Tuesday, March 30, 2010

Frogs eggs have just arrived


Our class has just received frog eggs for our classroom from the Science Center in the high school.  We have the eggs in a container in our class and we will be observing them.  We are hoping some of the eggs are going to hatch into tadpoles. 
Our first observations were they are black and are in the shape of little balls.  We have a chart next to the container to show the life cycle of the frogs.
We will keep you informed if any change into tadpoles so you can discuss with your child what they observed.

Friday, March 26, 2010

World of Color Week 6

World of Color - Week 6
Theme – This is our last week of our color unit. During this unit students will interact with colors explore topics such as color mixing, stains, fading, camouflage, and color patterns. Students will learn that color can be found in nature, that color can carry information, that paints and dyes are used to color things, colors can be mixed to make new colors and that sun and washing can make colors fade.
*Please note that we will not have school on Friday

*Also, we are planning ahead for our upcoming unit. If you have any “beautiful junk”, we would appreciate it. Here’s what we need: shiny gift wrap, metal jars, plastic screw top container lids (peanut butter, coffee jars, etc), small metal cans, transparent and opaque jars or containers.

Favorite Color Day
Please have your child wear their favorite color on Thursday. 
Stories –
A Letter To Amy by Ezra Jack Keats
Caps for Sale by Esphyr Slobodkina
Small Groups
- Language – We will be creating a book based on our paper-fading experiment.  We will be making observations about our paper we put in the sun for 1 week and 3 weeks.  We will record our observations through dictating to teachers.
-Math–We will be creating color patterns in a "frame"
- Games- Alphabet Go Fish
Choice: -
- Easel –Mixing primary colors
-Sensory table-using spray bottles with colored water to spray on paper
- Dramatic Play – Post Office and buying stamps and envelopes with money
-Art Table-color collages
-Writing Center – Writing letters to friends
-Library- Books about colors
-Fine Motor- play dough
- Blocks –Colored building blocks

Let’s Talk About It (oral language development)
-Observing and discussing colors in signs we see (example: stop sign, school crossing, traffic lights...)
-What is your favorite color? What color do more friends like? What color do less friends like?

Songs, Word Plays and Letters
1)Head Shoulders Knees and Toes
2) Down By the Bay
3) Five Green and Speckled Frogs
4) Green grass
5) What are you wearing?
6) Can you think of words that rhyme with__?
7) Rhyming words for books (thorn, horn; stamp, ramp)
8) Hands

Monday, March 22, 2010

World of Color Week 5

World of Color - Week 5

Theme – This week we will continue our Unit 4 of the Owl, World of Color. During this unit students will interact with colors explore topics such as color mixing, stains, fading, camouflage, and color patterns. Students will learn that color can be found in nature, that color can carry information, that paints and dyes are used to color things, colors can be mixed to make new colors and that sun and washing can make colors fade.

*Also, we are planning ahead for our upcoming unit. If you have any “beautiful junk”, we would appreciate it. Here’s what we need: shiny gift wrap, metal jars, plastic screw top container lids (peanut butter, coffee jars, etc), small metal cans, transparent and opaque jars or containers.

Orange is the color of the week.
Please have your child wear the color Orange or bring in an Orange item on Thursday.

Stories
The Lion and the Little Red Bird by Elisa Kleven
Chickens Aren’t The Only Ones by Ruth Heller
A Letter To Amy by Ezra Jack Keats

Small Groups
- Language – We will discuss how animals are different colors and patterns. We will create a chart and sort animals that have stripes and animals that have spots
- Book Browsing –We will be looking through some of our familiar books from our color unit. We will be discussing our favorite characters and favorite parts in each story. We will compare our responses with each other.
- Positional Book- We will be creating a positional book based on our book The Lion and The Little Red Bird. (Terms: above, below, on, next to, between)

Choice: -
- Easel –Coloring The Lion and The Little Red Bird
-Sensory table-Color Sorting using tongs to promote fine motor skills
- Dramatic Play – Post Office and buying stamps and envelopes with money
-Art Table- making orange hats for Thursday
-Writing Center – Writing letters to friends
-Library- Books about colors
-Fine Motor- color sorters
- Blocks –Colored building blocks

