April 1- April 5 Shadows and Reflections

Thank you to all the families that were able to come to our Artist Brunch. Thank you for sending in supplies as well. Thank you!!
We will be continuing our theme of Shadows and Reflections 
Next week we will also be attending a special performance of the Harlem Basketball Show in the BHS gym. 

Theme – During this unit students will explore shadows and reflections, using observations, experiments and books to learn what makes a shadow and a reflection. Through Story Time books, children hear about a girl playing by a still pond, a puppy who thinks he is a kitten, a crocodile collecting reflections in a pail, a sleepy boy who sees a shadow save a cat, and a raccoon who has an adventure with only his reflection for company.

Theme Concepts:
Reflections are images thrown back from a shiny surface.
There must be light or there is no reflection.
Mirrors and still water reflect light well; dull surfaces do not.
If water is moving, its reflections are blurry or crooked.
Objects are opaque, translucent, or transparent.
Shadows are the dark areas made when an object blocks light.

Stories:

Puddle Pail 

Kitten for a Day
Dreams

Small Groups:
-Math- Making collection and comparing the collections.  We will label each collection with less or more.
- Phonemic Awareness Game- We will use a cube with the letters from the word SNAKE.  Then we will identify the letter and it's sound. Then we will make our results on a tally sheet to see which letter wins.
-Fine Motor-We will be writing letters from animals in our unit books.

Special Small Group Activities
- Kaleidoscopes- We will be creating our own kaleidoscopes.  This is a fun project that reinforces that light is needed for reflections.
-Shadow Length Recording- We will be going outside and tracing our shadows on the sidewalk.  We will be going back every hour to see how our shadow changes.  We have been learning about how shadows are cast in different areas according to where it is in the sky. 

Choice: -

-Easel –Painting Night-time sky (Dark blue paper with white paint and glitter)
-Sensory–Shiny Tinsel (Looking for reflections)
-Dramatic Play – Doll Shoe Store (This was so much fun that we are continuing this week)
-Art/Language-Stained glass tissue paper creations
-Writing Center – Drawing and writing about animals
-Puzzles – Animal Puzzles (Raccoons, crocodiles, grasshoppers, and fawns).
-Blocks – Blocks
-Science Center- Mirrors and kaleidoscopes

Songs, Word Plays and Letters
Bingo – with the word Snake
Whose Reflection is in the Pool?  (Smart board Activity)
Little Letter/Big Letter Chant


Handwriting
-Magic C Letters Books
-Using small chalk boards to practice C
-Shaving cream to practice C on trays
-Theraputty Activities to strengthen our fingers.
-We will be moving onto our "Magic C" letters.  I will have a "magic" black hat and a special rabbit to help me write our magic C letters.   They are magic C letters because they can change. If you make a C it can change to a G, O, and Q.  We also have a fun song to sing about Magic C letters.

Preschool Life Skills
We are continuing to review our previous skills 1-7.
1-When a teacher calls your name, stop, look and say, "Yes".
2-When a teacher tells you to do something, do it "Right Away".
3-When a teacher tells you to do 2 things, do it "Right Away".
4-When something is too hard, first try then say,"Can you help me please?"
5-When you something from a teacher or a friend and they are doing something, say, "Excuse me" to get them to look at you.
(6and 7 are join together)
7-When someone is in your way or has something that you want, say "Excuse me" to get their attention, and then say"May I_____?" to get what you want.
8-When an adult tells you to wait say, "Okay", and your waiting words. (Waiting Words= "When I wait quietly, I get what I want")
 New Skill:
When a friend tells you to wait say, "Okay", and your waiting words. (Waiting Words= "When I wait quietly, I get what I want")

We also have been learning:
"Checking our Body" - This is to remind us how to sit during large group activities. We will talk about how to "check" our bodies to get ready to listen. This is a important skill as we transition into kindergarten.

