Bird feeders and Carp flying today

 Today we created a special good bye book for Ashley. She is leaving the Cub Cadet classroom.  We are happy for her because Ashley has a new job in Early Intervention that she is excited about.  We will miss you Ashley!! Good Luck

 Today we also made bird feeders in our small groups today.  We put cheerios on pipe cleaners then put them on a tree outside for the birds and other animals to eat.  This was related to the family in our unit book Night Tree.  The family put food on a tree every year as part of their family tradition.

 After putting on bird feeders on the tree, we thought it was perfect day to fly our carps.  We made carps just like Kimoko did in our unit book.  It was fun to run on the hill and watch our carps blow in the wind.
What a fun day!!!

Gingerbread Unit December 2-6

-We will starting a unit on gingerbread.  We will be reading multiple versions of stories related to the tale of the gingerbread man.  
-We will also be having a family celebration in the month of December. I will be sending home a -notice and posting more information the first week we come back to school.  
-Gingerbread Homework- I will be sending "homework" next week as well.  Please have fun with you child with the at home math activity.  
-NO School on December 5 (Parent Teacher Conference Day)
- We also have a snowman named C.C. (cold cocoa) that has been visiting our classroom.  He has fun in our school when we go home.

Books this week

Gingerbread Man
Gingerbread Boy

Small Groups
-Measuring with non-standard units of measure with our gingerbread rulers
-Visual Discriminiation Puzzle- Each child will decorate a gingerbread man then cut him or her into pieces.  Then they will reassemble their puzzles.
-Gingerbread Tally Game- We will spin a spinner and record which gingerbread man it lands on. We will discuss concepts of more, less, and equal
-Group Activity- We will be using our "rulers" to find items to measure in the high school.  This is to help give your child ideas and excite them about finding items to measure at home.

Center
Blocks-Blocks
Sensory Table-Snow (aka popcorn from boxes)
Dramatic Play-  Gingerbread Bakery
Library- A variety of books about gingerbread
Art Table-Painting with gingerbread cookie cutters
Easel- Water Colors
Science Table
Puzzles- Puzzles
Manipulatives- Ipad apps to make cookies
Writing Center- Writing Letters

Song, Word Play and Letters
Poems- 5 little cookies
Songs- gingerbread songs
Literacy Skills- Letter Sound Activities, Change and Rearrange Words

Handwriting
-We will be working on our  HWT books (We are working on Big and Little Line Letters like E,F,T,L)

Preschool Life Skills
We are continuing to review our previous skills 1-4.
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.

November 13-15 Family Traditions Unit

Reminder: 
No School Monday (Veteran's Day)
No School on Tuesday November 12 (Teacher Professional Development Day)
Books This Week:
Bunny Cakes
Full, Full, Full of Love

Concept Questions For This Week:
-Cultural Food Traditions
-Celebrating Birthdays (similarities and differences between us)

Handwriting:
Continuing to practice before we use our new big line and little line books
1. using a defined space to write letters
2. using chalk boards to write big lines then wiping with sponges
3. using dry erase boards to write big lines and little lines

Small Groups This Week:
1. Bunny Cakes Puzzle- We will be cutting the cover of our unit book then trying to reassemble the cover.
2.Beginning Letter Feast Book- We will listen to the sounds in the beginning sound in each picture. Then we will watch a model of how to form each letter with HWT boards. Then we will write the initial sound for each picture.
3. Setting a table- We will discuss how the family in the unit book "set the table" for a feast.  Then we will cut and glue pictures, a cup, and a napkin to show how to set a proper table.

Centers

Art Table:Making Arm Trees for our "family trees"

Block Area:blocks pumpkins to make rows

Sensory Table:Washing Dishes(like in the story Full, Full of Love)

Book Area: books about families

Easel: pumpkins and orange and green paints

Writing Table: family words to copy

Dramatic Play: tools

Puzzles and Manipulatives: Visual Discrimination Puzzles

Science Table: Tally sheets for activity of gerbils

Preschool Life Skills

Every week we will be reinforcing previous skills and introducing new skills. Some weeks we will spend more time with a previous skill before moving to a new skill.
New Life Skill: 
"When something is too hard, find a teacher and say 'Help Me Please'.

Previous Life Skills:

"When I give you an instructions, do them right away." (2-3 step directions)

"When a teacher calls your name, you stop, look at the speaker, and say "yes".

 "When I give you an instruction, do it right away."

Social Thinking:

We have begun reading books about our thoughts and feelings to go along with our new curriculum. We have been talking about how our heart is our "feelings keeper" and our brain is our "thought maker".

Family Traditions Unit November 4-8

Books This Week:
Apples and Pumpkins
Full, Full, Full of Love

Concept Questions For This Week:
-What is a family?
-Who are the people in your family?
-Begin discussion of family tree project

Handwriting:
-Finishing our color and shape books.  We will also be reviewing Mat Man materials
- Big Line Activities-
1. using big and little lines to see if we can make letters in our names
2. using chalk boards to write big lines then wiping with sponges
3. using dry erase boards to write big lines and little lines

Small Groups This Week:
1. Pumpkin sorting- We will sort 5 different pumpkins in size order from smallest to biggest. Then we will use non-standard unit of measure to see how tall each pumpkin is.  Then we will trace or write the number. then cut and glue a set of pumpkins to put them in order from smallest to biggest and/or biggest to smallest
2.Pumpkin Sequence- We will color then sequence the order of how to make a jack-o-lantern.  In the story Apples and Pumpkins the family picks a pumpkin then creates a jack-o-lantern as a family tradition.
3. Pumpkin and Vine Math Books- First we will draw vines on each page of our books. Then we will use 1:1 correspondence to place the correct number of pumpkins(our thumbprints) on each page. We will focus on numbers 6-10.
1. Memory Game- Using vocabulary from unit books, we will play a memory game. Then we will discuss which vocabulary comes from which book.
2.Beginning Letter Feast Book- We will listen to the sounds in the beginning sound in each picture. Then we will watch a model of how to form each letter with HWT boards. Then we will write the initial sound for each picture.
3. Setting a table- We will discuss how the family in the unit book "set the table" for a feast.  Then we will cut and glue pictures, a cup, and a napkin to show how to set a proper table.

Centers

Art Table:Apple prints

Block Area:blocks pumpkins to make rows

Sensory Table:water and fish (like in the story Full, Full of Love)

Book Area: books about families

Easel: pumpkins and orange and green paints

Writing Table: family words to copy

Dramatic Play: tools

Puzzles and Manipulatives: Ipads

Science Table: Tally sheets for activity of gerbils

Preschool Life Skills

Every week we will be reinforcing previous skills and introducing new skills. Some weeks we will spend more time with a previous skill before moving to a new skill.
New Life Skill: 
"When I give you an instructions, do them right away." (2-3 step directions)

Previous Life Skills:

"When a teacher calls your name, you stop, look at the speaker, and say "yes".

 "When I give you an instruction, do it right away."

Social Thinking:

We have begun reading books about our thoughts and feelings to go along with our new curriculum.  I will be sending home information about our new social thinking program.