Let’s Talk About It (oral language development)
-discussing distinctive colors in animals
-appreciating others (related to how the little red bird and the lion helped each other)

Songs, Word Plays and Letters
1)Head Shoulders Knees and Toes
2) Down By the Bay
3) Five Green and Speckled Frogs
4) Green grass
5) What are you wearing?
6) Can you think of words that rhyme with__?
7) Stand Up
8) Hands

Monday, March 15, 2010

World of Color Week 4

Theme – This week we will continue our Unit 4 of the Owl, World of Color. During this unit students will interact with colors explore topics such as color mixing, stains, fading, camouflage, and color patterns. Students will learn that color can be found in nature, that color can carry information, that paints and dyes are used to color things, colors can be mixed to make new colors and that sun and washing can make colors fade.


*Also, we are planning ahead for our upcoming unit. If you have any “beautiful junk”, we would appreciate it. Here’s what we need: shiny gift wrap, metal jars, plastic screw top container lids(peanut butter, coffee jars, etc), small metal cans, transparent and opaque jars or containers.
*Also if anyone would like to donate an extra box of tissues we would greatly appreciate it.

Green is the color of the week.
Please have your child wear Green on Thursday.

Stories –
Dear Juno by Soyung Pak
The Lion and the Little Red Bird by Elisa Kleven
Mouse Paint by Ellen Walsh

Small Groups
-Science –Color Mixing on Paper Towels.We will be observing how colors mix.
-Math- Remove One- counting straws and removing straws to introduce simple subtraction problems.
-Language- Naming and Labeling Paint Colors-We will be matching color words and colored materials. We will be focusing on beginning sounds of each letter as we sort.

Choice: -
- Easel – Ice Cream Paintings
-Sensory table-sorting colored objects. We will be using fine motor tweezers and putting items into colored trays.
- Dramatic Play – Cub Cadet Ice Cream Shop.
-Art Table- mixing primary colors for a class book
-Language- creating green collage headbands and writing the word green on them
- Library-Books about colors
- Blocks –Colored building blocks

Music:
1) Clap Your Hands
2) Bingo
3) Five Green and Speckled Frogs
4) Green grass
5) Down By the Bay
6) Bananas
7) Five Little Monkeys

Poems: Hands on Shoulders, Stand Up

Friday, March 5, 2010

World of Color Week 3


Theme – This week we will continue our Unit 4 of the Owl, World of Color. During this unit students will interact with colors explore topics such as color mixing, stains, fading, camouflage, and color patterns. Students will learn that color can be found in nature, that color can carry information, that paints and dyes are used to color things, colors can be mixed to make new colors and that sun and washing can make colors fade.


Yellow is the color of the week.
Please have your child wear yellow on Thursday.

Stories
Dog’s Colorful Day- Emma Dodd
The Lion and the Little Red Bird-Elisa Kleven
Mouse Paint Ellen Walsh

Small Groups
-Science –Color Mixing-Students will be observing and exploring colors and how they blend and mix to create new colors. We will be mixing foam paint to try to create new colors and observe our results.
-Math- How Many Different Ice Cream Cones? Students will create different combinations of ice cream cones in small groups using three different flavors.
-Writing- We will use Dog’s Colorful Day as an inspiration to our own personal books. Each child will create their own retelling of this class book.

Choice: -
-Easel – Dog’s Colorful Day painting with bingo dobbers
-Sensory table -colored water with funnels and bottles to fill
-Dramatic Play – Cub Cadet Ice Cream Shop.
-Art Table- finger painting and mixing colors (encouraging using words to describe new colors, ex, green grass, yellow lemonade)
-Language- creating yellow collage headbands and writing the word yellow on them
-Library-Books about colors
-Blocks –Colored building blocks
Music:
1) Clap Your Hands
2) Bingo
3) Five Green and Speckled Frogs
4) Green grass
5) Down By the Bay
6) Bananas
7) Five Little Monkeys

Poems: Hands on Shoulders, Stand Up, Pease Porridge Hot