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.