Science Center Show -Reptile and Light Show

Today Ms. Wendy and Mr. Sean from the Burlington Science Center came to our preschool to present a reptile and light show.  We learned new facts about reptiles such as they have backbones and they are cold blooded.  Wendy had an alligator, a snake, and two turtles to show us.  We even had a turn to touch the snake if we wanted to. She also showed us a turtle shell that had a backbone inside of its shell.

 We loved touching the snake to feel its scales. Many of the animals we saw in the show were in our unit books (Raccoon on His Own and Play With Me)

 The alligator was making sounds during the show.

 We loved watching the turtles have a little snack during the show.











Learning about light with Mr. Sean!

 Then Mr. Sean taught us about light.  We learned how the sun gives us light and makes our planet warm.  He had a white ball that lit up.  When he turned out the lights and spun it in a circle, it made new colors.  Then he showed us different kinds of mirrors.  This reinforced our unit of reflections.
Finally, he showed us a laser light. He explained to us that light travels in a  straight line.  When he put the lights out, Ms. Wendy sprayed "smoke" on the light and proved how light travels in a straight line.



It was an amazing show.  We are very lucky to have such an amazing resource in Burlington.
We love the Burlington Science Center!!
Thank you so much Wendy and Sean!!









Learning about reflections and the path of light.


When we came back from the show, we recalled the new facts we learned. They were really listening!!
Steven D.- Snakes have dry skin.
Stephen H. - Turtles have a backbone on its' shell.
Stephen B.- The laser light goes in a straight line.
John- The alligator has very sharp teeth for biting.
Paige- The snake has a long tongue to taste the air.
Michael- The turtle has bones inside its' shell.
Trevor- When you put your hand in front of a laser, it will block the light.
Jack- The alligator had a backbone.
Gabby- Alligators are born from eggs.
Sarah- A laser goes in a straight line.
Sophia- Reptiles temperatures goes up and down.
Nao- The snake had a long tail.
Kayden- The snake had a backbone.
Logan- The snake slithers to get around.
Boris- When you see your reflection in a bendy mirror it looks blurry.

March 25-28 Shadows and Reflections

Reminder: Artist Brunch Thursday March 28 (11:45-12:30)
FYI- We will also have a Reptile and Light Show at our preschool on Tuesday by the Burlington Science Center.
Please ask your child about it. 

Theme – During this unit students will explore shadows and reflections, using observations, experiments and books to learn what makes a shadow and a reflection. Through Story Time books, children hear about a girl playing by a still pond, a puppy who thinks he is a kitten, a crocodile collecting reflections in a pail, a sleepy boy who sees a shadow save a cat, and a raccoon who has an adventure with only his reflection for company.

Theme Concepts:
Reflections are images thrown back from a shiny surface.
There must be light or there is no reflection.
Mirrors and still water reflect light well; dull surfaces do not.
If water is moving, its reflections are blurry or crooked.
Objects are opaque, translucent, or transparent.
Shadows are the dark areas made when an object blocks light.

Stories:

Puddle Pail 

Raccoon on His Own
Moonbear's Shadow

Small Groups:
-Math- Making collection and comparing the collections.  We will label each collection with less or more.
- Phonemic Awareness Game- We will use a cube with the letters from the word SNAKE.  Then we will identify the letter and it's sound. Then we will make our results on a tally sheet to see which letter wins.
-Fine Motor-We will be writing letters from animals in our unit books.

-Technology-Beginning Sound Game on Touch It Board- Each child will have a turn to roll the dice on the touch it board which will reveal a letter.  They will then say the letter sound.  Then they will use a colored chip to put on the picture of the image that begins with that letter sound. 

-Science- Mirror Play- We will discuss the what a refection is.  Then we will use mirrors to try to reflect objects in flat mirrors, concave mirrors, and triangle shaped mirrors.  These mirrors will be at the science table during the week to explore independently.
-Fine Motor- We will be sequencing pictures of shadows from shortest to longest.  We will reinforce the concept of where the light needs to be to cast a shadow.

