction is completed the children enjoy using the toy cars, airplanes, and people figures to animate their play.
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| Kayla and Maple piecing together the Butterfly Lifecycle Puzzle. |
Mrs. White has loaned us her Butterfly Lifecycle floor puzzle. It is quite challenging, but very gratifying. It has yet to be fully completed during the Exploration period, but we will continue to use it next week. I believe with more practice they will have more success. Once in small groups they are working alongside and together much better.
Jolly Phonics: We finished our second group of letters. /c/, /k/, /e/, /h/, /r/, /m/ and /d/. Next week we will begin with a new grouping of sounds. The students are doing a great job with their workbooks. Please don’t let them work ahead of the letters that have been introduced. It’s best to practice and review the sounds before they go ahead to learn more. Some games you can play with your child at home are: Guess My Word… Make the actions for a simple consonant-vowel-consonant word (using letters introduced such as /h/ /a/ /t/ and have your child guess the word. You can also say the sounds individually and have them guess it by trying to blend them together. This can be a challenging activity. The more practice the better. They love to play detective. Once they get good at it, they can have you guess the words. If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to call me or send me a note.
Social Studies and Science:
We have continued to talk about the senses and the change of the seasons. Among several seasonal books, we read Pumpkin Circle by George Levenson and will complete our own Pumpkin Life Cycle book on Friday during our Fall Harvest celebration.
We’ve also learned a few seasonal songs and poems. Look for them in their notebook this weekend. Please return on Monday.
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| Hunter and Andrew Playdoh Pizza Chef Extraordinaires. |
Share: The Share theme this past week was /k/. We enjoyed some Halloween fun shares with a skeleton and a ceramic black cat. Very spooky!
Lots of Monster Trucks, pick-up trucks and even a toy motorcycle. We practiced clapping the syllables in the words and checked to hear where the /k/ sound was placed. Was it in the beginning of the word? The middle? Or the end?
Next week sound theme is /h/, Happy Hunting! J As always thanks for your creativity and support!
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| Ava creating a butterfly masterpiece. |
- Thank you to Brady’s family for contributing this week’s healthy snacks! Next week’s snack will be provided by Andrew’s family.
- 1st Quarter Conference Sign Up is here: It is hard to believe the 1Q is drawing to a close. Please see attached sheet to sign up for conferences. Submit your first three choices. I will try to send a confirmation home by the end of next week.
- Thank you in advance to Finn’s dad, Jon and Maple’s mom, Leah for helping with the Fall Harvest Celebration today!
- We have ELF Monday, 10/31 from 10-11:00. Thank you to our ELF parent and grandparent volunteers!
- Reminder: Colder weather means winter coats, mittens, hats and even possibly boots if the snow continues to fly. We go outside for recess as long as the temperature is above 10 degrees F.
Sincerely,
Mrs. Bodnar