Choice: -

-Easel –Making Puddle Pail Reflections
-Sensory–Shiny Tinsel (Looking for reflections)
-Dramatic Play – Doll Shoe Store
-Art/Language-We will be creating a pet we would like to have out of clay. We will wait for it to dry then paint our pet.  The last step will be to draw a picture of our pet and describe our pet.
-Writing Center – Drawing and writing about animals
-Puzzles – Animal Puzzles (Raccoons, crocodiles, grasshoppers, and fawns).
-Blocks – Blocks
-Science Center- Mirrors and Reflection Exploring

Songs, Word Plays and Letters
Five Green Frogs
Bingo – with the word Snake
Whose Reflection is in the Pool?  (Smart board Activity)
Little Letter/Big Letter Chant
The Turtle
Five Little Fishies

Handwriting
-Magic C Letters Books
-Using small chalk boards to practice C
-Shaving cream to practice C on trays
-Theraputty Activities to strengthen our fingers.
-We will be moving onto our "Magic C" letters.  I will have a "magic" black hat and a special rabbit to help me write our magic C letters.   They are magic C letters because they can change. If you make a C it can change to a G, O, and Q.  We also have a fun song to sing about Magic C letters.

Preschool Life Skills
We are continuing to review our previous skills 1-7.
1-When a teacher calls your name, stop, look and say, "Yes".
2-When a teacher tells you to do something, do it "Right Away".
3-When a teacher tells you to do 2 things, do it "Right Away".
4-When something is too hard, first try then say,"Can you help me please?"
5-When you something from a teacher or a friend and they are doing something, say, "Excuse me" to get them to look at you.
(6and 7 are join together)
7-When someone is in your way or has something that you want, say "Excuse me" to get their attention, and then say"May I_____?" to get what you want.
8-When an adult tells you to wait say, "Okay", and your waiting words. (Waiting Words= "When I wait quietly, I get what I want")
 New Skill:
When a friend tells you to wait say, "Okay", and your waiting words. (Waiting Words= "When I wait quietly, I get what I want")

We also have been learning:
"Checking our Body" - This is to remind us how to sit during large group activities. We will talk about how to "check" our bodies to get ready to listen. This is a important skill as we transition into kindergarten.

Shadows and Reflections March 18-22

**Picture Day Thursday, March 21**

Please put your order form in your child's backpack for Thursday.  

If you need an extra form please let me know. 

Theme – During this unit students will explore shadows and reflections, using observations, experiments and books to learn what makes a shadow and a reflection. Through Story Time books, children hear about a girl playing by a still pond, a puppy who thinks he is a kitten, a crocodile collecting reflections in a pail, a sleepy boy who sees a shadow save a cat, and a raccoon who has an adventure with only his reflection for company.

Theme Concepts:
Reflections are images thrown back from a shiny surface.
There must be light or there is no reflection.
Mirrors and still water reflect light well; dull surfaces do not.
If water is moving, its reflections are blurry or crooked.
Objects are opaque, translucent, or transparent.
Shadows are the dark areas made when an object blocks light.

Stories:

Play with Me by Marie Hall Ets

Raccoon on His Own by: Jim Arnosky
Moonbear's Shadow

Small Groups:

-Technology-Beginning Sound Game on Touch It Board- Each child will have a turn to roll the dice on the touch it board which will reveal a letter.  They will then say the letter sound.  Then they will use a colored chip to put on the picture of the image that begins with that letter sound. 

-Science- Mirror Play- We will discuss the what a refection is.  Then we will use mirrors to try to reflect objects in flat mirrors, concave mirrors, and triangle shaped mirrors.  These mirrors will be at the science table during the week to explore independently.
-Fine Motor- We will be sequencing pictures of shadows from shortest to longest.  We will reinforce the concept of where the light needs to be to cast a shadow.

Choice: -

-Easel – Cloud Painting with blue paper, white paint, and cotton balls
-Sensory–Floating boats with foil bottoms (looking for reflections in water)
-Dramatic Play – Mirror Play- Doll Hair salon- reinforcing mirror reflection
-Art/Language-We will be creating a pet we would like to have out of clay. We will wait for it to dry then paint our pet.  The last step will be to draw a picture of our pet and describe our pet.
-Writing Center – Drawing and writing about animals
-Puzzles – Animal Puzzles (Raccoons, crocodiles, grasshoppers, and fawns).
-Blocks – Blocks
-Science Center- Mirrors and Reflection Exploring

Songs, Word Plays and Letters
Five Green Frogs
Bingo – with the word Snake
Whose Reflection is in the Pool?  (Smart board Activity)
Little Letter/Big Letter Chant
The Turtle
Five Little Fishies

Handwriting
-Magic C Letters Books
-Using small chalk boards to practice C
-Shaving cream to practice C on trays
-Theraputty Activities to strengthen our fingers.
-We will be moving onto our "Magic C" letters.  I will have a "magic" black hat and a special rabbit to help me write our magic C letters.   They are magic C letters because they can change. If you make a C it can change to a G, O, and Q.  We also have a fun song to sing about Magic C letters.

Preschool Life Skills
We are continuing to review our previous skills 1-7.
1-When a teacher calls your name, stop, look and say, "Yes".
2-When a teacher tells you to do something, do it "Right Away".
3-When a teacher tells you to do 2 things, do it "Right Away".
4-When something is too hard, first try then say,"Can you help me please?"
5-When you something from a teacher or a friend and they are doing something, say, "Excuse me" to get them to look at you.
(6and 7 are join together)
7-When someone is in your way or has something that you want, say "Excuse me" to get their attention, and then say"May I_____?" to get what you want.
8-When an adult tells you to wait say, "Okay", and your waiting words. (Waiting Words= "When I wait quietly, I get what I want")
 New Skill:
When a friend tells you to wait say, "Okay", and your waiting words. (Waiting Words= "When I wait quietly, I get what I want")

We also have been learning:
"Checking our Body" - This is to remind us how to sit during large group activities. We will talk about how to "check" our bodies to get ready to listen. This is a important skill as we transition into kindergarten.

Leprechaun Visit Today

    Today our class enjoyed many St. Patrick's Day activities.  Our class has been visited by a leprechaun named Sean McFlarety.  Pat explained to us that her family was from Ireland and when she was a little girl her mother told her stories about leprechauns.  All week Pat found clues in her backyard from the leprechaun that visit her every year.  (For example, a leprechaun sized rocking chair, a tiny bowling set, and today a bicycle).  Pat tried to catch him at her house today. But he got away.  We decided we would try to catch him too.

   First we made special rainbow hats.  Then we put on special glasses to help us look all around our school.  Luckily, we were able to get some clues from teachers and our secretary Sandy.  Then when we went outside we noted special reflective shamrocks on the hill outside of our classroom.  To our surprise, the secretaries from Louise's office opened the door and told us they saw the leprechaun. In her office was a special package from Sean.  In he package was gold that he wanted to share with us.  Even though we did not catch him, we we so happy he decided to share his gold. Plus, he also left special mystery bags for everyone who earned a "high five" today. 

  

We collected the reflective shamrocks that Sean put on the grass.

We noticed a box with a shamrock through Louise's door. It was the box that Sean left for us with a note. Before going back to our room, we all received special shamrock stickers that Louise left for us.

Sean gave each one of us some of his gold.

Artist Brunch News

Please Save the Date

Thursday, March 28

11:45-12:30

Our class would like to invite you to an Artist Brunch.  We recently had Boris' mom come into our classroom to teach us about warm and cool colors.  She showed us examples of how Eric Carle used warm and cool colors in his illustrations in some familiar books such as The Very Hungry Caterpillar. She completed a 2 day project with us and we are so proud of our work.  We would like to invite our families in to view our projects along with special treats that we will prepare for our families.  

Boris' mother has an art studio that she offers art lessons for children.  We were so lucky to have her come in to our classroom.  Below is a link to her facebook page along with her website.  Thank you so much!

www.drawtogrow.com/

www.facebook.com/DrawToGrow

Shadows and Reflections March11-15

Shadows and Reflections Week 1

Theme – This is our first week of our new unit, Shadows and Reflections. During this unit students will explore shadows and reflections, using observations, experiments and books to learn what makes a shadow and a reflection. Through Story Time books, children hear about a girl playing by a still pond, a puppy who thinks he is a kitten, a crocodile collecting reflections in a pail, a sleepy boy who sees a shadow save a cat, and a raccoon who has an adventure with only his reflection for company.

Theme Concepts:
Reflections are images thrown back from a shiny surface.
There must be light or there is no reflection.
Mirrors and still water reflect light well; dull surfaces do not.
If water is moving, its reflections are blurry or crooked.
Objects are opaque, translucent, or transparent.
Shadows are the dark areas made when an object blocks light.

Stories:

Play with Me by Marie Hall Ets

Raccoon on His Own by: Jim Arnosky

Small Groups:

-Technology-Interactive Shadow Activity on Touch It Board

-Language – Book Browsing and Letter chart of beginning sounds of animals for the book Play with Me

-Math–Number Go Fish Game and/or Uppercase to Lowercase Letter Go Fish Game

-Manipulatives- Creating 2 different types of patterns. Then we will use 1:1 correspondence to count how many red, how many yellow, and how many in all.

Choice: -

-Easel – Painting meadow, pond, and stream animals
-Sensory–Bubbles and mirrors (looking for reflections in bubbles)
-Dramatic Play – Picture studio ( getting ready for picture day)
-Art – Reflective-Paper Collages
-Writing Center – Drawing and writing about animals
-Puzzles – Animal Puzzles (Raccoons, crocodiles, grasshoppers, and fawns).
-Blocks – Construction Zone (Building a trap for Sean McFlarety who happens to be a Leprechaun that visits Pat on St. Patrick's Day.  He has been playing tricks on us and we are trying to catch him)
-Science Center- Mirrors and Reflection Exploring

Songs, Word Plays and Letters
Five Green Frogs
Bingo – with the word Snake
Whose Reflection is in the Pool?  (Smart board Activity)
Little Letter/Big Letter Chant
The Turtle
Five Little Fishies

Handwriting
Magic C Letters
-We will be moving onto our "Magic C" letters.  I will have a "magic" black hat and a special rabbit to help me write our magic C letters.   They are magic C letters because they can change. If you make a C it can change to a G, O, and Q.  We also have a fun song to sing about Magic C letters.

Preschool Life Skills
We are continuing to review our previous skills 1-7.
1-When a teacher calls your name, stop, look and say, "Yes".
2-When a teacher tells you to do something, do it "Right Away".
3-When a teacher tells you to do 2 things, do it "Right Away".
4-When something is too hard, first try then say,"Can you help me please?"
5-When you something from a teacher or a friend and they are doing something, say, "Excuse me" to get them to look at you.
(6and 7 are join together)
7-When someone is in your way or has something that you want, say "Excuse me" to get their attention, and then say"May I_____?" to get what you want.
8-When an adult tells you to wait say, "Okay", and your waiting words. (Waiting Words= "When I wait quietly, I get what I want")
 New Skill:
When a friend tells you to wait say, "Okay", and your waiting words. (Waiting Words= "When I wait quietly, I get what I want")

We also have been learning:
"Checking our Body" - This is to remind us how to sit during large group activities. We will talk about how to "check" our bodies to get ready to listen. This is a important skill as we transition into kindergarten.

Lunch in H.S. Cafe Today

Today we had a very special reward.  Our class ate lunch in the high school cafeteria.  We have been working hard toward this special class reward as part of our Tier 1 Behavior Program.  Every child earned a "high five" for 10 days in a row and each day we put a pom pom in our class reward bucket.  It was very exciting to go to the cafe with our lunch boxes and find our "reserved" table. Mrs. Deacon and the custodians put a reserved sign on two tables for us.  We spoke with teachers from the high school, the principal, and high school students. We even had our preschool staff come down to visit us (Deb, Katie, and Liz B.)  It was a reward worth working towards. What a fun lunch!!

World of Color March4-March8

World of Color Unit
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.

Upcoming Special Lunch
We will be having lunch in the High School Cafe during the week as a reward to our "high five" program.  The assistant principal will be setting a special table during the high school lunch time for us. We will be in the cafe with the big kids but eating at our own tables.  Everyone is very excited.  We will post pictures of our very exciting lunch.

Books This Week

Dear Juno

A Pocket for Corduroy (Related to colors and our artist visit)

Knuffle Bunny

Small Groups
-Writing- Rhyme Time Color Word Book- We will be writing color words in a rhyming book. (Ex. A pink drink, a red bed, etc). This will take place over 2 small groups.
-Artist Project (2 day project)
http://www.drawtogrow.com/ This is a link to her Art Studio Website
This week we will have a real artist (Boris' Mom) come into our classroom to do a special art project with us.  We will be painting cool and warm colors with her.  Then we will be creating collages with our painting. We will also look at other artists that make collages in their books such as Eric Carle in the Very Hungry Caterpillar.  We will post pictures of this special event.

-Science Experiment in Our Window (Final Observations)
Will colored paper fade? We will be conducting an experiment to see how paper fades in the sun. This experiment will continue for our entire unit to compare and discuss how different colors fade in the sun. Our experiment will be in our classroom windows for us to check everyday.


Center
Science Table-Color screens to explore to try to make new colors.
Blocks-Jungle Animals (Camouflage animals)
Sensory Table- Colored rice
Dramatic Play-Airport with Passport to stamp when they arrive in other countries
Library- A variety of books about color
Art Table- Painting with primary colors to make new colors
Easel- Primary Colors
Puzzles- Puzzles
Manipulatives- Pattern Blocks.
Writing Center- Ipad Mixing App (mixing colors to match the wall color and using primary colors to make secondary colors)

Song, Word Play and Letters
Poems- Boom, Bang, Raindrops
Songs-Green Grass Grows All Around, Diagonal Lines
Literacy Skills- Change, Change, Rearrange of letters in words

Let's Talk About It
-Airmail, stamps, and passports

-Color Meanings- Traffic Lights, Construction, Cones, Signs
-Camouflage and how animals change their color
-Practice our "waiting words"

Handwriting
-We will be finishing up our Diagonal Line Letters. (Z, N,R, M,) We will also be singing songs related to diagonal lines.
-We will be moving onto our "Magic C" letters.  I will have a "magic" black hat and a special rabbit to help me write our magic C letters.   They are magic C letters because they can change. If you make a C it can change to a G, O, and Q.  We also have a fun song to sing about Magic C letters.

Preschool Life Skills
We are continuing to review our previous skills 1-7.
1-When a teacher calls your name, stop, look and say, "Yes".
2-When a teacher tells you to do something, do it "Right Away".
3-When a teacher tells you to do 2 things, do it "Right Away".
4-When something is too hard, first try then say,"Can you help me please?"
5-When you something from a teacher or a friend and they are doing something, say, "Excuse me" to get them to look at you.
(6and 7 are join together)
7-When someone is in your way or has something that you want, say "Excuse me" to get their attention, and then say"May I_____?" to get what you want.
New skill:
When an adult tells you to wait say, "Okay", and your waiting words. (Waiting Words= "When I wait quietly, I get what I want")

We also have been learning:
"Checking our Body" - This is to remind us how to sit during large group activities. We will talk about how to "check" our bodies to get ready to listen. This is a important skill as we transition into kindergarten.